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the installation inst comprises an actuator act comprising a gear motor mtr and a gear motor electronic control unit ecu and a radio control command receiver rcu and a means du for detecting voltage variations on a power supply line . the actuator act is supplied via the power supply line by a autonomous power supply assembly pwu comprising at least one rechargeable battery bat , coupled to a charging circuit reg , itself connected to a photovoltaic panel pvc supplying energy that can be stored in the battery bat . for reasons associated with energy autonomy , the consumption of the actuator must be reduced . at the time of a controlled movement , the actuator act consumes the energy provided by the battery bat . in parallel , the control command receiver rcu must remain in a standby mode in order to be able to react to control commands from a radio control command transmitter . the consumption of the receiver is therefore substantially continuous , whether it be in standby mode or in processing mode when a message is received . the battery bat must therefore be capable of supplying such energy . in a known manner , the control command receiver rcu is a low - consumption receiver . in various cases explained above , it is useful to be able to completely disable the listening function of the control command receiver rcu , independently of the power supply of the actuator . for this purpose and according to the invention the power supply assembly pwu also comprises a man - machine interface mmi coupled to a command determination unit ccu , according to the activation of the man - machine interface mmi . the man - machine interface mmi accordingly comprises at least one functional button fl , whose activation makes it possible to disable or reestablish the listening capabilities of the actuator , that is to say to activate or not activate the command receiver rcu . other functionalities may be transmitted from the autonomous power supply assembly pwu , for example : awakening the receiver to begin the pairing of a radio control point to the actuator . resetting the memory of the receiver rcu . resetting the operating parameters of the gear motor mtr ( pairings and adjustments of the ends of travel for example ), stored in the electronic control unit ecu . disabling the command receiver rcu . the same functional button fl may be used to transmit the functionalities described above to the actuator , using particular ergonomics determined by pressing times , successions of pressings or sequences of pressings . the command determination unit ccu then translates these commands , formed by these pressing times , these pressing successions or these pressing sequences , in the form of particular signals , in order to transmit them to the electronic control unit ecu of the actuator , particularly by using the power supply line between the power supply assembly pwu and the actuator or for example by using a bus - type line making it possible to transport the power supply and the information simultaneously , or with a line intended to the transfer of information only . these signals may for example consist in variations of the power supply voltage . they are then detected and identified within the means du for detecting variations in the power supply voltage . various known power supply and communication protocols may be used , such as for example the protocol defined in application ep 1 274 199 . the actuator is connected to the power supply assembly pwu by a power supply line lin . a connector pr allows rapid connection between the actuator and the power supply assembly . the link between the charging circuit reg and the actuator is interrupted if the actuator is disconnected from this power supply connector pr . the latter may then be used to connect an external source of current ext , whether it be a battery or the mains . the battery bat is then charged by means of this external source ext , through the charging circuit reg , so as to alleviate a temporary lack of energy supply by the photovoltaic panel pvc . fig3 and 4 represent an embodiment of the autonomous power supply assembly pwu with an internal or external connector . the battery bat is preferably housed in a casing 10 of elongated shape , furnished at its ends with two removable covers 11 and 12 . the battery bat may be in the form of a plurality of rechargeable accumulators mounted in series , one after the other in the casing . the battery poles are connected to a printed circuit board pcb , also comprising the charging circuit reg ( not shown ). furthermore , the photovoltaic cell panel pvc ( not shown ) is connected to the charging circuit , so as to supply the battery by converting light energy into electric current that can be accumulated in the battery . the command determination unit ccu ( not shown ) is also connected to the printed circuit board pcb . fig3 shows an exploded view of a portion of the autonomous power supply assembly pwu . the casing 10 is fitted at its ends with shoes 14 and 15 , where necessary removable , making it possible to more easily insert the battery assembly bat into the elongated casing . the shoe 15 is furnished with a cable entry provided for the insertion of the cable lin connected to the gear motor mtr in the casing 10 . the cable lin is connected at its end inserted into the cable entry to a connector pr 1 m that can be moved relative to the casing 10 or to the shoe 15 . this connector pr 1 m may be connected to another connector pr 1 f attached to the printed circuit board pcb and connected electrically to the battery bat . therefore , when the movable connector pr 1 m is plugged into the fixed connector , the gear motor mtr is electrically connected to the battery bat . the shoe 15 and respectively the shoe 14 are covered by removable covers 11 and 12 . when the cover 11 is removed , the connectors pr 1 f and pr 1 m may be disconnected . the fixed connector pr 1 f may then be used for recharging the battery bat via the external source ext . alternatively , or simultaneously , the connector pr 1 m may be used for direct supply via the external source ext . this external source may be different depending on whether it is intended to recharge the battery or to supply the actuator . fig4 shows the detail of the connectors pr 1 f and pr 1 m once installed on the shoe 15 . also mounted on the functional button fl is the printed circuit board pcb . the latter is also accessible when the cover 11 is removed from the casing 10 . in the embodiment of fig5 , shown schematically , the cover 11 takes the form of a cap . the latter can be removed from the casing 10 . the printed circuit board pcb is kept in the removable cap 11 . a first connector pr 2 f and the functional button fl of the man - machine interface mmi are mounted on a printed circuit board . a second connector pr 2 m is plugged into the first and allows the battery to be connected to the printed circuit board . therefore , when the removable cap is removed from the casing 10 , the functional button fl and the connectors pr 2 f and pr 2 m become accessible . the functional button fl may then be used to control certain functionalities of the actuator . furthermore , the connectors pr 2 m and pr 2 f make it possible to decouple the battery from the actuator . this connector may be used , once decoupled , for connection to an external source for recharging the battery or for directly supplying the actuator . advantageously , the functionalities of the charging circuit may be reused during a connection with an external source ( for example verifying the level of battery charge ). at the other end of the elongated casing 10 , there is another fixed cap 12 . the electric connection line lin between the battery bat and the actuator act passes through the latter . the line lin is also furnished with another connector pr 2 ′, which allows a connection to the actuator . this connector pr 2 ′ may be close to the casing or further away on the electric connection line lin , for example on the actuator itself . fig6 represents a schematized view in section of the casing of the power supply assembly according to fig5 . the casing has a flat bottom surface surmounted by a substantially circular section in which are housed the battery or batteries , or accumulator or accumulators , and a connection line lin between the printed circuit board pcb and the connector pr 2 ′. the flat bottom surface extends to the side so as to form a supporting surface for the photovoltaic panel pvc . the latter are then connected to the charging circuit reg at one of the ends of the casing . the caps 11 and 12 represented in fig5 and in fig7 and 8 have shapes that match the casing . alternatively , the casing may be closed at only one end by a cap and at the other by a casing wall . fig7 shows a third embodiment of the casing 10 of the battery kit . in this embodiment , the two caps 11 and 12 may be permanently mounted . the connector pr for the connection is on the cap 12 . therefore , when the battery can no longer supply the actuator , it is possible to disconnect the latter and directly supply the actuator with an external source ext by means of a connector pr 3 m , or to recharge the battery by means of the connector pr 3 f . this connector pr is connected to the printed circuit board pcb and to the battery via the printed circuit tracks . a functional button fl ′ is of the contactless type that can be activated , for example by magnetic actuation or thanks to a radiofrequency identification system rfid . fig8 shows a fourth embodiment of the casing 10 . a first cap 11 , inside which the printed circuit board pcb and a functional button fl ″ are installed , is attached facing the casing . here again , the functional button can be activated contactlessly , or can be activated by contact through the wall of the cap 11 ( flexible wall for example ). the second cap 12 is removable and the connectors pr 4 m and pr 4 f connecting the printed circuit board to the power supply line lin of the actuator are inside the battery kit . advantageously , the connectors pr 4 m and pr 4 f are disconnected when a user removes the cap 12 from the casing . various combinations of these embodiments can naturally be envisaged , without departing from the context of the invention . when an actuator is incorporated into a roller blind by an integrator , the latter can easily activate or deactivate the actuator &# 39 ; s radio wave listening functionalities . in this manner , if various actuators are present on one adjustment site , only one is listening during the adjustment process ( pairing with a remote control , adjustment of ends of travel or of various operating parameters ), this adjustment being carried out by radio waves , while the radio receivers of the other actuators are deactivated . once adjusted , the receiver of the adjusted actuator is again deactivated , which makes it possible to save the energy of the battery that is associated with it , particularly during transport or before installation , while another receiver is activated to adjust this other actuator . | 6 |
the awning shown in fig1 has a support arrangement to be attached to a house wall or the like , and has a roller tube 34 mounted to rotate in bearing plates 30 , 30 &# 39 ;, as shown in fig1 and 2 . the roller tube 34 is movable by means of a drive 32 and an engageable or disengageable crank rod 26 , which may be engaged in an actuating eye 28 . secured to a support tube 24 located between the bearing plates 30 , 30 &# 39 ; and two extension arms of which only one , the extension arm 16 , is shown . the extension arm 16 comprises two legs 18 , 20 flexibly interconnected by means of a joint 22 . the leg 18 is rotatably secured on a portion 36 connected to the support tube 24 by means of a joint 38 , and the leg 20 is rotatably secured on a down tube 10 tensioning the awing material 14 , by means of a joint 22 . the down tube 10 can also carry a free - hanging blind portion 12 . the joints 22 , 22 &# 39 ;, 38 ensure that the extension arm 16 folds within one plane . the legs 18 , 20 are in the form of tubes . located in a way not shown in the interior of the tubular leg 20 is a traction spring , which is secured at one end on the joint 22 &# 39 ; and at the other end via a cable not shown extending through the tubular leg 18 , to the joint 38 . this traction spring is permanently tensioned in such a way that it acts in the direction of unfolding the legs 18 , 20 . when the operating eye 28 is rotated by means of the crank rod 26 , the down tube 10 moves in the direction of the double arrow 13 . the portion 36 can be in the form of a device for altering inclination , upon operation of which the down tube 10 is movable in the direction of the double arrow 15 . the thrust bearing not visible in fig1 for the roller tube 34 is shown in fig2 . the thrust bearing comprises a reinforced bearing cup 70 , which is mounted to rotate within a central opening 71 for a pin portion 76 of a spindle 72 . uniformly distributed on the circumference of the cup 70 are axially parallel ribs 73 , which engage into axially parallel grooves , not shown in the drawings , on the inner circumference of the roller tube 34 , which engage the ribs 73 , so that the cup 70 is non - rotatably connected to the roller tube 34 . the pin portion 76 may be non - rotatably attached in a bore 74 in the bearing plate 30 &# 39 ;. for this purpose the bearing plate 30 &# 39 ; has a slot extending vertically above the pin portion 76 , not shown in the drawings , which may be narrowed by means of a screw 75 , so that the pin portion 76 may be securely clamped . at the end , the pin portion 76 has a recess 79 into which a key , not shown in the drawings , can be thrust in order to rotate the pin portion 76 and thus the spindle 72 . the spindle 72 has a collar with two stops , only one stop 78 being shown , and a threaded portion 77 , which runs on a running nut 80 that has an internal thread . on the side facing the stop 78 , the running nut has two stops 81 , 82 , and is radially non - rotatable but axially movably mounted on its external circumference in the cup 70 . the construction of the running nut 80 is seen in more detail in fig3 to 5 . as the rear view of the running nut 80 in fig3 shows , the running nut 80 has an outer periphery which is roughly octagonal in cross - section , with inwardly bent peripheral sides 84 between the corners , whose centres are braced with a threaded ring 85 carrying the internal thread , so that eight chambers are formed . the running nut 80 nevertheless remains stable . the end side of the running nut 80 carries the two stops 81 , 82 . as shown at the point of the stop 81 , this stop has the surface shape of an arc segment , defined by an outer edge 86 , an inner edge 87 and two radial side edges 88 , 89 . thus the outer edge 86 forms an arc segment of a circle with a larger radius , while the inner edge 87 represents an arc segment of a circle with a smaller radius . from side edge 88 , the surface inclines uniformly upwards as far as the side edge 89 . the same applies to the stop 82 . the running nut 80 is preferably made of plastics or metal . the cup 70 has an internal shape adapted to the peripheral sides 84 , and accordingly has two to eight round internal longitudinal ribs , upon which the running nut 80 can slide axially . the stops 78 of the spindle 72 correspond to the stops 81 , 82 , so that the edges 89 can abut against corresponding edges of the stops 78 . fig2 shows the drive for the roller tube 34 . this drive can be advantageously used in this invention . however , other types of drives may also be used . the drive comprises a casing 40 with two gear wheels 43 , 44 , which form a pair of bevel gears . the axis of rotation of the gear wheels 43 , 44 are located at right angles to one another , and teeth 42 , 49 of the gear wheels mesh in one another . the gear wheel 44 is mounted to rotate on a section 34 of the casing 40 in the shape of the periphery of a cylinder . a shaft 39 of the gear wheel 43 is mounted to rotate with its end 66 in the casing 40 . a cylindrical tube 46 is located centrally in an interior of the section 45 and in a cylindrical recess of the casing 40 in extension of the section 45 , and is non - rotatably connected with the casing 40 . this cylindrical tube 46 serves as a bearing for a hub - shaped portion 37 of the gear wheel 44 . in turn mounted to rotate on this portion 37 is an adapter 48 , which is in the shape of a cylindrical drum open on one side , upon which the roller tube 34 is non - rotatably secured . the adapter 48 and the portion 37 of the gear wheel 44 are secured against horizontal displacement by means of a securing member 51 . a rib , not shown in the drawings , in the interior of the roller tube 34 engages in a longitudinal groove , not shown in the drawings , on the outer periphery of the adapter 48 , so that the adapter 48 together with the roller tube 34 is rotatable on the portion 37 . the adapter 48 is an injection - molded plastics part and for reasons of economy of materials has a honeycomb and thus stable structure . the gear wheel 44 is coupled to the adapter 48 and thus to the roller tube 34 by means of a freewheel device , which is indicated in fig2 by a chamber 53 of the adapter 48 . a resilient latch 54 is guided in the chamber 53 , and by a recess 55 formed in the gear wheel 44 or a screw , in which the latch 54 can positively engage . the method of operation of the unwinding locking device according to this invention in conjunction with the drive comprising the freewheel device is as follows . upon unwinding of the awning fabric 14 by means of the crank rod 26 , the spring located in the leg 20 spreads the legs 18 , 20 apart . the end of the latch 54 thus engages an edge of the recess 55 ; other latches and other recesses can be provided . no pressure needs be exerted on the crank rod 26 , as the tension of the spring located in the leg 20 is sufficient to unwind the awning fabric 14 . during this unwinding procedure , the running nut 80 is transported out of the position shown in fig2 on the spindle 72 in the direction of the stops 78 . once the desired unwinding position of the awning fabric 14 is reached , the stops 78 , 81 , and the two other stops abut one another , so that any further unwinding movement of the roller tube 34 in the same direction is prevented . the tension of the traction spring in the leg 20 ensures that the awning fabric 14 remains tight . if the crank rod 26 were to be further rotated in the direction of unwinding , the latch 54 with its nose disengages from the edge of the recess 55 ; this latch is applied with its oblique surface against another edge of the recess 55 , and is pressed inwards into the chamber 53 . this procedure can be repeated at further recesses in the gear wheel 44 . thus the two gear wheels 43 , 44 freewheel , while the roller tube 34 is locked by the running nut 80 . during the winding - up procedure , the crank rod 26 is rotated in the opposite direction . in this case the latch 54 engages again with its end in an edge of the recess 55 or another corresponding edge , so that the roller tube 34 is carried along with it . thus the stops 78 , 81 are separated from one another again , and the running nut 80 runs in the direction of the drive . one important advantage of this invention is that the user can optionally select the desired unwinding position . for this purpose the awning fabric 14 is unwound as far as the desired unwinding position provided . then the screw 75 is loosened , until the pin portion 76 is rotatable in the bore 71 . then the key is thrust into the recess 79 and the spindle 72 rotated until the running nut 80 abuts with its stop 81 against the stop 78 of the spindle 72 . finally , the screw 75 is again tightened . in order to facilitate setting of the desired unwinding position , the screw 75 can be in the form of a wing nut , and the pin portion 76 can be provided with a fixed crank . a further advantage of this invention resides in the fact that the running nut 80 is made of plastics and thus can be economically manufactured , because , upon further rotation of the crank rod 26 after reaching the desired unwinding position , the freewheel device 53 , 54 , 56 prevents possible damage to the stops 81 , 82 and to the internal thread of the running nut 80 . a further advantage of this invention resides in the fact that possible jamming of the running nut 80 is prevented by providing the stops 78 on the spindle 72 and the stops 81 , 82 on the running nut 80 . | 4 |
the preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings . identical elements in the various figures are identified with the same reference numerals . reference will now be made in detail to each embodiment of the present invention . such embodiments are provided by way of explanation of the present invention , which is not intended to be limited thereto . in fact , those of ordinary skill in the art may appreciate upon reading the present specification and viewing the present drawings that various modifications and variations can be made thereto . fig1 shows the process flow of data through the cloud based system of the present application . the process commences with a native data file , the data file is encrypted and broken into segmented parts , and the segmented data file is then forwarded to multiple cloud storage providers located in multiple jurisdictions . a client ( or multiple clients ) connects to a storage director appliance or software application through a multi - protocol connector . the multi protocol connector may be via a web browser through the internet . the storage director appliance or application has the ability to locally store a cached file in a local cache storage . the file is processed by a processing engine where it is encrypted and separated into “ n ” parts . each of the parts are passed on to the cloud queue engine , which transmits and deposits the segmented parts to multiple cloud providers located in multiple legal jurisdictions . when the file is requested by an authorized user , the cloud queue engine retrieves a copy of each of “ n ” parts , downloads them to the storage director appliance or application , and processes the segmented parts to re - create the original encrypted file . the encrypted file is decrypted , and the native file becomes available to the user . fig2 shows a flow chart diagram that describes the process of taking a native file and securely storing it in one of multiple cloud vendors located in more than one jurisdiction . to reassemble the file , the process is simply reversed . in step 1 , local or native data is received from a client and ready for processing . in step 2 , the file and location data are written to the storage director module lookup table . in step 3 , the file is processed by the processing engine , where it is encrypted . the encrypted file is then broken into multiple data blocks , and each block is assigned a unique name or identifier . in step 4 , the storage director module lookup table is updated with the block name of each data block and the total quantity of blocks that were created from the original encrypted file . in steps 5 the data blocks are forwarded and moved to storage providers as per a preset algorithm as instructed by the cloud queue engine or module . in step 6 , the blocks are forward and moved to one of multiple cloud storage providers which are located in multiple jurisdictions as instructed by the cloud queue engine or module . the blocks are stored at cloud providers located in different jurisdictions . in step 7 , the storage director module lookup table is updated with the data location of each block at each cloud provider . in fig3 a graphical representation of the data flow is shown . fig3 also illustrates how data blocks are securely and redundantly stored across cloud providers in “ n ” jurisdictions . once a native data file is encrypted and broken into data blocks by the storage director appliance or application , the cloud queue engine or module distributes the blocks to “ n ” cloud providers in “ n ” legal jurisdictions . each data block is written to two or more cloud providers , which “ stripes ” the data across multiple providers in varying jurisdictions . if a given cloud provider is compromised by going offline and unavailable , the cloud queue engine can still retrieve the data blocks from another cloud provider . in addition , if a given cloud provider is compromised by a hacker or unauthorized user , the data blocks that may have been compromised are of no value to the hacker , because the hacker will only be in possession of encrypted blocks , and not any entire file . the present embodiments relate to a systems and methods for secure data storage in a multi - vendor cloud environment in a manner that prevents the third party cloud provider from being able to access or be in possession of complete data files . the computer or device that creates the source data distributes only a portion of a data file to each of a plurality of cloud storage providers . the source computer or device maintains a lookup table and is able to re - assemble the data . each storage provider only maintains part of each data file , and therefore is never in possession of any complete data file ( s ). the source computer or device can retrieve each portion of the file from multiple cloud providers , whereby the portions are re - assembled into the complete data file by using the lookup table . the system allows for large amounts of data to be stored across a plurality of third party cloud storage providers in a manner that prevents any third party from having access to any complete file . the data is distributed globally among a plurality of cloud storage providers . no single cloud provider has access to any complete file , as each file is broken into encrypted segments or data blocks and only one data block is sent to each cloud provider . each cloud provider is in a different physical location across multiple jurisdictions . as a result , the file does not exist at rest in any one jurisdiction , thus is not subject to legal and / or regulatory requirements of any single jurisdiction while it is stored in a multi - vendor cloud environment . the system ensures that any data file stored in a multi - vendor cloud environment in this manner cannot be subject to the laws governing production of , privacy of , or protection of data in any jurisdiction . the advantages and features of the application are of a representative sample of embodiments only , and are not exhaustive and / or exclusive . they are presented only to assist in understanding and teach the claimed principles . it should be understood that they are not representative of all disclosed embodiments . as such , certain aspects of the disclosure have not been discussed herein . that alternate embodiments may not have been presented for a specific portion of the invention or that further undescribed alternate embodiments may be available for a portion is not to be considered a disclaimer of those alternate embodiments . it will be appreciated that many of those undescribed embodiments incorporate the same principles of the invention and others are equivalent . thus , it is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and functional , logical , organizational , structural and / or topological modifications may be made without departing from the scope and / or spirit of the disclosure . as such , all examples and / or embodiments are deemed to be non - limiting throughout this disclosure . also , no inference should be drawn regarding those embodiments discussed herein relative to those not discussed herein other than it is as such for purposes of reducing space and repetition . for instance , it is to be understood that the logical and / or topological structure of any combination of any program components ( a component collection ), other components and / or any present feature sets as described in the figures and / or throughout are not limited to a fixed operating order and / or arrangement , but rather , any disclosed order is exemplary and all equivalents , regardless of order , are contemplated by the disclosure . furthermore , it is to be understood that such features are not limited to serial execution , but rather , any number of threads , processes , services , servers , and / or the like that may execute asynchronously , concurrently , in parallel , simultaneously , synchronously , and / or the like are contemplated by the disclosure . as such , some of these features may be mutually contradictory , in that they cannot be simultaneously present in a single embodiment . similarly , some features are applicable to one aspect of the invention , and inapplicable to others . in addition , the disclosure includes other inventions not presently claimed . applicant reserves all rights in those presently unclaimed inventions including the right to claim such inventions , file additional applications , continuations , continuations in part , divisions , and / or the like thereof . as such , it should be understood that advantages , embodiments , examples , functional , features , logical , organizational , structural , topological , and / or other aspects of the disclosure are not to be considered limitations on the disclosure as defined by the claims or limitations on equivalents to the claims . it is to be understood that , depending on the particular needs and / or characteristics of a individual and / or enterprise user , database configuration and / or relational model , data type , data transmission and / or network framework , syntax structure , and / or the like , various embodiments of the system may be implemented that enable a great deal of flexibility and customization . all statements herein reciting principles , aspects , and embodiments of the disclosure , as well as specific examples thereof , are intended to encompass both structural and functional equivalents thereof . additionally , it is intended that such equivalents include both currently known equivalents as well as equivalents developed in the future , i . e ., any elements developed that perform the same function , regardless of structure . descriptions herein of method steps and computer programs represent conceptual embodiments of illustrative circuitry and software embodying the principles of the disclosed embodiments . thus the functions of the various elements shown and described herein may be provided through the use of dedicated hardware as well as hardware capable of executing software in association with appropriate software as set forth herein . in the disclosure hereof any element expressed as a means for performing a specified function is intended to encompass any way of performing that function including , for example , a ) a combination of circuit elements and associated hardware which perform that function or b ) software in any form , including , therefore , firmware , microcode or the like as set forth herein , combined with appropriate circuitry for executing that software to perform the function . applicants thus regard any means which can provide those functionalities as equivalent to those shown herein . similarly , it will be appreciated that the system and process flows described herein represent various processes which may be substantially represented in computer - readable media and so executed by a computer or processor , whether or not such computer or processor is explicitly shown . moreover , the various processes can be understood as representing not only processing and / or other functions but , alternatively , as blocks of program code that carry out such processing or functions . the methods , systems , computer programs and mobile devices of the present disclosure , as described above and shown in the drawings , among other things , provide for improved social networking platforms and aspects thereof . it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the devices , methods , software programs and mobile devices of the present disclosure without departing from the spirit or scope of the disclosure . thus , it is intended that the present disclosure include modifications and variations that are within the scope of the subject disclosure and equivalents . | 6 |
referring to the drawing figures , fig1 a illustrates an exploded mechanical layout of an exemplary embodiment of the apparatus , while fig1 b illustrates this embodiment as an integrated device . fig2 a and 2b illustrate a composite mechanical view and a cross - section of this same exemplary embodiment . the base 7 is a plate that attaches rigidly to the structure of an optical system external to this apparatus . the platform comprises an optical assembly 2 rigidly attached to a plate 3 . in this embodiment , the optical subassembly includes an attached fiber optic interface 8 for accepting and shaping the beam from an optical fiber from a laser light source ( not shown ). an optical reference beam 1 is emitted perpendicular to the surface of the platform . the stable platform 3 is attached to the base 7 through a mechanical flexure 9 that allows motion in two directions that correspond to tip and tilt of the platform relative to the base . note that in this embodiment , the flexure is a hollow cylinder and that the fiber optic interface 8 or the optical assembly 2 extends into the cavity within the flexure 9 . four high - bandwidth angular rate sensors 4 are attached to the platform plate 3 . these angular rate sensors measure high frequency motion of the platform in inertial space . the four angular rate sensors are arranged along two orthogonal axes . each axis incorporates one pair of angular rate sensors positioned on opposite sides of the plate . these two equipoised angular rate sensors provide : ( 1 ) mass balance across the plate , ( 2 ) redundant signals that can be processed to reduce measurement noise , and ( 3 ) redundant signals that enable continued operation despite failure of one sensor on either axis or both axes . in this embodiment , the angular rate sensors are implemented as magnetohydrodynamic angular rate sensors ( u . s . pat . no . 5 , 067 , 351 ). the electronic signal from the four angular rate sensors are transferred via cabling ( not shown ) to the controller . four linear displacement sensors 5 measure displacement of the platform plate 3 relative to the base 7 . in this exemplary embodiment , the linear displacement sensors are collocated with the positions of the angular rate sensors 4 . thus the four linear displacement sensors exhibit the same four - fold symmetry , mass balance , and redundancy characteristics itemized in the previous paragraph for the angular rate sensors . in this embodiment , the linear displacement sensors are implemented as e / u linear variable differential transducers ( u . s . pat . no . 5 , 469 , 053 ). one component of the e / u linear variable differential transducer is attached to the stable platform at the angular rate sensor 4 . the other component of the e / u linear variable differential transducer is attached to the base 7 beneath the angular rate sensor . the signal results from motion of the component attached to the platform relative to the component attached to the base . the electronic signal from these four sensors are transferred via cabling ( not shown ) to the controller . four actuators 6 move with respect to the base 7 to maintain the platform 3 at a stable angular position in inertial space or to point the platform to a new position in inertial space . in this embodiment the four actuators are disposed along two orthogonal axis at 45 ° relative to the axes defined by the sensor elements . the distribution of the actuators exhibit four - fold symmetry about the center of the platform . thus the four actuators exhibit the same mass balance and redundancy characteristics as itemized for the angular rate sensors and the linear displacement sensors . the actuator are electronically commanded and provide feedback to the controller through cabling ( not shown ). the angular rate sensors 4 , linear displacement sensors 5 , and actuators 6 are all symmetrically placed with four - fold symmetry about an axis perpendicular to the stable platform 2 and parallel to the center of the optical beam 1 . fig3 a - 3d shows a second and third exemplary embodiment of the apparatus . the labeled components 1 - 9 correspond to the same components in the previous discussion of fig1 and 2 . fig3 a - 3b embodiment reflects a packaging difference from the first embodiment shown in fig1 and 2 . slightly different angular rate sensors 4 , linear displacement sensors 5 are used . fig3 c - 3d embodiment reflects significantly higher performance requirements ( lower optical beam jitter ) than the first embodiment shown in fig1 and 2 . however , in this embodiment , the angular rate sensors 4 are considerably larger to provide higher precision . the accommodation of the larger rate sensors results in a larger diameter platform plate 3 . however , the height of the apparatus is reduced by placing the linear displacement sensors 5 at the sides of each angular rate sensor 4 rather than beneath them as in the embodiment in fig1 and 2 . the height of the post for the actuators 6 is similarly reduced without any loss of functionality . note that to preserve the desirable redundancy and mass balance characteristics outlined in previous paragraphs , the number of linear displacement sensors 5 has been increased to eight . these eight linear displacement sensors are arranged in pairs on each side of the angular rate sensors 4 . many embodiments of the current invention are possible based on similar reconfigurations of the key components as shown in fig1 a through 3b . fig4 a and 4b illustrate details of the optical assembly that is common to both exemplary embodiments described in fig2 a and 3a . in this embodiment , the optical assembly 2 consists of the top mounting plate and the fiber optic interface 8 . this interface comprises the actual mechanical interface 11 where the optical fiber attaches to the assembly and a set of collimating optics 10 that expands and forms the optical reference beam . this reference beam 1 , exits the assembly perpendicular to its planar surface . alternate embodiments are possible for coupling the beam to the optical assembly and producing a pencil beam exiting from the aperture . fig5 illustrates a key innovation in the illustrated embodiments of this apparatus . the high degree of symmetry in the platform , flexure , and placement of the sensing and actuating components results in superior control dynamics . the apparatus is designed to align the platform center of mass , the platform center of rotation , the angular rate sensor sense axes and the centers of force application about the same point along the pointing axis of the device . the alignment of center of mass with the center of rotation minimizes cross - axis coupling and the influences of linear vibrations . the alignment of angular rate sensors sense axes with the axes of platform rotation also minimize measurement errors . in the figure , the z axis represents the pointing axis of the reference beam . the x axis ( out of the page ) and y axis align with the sense axes of the angular rate sensors . the center of the resulting coordinate system is the balance point for rotations and force application , resulting in very high dynamic response . fig6 illustrates another key innovation in the preferred embodiment of this apparatus . in this control system diagram , the mechanical apparatus described thus far is designated the plant 12 . the command following controller 13 receives attitude pointing commands from an external source . it issues commands to the actuators 6 to implement the pointing command in inertial space . the disturbance rejection controller 14 generates actuator commands to reduce the inertial reference units jitter about the attitude pointing commands . the controller also implements a sensor blending kalman filter 15 that estimates the state of the system based on feedback from the actuators 6 , the angular rate sensors 4 , the displacement sensors 5 , and a low - frequency dc sensor external to this apparatus but connected to a common base . based on these feedback signals and the detailed dynamic model of the apparatus , the digital sensor blending kalman filter can accurately estimate the current state of the apparatus and provide this information to the real - time controller . in addition , the inertial state and / or relative state can be sent back to an external source for its use . the kalman filter estimates a process by using a form of feedback control . that is the filter estimates the process - state at some time and then obtains feedback in the form of real and noisy measurements . as such , the equations for the kalman filter fall into two groups , a set of time update equations ( predictor ) and a set of measurement update equations ( corrector ). the time update equations are responsible for projecting forward in time the current state and error covariance estimates . the measurement update equations are responsible for the feedback , for incorporating a new measurement update into the estimate to obtain an improved estimate . the first task during the measurement update is to compute the kalman gain and then use that gain weight the influence of the measurement error ( innovation ). the kalman gain is also used to update the error covariance . after each time and measurement update pair , the process is repeated . the algorithm is illustrated in fig7 . a generalized system block diagram fro the multiple sensor , blending kalman filter is shown in fig8 or in detail [ k 1 k 2 ] = p [ h 1 h 2 ] ( [ h 1 h 2 ] p [ h 1 h 2 ] + [ j 1 0 0 j 2 ] [ r 1 0 0 r 2 ] [ j 1 0 0 j 2 ] ) - 1 [ c 1 c 2 ] = [ z 1 z 2 ] - [ h 1 h 2 ] x ^ x ^ = x ^ + [ k 1 k 2 ] [ c 1 c 2 ] p = p - [ k 1 k 2 ] [ h 1 h 2 ] p determining good values for q , r , and an initial p can be difficult . poorly chosen values can lead to an “ inconsistent ” filter were state estimates diverge from the true state . several tests for filter consistency have been developed and they have proven to be helpful in tuning a filter . except the variables are redefined slightly . assuming a two sensors model for the details of equation 1 looks like [ z 1 z 2 ] = [ h 1 h 2 ] x + [ j 1 0 0 j 2 ] [ v 1 v 2 ] here , and in the figure , the subscripts denote the individual sensors 1 and 2 . everything about the models for the sensors can be different — the noise processes and the variables they measure . we also need to make a similar modification to the measurement covariance matrix with those changes the kalman filter equations can be applied as before . the state and error covariance estimates are still fig9 shows a high - level block diagram of a simulation used to evaluate the performance of this filter . the dynamic model of ngiru was used to generate the platform inertial rate , base inertial rate , and relative angle signals . each sensor &# 39 ; s noise floor performance was modeled and the noise was added to the signals . these measurements are then supplied to the sensor blending kalman filter for processing . the kalman filter provides two basic outputs , an estimate of the original ( uncorrupted by sensor noise ) sensor signals and an estimate of the inertial angular displacement and rate of the stable platform . it is this inertial angle that equates to the amount of jitter from a reference laser mounted to the stable platform . fig1 and 11 show the performance of this blending kalman filter using the hrg , ars - 24 and e / u core sensors . fig1 shows the performance in inertial rate and fig1 in inertial angle of the stable platform . the figures are presented in noise power spectral density ( psd ). in both figures the thick line a is the error in the kalman filter &# 39 ; s estimation . these errors are well below the other curves on the figures . a curve b on both figures shows the noise power of a base dc sensor . a curve c in both figures is the noise power of an ars - 24 sensor . the curve d in both figures is the noise power of an e / u core sensor . for these figures , the e / u core noise has been converted to an angular equivalent assuming a representative distance from the optical axis . using the 2 . 5 km fog instead of the hrg produces the same results and are not duplicated here . that spectral blending approach resulted in an estimate of 8 nanoradians for the blended noise equivalent power ( nea ) when using the hrg . fig1 shows that using the sensor blending kalman filter reduces this nea to 0 . 2 picoradians , over 4 orders of magnitude improvement . the reason for this improvement over the spectral blending approach comes from two areas . first , the kalman filter is an optimal filter under certain conditions . these conditions ( linearity , noise independence , etc .) are very closely approximated in the real ngiru system . for example , when operating correctly the ngiru &# 39 ; s components all operate near their null point with only small deviations . the symmetric design of ngiru will minimize or eliminate many of the cross coupling mechanisms . the second reason for the dramatic improvement is due to the fact that the kalman filter contains a model of the dynamics of ngiru . this greatly improves the estimation capability of the filter over the spectral blending approach which has no such knowledge of the dynamics . spectral spectral kalman filter sensor 1 nea sensor 2 nea blending blended nea blended nea sensor 0 . 1 - 100 hz 0 . 1 - 1000 hz frequency 0 . 1 - 1000 hz 0 . 1 - 1000 hz combination ( nanoradians ) ( nanoradians ) ( hz ) ( nanoradians ) ( nanoradians ) hrg & amp ; ars - 24 164 965 0 . 5 22 0 . 0002 fog & amp ; ars - 24 78 965 0 . 1 189 0 . 0002 the high - frequency sensors and small platform allow an increase in the active isolation servo bandwidth . this additional bandwidth allows the servo to reject base motion vibrations with at least 10 db of improved isolation than any existing inertial reference unit over the frequency band 1 - 100 hz . this improved isolation is needed to meet error budgets on the order of tens to hundreds of nanoradians for unrejected base motion in the presence of airborne and space vibration environments . the sensor blending kalman filter allows measurements from on - platform , off - platform , and relative position sensors to be optimally combined . the high - frequency sensors and small platform allow an increase in the active isolation servo bandwidth . this additional bandwidth allows the servo to reject base motion vibrations with at least 10 db of improved isolation than any existing inertial reference unit over the frequency band 1 - 100 hz . this improved isolation is needed to meet error budgets on the order of tens to hundreds of nanoradians for unrejected base motion in the presence of airborne and space vibration environments . the sensor blending kalman filter allows measurements from on - platform , off - platform , and relative position sensors to be optimally combined . | 6 |
the following description is presented to enable any person skilled in the art to make and use the invention and is provided in the context of a particular application and its requirements . various modifications to the disclosed embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art , and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments and applications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention . thus , 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 . [ 0025 ] fig1 illustrates a computer system including a graphics controller with a difference engine 106 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention . the embodiment illustrated in fig1 includes central processing unit ( cpu ) 120 , which is coupled through north bridge 118 to memory 122 and bus 116 . cpu 120 may be any type of central processing unit that can be used in a computer system . this includes , but is not limited to , a microprocessor cpu , a mainframe cpu and a device controller cpu . north bridge 118 forms part of the “ core logic ” for the computer system . this core logic ties together and coordinates operations of components in the computer system . memory 122 can be any type of semiconductor memory that can be used in a computer system . bus 116 can be any type of computer system bus . in one embodiment , bus 116 includes a pci bus . bus 116 is also coupled to graphics controller 106 , which includes a difference engine . in this embodiment , graphics controller 106 includes circuitry to perform a difference operation between successive video frames . graphics controller 106 is also coupled to memory 108 and video unit 102 . graphics controller 106 additionally produces video output 114 , which feeds into a computer system monitor . memory 108 may be any type of semiconductor memory that may be used in a computer system . in one embodiment of the present invention , memory 108 is a dedicated graphics memory for graphics controller 106 , which is separate from memory 122 . in another embodiment , memory 108 and memory 122 are part of the same memory . in the illustrated embodiment , memory 108 includes an area for storing unmodified video data 110 and an area for storing xor video data 112 . in one embodiment , the area for storing unmodified video data 110 stores a previous frame of unmodified video , and the area for storing xor video data 112 stores a difference frame containing the exclusive - or of a current frame and the previous frame . other embodiments of the present invention may use other difference functions besides exclusive - or . video unit 102 receives video input 100 in analog form and converts it to digital form . in the illustrated embodiment , video unit 102 receives video input 100 in either pal or ntsc format , and produces digital video data in yuv format 104 . video unit 102 may include the bt829 chip produced by rockwell semiconductor systems , inc . of newport beach , calif . alternatively , the rockwell bt848 part may be used to transfer data across a computer system bus into system memory or into a video controller &# 39 ; s memory . ( in some embodiments , these may be the same memory ). additionally , video data may be received from external sources through serial buses that can stream video data into system memory , usually by transferring data across bus 116 . these serial buses may include the usb or the ieee 1394 bus . the embodiment illustrated in fig1 operates as follows . video input 100 streams into video unit 102 , which converts video input 100 into digital yuv data 104 . yuv data 104 feeds into graphics controller 106 , which produces video output 114 for display on a computer system monitor . graphics controller 106 additionally stores unmodified video data into unmodified video data 110 within memory 108 . graphics controller 106 also computes the difference between a current video frame and a previous video frame and stores this difference information in xor video data 112 in memory 108 . this difference information is used by cpu 120 to complete the compression process for the video data stream . [ 0031 ] fig2 illustrates a computer system including a graphics controller incorporated into a core logic unit 200 in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention . this embodiment is similar to the embodiment illustrated in fig1 except that graphics controller 106 and north bridge 118 from fig1 are combined into a single core logic unit with graphics controller 200 . additionally , memory 108 and memory 122 from fig1 are combined into a single memory 122 in fig2 . in the embodiment illustrated in fig2 core logic unit 200 includes circuitry to compute the difference between successive video frames as well as circuitry to perform other graphics controller functions . the embodiment illustrated in fig2 operates in the same way as the embodiment illustrated in fig1 except that in fig2 unmodified video data 110 and xor video data 112 are not stored in a separate graphics memory 108 , but are rather stored in the system memory 122 . hence , cpu 120 does not have to reach out across bus 116 to retrieve xor video data 112 from a separate graphics memory to complete the compression process . it merely has to retrieve data the xor video data 112 from the system memory . [ 0035 ] fig3 illustrates the internal structure for a portion of a graphics controller that computes the difference between successive video frames in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention . the circuitry illustrated in fig3 can exist in either graphics controller 106 from fig1 or in core logic unit 200 from fig2 . the circuitry illustrated in fig3 includes yuv data input 104 , which feeds through color space conversion module 302 . this module may perform color re - mapping on yuv data 104 . the output of color space conversion module 302 feeds into video input buffer 304 . from video input buffer 304 , the video data feeds either into xor unit 308 and multiplexer ( mux ) 312 . xor unit 308 takes another input from previous frame buffer 306 and generates an output , which feeds into result buffer 310 . data from result buffer 310 feeds through mux 312 and i / o buffers 316 into memory 108 . mux 312 takes another input from other write circuits 314 . this allows data to be written to memory 122 from other sources . data read from memory 122 feeds into previous frame buffer 306 , and then into xor unit 308 . alternatively , data read from memory 122 may feed into other read circuits 315 , allowing data to be read from memory 122 by other sources . data read from memory 122 may also pass through serializer 330 , color lookup table 332 and digital - to - analog converter 334 before becoming video output 114 to a monitor . serializer 330 converts data read from memory 122 into a serial bitstream . this bitstream is modified in color lookup table 332 , and is ultimately converted into analog form in digital - to - analog converter 334 . the circuitry illustrated in fig3 operates as follows . video data in yuv form 104 from video unit 102 streams into video input buffer 304 through color space conversion module 302 . from video input buffer 304 , this video data feeds through mux 312 and i / o buffers 316 into unmodified video data 110 within memory 122 . at the same time , data for a previous frame from unmodified video data 110 in memory 122 feeds into previous frame buffer 306 through i / o buffer 316 . from previous frame buffer 306 , this data feeds into xor unit 308 . xor unit 308 computes the difference between data from the previous frame , stored in previous frame buffer 306 , and data from the current frame , stored in video input buffer 304 . the output of xor unit 308 feeds into result buffer 310 . from result buffer 319 , this data feeds through mux 312 and i / o buffers 316 into an area for storing xor video data 112 within memory 122 . cpu 120 then uses this difference information to compress the video data . in one embodiment , data is processed a block at a time through xor unit 308 , wherein a block includes multiple words of data . in the embodiment illustrated in fig3 data for the current frame is overwritten over data for the previous frame as the data for the previous frame is retrieved into previous frame buffer 306 . this allows the frame data to be stored in one location without using “ ping pong ” buffers . the embodiment illustrated in fig3 also includes registers for storing address a 322 and address b 324 . address a 322 and address b 324 are pointers into memory 122 for keeping track of data within unmodified video data 110 and xor video data 112 within memory 122 . [ 0041 ] fig4 is a flow chart illustrating a method for compressing video data in a computer system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention . this flow chart is divided into two columns . the column on the left - hand - side represents operations of the computational unit , and the column on the right - hand - side represents operations of the memory system . in this embodiment , the system starts in state 400 . from state 400 , the computational proceeds state 402 . in state 402 , the computational unit receives a stream of data from a current video frame from a video source . the computational unit next proceeds to state 404 . in state 404 , the computational unit performs a color space conversion on the video data . the computational unit next proceeds to state 406 . in state 406 , the computational unit computes a difference frame from a current video frame and a previous video frame received from the memory system “ on - the - fly ” as the current video frame streams into the computer system . in one embodiment , this difference computation takes place without intervention by the cpu 120 . the computational unit next proceeds to state 412 . in state 412 , the computational unit produces compressed video data using the difference frame . the computational unit then loops back around to state 402 to process more video data . from state 400 , the memory system proceeds to state 422 . in state 422 , the memory system fetches a block of data from the previous frame . this block of data is forwarded to the computational unit for use in state 406 . the memory system next proceeds to state 424 , in which the memory system stores the current video frame — received from the computational unit in state 404 — into memory 122 . the memory system next proceeds at state 426 . in state 426 , the memory system stores the difference frame into memory 122 . the memory system then loops back around to state 422 to process more video data . the foregoing descriptions of embodiments of the invention have been presented for purposes of illustration and description only . they are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the forms disclosed . obviously , many modifications and variations will be apparent to practitioners skilled in the art . | 7 |
fig1 is a perspective view of a connector apparatus , in accordance with the principles of the present invention , in a six - pin configuration . fig1 illustrates a connector apparatus , generally referred to by reference numeral 100 , which includes a female housing 102 , a cpa member 104 in the female housing 102 , a male housing 108 , and a tpa member 110 in the male housing 108 . as shown in fig1 , the female housing 102 is mated with the male housing 108 . fig2 is a perspective view of a connector apparatus , in accordance with the principles of the present invention , in a six - pin configuration . fig2 illustrates a connector apparatus , generally referred to by reference numeral 200 , which includes a female housing 202 , a cpa member 204 in the female housing 202 , a male housing 208 , and a tpa member 210 in the male housing 208 . as shown in fig2 , the female housing 2102 is mated with the male housing 208 . a full connector assembly consists of a male connector assembly and a female connector assembly . the full connector assembly can also be referred to as a connector apparatus . the female connector assembly consists of a female housing , a tpa member , and a cpa member . for female sub - assembly , the tpa member and cpa member are inserted into the female housing in the preset position . the male connector assembly consists of a male housing and a tpa member . for male sub - assembly , the tpa member is inserted into the male housing in the preset position . the female and male connector assemblies are assembled separately . after inserting terminals in both the female and male connector assemblies , the tpa member is pushed to the final lock position for providing a secondary locking to the terminals . both sub - assemblies are then mated to make a system assembly . the female housing has a connector latch which latches with the male housing to interlock . the cpa member provides an assurance that both female and male connector assemblies are locked . then the cpa member is pushed to the final lock position . the connector apparatus of the present invention includes a number of advantages and improvements . the connector apparatus of the present invention can help to prevent a locking latch from getting damaged / deformed during shipping and handling , and thus can help prevent mating problems . the connector apparatus of the present invention can help to prevent a cpa member from getting damaged / deformed during shipping and handling , and thus can help prevent mating problems . the connector apparatus of the present invention can help to prevent a tpa member from getting inadvertently pushed into the final lock position during shipping and handling , and thus can help prevent terminal insertion problems . the connector apparatus of the present invention can help to prevent a user from needing to engage in secondary operations . the connector apparatus of the present invention can help to prevent complaints from a user , because it helps prevent problems associated with an inadvertent movement of a tpa member or cpa member to a final lock position during shipping and / or handling , for example . the connector apparatus of the present invention provides an improved connector assembly comprising a female housing and male housing designed to provide a superior audible click sound , moderate reinforcement , mutual retention , good mechanical strength when the female and male housings engage with each other , and extremely easy molding consideration by manufacturing the female housing &# 39 ; s connector latch with overbuild and then pushing the button of the connector latch to a preset position during assembly . after the connector latch of the present invention is manufactured , the connector latch is in the extended and relaxed undeflected position . when the connector latch is in that position , the button 902 of the connector latch is extended upward , above a top 410 of a female housing 400 . the button 902 is held up in the extended and relaxed undeflected position by the latch beams 904 and 906 . as indicated above , after the connector latch of the present invention is manufactured , the connector latch is in the extended and relaxed undeflected position . the connector latch is then subjected to a pre - mating deflection process , in order to deflect the connector latch and lock the connector latch in a preloaded position . after the pre - mating deflection process has been completed , the connector latch is locked in a preloaded position and can be referred to as a preloaded connector latch . fig3 a , 5a , 7a , and 8a , for example , show a female housing 400 having a connector latch in accordance with the principles of the present invention , showing the connector latch in a preloaded position . the connector apparatus of the present invention can help to provide protection to a tpa member by having tpa protection ribs 416 , 418 , 442 , 444 , 446 , and 448 around the tpa member on the female housing 400 , for example . those ribs help to prevent the tpa member from contacting other connectors during shipping and handling , to help reduce the occurrence of set tpa members , for example . that is , the ribs help to prevent tpa members from inadvertently moving from the preset position to the final lock position during shipping and handling , for example . the connector apparatus of the present invention can help to provide protection to a tpa member by having tpa protection ribs 740 , 742 , 744 , 746 , 748 , and 750 around the tpa member on the male housing 700 , for example . those ribs help to prevent the tpa member from contacting other connectors during shipping and handling , to help reduce the occurrence of set tpa members , for example . that is , the ribs help to prevent tpa members from inadvertently moving from the preset position to the final lock position during shipping and handling , for example . the connector apparatus of the present invention can help to provide protection to a cpa member by having cpa protection walls 432 , 434 , and 436 around the cpa member on the female housing 400 , for example . those walls help to prevent the cpa member from contacting other components and wiring harnesses during shipping and handling , and help to prevent damage , for example . the connector apparatus of the present invention can help to protect foreign wires belonging to an adjacent harness from being caught in components by providing anti - snagging features to the female housing and male housing . the connector apparatus of the present invention can help the tpa members and cpa members to stay in the preset position during shipping and handling . the connector apparatus of the present invention can prevent a need for a user to engage in a secondary operation such as trying to move a tpa member from a final lock position to a preset position , for example , after the tpa member was inadvertently moved into the final lock position during shipping and handling . the connector apparatus of the present invention can prevent a need for a user to engage in a secondary operation such as trying to move a cpa member from a final lock position to a preset position , for example , after the cpa member was inadvertently moved into the final lock position during shipping and handling . the connector apparatus of the present invention can help prevent customer complaints , because it helps avoid snags with other cables . the connector apparatus of the present invention can help prevent a need for tray packaging . fig1 depicts a male housing 108 with tpa protection ribs , and depicts a female housing 102 with cpa protection walls . fig2 depicts a male housing 208 without tpa protection ribs , and depicts a female housing 202 with cpa protection walls . fig3 is an exploded perspective view of parts of a connector apparatus , in accordance with the principles of the present invention , showing a female housing , a tpa member for the female housing , a cpa member for the female housing , and a male housing , in a sixteen - pin configuration . fig3 illustrates a connector apparatus , generally referred to by reference numeral 300 , which includes a female housing 400 , a cpa member 500 for the female housing 400 , a male housing 700 , and a tpa member 600 . an insertion side 612 of the tpa member 600 can be inserted into the female housing 400 . the insertion side 612 can also be referred to as the bottom of the tpa member 600 . the insertion side 612 of the tpa member 600 can also be inserted into the male housing 700 . fig4 a includes a front end elevational view of the female housing of the connector apparatus of fig3 without a tpa member and without a cpa member , and includes a cross - sectional view thereof , taken along line 4 a - 4 a . fig4 a has an upper view and a lower view . the upper view is a front end elevational view of the female housing 400 of the connector apparatus of fig3 without a tpa member and without a cpa member . the lower view is a cross - sectional view of the upper view , taken along line 4 a - 4 a . the upper view of fig4 a shows tpa protection rib 416 and tpa protection rib 418 . these tpa protection ribs help to prevent a tpa member from moving from the preset position to the final lock position during shipping and / or handling . the upper view of fig4 a shows button 902 of a connector latch on female housing 400 . the upper view of fig4 a also shows a top 410 of the female housing 400 , a front end 402 of the female housing 400 , a first side 406 of the female housing 400 , a second side 408 of the female housing 400 , a bottom 412 of the female housing 400 , and a terminal aperture 414 on the front end 402 of the female housing 400 . the lower view of fig4 a shows a rear end 404 of the female housing 400 . also depicted is a protrusion 422 that is formed on an interior of the female housing 400 . the protrusion 422 has a shape similar to that of a shark fin . the lower view of fig4 a shows an aperture 420 for receiving the insertion side 612 of a tpa member 600 . fig4 b includes a front end elevational view of the female housing of the connector apparatus of fig3 with a tpa member in the preset position and a cpa member in the preset position , and includes a cross - sectional view thereof , taken along line 4 b - 4 b . fig4 b has an upper view and a lower view . the upper view is a front end elevational view of the female housing 400 of the connector apparatus of fig3 with a tpa member 600 in the preset position and a cpa member 500 in the preset position . the lower view is a cross - sectional view of the upper view , taken along line 4 b - 4 b . the upper view of fig4 b shows a rear upright portion 514 of cpa member 500 . the lower view of fig4 b shows a front edge 502 of the cpa member 500 , a central beam 504 of the cpa member 500 , and a front tip 506 of the central beam 504 . as shown in the lower view of fig4 b , when the cpa member 500 is in the preset position , the front edge 502 is on the left of the shark fin 422 , and the front tip 506 is on the right of the latch surface 908 . as shown in the lower view of fig4 b , when the tpa member 600 is in the preset position , the insertion side 612 is in the position indicated . as shown in the lower view of fig4 b , when the tpa member 600 is in the preset position , the exposed side 614 is in the position indicated . fig4 c includes a front end elevational view of the female housing of the connector apparatus of fig3 with a tpa member in the final lock position and a cpa member in the final lock position , and includes a cross - sectional view thereof , taken along line 4 c - 4 c . fig4 c has an upper view and a lower view . the upper view is a front end elevational view of the female housing 400 of the connector apparatus of fig3 with a tpa member 600 in the final lock position and a cpa member 500 in the final lock position . the lower view is a cross - sectional view of the upper view , taken along line 4 c - 4 c . as shown in the lower view of fig4 c , when the cpa member 500 is in the final lock position , the front edge 502 is in the position indicated , and the front tip 506 is on the left side of the latch surface 908 . as shown in the lower view of fig4 c , when the tpa member 600 is in the final lock position , the insertion side 612 is in the position indicated . as shown in the lower view of fig4 c , when the tpa member 600 is in the final lock position , the exposed side 614 is in the position indicated . fig5 a includes a top elevational view of the female housing of the connector apparatus of fig3 without a tpa member and without a cpa member , and includes a cross - sectional view thereof , taken along line 5 a - 5 a . fig5 a has an upper view and a lower view . the upper view is a front end elevational view of the female housing 400 of the connector apparatus of fig3 without a tpa member and without a cpa member . the lower view is a cross - sectional view of the upper view , taken along line 5 a - 5 a . the upper view of fig5 a shows cpa protection wall 432 , cpa protection wall 434 , and cpa protection wall 436 . these cpa protection walls help to keep a cpa member 500 in a proper position , help to prevent the cpa member 500 from moving from the preset position to the final lock position or any other position during shipping and / or handling , help to prevent the cpa member 500 from getting damaged , and help to prevent the cpa member 500 from causing damage . the upper view of fig5 a also shows button 902 of the connector latch of the female housing 400 , first latch beam 904 of the connector latch , second latch beam 906 of the connector latch , and the latch surface 908 of the connector latch . fig5 b includes a top elevational view of the female housing of the connector apparatus of fig3 with a tpa member in the preset position and a cpa member in the preset position , and includes a cross - sectional view thereof , taken along line 5 b - 5 b . fig5 b includes an upper view and a lower view . the upper view is a top elevational view of the female housing 400 of the connector apparatus of fig3 with a tpa member 600 in the preset position and a cpa member 500 in the preset position . the lower view is a cross - sectional view thereof , taken along line 5 b - 5 b . the upper view of fig5 b shows the following parts of the cpa member 500 : a front edge 502 ; a first side 508 ; a second side 510 ; a rear base 512 ; a rear upright portion 514 ; and a front tip 506 of the central beam 504 . in the preset position , as shown , the front tip 506 is located between the latch surface 908 and the rear upright portion 514 . the lower view of fig5 b shows an exposed side 614 of the tpa member 600 . the exposed side 614 is also referred to as a top of the tpa member 600 . the lower view of fig5 b also shows guide 616 of the tpa member 600 . fig5 c includes an upper view showing a top elevational view of the female housing 400 of the connector apparatus of fig3 with a tpa member 600 in the final lock position and a cpa member 500 in the final lock position , and includes a lower view showing a cross - sectional view of the upper view taken along line 5 c - 5 c . in the final lock position , as shown , the front tip 506 is located between the latch surface 908 and the front edge 502 of the cpa member 500 . the lower view of fig5 c shows the tpa member 600 in the final lock position in the female housing 400 . fig6 a is a bottom elevational view of the female housing 400 of the connector apparatus 300 of fig3 without a tpa member and without a cpa member . fig6 a shows cpa protection wall 432 , cpa protection wall 434 , and cpa protection wall 436 . fig6 a also shows tpa protection ribs 416 , 418 , 442 , 444 , 446 , and 448 . also , fig6 a shows a rear end 404 of the female housing 400 . fig6 a shows that the female housing 400 forms an aperture 420 for receiving the bottom 612 of the tpa member 600 , also known as the insertion side 612 of the tpa member 600 . the female housing 400 forms aperture 428 to receive guide 616 of the tpa member 600 , and also forms aperture 430 to receive guide 618 of the tpa member 600 . the female housing 400 forms two tabs 438 on an interior of the female housing 400 . the two tabs 438 are visible inside aperture 420 , as shown in fig6 a . the male housing 700 forms aperture 720 for receiving the bottom 612 of the tpa member 800 , also known as the insertion side 612 of the tpa member 800 . the male housing 700 forms two tabs 438 on an interior of the male housing 700 . the two tabs 438 are visible inside aperture 720 , as shown in fig1 a . tpa member 800 , as shown in fig1 , is equivalent to the tpa member 600 shown in fig3 . members 800 and 600 are both tpa members that can be used in a male housing having a sixteen - pin configuration or a female housing having a sixteen - pin configuration . the female housing 400 has a sixteen - pin configuration , as shown in fig3 . the male housing 700 has a sixteen - pin configuration , as shown in fig3 and 11 . the female housing 920 has a six - pin configuration , as shown in fig2 . the male housing 970 has a six - pin configuration , as shown in fig3 . a tpa member 960 can be used for a male housing having a six - pin configuration or a female housing having a six - pin configuration . the tpa member 960 is shown in fig2 and 34 , for example . for illustration purposes , tpa member 600 is intended to be inserted into the female housing 400 of fig3 , and tpa member 800 is intended to be inserted into the male housing 700 of fig1 . tpa member 600 and tpa member 800 each has a flexible feature 602 or protrusion 602 . the flexible feature 602 is shown in fig1 on tpa member 800 . the same flexible feature 602 is on tpa member 600 , shown in fig3 . each tpa member 600 , 800 also has flexible features ( protrusions ) 604 , 606 , and 608 , which are shown in fig1 . each tpa member 600 , 800 has a body 610 , a guide 616 , a guide 618 , an insertion side ( bottom ) 612 , an exposed side ( top ) 614 , and at least one terminal aperture 620 . fig3 shows that tpa member 600 has a plurality of terminal apertures 620 . fig1 shows that tpa member 800 has a plurality of terminal apertures 620 . when tpa member 600 is not in aperture 420 of female housing 400 , tabs 438 are visible , as shown in fig6 a . however , when tpa member 600 is in the preset position , as shown in fig6 b , the tabs 438 are not visible . when tpa member 600 is in the preset position , as shown in fig6 b , the flexible features 604 and 608 of tpa member 600 are visible in aperture 420 . when tpa member 600 is in the final lock position , as shown in fig6 c , the tabs 438 are visible . when tpa member 800 is not in aperture 720 of male housing 700 , tabs 438 are visible , as shown in fig1 a . however , when tpa member 800 is in the preset position , as shown in fig1 b , the tabs 438 are not visible . when tpa member 800 is in the preset position , as shown in fig1 b , the flexible features 604 and 608 of tpa member 800 are visible in aperture 720 . when tpa member 800 is in the final lock position , as shown in fig1 c , the tabs 438 are visible . for the preset position , the relationship between tab 438 and flexible features 602 and 604 is shown in fig1 and 17 . for the final lock position , the relationship between tab 438 and flexible features 602 and 604 is shown in fig1 and 19 . fig6 b is a bottom elevational view of the female housing 400 of the connector apparatus of fig3 with a tpa member 600 in the preset position and a cpa member 500 in the preset position . flexible features 604 and 608 are visible on tpa member 600 . fig6 c is a bottom elevational view of the female housing 400 of the connector apparatus of fig3 with a tpa member 600 in the final lock position and a cpa member 500 in the final lock position . tabs 438 are visible on the interior of the female housing 400 , in aperture 420 . fig7 a is a rear end elevational view of the female housing 400 of the connector apparatus 300 of fig3 without a tpa member and without a cpa member . the female housing 400 has a plurality of terminal apertures 426 . fig7 b is a rear end elevational view of the female housing 400 of the connector apparatus 300 of fig3 with a tpa member 600 in the preset position and a cpa member 500 in the preset position . fig7 c is a rear end elevational view of the female housing 400 of the connector apparatus 300 of fig3 with a tpa member 600 in the final lock position and a cpa member 500 in the final lock position . fig8 a is a perspective view of the female housing 400 of the connector apparatus 300 of fig3 without a tpa member and without a cpa member . the female housing 400 forms an aperture 424 for receiving cpa member 500 . the entrance area of aperture 424 is bordered by cpa protection walls 432 , 434 , and 436 , as shown in fig8 a . fig8 b is a perspective view of the female housing 400 of the connector apparatus 300 of fig3 with a tpa member 600 in the preset position and a cpa member 500 in the preset position . fig8 c is a perspective view of the female housing 400 of the connector apparatus 300 of fig3 with a tpa member 600 in the final lock position and a cpa member 500 in the final lock position . fig9 a is a front end elevational view of the female housing 300 and male housing 700 of fig3 mated together showing the female housing 300 with a cpa member 500 in the preset position . as shown in fig9 a , the female housing 300 does not have a tpa member 600 and the male housing 700 does not have a tpa member 800 . fig9 a shows the top 410 of the female housing 400 , and also shows the following features of the male housing 700 : top 710 ; bottom 712 ; first side 706 ; and second side 708 . fig9 b is a cross - sectional view , taken along line 9 b - 9 b in fig9 a . fig9 b shows rear end 704 of the male housing 700 , and shows protrusion 732 formed by the male housing 700 . protrusion 732 has a shape similar to that of a shark fin . fig9 b shows central beam 504 of cpa member 500 . fig9 c is an enlarged view of the portion denoted 9 c in fig9 b . fig9 d is an enlarged view of the portion denoted 9 d in fig9 b . the cpa 500 is not typically inserted into aperture 424 of the female housing 300 until after the female housing 300 is mated with the male housing 700 . fig4 b , 4c , 5b , 5c , 6b , 6c , 7b , 7c , 8b , and 8c , for example , appear to depict a situation where cpa member 500 is inserted into a female housing 300 at a time when the female housing 300 is not yet mated with the male housing 700 , and thus are for illustrative purposes only . fig1 a is a front elevational view of the female housing 400 and male housing 700 of fig3 mated together showing the female housing 300 with cpa member 500 in the final lock position , without a tpa member in the female housing 300 and without a tpa member in the male housing 700 . fig1 b is a cross - sectional view , taken along line 10 b - 10 b in fig1 a . fig1 c is an enlarged view of the portion denoted 10 c in fig1 b . fig1 is an exploded perspective view of a male connector assembly , in accordance with the principles of the present invention , showing a male housing 700 and a tpa member 800 for the male housing 700 , in a sixteen - pin configuration . tpa member 800 has a flexible feature 602 or protrusion 602 . tpa member 800 also has flexible features ( protrusions ) 604 , 606 , and 608 , which are shown in fig1 . tpa member 800 has a body 610 , a guide 616 , a guide 618 , an insertion side ( bottom ) 612 , an exposed side ( top ) 614 , and at least one terminal aperture 620 . fig1 shows that the male housing 700 has tpa protection ribs 740 , 742 , 744 , 746 , 748 , and 750 . fig1 shows that the male housing 700 has a rear end 704 , a plurality of terminal apertures 726 , and an aperture 720 for receiving tpa member 800 . the male housing 700 forms aperture 728 for receiving guide 616 of tpa member 800 , and forms aperture 730 for receiving guide 618 of tpa member 800 . fig1 also shows side 714 of the male housing 700 . fig1 a is a front end elevational view of the male housing 700 of the male connector assembly of fig1 without a tpa member . fig1 a shows aperture 734 in male housing 700 , intended to receive the rear end 404 of the female housing 400 . fig1 b is a front end elevational view of the male housing 700 of the male connector assembly of fig1 with a tpa member 800 in the preset position . fig1 c is a front end elevational view of the male housing 700 of the male connector assembly of fig1 with a tpa member 800 in the final lock position . fig1 a is a cross - sectional view , taken along line 13 a - 13 a in fig1 a . fig1 a shows front end 702 of the male housing 700 . fig1 b is a cross - sectional view , taken along line 13 b - 13 b in fig1 b . fig1 b shows tpa member 800 in the preset position . fig1 c is a cross - sectional view , taken along line 13 c - 13 c in fig1 c . fig1 c shows tpa member 800 in the final lock position . fig1 a is a top elevational view of the male housing 700 of the male connector assembly of fig1 without a tpa member . fig1 a shows side 714 and side 716 of the male housing 700 . fig1 b is a top elevational view of the male housing 700 of the male connector assembly of fig1 with tpa member 800 in the preset position . fig1 c is a top elevational view of the male housing 700 of the male connector assembly of fig1 with tpa member 800 in the final lock position . fig1 a is a perspective view of the male housing 700 of the male connector assembly of fig1 without a tpa member . fig1 a shows the aperture 734 in the male housing 700 , which receives the rear end 404 of the female housing 400 . fig1 b is a perspective view of the male housing 700 of the male connector assembly of fig1 with tpa member 800 in the preset position . fig1 c is a perspective view of the male housing 700 of the male connector assembly of fig1 with tpa member 800 in the final lock position . fig1 is a partial cross - sectional view , taken along line 16 - 16 in fig1 b , showing details of some features of the male housing 700 engaging with some features of tpa member 800 , when tpa member 800 is in the preset position , in accordance with the principles of the present invention . fig1 is an enlarged view of the portion denoted in fig1 . for the preset position , the relationship between tab 438 and flexible features 602 and 604 is shown in fig1 and 17 . fig1 and 17 show that the male housing 700 forms a groove 440 or receiving area 440 on a surface of the aperture 720 of the male housing 700 . the groove 440 or receiving area 440 receives flexible feature 602 and not flexible feature 604 when a tpa member is in the preset position . the female housing 400 forms aperture 428 to receive guide 616 of the tpa member 600 , and also forms aperture 430 to receive guide 618 of the tpa member 600 . the female housing 400 forms two tabs 438 on an interior of the female housing 400 . the two tabs 438 are visible inside aperture 420 , as shown in fig6 a . the male housing 700 forms aperture 720 for receiving the bottom 612 of the tpa member 800 , also known as the insertion side 612 of the tpa member 800 . the male housing 700 forms two tabs 438 on an interior of the male housing 700 . the two tabs 438 are visible inside aperture 720 , as shown in fig1 a . when tpa member 600 is not in aperture 420 of female housing 400 , tabs 438 are visible , as shown in fig6 a . however , when tpa member 600 is in the preset position , as shown in fig6 b , the tabs 438 are not visible . when tpa member 600 is in the preset position , as shown in fig6 b , the flexible features 604 and 608 of tpa member 600 are visible in aperture 420 . when tpa member 800 is not in aperture 720 of male housing 700 , tabs 438 are visible , as shown in fig1 a . however , when tpa member 800 is in the preset position , as shown in fig1 b , the tabs 438 are not visible . when tpa member 800 is in the preset position , as shown in fig1 b , the flexible features 604 and 608 of tpa member 800 are visible in aperture 720 . fig1 is a partial cross - sectional view , taken along line 18 - 18 in fig1 c , showing details of some features of the male housing 700 engaging with some features of the tpa member 800 , when the tpa member 800 is in the final lock position , in accordance with the principles of the present invention . fig1 is an enlarged view of the portion denoted in fig1 . for the final lock position , the relationship between tab 438 and flexible features 602 and 604 is shown in fig1 and 19 . fig1 and 19 show that the male housing 700 forms a groove 440 or receiving area 440 , on a surface of the aperture 720 of the male housing 700 . the groove 440 or receiving area 440 receives flexible feature 602 and flexible feature 604 when a tpa member is in the final lock position . when tpa member 600 is in the final lock position , as shown in fig6 c , the tabs 438 are visible . when tpa member 800 is in the final lock position , as shown in fig1 c , the tabs 438 are visible . fig2 is a side elevational view of the female housing 400 of the connector apparatus 300 of fig3 without a tpa member and without a cpa member . fig2 is a side elevational view of the female housing 400 of the connector apparatus 300 of fig3 with tpa member 600 in the preset position and cpa member 500 in the preset position . fig2 is a side elevational view of the female housing 400 of the connector apparatus 300 of fig3 with tpa member 600 in the final lock position and cpa member 500 in the final lock position . fig2 is a rear end elevational view of the male housing 700 of the male connector assembly of fig1 without a tpa member . fig2 is a side elevational view of the male housing 700 of the male connector assembly of fig1 . fig2 is a bottom elevational view of the male housing 700 of the male connector assembly of fig1 . fig2 is an exploded perspective view of a female connector assembly of a connector apparatus , in accordance with the principles of the present invention , showing a female housing 920 , a tpa member 960 for the female housing 920 , and a cpa member 500 for the female housing 920 , in a six - pin configuration . tpa member 960 has insertion side ( bottom ) 962 and guide 966 , as shown in fig2 . fig2 a includes an upper view and a lower view . the upper view is a front end elevational view of the female housing 920 of the female connector assembly of fig2 without a tpa member and without a cpa member . the lower view is a cross - sectional view thereof , taken along line 27 a - 27 a in the upper view . fig2 a shows tpa protection ribs 934 and 936 on female housing 920 . fig2 a also shows the following aspects of the female housing 920 : front end 922 ; rear end 924 ; first side 926 ; second side 928 ; top 930 ; and bottom 932 . fig2 b includes an upper view and a lower view . the upper view is a front end elevational view of the female housing 920 of the female connector assembly of fig2 with a tpa member 960 in the preset position and a cpa member 500 in the preset position . the lower view is a cross - sectional view thereof , taken along line 27 b - 27 b in the upper view . fig2 b shows the position of insertion side ( bottom ) 962 and exposed side ( top ) 964 of tpa member 960 , when tpa member 960 is in the preset position . fig2 c includes an upper view and a lower view . the upper view is a front end elevational view of the female housing of the female connector assembly of fig2 with a tpa member in the final lock position and a cpa member in the final lock position . the lower view is a cross - sectional view thereof , taken along line 27 c - 27 c in the upper view . fig2 c shows the position of insertion side ( bottom ) 962 and exposed side ( top ) of tpa member 960 , when tpa member 960 is in the final lock position . fig2 is a bottom elevational view of the female housing 920 of the female connector assembly of fig2 without a tpa member and without a cpa member . fig2 shows that female housing 920 has tpa protection ribs 934 , 936 , 944 , and 946 . fig2 shows cpa protection walls 432 , 434 , and 436 . the female housing 920 forms aperture 938 for receiving the insertion side ( bottom ) 962 of tpa member 960 . fig2 is a rear end elevational view of the female housing 920 of the female connector assembly of fig2 without a tpa member and without a cpa member . fig3 includes an upper view and a lower view . the upper view is a top elevational view of the female housing 920 of the female connector assembly of fig2 without a tpa member and without a cpa member . the lower view is a cross - sectional view taken along line 30 - 30 . fig3 is a side elevational view of the female housing 920 of the female connector assembly of fig2 without a tpa member and without a cpa member . fig3 is a side elevational view of the female housing 920 of the female connector assembly of fig2 with a tpa member 960 in the preset position and a cpa member 500 in the preset position . fig3 is a side elevational view of the female housing 920 of the female connector assembly of fig2 with a tpa member 960 in the final lock position and a cpa member 500 in the final lock position . fig3 is an exploded perspective view of a male connector assembly , in accordance with the principles of the present invention , showing a male housing 970 and a tpa member 960 for the male housing 970 , in a six - pin configuration . fig3 shows that tpa member 960 has an exposed ( top ) side 964 , a guide 966 , and a guide 968 . fig3 also shows that male housing 970 has tpa protection ribs 988 , 990 , 992 , 994 , 996 , and 998 . the male housing 970 has a rear end 974 and has a plurality of terminal apertures 985 . male housing 970 has six terminal apertures 985 . other configurations are possible . a male housing 700 having 16 terminal apertures has been described herein , and a male housing 970 having 6 terminal apertures has been described herein , in accordance with the principles of the present invention . male housings are not limited to those two configurations . male housings can have other numbers of terminal apertures , in accordance with the principles of the present invention . a female housing 400 having 16 terminal apertures has been described herein , and a female housing 920 having 6 terminal apertures has been described herein , in accordance with the principles of the present invention . female housings are not limited to those two configurations . female housings can have other numbers of terminal apertures , in accordance with the principles of the present invention . fig3 is a front end elevational view of the male housing 970 of the male connector assembly of fig3 . male housing 970 has a first side 976 and a second side 978 , and has an aperture 986 for receiving a rear end 924 of female housing 920 . fig3 is a cross - sectional view , taken along line 36 - 36 in fig3 , when a tpa member 960 is in a preset position . the male housing 970 has a top 980 , a front end 972 , and a rear end 974 . the positions of the insertion side ( bottom ) 962 and the exposed side ( top ) 964 are depicted in fig3 , when the tpa member 960 is in the preset position . fig3 is a cross - sectional view , taken along line 36 - 36 in fig3 , when a tpa member 960 is in a final lock position . the positions of the insertion side ( bottom ) 962 and the exposed side ( top ) 964 are depicted in fig3 , when the tpa member 960 is in the final lock position . fig3 is a top elevational view of the male housing 970 of the male connector assembly of fig3 with a tpa member 960 in the preset position . fig3 is a perspective view of the male housing 970 of the male connector assembly of fig3 with a tpa member 960 in the preset position . fig3 depicts an aperture for receiving the insertion side ( bottom ) 962 of tpa member 960 , and fig3 shows tpa member 960 in that aperture for receiving the insertion side ( bottom ) 962 of tpa member 960 with the tpa member 960 in the preset position . fig4 is a perspective view of the male housing 970 of the male connector assembly of fig3 with a tpa member 960 in the final lock position . fig3 depicts an aperture for receiving the insertion side ( bottom ) 962 of tpa member 960 , and fig4 shows tpa member 960 in that aperture for receiving the insertion side ( bottom ) 962 of tpa member 960 with the tpa member 960 in the final lock position . fig4 is a side elevational view of the male housing 970 of the male connector assembly of fig3 . fig4 is a bottom elevational view of the male housing 970 of the male connector assembly of fig3 . fig4 depicts the bottom 982 of the male housing 970 . the female housing 920 is mated with the male housing 970 when the rear end 924 of the female housing 920 is received into the aperture 986 of the male housing 970 . the female housing 400 is mated with the male housing 700 when the rear end 404 of the female housing 400 is received into the aperture 734 of the male housing 700 . as confirmed by the upper view and lower view of fig4 b , for the preset position , the exposed side ( top ) 614 of tpa member 600 does not extend away from the female housing 400 beyond the tpa protection ribs 416 and 418 . the tpa protection ribs 416 and 418 protect the tpa member 600 in the preset position , because the tpa protection ribs 416 and 418 extend away from the female housing 400 beyond the exposed side ( top ) 614 of tpa member 600 . the fact that the tpa protection ribs extend away from a female housing beyond the exposed side ( top ) of a tpa member , in the preset position , is also shown in the lower view of fig5 b , for example . fig7 b shows that an outermost edge of tpa protection ribs 446 and 448 of female housing 400 extend further away from the female housing 400 than the exposed side ( top ) 614 , in the preset position , and thus the tpa member 600 is protected by the ribs 446 and 448 . that is , as shown in fig7 b , an outermost edge of tpa protection ribs 446 and 448 of female housing 400 is lower than the exposed side ( top ) 614 , in the preset position , and thus the tpa member 600 is protected by the ribs 446 and 448 . the bottom 412 of female housing 400 also extends below the exposed side ( top ) 614 , as shown in fig7 b , and thus the bottom 412 also helps to prevent the tpa member 600 from inadvertently being moved from the preset position to the final lock position during shipping and / or handling . as depicted by fig1 b , for the preset position , the exposed side ( top ) 614 of the tpa member does not extend away from the male housing 700 beyond the tpa protection ribs 740 , 742 , 744 , 746 , 748 , and 750 . the tpa protection ribs 740 , 742 , 744 , 746 , 748 , and 750 protect the tpa member in the preset position , because the tpa protection ribs 740 , 742 , 744 , 746 , 748 , and 750 extend away from the male housing 700 beyond the exposed side ( top ) 614 of the tpa member . see also fig1 b . fig1 b shows that , for the preset position , the exposed side ( top ) 614 of tpa member is positioned nearer to the male housing 700 than the outermost edges of the tpa protection ribs 740 , 742 , 744 , 746 , 748 , and 750 . that is , the outermost edges of the tpa protection ribs 740 , 742 , 744 , 746 , 748 , and 750 extend above the exposed side ( top ) 614 of tpa member , in the preset position . this is shown in fig1 b , 15b , and 1 , for example . thus , the tops of the tpa protection ribs are above the top of the tpa member , when the tpa member is in the preset position , as shown in fig1 b , and 15b , for example , and the tpa protection ribs on the male housing help to prevent the tpa member from being bumped inadvertently or pushed inadvertently into the final lock position during shipping and / or handling , for example . as shown in fig1 , 15a , and 15b , for example , the tpa protection ribs 742 , 744 , 748 , and 750 are shaped to slope down toward the aperture receiving the tpa member 600 . the sloping surfaces help to guide the tpa member 600 into the aperture in male housing 700 , for example , when a user is first inserting the tpa member 600 into the aperture of the male housing 700 . as shown in fig3 and 39 , for example , the tpa protection ribs 990 , 992 , 996 , and 998 are shaped to slope down toward the aperture receiving the tpa member 960 . the sloping surfaces help to guide the tpa member 960 into the aperture in male housing 970 , for example , when a user is first inserting the tpa member 960 into the aperture of the male housing 970 . fig4 is a perspective view of the cpa member 500 of fig3 . cpa member 500 has a rear upright portion 514 , first side 508 , second side 510 , central beam 504 , front tip 506 of central beam 504 , and front edge 502 . cpa member 500 also has a rear base 512 , as shown in the upper view of fig5 b . a user can push rear upright portion 514 to push cpa member 500 to the preset position and to the final lock position . although the foregoing description is directed to the preferred embodiments of the invention , it is noted that other variations and modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art , and may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention . moreover , features described in connection with one embodiment of the invention may be used in conjunction with other embodiments , even if not explicitly stated above . 414 terminal aperture on front end of female housing 400 420 aperture for receiving insertion side ( bottom ) of tpa member 422 protrusion ( shark fin ) on interior of female housing 400 426 terminal aperture on rear end of female housing 400 440 receiving area in housing , receiving flexible features ( protrusions ) of tpa member 720 aperture for receiving insertion side ( bottom ) of tpa member 726 terminal aperture on rear end of male housing 700 734 aperture for receiving rear end of female housing 400 938 aperture for receiving insertion side ( bottom ) of tpa member 960 986 aperture for receiving rear end of female housing 920 | 7 |
in order to better illustrate the structural and functional features of the adjustable tongue suppressing bite block according to the invention , the following detailed description is presented . it should be understood that the components of the present invention , as generally described and illustrated in the figures herein , could be arranged and designed in a wide variety of different configurations . thus , the following detailed description of the invention , and as illustrated in fig1 - 7 , is not intended to limit the scope of the invention , but is merely representative of the presently preferred embodiments of the invention . reference is now made to fig1 - 3 , which depict an embodiment of the invention that includes features for both lateral and vertical adjustability of the tongue suppression element . more particularly , these figures depict a tongue suppressing bite block system 10 that includes a bite block 12 and a tongue suppressor 14 connected or attached to the bite block 12 in an adjustable fashion , and adjustment means for selective lateral and vertical movement of a tongue suppressor relative to the bite block 12 . the bite block is sized and configured for positioning in a person &# 39 ; s mouth in order to maintain the person &# 39 ; s mouth in an open position , while the tongue suppressor is oriented relative to the bite block so as to maintain the person &# 39 ; s tongue within a confined region of the person &# 39 ; s oral cavity when the bite block is positioned within the person &# 39 ; s mouth . the tongue suppressor 14 includes a retention arm 16 that is sized and configured so as to be slidably inserted into or retracted from within any one of a plurality of adjustment slots 18 within the bite block 12 . this ability of the retention arm 16 to be selectively inserted or withdrawn from slots 18 provides two degrees of adjustability . first , selective insertion or retraction of the retention arm 16 relative to a single adjustment slot 18 results in the ability to lengthen or shorten the tongue suppressor 14 relative to the bite block 12 . in this way , the tongue suppressing bite block 10 can account for , and be adjusted to accommodate , varying widths of tongues among different patients . in addition , by withdrawing the retention arm 16 entirely from one adjustment slot 18 and then inserting it into another slot 18 , the position of the tongue suppressor can be adjusted vertically relative to the bite block 12 . in this way , the tongue suppressing bite block 10 can accommodate the great variability that exists between differently sized teeth , tongues , mouths , and the like among different patients . this function is a great improvement in the art , and it goes far beyond simply providing for lateral adjustability , as is the case where the bite block only includes a single slot for receipt of the retention arm . the embodiment depicted in fig1 - 3 includes five adjustment slots 18 . it will be appreciated , however , that any number of adjustment slots 18 may be included within the bite block 12 in order to provide the desired level of vertical adjustability . the only limitation to the number of slots is the size of the bite block 12 and the depth of the slots 18 and retention arm 16 . moreover , even though the adjustment slots 18 are depicted as being substantially parallel , it will be appreciated that the slots 18 can be angularly off - set one from another in order to provide different angular orientations , or pitches , of the tongue suppressor 14 relative to the bite block 12 , thus providing greater adjustability and variability of the tongue suppressor 14 relative to the bite block 12 . accordingly , the interaction between the retention arm 16 and adjustment slots 18 comprises an example of the aforementioned adjustment means , as do any of the suggested variations . the retention arm 16 of the tongue suppressor 14 may be sized and configured relative to the adjustment slots 18 so as to result in sufficient friction such that positive force is required to either advance or retract the retention arm 16 relative to the slots 18 of the bite block 12 . in this way , the tongue suppressor 14 will tend to remain in a desired lateral orientation relative to the bite bock 12 . the tongue suppressor 14 further includes a flange or protruding portion 20 that curves or otherwise angles around the side of the patient &# 39 ; s tongue in order to maintain the tongue at a desired spaced - apart relationship relative to the adjacent teeth ( i . e ., those teeth opposite the bite block 12 ). the interface between the flange 20 and the retention arm 16 is preferably curved for comfort and to better conform to the generally curved shape of the side of the tongue . the flange 20 ensures less obstructed access by the dentist or practitioner to the patient &# 39 ; s teeth adjacent to the flange 20 . in general , the retention arm 16 and flange 20 work together to maintain the tongue in a desired suppressed orientation within the mouth in a comfortable manner . nevertheless , it will be appreciated that the tongue suppressor 14 need not include the flange 20 but may merely comprise the retention arm 16 in order to generally suppress the tongue at the bottom of the oral cavity . as depicted in fig1 - 3 , the flange 20 may extend rearwardly beyond the width of the retention arm 16 in order to provide tongue suppression further back within the patient &# 39 ; s mouth so as to maintain the tongue away from the patient &# 39 ; s molars . although the retention arm 16 is depicted as having a single width so as to be fully insertable into one of the adjustment slots 18 , it will be appreciated that the retention arm 16 may have varying widths with one width , for example , sized so as to fit within one of the adjustment slots 18 , and another width ( not shown ) sized so as to provide a desired tongue suppression function independent of the function of insertion or retraction of the retention arm 16 into the slots 18 of the bite block 12 . in order to further assist the dentist or other practitioner in carrying out a desired dental procedure , the flange 20 may include an aspiration notch 21 in order to facilitate aspiration and removal of excess saliva , other liquids or debris from within the oral cavity , which tend to build up when the patient &# 39 ; s mouth is open and the patient is unable to swallow or expel fluid from the oral cavity . in order to provide additional safety , the tongue suppressing bite block 10 system may include means for attaching a leash or other safety feature if retrieval of the bite block from deep within the patient &# 39 ; s mouth becomes necessary . for example , a leash hole 22 may be provided within the retention arm 16 for attachment of a leash 24 thereto . as illustrated in fig1 - 3 , the tongue suppressing bite block 10 is advantageously tapered from front to back in order to match the angle of an opened mouth . it will be appreciated that the angle may be varied from one device to another depending on the size of the patient &# 39 ; s mouth and the degree of opening or closure that is desired . for example , if the dentist desires a larger work area or access to the teeth in the rear of the patient &# 39 ; s mouth , the angle of the bite block 12 may be steeper in order to force the patient &# 39 ; s mouth in a more open configuration . conversely , the angle of the bite block 12 may be less , and the bite block 12 narrower , in the even that it is desired to work on the front teeth and where greater patient comfort is desired . in order to maintain the bite block 12 in a desired position relative to one side of the patient &# 39 ; s teeth , the bite block 12 may include an outer shoulder 26 and an inner shoulder 28 that extend from beyond an upper surface 30 and a lower surface 32 of the bite block 12 in order to effectively form a recess into which the teeth may be inserted during use . in this way , the outer shoulder 26 and inner shoulder 28 serve to prevent lateral movement of the bite block 12 relative to the patient &# 39 ; s teeth in addition to whatever retention forces may be provided by the patient when simply biting down onto the bite block 12 in manner so that the patient &# 39 ; s upper teeth engage the upper surface 30 and the lower teeth engage the lower surface 32 of the bite block 12 . in order to provide additional retention , the upper and lower surfaces 30 , 32 may include ridges 34 that provide additional gripping ability or mechanical interaction between the patient &# 39 ; s teeth and the upper and lower surfaces 30 , 32 of the bite block 12 . the outer and inner shoulders 26 , 28 may be formed having different heights . for example , the height of the outer shoulder 26 may be greater than the height of the inner shoulder 28 in order to provide greater retention while maintaining patient comfort in view of the anatomy of the oral cavity surrounding the teeth . fig4 depicts an alternative embodiment of a tongue suppressing bite block system 10 ′ that includes features for temporarily locking the tongue suppressor 14 ′ within one of the adjustment slots 18 ′ of the bite block 12 ′. in particular , the retention arm 16 ′ of the tongue suppressor 14 ′ includes a plurality of retention arm locking notches 17 that are sized and configured so as to engage corresponding slot locking notches 19 formed within the adjustment slots 18 ′ of the bite block 12 ′. in this way , a force great enough to dislodge the arm locking notches 17 from within the slot locking notches 19 must generally be applied to insert or retract the retention arm 16 ′ relative to one of the adjustment slots 18 ′. in most other respects , the tongue suppressing bite block system 10 ′ of fig4 is substantially similar to the tongue suppressing bite block system 10 depicted in fig1 - 3 . the retention arm 16 ′, adjustment slots 18 ′, arm locking notches 17 and slot locking notches 19 comprise adjustment means according to the invention . fig5 depicts another embodiment of a tongue suppressing bite block system 10 ″ that includes a bite block 12 ″ and a tongue suppressor 14 substantially identical to the tongue suppressor 14 depicted in fig1 - 3 . instead of the plurality of adjustment slots 18 depicted in fig1 - 3 , however , the bite block 12 ″ in the embodiment of fig5 includes a cavity 40 having a plurality of adjustment ridges 42 that define a plurality of adjustment recesses 44 into which the retention arm 16 may be selectively inserted . the adjustment ridges 42 and recesses 44 are sized and configured so as to define what are essentially a plurality of adjustment slots that are akin to the adjustment slots 18 depicted in fig1 - 3 . the retention arm 16 , cavity 40 , adjustment ridges 42 , and adjustment recesses 44 comprise adjustment means for selective vertical and lateral movement of a tongue suppression relative to a bite block . the main difference between the embodiment depicted in fig5 is that it requires less material to manufacture than the embodiment depicted in fig1 - 3 , thereby decreasing the materials cost of the bite block 12 ″ of the embodiment in fig5 relative to the bite block 12 depicted in fig1 - 3 . in most other respects , the tongue suppressing bite block system 10 ″ of fig5 functions in substantially the same manner as the embodiment of fig1 - 3 . fig6 depicts yet another embodiment of a tongue suppressing bite block system 50 according to the invention configured for even greater adjustability . more particularly , the tongue suppressing bite block system 50 comprises a bite block 52 that includes a crisscrossing slot system 54 that provides greater degrees of adjustability of the tongue suppressing means relative to other embodiments . the slot system 54 includes a first compression slot 56 extending from the front lower end of the bite block 52 and extending to the rear upper end and a second compression slot 58 extending from the front upper end to the rear lower end of the bite block 52 . a tongue suppressor 60 is provided that includes an insertion peg 62 sized and configured so as to be inserted into one of the compression slots 56 , 58 of the slot system 54 . the insertion peg 62 is advantageously of greater diameter than the widths of the first and second compression slots 56 , 58 , and the bite block 52 comprises a resilient and flexible material , at least in the region of the slot system 54 , in order for the compression slots 56 , 58 to flex open so as to receive therein the insertion peg 62 . the resiliency of the bite block 52 in the region of the slot system 54 causes the compression slots 56 , 58 to exert sufficient gripping and / or frictional forces onto the insertion peg 62 so as to retain the tongue suppressor 60 in a desired vertical , angular , horizontal , and lateral orientation relative to the bite block 52 . the bite block 52 is sufficiently flexible , however , in the region of the slot system 54 so as to allow for movement of the insertion peg 62 within the slot system 54 by exerting enough force on to the tongue suppressor 60 to overcome the retention forces exerted onto the insertion peg 62 by one or more compression slots 56 , 58 . this allows adjustment of the position of the tongue suppressor 60 relative to the bite block 52 so as to assume one of a large variety of varying vertical , horizontal , angular and lateral orientations relative to the bite block 52 . the slot system 54 and insertion peg 62 comprise adjustment means for selective lateral and vertical adjustment of a tongue suppressor relative to a bite block . in addition , they comprise means for selective angular and horizontal movement of a tongue suppression relative to a bite block . the tongue suppressor 60 further includes a retention arm 64 configured so as to extend over the surface of the patient &# 39 ; s tongue in order to maintain the tongue in a suppressed orientation beneath the tongue suppressor 60 in the bottom of the patient &# 39 ; s mouth . in addition , the tongue suppressor 60 may include a flange or other protrusion 66 extending from the retention arm 64 distal to the insertion peg 62 in order to provide an additional tongue suppression feature . the interface between the retention arm 64 and 66 may be curved so as to conform to the curvature of the patient &# 39 ; s tongue between the top and side of the tongue so as to provide maximum comfort . fig7 depicts another embodiment of a tongue suppressing bite block system 70 according to the invention . the tongue suppressing bite block system 70 comprises a bite block 72 , which includes a plurality of adjustment recesses 74 comprising individual pairs or sets of recesses 76 , and a tongue suppressor 80 . the tongue depressor 80 includes a retention arm 84 and a pair or set of adjustment prongs 82 that are sized and configured to be selectively received within desired one of the pairs or sets of adjustment recesses 76 within the bite block 72 . the tongue suppressor 80 further includes a flange 86 that functions as described elsewhere in the specification . the adjustment prongs 82 and adjustment recesses 74 comprise adjustment means for selective lateral and vertical adjustment of a tongue suppressor relative to a bite block . in general , the components of the tongue suppressing bite block according to the invention may be formed from resilient and flexible materials such as rubber , latex and other elastomeric materials . various polymers may be selected for accommodation of stiffness and flexibility as may be structurally required . all or part of the tongue suppressing bite blocks according to the invention may be made from harder and more rigid materials such as thermoset materials , thermoplastic materials , foams and other plastics or composite materials , wood , metal , ceramics , fiberglass and the like . the components of the tongue suppressing bite blocks may be formed using various techniques , such as injection molding , blow molding , tumble molding , casting , vacuum forming , machining and the like . the tongue suppressing bite block according to the invention may comprise higher quality materials that are durable and autoclavable ( or otherwise sterilizable ) in order to provide a device that can be reused a number of times . in the alternative , the tongue suppressing bite blocks may be formed from inexpensive materials that allow them to be disposable and intended only for a single use . disposability eliminates risks associated with improper sterilization between uses . in either case , the tongue suppressing bite blocks of the invention may be advantageously sterilized at the point of manufacture and packaged in a sterile manner so as to maintain sterility until opened for use . in order to mask the unpleasant taste that may be detected when using certain materials in the manufacture of the tongue suppressing bite blocks , the apparatus may be coated or infused with one or more flavoring agents so as to provide a more pleasant taste . examples include bubble gum , mint , grape , cherry , chocolate and the like in order to increase the palatibilty of the device when inserted into the patient &# 39 ; s mouth . the present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics . the described embodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and not restrictive . the scope of the invention is , therefore , indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description . all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope . | 0 |
the olefins which may be oligomerized in the present invention include propylene , butenes and pentenes . particularly the isobutenes and isopentenes ( isoamylenes ) and the linear α olefins are useful . typically the internal linear c 4 and c 5 olefins are less reactive than the α - or iso - olefins of the same carbon number . ( 1 ) propylene + isobutylene = heptenes ( 2 ) isobutylene + isobutylene = di - isobutylenes ( 3 ) n - butenes + isobutylene = octenes ( 4 ) isoamylene + propylene = octenes ( 5 ) isoamylene + butylene = nonenes the higher olefins are then hydrogenated to produce alkanes which are useful as gasoline blending stock . the dimerization of isobutylene with itself is of particular interest because either of the isomers of di - isobutylene produce 2 , 2 , 4 - trimethyl pentane ( isooctane ) when hydrogenated . the tertiary olefins are more reactive and tend to form dimers , some codimers and higher oligomers the oligomerization reaction is preferably carried out in a boiling point reactor in the presence of an acidic particulate catalyst such as an acidic cation exchange resin or zeolite at a pressure sufficient to maintain the reaction mixture at its boiling point within the range of 120 ° f . to 300 ° f . whereby at least a portion but less than all of the reaction mixture is in the vapor phase . such a reactor and process is described in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 003 , 124 which is incorporated herein . a given composition , the reaction mixture , will have a different boiling point at different pressures , hence the temperature in the reactor is controlled by adjusting the pressure to the desired temperature within the recited range . the boiling point of the reaction mixture is thus the temperature of the reaction , and the exothermic heat of reaction is dissipated by vaporization of the reaction mixture . the maximum temperature of any heated liquid composition will be the boiling point of the composition at a given pressure , with additional heat merely causing more boil up . the same principal operates in the present invention to control the temperature . there must be liquid present , however , to provide the boil up , otherwise the temperature in the reactor will continue to rise until the catalyst is damaged . in order to avoid exotherms which will vaporize all of the reaction mixture it is necessary to limit the amount of olefin in the feed to the reactor to about 60 % of the total feed . the present invention can be used on streams containing any of the various olefins or mixtures thereof the temperature must be carefully controlled to prevent formation of trimers and heavier products . the boiling point reactor lends itself very well to such control . the catalyst bed in the boiling point reactor may be described as a fixed continuous bed , that is , the catalyst is loaded into the reactor in its particulate form to fill the reactor or reaction zone , although there may be one or more of such continuous beds in a reactor , separated by spaces devoid of catalyst . the resin or zeolite catalyst is loaded into a partial liquid phase boiling point reactor as a fixed bed of the granules . the feed to the reaction is fed to the bed in liquid phase . the bed may be horizontal , vertical or angled . preferably the bed is vertical with the feed passing downward through the bed and exiting , after reaction , through the lower end of the reactor . the reactor is operated at a high liquid hourly space velocity ( 5 - 20 lhsv , preferably 10 - 20 ) to avoid the reverse reaction and polymerization of the olefins . these conditions result in about 80 - 90 % conversion of the olefins and it may be desirable to have two and possibly more of the reactors in series to obtain the desired overall conversion of the olefin . the oligomers may be separated from the reactants by conventional distillation with the oligomer products being removed as bottoms and unreacted feed recovered as overheads . alternatively the effluent from the boiling point reactor may be fed to a distillation column reactor containing the same or similar catalyst to obtain the desired conversion and concurrently separate the products from the unreacted feed . the oligomers are then fed to a hydrogenation zone , preferably a distillation column reactor containing a hydrogenation catalyst . the catalytic material employed in the hydrogenation process is preferably in a form to serve as distillation packing . broadly stated , the catalytic material is a component of a distillation system functioning as both a catalyst and distillation packing , i . e ., a packing for a distillation column having both a distillation function and a catalytic function . the catalyst is prepared in the form of a catalytic distillation structure . more particularly the hydrogenation catalyst generally comprises a group viii metal supported on an alumina carrier in the form of extrudates or spheres . the extrudates or spheres are placed in porous containers and suitably supported in the distillation column reactor to allow vapor flow through the bed while providing a sufficient surface area for catalytic contact . among the metals known to catalyze the hydrogenation reaction are platinum , rhenium , cobalt , molybdenum , nickel , tungsten and palladium . generally , commercial forms of catalyst use supported oxides of these metals . the oxide is reduced to the active form either prior to use with a reducing agent or during use by the hydrogen in the feed . these metals also catalyze other reactions , most notably dehydrogenation at elevated temperatures . the reaction system can be described as heterogenous since the catalyst remains a distinct entity . any suitable hydrogenation catalyst may be used , for example group viii metals of the periodic table of elements as the principal catalytic component , alone or with promoters and modifiers such as palladium / gold , palladium / silver , cobalt / zirconium , nickel preferably deposited on a support such as alumina , fire brick , pumice , carbon , silica , resin or the like . to provide the desired degree of temperature and residence time control , a process and apparatus are provided wherein the reaction liquid is boiling within a distillation column reactor . overheads are withdrawn and condensed with some of the condensate being returned to the distillation column reactor as reflux . the advantage of the present process is that due to the continual reflux a portion of the selected oligomer is always condensing on the catalyst structure . in the distillation column reactor it is believed that the effectiveness of the hydrogenation process may be the result of the condensation of a portion of the vapors in the reaction system which occludes sufficient hydrogen in the condensed liquid to obtain the requisite intimate contact between the hydrogen and the selected oligomers in the presence of the catalyst to result in their hydrogenation . the vaporization of the liquid feed removes a substantial amount of the exothermic heat of reaction . since the liquid is at the boiling point in the reactor , the temperature may be controlled by the pressure . an increase in pressure increases the temperature and a decrease in pressure decreases the temperature . several different arrangements have been disclosed to achieve the desired result . for example , british patents 2 , 096 , 603 and 2 , 096 , 604 disclose placing the catalyst on conventional trays within a distillation column . a series of u . s . patents , including those listed above and more , particularly u . s . pat . nos . 4 , 443 , 559 and 4 , 215 , 011 disclose using the catalyst as part of the packing in a packed distillation column . the use of multiple beds in a reaction distillation tower is also known and illustrated , for example , in u . s . pat . nos . 4 , 950 , 834 ; 5 , 321 , 163 ; and 5 , 595 , 634 . one suitable catalyst structure for the hydrogenation of the oligomers comprises at least one plurality of flexible , semi - rigid open mesh tubular elements filed with a particulate catalytic material ( catalyst component ) and sealed at both ends , intimately associated with and supported by a wire mesh screen coiled into a spiral having a longitudinal axis , said tubular element being arrayed at an angle to the longitudinal axis thereby forming a bale and is described in detail in u . s . pat . 5 , 431 , 890 incorporated herein in which a flexible , semi - rigid open mesh tubular element filled with a particulate catalytic material preferably has a fastener every 1 - 20 inches along the length of the tube to form a multiple link shaped catalytic distillation structure . the links formed by the fasteners may be evenly or irregularly spaced . bale shaped catalytic distillation structures are formed by placing at least one tubular element on top of the wire mesh screen such as demister wire , in a diagonal array such that when the wire mesh screen is rolled up the rolled structure provides a new and improved catalytic distillation structure . further embodiments include multiple stack arrangements of alternating wire screen mesh and tubular elements that are rolled into a new bale shaped catalytic distillation structure . the tubular elements on alternating layers are preferably arrayed on the wire mesh screen in opposite directions such that their paths cross . each tubular element will define a spiral within the bale . the catalyst component may take several forms . in the case of particulate catalytic material , generally from 60 mm to about 1 mm down through powders , is enclosed in a porous container such as screen wire or polymeric mesh . the material used to make the container must be inert to the reactants and conditions in the reaction system . the screen wire may be aluminum , steel , stainless steel , and the like . the polymer mesh may be nylon , teflon , or the like . the mesh or threads per inch of the material used to make the container is such that the catalyst is retained therein and will not pass through the openings in the material . although the catalyst particles of about 0 . 15 mm size or powders may be used and particles up to about ¼ inch diameter may be employed in the containers . the reaction conditions in the distillation column reactor must be sufficient to hydrogenate the olefin to the alkane . the conditions of pressure and temperature to hydrogenate only the dienes , e . g ., 150 ° f . to a maximum temperature of 170 - 200 ° f . at 10 to 75 psig . to hydrogenate the mono olefins more severe conditions are required 200 - 350 ° f ., at 30 to 150 psig . referring now to the figure a simplified flow diagram of one embodiment of the invention is shown . the feed containing the olefin or olefins to be oligomerized are fed via flow line 102 to boiling point reactor 10 containing a bed of catalyst 12 , either an acidic ion exchange resin or a zeolite . in the boiling point reactor the olefins react with themselves or one another to produce a longer chain oligomer ( principally dimer ) which is removed from the reactor via flow line 105 to distillation column reactor 20 . distillation column reactor 20 contains a bed 22 of hydrogenation catalyst suitable to act as a distillation structure . the oligomers , e . g . dimers , or at least a part , are hydrogenated to the corresponding alkane , which having a higher boiling point is removed as bottoms via flow line 108 . by maintaining the pressure conditions to hold the dimer within the catalyst zone 22 , the dimers can be completely hydrogenated . unreacted olefin monomers , alkanes in the feed and hydrogen are removed as overheads via flow line 106 . the overheads are condensed in condenser 114 and collected in separator 116 . hydrogen is removed via line 110 and may be recycled to flow line 104 . a portion of the condensed hydrocarbons are returned as reflux via line 108 and a portion removed via line 112 which may be recycled to line 102 . a rectification section 24 containing standard distillation structure such as trays or packing is provided above the catalyst bed 22 . likewise a stripping section 26 is provided below the catalyst bed 22 . other embodiments not shown but which are considered to be encompassed by the invention include multiple boiling point reactors to achieve the desired olefin conversion or a distillation column reactor following the boiling point reactor . a c 4 feed containing 14 . 2 wt . % isobutene , 72 . 7 wt . % other c 4 &# 39 ; s with the balance principally c 3 &# 39 ; s and c 5 1 s is passed downflow through a fixed bed of amberlyst 15 beads bed at lhsv of 10 at 90 ° f . to produce a conversion of isobutene of over 85 %. the total effluent from the reaction is fed at the top of a catalyst zone located in a one inch diameter column which is loaded with 10 feet of 0 . 5 wt % pd on ⅛ ″ al 2 o 3 ( alumina ) extrudates , hydrogenation catalyst , ( calsicat e144sdu ) prepared as distillation structure . a stripping section of 2 feet containing pall rings is below the catalyst bed . the total pressure is 75 psig at 175 ° f . at lhsv 10 . the heavier oligomer drops into the catalyst zone where it contacts hydrogen fed below the catalyst zone at a hydrogen partial pressure of 10 psig converting substantially all of the oligomer ( principally dimer ) to alkane which is recovered as bottoms . overheads are the c 3 &# 39 ; s and c 4 &# 39 ; s and c 5 &# 39 ; s and unreacted hydrogen . | 2 |
a first preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown in fig2 . the transducer 1 in this design have magnets 2 placed lateral ( outside ) and parallel to the previously defined dynamic flux plane and substantially perpendicular to the air gaps 3 extends in the normal direction to the cross section shown . to illustrate the magnet positions a cut out has been made in the cross section of fig2 showing that the magnets 2 , together with an extended portion 4 a and 4 b of the internal yokes 4 has replaced the support bars ( sb ) in the prior art . to avoid confusion the term “ lateral placement of the magnets ” means that the magnets 2 are placed alongside the bobbin 6 and the coil 10 , parallel to the previously defined dynamic flux plane , i . e . in a plane parallel to the cross section in fig2 and perpendicular to the magnets position in prior art as shown in fig1 . in doing so , the magnetic flux lines for the static are not parallel in all parts ( as in 120 the prior art ), instead in some parts , the static flux will also be perpendicular to and anti - parallel to the dynamic magnetic flux plane , which is illustrated in fig2 with the direction symbols : { circle around ( x )} ( in to the plane ) ⊙ ( out from the plane ). in the preferred embodiment in fig2 it can also be noted that the static magnetic flux from one magnet splits its magnetic flux between the diametrically mounted internal yokes 4 a and 4 b whereas in prior art all flux from one magnet essentially passes through the same yoke . this also means that the static magnetic flux from one and the same magnet is floating through the two adjacent but diametrically placed the air gaps . also shown in fig3 is that the internal yokes 4 has been extended with an extended portion 4 a and 4 b to provide support for the laterally placed magnets but also to conduct the static magnetic flux 5 back and through the air gaps 3 and transverse through the arms 7 of the h - shaped bobbin 6 . in this way the internal yokes 4 and the external yokes 8 can have a reduced the size compared to the internal yoke in prior art , which means that a transducer according to the present invention is considerably smaller in size . the total number of components also reduces in the present invention , since the support bars ( sb ) are replaced by the magnets 2 and the internal yokes 4 that already existed in the previously known solution . it is also clear in fig3 that the outer 3 a , d and the inner 3 b , c air gaps are now fully visible from the outside . furthermore , it is obvious from fig2 and 3 that the other design solutions in the present invention are same or similar to prior art . among other things , the dynamic flux circuit ( f ac in fig1 ) is in principle the same in the preferred embodiment as in prior art . the dynamic flux is hence in the preferred embodiment ( fig2 ) also closed through the bobbin , internal yoke and air gaps and in the defined dynamic flux plane and therefore not shown in fig2 which otherwise should contain too many details . moreover , the preferred embodiment of the present invention also uses a the elastic suspension between the internal unit and the external unit composed by two leaf springs 9 in the same manner as shown in prior art , fig1 a . the inner unit consists of bobbin 6 and coil 10 whereas the external unit consists of internal yokes 4 , external yokes 8 and the magnets 2 . the attachment between the leaf springs 9 and the internal and external units can be made in a variety of ways ( not shown ) as described in patents u . s . pat . no . 6 , 751 , 334 and se 0666843 . the load ( not shown ) attached to the internal unit through the central part 11 of the leaf spring , either on one side 11 a or the other side 11 b or both sides simultaneously , when the leaf spring is in its resting position ( when the leaf spring is not deflected ). fig4 shows another preferred embodiment of the present invention , where the magnets 2 have one angulated or chamfered side 12 a that fits to a similarly angulated or chamfered side of the internal yoke 12 b . this solution reduces the magnetic flux density in the soft iron material in the attachment area to the magnet . a too high magnetic flux density in this area can otherwise result in local flux saturation with a reduced permeability of soft iron material . another advantage of the angulated or chamfered attachment of the facing sides of the magnets and the internal yokes are that the tolerance requirements can be reduced and that no undesired parasitic air gaps ( from geometric mismatch of components ) occur . fig5 shows that the air gaps can be fixed in length by inserting shims ( spacers ) 13 before the magnets are in placed from the side . preferably , in the assembly process , a fixture that holds the package in place by a static force f while the magnets are mounted could be used . fixation of the magnets can be made after being mounted by use of adhesives . it is obvious that the angulation or chamfering 12 of the magnet and yoke could be carried out on the opposite side i . e . between the magnet and external yoke 8 . it appears from the preferred embodiments as shown in fig2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , each by itself or in combination that there are several ways to implement the present innovation . although a limited number of different embodiments as have been proposed to describe the innovation , it is obvious that a technically competent person in the field , can change , add or reduce the details without deviating from the scope and basic principles of this invention as defined in the following patent claims . tjellström , a ., h { dot over ( a )} kansson , b . and granstrom , g . ( 2001 ). the bone - anchored hearing aids — current status in adults and children , otolaryngologic clinics of north america , vol . 34 , no . 2 , pp 337 - 364 . h { dot over ( a )} kansson , bev ( 2003 ). the balanced electromagnetic separation transducer a new bone conduction transducer . the journal of the acoustical society of america , 113 ( 2 ), 818 - 825 . h { dot over ( a )} kansson , b ., eeg - olofsson , m . ; reinfeldt , s . ; stenfelt , s ., granström , g . ( 2008 ). percutaneous versus transcutaneous bone conduction implant system : a feasibility study on a cadaver head , otology & amp ; neurotology : volume 29 ( 8 ). pp 1132 - 1139 . h { dot over ( a )} kansson b ., sabine reinfeldt , m { dot over ( a )} ns eeg - olofsson , per östli , hamid reza taghavi , john adler , john gabrielsson , stefan stenfelt , gösta granström , 2009 , a novel bone conduction implant ( bci )— engineering aspects and preclinical studies , international journal of audiology 2010 , 49 ( 3 ): 203 - 15 . | 7 |
as shown in the drawings for purposes of illustration , the present invention is directed to refillable material transfer systems for dispensing various materials , including thick , viscous and other types of fluids that resist pumping and / or which might be damaging to pumping apparatus . the system includes a material containment vessel with an upper region incorporating a motive force , and a bottom region with a material ingress and egress opening . a diconical or other shaped , level - instrumented force transfer device is located in the material containment area . the force transfer device can be weighted to an amount depending upon the application . the diameter and height of the tangential element of the force transfer device forms a cylindrical interface region . the diameter of this cylindrical interface region is smaller than the inner diameter of the material container forming an annulus that is matched to the viscous fluid or liquid and to the operating conditions of the system . turning now to the drawings , in which like reference numerals represent like or corresponding aspects of the drawings , and with particular reference to fig1 , the refillable material transfer system 10 includes a pressure vessel 20 and a force transfer device 60 , having a crown ( upper portion ) 68 and a thruster ( lower portion ) 71 . the pressure vessel includes a top portion ( first end ) 22 , a sidewall 24 and a bottom portion ( second end ) 26 . the pressure vessel may be in the form of a cylindrical container or other suitable shape for containing the material to be moved in and out of the pressure vessel . for example , the container may be a vertical or horizontal high - pressure vessel , a single pipe , a pipe cluster or a pipe - spool . furthermore , the container need not necessarily be configured for or as a pressure vessel , wherein the material to be transferred in and out of the container may move with gravity or other energy or force applied to the transfer device . suitable materials of construction for the material vessel and its components include metals ( such as aluminum , copper , iron , nickel and titanium ) and alloys ( such as alloy 20 , inconel , monel , steel and stainless steel ). in addition , polymers , plastics , composites and other synthetic materials ( such as fiber reinforced plastic , polyethylene , polypropylene , polytetrafluoroethylene , polyurethane , polyvinyl chloride , acrylonitrile butadiene styrene — abs , chlorinated polyvinyl chloride — cpvc and polyvinylidene fluoride — pvdf ) may be used to construct the container and its components . wherein the present invention contemplates horizontal , vertical and tilted vessels , the references to the drawings herein are generally to a vertical vessel ; however , those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that terms such as upper , lower , top and bottom may be easily translated to horizontal and tilted configurations of the refillable material transfer system . the top 22 of the vessel 20 may be secured to the sidewall or may be an openable lid or otherwise removable from the sidewall portion 24 of the vessel . the top of the vessel may have a flat surface , a semi - ellipsoidal surface , or a hemispherical surface . the top may be configured as a lid that can be opened to facilitate the removal of the force transfer device 60 , changing of material service , maintenance of the systems internals and periodic cleaning . the lid of the vessel may include an access manifold 36 that extends outward from the top of the vessel and extends into the lid . the access manifold is preferably centrally positioned , for example , along the longitudinal axis of the vessel . the access manifold may include an overflow arm 32 or other device for allowing excess material to exit the container during a filling operation . the overflow arm may include a manually operated or pressure - release valve . the access manifold may further be configured to contain a stabilizer pipe or other rod to be disposed within the container along its longitudinal axis . an access flange 34 may be fitted at the outside end of the access pipe ( external of the vessel ) so as to constrain a stabilizer rod ( pipe ) 62 that may extend from the top of the vessel to proximate the bottom 26 of the vessel . the top of the container may be further configured with a valve and fitting 38 for introducing and / or releasing pressurized gas into / from the vessel . gases such as air , nitrogen or other chemically derived gases ( inert or active ) may be employed to pressurize the vessel and provide an applied force to the crown 68 . in addition , the lid may be configured with a pressure release valve ( not shown ) or other device to relieve overpressure of gas within the container . the access flange may also be used for relief of the pressurized gas from the vessel . the top 22 of the container 20 may be further configured with a retainer 61 for restraining the force transfer device 60 as it reaches the top of the container . the retainer serves at least two purposes : to prevent overflow during refilling operations , and to facilitate the removal of any of any materials retained on the upper surface of the conical crown 68 , especially semi - solid materials , by allowing them to be expelled during a fill cycle . the retainer may be formed to conform to the shape of the crown of the force transfer device . the retainer may be made from of the same or different metal , alloy or polymer as the material vessel , depending upon the construction of the vessel , force transfer device and material serviced . additionally , the top of the container and sidewall portion of the container may be configured with flanges that fit tightly together so as to form a seal when the container is configured with an openable top . a first flange 27 could be secured to the top of the vessel , wherein a second flange 28 is secured to the sidewall of the vessel . fastening mechanisms ( not shown ) may be used to secure the top flange and sidewall flange together when the container is in operation . the sidewall 24 of the vessel 20 defines a gas space 30 within the vessel . similarly , when the vessel is filled with material 42 a portion of the container includes a material space 40 . the vessel may further include a false bottom portion 50 that is defined by an arrestor 73 configured to match ( conform to ) the shape of the thruster 71 of the force transfer device . the vessel &# 39 ; s bottom may have a flat surface , a semi - ellipsoidal surface , a hemispherical surface or other suitable shape for the duty of the vessel . the arrestor is configured to prevent gas bypassing and to assure low material retain when the vessel is empty . the arrestor may be further configured with an outlet channel 55 that transverses the bottom 26 of the vessel and is in fluid communication with a material manifold 45 . preferably , the outlet channel is of sufficient length so as to prevent gas flow into the material manifold by sealing the exit with abundant material . in addition , the outlet channel may be of sufficient length to define a heat transfer area 54 such that heat transfer elements 52 may be interposed around the outlet channel and under the arrestor so as to heat or cool the material exiting the container . alternatively , the outlet channel and material exit manifold may be positioned at the top of the container , wherein the arrestor , retainer and other components of the vessel are appropriately configured . the outlet channel 55 of the arrestor 73 at the false bottom 50 of the material vessel 20 leads to a material manifold 45 . the material manifold may include a material inlet 48 and a material outlet 46 in a t - shape ( tee ). a flange 44 may be used to cap the bottom of the material manifold when formed in a t - shape . alternatively , the material may enter and exit the manifold from the same port , wherein the manifold is formed in a l - shape . one or more valves ( not shown ) may be added to the material inlet and material outlet . likewise , quick - release ( cam and groove ) couplings or other assemblies may be added to the material inlet and material outlet for connection to conventional devices for introducing ( filling ) and removing ( emptying ) material to / from the vessel . referring now to fig2 and 3 , the force transfer device 60 includes a crown ( upper portion ) 68 , a tangential member ( middle portion ) 69 and a thruster ( lower portion ) 71 . in one embodiment , the crown is configured with a conical or frustrum shape having a substantially triangular cross - section . the cone - shaped crown includes an access port ( opening ) 64 for access to a hollow interior of the force transfer device . the opening may be used to insert ballast or other weighted material into the thruster . a ballast plug ( cap ) 65 may be used to close the access port in the crown . one or more vents ( gas ports ) 66 may be drilled or otherwise formed in the crown and tangential member so as to allow gas to pressurize the internal space of the force transfer device . the force transfer device accepts the primary force and / or energy applied to the crown and transduces the applied force through the thruster , causing the material manifold 42 to be ubiquitously pressurized . when the transfer system 10 includes a stabilizing pipe or rod 62 or other central member , the crown also includes a hole or bore 75 at the vertex of the cone in which the stabilizing rod may be slidably disposed . similarly , the thruster may be configured with an opening 77 at the vertex of the cone in which the stabilizing rod may be slidably disposed . the thruster 71 may be formed in a conical or frustum shape having a substantially triangular cross - section and may be configured with a hollow interior . a tangential member 69 may be interposed between the conical crown 68 and the conical thruster . the tangential member may be configured as a disk or plate being circular or cylindrical in shape and rectangular in cross - section . the tangential member helps provide stability to the force transfer device such that the outer wall of the tangential member is configured to be positioned substantially parallel to the sidewall 24 of the vessel 20 and substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the crown and the longitudinal axis of the thruster . as shown in fig2 , one embodiment of the force transfer device 60 resembles a child &# 39 ; s top in cross - section , where both the crown 68 and thruster 71 are conical in shape , thereby forming a diconical force transfer device . in one embodiment , the crown is a hollow , upward - pointing cone , wherein the primary purpose is to prevent overfilling when the confined space of the vessel 20 is being filled with material 42 . of secondary importance and during the refilling process , the crown displaces any materials that may have deposited on top of the force transfer device . the conical thruster transfers the force applied to device so as to penetrate and move the material through the vessel &# 39 ; s material outlet 55 and into the material manifold 45 . the conical portion of the thruster is configured for penetrating the material in the vessel . suitable materials of construction for the force transfer device and its components include metals ( such as aluminum , copper , iron , nickel and titanium ) and alloys ( such as alloy 20 , inconel , monel , steel and stainless steel ). in addition , polymers , plastics , composites and other synthetic materials may be used to form the force transfer device , such materials include fiber reinforced plastic , polyethylene , polypropylene , polytetrafluoroethylene , polyurethane , polyvinyl chloride , acrylonitrile butadiene styrene ( abs ), chlorinated polyvinyl chloride ( cpvc ) and polyvinylidene fluoride ( pvdf ). referring again to fig1 , one embodiment of the refillable material transfer system 10 is configured with the material vessel 20 in a vertical position , wherein the bottom 26 of the container is adjacent to the floor or ground and may stand on legs or other pedestals ( not shown ). accordingly , the sidewall 24 of the vessel holds the top 22 of the container in place . the force transfer 60 device is configured to move up and down the container as the material enters and leaves the vessel . when a stabilizer rod or other device 62 is disposed within the container , the transfer device moves up and down the rod , which may be configured with a cap 63 at the end of the rod near the bottom of the vessel . movement of the force transfer device is constrained at the top of the vessel by the retainer 61 , and is constrained at the bottom of the vessel by the arrestor 73 . in one aspect of the present invention , the tangential member 69 is configured with an outer diameter that is less than the internal diameter of the vessel . accordingly , as the transfer element moves up and down the container , a portion of material 42 remains along the sidewall forming a gas seal 49 between the vessel sidewall and the tangential member . in such a vertical configuration of the transfer system , the outlet 55 is configured with a sufficient vertical length so that gas in the vessel will not move through the outlet into the bottom material manifold as material empties from the container and the transfer element approaches the arrestor . referring now to fig4 , alternative embodiments of the refillable material transfer system 10 may be configured using a mode of force other than a high pressurized gas source . for example , a drive shaft 93 may be positioned within a manifold 86 configured within the top portion 22 of the material vessel ( container ) 20 . the drive shaft is configured to provide a driving force so as to move a force transfer device 90 from the top to the bottom 26 of the vessel . a first end portion 87 of the drive shaft extends outside of the manifold from the top of the vessel . a flange 84 positioned at an end of the manifold that extends outside of the top of the vessel provides an airtight seal around the exterior portion of the drive shaft . a second end 88 of the drive shaft is disposed within an opening 102 configured at a vertex of a conical crown 94 of the force transfer device . accordingly , movement of the drive shaft from the top towards the bottom of the container drives the force transfer device towards the bottom of the container . likewise , movement of the drive shaft from the bottom towards the top of the container moves the force transfer device towards the top of the container . in operation , it is expected that when material 42 enters the material manifold 45 positioned adjacent the bottom 26 of the vessel 20 , then the force transfer device 90 rises towards the top 22 of the container . alternatively , the drive shaft 93 may be configured to move the force transfer device to the top of the container adjacent a retainer 91 configured within the top portion or lid of the vessel . further , a limit switch 92 may be configured in the retainer and electronically connected to the mode of force for the drive shaft so as to stop the force transfer device adjacent the retainer as the force transfer device approaches the top of the vessel . similarly , a limit switch 101 may be positioned at or near the arrestor 99 . thus , as the drive shaft moves the transfer device towards the bottom of the container , the limit switch serves to stop the mode of force on the drive shaft and to position the transfer device adjacent the arrestor allowing essentially all of the material to be removed from the container . alternatively , the material manifold , switches , retainer , arrestor and other vessel components may be configured so that the material is introduced and removed from the top of the container . a gas purge line and valve 89 may be configured into the top or lid 22 of the vessel 20 and through the retainer 91 to allow air or an inert gas to be fed into the vessel when material 42 is being removed from the vessel and to purge such gases when the vessel is being filled with material . in addition , a material overfill arm 82 may be included in the manifold 86 for purging excess material , air and other gases during the fill cycle . the gas inlet and valve may be used to allow gas or air to enter into the container as material is moved out of the container as the airspace 80 increases within the container and as the material space 40 reduces in the container . alternatively , the excess material discharge line 82 may be configured so as to allow air to enter and exit the container as the transfer device pushes material out of the container or material entering into the container moves the transfer device towards the top of the container . referring now to fig5 and 6 , the diconical force transfer device 90 includes a crown ( upper portion ) 94 , a tangential member ( middle portion ) 95 and a thruster ( lower portion ) 97 . the crown and thruster are configured with a conical or frustum shape , having a substantially triangular cross - section with a truncated point or vertex . the annular tangential member has a substantially vertical outer surface , and is interposed between the crown and thruster . the crown , tangential member and thruster may be machined , die - cast or otherwise manufactured as a single unit , or may be manufactured as separate components and welded , bolted or otherwise permanently or removably fastened together to form the force transfer device . the force transfer device 90 may be further configured with one or more stabilizers 96 positioned along the outer surface of the tangential member 95 of the transfer device . the stabilizers are thin blade - like members , and may be made of a similar material as the transfer device , for example , metals and their alloys , polymers , plastics , composites or other natural and synthetic materials . the plurality of stabilizers ( for example , four stabilizers ) may be affixed to the transfer device equidistant along the outer surface of the tangential member by welding , mechanical fasteners or other suitable devices and techniques . the top and bottom edges of the stabilizers may be rounded so as to limit scraping and other damage to the sidewall 24 of the material vessel 20 . one purpose of the stabilizers is to help prevent tipping of the force device as the tangential member moves along the sidewalls of the vessel . the stabilizers also allow a material space 49 adjacent the sidewall of the vessel so as to provide a gas seal between the force transfer device and the vessel &# 39 ; s sidewall . in such a configuration , the refillable material transfer system 10 may be used in a vertical position , a horizontal position or disposed at an angle as required by the user . performance of the force transfer device 90 may be enhanced by the addition of a penetrating tip or protuberance 98 . as shown in fig4 and 5 , the penetrating tip may be conical or frustum in shape , having the same or different intrinsic angle as the conical thruster portion 97 of the force transfer device ( see fig1 ). the penetrating tip may be made of the same material or alternative materials as the other components of the force transfer device . further , the configuration of the conical thruster tip need not be triangular in cross - section , but may be rounded , square or other suitable configuration so as to help displace the material as the force transfer device moves towards the portion of the container that contains the material outlet channel 55 and material outlet manifold 45 . the conical thruster may be configured at its bottom end ( furthest from the crown 94 and tangential member 95 ) with a truncated portion 104 that is configured to receive the conical thruster tip . the wide end 106 of the conical thruster tip may be configured with a threaded flange or other device for securing to the truncated portion of the thruster . alternatively , the conical thruster tip may be welded or otherwise permanently secured to the conical thruster . empirical data supports the premise that the largest diameter of the thruster tip should be about the same as the diameter of the exit channel 55 . both the conical portion of the thruster and the protuberance are configured for penetrating the material . referring now to fig7 and 8 , the force transfer device 90 may be further configured with an annulus management device 103 positioned adjacent and / or around the tangential member 95 of the force transfer device . for example , the annulus management device may include a circular , donut - shaped member that includes cutouts or notches ( not shown ) so as to fit tightly over the stabilizer fins 96 . alternatively , cutouts or notches could be made in the stabilizer fins to accommodate the annulus management device . the annulus management device also may be configured to be retained within an annular notch within the tangential member of the force transfer device . the annulus management device may be removably or permanently attached to the force transfer device ( see also fig1 , 16 ). the inner diameter of the annulus management device should be substantially the same as the outer diameter of the tangential member of the transfer device . the outer diameter of the annulus management device should be greater than the inner diameter of the material vessel 20 so as to be in close proximity to the sidewall 24 of the vessel . thus , as the force transfer device moves along the sidewalls of the vessel , any accumulated material 49 ( fig4 ) along the sidewall of the vessel is moved towards the bottom 26 of the vessel , through the outlet channel 55 and preferably out the material manifold 45 . suitable materials for the annulus management device include materials similar to the force transfer device materials , as well as leathers , natural or synthetic rubbers and other elastomers such as buna - n ( nitrile ), fluoroelastomers , neoprene and ethylene - propylene - diene - monomer ( epdm ). referring now to fig9 , one embodiment of the refillable material transfer system 110 includes configuring the material vessel 120 in a vertical format . the material vessel includes a main body 150 , a top 122 , and one or more legs or extensions 170 . the main body of the material vessel is configured in a cylindrical format having a lower portion 152 to be connected to the legs 170 and an upper portion 154 to be connected to the top 122 . an upper annular flange 124 is connected to a lower portion 156 of the top . a lower annular flange 126 is connected to the upper portion 154 of the main body of the vessel . the annular flanges are essentially cylindrical in shape , having a donut - like configuration , being significantly larger in diameter than in thickness . clamping screws 128 are secured to the bottom flange and are configured to reside within notches or slots 127 formed within the upper flange . the configuration of the top and bottom flanges and securing locks are such that when the securing locks are in place a fluid tight seal is maintained between the top and main body of the material vessel . where the duty of the material vessel includes high pressure or other requirements for a fluid tight seal , an o - ring ( not shown ) may be interposed between the upper and lower flanges or a rubber or other polymeric coating may be applied to the upper and lower flanges so as to facilitate a fluid tight seal . other mechanisms , such as latches , clamps , lifting lugs and davits may be used to secure the vessel &# 39 ; s top to the vessel &# 39 ; s main body . the top portion 122 of the material vessel 120 may be hemispherical and circular in cross - section . alternatively , the top of the pressure vessel may be configured flat , square or other suitable shape for the duty imposed on the vessel . bores , cut outs or other access ports may be provided in the top of the container so as to facilitate positioning of a gas inlet end valve 180 , an overflow or pressure relief valve 190 and a gauge mechanism 160 . for ease of insertion and removal of a gauge 160 having a display 164 , a threaded coupling 162 may be placed within the center of the top portion of the container . alternatively , the top coupling may be used to hold the stabilizer rod or pipe 62 , as shown in fig1 , or the drive shaft 93 , as shown in fig4 . so as to facilitate removal of the top 122 from the container 120 , a lifting mechanism 130 may be configured adjacent the main body 150 of the material vessel . in one embodiment , as available from rosedale products of ann arbor , mich ., u . s . a ., a hydraulic jack 132 is used to drive a piston or rod 134 to lift the annular flange 124 of the top portion of the vessel . an actuator mechanism 136 may be used to hydraulically , mechanically or electro - mechanically move the drive shaft 134 to position the top of the container . furthermore , the lifting mechanism may be configured so as to lift and allow horizontal movement of the lid without complete disengagement from the lower flange 126 . for stabilizing purposes , a support flange 138 may be secured to the main body 150 of the material vessel and to the actuator mechanism 132 of the lift mechanism 130 . the refillable material transfer system 110 may be further configured with a material inlet and outlet manifold 140 positioned below the main body 150 of the material vessel 120 and adjacent the bottom portion 152 of the vessel . for example , a pipe 144 may be connected to the bottom portion of the container and may include a t - shaped ( tee ) portion 146 that is closed on one end 146 and is connected to a discharge mechanism 148 on a second portion of the tee . the discharge portion of the material manifold may further include a ball valve and actuator mechanism 142 . a cam and groove coupler or other industry specific mechanism may be configured on the outlet of the material manifold for coupling to hoses and pipes for filling and emptying the container . for further protection of the material discharge manifold , a shield ( not shown ) of plastic , metal or other suitable material may be configured around the legs 170 or other extension supporting the material container 120 . similarly , a protective shield ( not shown ) may be formed around the upper portion of the top 122 of the container so as to protect the display mechanism 160 , gas inlet 180 and pressure relief or material discharge device 190 . cutouts in the protective mechanism surrounding the top may be provided for access to the display 164 and gas valve 180 . the refillable material transfer system 110 may be configured to hold various quantities of material 42 and various pressures of high - pressure gas 31 . for example ( see also fig1 and 4 ), the top 122 and main body 150 of the vessel 120 may be sized and the retainer 61 , 91 and arrestor 73 , 99 configured so that the internal material space 40 accommodates , for example , fifty - five , one - hundred - and - fifty , three - hundred or six - hundred gallons ( 2 . 3 cubic meters ) of fluid or other material . for an operation mode involving constant gas pressure , those skilled in the art can determine , without undue experimentation , the volume of the container required to accommodate the high - pressure gas . for an operation mode involving pre - charging the vessel with a specific amount of gas proceed as follows : ( a ) determine the final pressure ( p ), in absolute terms required to dispense the material when empty ; ( b ) multiply this absolute pressure ( p ) by the flooded volume ( v ) of the container to obtain a value referred to herein as the pv constant ; ( c ) determine the value of the absolute pressure at pre - charging a full container ; and ( d ) divide the pv constant by the absolute pressure at pre - charging to determine the volume of the container required to accommodate the high - pressure gas . when a diconical force transfer device 60 , 90 is used in the material vessel 20 , 120 , the outer diameter of the tangential member 69 , 95 ( largest diameter of the crown 68 , 94 and thruster 71 , 97 ) is configured somewhat smaller than the inner diameter of the sidewall 24 of the material vessel . refillable material transfer systems can be scaled up and down for the intended services . the services can range from small hand held systems to large cargo truck or trailer mounted systems . it is contemplated that the present invention is applicable to very small ( micro -, nano - sized ) to very large material transfer systems that would move material quantities of less than a micro - liter and at least tens of thousands of liters of material . those skilled in the art of containers can determine , without undue experimentation , the appropriate container geometries , materials , and other features . similarly , those skilled in the art of material transfer can determine , without undue experimentation , the appropriate force transfer device geometries , materials and other features . if refillable material transfer systems would be charged with finite volumes of gas , and not connected to a gas supplies , then those skilled in the art of materials transfer can determine , without undue experimentation , the appropriate minimum gas pressures . further , those skilled in the art of gas handling can determine , without undue experimentation , the appropriate initial gas pressures and gas volumes . the following are the dimensions of some examples of refillable material transfer systems : bottom protuberance : diameter of 3 . 0 inches ( 7 . 6 cm ) and height of 2 . 5 inches ( 6 . 4 cm ) proximity of the tangential member 69 , 95 , 230 , 232 , 234 , 236 , 330 , 332 , 334 , 346 , 348 of the force transfer device 60 , 90 , 200 and 300 to the sidewall 24 of the material container 20 , 120 is dependant , among other things , upon the nature of the material 42 . the proximity range from 0 . 2 to 1 . 0 inches ( 0 . 5 to 2 . 5 cm ). height of the tangential member 69 , 95 , 230 , 232 , 234 , 236 , 330 , 332 , 334 , 346 , 348 depends , among other things , upon the nature of the material and the size of the container 20 , 120 . heights range from zero to twelve inches ( 30 . 5 cm ). the conical crown 68 , 94 has a defining angle which depends upon , among other things , the character of the material . the angle can range from 90 to 180 degrees . the fulcrum of the thruster 71 , 97 , 210 , 212 , 214 , 215 has a defining angle 215 that depends , among other things , upon the nature of the material that can range from 90 degrees to 180 degrees . the thruster tip 98 , 220 has a defining angle 225 that depends , among other things , upon the nature of the material that can range from 30 degrees to less than 180 degrees . referring now to fig1 and 11 , the force transfer device 200 may be adapted for use with various fluids having different viscosities . the thruster portion 210 of the transfer device may be configured as conical or frustum shaped , hollow device . the plurality of tangential members 230 may be configured to be placed adjacent the thruster portion of the transfer device . for example , the tangential members 232 , 234 , 236 may be disk - like or cylindrical in shape having an aspect ratio where their height ( thickness ) is significantly less than their diameter . the tangential members may be stacked on top of each other and secured to the thruster portion using a securing rod 250 or other suitable mechanism . the securing rod may be removably attached to the plates using a top coupling 254 , and may be secured at its second ( bottom ) end 252 to the bottom portion 214 of the conical thruster 210 . in one embodiment , the securing rod is disposed in bores or holes 256 in the tangential members and within a pipe or conduit 258 in the thruster . penetration of the transfer device 200 into thick or viscous fluids may be aided by the addition of a penetration tip 220 attached to the lower portion 214 of the thruster 210 . as heretofore described , the thruster tip may be conical ( triangular in cross - section ), blunted , square or other suitable shape . the thruster tip may include an adaptor 222 for attaching the tip to the thruster by welding , threading mechanisms or for fixing the tip to the securing rod 250 . a port 264 in the conical thruster and lumens or holes 262 in the tangential members may be used to provide access to a hollow portion of the conical thruster for addition of ballast . a cap 260 may be placed on the outermost tangential member to cover the port for filling and removal of the ballast . when the force transfer device is used in a refillable material transfer system that is pressurized , holes or bores 280 may be drilled or otherwise formed into the tangential elements so as to allow pressurization of the material transfer device . the force transfer device 200 may also include a stabilizer mechanism 240 . for example , three stabilizing fins 242 , 244 , 246 may be secured to the outermost tangential member 232 to prevent tipping and otherwise stabilize the thruster 210 of force transfer device as it moves within the material vessel 20 , 120 . the stabilizer fins may be welded , bolted , screwed and permanently or removably fastened to the upper tangential member 232 of the force device by addition of one or more flanges 243 , 245 , 247 . the stabilizer fins are configured such that they extend outside of the perimeter of the tangential members so that the outermost portion of the stabilizers are adjacent the inner sidewall of the material vessel . alternatively , stabilizer fins may be attached to one or more of the tangential members as shown in fig4 - 6 . referring now to fig1 , 13 and 14 , the force transfer device 300 may be made in various configurations other than the diconical shape shown in fig1 - 8 . for example , the thruster portion 310 of the transfer device and the crown portion 315 of the transfer device may be hemispherical or semi - elliptical in shape . such hemispherical or elliptical shapes may be easier to manufacture through cold working , annealing , or casting . similarly , injected molded processes for use of various alloys and metals may be implemented . as shown in fig1 , the transfer device 300 may include a substantially tangential portion 330 so as to be parallel to the inner sidewalls of the material vessel . accordingly , the thruster or lower portion 310 of the transfer device may include a tangential portion 332 , and the upper portion 315 of the transfer device may include a tangential portion 334 . the two halves of the transfer device may be joined at a weld 340 or other technique for permanently or removably fastening the two halves together may be employed . as heretofore described , vertical stabilizer fins 342 , 344 , 346 , 348 may be spaced circumferentially around the tangential portion of the transfer device . although four stabilizer fins are shown in the reference figures , two , three , six or more stabilizer fins may be employed as appropriate , depending on the diameter and other configurations of the vessel and transfer device . when the force transfer device 300 is used in a gas - pressurized environment , the upper or top portion ( crown ) 315 of the transfer device may include one or more vents or holes 380 so as to allow the pressurized gas to enter the inside of the transfer device . in addition , an access port 360 for placing ballast into the transfer device may be provided on the upper surface of the transfer device crown . as heretofore described , the ballast access port may be configured to accept a plug or cap for removable insertion into the access port . the crown of the transfer device may also be configured with a coupling , flange or other member 350 for insertion of a stabilizer pipe 62 ( fig1 ) or drive shaft 93 ( fig4 ). for configurations of the force transfer device that accommodate a level indicating device ( fig1 , 18 ), a pipe or other tube may be configured to extend from the crown coupling to proximate the bottom surface of the thruster portion 310 . as shown in fig1 , the thruster portion is also configured with a cylindrical protuberance or flange 320 that may be configured as a coupling to accept a retaining mechanism 322 that may be used to contain a position device subassembly 600 ( fig1 ). the thruster coupling may also serve as a penetrating tip to facilitate penetrating the material and for movement of very viscous fluids through the exit channel 55 and material manifold 45 , 140 of the vessel 20 , 120 . accordingly , the diameter of the thruster tip ( protuberance 320 ) should be about the same as the diameter of the exit channel 55 . to aid in insertion and removal of the material transfer device 300 from the internals of a material vessel , holes 352 or similar mechanism may be formed in the upper coupling 350 on the crown 315 . for example , as shown in fig1 , two holes 352 may be drilled in line across the coupling such that a chain or wire may be threaded through the holes to lift the force transfer device from the pressure vessel . as heretofore described , the transferred vessel may be made from any suitable metal , alloy , plastic or other polymer that would be compatible with the material to be used in the transfer system . referring now to fig1 and 16 , the hemispherical ( semi - elliptical ) transfer device 300 ( fig1 ) may be configured with an annulus management device 400 to help remove material accumulated on the inner sidewalls of the material vessel . the annulus management device includes an annular member 410 formed of natural or synthetic rubber , elastomeric polymers or other suitable materials compatible with the material being transferred in and out of the container . the annulus management device may further include a horizontal flange or flanges 420 affixed to the annular member . the horizontal flange may include ports 452 , 454 , 456 , 458 to accommodate stop cocks 442 , 444 , 446 , 448 or other venting mechanisms so that gas or air trapped below the transfer device may be released as the transfer device moves from the top to the bottom ( from the first end to the second end ) of the material vessel . the horizontal flange may be secured to the annular member by bolts and nuts 470 or other suitable fastening means . alternatively , the annular member may be glued or otherwise bonded to the flange or directly to the crown of the transfer device . a vertical portion of the flange may be welded or otherwise formed with the horizontal flange and may be attached to the transfer device by bolts and nuts 460 or other suitable fastening means . the annulus management device may be fixedly or removably secured to the force transfer device . referring now to fig1 , the refillable material transfer system may include a level indicating device 500 . many types of level indicators may be incorporated into the material transfer system , such as contact and non - contact level devices , for example for example , container weight devices ( scales ), container gas pressure devices ( pressure gages ), linear and rotary encoding devices ( tape gages ), wave devices ( laser , magnetostrictive , radio frequency , and ultrasonic ), magnetically coupled devices ( indicating rods and tapes ), displacement devices ( limit and proximity switches ), material flow devices ( flow totalizers ), optical devices ( fiberoptic , photoelectric , and visual ), gas and material interface devices ( buoyancy , capacitance , conductivity , differential pressure , and differential temperature ) and nuclear devices ( radioisotope ). one suitable system for use with the force transfer devices described herein is available from gems sensors , inc . of plainville , conn ., usa . such a device includes a stem 520 that may be disposed within the adapter pipe or central lumen of the force transfer device ( see fig1 ). the stem may include magnetic reed switches or other level indicators that are coupled to a microprocessor in a housing 560 that is visible from outside of the material vessel . a threaded coupling 540 or other securing device may be used to attach the level indicator system to the upper flange 350 of the force transfer device 300 shown in fig1 . the housing may include a programmable microprocessor ( not shown ) and other electronics such as a digital display 564 that may be configured for use with particular sizes of material vessels . the housing 560 of the system may be made of a polymer , composite , other synthetic material ; or a more robust metal or alloy construction as available from moore industries international , inc ., of north hills , calif . referring now to fig1 , to actuate the magnetic sensors in the stem 520 , a position device subassembly 600 may be configured for positioning within the force transfer device 300 shown in fig1 . the subassembly includes an outer housing 620 to contain a magnetic position device ( magnetic actuator ) 640 , which may be cylindrical or egg - shaped . a threaded cap or other coupling 660 is configured on one side of the housing so as to be secured to an adapter 322 or other mechanism on the force transfer device . the housing cap includes a bore or lumen 680 so that the stem 520 may pass through the position device subassembly . similarly , the position device is configured within a central lumen 690 so that the stem may be slidably disposed within the position device . additionally , the position device subassembly may include a cleaning mechanism ( not shown ) to remove material deposits from the stem . in operation , as the material level increases in the vessel , the transfer device holding the position device subassembly ( magnetic actuator ) moves up the stem actuating the sensors contained within the stem . as the position device ( magnetic actuator ) approaches the highest point on the stem , then the display 564 on the device will be calibrated to read one - hundred percent or some other indication to show a full vessel . the level indicating device 500 may be calibrated to show material height , weight or volume as appropriate . likewise , as the material is drained from the vessel , the transfer device approaches the bottom of the container causing the magnetic actuator to approach the lowest point on the stem and the level indicator will show a decrease in height , weight or volume of the material . fig1 - 22 illustrate how the invention can be used to dispense a personal care product such as a hand cream , lotion , shampoo , moisturizer , or other fluid consumer products . a container 700 in the form of a canister or personal care dispenser has a cylindrical wall that defines a receptacle 720 sized to receive a refillable cartridge 730 . the container 700 may be cylindrical and include a threaded upper surface 740 that receives a screw on cap 750 to create an air - tight seal with the container 700 . the container includes a button or actuator 760 that is coupled to a flow control valve 770 that manages the flow of material through the refillable cartridge 730 . the container also includes a nozzle or outlet port 780 that is used to expel the product 795 from the container via a tubular channel 790 . the refillable cartridge operates under the principles of the refillable material transfer system described above . the cartridge has a first end 735 with a gas inlet 745 for charging the refillable cartridge 730 with compressed gas , and a second end 755 with an outlet for discharging and refilling the material 795 . the cartridge 730 includes a bi - conical force transfer device 765 that is akin to the force transfer device 60 of fig1 . as shown in fig2 , the compressed gas places a force on the force transfer device 765 which in turn compresses the material 795 . when the button is depressed , the valve 770 is opened which allows the compressed material 795 in the refillable cartridge to flow through the valve 760 and into the channel 790 where it can be dispensed through the outlet port 780 . once the product is largely depleted from the refillable cartridge , as shown in fig2 the cartridge 730 is connected at the second end 755 to a pressurized supply source 800 , which fills the cartridge 730 with fresh product . the product entering the cartridge 730 forces the force transfer device 765 away from the second end 755 , recompressing the gas in the cartridge so that it may once again dispense the material . the cycle of dispensing and refilling the cartridge allows many uses of the same system without generating the normal waste that would come with purchasing a new bottle container of the product each time , saving money and the environment . while particular forms of the invention have been illustrated and described with regard to certain embodiments of material transfer systems , it will also be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention . more specifically , it should be clear that the present invention is not limited to any particular method of forming the disclosed devices . while certain aspects of the invention have been illustrated and described herein in terms of its use with fluids and other specific materials , it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the refillable material transfer system and force transfer device can be used with many materials not specifically discussed herein . further , particular sizes and dimensions , materials used , and the like have been described herein and are provided as examples only . other modifications and improvements may be made without departing from the scope of the invention . accordingly , it is not intended that the invention be limited , except as by the appended claims . | 1 |
referring now to the drawings wherein like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views , fig1 - 19 illustrate an assets locating , tracking and surveillance system ( altss ), hereinafter referred to as “ altss ” or “ the system ”, according to the present invention , generally designated 20 . referring to fig1 , altss 20 for identifying , locating , tracking , and providing surveillance over physical evidence ( also referred to as objects ) 22 and people ( also referred to as users ) 24 , is illustrated as being installed in an exemplary facility 101 . facility 101 may be divided into sectors in accordance with the radio frequency coverage ( footprint ) of antennas 102 , which are located in the ceiling ( not shown ) thereof . other antennas , similar to antenna 102 , may be positioned in the ceiling as needed to cover remaining sectors of facility 101 . those skilled in the art will appreciate in view of this disclosure that additional antennas ( not shown ) may be placed at various strategic locations , such as on top of furniture , at wall and / or ceiling corners etc ., without departing from the scope of this invention . antennas 102 may be connected to scanners 103 . in an exemplary embodiment , the read range of antennas 102 and scanners 103 from the ceiling downward may be approximately 18 feet . a transponder 104 ( being attached to an object ) or 105 ( being attached to a person ) entering the field of view of a ceiling antenna 102 may be detected by scanner 103 . one or more additional antennas 106 may cover the entrance and exit 112 of facility 101 . in the exemplary embodiment of fig1 , antennas 106 may be configured to provide a read range of less than four feet , or the width of entrance 112 . accordingly , a transponder 104 or 105 entering the field of view of antennas 106 is detected by scanner 103 . any movement by transponder 104 or 105 about facility 101 may be thereby detected and recorded by altss 20 . as shown in greater detail in fig2 - 4 , a container 107 may be equipped with small antennas 302 and a number of scanners 103 to locate , identify , and track transponder 104 and similar transponders that are attached to objects 22 placed inside container 107 . it is apparent that several containers 107 or shelves may be used in facility 101 to store objects . as shown in fig1 , scanners 103 may be connected to a local area network 108 by hard - wiring or wireless connections , for example . local - area network 108 may provide access to internet 109 . a data and application server 110 may be connected to network 108 . server 110 may perform all back - end processing for altss 20 . front - end processing for altss 20 may be performed at user terminals 111 . any number of user terminals 111 may be attached to local area network 108 and provide access to altss 20 . if granted access , a user at terminal 111 may use his / her network browser to determine the real - time status and location of any object 22 that has been detected by altss 20 ( past or present ). moreover , if granted access , a user may also use internet 109 to determine the status and location of objects in other altss systems in other cities around the world . altss 20 may also automatically generate user - defined reports to supervisors or to specific user terminals 111 covering any time frame of system operations . referring to fig1 and 2 , an alternative view of an evidence room is disclosed and illustrates how altss 20 may track evidence 22 and user 24 . user 24 having access to facility 101 may have a small transponder 105 attached to his / her badge , for example . once user 24 enters facility 101 through the field of antenna 106 , he / she is identified by altss 20 and further tracked throughout facility 101 via antennas 102 . any movement of transponder 104 on evidence 22 from one location to another within facility 101 would therefore be automatically tracked by altss 20 . evidence taken from facility 101 by user 24 through the field of antenna 106 is automatically associated with user 24 and is logged out of altss 20 with that user . referring now to fig1 - 4 , fig3 and 4 specifically provide a closer look at container 107 which may be an oversized cabinet having the look of a large office file cabinet . in the exemplary embodiment of fig3 , drawers 301 may be over six feet in depth and roll outward similar to the drawers of containers in a morgue . those skilled in the art would appreciate in view of this disclosure that containers 107 may be designed to handle antennas 302 and associated cables attached to scanners 103 . as shown in fig4 , similar to radar operations , antennas 302 along the top of the drawers 301 may divide the area of each drawer 301 into small sectors . a transponder 104 attached to evidence 22 and moved into the field of view of an antenna 302 may be detected by altss 20 . data may then be transmitted to application server 110 , where the back - end processing of altss 20 takes place ( discussed in greater detail below ). antennas 302 along the top of drawers 301 may be small in size , having a read range of approximately 18 to 20 inches , for example . antennas 302 may be circularly polarized and transponders 104 may be read in virtually any orientation to antennas 302 . the location of an object 22 in cabinet 107 would depend on the placement of antennas 302 inside the drawers . as illustrated in the exemplary embodiment of fig3 , the location of object 22 in cabinet 107 can be resolved to one third of drawer 301 . with specific reference to fig5 - 13 , the back - end processing of altss 20 will be discussed in detail below . as shown in fig5 , to start the back - end process , a scanner communications session may be established between server 110 and each scanner 103 ( step 502 ). loop 1 , the main loop , may start and continue until all scanners 103 are disconnected manually or disconnected by means of a timing mechanism ( step 504 ). as scanners 103 are polled , either sequentially or by a stochastically derived technique ( to include a unilaterally initiated request for polling by scanner 103 based on some random event ), altss 20 may check the job of the selected scanner 103 at the moment . if scanner 103 deals with the surveillance of physical evidence , path “ e ” would be taken ( step 506 ). if scanner 103 monitors the entrance or exit of an evidence room or facility , path “ f ” would be taken ( step 508 ). if the scanner 103 is attached to antennas 102 that are located in the ceiling of facility 101 , path “ g ” would be taken ( step 510 ). otherwise , scanner 103 involves the locating and tracking of physical evidence 22 in altss containers 107 . for those scanners 103 involved with the locating and tracking of physical evidence 22 ( with transponder 104 attached ) in container 107 , scanner 103 may first determine the number of active antennas 302 that are attached ( step 512 ). scanner 103 may then cycle through each antenna 302 and list all transponders 104 in the antenna &# 39 ; s field of view ( step 514 ). on command , scanner 103 may report the specific transponders 104 found by each antenna 302 ( step 516 ). as shown next in fig6 , loop 2 , an internal loop ( step 610 ), is started and each reported id for transponder 104 ( also referred to as transponder id 104 ), along with the attendant id for antenna 302 ( also referred to as antenna id 302 ), may be placed in a buffer ( step 620 ). this information may then be moved into a temporary database table ( step 630 ). loop 2 continues until all detected transponder ids 104 and antennas ids 302 involved are recorded in the temporary table ( step 640 ). scanner 103 may then end its report of transponder ids 104 and antenna ids 302 ( step 650 ). the system may then go to the next scanner 103 , note the timer position , and start loop 1 ( step 660 ). loop 1 may continue until all scanners have reported their findings ( step 504 ). altss 20 may then populate a table , designated the old table , with all transponder ids 104 that have been attached to items of evidence and entered therein at an initial time ( step 670 ). a separate table , designated the evidence status table or new table , may contain the processed results and adjustments of evidence ids and transponder ids 104 from the last complete cycle of scanners 103 . the system may then compare the number of transponder ids 104 detected and placed in the temporary new table with the number of transponder ids 104 known to be in the system at an initial time ( i . e . those in the old table ) ( step 680 ). continuing from step 680 into fig7 , if the number of transponder ids 104 in the old table is greater than the number in the temporary table ( step 710 ), altss 20 may then start loop 3 ( step 720 ). if not , altss 20 may follow path “ c ”. during loop 3 , which is another internal loop and is explained in greater detail below , altss 20 may select one transponder id 104 from the old table and compare it with each transponder id 104 of the new table ( step 730 ). if there is a match ( step 740 ), altss 20 may update the location of the evidence in an evidence location table based on the location of the sensing antenna ( step 760 ). altss 20 may then set appropriate flags in the location table if , for example , the physical evidence is being placed back into the system ( step 770 ). altss 20 may also enter the date and time and comments in appropriate system logs ( step 780 ). if there is not a match ( step 750 ), altss 20 may set appropriate flags and make entries in the logs indicating that evidence 22 is now outside container 107 . loop 3 may be repeated until all old and new transponder ids and evidence ids 104 are accounted for ( step 790 ). continuing from fig7 to fig8 , when altss 20 follows path “ c ”, it encounters a decision statement that asks whether the number in the old table is equal to the number in the new table ( step 810 ). if the answer is yes , the system starts loop 4 ( step 820 ). if the answer is no , the system follows path “ d ”. during loop 4 , another internal loop , altss 20 may select one transponder id 104 from the old table and compare it with each transponder id 104 of the new table ( step 830 ). if there is a match ( step 840 ), altss 20 may update the location of the evidence in the evidence location table based on the location of the sensing antenna 302 ( step 850 ). appropriate flags , dates , and times may be set in the table and comments may be made in the logs if evidence leaves or enters altss 20 ( steps 860 and 870 ). loop 4 may be repeated until all old and new transponder ids 104 are accounted for ( step 890 ). if a match is not found during the comparative process , alarms and reports may be generated and entries may be made in the logs ( step 880 ). loop 4 may be repeated until all transponder ids are accounted for ( step 890 ). continuing from fig8 to fig9 , if altss 20 follows path “ d ”, it encounters a decision statement that asks whether the number in the old table is less than the number in the new table ( step 910 ). if the answer is yes , altss 20 may start loop 5 ( step 920 ). if the answer is no , altss 20 may proceed into a safety mode in which alarms and reports are generated and comments are made to logs ( step 930 ). altss 20 may then return to loop 1 , the main loop ( step 940 ). during loop 5 , altss 20 may select one transponder id 104 from the new table and compare it with each transponder e ) 104 of the old table ( step 950 ). if there is a match ( step 960 ), altss 20 may then update the location of the evidence in the evidence location table based on the location of sensing antenna 302 ( step 970 ). again , appropriate flags , dates and times may be set in the table and comments may be made in the logs if evidence 22 equipped with a transponder 104 enters the system ( steps 980 and 990 ). loop 5 may be repeated until all known transponder ids are accounted for ( step 992 ). if a match is not found at step 960 , altss 20 may attempt to determine the validity of the transponder id and / or generate alarms and reports and place comments in the logs ( step 998 ). after accounting for the location and status of all transponder ids and making adjustments to tables , altss 20 may clear the temporary database table ( step 994 ) and return to loop 1 ( step 996 ). fig1 provides a more detailed look at the actions inside loop 3 involving steps 720 to 790 above . specifically , if the number of transponder ids 104 in the old table is greater than the number in the new table ( step 1010 ), altss 20 may establish a for loop ( loop 3 ) with a counter that is based on the number of transponder ids 104 in the old table ( step 1012 ). altss 20 may then select one transponder id 104 from the old table and establish a separate inner loop to compare that transponder id 104 with each of the transponder ids 104 from the new table ( step 1014 ). if the old transponder id 104 matches the new transponder id 104 ( step 1016 ), altss 20 may update the location of evidence 22 in the evidence location table based on the physical location of the sensing antenna 302 ( step 1018 ). the flags in the evidence location table may be checked to determine whether evidence 22 is being returned to the system . if so , appropriate flags may be changed ( step 1020 ). appropriate comments may also be made automatically in the location table and in separate log tables ( step 1030 ). if the old transponder id 104 does not match any of the new transponder ids 104 at step 1016 , the flags for the old transponder id 104 may be checked in the evidence location table ( step 1040 ). the first flag being set to zero would indicate evidence 22 being removed from containers 107 ( step 1050 ). the flag may be changed to indicate this action and updated entries may be made to the evidence location table and logs ( steps 1060 and 1070 ). if the first flag is not set to zero , a second flag may be checked ( step 1080 ). the second flag being null would indicate transponder 104 being attached to a new piece of evidence now entering altss 20 . to reflect this action , appropriate flags may be set for transponder 104 and the associated piece of evidence 22 in the location table ( step 1090 ). the physical location of evidence 22 may be updated in the location table and comments may be made in the system logs ( step 1092 ). if the second flag is not null , altss 20 may generate an alarm indicating a deviation therein requiring management attention ( step 1094 ). loop 3 may be repeated until all transponders 104 are accounted for ( step 1096 ). fig1 is a flow diagram ( path “ e ”) of the case in which a dedicated scanner 103 is associated with the surveillance of physical evidence in an area . the first decision point along path “ e ” may be whether scanner 103 is set for dedicated surveillance of objects 22 ( step 1110 ). if so , the system may move to step 1120 . if scanner 103 does not find the proper transponders “ x ” 104 ( that are attached to evidence 22 ) in its field of view , altss 20 may activate alarms , generate reports , and make entries in the logs ( step 1150 ). if the transponders “ x ” 104 are found , the next decision point may be whether special hidden transponders “ y ” 104 are detected by the system ( step 1130 ). if evidence 22 is moved in a certain direction , the special transponders “ y ” 104 may be exposed to the scanner &# 39 ; s antennas ( either 102 or 302 ). assuming that transponders “ y ” 104 are not detected , the system may move to the next decision point ( step 1140 ). if evidence 22 is moved in a different direction , special transponders “ w ” 104 may be exposed to antennas 102 or 302 . exposure of transponders “ y ” or “ w ” 104 may sound alarms and generate reports ( step 1150 ). otherwise , altss 20 may update the status and timestamps of the evidence location table and the system logs as required ( step 1170 ). altss 20 may then set the scanner &# 39 ; s next polling cycle and return to loop 1 ( steps 1160 and 1180 ). it should be noted that the dedicated surveillance scanner ( s ) 103 may be polled more frequently than the other scanners 103 . fig1 ( path “ f ”) shows the case in which polled scanner 103 is associated with the detection of transponders 104 or 105 at the entrance or exit 112 of an evidence handling facility 101 ( step 1202 ). the current invention assumes that all users having access to facility 101 would wear prominently exposed badges . as discussed above , attached to the badge of a user 24 may be a small transponder 105 that may be detected by properly placed system antennas 106 at the entrance and exit 112 of facility 101 . if a door antenna 106 detects transponders 104 or 105 in its field of view , altss 20 may place transponder ids 104 or 105 and their date - time stamps ( in terms of thousands or millions of seconds ) in a buffer and then in a special table via actions similar to the actions taken in loop 1 ( step 1204 ). data on detected transponders 104 or 105 may be placed in the buffer according to the time that the detection takes place . those transponders 104 or 105 that enter the field of view of a given antenna 102 or 302 first , may be detected first according to their times of arrival in thousands or millions of a second , for example . altss 20 may then begin loop f - 1 ( step 1206 ), and then check to see whether the last transponder 104 or 105 in the special table has been handled ( step 1208 ). if not , a transponder id 104 or 105 may be selected from the special table ( step 1210 ) and a separate inner loop may be established for comparing the transponder id 104 or 105 with the transponder ids 105 associated with users 24 having access to facility 101 ( step 1212 ). if a match occurs ( step 1214 ), altss 20 may check a flag for that user 24 in the users &# 39 ; table to determine if user 24 is entering or exiting facility 101 ( step 1216 ). a user 24 entering facility 101 will have the flag set to zero . once inside entrance 112 , the flag may be set to one . the location of user 24 at entrance 112 may also be recorded ( step 1218 ). loop f - 1 may be repeated if more than one transponder is detected at entrance 112 ( step 1220 ). if the next transponder 104 or 105 being examined does not match a transponder id 105 associated with a user 24 ( step 1214 ), a separate inner loop may be established for comparing the transponder id 104 or 105 with the transponder ids 104 associated with all physical evidence 22 in the system ( step 1222 ). if there is not a match ( step 1224 ), altss 20 may generate an alarm and send a report to management . an entry may also made in the system logs of altss 20 ( step 1226 ). if there is a match , altss 20 may check a flag for that piece of evidence 22 in the evidence location table to determine if evidence 22 is entering or leaving facility 101 . a piece of evidence 22 entering facility 101 would have its table flag set to zero ( step 1228 ). next , a series of processes may be taken to associate evidence 22 entering or leaving facility 101 with a user 24 entering or leaving facility 101 . essentially this is done by linking user 24 with the item of evidence 22 where the transponder - detected times between the user and evidence are minimal when compared with the transponder - detected times between the evidence in question and any other user entering facility 101 in a given timeframe ( step 1230 ). altss 20 may then make appropriate entries in the system logs ( step 1230 ). when all detected transponders in the special tables have been handled , all special tables may be cleared ( step 1232 ), and altss 20 may return to loop 1 ( step 1234 ). fig1 ( path “ g ”) shows the case in which the polled scanner 103 is associated with ceiling antennas 102 . as discussed above , antennas 102 may be much larger than antennas 302 used in altss containers 107 , and include a much greater read range . antennas 102 may be circular polarized antennas so that the orientation of transponders 104 or 105 is not a factor . a transponder 104 passing within the field of view of antenna 102 would therefore be detected . similar to radar operations , facility 101 may be divided into sectors and each antenna 102 may cover one of the sectors . thus , any movement of a transponder 104 or 105 from one sector to another may be detected and tracked . the ceiling scanner 103 may cycle through each antenna 102 and list all transponders 104 or 105 in the antenna &# 39 ; s field of view . if a ceiling antenna 102 detects transponders 104 or 105 in its field of view ( step 1302 ), altss 20 places the transponder ids 104 or 105 and the transponders &# 39 ; times of detection in a special table via actions similarly to the actions taken in loop 1 ( step 1304 ). altss 20 may then begin loop g - 1 ( step 1306 ) and check to see whether the last transponder 104 or 105 in the special table has been handled ( step 1307 ). if altss 20 has handled the last transponder 104 or 105 , it may clear the special table ( step 1340 ) and return to loop 1 ( step 1342 ). if not , one transponder id 104 or 105 may be selected from the special table ( step 1308 ) and a separate inner loop may be established that compares the transponder id 104 or 105 with the transponder ids 105 associated with users 24 having access to facility 101 ( step 1310 ). if a match occurs ( step 1312 ), altss 20 may check a flag for that user in the users &# 39 ; table to determine if user 24 has properly entered facility 101 . altss 20 may then record the time and location of user 24 in the users &# 39 ; table based on the sector covered by the sensing antenna 102 ( step 1314 ). another flag may be set for user 24 in the users &# 39 ; table that indicates that a certain ceiling antenna 102 has detected the presence of the user ( step 1316 ). altss 20 may then place any further comments in the logs ( step 1318 ) and repeat loop g - 1 as required ( step 1320 ). if there is not a match during the next iteration of the loop ( step 1312 ), a separate inner loop may be established that compares transponder id 104 or 105 in question with the transponder ids 104 associated with all physical evidence 22 ( step 1322 ). if there is not a match ( step 1324 ), altss 20 may generate an alarm and report to management ( step 1326 ). if there is a match , altss 20 may check a flag for that piece of evidence 22 in the evidence location table to determine if the evidence is checked out of the altss containers 107 . another flag may be set in the evidence location table to indicate that a ceiling antenna 102 has detected the presence of the evidence ( step 1328 ). according to the detected transponder times in hundreds of a second , for example , transponder id 105 representing the user and transponder id 104 representing evidence may be linked at the sector location ( step 1330 ). altss 20 may then record the location and / or time of . evidence 22 in the evidence location table based on the sector covered by sensing antenna 102 ( step 1318 ). when all transponder ids in the special table have been handled , the special tables may be cleared ( step 1340 ), and altss 20 may return to loop 1 ( step 1342 ). it should be noted that all actions of user 24 with altss 20 and the system responses to those actions occur via the front - end . the back - end processing of altss 20 occur in the background , and are preferably configured to be out of reach of the user . referring now to fig1 , an exemplary graphic user interface 1400 is disclosed . user interface 1400 may be a form to input data into altss 20 , to delete data from altss 20 , and to query information about operations in altss 20 . in an exemplary embodiment , user interface 1400 may be created with oracle 9i or later software , but may likewise be created with appropriate software from other software vendors , such as microsoft or sun ( java ), so long as user interface 1400 can interact with the underlying database . those skilled in the art would also appreciate in view of this disclosure that the labels assigned to the blocks on user interface 1400 are for exemplary purposes only , and may be changed according to the needs of a specific user . referring to fig1 , the first block may be labeled “ folder id ” 1402 , and may be used to assign the identification number to evidence of object 22 or to an asset . in the case of evidence , the identification number may be assigned to a piece of physical evidence . the number may normally be a sequential number that is automatically presented by the system for assignment to the next object . user 24 may accept the number or choose a different number . the next block on the right may be labeled “ tag id ” 1404 , which may be a unique transponder number that identifies transponder 104 or 105 in altss 20 . altss 20 may present transponder ids 104 or 105 in the form of a list of values to user 24 . by accepting this number , user 24 assigns transponder id 104 to numbered object 22 identified by first block 1402 . the next block may be labeled “ folder name ” 1406 . for evidence , the information contained in block 1406 may represent , for example , a case name such as “ dillinger .” the next block to the right may be labeled “ date of last action ” 1408 , which may be the date and time of the last action involving object 22 . an action may include , for example , object 22 being moved from altss 20 or being moved to another container 107 . the next block may be labeled “ comments ” 1410 , and may be used for cryptic comments about a case . the next block may be labeled “ drawer id ” 1412 , and may provide the location of the evidence by sector and drawer number . for example , block 1412 may contain “ sector 2 - 2 ” which means sector two of drawer two . the next block may be labeled “ surveillance of object ” or “ place under surveillance ” 1414 . by checking block 1414 , user 24 may place object 22 in question under surveillance . user 24 may place one , some , or all objects 22 in the system under surveillance . additional details about this surveillance approach are discussed in reference to fig1 below . skipping the row of buttons in the center of fig1 for the moment , the next data block may be labeled “ cabinet id ” 1416 . the information may represent the cabinet number of cabinet 107 containing drawer 301 indicated in the “ drawer id ” block above ( see 1412 ). the last block may be labeled “ cabinet location ” 1418 , which is self - explanatory . normally , altss 20 may set user interface 1400 for input of new data by a user . only the first three blocks may be used to enter an object or piece of evidence 22 into altss 20 . the “ folder id ” may be given by altss 20 . the next “ tag id ′ may be presented by the system and chosen by user 24 . user 24 may then enter the name of object 22 into altss 20 . by clicking the button labeled save , user 24 may place object 22 into altss 20 . user 24 may then physically attach transponder 104 to object 22 and place object 22 into container 107 . altss 20 may then electronically locate and track object 22 while it is in the system . to find the location or status of an object or piece of evidence 22 , user 24 may click the enter query button 1420 to place altss 20 in the query mode . if user 24 knows the “ folder id ” 1402 , “ folder name ” 1406 or an alias , then user 24 may enter any or all of this information at user interface 1400 and click on the button “ execute query ” 1420 . the specific location of object 22 or its status and other information may be displayed at user interface 1400 . those skilled in the art would appreciate in view of this disclosure that the buttons labeled “ next record ” (& gt ;), “ prior record ” (& lt ;), save , exit , and clear are all standard buttons on a user interface , and therefore , these buttons will not be described in further detail . at the bottom of user interface 1400 , the button labeled folder details 1424 may cause additional information to appear concerning the subject of a query . for example , suppose a query is run on the location of a piece of physical evidence in the case of john dillinger , in order to obtain some additional information about this individual , user 24 may click folder details button 1424 . fig1 shows the new form 1500 that is displayed with additional information about john dillinger 1502 . referring back to the main user interface 1400 of fig1 , when user 24 clicks the button labeled assets 1426 , altss 20 may present a table containing a list of all objects or evidence 22 that are being handled . when user 24 clicks the button resources 1428 , altss 20 may present a series of tables containing the resources of the system , such as transponders , scanners , antennas , drawers , cabinets , network devices , and other devices . fig1 shows an example of a table for transponders ids 104 or 105 ( 1602 ). referring back to the main user interface 1400 of fig1 , when user 24 clicks the button users 1430 , altss 20 may present a listing of all users having access to the system . when user 24 clicks the button histories 1432 , altss 20 may present a series of tables of system logs , listing all operations within the system . after a period of operations , it is apparent that a great deal of information will be stored in the system &# 39 ; s database . by clicking on the button reports 1434 , user 24 may be presented with a parameter form , by which he / she can select the kinds of information he / she wants to view . for example , user 24 may want to see the objects entering and leaving facility 101 during a time period . alternatively , user 24 may want to know the individuals entering facility 101 during a time period and the items taken from the facility . user 24 may also want to know the items logged outside of altss 20 beyond a specific time period . these kinds of reports and more can be generated automatically by altss 20 and sent to a designated user terminal ( for example , the terminal of a supervisor ). fig1 expands the discussion for the case in which a user wants to provide surveillance on a particular object at surveillance block 1414 ( fig1 ). when user 24 selects surveillance block 1414 , altss 20 enables the surveillance procedure for object 22 ( step 1702 ) and sets appropriate flags in the database ( step 1704 ). altss 20 then sets other flags in the database when object 22 is moved . if object 22 under surveillance has not moved ( step 1706 ), altss 20 encounters a time delay before checking again for any movement ( step 1708 ). if object 22 has moved , altss 20 may generate an alert message to user 24 , identifying the object and its surveillance location ( step 1710 ). altss 20 may then place appropriate entries in the system logs and start a timer for each object 22 ( step 1712 ). after a time delay ( step 1714 ), the system may check for any response or action caused by the message ( step 1716 ). if no response or action has been taken , altss 20 may send a second alert message ( steps 1718 and 1710 ). after two alert messages have been sent , or a response to a message has been received , or some action has been taken , altss 20 may cease to send alert messages concerning object 22 ( step 1720 ). for the altss 20 apparatus and method described above , having more than one scanner 103 in the system requires that the scanners 103 be networked . fig1 is an exemplary diagram of such a network employing the altss 20 apparatus of the present invention . referring to fig1 , an ethernet local area network 108 may tie together application server 110 , database server 1804 , user terminals 111 , and a number of scanners 103 . those skilled in the art would appreciate in view this disclosure that ethernet 108 may be an enterprise network having many attached components in addition to those shown here . scanners 103 may be nodes on ethernet 108 , and may be connected to the network , for example , via a rs - 232 to ethernet converter , which is a third party device server . scanners 103 and application server 110 may operate in a peer - to - peer mode , with each carrying out its many functions . user terminals 111 , workstations 1802 , applications server 110 , and database server 1804 may employ a logical three - tier architecture . the client tier ( user terminals 111 and workstations 1802 ) may contain the web browser that displays the application ( see fig1 ) and handle the front - end processing for the user . the middle tier , being the application server 110 , may store the application logic and server software where the back - end processing for the invention takes place . the database tier may be the database server 1804 for storing and managing enterprise data 1806 . for a large enterprise network 108 , a user 24 may employ a router to partition the network into a smaller logical sub - network of altss components . this allows the sub - net to be fast and efficient in handling traffic for altss 20 . the local area network 108 may provide access to the internet 109 . for example , assuming that altss 20 is located in a distant city 1808 and that a user 24 of altss 20 located in a city in maryland has permission to access altss 20 files in an organization in the distant city , just as user 24 does to access any web page over internet 109 , user 24 may use his / her browser to gain access to altss 20 files in distant city 1808 . after user 24 logs on to the distant site , a form &# 39 ; s applet , for example ( i . e . fig1 ) and requested data may be presented to user 24 at his / her terminal as if user 24 were physically located at the distant site . referring next to fig1 , a flow chart of a process , consistent with this invention , for scanners in a network collecting event data from detected transponders and transmitting a request for polling to a back - end system is shown . as shown in fig1 , to start the back - end process , a scanner communications session may be established between server 110 and each scanner 103 ( step 1902 ). loop 1 , the main loop ; may start and continue until all scanners 103 are interrupted , disconnected manually , or disconnected by means of a timing mechanism ( step 1904 ). polling of the scanners may be accomplished by the back - end system in a deterministic or stochastic manner . scanners 103 may unilaterally initiate requests for polling by scanner 103 based on some random event , such as the detection of a new transponder in an antenna &# 39 ; s field of view ( step 1906 ). scanner 103 involves the locating and tracking of physical evidence 22 in altss containers 107 . loop 2 , an internal loop ( step 1906 ), may start and each reported id for transponder 104 ( also referred to as transponder id 104 ), along with the attendant id for antenna 302 ( also referred to as antenna id 302 ), may be placed in a buffer ( step 1908 ). this information may then be moved into a temporary database table ( step 1910 ). loop 2 continues until all detected transponder ids 104 and antennas ids 302 involved are recorded in the temporary table ( step 1812 ). loop 1 may continue until all scanners have reported their findings ( step 1904 ). altss 20 may then populate a table , designated the old table , with all transponder ids 104 that have been attached to items of evidence and entered therein at an initial time ( step 1914 ). a separate table , designated the evidence status table or new table , may contain the processed results and adjustments of evidence ids and transponder ids 104 from the last complete cycle of scanners 103 . the system may then compare the number of transponder ids 104 detected and placed in the temporary new table with the number of transponder ids 104 known to be in the system at an initial time ( i . e . those in the old table ) ( step 1916 ). continuing from step 1916 , if the number of transponder ids 104 in the old table is not equal to the number in the temporary table ( step 1920 ), altss 20 may follow path “ c ” as shown in fig7 . if yes , altss 20 may follow the path beginning with step 720 of fig7 . alternatively , altss 20 may also enter comments in logs and generate report in the location table ( step 1922 ), start loop 3 ( see fig7 ), and may also unilaterally report an event data to the server 110 to initiate polling ( step 1924 ). although particular embodiments of the invention have been described in detail herein with reference to the accompanying drawings , it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to those particular embodiments , and that various changes and modifications may be effected therein by one skilled in the art without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims . | 6 |
fig1 shows the invention as implemented on french doors , 11 , 21 , and 31 . door 11 is covered with a barrier 10 ; door 21 is covered with barrier 20 ; and door 31 is covered with a barrier 30 . each barrier is provided with a distinctive covering 12 , 22 , 32 . the decorative coverings however , cooperate with one another to provide a unitary scene when applied side by side on the doors . the barriers are backed by an opaque , black - out cloth , not seen in fig1 . preferably , the fabrics are stretched taut across the barrier . merriam webster &# 39 ; s collegiate dictionary defines “ french door ” as a door with rectangular glass panes extending the full length ; see http :// www . m - w . com / cgi - bin / dictionary ? french + door . typically , french doors have mullions between the panes , and the invention is particularly suitable for accommodating such doors , because the mullions do not interfere with the placement and removal of the barriers . in fact , the invention is particularly useful for doors with mullions and / or surrounding glazing supports that are raised from the main door surface . however , the barrier of the invention is also useable with a door with a single , large glass pane . also as seen in fig1 the door 31 is stationary , as is the door 21 , with the door 11 being mounted as a sliding door and provided with a handle 17 . as can be appreciated , the door 11 cannot be slid while the screen 20 is in place . however , when the door is closed , the screens may cover the respective doors and provide privacy and the exclusion of outdoor light from the inside of the room . the barriers 10 , 20 , 30 are sized to be larger than the windows in the doors , but smaller than the doors themselves . when the barriers are in place , the windows are covered , but the edges of the door frames continue to be seen . the screens are supported on the doors by having a top rail of a rigid perimeter frame of each screen hung on a supporting means on the door . various designs of supporting means can be used , and these will be described hereinafter . referring now to fig2 a door 41 is shown having a raised mullion 62 and including a raised peripheral glazing 63 . the glazing surrounds a window area ( including multiple panes ) that is smaller than the door area . that is , mullion 62 and glazing 63 project inwardly into the room from the main plane from the door 41 . mounted in the top portion of the glazing 63 are two protruding hooks or posts 48 . also shown in fig2 is a barrier 40 having a rigid peripheral frame 46 and a black out cloth 44 providing opacity to the entire barrier . the frame 46 can be configured as a conventional artist &# 39 ; s canvas structure and have an ornamented canvas stretched over it to provide the decorative fabric cover . other forms of decorative covers can be provided based upon esthetic considerations . as seen in fig2 the rigid frame 46 provides rigidity to the entire barrier 40 , so that it can be picked up and transported by grasping the frame 46 . the top rail of the frame 46 can be placed upon and supported by the posts 48 to position the screen over the window in the door 41 . when it is desired to remove the barrier , the barrier is simply lifted off of the posts 48 . the frame 46 described for barrier 40 is representative of the frames for the barriers 10 , 20 , 30 . fig3 shows barrier 20 reversed from its position as seen in fig1 . as can be seen , the decorative fabric cover 12 is held in place with a plurality of nails 15 on the frame 14 . black - out cloth 16 is secured in place behind the decorative side of the decorative cover 12 with adhesive or other binder to provide opacity and prevent the passage of light . as seen in fig3 posts 13 are provided projecting rearwardly from the top rail of the frame 14 . door 21 is provided with mullions 62 and affixed to its upper frame portion is a hanging means in the form of a sawtooth strap 65 . the sawtooth - topped strap 65 is a strap of metal having a sawtooth pattern on its upper edge . the strap is affixed to the door frame with nails 66 . thus , the barrier 10 can be supported on the sawtooth - topped straps 65 by locating the projecting posts 13 on corresponding strap locations 65 . this mounting arrangement provides for a minimal room - direction projection from the door 21 for the mounting means , which is particularly suitable for a door over which an additional sliding door will pass . again , the barrier 10 can be lifted off of the strap 65 or lifted and laterally positioned at a desired location on strap 65 . the means for hanging the barrier may take the form of a projection from one side of the barrier that cooperates with a sawtooth - topped strap affixed to the french door . the hanging means may also take the form of a receiver on the frame such as the top rail of the frame that cooperates with a post or hook on the french door . any suitable apparatus that supports the barrier when it is in place on the door and may be deemed a hanging means or equivalent under 35 usc 112 , paragraph 6 . preferably , no tools or parts manipulation are needed to place and remove the barriers on the doors once they hanging means are in place . typically , the barrier will be surface mounted on the door when hung using the means for hanging . as a result , the space between the barrier and the window glass becomes a relatively quiet “ dead air ” space , to provide insulation value , as well . as seen in fig4 an alternate embodiment 50 of the barrier can be seen . a sleeve 52 is formed of a decorative front fabric 53 and a rear blackout fabric 54 . the front face 53 is shown joined to the blackout fabric along a seam line 56 . the frame 58 is shown being inserted into the sleeve 52 , with its insertion not yet complete . upon completion of insertion , the lower end 60 of the sleeve can be closed in any desired fashion , such as by closing a zipper , affixing velcro , or stitching . alternatively , the bottom could be left open . in this embodiment , the frame 58 may desirably be a plastic material such as a hollow plastic tubing like a hula - hoop material , or other suitable material . once the frame 58 is inserted into the sleeve , the bottom is closed and the upper reach 59 of the frame can be provided with pins through the sleeve for mounting on a strap , ( like strap 65 shown in fig3 ). alternatively , a post on the door ( like post 48 ) can support the upper reach 59 when the barrier is installed . other embodiments for providing a barrier in accordance with the invention are also contemplated , such as fabric panels sewn together with peripheral sleeves into which separate peripheral frame elements are inserted to provide rigidity to the entire barrier . as can be appreciated , the barrier can be put in place on a door without regard to whether or not mullions are present in the door . in place , they provide a decorative cover , provide privacy , and prevent the ingress of outdoor light . when such covering is not desired , the panels can be simply picked up and transported out of the way for storage in a closet or similar facility . certain modifications and improvements will occur to those skilled in the art upon reading the foregoing description . it should be understood that all such modifications and improvements have been omitted for the sake of conciseness and readability , but are properly within the scope of the following claims . | 4 |
the detailed description set forth below in connection with the appended drawings is intended as a description of one of the embodiments of the present invention and is not intended to represent the only embodiments contemplated by the inventors . the detailed description includes specific details for the purpose of providing a comprehensive understanding of the present invention . however , it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details . the present invention , both as to its organization and manner of operation , may best be understood by reference to the following description and the drawings wherein numbers are used throughout several views to label like parts . certain parts which are mentioned may be absent in particular figures due to the view of the drawing or obstruction by other parts . an embodiment of a process line of the present invention is illustrated in fig1 . the process line is generally divided into two main areas , water plant site 10 and remote well site 30 . turning first to water plant site 10 , water is supplied to water plant site 10 from source wells 18 and optionally the water is filtered through a water filtering unit 20 . it is understood , however , that in addition to freshwater or saline wells , any water source such as recycled water , a river , lake , ocean and the like can be used . optionally , water filtering unit 20 , for example , a commercial reverse osmosis water filter such as a filter manufactured by raindance ™ water systems llc , can be used to reduce the total dissolved solids . in addition , reverse osmosis filters can also be designed for removal of sodium salts ( desalination ), bacteria , silica , sulfates , h 2 s , etc . in the alternative , cyclone filters known in the art can be used . the water filtering unit 20 can act also act as a water storage tank itself or , in the alternative , a separate water storage tank can be provided ( not shown ). in one embodiment , the water storage tank is heated . depending upon the quality of water from the water source delivers water , it may be possible to directly use the water without the need to filter or store the water . a larger polymer storage tank 12 is also provided at the water plant site , which storage tank is preferably large enough to hold about 20 metric tonnes of polymer or more . polymers useful in the present embodiment include friction reducing polymers such as partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamides , polyacrylamides and polymethacrylamides , cross - linked polyacrylamides and cross - linked polymethacrylamides , polyacrylic acid and polymethacrylic acid , polyacrylates , polymers of n - substituted acrylamides , co - polymers of acrylamide with another ethylenically unsaturated monomer co - polymerizable therewith , 2 - acrylamido - 2 - methylpropane sulfonic acid , polyvinyl pyrollidones , biopolymers such as xanthan , guars , derivitized guars , derivitized cellulose and other mixtures of polymers . near the bottom of the polymer storage tank 12 is an auger or conveyer 14 , which auger / conveyer 14 may be controlled by a control panel ( not shown ) at the water plant site 10 . the auger / conveyer 14 delivers an appropriate amount of polymer to high shear mixer 16 . water is also delivered to mixer 16 via pipe 22 , which pipe 22 is connected to water filtering unit 20 via outlet pipe 21 . the high shear mixer 16 can be any one of many high shear mixers known in the art which are capable of shearing a solid polymer with water . useful high shear mixers generally comprise sharp blades or impellers , which blades or impellers are capable of rotating at very high speeds , for example , in excess of 40 , 000 rmp . an example of a high shear mixer useful in the present embodiment is an urschel laboratories incorporated comitrol ® processor model 1700 . it is understood , however , that other mixing vessels or mixing devices known in the art can also be used . an embodiment of a high shear mixer useful in the present invention is shown in more detail in fig2 . in this embodiment , high shear mixer 216 comprises hopper 270 for receiving polymer from the polymer storage tank . water is added to hopper 270 for mixing with the polymer as well as for washing the impellers 274 contained in shear box 272 . the sheared polymer / water mixture is then contained in holding vessel 276 prior to being removed from outlet 278 via a pump , such as pump 26 in fig1 . additional water may be added to the polymer / water mixture via pipe 24 while the polymer / water mixture is being pumped through pump 26 to form dilute hydraulic fracturing fluid having reduced friction . the ratio of polymer to water will be dependent upon the geophysical characteristics of a particular reservoir or formation . for example , in some instances , very little polymer will be added to the water , for example , when used for fracturing shale ( low rate ) wells . sometimes , no polymer needs to be added at all . in this instance , valve 23 is shut off and instead only valve 25 is opened . in this instance , only pure water will be pumped to remote well site 30 . thus , in the present invention , the friction - reduced hydraulic fracturing fluid has a viscosity in the range of about 1 to about 15000 cp , more preferably about 1 to about 100 cp , and most preferably about 1 to about 20 cp . however , during a hybrid frac some chemicals such as additional polymers and / or a cross linker are required to be added at the well site . additional chemicals can be added to the high shear mixture , for example , a scale inhibitor component to prevent scaling , oxygen scavengers , h 2 s scavengers , biocides , surfactants , caustic soda , antifoaming agents , iron chelators , and the like at pump 26 . this can be added before or after the polymer . once the polymer and water are sufficiently mixed , a “ slippery ” hydraulic fracturing fluid having reduced friction is formed . in one embodiment , an in - line static mixer is provided between pump 26 and another pump 28 to ensure that the polymer is completely hydrated . the reduced friction fracturing fluid can now be readily pumped through pipeline 29 to remote well site 30 . remote well site 30 comprises a plurality of oil or gas wells 32 into which hydraulic fracturing fluid needs to be delivered . the hydraulic fracturing fluid can be stored for a period of time in surge tank 34 until fracturing operations begin . when fracturing operations begin , the fracturing fluid is optionally mixed with a proppant 36 such as sand grains , ceramics , sintered bauxite , glass or plastic beads , or other material , in a blender 38 . the proppant blended hydraulic fracturing fluid can then be transported via piping 42 to a plurality of individual hp pumps to the plurality of gas wells 32 . as previously mentioned , liquid polymer ( hydraulic fracturing fluid ) is normally transported directly to the remote well site . thus , there are many expenses associated with transporting polymer and water to such remote sites . further , addition of any other chemicals must also take place at the remote well site , hence , added to the costs are the costs associated with transporting these chemicals to these remote places . however , the embodiment of the invention as described above is much more cost effective , as the hydraulic fracturing fluid is made entirely at a central water plant site , which central site can then service a number of remote well sites simultaneously . in another aspect of the present invention , an improved mobile hydraulic fracturing fluid unit is provided , which unit is designed to make hydraulic fracturing fluid directly at the well site without at least one of the previously discussed drawbacks , for example , the formation of fisheyes and the like . with reference now to fig3 , mobile hydraulic fracturing fluid unit 300 comprises a mobile trailer or skid 301 having a plurality of wheels or the like so that the unit can be easily transported to a remote well site . already present at the remote well site is bulk polymer storage tank 312 and water source 318 . depending upon the water source , the water can be used either directly or treated prior to use . in the embodiment shown in fig3 , unit 300 comprises a first water filter 320 and a second water filter 320 ′. filtered or non - filtered water or both can then be delivered to shearing mixer 216 or pump 326 or both . to ensure complete mixing / hydration of the polymer with water , the polymer / water is pumped via pump 326 into in - line static mixer 327 . it is understood that any static mixer known in the art can be used . unit 300 also comprises motor control center ( mcc ) 331 , which is designed to control some motors or all the motors of unit 300 from a central location , namely , remote power source 333 , which power can be supplied by hi line ( i . e ., power right to the site off of the power line ) or gen set ( i . e ., generator ). polymer is delivered to shearing mixer 316 from bulk polymer storage tank 312 via conveyer / auger 314 . as shown in fig1 , once the hydraulic fracturing fluid is made , it can optionally be pumped to a blender where proppant can be added , if needed . the previous description of the disclosed embodiments is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the present invention . various modifications to those embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art , and the 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 full scope consistent with the claims , wherein reference to an element in the singular , such as by use of the article “ a ” or “ an ” is not intended to mean “ one and only one ” unless specifically so stated , but rather “ one or more ”. all structural and functional equivalents to the elements of the various embodiments described throughout the disclosure that are known or later come to be known to those of ordinary skill in the art are intended to be encompassed by the elements of the claims . moreover , nothing disclosed herein is intended to be dedicated to the public regardless of whether such disclosure is explicitly recited in the claims . | 4 |
fig1 is a block diagram schematically showing a general structure of an optical disk reproduction system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention . the optical disk reproduction system includes an optical disk 11 . an optical disk drive device 12 for driving the optical disk 11 , and a host system for reading out necessary data from the disk 11 via the drive device 12 . the optical disk 11 employed in this optical disk reproduction system is an optical recording medium , such as a cd , cd - rom , cd - r , cd - rw , cd - da , cd - 1 and dvd , which is based on the aforementioned conventional recording format but is different from the conventional recording format in that toc information is recorded in the main channels rather than in the subcode channels or as subcode data . namely , as shown in fig2 efm frames constituting a subcode block also constitute a single data block of the main channels representing a single unity of information . this data block provides 2 , 352 byte data as shown in fig3 and these data are used in three different modes : mode 1 ; mode 2 ; and mode 3 . fig3 a is explanatory of mode 1 , where 2 , 048 bytes out of the 2 , 352 bytes are provided for use by a user . further , in mode 1 , first 12 bytes form a synchronizing pattern , and next four bytes form a header that is followed by 2 , 048 bytes of data . after the 2 , 048 - byte data are attached a 4 - byte edc ( error detection code ), 8 - byte zero data and a 276 - byte ecc ( error correction code ). fig3 b is explanatory of mode 2 , where 2 , 048 bytes out of the 2 , 352 bytes are provided for use by the user similarly to mode 1 . further , in mode 2 , first two bytes form a synchronizing pattern , and next four bytes form a header that is followed by an 8 - byte subheader and then by 2 , 048 bytes of data . after the 2 , 048 - byte data are attached a 4 - byte edc ( error detection code ) and a 276 - byte ecc ( error correction code ). assuming that a per - track quantity of data constituting the toc information is ten bytes and the optical disk 11 has 99 recordable tracks , a total number of bytes used for recording the toc information on the disk 11 may be determined as follows : [ 99 ( the number of the recordable tracks )+ 3 ( the number of the types of the control information )]× 10 = 1 , 020 bytes mathematical expression ( 2 ) because error correcting capability by the ecc and edc of the data block guarantees accuracy up to 10 − 12 in the embodiment , it is no longer necessary to record same data repetitively three times in succession as in the past . thus , the 1 , 020 bytes is exactly a greatest quantity of data necessary for recording of the toc information . this quantity of data can be fully accommodated within the above - mentioned 2 , 048 - byte user data area in a single data block . because it takes only 0 . 0133 seconds to completely read out one data block at the normal replay speed , the described embodiment can read out the toc information at an extremely high speed . fig4 is a diagram showing an exemplary recording format of the toc information in the data block when used in mode 1 . according to the format , the toc information can be freely embedded in any other data , by being recorded immediately after toc flag data indicating that it is toc information . more specifically , the toc information may be recorded in any of the lead - in area lia , program area pga and lead - out area loa . however , it is possible that the q - channel subcodes in the lead - in area lia do not include information on its absolute time position and header , in which case some time code may be required . if the same toc information is recorded repetitively throughout the lead - in area lia , such a time code is unnecessary because the toc information can be read out by just accessing any segment in the lead - in area lia . if the toc information is recorded in the program area pda , then it is desirable that the recorded data on the optical disk 11 be reproducible as rom data or xa data in mode 1 or mode 2 - form 1 . because , due to the fact that four bytes and 276 bytes are used as the edc and ecc , respectively , in mode 1 or mode 2 - form 1 usage , this arrangement would achieve higher error correcting capability for the toc information than for audio data . since the toc information is used as control data , it is desirable that the toc information should have high error correcting capability . the toc information may be recorded as a file in the program area pga . fig5 is a diagram showing data stored in the program area pga in accordance with the is09660 format . the program area pga includes a system area , and a data area that contains a pvd ( primary volume descriptor ), bus table , directory and files . in the data area , an empty space or gap is provided between the pvd ( primary volume descriptor ), bus table , directory and files , and the file as the toc information is recorded using such empty spaces . the optical disk 11 has been described above in relation to the single - session recording scheme . in the case of the multisession recording scheme as generally used in cd - rs , it is only necessary to determine recorded positions of the toc information from a start point of a next session , to thereby sequentially acquire respective pieces of the toc information in successive sessions . the toc information contains pointer information indicative of a start time point of the program area in a next session ( however , in the case of “ ff : ff : ff ”, the next session would be the last one ), in addition to the abovementioned control information a 0 ( indicative of the forefront track number , the type of the disk , etc . ), control information a 1 ( indicative of the last track number ) and control information a 2 ( indicative of a total recording time length ). thus , it is possible to make access to another possible recorded position of the toc information in the next session , in accordance with the pointer information . fig7 is a block diagram showing an exemplary hardware setup of the optical disk drive device 12 of fig1 . the optical disk drive device 12 includes a spindle motor 21 that drives the optical disk 11 to rotate , typically , at constant linear velocity . optical pickup 22 , functioning as a readout means , is disposed in opposed relation to the recording surface of the optical disk 11 . the optical pickup 22 is controllably driven by a feed motor 23 to move in the radial direction of the optical disk 11 . output ( read - out ) data from the optical pickup 22 are each amplified via an rf ( high - frequency ) amplifier 24 and then passed to an efm / circ ( cross interleaved reed - solomon code ) decoder 25 that performs efm - demodulating and circ - decoding operations on the read - out data . the data demodulated and decoded by the decoder 25 is temporarily stored into a buffer memory 27 under the control of a memory controller 26 if the data is the recorded data on the optical disk 11 , or is sent to a system controller 28 if the data is the control information . the data temporarily stored in the buffer memory 27 are sequentially read out therefrom under the control of the memory controller 26 and then output to the host system 13 . servo control section 29 executes focusing and tracking control of the optical pickup 22 on the basis of the output from the rf amplifier 24 and also controls the spindle motor 21 and feed motor 23 in accordance with instructions given from the system controller 28 . whereas the system controller 28 is capable of interpreting or deciphering the subcodes , it is either capable of or incapable of deciphering the main channel data as the case may be . thus , the following paragraphs describe exemplary operation of the reproduction system in various possible cases , one by one . case where the system controller 28 has the capability to decipher the toc information recorded in the main channels : once the optical disk 11 is inserted in place within the drive device 12 , the drive device 12 initializes various parameters to be used therein and also performs operations to lead in focusing , tracking and spindle servo control in the lead - in area lia ( with a radius of 23 to 25 mm ). then , in accordance with preset positional information as to which of the main channels the toc information is recorded in , the drive device 12 accesses that main channels to read out the toc information therefrom . the toc information thus read out by the optical pickup 22 is amplified via the rf amplifier 24 and then decoded via the efm / circ decoder 25 , and the thus - decoded toc information is delivered to the system controller 28 . then , the system controller 28 deciphers and stores the deciphered toc information . the recorded position of the toc information may be previously set , or specified by a q - channel subcode frame of the lead - in area lia . in the former case , the toc information may be set to be recorded , for example , in part of or throughout the entire lead - in area lia , or at the beginning of the first track or in any of the predefined empty spaces ( pre - gaps ). where the toc information is recorded in the program area pga , the system controller 28 has not yet recognized a recording position along the outermost periphery of the optical disk 11 prior to initiation of the toc reading operation . thus , after setting some mechanical limitations , the system controller 28 starts accessing the program area pga either without recognizing the outermost peripheral recording position or by provisionally recognizing the outermost peripheral recording position from an automatically - assigned default value . once the toc information is acquired out , the outermost peripheral recording position can , of course , be known from the acquired toc information . in the case where the toc file is recorded in the program area pga , the system controller 28 may be programmed to be able to access the toc file even before the toc information is read out , or may be allowed to access the toc file with automatically - assigned default toc information until the actual toc information is acqui red . fig8 is a diagram explanatory of exchanges of data and commands ( scsi or atapi commands ) between the optical disk drive device 12 and the host system 13 of fig1 . while the drive device 12 is reading out the toc information recorded in the main channels of the optical disk 11 , the host system 13 continues issuing a “ test unit ready ” command to the drive device 12 until a “ good ” status signal is received from the drive device 12 . here , the “ test unit ready ” command is a command to ascertain whether the recording medium , i . e ., optical disk 11 has been properly inserted in the drive device 12 and the drive device 12 is ready to accept a read / write or other command . when the drive device 12 is not yet ready ( i . e ., still in the process of getting ready ) to accept an access - related command from the host system 13 , it issues a “ check condition ” status signal to the host system 13 . here , the “ check condition ” status signal represents an erroneous condition where the drive device 12 is still not ready to accept an access - related command . the drive device 12 initializes parameters to be used therein , and then outputs the “ good ” status signal to the host device 13 as soon as the toc information is read out . upon receipt of the “ good ” status signal from the drive device 12 , the host system 13 issues a “ read toc ” command to the drive device 12 , in response to which the drive device 12 transfers the toc information to the host system 13 . after that , the drive device 12 is placed in a wait state to await a next instruction . once a next instruction is given from the host system 13 , the drive device 12 starts reading out necessary information on the basis of the toc information and content of the instruction . case where the system controller 28 has no capability to decipher the toc information recorded in the main channels : in this case , the toc information is acquired by use of data deciphering capability possessed by the host system 13 . because in this case the system controller 28 itself has no capability to decipher the data and information recorded in the main channels , loads on firmware of the system controller 28 can be effectively reduced . al though the host system 13 as well retains the deciphered toc information , it can only issue direct instructions based on the minute , second and frame data min , sec and frame . after deciphering the toc information , the host system 13 returns the contents of the deciphered toc information to the optical disk drive device 12 so that the drive device 12 may also retain the deciphered toc information . thereafter , whenever it is necessary for the host system 13 to access the drive device 12 on the track - by - track basis , the drive device 12 is allowed to access the minute , second and frame data min , sec and frame by only designating a desired track number rather than the data min , sec and frame themselves . ( 1 ) in the case where the toc information is recorded in the lead - in area lia : because same commands as employed for normal access to the normal main channel data recorded in the program and lead - out areas pga and loa , can not be applied to the lead - in area lia , new commands for accessing the main channel data in the lead - in area lia have to be prepared as exemplarily shown in fig9 . once a “ good ” status signal is sent from the drive device 12 to the host system 13 after proper insertion of the optical disk 11 and parameter initialization in the drive device 12 , the host system 13 . in accordance with the preset information designating particular recorded positions of the main channels which contain the toc information , issues a command instructing the drive device 12 to read out and transfer the original data of the toc information from these main channels . in response to the command , the drive device 12 reads out and transfers the 2 , 048 - byte original data of each of the main channels located in designated block positions , so that the host system 13 deciphers the transferred original data to acquire the deciphered toc information . the thus - acquired deciphered toc information is then transferred from the host system 13 back to the driver device 12 on the basis of a predetermined protocol . in this case , the above - mentioned commands instructing the drive device 12 to read out and transfer the original data of the toc information and instructing the host system 13 to transfer the deciphered toc information are the new commands for accessing the main channel data in the lead - in area lia . ( 2 ) in the case where the toc information is recorded in the program area pga or lead - out area loa : in this case , the toc information can be read out by use of the same commands as employed for access to the normal main channel data recorded in the program area pga . thus , the total number of necessary commands in this case can be reduced relative to that in the aforementioned case . fig1 is a diagram explanatory of an example where the toc information is recorded as an “ is09660 ” file . in this case , the conventional commands for reading a pvd ( primary volume descriptor ), bus table and toc file can be used directly . in summary , the present invention as has been described so far is characterized in that the table - of - contents or toc information is recorded , rather than in the subcode channels or as subcode data , in the main channels having a much greater capacity than the subcode channels . thus , the present invention can record the table - of - contents information collectively as a single data block , thereby eliminating the need for recording it dispersedly in a multiplicity of subcode frames as in the past . with such an arrangement , the present invention affords the superior benefit that the table - of - contents information can be read out collectively within a short period of time and hence at a greatly increased speed . | 6 |
referring to the drawings and in particular to fig1 the invention includes a mounting board 1 which comprises substantially a rectangular metal plate , which can also be made from plastic . in the first embodiment , two rectangular cutouts 2 are provided . each cutout 2 comprises a free space extending up to a side face 11 of the mounting board 1 . this cutout 2 is open toward this side face 11 . the narrow sides 3 , 4 of the cutout 2 serve as guides , and are received in guide grooves 9 , 10 of a support element 5 , as will be explained below in detail . the longitudinal side 12 is provided with free spaces or slots 13 , into which snap the latch elements 14 of the support element 5 . further , the mounting board 1 comprises free spaces or slots 15 at the external longitudinal side 16 , into which also snap latch elements 17 of the support element 5 , as will be explained below . in fig2 the support element 5 is shown , and comprises a rectangular metal plate body or a plate body made of plastic . the support element 5 is provided with an external contour adapted to the internal contour of the cutout 2 . in the support element 5 there are provided free spaces , into which jacks 18 are snapped in . at the narrow sides 6 , 7 of the support element 5 there are formed guide grooves 9 and 10 . the bottom side 23 of the support element 5 is provided with latch elements 14 and 17 . at the top side 19 , holding brackets 20 are disposed for fixing a label 21 . in fig3 the support element 5 is introduced into the mounting board 1 . the narrow sides 3 and 4 of the cutout 2 of the mounting board 1 engage into the guide grooves 9 , 10 of the support element 5 . in the final position , the latch elements 14 of the support element 5 snap into the free spaces 13 of the mounting board 1 , and the latch elements 17 of the support element snap into the free space 15 of the mounting board 1 , such that the support element 5 is attached rigidly to the mounting board 1 . removing of the support element 5 is possible by delocking the latch elements 17 . the mounting board 1 can be fixed to a not shown frame or to a housing body by means of screws 22 . should , instead of the jack 18 , another functional element be required , e . g . a coaxial jack , a different support element 5 is placed into the cutout 2 of the mounting board 1 , the coaxial jack being fixed already to this different support element . in fig4 a second embodiment of a support element 25 is shown . the support element 25 comprises a rectangular housing body , in the center of which a free space is provided . into the free space is inserted the not shown functional element , which is , e . g ., a coaxial jack , an optical fiber jack or other functional element . at the internal side 31 of the holding frame 27 are provided two latch segments 32 , which hold the inserted functional elements in clamping manner . as is shown in fig5 the support element 25 includes at the rear side 26 a holding frame 27 . the holding frame 27 is connected with the support element 25 over clamping pieces 24 engaging into openings 28 of the support element 25 . the holding frame 27 has at the external side 29 two latch segments 30 directed toward the outside . these latch segments engage behind the not shown mounting board 1 when inserting the support element 25 , and thereby fix the support element 25 at the mounting board 1 . the mounting board 1 is , for this purpose , provided with a cutout 2 having a rectangular shape according to the holding frame 27 . several of the support elements 25 can , therefore , be disposed in a mounting board 1 provided with cutouts 2 , the support elements 25 being capable to accommodate different functional elements . while specific embodiments of the invention have been shown and described in detail to illustrate the application of the principles of the invention , it will be understood that the invention may be embodied otherwise without departing from such principles . | 7 |
referring to fig1 an electrical system 10 includes a control panel 20 that utilizes a digital computer to provide effective control of many associated electrical devices . the centralized control panel 20 determines the effects on the entire system 10 , or a portion of the system 10 , of enabling or disabling an electrical device . for example , such associated electrical devices may include motors , pumps , fans , valves , generators , switches , lights , etc . one type of control panel 20 is generally known as a programmable logic controller , such as those sold by allen bradley . a starter 22 , designed to start ( energize ) and stop ( de - energize ) remotely located electrical devices , is electrically connected to an associated electrical device 24 by three power cables 23 a , 23 b , and 23 c . each starter 22 is usually located within an individual starter housing 26 which is a part of a substation . most substations are not large , so it is desirable to reduce the size of the housing 26 , so as to maximize the number of housings 26 that may be located within the substation . accordingly , the housing 26 is normally designed to be only slightly larger than the enclosed starter 22 , and so there is only limited space within the housing 26 in which to place additional devices , such as protection devices . referring to fig2 a protection device 35 includes both a current sensor , including a transformer 34 and an input circuit 50 , and a switch circuit 60 within the single package 30 . the package 30 is preferably slidably mounted on a support 31 mounted within the housing 26 . by placing the transformer 34 , input circuit 50 , and switch circuit 60 proximate to one another , within the single package 30 , it is considerably easier to locate the device 35 within the limited space of the starter housing 26 . additionally , installing only the single package 30 requires less installation time than installation of separate devices to perform each of the desired functions , and the expense of manufacturing , packaging and shipping a single device is less than for two separate devices . a reduction in the number of backup parts and troubleshooting time is also realized . the package 30 defines a central opening 32 through which the power cable 23 c is routed . surrounding the central opening 32 is a toroidal sensing transformer 34 to sense the changing current within the power cable 23 c . the toroidal sensing transformer 34 is preferably a wire - wrapped magnetically permeable toroidal core , normally made of iron , encircling the respective power cable . thus , the wire wound on the toroidal sensing transformer 34 is the secondary winding , while the power cable 23 c , or a parallel shunt current divider ( not shown ), is the primary winding of the toroidal sensing transformer 34 . changing current in the power cable 23 c induces a changing electromagnetic field around the power cable 23 c , which in turn induces a magnetic flux in the magnetically permeable core . the magnetic flux in the core induces in the wire windings on the toroidal core a voltage representative of the current in the power cable . an exemplary sensing transformer has the following construction : core material made by arnold engineering , of norfolk , nebr ., of 0 . 012 silectron , 3 % silicon steel , grain oriented , with an outside diameter of 1 . 375 inches , an inside diameter of 1 . 125 inches , strip width of 0 . 500 inches , strip thickness of 0 . 012 inches , an epoxy powder coating of 0 . 010 to 0 . 030 inches thick , a nylon overcoat wound on the metal core , and a # 35 awg size wire coated with a heavy polyurethane wound 1 , 800 turns as a secondary winding . such a sensing transformer with a core of magnetically permeable material , such as iron , generates a voltage signal reasonably accurately representative of the current in the power cable over a certain normal load range . however , iron and other magnetically permeable materials have hysteresis and other nonlinear responses to changing magnetic fields that result in a nonlinear relationship between current in the power cable and the voltage signal produced in a transformer coil having such a core . the nonlinearity of such responses is especially significant with large variations in load current and frequency . to provide a more linear measurement of power , “ air core ” transformers have been designed using wire wrapped on a core made of material having a low magnetic permeability , such as one of plastic or nylon . without a magnetically permeable core , however , the transformer winding generates relatively small voltage levels in response to power cable currents . an exemplary air core transformer has the following construction : core of nylon , outside diameter of 1 . 375 inches , inside diameter of 1 . 125 inches , strip width of 0 . 500 inches , and a # 35 awg size wire coated with a heavy polyurethane , wound 4 , 000 turns as a secondary winding . examples of circuitry suitable for use with an “ air core ” transformer are disclosed in u . s . patent application ser . no . 08 / 300 , 732 , assigned to the same assignee , and incorporated herein by reference . the ends of the secondary winding 40 a and 40 b of the transformer 34 are electrically connected to an input circuit 50 . the input circuit 50 is designed to convert the voltage signal received from the transformer 34 to either a signal representative of the changing current in the power cable or a circuit condition at the output terminal 41 a and 41 b representative of the changing current in the power cable . the signal or circuit condition is provided to transmission lines 54 and 56 which are connected to the control panel 20 . for example , the signal could be a current signal , voltage signal , or some sort of frequency modulation , amplitude modulation , or digital encoding . the circuit condition , for example , could be a short circuit , open circuit , or other suitable type of condition . the input circuit 50 can be designed and constructed in any manner , so long as it converts the voltage signal output from the transformer 34 to an appropriate corresponding signal or circuit condition . several exemplary input circuit designs are described below . a light emitting diode 58 is electrically connected to the input circuit 50 and is illuminated when current is sensed within the power cable . a potentiometer 59 allows adjustment of a threshold level within the input circuit 50 of the sensed voltage from the transformer 34 . the use of the control panel 20 or system controller provides automated control over the electrical system 10 . the control panel 20 receives the signal from the input circuit 50 or determines the circuit condition of the input circuit 50 via a pair of transmission lines 54 and 56 . the control panel 20 in response to receiving the signal or determining the circuit condition of the input circuit 50 analyzes the signal or circuit condition to determine information such as power consumption , overcurrent , overvoltage , undercurrent , undervoltage , frequency , spikes , harmonics , etc . from this information the control panel 20 , among other things , may determine that the electrical device 24 should be disabled or enabled . for example , if the current sensor indicates that a motor ( not shown ) for a pump is malfunctioning , then the control panel 20 may have that motor deactivated . if deactivation of that motor would also impact another device , such as an auger within a storage tank supplying fluids to the pump , then the control panel 20 may also deactivate the motor for the auger . the control panel 20 is electrically connected to a switch circuit 60 by a pair of transmission lines 61 and 63 . the switch circuit 60 is located proximate to the transformer 34 and input circuit 50 . the switch circuit 60 , transformer 34 , and input circuit 50 are all enclosed within the single package 30 . the package is preferably mounted within the starter housing 26 . the switch circuit 60 includes any suitable switching device , for example , a triac or a relay , as will be described below . the triac or relay is powered by a 24 volt ac or dc signal through the transmission lines 61 and 63 . the power on the transmission lines 61 and 63 closes the circuit through the switch circuit 60 and maintains a short circuit between the output terminals 67 a and 67 b of the switch circuit 60 . when power ceases to be supplied to the switch circuit 60 , the output terminals 67 a and 67 b of the switch circuit 60 are electrically isolated from each other ( open circuit ). with the output terminals of the switch circuit 60 in an open circuit condition when the transmission lines 61 and 63 are not powered , a safety feature for the starter 22 is provided in the event of power failure to the control panel as will be described below . alternatively , the switch circuit 60 could be designed to be controlled by any type of suitable signal or circuit condition . a pair of wires 70 and 72 are connected between the output terminals 67 a and 67 b , respectively , of the switch circuit 60 and starter terminals 74 and 76 . the starter terminals 74 and 76 permit exterior control over the operation of the starter 22 . for most starters 22 , when the terminals 74 and 76 are short circuited ( electrically connected together ) the starter 22 energizes and operates the associated electrical device 24 . alternatively , when the terminals 74 and 76 are open circuited ( isolated from each other ), the starter 22 de - energizes , or otherwise ceases the operation of the associated electrical device 24 . accordingly , the open or short circuited circuit conditions applied between the output terminals 67 a and 67 b of the switch circuit 60 connected to the wires 70 and 72 are suitable to control the starter 22 . the switch circuit 60 may alternatively be constructed to provide whatever signal or circuit condition is necessary to control the particular starter 22 , which may include a voltage signal , a current signal , digital signal , etc . a light emitting diode 64 is electrically connected to the switch circuit 60 and is illuminated when the transmission lines 61 and 63 are powered . referring to fig3 an electrical schematic diagram of a current sensor 300 suitable to provide a full scale 0 volt to 5 volt output signal is shown . the transformer 34 encircles a power cable 23 c , producing a voltage between the ends 40 a and 40 b of its secondary winding . the ends 40 a and 40 b of the transformer secondary winding are connected to the input circuit 50 which includes a full wave rectifier 312 , connected to a variable resistance 314 and associated capacitors 316 and 318 , to scale the output of the full wave rectifier 312 to the desired range . the preferred range to interface with conventional control panels 20 is 0 volts when no current within the power cable 23 c is sensed to 5 volts when the maximum desired level within the power cable is sensed . referring to fig4 current sensor 320 provides either an open circuit or short circuit at its output terminals 41 a and 41 b depending on whether the voltage signal produced in response to the current sensed by the transformer 34 surpasses a predetermined threshold level . a variable resistor 326 sets the threshold level . referring to fig5 current sensor 340 provides a 4 - 20 ma variable output signal at its output terminals 41 a and 41 b . when the current sensed in the power cable 23 c is 0 then the sensor circuit 340 puts out a 4 ma signal . when the current sensed in the power cable 23 c is equal to a desired maximum , when the variable resistor 341 is correctly set , then the sensor circuit 340 puts out a 20 ma signal . referring to fig6 an electrical schematic of a switch circuit 60 is shown . a voltage or current signal from the control panel 20 is provided to the input terminals 66 and 68 of the switch circuit 60 . when a non - zero signal is received by the switch circuit 60 a light - emitting - diode 64 is illuminated to indicate that the switch circuit 60 is energized . a diode 368 , a resistor 370 and a capacitor 372 rectify the signal received at input terminals 66 and 68 if it is an alternating signal . the voltage imposed across the capacitor 372 is the input to the direct current relay 374 . if the signal received at input terminals 66 and 68 is a direct voltage or current signal , then the signal will also pass through to the relay 374 . accordingly , the switch circuit 360 is suitable to receive both an alternating signal or direct signal . the relay 374 is energized by a high voltage signal at the input terminals 66 and 68 and thereby its output contacts 67 a and 67 b are shorted . when the high voltage signal provided to the relay 374 is below a threshold level , the output contacts 67 a and 67 b to the relay 374 open , open - circuiting the output contacts 67 a and 67 b . the output contacts 67 a and 67 b are connected to the terminals 74 and 76 of a remotely located starter 22 ( not shown ) via wires 70 and 72 ( fig1 ). in other words , the starter 22 is spaced apart from the switch circuit 60 . referring to fig7 an alternative switch circuit 60 a includes a pair of input terminals 66 and 68 , a resistor 406 , a diode 407 , and a capacitor 408 to permit the use of either an alternating signal or a direct signal as the input to the input terminals 66 and 68 . an opto - isolator 410 isolates the high voltage to the input terminals 66 and 68 from the output terminals 67 a and 67 b for safety . a triac 412 , which is a switching device , is energized with a low voltage on the gate 413 of the triac 412 to close the triac 412 creating a short circuit between the output terminals 67 a and 67 b . a “ snubber circuit ” includes a resistor 418 and capacitor 420 connected in parallel across the output terminals 67 a and 67 b . in general , the ‘ snubber circuit ’ prevents false triggering of the triac 412 that may occur when driving an inductive load . output terminals 67 a and 67 b are thus short circuited or open circuited ( by the operation of the triac 412 ) with the result that the terminals 67 a and 67 b exhibit a circuit condition to the starter 22 indicative of whether the electrical device 24 controlled by the starter 22 should be operating . the terms and expressions which have been employed in the foregoing specification are used therein as terms of description and not of limitation , and there is no intention , in the use of such terms and expressions , of excluding equivalents of the features shown and described or portions thereof , it being recognized that the scope of the invention is defined and limited only by the claims which follow . | 7 |
fig1 ( not to scale ) shows a simplified schematic of the first embodiment of the invention . a drilling unit modu ( 5 ) is shown , with a drill string ( 11 ) deployed subsea and into the well being drilled in seawater ( 27 ). the drilling unit modu ( 5 ) maintains its location over the well co - ordinates . on the subsea wellhead ( 1 ), a riserless blowout preventer stack ( 7 ) with a simplified lrmp on top is installed which provides secondary well control capability and renders physical connection to the subsea booster pump ( 3 ) package . the physical connection between the riserless blowout preventer stack ( 7 ) ( lmrp ) and the subsea booster pump ( 3 ) package is via flexible umbilicals . the services required for the subsea booster pump ( 3 ) package and the riserless blowout preventer stack ( 7 ) are connected to the drilling unit modu ( 5 ) by a vertical ( possibly composite ) hose bundle ( 52 ) connected between the seafloor or subsea free hanging installed subsea booster pump ( 3 ) module and the topsides modu ( 5 ). the vertical composite hose bundle ( 52 ) also accommodates a drilling fluid return hose ( 50 ) and the zero pollution return conduit . in this figure the discrete flexible choke and kill lines ( 16 ) are securely terminated on to the lower marine riser package ( lmrp ) receiver plate ( 24 ) and are kept in tension by the use the modu &# 39 ; s marine riser tensioning system ( 6 ) on the drilling unit modu ( 5 ). vertical displacement of the drilling unit modu ( 5 ) due to rig heave are compensated by the surface marine riser tensioning system ( 6 ) holding the flexible choke and kill lines ( 16 ) in tension and the drape catenary loops provided in the moonpool upstream of the drilling unit modu ( 5 ) rigid pipework interface ( to the choke and kill manifold ) a zero pollution system ( 14 ) is connected to the drilling fluid recovery funnel ( 13 ). the utility / guide frame ( 10 ) is first used as shown in a drilling tubular guiding position and later interfacing the drilling fluid recovery funnel ( 13 ) in order to act as part of a zero pollution device ( 14 ) the drilling fluid recovery funnel ( 13 ) is connected to the drilling fluid booster pump ( 3 ) by a drilling fluid suction hose ( 23 ) and by a zero pollution system ( 14 ) fig2 ( not to scale ) shows a simplified schematic of the second embodiment of the invention and uses the same sub components as the former arrangement described in fig1 , however in this case , the flexible choke and kill lines ( 16 ) are not top tensioned and instead , vertical displacements of the drilling unit modu ( 5 ), under the influence of prevailing sea states , are accommodated by a ‘ reverse pliant ’ wave ( 53 ) formed by the over length flexible pipe in near proximity to the seafloor . the flexible choke and kill lines ( 16 ) are terminated on the lower marine riser package receiver plate ( 18 ) using gooseneck assemblies ( 54 ). the length of flexible choke and kill lines ( 16 ) can be built and pre - installed prior to the commencement of a drilling campaign and thereafter remain in - situ . the sections of flexible choke and kill line ( 16 ) will be assembled individually and the increasing built length hung on supplementary basement decks ( 20 ). such a hang - off and storage amenity will be fully used whenever the riserless blowout preventer stack ( 7 ) is on surface and moved to its parking position in the bop handling system . such an arrangement facilitates full periodical pressure integrity testing during all phase of the drilling operation . fig3 shows a riserless blowout preventer stack ( 7 ) arrangement . this riserless blowout preventer stack ( 7 ) has been purposely configured for this arrangement of a riserless drilling system . this detailed description of the stack up commences in the water column and descends downwards through the stack &# 39 ; s ( 7 ) equipment components . since any deployed downhole string ( 11 ) has no guidance as in conventional drilling using a marine riser where the marine riser influences and ‘ guides ’ bottom hole assemblies as they approach the top of the blowout preventer stack ( 7 ) when running in the hole , this riserless embodiment is fitted with a utility / wiper frame ( 10 ). the uppermost core component of this stack - up is a drilling fluid recovery funnel ( 13 ) which effectively act as the hydraulic de - coupler sustaining full separation between the drilling fluids ( 26 ) and the ambient seawater ( 27 ), meaning that seawater may leak controlled into the recovery funnel container but drilling fluid will not leak out because the pressure of the recovery funnel container is controlled , by pumping out the contaminated drilling fluid / seawater transition zone fluid from said container so that the pressure therein is lower than or equal to the surrounding seawater pressure . the drilling fluid recovery funnel ( 13 ) is fitted with drilling fluid level sensors ( 28 ) which maintain the drilling fluid level in the drilling fluid recovery funnel ( 13 ) between prescribed limits . the level sensors ( 28 ) are connected to the system control system via telemetry cables which can be separately or parallel routed to the drilling fluid suction hose ( 23 ) between the riserless blowout preventer stack ( 7 ) and subsea booster pump ( 3 ) module and the drilling unit modu ( 5 ) via the drilling fluid return hose ( 50 ). visual monitoring of the level of drilling fluid within the drilling fluid recovery funnel ( 13 ) is accommodated by the use of a backlit sightglass ( 33 ) and a video camera facility . the drilling fluid recovery funnel ( 13 ) is fitted with a hydraulic latch assembly ( 35 ) which enables disconnection from the lower marine riser package ( 24 ) for retrieval to surface for remedial scopes of work . other outlets from the drilling fluid recovery funnel ( 13 ) comprises : a drilling fluid suction hose outlet ( 39 ) to the subsea booster pump ( 3 ) fitted with one or more low pressure shut - off valve ( s ). from the higher portion of the drilling fluid recovery funnel ( 13 ), another outlet is provided , to a zero pollution system ( 14 ) and zero pollution pump ( 15 ), providing an effective evacuation of any contaminated seawater in close proximity to the drilling fluid / seawater interface . in the top portion of the drilling fluid recovery funnel ( 13 ), a ‘ j ’ slot ( 32 ) profiling is machined in the id of the funnel to facilitate the engagement and disengagement of a running and retrieving tool . the hydraulic power lines for the hydraulic funnel latch ( 35 ) mechanism are hard - tubed to stab connectors on the drilling fluid recovery funnel ( 13 ) receptacle plate . two standard hydraulic piloted control pods ( 48 ) will supply the extra hydraulic functions imposed by the re - configuration of the riserless blowout preventer stack ( 7 ) for riserless drilling . the foundation plating for the lmrp is provided in the form of a receiver plate ( 24 ), as found in conventional subsea bop stacks . the choke line and kill line terminate in goosenecks assemblies ( 54 ). fig4 shows the drilling fluid recovery funnel ( 13 ) with the utility / wiper frame ( 10 ) interfaced in order to create a complete zero pollution system ( 14 ). fig5 shows the drilling fluid recovery funnel ( 13 ) with the utility / wiper frame ( 10 ) interfaced and where the drilling fluid recovery funnel ( 13 ) is latched to the riserless blowout preventer stack ( 7 ) and the lower marine riser package plate ( 24 ). the figure shows the tubular wiper assembly ( 12 ) as part of the utility / wiper assembly ( 10 ) energised in a wiper position , keeping the drilling fluid kept into the drilling fluid recovery funnel ( 13 ) and where it is removed by the zero pollution system ( 14 ). the figure also shows that the flexible choke and kill lines ( 16 ) is connected to the lower marine riser package stab plate ( 24 ) by gooseneck assemblies ( 54 ) fig6 shows the drilling fluid recovery funnel ( 13 ) with the utility / wiper frame ( 10 ) interfaced and where the tubular wiper assembly ( 12 ) is energised in a wiper position , which is a closed wiping position , keeping the drilling fluid inside the drilling fluid recovery funnel ( 13 ) and where the interpose seawater / drilling fluid is removed by the zero pollution system ( 14 ). the figure also shows the restricted seawater inflow area ( 41 ) where seawater ( 27 ) slightly is flowing into the drilling fluid recovery funnel ( 13 ) where the zero pollution system ( 14 ) is keeping the upper part of the drilling fluid recovery funnel ( 13 ) inner bore free of pollution by pumping the contamination away from the recovery funnel ( 13 ) by a zero pollution pump ( 15 ) and back to the drilling unit modu ( 5 ) for treatment . pressure control means may also be included in the recover funnel , operatively arranged to the pump control . fig7 for clarity shows the utility / wiper frame ( 10 ) in the process of landing out on the top of the mud recovery funnel ( 13 ) in order to create a complete zero pollution system ( 14 ). | 4 |
electrophotographic printing systems are well known in the commercial and industrial markets . in their simplest terms , they are units that produce a differential electrostatic charge image ( in the electrophotographic field , this can be referred to as a latent image or latent charge image ) on a substrate ( e . g ., photoreceptive drum , belt , sheets ); the substrate with an electrostatic charge image thereon is subsequently exposed to an environment with an ink ( e . g ., liquid ink , toner , or developer in droplet form ; or , in dry electrophotography , a powder ), which is differentially attracted to areas of the substrate with differential charging thereon . the ink forms an intermediate ( not yet permanent ) image on the latent electrophotographic charge image , then the intermediate image is subsequently transferred to a final substrate ( e . g . paper , transparency film , etc .) and affixed by heating , irradiation , drying , fusing or any other stabilizing mechanism . alternatively , an intermediate transfer member may carry the intermediate image from the initial substrate ( photoreceptive element ) to the final substrate . the inks ( particularly liquid inks , toners or developers ) may have carrier liquids and / or solvents present in the ink . a very common form of carrier liquid is an inert and / or charge neutral , non - polar carrier liquid such as a hydrocarbon oil . these are sold under many different tradenames such as norpar ®, isopar ®, and exxsol ®. the inks also contain colorant material , polymers , stabilizers , charge acceptors or charge directors , antioxidants , and other adjuvant materials . when the image is stabilized ( e . g ., by drying , fusing , curing or polymerizing , etc . ), volatile materials are driven from the ink that has been deposited on the substrate as the carrier liquid evaporates . many of the printers will have a venting system to vent airborne volatiles removed from the ink to the ambient environment where the printer is located . very often the airborne volatiles in the ink are passed through a carbon adsorbent or a heated catalyst to remove the harmful components or oxidize them into less harmful sub - components . sometimes ambient dissipation or ambient room venting is relied upon in an attempt to assure that the volatile organic compounds are removed from the printer and the printer environment . there are many factors that can lead to a sudden rise in the airborne concentration of volatile organic compounds within a printer . a non - limiting list of theoretic causes of increased voc vapor concentration within a printer are included clogged venting system , underperformance of fan in venting system , improper positioning of printer vents ( e . g ., against a wall ), excess ink delivery , spurious buildup of hydrocarbon deposits within a printer that are vaporized later during an imaging process , catalyst failure , or failure of an adsorbent bed to be regenerated and the like . the cause of the excess voc buildup is less important than the fact that voc levels can increase to dangerous levels in printers without any way of a user appreciating the problem , except for a catastrophic breakdown of the printer . the use of a sensor in a position that can detect voc concentration buildups around and particularly in a printer is a desirable safety feature . the means of detection can be any means that provides an observable signal or an electrical that can be used to provide or initiate an observable or recordable signal . there are many known ways of detecting gases that can provide this function , such as the use of diodes or semiconductors that change their electroluminescence or reflectance , or absorption , or luminescence when a concentration of gas contacts an active surface of the device . such detection elements are shown , by way of non - limiting examples , in u . s . pat . nos . 4 , 364 , 995 ; 4 , 645 , 932 ; 4 , 752 , 588 ; 4 , 780 , 643 . acoustic wave device chemical sensors may be used , such as those shown , by way of non - limiting example , in u . s . pat . nos . 6 , 432 , 362 ; and 6 , 237 , 397 . circuitry that measures electrical property changes in the ambient or contained air phase or gas streams in the printer which can be used to relate the changes to increased or altered voc content in the phase or stream can also be used . as the chemical nature of the volatiles that are available to be added to the phase or stream are known ( that is , the manufacturer of the printer usually provides the inks and therefore knows the voc ingredients in the ink ), the electrical effects of those specific voc &# 39 ; s in a phase or stream can be predicted with a high degree of certainty . measurements of the resistance , conductance and / or dielectric properties of the phase or stream can be produced , and those properties can be correlated to a database or look - up table ( physical or electronic ) to determine what the voc concentration is in the phase or stream . for example , air has a dielectric constant of 1 . 0 and the norpar ® carrier vapor ( hydrocarbon emissions ) has a dielectric constant of 2 . 01 . the sensor of the present invention may provide a constant monitor for the dielectric constant of the atmosphere inside the printer ( or alternatively , or additionally the dielectric constant of the printer emissions that are leaving the catalyst ) and acts to disable the machine if the concentration reaches a predetermined threshold . threshold levels can be identified as important concentrations , and signals generated ( e . g ., lights , sounds , electronic signals , automatic shut - offs , etc .) when specific or general threshold measurements have been made . a method for determining the concentration of voc materials in a phase or stream is described . one embodiment involves a series of steps . an electrical signal generator is electrically connected to a first electrode . a second electrode , attached or electrically connected to a detecting device , is positioned at a prescribed gap distance ( e . g ., between 0 . 005 inches and 0 . 250 inches ) from the first electrode . the two electrodes are submerged in the phase or stream ( in one practice of the invention in an electrophotographic imaging system , within the printer housing ), maintaining the prescribed gap distance from one another . the signal generator then transmits an alternating current electrical signal ( ac signal ) or a direct current signal ( dc signal ) having a known amplitude to the first electrode . the direct current signal may be pulsed , and the receiving / signaling system may respond to the onset or lack of pulses over a period of time to provide a base point for indicating the electrical properties of the phase or stream . the second electrode then receives any residual signal that is transmitted or propagates across the prescribed gap distance . the amplitude of the received signal is either detected at an acceptable intensity or determined to be absent or below the acceptable level , and a warning may be generating based on whether the signal is received at the acceptable level or not received at an acceptable level ( the unacceptable level including no signal received ). additionally , decisions may be made based on the amplitude of the received signal . in one embodiment , the signal generator &# 39 ; s output is , by way of a non - limiting example , between about 0 . 05 and 50 mhz ; between 0 . 1 and 10 mhz , e . g ., between 0 . 5 and 5 mhz , such as at 1 mhz . signal frequency below 10 mhz , below 5 mhz , or below 1 mhz can be used easily and desirably . in an of the method , the first and second electrical emitting and electrical sensing elements , e . g ., the probes are between 0 . 01 and 0 . 06 inches , between 0 . 01 and 0 . 03 ; between 0 . 01 and 0 . 045 , or between 0 . 035 inches and 0 . 045 inches apart . there are various possible embodiments and ways to position the detection device element that may be used to send the warning signal that a predetermined level of voc concentration has been reached . in the most basic embodiment , there is an electrical path in a simple series connection with the sensing device . when the voc vapor to be detected has a dielectric constant below that of the ambient air , as the concentration of harmful vapor increases , the concentration of ambient air will decrease . in such a case , the gas in the gap between the electrodes will be more conductive and the electrical signal will be transmitted strongly across the gap . at this point , the ac signal may be strong enough to light a warning light , or trigger a system to disable the printer . when the voc vapor to be detected has a dielectric constant above that of air , the conductivity of the gas in the gap will decrease and the strength of the signal reaching the second electrode will be decreased . when insufficient current is received at the second electrode , the electrical series connection is broken and a light , led , or other signaling device ceases to relay a message to a receiver or fails to provide a visual signal that the threshold condition has been reached or has not been reached . in this embodiment , the absence of the signal to an observer is the warning indicator or the absence of the internal light signal may trigger a second signaling feature to engage to provide a visible light signal . when the sensor ( s ) have an indication that levels of voc &# 39 ; s are in excess of a predetermined level ( which may be an industry standard , epa level , or in case of internal readings , manufacturer suggested maximum levels for health and / or safety reasons ), a signal is preferably provided ; more preferably an automatic cutoff for the device is provided to shut down the equipment . if alphanumeric information can be provided by logic or processor associated with the machine , a written indication of the problem that led to the shutdown would be desirable . in another embodiment , the ac signal is converted to an analog signal and can be read , interpreted or processed by such devices as meters , processors , and the like . in such an embodiment , the percentage of voc materials in the phase or stream in a printer may be accurately determined at any given time . the described technology includes a method for determining the percentage of voc material in a phase or stream , either in scholastic units ( that is arbitrary units that indicate a state of acceptability or non - acceptability , such as 1 – 10 ) or actual concentration units ( e . g ., ppm , parts per million ) in the phase or stream . for example , the dielectric constant of air is 1 . 0 while the dielectric constant of a particularly useful hydrocarbon vapor is about 2 . 01 . the precise dielectric constant is not important so long as it is sufficiently different from that of air so that significant variations in concentrations can be determined by commercially available data . variations of + 0 . 1 in direletric constants ( e . g ., ≦ 0 . 90 and ≧ 1 . 1 ) would be a reasonable , non - limiting example , of the range of dielectric properties that could be easily measured in voc materials used with the practice of this technology . it would be possible to measure the dielectric constant using a range of 1 . 0 to 2 . 01 , or it might be preferred to assign the dielectric constant of air ( 1 . 0 ) a number , 1 , while the dielectric constant of the hydrocarbon to be detected ( 2 . 01 ) could be assigned a number , such as 10 . a method may , for example , comprise the steps of providing an electrical signal generator on the printer providing a first electrode electrically connected to the signal generator , the first electrode submerged in the phase or stream , providing a second electrode at a predetermined gap distance from the first electrode , the second electrode submerged in the phase or stream which might contain voc emissions from the ink and connected to an electrical signal detector , transmitting an alternating current signal having an amplitude from the signal generator to the first electrode , detecting the ac signal , a change in the ac signal or its absence with the electrical signal detector , determining the amplitude , rate of change , degree of change or absence of the ac signal at the second electrode , and generating a high voc warning signal in response to the amplitude being detected at the second electrode at an amplitude below a predetermined minimum level . the second electrode may be , by way of non - limiting examples , between 0 . 001 inches and 0 . 250 inches from the first electrode . the method may provide an indicator light that stays on in response to sufficient amplitude , and goes out in response to insufficient amplitude when the alternating or direct current signal is detected and its amplitude determined . the alternating current signal may be picked up at the second electrode by a detecting device which converts the alternating current signal to an analog signal . the resultant analog signal may be sent to a processor for conversion or translation into a warning indication for the user . for the purposes of this description , certain terms will have the following meanings : electrode — an electric conductor through which an electric current enters or leaves a medium , whether it be an electrolytic solution , liquid , gas , solid , molten mass , or vacuum . ( taken from mcgraw - hill dictionary of scientific and technical terms , 4 . sup . th ed . 1989 ). in fig1 , a printer configuration 1 comprises a signal generator 2 that supplies an electrical signal ( e . g ., by way of non - limiting example , an ac signal ) having a known amplitude ( in this example , via a wire 12 ) to a first electrode 8 that is submerged in a housing of a printer 4 that may contain voc &# 39 ; s produced by deposition or stabilizing ink from a liquid image developer ( shown only as dashed lines ). a second electrode 10 is positioned between 0 . 001 and 0 . 250 inches from the first probe 8 to create a gap 18 . a gas phase or gas stream is permitted to flow in the gap 18 . the second electrode 10 is connected to a detector 16 which may be , by way of non - limiting example , as simple as a light bulb 22 in series ( not shown ) with the electrical signal path from the electrical signal generator , or which may include , for example , such components as an amplifier and / or rectifier , converter , chip , or microprocessing component ( contained in processing unit 2 ). as the ac electrical signal sent through the first electrode 8 reaches the gap 18 , it is conducted across the gap 18 to the second electrode 10 by conductive components in the gas phase or gas stream . if the concentration of voc &# 39 ; s in the phase or stream is within minimal ( acceptable ) limits ( e . g ., a sufficiently low concentration ), the ac signal is more fully conducted or at least conducted to a minimally required level , and the amplitude of the ac signal closely approximates that of the generated signal or is maintained at a sufficiently high level as to indicate the presence of sufficiently low concentrations of voc &# 39 ; s in the phase or stream . as the concentration of voc material in the phase or stream increases ( these materials are non - polar in general , and so are less conductive than air ), the resistance in the gap increases and less of the ac signal reaches the second electrode and detector . as the amplitude received by the detector decreases to below a “ trigger point ” or pre - determined minimum level , a signal may be generated ( including even the light emitting element or bulb failing to be lit ) to indicate to the user that the voc concentration is no longer acceptable for safe printing conditions . fig2 shows a printer configuration 1 ( printer parts not included in this invention are designated by dotted lines ) having the sensor of the present invention located external to the printer housing 4 , at an exhaust port 20 that may or may not have a fan or other air movement mechanism . a signal generator 2 supplies an electrical signal ( e . g ., by way of non - limiting example , an ac signal ) having a known amplitude ( in this example , via a wire 12 ) to a first electrode 8 that is mounted at an exhaust port on the housing of a printer 4 that may contain voc &# 39 ; s produced by deposition or stabilizing ink from a liquid image developer unit or hydrocarbon vapor processing unit ( shown only in dashed lines as they may form countless embodiments ). a second electrode 10 is positioned between 0 . 001 and 0 . 250 inches from the first probe 8 to create a gap 18 . a gas phase or gas stream is permitted to flow in the gap 18 . the second electrode 10 is connected to a detector 16 which may be , by way of non - limiting example , as simple as a light bulb 22 in series ( not shown ) with the electrical signal path from the electrical signal generator , or which may include , for example , such components as an amplifier and / or rectifier , converter , chip , or microprocessing component ( which may be contained in processing unit 2 ). as the ac electrical signal sent through the first electrode 8 reaches the gap 18 , it is conducted across the gap 18 to the second electrode 10 by conductive components in the gas phase or gas stream . if the concentration of voc &# 39 ; s in the phase or stream is within minimal ( acceptable ) limits ( e . g ., a sufficiently low concentration ), the ac signal is more fully conducted or at least conducted to a minimally required level , and the amplitude of the ac signal closely approximates that of the generated signal or is maintained at a sufficiently high level as to indicate the presence of sufficiently low concentrations of voc &# 39 ; s in the phase or stream . as the concentration of voc material in the phase or stream increases ( these materials are non - polar in general , and so are less conductive than air ), the dielectric constant of the gas in the gap 18 increases and the electrical resistance in the gap increases and less of the ac signal reaches the second electrode and detector . as the amplitude received by the detector decreases to below a “ trigger point ” or pre - determined minimum level , a signal may be generated ( including even the light emitting element or bulb failing to be lit ) to indicate to the user that the voc concentration is no longer acceptable for safe printing conditions . in a very basic embodiment , the detector can be a simple light bulb 22 , for example . as long as the ac signal is sufficient to light the bulb , the low concentration of solid conductive particles within the phase or stream is satisfactory . if the voc material would increase the conductivity , the presence of excess voc would be indicated by an increase in conductance . when the bulb is no longer illuminated , not enough of the ac signal is crossing the gap because of the presence of sufficiently high concentration of voc , and the printer should be examined or turned off . the turnoff function may be automatic . a more complex embodiment utilizes more sophisticated hardware to detect the amplitude of the signal received at the second electrode . hardware such as amplifiers , rectifiers , converters , chips , and microprocessors ( or even a simple meter or look - up table ) can all be additional steps that evaluate , measure , break down , or process , the signal received at the second electrode and help the user determine when to inspect , moderate , shut down , or otherwise examine or alter the printer or its condition . these additional steps and hardware inclusions are virtually limitless and are not necessary , although to individual designers they may be preferred , for the function of the present technology . fig3 and 4 show an electrical schematic and its complementary flowchart of the processing steps . the signal generator 30 supplies power to the volatile organic compound sensor 32 located either inside or outside a printer housing . a signal amplifier 34 takes the weak electrical pulse passed by the volatile organic compound sensor 32 and amplifies it for processing . the signal processor 36 interprets the electrical signal into data and assigns a value to the signal . an optional central processing unit 38 may contain a lookup table , an automatic disabling signal , or any other microprocessing software needed to utilize the data and cause the printer to perform the needed reaction . although specific materials , conditions , apparatus , components and ranges are used in the above disclosure and examples , that information is not intended to be limiting in the scope of the invention or the claims presented herein . one of ordinary skill in the art would be aware of alternatives and equivalents within the scope of the disclosed technology that could be used . | 6 |
as a preliminary matter , it will readily be understood by one having ordinary skill in the relevant art (“ ordinary artisan ”) that the present invention has broad utility and application . furthermore , any embodiment discussed and identified as being “ preferred ” is considered to be part of a best mode contemplated for carrying out the present invention . other embodiments also may be discussed for additional illustrative purposes in providing a full and enabling disclosure of the present invention . as should be understood , any embodiment may incorporate only one or a plurality of the above - disclosed aspects of the invention and may further incorporate only one or a plurality of the above - disclosed features . moreover , many embodiments , such as adaptations , variations , modifications , and equivalent arrangements , will be implicitly disclosed by the embodiments described herein and fall within the scope of the present invention . accordingly , while the present invention is described herein in detail in relation to one or more embodiments , it is to be understood that this disclosure is illustrative and exemplary of the present invention , and is made merely for the purposes of providing a full and enabling disclosure of the present invention . the detailed disclosure herein of one or more embodiments is not intended , nor is to be construed , to limit the scope of patent protection afforded the present invention , which scope is to be defined by the claims and the equivalents thereof . it is not intended that the scope of patent protection afforded the present invention be defined by reading into any claim a limitation found herein that does not explicitly appear in the claim itself . thus , for example , any sequence ( s ) and / or temporal order of steps of various processes or methods that are described herein are illustrative and not restrictive . accordingly , it should be understood that , although steps of various processes or methods may be shown and described as being in a sequence or temporal order , the steps of any such processes or methods are not limited to being carried out in any particular sequence or order , absent an indication otherwise . indeed , the steps in such processes or methods generally may be carried out in various different sequences and orders while still falling within the scope of the present invention . accordingly , it is intended that the scope of patent protection afforded the present invention is to be defined by the appended claims rather than the description set forth herein . additionally , it is important to note that each term used herein refers to that which the ordinary artisan would understand such term to mean based on the contextual use of such term herein . to the extent that the meaning of a term used herein — as understood by the ordinary artisan based on the contextual use of such term — differs in any way from any particular dictionary definition of such term , it is intended that the meaning of the term as understood by the ordinary artisan should prevail . regarding applicability of 35 u . s . c . § 112 , ¶ 6 , no claim element is intended to be read in accordance with this statutory provision unless the explicit phrase “ means for ” or “ step for ” is actually used in such claim element , whereupon this statutory provision is intended to apply in the interpretation of such claim element . furthermore , it is important to note that , as used herein , “ a ” and “ an ” each generally denotes “ at least one ,” but does not exclude a plurality unless the contextual use dictates otherwise . thus , reference to “ a picnic basket having an apple ” describes “ a picnic basket having at least one apple ” as well as “ a picnic basket having apples .” in contrast , reference to “ a picnic basket having a single apple ” describes “ a picnic basket having only one apple .” when used herein to join a list of items , “ or ” denotes “ at least one of the items ,” but does not exclude a plurality of items of the list . thus , reference to “ a picnic basket having cheese or crackers ” describes “ a picnic basket having cheese without crackers ,” “ a picnic basket having crackers without cheese ,” and “ a picnic basket having both cheese and crackers .” finally , when used herein to join a list of items , “ and ” denotes “ all of the items of the list .” thus , reference to “ a picnic basket having cheese and crackers ” describes “ a picnic basket having cheese , wherein the picnic basket further has crackers ,” as well as describes “ a picnic basket having crackers , wherein the picnic basket further has cheese .” referring now to the drawings , in which like numerals represent like components throughout the several views , one or more preferred embodiments of the present invention are next described . the following description of one or more preferred embodiment ( s ) is merely exemplary in nature and is in no way intended to limit the invention , its application , or uses . fig6 is a front isometric view of an emt system 110 for imaging a human head 19 in accordance with one or more preferred embodiments of the present invention , fig7 is a front plan view of the emt system 110 of fig6 , and fig8 is a rear perspective view of the emt system 110 of fig6 . as shown therein , the system 110 includes an image chamber unit 131 , a control cabinet 135 , a hydraulic system 140 for supplying , circulating , and otherwise managing a matching fluid to the image chamber unit 131 , and a rolling carriage 132 . in at least some embodiments , the image chamber unit 131 and the control cabinet 135 are housed together in a single enclosure 134 and are supported on a rolling carriage 132 . furthermore , in at least some embodiments , some or all of the hydraulic system 140 is supported on the rolling carriage 132 as well . however , in some embodiments , the image chamber unit 131 and control cabinet 135 are separate from each other and each may or may not be carried on its own rolling carriage . in some of these embodiments , the image chamber unit 131 and control cabinet 135 are not located in the same room . although not illustrated in fig6 - 8 , the system 110 also includes a user interface computer 208 , described elsewhere herein , which may be connected to the rest of the system 110 via ethernet or other port 136 located on the side of the control cabinet 131 . fig9 is a cross - sectional , partially schematic , right side view of the image chamber unit 131 of fig7 , taken along line 9 - 9 . as shown therein , the image chamber unit 131 includes a disk assembly 126 , a membrane 133 , and fluid inlets 167 , 168 . the disk assembly 126 includes a plurality of antenna disks 170 and a back disk 183 , wherein at least the antenna disks 170 are open in their centers . the center openings of the antenna disks 170 together with the back disk 183 at least partially define a “ working ” chamber or “ imaging ” chamber 122 . in at least some embodiments , the antenna disk center openings are circular , and the circular openings thus define a cylindrical portion of the working chamber 122 ( perhaps best seen in fig1 ), which simplifies the operation of the tomography somewhat , but in other embodiments the center openings and working chamber 122 may take on other shapes . in at least some embodiments , the volume of the working chamber 122 is approximately 12 liters . the center opening of the frontmost antenna disk 170 defines an entry opening 169 for receiving a patient . the entry opening 169 is preferably surrounded by a protective ring 182 ( shown in fig6 and 7 ) covering the surfaces of the antenna disk 170 and other portions of the working chamber 122 . fig1 is a view of the image chamber unit 131 similar to that of fig9 , but with a patient support 120 and a catch basin 165 in place adjacent the unit 131 , and fig1 is a view of the image chamber unit 131 similar to that of fig1 but shown with an upper portion of a patient &# 39 ; s head 19 inserted into the entry opening . for comfort and convenience , the patient may be positioned on the patient support 120 , which may be a gurney , cart , table , stretcher , or the like . in at least some embodiments of the present invention , a headrest 118 extends from the end of the patient support 120 . the headrest 118 is preferably padded and adjustable . adjustability of the headrest 118 may be provided in one or more of the longitudinal direction ( toward or away from the end of the patient support 120 ), the vertical direction ( up or down relative to the patient support 120 ), and rotationally ( for example , about an axis that is parallel with the end of the patient support 120 ). in the illustrated embodiment , the entry opening and the working chamber 122 are sized to correspond specifically to a human head , but it will be appreciated that other dimensions may be utilized for other body parts or to accommodate the entirety of a human body . the entry opening is substantially liquid - sealed by the membrane 133 such that the front of the working chamber 122 is separated by the membrane 133 from the rear of the chamber 122 . fluid leaks through the front of the working chamber 122 , such as around or through the membrane 133 , may be captured in the catch basin 165 disposed in front of the unit 131 . it is contemplated that the catch basin 165 can be integral with or otherwise part of the image chamber unit 131 . fig1 and 13 are a rear isometric view and a rear plan view , respectively , of the membrane 133 of the image chamber unit 131 of fig6 , and fig1 is a side cross - sectional view of the membrane 133 of fig1 , taken along line 14 - 14 . the membrane 133 is preferably somewhat hat - shaped , with a center crown portion 127 extending “ upward ” or “ inward ” from an outer brim portion 128 . the brim portion 128 is shaped to be fastened to the antenna disks 170 and may include apertures 129 for this purpose . as shown in fig1 , the crown portion 127 may be thinner than the brim portion 128 and is preferably flexible enough to wrap snugly around the patient &# 39 ; s head 19 , as shown in fig1 . in at least some embodiments , the membrane 133 is made of latex or similar material . fig1 is a view of the image chamber unit 131 similar to that of fig1 but shown with a fluid disposed within the working chamber 122 on the opposite side of the membrane 133 from the patient &# 39 ; s head 19 . the fluid may be supplied to or from the working chamber 122 via the inlets 167 , 168 , which may be arranged in or on the back disk 183 . the fluid itself is a “ matching ” fluid that is chosen for its properties so as to enhance the tomographic process . flow and other movement of the fluid is controlled by the hydraulic system 140 . fig1 is a schematic diagram of the hydraulic system 140 of fig8 . as shown therein , the hydraulic system 140 includes an external tank 141 , a bi - directional pump 142 , a valve 159 , backflow valve 160 , a check ( directional ) valve 161 , an inner upper tank 146 , one or more liquid sensors 147 , a lighter 148 , one or more temperature sensors 149 , 150 , and a variety of hoses , tubes , fittings , and the like , some of which are described herein . the external tank 141 holds a quantity of a matching fluid . a hose 151 connects the external tank 141 to the pump 142 , and another hose 152 connects the pump 142 to a fitting 153 on the enclosure 134 . in at least some embodiments , the pump hoses 151 , 152 are ¾ ″ flexible tube hoses , and the hose fitting 153 is a quick release fitting . the pump 142 is used to supply matching fluid from the external tank 141 to the working ( image ) chamber of the image chamber unit 131 . the matching fluid is a solution or gel that is needed or useful inside the imaging chamber when the object 19 is being measured inside it to address electromagnetic body - matching problems . in at least some embodiments , the matching liquid is a mixture of glycerol ( ph . eur . ), water and brine . in at least some embodiments , the pump 142 is connected by cable 154 to a standard power supply , such as a 220v electrical source , which may be provided from the control cabinet 135 via an outlet 137 , preferably located on the outer surface of the enclosure 134 , and a corresponding water proof socket 155 . direction , speed , and other control of the pump 142 may be provided by remote control 156 . one pump 142 suitable for use in at least some preferred embodiments is a watson marlow 620 re ip66 pump . inside the image chamber unit 131 , another hose 157 is connected between the external fitting 153 and a first inlet 167 to the working chamber , and still another hose 158 is connected between a second inlet 168 to the working chamber and the inner upper tank 146 . in at least some embodiments , the hose 157 is a ¾ ″ flexible tube hose . an inline valve 159 may optionally be provided in the hose 157 from the pump 134 , while a backflow valve 160 and check ( directional ) valve 161 may be provided in the hose 158 to the inner upper tank 146 . the backflow valve 160 provides at least two functions . first , when it is closed , the pump 142 may be used to generate an under - pressure , thereby denting in the membrane 133 ( as seen from outside the image chamber unit 131 ) and readying the unit 131 for a patient &# 39 ; s head to be inserted therein . second , when the patient &# 39 ; s head is positioned inside the membrane 133 , opening the backflow valve 160 allows the matching fluid to flow from the reservoir 146 back to the imaging chamber , which in turn causes the patient &# 39 ; s head to be slowly enclosed by the membrane 133 and the liquid . the check valve 161 , on the other hand , performs a safety function by avoiding the buildup of an overpressure if the backflow valve 160 is closed . the check valve 161 includes a manual control lever 181 , as shown in fig6 . the temperature sensors 149 , 150 may be used to determine the temperature of the matching fluid inside the working chamber , or in close proximity thereto . if the temperature becomes uncomfortably cool , the lamp or lighter 148 may be utilized to trigger heating of the inner upper tank 146 . unintentional heating of an empty tank 146 may be avoided by using the liquid sensors 147 to verify that sufficient liquid is present in the tank . an overfill path may be provided between the inner upper tank 146 and the external tank 141 so as to return any excess matching liquid to the external tank 141 . the overfill path may include an internal hose 162 , an external hose 163 , and a fitting 164 on the exterior of the enclosure 134 , wherein the internal hose 162 is connected between the inner upper tank 146 and the fitting 164 and the external hose is connected between the fitting 164 and the external tank 141 . generally , the overfill path is only utilized if the reservoir 146 is accidentally overfilled , in which case the overfill path allows the excess liquid to return to the external tank 141 . in at least some embodiments , the overfill path hoses 162 , 163 are ¾ ″ flexible tube hoses , and the hose fitting 164 is a quick release fitting . a leakage path may also be provided . the leakage path may include a catch basin 165 and a drain hose or tube 166 . the catch basin 165 may be disposed adjacent the working chamber so as to receive fluid escaping therefrom , such as during dismantling of the system 110 . in some embodiments , the drain hose 166 connects the catch basin 165 to the external tank , such as by the overflow path , while in others the drain hose 166 is routed to a waste tank ( not shown ) and / or is left open or unconnected . fig1 is a left front isometric view of portions of the disk assembly 126 of fig9 . as shown therein , the disk assembly 126 includes a plurality of antenna disks 170 arranged concentrically such that their center openings define the interior of the working chamber 122 , as described previously . notably , whereas traditional emt systems have used rings of transmitters / receivers / sensors that have been oriented in a horizontal plane to define a vertical working chamber , the rings of transmitter / receivers and receivers of the present invention are each oriented vertically so as to define a horizontal working chamber . each antenna disk 170 includes a multitude of antennas 173 arranged in a ring around the working chamber 122 . fig1 is a schematic representation of these concentric rings 180 of antennas 173 . although other numbers of disks 170 and rings 180 may be utilized , five antenna disks 170 and thus five antenna rings 180 are present in the embodiment shown in fig1 and 18 . furthermore , although other numbers of antennas 173 may be utilized , 32 antennas 173 are present in the embodiment shown in fig1 and 18 , and thus a total of 160 antennas 173 are utilized . in one embodiment , preferred for its simplicity , the antennas 173 in the middle ring 180 are both transmitting and receiving antennas , while the antennas 173 on the other four rings 180 are receiving antennas only . in one contemplated embodiment , the rings 180 ( i . e ., the center openings of the antenna disks 170 ) are 285 mm in diameter . in fig1 , transmitting / receiving antenna “ 9 ” on ring “ c ” is shown as transmitting an electromagnetic field or signal , all or some of which is received at each of various transmitting / receiving antennas on ring “ c ” and at each of various receiving antennas on rings “ a ”, “ b ”, “ d ”, and “ e ”. it will be appreciated , however , that any or all of the transmitting / receiving antennas on ring “ c ” and / or any or all of the receiving antennas on any or all of the other rings may receive the transmitted field or signal and thus may be incorporated into the tomographic process . fig1 is a top cross - sectional view of the disk assembly 126 of fig1 , taken along line 19 - 19 ; fig2 is a front view of one of the antenna disks 170 of fig1 , and fig2 is a top cross - sectional view of the antenna disk 170 of fig2 . notably , some visual detail regarding the electrical connections for the antennas has been omitted in fig1 ; however , much of the omitted visual detail is shown in fig2 . each antenna disk 170 includes two mating rings 171 , 172 , the antennas 173 themselves , a corner element 174 for each antenna 173 , a cable plate 175 , and a cable assembly 176 for each antenna 173 . each cable assembly 176 includes a cable and / or conduit with an appropriate terminator 177 , 178 on each end . screws or other cable positioners 179 are provided to hold the cable assemblies 176 in place . fig2 is a schematic diagram of the emt system 110 of fig6 . as shown therein , the emt system 110 includes the image chamber unit 131 ( including the working chamber 122 ), the hydraulic system 140 , the patient support 120 , and a control system 200 . the control system 200 includes two 16 - channel transmitting / receiving switch units 201 for the transmitting / receiving antenna disk 170 , two 16 - channel receiving switch units 202 for each of the receiving antenna disks 170 , a control unit 203 , a network analyzer 204 , a power unit 205 , one or more fan units 206 , a hub 207 , and a user interface computer 208 . in at least some embodiments , the switch units 201 , 202 , control unit 203 , network analyzer 204 , power unit 205 , fan units 206 , and hub 207 are supported on a rack 209 in the control cabinet 135 . the user interface computer 208 may be supported on or in the enclosure 134 or may be supported elsewhere , such as on a nearby desk , a user &# 39 ; s lap , or in some cases even outside the room . fig2 is a schematic representation of the operation of the rings 180 of antennas 173 around the imaging domain , which is defined by the imaging chamber . the general task is to make complex si , j , k parameters matrix measurement , where i is the transmitting antenna ( i = 1 . . . 32 ), j is the receiving antenna ( j = 1 . . . 31 ), and k is the ring of the receiving antenna ( k = 1 . . . 5 ). the more practical case for the number of receiving antennas that are measured for each transmitting antenna may be between 12 and 20 ( i . e ., only receivers generally opposite the transmitting antenna ), and the most practical case may be for 17 receiving antennas to be measured for each transmitting antenna , but other numbers are also viable . typical attenuations may be ˜ 90 db to − 130 db . in at least some embodiments , frequencies may be 0 . 8 - 1 . 5 ghz , step 50 mhz . in at least some embodiments , channel - to - channel isolation may be ˜ 80 db to − 100 db . in at least some embodiments , maximum power output may be + 20 dbm ( 100 mw ). in at least some embodiments , single frame data acquisition time may be less than 60 msec (“ frame ” being defined as the full cycle of s matrix measurements ). in at least some embodiments , the number of acquired frames may be from 1 to 1000 . in at least some embodiments , the dielectric properties of the matching media between antennas and object may be ˜( 30 - to - 60 )+ j ( 15 - to - 25 ). fig2 a and 24b are a more detailed schematic diagram of the control system 200 of fig2 . as shown therein , the hub 207 , which may provide both wireless and wired connections , communicatively connects the control unit 203 , the network analyzer 204 , and the user interface computer 208 . the control unit 203 includes a host controller that interfaces with the hub 207 as well as provides a trigger input to the network analyzer 204 and receives “ ready for trigger ” and / or “ busy ” signals from the network analyzer 204 . the host controller also receives an ecg input and controls drivers for mw switches . the control unit 203 also includes various circuitry , including amplifiers , multiplexers , and the like , to generate input signals for the ports of the network analyzer 204 , which may be a zva 4 port vector network analyzer available from rohde & amp ; schwarz . the network analyzer 204 is also communicatively connected to the hub 207 , preferably via a lan , and operations of the control unit 203 and network analyzer 204 are under the control of the user interface computer 208 . power is supplied by a power converter which may receive 24v power from the power unit 205 as described elsewhere herein . fig2 is a schematic diagram of one of the transmitting / receiving switch units 201 of fig2 , and fig2 is a schematic diagram of one of the receiving switch units 202 of fig2 . fig2 is a schematic diagram of the power unit 205 of fig2 . as shown therein , the ac line input is converted into power for the hub 207 , the network analyzer ( vna ) 204 , and for 24v ac / dc converters used to power the control unit 203 and transmitter / receiver and receiver switch units 201 , 202 . fig2 is a schematic block diagram of additional or alternative details of a control system for the emt system 110 . in operation , a patient 15 is placed on his back on a patient support 120 and transported to the image chamber unit 131 , shown in fig9 , or the image chamber unit 131 is transported to the location of the patient 15 . for sanitary purposes , a single - use protective cap ( not shown ) may be placed over the patient &# 39 ; s head 19 . such a protective cap may be made of plastic , latex , or the like . the patient &# 39 ; s head 19 is then inserted into the entry opening 169 in the working chamber 122 as shown in fig1 . the headrest 118 may be adjusted as necessary or desired to arrange the patient &# 39 ; s head in the desired position and orientation within the working chamber 122 . the patient &# 39 ; s head 19 bears against the membrane 133 , which then conforms to the shape of the patient &# 39 ; s head 19 . with the patient &# 39 ; s head 19 properly arranged , a technician fills the working chamber with a quantity of the prepared matching liquid . filling may be carried out using the remote control of the pump , which in at least some embodiments has toggle switches to start and stop the pump , control the direction of flow ( in or out ), and flow rate . filling is preferably initiated at a low flow rate to avoid splashing of matching liquid . matching liquid is pumped into the working chamber until it is full , as shown in fig1 . in addition to filling the working chamber with the matching liquid , the technician may also power on the various electronic components , including the control unit , the network analyzer , transmitter and receiver units , and the like . using the user interface computer , software may then be utilized to calibrate and operate the system . functionally , much of the operation of the emt system 110 may be similar to that described in the aforementioned u . s . pat . no . 7 , 239 , 731 , u . s . patent application publication no . 2012 / 0010493 a1 ( u . s . patent application ser . no . 13 / 173 , 078 ), and / or u . s . patent application publication no . 2014 / 0276012 a1 ( u . s . patent application ser . no . 13 / 894 , 395 ), but various particular embodiments and features thereof may be described herein . measurements are taken , a matrix of complex data is generated , and various algorithms are used to transform such data into tomographic images of the interior of the patient &# 39 ; s head 19 . other embodiments of the present invention are likewise possible . in particular , emt systems having components that are more easily transported than those of the system 110 described hereinabove are possible without departing from the scope of the present invention . in this regard , fig2 and 30 are a top front perspective view and a bottom rear perspective view , respectively , of another emt system 210 for imaging a human head 19 in accordance with one or more preferred embodiments of the present invention . the system 210 includes an image chamber unit 231 , a control cabinet 235 , and a hydraulic system 240 for supplying , circulating , and otherwise managing a matching fluid to the image chamber unit 231 . the entire system 210 may be carried on a patient support 220 , which again may be a gurney , cart , table , stretcher , or the like . in particular , the image chamber unit 231 , which includes a built - in headrest 218 , is carried on a top surface of the patient support 220 , near one end , and the control cabinet 235 is carried beneath the patient support 220 . such a system 210 may be more conveniently transported , and in particular , the system 210 may be rolled with the patient support 220 onto and off of an ambulance and into a medical facility . in this regard , fig3 is a top plan view of the system 210 in use in an ambulance 211 . in at least some embodiments , an image chamber unit of a type described herein is man - portable . as used herein , “ man - portable ” means cable of being carried or borne by one human . in particular , an image chamber unit of a type described herein may take the form of a wearable hat , helmet , cap , or the like . fig3 is a side perspective view of a cap serving as a wearable image chamber unit in accordance with one or more preferred embodiments of the present invention . aspects of such wearable apparatuses may be described , for example , in u . s . patent application ser . no . 13 / 894 , 395 . at least some embodiments of the emt systems presented herein , including without limitation the mobile embodiments such as the one presented in fig2 - 31 and the wearable cap of fig3 , may be utilized advantageously outside of the clinical setting . fig3 is a pictorial illustration of a timeline for use of an emt system , including the cap of fig3 , for imaging a human head in response to the onset of stroke symptoms in a patient . as shown therein , at 8 : 00 pm , a patient may be resting at home when he experiences the onset of stroke - like symptoms , such as disorientation and weakness in the face and arms . in response , he or a family member or friend contacts a medical provider , and an ambulance is dispatched . meanwhile , a doctor or other medical practitioner is contacted and updated on the situation . the patient &# 39 ; s head is placed in a mobile imaging unit , and scanning begins as shown around 8 : 25 pm . ( in fig3 , the mobile image chamber unit is the cap of fig3 , but it will be appreciated that the unit of fig2 - 31 may be used instead .) resulting data may be provided to the doctor , ambulance staff , imaging specialists , and other personnel . some of the data may be used directly for diagnosis , treatment , or the like , while complex image - related data may be processed according to the systems and methods of the present invention to reconstruct images from which further diagnosis , treatment , or the like may be triggered . in at least some embodiments , such processing may generate an automatic alert that the data indicates that a potential stroke is likely . notably , in at least some embodiments , such processing is carried out by a third party service provider who specializes in reconstruction of images according to the systems and methods of the present invention . during transport , from approximately 8 : 45 pm to 9 : 00 pm , the cap 331 continues to provide data regarding the patient &# 39 ; s condition , and the local hospital staff is further updated and arranges and prepares for further treatment . once the patient arrives at the hospital or other treatment center , the images and data may be used in providing timely , accurate information about the status of the stroke injury , and appropriate treatment and follow - up may be administered . such a system could be utilized to provide the desired “ under 3 hour ” treatment that can make a major difference in the final outcome of the stroke injury and its affect on the patient . it will be appreciated that in at least some embodiments , the systems , apparatuses and methods presented hereinabove may be incorporated into a 4d emt differential ( dynamic ) fused imaging system . 4d emt differential ( dynamic ) fused imaging system suitable for use with one or more preferred embodiments of the present invention are described in appendix b . based on the foregoing information , it will be readily understood by those persons skilled in the art that the present invention is susceptible of broad utility and application . many embodiments and adaptations of the present invention other than those specifically described herein , as well as many variations , modifications , and equivalent arrangements , will be apparent from or reasonably suggested by the present invention and the foregoing descriptions thereof , without departing from the substance or scope of the present invention . accordingly , while the present invention has been described herein in detail in relation to one or more preferred embodiments , it is to be understood that this disclosure is only illustrative and exemplary of the present invention and is made merely for the purpose of providing a full and enabling disclosure of the invention . the foregoing disclosure is not intended to be construed to limit the present invention or otherwise exclude any such other embodiments , adaptations , variations , modifications or equivalent arrangements ; the present invention being limited only by the claims appended hereto and the equivalents thereof . | 0 |
referring more particularly to the drawings , wherein like numbers refer to like parts , fig1 shows a portable ultrasound densitometer 10 for measuring the physical properties and integrity of a member , such as a bone , in vivo . the densitometer 10 as shown in fig1 includes a handle 11 with actuator button 12 . extending linearly from the handle 11 is a connection rod 13 . the densitometer 10 also includes a fixed arm 15 and an adjustable arm 16 . the fixed arm 15 preferably is formed continuously with the connection rod 13 , and therefore is connected to an end 17 of the connection rod 13 . the adjustable arm 16 is slidably mounted on the connection rod 13 between the handle 11 and a digital display 18 mounted on the rod 13 . the knob 19 may be turned so as to be locked or unlocked to allow the adjustable arm 16 to be slid along the connection rod 13 so that the distance between the arms 15 and 16 may be adjusted . connected at the end of the fixed arm 15 is a first ( left ) transducer 21 and at the end of the adjustable arm 16 is a second ( right ) transducer 21 . as shown in fig1 and 2 , each of the transducers 21 has mounted on it a respective compliant acoustic coupler 23 to acoustically couple the transducer to the object being tested . the acoustic coupler 23 includes a plastic ring 24 and attached pad 26 formed of urethane or other compliant material . fig3 shows a face 28 of the first ( left ) transducer 21 which is normally hidden behind the compliant pad 26 of the acoustic coupler 23 . the transducer face 28 normally abuts against the inner surface 29 of the pad 26 shown in fig2 . the transducer face 28 shown in fig3 includes an array of twelve transducer elements labeled a - l . the second ( right ) transducer 21 includes a face 28 which is the mirror image of that shown in fig3 . fig4 generally shows in schematic fashion the electronic circuitry 31 of the densitometer 10 , which is physically contained in the housing of the digital display 18 . an object 32 is placed between the two transducers 21 so that acoustic signals may be transmitted through the object . this object 32 represents a member , such as a bone , or some material with known acoustic properties such as distilled water or a neoprene reference block . as shown in the embodiment illustrated in fig4 the leftmost transducer 21 is a transmit transducer and the rightmost transducer 21 a receive transducer . in fact though , either or both of the transducers 21 may be a transmit and / or receive transducer . the transmit and receive transducers 21 of the circuit of fig4 are connected by element select signals 36 and 37 to a microprocessor 38 . the microprocessor 38 is programmed to determine which one of the respective pairs of transducer elements a through l are to be transmitting and receiving at any one time . this selection is accomplished by the element select signal lines 36 and 37 , which may be either multiple signal lines or a serial data line to transmit the needed selection data to the transducers 21 . the microprocessor 38 is also connected by a data and address bus 40 to the digital display 18 , a digital signal processor 41 , a sampling analog to digital converter 42 , and a set of external timers 43 . the microprocessor 38 has &# 34 ; on board &# 34 ; electrically programmable non - volatile random access memory ( nvram ) and , perhaps as well , conventional ram memory , and controls the operations of the densitometer 10 . the digital signal processor 41 has &# 34 ; on board &# 34 ; read - only memory ( rom ) and performs many of the mathematical functions carried out by the densitometer 10 under the control of the microprocessor 38 . the digital signal processor 41 specifically includes the capability to perform discrete fourier transforms , as is commercially available in integrated circuit form presently , so as to be able to convert received waveform signals from the time domain to the frequency domain . the microprocessor 38 and digital signal processor 41 are interconnected also by the control signals 45 and 46 so that the microprocessor 38 can maintain control over the operations of the digital signal processor 41 and receive status information back . together the microprocessor 38 and the digital signal processor 41 control the electrical circuit 31 so that the densitometer 10 can carry out its operations , which will be discussed below . an auditory feedback mechanism 48 , such as an audio speaker , can be connected to the microprocessor 38 through an output signal 49 . the external timer 43 provides a series of clock signals 51 and 52 to the a / d converter 42 to provide time information to the a / d converter 42 so that it will sample at timed intervals electrical signals which it receives ultimately from the transmit transducer , in accordance with the program in the microprocessor 38 and the digital signal processor 41 . the external timer 43 also creates a clock signal 53 connected to an excitation amplifier 55 with digitally controllable gain . timed pulses are generated by the timer 43 and sent through the signal line 53 to the amplifier 55 to be amplified and directed to the transmit transducer 21 through the signal line 56 . the transmit transducer 21 converts the amplified pulse into an acoustic signal which is transmitted through the object or material 32 to be received by the receive transducer 21 which converts the acoustic signal back to an electrical signal . the electrical signal is directed through output signal 57 to a receiver amplifier 59 which amplifies the electrical signal . the excitation amplifier circuit 55 is preferably a digitally controllable circuit designed to create a pulsed output . the amplification of the pulse can be digitally controlled in steps from one to 255 . in this way , the pulse can be repetitively increased in amplitude under digital control until a received pulse of appropriate amplitude is received at the receiver / amplifier circuit 59 , where the gain is also digitally adjustable . connected to the receiver amplifier circuit 59 and integral therewith is a digitally controllable automatic gain control circuit which optimizes the sensitivity of the receive transducer 21 and the amplifier circuit 59 to received acoustic signals . the microprocessor 38 is connected to the amplifier circuit and automatic gain control 59 through signal line 60 to regulate the amplification of the amplifier circuit and gain control 59 . the amplified electric signals are directed through lead 61 to the a / d converter 42 which samples those signals at timed intervals . the a / d converter 42 therefore in effect samples the received acoustic signals . as a series of substantially identical acoustic signals are received by the receive transducer 21 , the a / d converter 42 progressively samples an incremental portion of each successive signal waveform . the microprocessor 38 is programmed so that those portions are combined to form a digital composite waveform which is nearly identical to a single waveform . this digitized waveform may be displayed on the digital display 18 , or processed for numerical analysis by the digital signal processor 41 . the densitometer constructed in accordance with fig1 - 4 can be operated in one or more of several distinct methods to measure the physical properties of the member , such as integrity or density . the different methods , as described in further detail below , depend both on the software programming the operation of the microprocessor 34 as well as the instructions given to the clinician as to how to use the densitometer . the different methods of use may all be programmed into a single unit , in which case a user - selectable switch may be provided to select the mode of operation , or a given densitometer could be constructed to be dedicated to a single mode of use . in any event , for the method of use of the densitometer to measure the physical properties of a member to be fully understood , it is first necessary to understand the internal operation of the densitometer itself . in any of its methods of use , the densitometer is intended to be placed at some point in the process on the member whose properties are being measured . this is done by placing the transducers 21 on the opposite sides of the member . to accomplish this , the knob 19 is loosened to allow the adjustable arm 16 to be moved so that the transducers 21 can be placed on opposite sides of the member , such as the heel of a human patient . the outside surfaces of the pads 26 can be placed against the heel of the subject with an ultrasound gel 35 or other coupling material placed between the pads 26 and subject 32 to allow for improved transmission of the acoustic signals between the member 32 and transducers 21 . once the transducers 21 are properly placed on the member , the knob 19 may be tightened to hold the adjustable arm 16 in place , with the transducers 21 in spaced relation to each other with the member 32 therebetween . the actuator button 12 may then be pressed so that acoustic signals will be transmitted through the member 32 to be received by the receive transducer 21 . the electronic circuit of fig4 receives the electrical signals from the receive transducer 21 , and samples and processes these signals to obtain information on the physical properties and integrity of the member 32 in vivo . the microprocessor 38 is programmed to indicate on the digital display 18 when this information gathering process is complete . alternatively , the information may be displayed on the digital display 18 when the information gathering process is completed . for example , the transit time of the acoustic signals through the member 32 could simply be displayed on the digital display 18 . considering in detail the operation of the circuitry of fig4 the general concept is that the circuitry is designed to create an ultrasonic pulse which travels from transmit transducer 21 through the subject 32 and is then received by the receive transducer 21 . the circuitry is designed to both determine the transit time of the pulse through the member 32 , to ascertain the attenuation of the pulse through the member 32 , and to be able to reconstruct a digital representation of the waveform of the pulse after it has passed through the member 32 , so that it may be analyzed to determine the attenuation at selected frequencies . to accomplish all of these objectives , the circuitry of fig4 operates under the control of the microprocessor 38 . the microprocessor 38 selectively selects , through the element select signal lines 36 , a corresponding pair or a group of the elements a through 1 on the face of each of the transducers 21 . the corresponding elements on each transducer are selected simultaneously while the remaining elements on the face of each transducer are inactive . with a given element , say for example element a selected , the microprocessor then causes the external timer 43 to emit a pulse on signal line 53 to the excitation amplifier circuit 55 . the output of the excitation amplifier 55 travels along signal line 56 to element a of the transmit transducer 21 , which thereupon emits the ultrasonic pulse . the corresponding element a on the receive transducer 21 receives the pulse and presents its output on the signal line 57 to the amplifier circuit 59 . what is desired as an output of the a / d converter 42 is a digital representation of the analog waveform which is the output of the single transducer element which has been selected . unfortunately , &# 34 ; real time &# 34 ; sampling a / d converters which can operate rapidly enough to sample a waveform at ultrasonic frequencies are relatively expensive . therefore it is preferred that the a / d converter 42 be an &# 34 ; equivalent time &# 34 ; sampling a / d converter . by &# 34 ; equivalent time &# 34 ; sampling , it is meant that the a / d converter 42 samples the output of the transducer during a narrow time period after any given ultrasonic pulse . the general concept is illustrated in fig5 . the typical waveform of a single pulse received by the receive transducer 21 and imposed on the signal line 57 is indicated by a function &# 34 ; f &# 34 ;. the same pulse is repetitively received as an excitation pulse is repetitively launched . the received pulse is sampled at a sequence of time periods labeled t 0 - t 10 . in other words , rather than trying to do a real - time analog to digital conversion of the signal f , the signal is sampled during individual fixed time periods t 0 - t 10 after the transmit pulse is imposed , the analog value during each time period is converted to a digital function , and that data is stored . thus the total analog waveform response can be recreated from the individual digital values created during each time period t , with the overall fidelity of the recreation of the waveform dependent on the number of time periods t which are sampled . the sampling is not accomplished during a single real time pulse from the receive transducer 21 . instead , a series of pulses are emitted from the transmit transducer 21 . the external timer is constructed to provide signals to the sampling a / d converter 42 along signal lines 51 and 52 such that the analog value sampled at time period t 0 when the first pulse is applied to a given transducer element , then at time t 1 during the second pulse , time t 2 during the third pulse , etc . until all the time periods are sampled . only after the complete waveform has been sampled for each element is the next element , i . e . element b , selected . the output from the a / d converter 42 is provided both to the microprocessor 38 and to the signal processor 41 . thus the digital output values representing the complex waveform f of fig5 can be processed by the signal processor 41 after they are compiled for each transducer element . the waveform can then be analyzed for time delay or attenuation for any given frequency component with respect to the characteristic of the transmitted ultrasonic pulse . the process is then repeated for the other elements until all elements have been utilized to transmit a series of pulses sufficient to create digital data representing the waveform which was received at the receive transducer array 21 . it is this data which may then be utilized in a variety of methods for determining the physical properties of the member . depending on the manner in which the densitometer is being utilized and the data being sought , the appropriate output can be provided from either the microprocessor 38 or the signal processor 41 through the digital display 18 . because the ultrasonic pulsing and sampling can be performed so rapidly , at least in human terms , the process of creating a sampled ultrasonic received pulse can optionally be repeated several times to reduce noise by signal averaging . if this option is to be implemented , the process of repetitively launching ultrasonic pulses and sampling the received waveform as illustrated in fig5 is repeated one or more times for each element in the array before proceeding to the next element . then the sampled waveforms thus produced can be digitally averaged to produce a composite waveform that will have a lesser random noise component than any single sampled waveform . the number of repetitions necessary to sufficiently reduce noise can be determined by testing in a fashion known to one skilled in the art . having thus reviewed the internal operation of the densitometer of fig1 - 4 , it is now possible to understand the methods of use of the densitometer to measure the physical properties of the member . the first method of use involves measuring transit time of an ultrasonic pulse through a subject and comparing that time to the time an ultrasonic pulse requires to travel an equal distance in a substance of known acoustic properties such as water . to use the densitometer in this procedure , the adjustable arm 16 is adjusted until the member of the subject , such as the heel , is clamped between the transducers 21 . then the knob 19 is tightened to fix the adjustable arm in place . the actuator button 12 is then pressed to initiate a pulse and measurement . next the densitometer is removed from the subject while keeping the knob 19 tight so that the distance between the transducers 21 remains the same . the device 10 is then placed about or immersed in a standard material 32 with known acoustic properties , such as by immersion in a bath of distilled water . the actuator button 12 is pressed again so that acoustic signals are transmitted from the transmit transducer 21 through the material 32 to the receive transducer 21 . while it is advantageous to utilize the whole array of elements a through l for the measurement of the member , it may only be necessary to use a single pair of elements for the measurement through the standard assuming only that the standard is homogeneous , unlike the member . the signal profiles received by the two measurements are then analyzed by the microprocessor 38 and the signal processor 41 . this analysis can be directed both to the comparative time of transit of the pulse through the subject as compared to the standard and to the characteristics of the waveform in frequency response and attenuation through the subject as compared to the standard . thus in this method the densitometer may determine the physical properties and integrity of the member 32 by both or either of two forms of analysis . the densitometer may compare the transit time of the acoustic signals through the member with the transmit time of the acoustic signals through the material of known acoustic properties , and / or the device 10 may compare the attenuation as a function of frequency of the broadband acoustic signals through the member 32 with the absolute attenuation of corresponding specific frequency components of the acoustic signals through the material of known acoustic properties . the &# 34 ; attenuation &# 34 ; of an acoustic signal through a substance is the diminution of the ultrasonic waveform from the propagation through either the subject or the standard . the theory and experiments using both of these methods are presented and discussed in rossman , p . j ., measurements of ultrasonic velocity and attenuation in the human os calcis and their relationships to photon absorptiometry bone mineral measurements ( 1987 ) ( a thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of master of science at the university of wisconsin - madison ). tests have indicated that there exists a linear relationship between ultrasonic attenuation ( measured in decibels ) ( db )) at specific frequencies , and those frequencies . the slope ( db / mhz ) of the linear relationship , referred to as the broadband ultrasonic attenuation , is dependent upon the physical properties and integrity of the substance being tested . with a bone , the slope of the linear relationship would be dependent upon the bone mineral density . thus broadband ultrasonic attenuation through a bone is a parameter directly related to the quality of the cancellous bone matrix . the microprocessor 38 may therefore be programmed so that the device determines the physical properties and integrity of the member by comparing either relative transit times and / or relative broadband ultrasonic attenuation through the member and a material of known acoustic properties . when comparing the transit times , the microprocessor 38 may be programmed most simply so that the electronics , having received the acoustic signals after they have been transmitted through the member , determines the &# 34 ; member &# 34 ; transit time of those acoustic signals through the member , and after the acoustic signals have been transmitted through the material of known acoustic properties , determines the &# 34 ; material &# 34 ; transit time of the acoustic signals through the material . these time periods may be measured most simply by counting the number of clock pulses of known frequency emitted by the timer 43 between the time of launching the pulse and the sensing of the received pulse at the a / d converter 42 . the microprocessor 38 then makes a mathematical &# 34 ; time &# 34 ; comparison of the member transit time to the material transit time and then relates that mathematical time comparison to the physical properties and integrity of the member . the mathematical time comparison may be made by either determining a difference between the member transit time and the material transit time , or by determining a ratio between the member transit time and the material transit time . as a second method of using the densitometer , it may also determine the physical properties and integrity of the member 32 by determining and comparing the absolute attenuation of the broadband frequency components of the acoustic signals through the member without reference to a material having known acoustic properties . using this method , the comparison of velocity to a standard is not necessary and absolute transit time of the pulse need not be calculated since it is attenuation that is measured . in such a mode , it is preferable that the transmit transducer 21 transmits an acoustic signal which has a broad range of frequency components , such as a simple ultrasonic pulse . in any case , the acoustic signal should have at least one specific frequency component . in this attenuation comparison mode , the microprocessor 38 is programmed so that after the receive transducer 21 receives the acoustic signals transmitted through the bone member 32 , it determines the absolute attenuation through the member 32 of the frequency component spectrum of the acoustic signals . it is to facilitate the measurement of attenuation that the excitation amplifier circuit 55 and the receiver amplifier 59 have amplification levels which may be digitally controlled . by successively varying the gain of the amplifiers 55 and 59 on successive pulses , the circuit of fig4 can determine what level of gain is necessary to place the peak of the received waveform at a proper voltage level . this gain is , of course , a function of the level of attenuation of the acoustic pulse during transit through the member 32 . after the receive transducer 21 receives acoustic signals , microprocessor 38 in conjunction with the signal processor 41 determines the absolute attenuation of individual specific frequency components of the received acoustic signal transmitted through the material . the digital signal processor 41 then makes mathematical &# 34 ; attenuation &# 34 ; comparisons of the corresponding individual specific frequency components through the member . a set of mathematical attenuation comparisons between corresponding frequency components may be thereby obtained , one comparison for each frequency component compared . the manner in which the attenuation functions with respect to frequency can thus be derived . the microprocessor 38 and digital signal processor 41 then relate that function to the physical properties and integrity of the member . shown in fig7 is a sample broadband ultrasonic pulse and a typical received waveform . to achieve an ultrasonic signal that is very broad in the frequency domain , i . e ., a broadband transmitted signal , an electronic pulse such as indicated at 70 is applied to the selected ultrasonic transducer in the transmit array 21 which then resonates with a broadband ultrasonic emission . the received signal , such as indicated at 72 in fig7 in a time domain signal plot , is then processed by discrete fourier transform analysis so that it is converted to the frequency domain . shown in fig8 is a pair of plots of sample received signals , in frequency domain plots , showing the shift in received signal intensity as a function of frequency between a reference object and a plug of neoprene placed in the instrument . fig9 illustrates a similar comparison , with fig8 using relative attenuation in the vertical dimension and fig9 using absolute power of the received signal using a similar reference material . both representations illustrate the difference in relative intensities as a function of frequency illustrating how broadband ultrasonic attenuation varies from object to object . the actual value calculated , broadband ultrasonic attenuation , is calculated by first comparing the received signal against the reference signal , then performing the discrete fourier transform to convert to frequency domain , then performing a linear regression of the difference in attenuation slope to derive broadband ultrasonic attenuation . the mathematics of the discrete fourier transform are such that another parameter related to bone member density may be calculated in addition to , or in substitution for , broadband attenuation ( sometimes referred to as &# 34 ; attenuation &# 34 ; below ). when the discrete fourier transform is performed on the time - domain signal , the solution for each point includes a real member component and an imaginary member component . the values graphed in fig8 and 9 are the amplitude of the received pulse as determined from this discrete fourier transform by taking the square root of the sum of the squares of the real component and the imaginary component . the phase angle of the change in phase of the ultrasonic pulse as it passed through the member can be calculated by taking the arctangent of the ratio of the imaginary to the real components . this phase angle value is also calculated to bone member density . the microprocessor 38 may also be programmed so that the densitometer simultaneously performs both functions , i . e . determines both transit time and absolute attenuation of the transmitted acoustic signals , first through the member and then through the material with known acoustic properties . the densitometer may then both derive the broadband ultrasonic attenuation function and make a mathematical time comparison of the member transit time to the material transit time . the microprocessor 38 and digital signal processor 41 then relate both the time comparison along with the attenuation function to the physical properties and integrity , or density of the member 32 . in yet another possible mode of operation the microprocessor 38 may be programmed so that the densitometer 10 operates in a mode whereby the need for calculating either the relative transit time or the attenuation of the acoustic signals through a material of known acoustic properties is eliminated . in order to operate in such a mode , the microprocessor 38 would include a database of normal absolute transit times which are based upon such factors as the age , height , weight , race or the sex of the individual being tested as well as the distance between the transducers or the thickness or size of the member . this database of normal transit times can be stored in the nonvolatile memory or could be stored in other media . when testing an individual in this mode , the relevant factors for the individual are placed into the microprocessor 38 to select the pertinent normal transit time based on those factors . the transducers 21 are placed on the bone member being tested as described above . when the actuator button 12 is pressed , the acoustic signals are transmitted through the member 32 . the receive transducer 21 receives those signals after they have been transmitted through the member , and the electronics 31 then determine the &# 34 ; member &# 34 ; transit time of the acoustic signals through the member . the microprocessor 38 and digital signal processor 41 then make a mathematical comparison of the measured member transit time to the selected database normal transit time , and relate the mathematical time comparison to the physical properties and integrity , or density of the member , which is displayed . as an alternative output of the densitometer of the present invention , the digital display 18 could also include a display corresponding to the pattern of the array of elements on the face of the transducer 21 as seen in fig3 . this display could then display , for each element a through l , a gray scale image proportional to the parameter , i . e . transit time or attenuation , being measured . this image may provide a visual indication to an experienced clinician as to the physical properties of the member present in the patient . shown in fig6 is a circuit schematic for an alternative embodiment of an ultrasonic densitometer constructed in accordance with the present invention . in the circuit of fig6 parts having similar structure and function to their corresponding parts in fig4 are indicated with similar reference numerals . the embodiment of fig6 is intended to function with only a single transducer array 21 which functions both as the transmit and the receive transducer array . an optional reflecting surface 64 may be placed on the opposite side of the member 32 from the transducer array 21 . a digitally controlled multiple pole switch 66 , preferably an electronic switch rather than a physical one , connects the input to and output from the elements of the transducer array 21 selectively either to the excitation amplifier 55 or to the controllable gain receiver / amplifier circuit 59 . the switch 66 is connected by a switch control line 68 to an output of the microprocessor 38 . in the operation of the circuit of fig6 it functions in most respects like the circuit of fig4 so only the differences need be discussed . during the launching of an ultrasonic pulse , the microprocessor 38 causes a signal to appear on the switch control line 68 to cause the switch 66 to connect the output of the excitation amplifier 55 to the selected element in the transducer array 21 . following completion of the launching of the pulse , the microprocessor 38 changes the signal on the switch control line 68 to operate the switch 56 to connect the selected element or elements as an input to the amplifier 59 . meanwhile , the pulse propagates through the member 32 . as the pulse transits through the member , reflective pulses will be generated as the pulse crosses interfaces of differing materials in the member and , in particular , as the pulse exits the member into the air at the opposite side of the member . if the transition from the member to air does not produce a sufficient reflective pulse , the reflecting surface 64 can be placed against the opposite side of the member to provide an enhanced reflected pulse . the embodiment of fig6 can thus be used to analyze the physical properties and integrity of a member using only one transducer 21 . all of the methods described above for such measurements may be used equally effectively with this version of the device . the transit time of the pulse through the member can be measured simply by measuring the time period until receipt of the reflected pulse , and then simply dividing by two . this time period can be compared to the transit time , over a similar distance , through a standard medium such as water . the time period for receipt of the reflected pulse could also be simply compared to standard values for age , sex , etc . attenuation measurements to detect differential frequency measurement can be directly made on the reflected pulse . if no reflecting surface 64 is used , and it is desired to determine absolute transit time , the thickness of the member or sample can be measured . the use of the multi - element ultrasonic transducer array for the transducers 21 , as illustrated in fig3 enables another advantageous feature of the instrument of fig1 - 9 . using prior art densitometers it was often necessary to precisely position the instrument relative to the body member of the patient being measured to have useful results . the difficulty arises because of heterogeneities in the bone mass and structure of actual body members . a measurement taken at one location of density may be significantly different from a measurement taken close by . therefore prior art instruments fixed the body member precisely so that the measurement could be taken at the precise location each time . the use of the ultrasonic transducer array obviates the need for this precise positioning . using the instrument of fig1 - 9 , the instrument performs a pulse and response , performs the discrete fourier transform , and generates a value for bone ultrasonic attenuation for each pair of transducer elements a through l . then the microprocessor 38 analyzes the resulting array of bone ultrasonic density measurements to reproducibly identify the same region of interest each time . in other words , since the physical array of transducers is large enough to reliably cover at least the one common region of interest each time , the measurement is localized at the same locus each time by electrically selecting the proper location for the measurement from among the locations measured by the array . the instrument of fig1 - 9 is conveniently used by measuring the density of the os calcis as measured through the heel of a human patient . when used in this location , it has been found that a region of interest in the os calcis can be located reliably and repeatedly based on the comparisons of bone ultrasonic attenuation at the points in the array . the region of interest in the os calcis is identified as a local or relative minimum in bone ultrasonic attenuation and / or velocity closely adjacent the region of highest attenuation values in the body member . thus repetitive measurements of the bone ultrasonic attenuation value at this same region of interest can be reproducibly taken even though the densitometer instrument 10 is only generally positioned at the same location for each successive measurement . this technique of using a multiple element array to avoid position criticality is applicable to other techniques other than the determination of broadband ultrasonic attenuation as described here . the concept of using an array and comparing the array of results to determine measurement locus would be equally applicable to measurements taken of member - density based on speed of sound transit time , other measurements of attenuation or on the calculation of phase angle discussed above . the use of such a multiple - element array , with automated selection of one element in the region of interest , can also be applied to other measurement techniques useful for generating parameters related to bone member density , such as measuring speed changes in the transmitted pulse such as suggested in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 361 , 154 to pratt , or measuring the frequency of a &# 34 ; sing - around &# 34 ; self - triggering pulse as suggested in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 847 , 141 to hoop . the concept which permits the position independence feature is that of an array of measurements generating an array of data points from which a region of interest is selected by a reproducible criterion or several criteria . the number of elements in the array also clearly can be varied with a larger number of elements resulting in a greater accuracy in identifying the same region of interest ,. in this way , the ultrasound densitometer of the present invention provides a device capable of rapid and efficient determination of the physical properties of a member in vivo without the use of radiation . because the densitometer is constructed to operate under the control of the microprocessor 38 , it can be programmed to operate in one of several modes , as discussed above . this allows both for flexibility to clinical goals as well as efficient use of the device . shown in fig1 is another variation on an ultrasonic densitometer constructed in accordance with the present invention . in the densitometer 100 of fig1 , there are two ultrasonic transducer arrays 121 , which are generally similar to the ultrasonic transducer arrays 21 of the embodiment of fig1 except that the transducer arrays 21 are fixed in position rather than movable . the densitometer 100 includes a generally box - shaped mounting case 101 with sloping upper face 102 in which is formed a basin 103 . the basin 103 is sized to receive a human foot and is generally trigonous along a vertical plane aligned with the length of the foot so that when the foot is placed within the basin 103 , the toes of the foot are slightly elevated with respect to the heel of the foot . the transducer arrays 121 are positioned in the case 101 so that they extend into the basin 103 to be on opposite sides of the heel of the foot placed in the basin 103 . when the foot is in position within the basin 103 , the sole of the foot may rest directly on a bottom 104 of the basin 103 with the heel of the foot received within a curved pocket 106 forming a back wall of the basin 103 . as so positioned , the transducer arrays 121 are on either side of the os calcis . it has been demonstrated that placing the transducer approximately 4 centimeters up from the sole and 3 . 5 centimeters forwardly from the rearward edge of the heel places the transducers in the desired region and focused on the os calcis . the foot may , alternatively , rest on a generally planar foot plate 108 having a contour conforming to the bottom 104 and placed against the bottom 104 between the foot and the bottom 104 . the foot plate 108 holds an upwardly extending toe peg 110 for use in reducing motion of the foot during the measurement process . referring to fig1 , the toe peg 110 is sized to fit between the big toe and the next adjacent toe of a typical human foot and is mounted in a slot 112 so as to be adjustable generally along the length of the foot to accommodate the particular length of the foot . the slot 112 cants inward toward a medial axis 114 of the foot , defined along the foot &# 39 ; s length , as one moves along the slot 112 towards the portion of the foot plate 108 near the heel of the foot . this canting reflects the general relation between foot length and width and allows simple adjustment for both dimensions at once . the toe peg 110 is sized to fit loosely between the toes of the foot without discomfort and does not completely prevent voluntary movement of the foot . nevertheless , it has been found that the tactile feedback to the patient provided by the toe peg 110 significantly reduces foot movement during operation of the densitometer 100 . two different foot plates 108 , being mirror images of each other , are used for the left and right foot . referring to fig1 , the toe peg 110 is held to the slot 112 by a fastener 111 having a threaded portion which engages corresponding threads in the toe peg 110 . the head of the threaded fastener 111 engages the slot 112 so as to resist rotation . thus , the toe peg 110 may be fixed at any position along the length of the slot 112 by simply turning the toe peg 110 slightly about its axis to tighten the threaded fastener 111 against the foot plate 108 . referring again to fig1 , the basin 103 of the densitometer 110 is flanked , on the upper face 102 of the enclosure 101 , by two foot rest areas 116 and 118 on the left and right side respectively . for examination of a patient &# 39 ; s right foot , the patient &# 39 ; s left foot may rest on foot rest area 118 while the patient &# 39 ; s right foot may be placed within basin 103 . conversely , for examination of the patient &# 39 ; s left foot , the left foot of the patient is placed within basin 103 and the patient &# 39 ; s right foot may rest on foot rest area 116 . the foot rest areas have a slope conforming to that of the upper face 102 and approximately that of bottom 104 . the flanking foot rest areas 116 and 118 allow the densitometer 100 to be used in comfort by a seated patient . when the densitometer 100 is not in use , the basin area 103 is covered with a generally planar cover 120 hinged along the lower edge of the basin 103 to move between a closed position substantially within the plane of the upper face 102 and covering the basin 103 , and an open position with the plane of the cover 120 forming an angle α with the bottom 104 of the basin 103 as held by hinge stops 122 . the angle α is approximately 90 ° and selected so as to comfortably support the calf of the patient when the patient &# 39 ; s foot is in place within basin 103 . to that end , the upper surface of the cover 120 , when the cover 120 is in the open position , forms a curved trough to receive a typical calf . the support of the patient &# 39 ; s calf provided by the cover 120 has been found to reduce foot motion and enhance patient comfort during operation of the densitometer 100 . referring now to fig1 and 12 , because the densitometer 100 employs fixed transducers 121 , a coupling liquid is provided in the basin 103 to provide a low loss path for acoustic energy between the transducers 121 and the patient &# 39 ; s foot regardless of the dimensions of the latter . the coupling liquid is preferably water plus a surfactant , the latter which has been found to improve the signal quality and consistency of the reading of the densitometer . the surfactant may be , for example , a commercially available detergent . it will be recognized , however , that other flowable , acoustically conductive media may be used to provide acoustic coupling , and hence , that the term &# 34 ; coupling liquid &# 34 ; should be considered to embrace materials having a viscosity higher than that of water such as , for example , water based slurries and thixotropic gels . for reasons of : hygiene , the exhaustion of the surfactant , and possible reduction of signal quality with the collection of impurities in the coupling liquid , it has been determined that the liquid in the basin 103 should be changed in between each use of the densitometer 103 . changing this liquid is time consuming and ordinarily would require convenient access to a sink or the like , access which is not always available . failure to change the liquid may have no immediate visible effect , and hence changing the liquid is easy to forget or delay . for this reason the present embodiment employs an automated liquid handling system linked to the ultrasonic measurement operation through circuitry controlled by microprocessor 38 to be described . referring to fig1 , in the present embodiment , premixed water and surfactant for filling the basin 103 are contained in a removable polypropylene supply tank 124 , whereas exhausted water and surfactant from the basin 103 are received by a similar drain tank 126 . each tank 124 and 126 contains a manual valve 128 which is opened when the tanks are installed in the densitometer 100 and closed for transporting the tanks to a remote water supply or drain . the supply tank 124 and the drain tank 126 have vents 150 , at their upper edges as they are normally positioned , to allow air to be drawn into or expelled from the interior of the tanks 124 and 126 when they are in their normal position within the densitometer 100 and valves 128 are open . the tanks 124 and 126 hold sufficient water for approximately a day &# 39 ; s use of the densitometer 100 and thus eliminate the need for convenient access to plumbing . the valve 128 of the supply tank 124 connects the tank through flexible tubing to a pump 130 which may pump liquid from the supply tank 124 to a heating chamber 132 . referring to fig1 , the heating chamber 132 incorporates a resistive heating element 164 which is supplied with electrical current through a thermal protection module in thermal contact with the coupling liquid in the heating chamber 132 . the thermal protection module 166 includes a thermistor and a thermal fuse , as will be described below . a thermistor 168 , also in thermal communication with the liquid in the heating chamber , provides a measure of the liquid &# 39 ; s temperature during operation of the densitometer 100 . the heater chamber 132 additionally incorporates an optical level sensor 172 . the level sensor 172 detects the level of liquid in the heating chamber 132 by monitoring changes in the optical properties of a prism system when the prism is immersed in liquid as opposed to being surrounded by air . the operation of the thermistor 168 and the level sensor 172 will be described further below . referring again to fig1 , the heating chamber 132 communicates through an overflow port 134 and flexible tubing to an overflow drain outlet 136 . the overflow outlet 136 is positioned at the bottom of the densitometer 100 removed from its internal electronics . the overflow port 134 is positioned above the normal fill height of the heating chamber 132 as will be described in detail below . the heating chamber 132 also communicates , through its lowermost point , with an electrically actuated fill valve 138 which provides a path , through flexible tubing , to a fill port 140 positioned in wall of basin 103 . in the opposite wall of the basin 103 is an overflow port 142 which opens into the basin 103 at a point above the normal fill height of the basin 103 and which further communicates , through a t - connector 144 , to the drain tank 126 . a drain 146 , in the bottom 104 of the basin 103 , provides a path to an electronically actuated drain valve 148 . the drain valve 148 operates to allow liquid in the basin 103 to flow through the drain 146 to the t - connector 144 and into the drain tank 126 . the overflow port 142 and drain 146 incorporate screens 152 to prevent debris from clogging the tubing or the drain valve 148 communicating with the drain tank 126 . referring now to fig1 and 13 , the supply tank 124 and the drain tank 126 are positioned within the case 101 of the densitometer 100 and located at a height with respect to the basin 103 so that liquid will drain from the basin 103 into the drain tank 126 solely under the influence of gravity and so that gravity alone is not sufficient to fill the basin 103 from supply tank 124 when fill valve 138 is open . further , the heating chamber 132 is positioned above the basin 103 so that once the heating chamber 132 is filled with liquid by pump 130 , the filling of the basin 103 from the heating chamber 132 may be done solely by the influence of gravity . accordingly , the operation of the densitometer in filling and emptying the basin 103 is simple and extremely quiet . in those situations where plumbing is readily accessible , either or both of the supply and drain tanks 124 and 126 may be bypassed and direct connections made to existing drains or supply lines . specifically , the pump 130 may be replaced with a valve ( not shown ) connecting the heating chamber 132 to the water supply line . conversely , the connection between the t - connector 144 and the drain tank 126 may re - routed to connect the t - connector 144 directly to a drain . even with the constant refreshing of the coupling liquid in the basin 103 , by the liquid handling system of the present invent [ on , the liquid contacting surfaces of the basin 103 , the heating chamber 132 , the valves 138 and 148 , and the connecting tubing are susceptible to bacterial colonization and to encrustation by minerals . the coatings of colonization or encrustation are potentially unhygienic and unattractive . sufficient build - up of minerals or bacteria may also adversely affect the operation of the densitometer 100 either by restricting liquid flow through the tubing , by interfering with the operation of the valves 138 or 148 , or by adversely affecting the acoustical properties of the transducer array 121 . for this reason , the densitometer 100 is desirably periodically flushed with an antibacterial solution and a weak acid , the latter to remove mineral build - up . these measures are not always effective or may be forgotten , and hence , in the present invention critical water contacting surfaces are treated with a superficial antibacterial material which is also resistant to mineral encrustation . the preferred treatment is the spi - argent ™ surface treatment offered by the spire corporation of bedford massachusetts which consists of an ion beam assisted deposition of silver into the treated surfaces . the resulting thin film is bactericidal , fungistatic , biocompatible , and mineral resistant . the properties of being both bactericidal and fungistatic are generally termed infection resistant . this surface treatment is applied to the water contacting surfaces of the basin 103 , the heating chamber 132 and the critical moving components of the valves 138 and 148 . referring now to fig1 , the general arrangement of the electrical components of fig4 is unchanged in the ultrasonic densitometer 100 of fig1 except for the addition of i / o circuitry and circuitry to control the pump 130 , valves 138 and 148 , and heating chamber 132 of the liquid handling system . in particular , microprocessor 38 now communicates through bus 40 with an i / o module 174 , a pump / valve control circuit 160 and a heater control circuit 162 . i / o module 174 provides the ability to connect a standard video display terminal or personal computer to the densitometer 100 for display of information to the user or for subsequent post processing of the data acquired by the densitometer and thus allows an alternative to microprocessor 38 and display 18 for processing and displaying the acquired ultrasound propagation data . the pump / valve control circuit 160 provides electrical signals to the fill valve 138 and the drain valve 148 for opening or closing each valve under the control of the microprocessor 38 . the pump / valve control circuit 160 also provides an electrical signal to the pump 130 to cause the pump to begin pumping water and surfactant from the supply tank 124 under the control of microprocessor 38 , and receives the signal from the level sensor 172 in the heating chamber 132 to aid in the control of the pump 130 and valve 138 . the heater control circuit 162 controls the current received by the resistive heating element 164 and also receives the signal from a thermistor 168 in thermal contact with the heating chamber 132 . a second thermistor 170 , positioned in basin 103 to be thermal contact with the liquid in that basin 103 , is also received by the heater control circuit 162 . referring now to fig1 and 14 , during operation of the densitometer 100 and prior to the first patient , the basin 103 will be empty , the supply tank 124 will be filled and contain a known volume of water and surfactant , and the drain tanks 126 will be empty . both manual valves 128 will be open to allow flow into or out of the respective tanks 124 and 126 and the electrically actuated fill valve 138 and drain valve 148 will be closed . under control of microprocessor 38 , the pump / valve control circuit 160 provides current to the pump 130 which pumps water and surfactant upward into heating chamber 132 until a signal is received from level sensor 172 . when the heating chamber 132 is filled to the proper level as indicated by level sensor 172 , the signal from level sensor 172 to pump / valve control circuit 160 causes the pump 130 to be turned off . at this time , a predetermined volume of liquid is contained in heating chamber 132 which translates to the proper volume needed to fill basin 103 for measurement . under command of microprocessor 38 , the heater control circuit 162 provides a current through thermal protection module 166 to resistive heating element 164 . the temperature of the liquid in the heating chamber 132 is monitored by thermistor 168 and heating continues until the liquid is brought to a temperature of approximately 39 ° c . the thermistor and a thermal fuse ( not shown ) of the thermal protection module 166 provide additional protection against overheating of the liquid . the thermistor opens at 50 ° c . and resets automatically as it cools and the thermal fuse opens at 66 ° c . but does not reset and must be replaced . the opening of either the thermistor or the thermal fuse interrupts current to the resistive heating element 164 . when the liquid in the heating chamber 132 is brought to the correct temperature , fill valve 138 is opened by microprocessor 38 , through pump / valve control circuit 160 , and liquid flows under the influence of gravity into the basin 103 at the proper temperature . the control of the temperature of the liquid serves to insure the comfort of the patient whose foot may be in the basin 103 and to decrease any temperature effects on the sound transmission of the water and surfactant . once the heated liquid has been transferred from the heating chamber 132 to the basin 103 , the fill valve 138 is closed and the pump 130 is reactivated to refill the heating chamber 132 . thus , fresh liquid for the next measurement may be heated during the present measurement to eliminate any waiting between subsequent measurements . with liquid in place within the basin 103 , the measurement of the os calcis by the densitometer 100 may begin . in this respect , the operation of the ultrasonic densitometer of fig1 is similar to that of the embodiment of fig1 except that the order of pulsing and measurement can be varied . in the apparatus of fig1 the measurement pulse through the member was generally performed before the reference pulse through homogenous standard , i . e . water . in the densitometer 100 of fig1 , since the distance between the transducers 121 is fixed , the reference pulse through the homogenous standard material , which is simply the liquid in basin 103 , may be conducted before or after a measurement pulse through a live member is performed . in fact , because the temperature of the liquid in the basin 103 is held steady by the temperature control mechanism as described , the standard transmit time measurement can be made once for the instrument and thereafter only measurement pulses need be transmitted . preferably , the standard transit time measurement is stored as a number in the memory of microprocessor 38 during the initial calibration of the unit at the place of manufacture or during subsequent recalibrations . during the calibration of the densitometer 100 , the signal from the thermistor 170 is used to produce a transit time corrected for the temperature of the liquid according to well known functional relations linking the speed of sound in water to water temperature . it is this corrected transit time that is stored in the memory associated with microprocessor 38 as a stored standard reference . the transit time of the measurement pulses is compared to the stored standard reference transit times through the coupling liquid to give an indication of the integrity of the member just measured . thus , one may dispense with the reference pulse entirely . empirical tests have determined that by proper selection of a standard reference value stored in the memory of microprocessor 38 and by holding the liquid in the basin within a temperature range as provided by the heating chamber 132 , no reference pulse need be launched or measured . using this variation , a mathematical comparison of the measured transit time , or transit velocity , must be made to the standard . since , in the interests of accuracy , it is preferred to use both changes in transit time ( velocity ) and changes in attenuation to evaluate a member in vivo , the following formula has been developed to provide a numerical value indicative of the integrity and mineral density of a bone : in this formula , &# 34 ; sos &# 34 ; indicates the speed of sound , or velocity , of the measurement ultrasonic pulse through the member , and is expressed in meters per second . the speed of sound ( sos ) value is calculated from the measured transit time by dividing a standard value for the member width by the actual transit time measured . for an adult human heel , it has been found that assuming a standard human heel width of 40 mm at the point of measurement results in such sufficient and reproducible accuracy that actual measurement of the actual individual heel is not needed . in the above formula , &# 34 ; t &# 34 ; represents a standard minimum value . two alternative values are possible . one alternative is to set t to the speed of sound value for water , i . e . the reference pulse velocity . this value is about 1500 m / sec for water at 28 ° c . the principal drawback to this approach is that it has been found , surprisingly , that some people actually have a density value in their heel that is below that of water . for such persons , using the standard water velocity would make the bone integrity value a negative number . therefore , another alternative is to use the lowest measure human value as t , which in the experience of the investigators here to date is 1475 m / sec . lastly in the above formula , bua is broadband ultrasonic attenuation , as described in greater detail above . the division of 1000 merely scales the influence of the bua measurement relative to the sos measurement , which has been determined to be a more effective predictor of bone density . measured values of sos range between 1475 and 1650 m / sec . measured values of bua range between 30 and 100 db / mhz . using a t = 1475 , these ranges yield values ranging from very small , i . e . 18 , up to relatively large , i . e . around 3000 . thus the bone integrity values obtained exhibit a wide range and are readily comprehensible . it has been determined , again by clinical testing , that persons with a bone integrity value of less than 200 have low spinal bone mineral density , that those in the range of 200 - 400 have marginal spinal bone mineral density , and that those having bone integrity values of over 400 have acceptable and high levels of spinal bone mineral density . to verify the accuracy of this approach in predicting spinal bone density , patients were tested using the apparatus of fig1 and also with a dual photon absorptiometry densitometer of accepted standard design . the results of using the ultrasonic densitometer of fig1 have demonstrated that the speed of sound measurement made using this device had a correlation in excess of 0 . 95 with the measured values of spinal bone density , indicating very good consistency with accepted techniques . however , an occasional patient was tested who exhibited an sos value in the normal range , but who exhibited a bua value indicating very poor bone integrity . accordingly , the bone integrity value was developed to accommodate such deviant results . the value is weighted toward sos , since that is the principally used reliable predictor value , with a secondary factor including bua to include such individuals . in fact , the power of the sos factor may also be increased to the third or fourth power , as opposed to merely the second power , to increase the importance of the sos term . since this method utilizing ultrasonic measurement of the heel is quick and free from radiation , it offers a promising alternative for evaluation of bone integrity . the densitometer 100 may be used with or without an array of ultrasonic transducers in the transducers 121 . in its simplest form the mechanical alignment of the heel in the device can be provided by the shape and size of the basin 103 . while the use of an array , and region - of - interest scanning as described above , is most helpful in ensuring a reproducible and accurate measurement , mechanical placement may be acceptable for clinical utility , in which case only single transducer elements are required . upon completion of the measurement , the drain valve 148 is opened by microprocessor 38 , through pump / valve control circuitry 160 , and the liquid in the basin 103 is drained through &# 34 ; t &# 34 ; 144 to the drain tank 126 . at the beginning of the next measurement , the drain valve 148 is closed and liquid is again transferred from the heating chamber 132 as has been described . with repeated fillings and drainings of the basin 103 , the level of liquid in the fill tank 124 decreases with a corresponding increase in the level of the liquid in the drain tank 126 . the height of the liquid in each tank 124 and 126 may be tracked or the relative level sensed by a conventional level sensor such as a mechanical float or a capacitive type level sensor . preferably no additional level sensor is employed . the volume of liquid for each use of the densitometer 100 is known and defined by the fill level of the heating chamber 132 . the microprocessor 38 may therefore track the level of liquid remaining in the supply tank 124 by counting the number of times the basin 103 is filled to provide a signal to the user , via the display 18 or a remote video display terminal ( not shown ), indicating that the tanks 124 and 125 need to be refilled and drained respectively . this signal to the user is based on the number of times the basin 103 is filled and a calculation of the relative volumes of the heating chamber 132 and supply tank 124 . after completion of the use of the densitometer 100 for a period of time , the densitometer may be stored . in a storage mode , after both the supply tank 124 and drain tank 126 have been manually emptied , the microprocessor 38 instructs the pump / valve control circuit 160 to open both the fill valve 138 and the drain valve 148 and to run the pump 130 . the drain valve 138 is opened slightly before the pump 130 is actuated to prevent the rush of air from causing liquid to flow out of the overflow port 134 . it is specifically intended that the present invention not be specifically limited to the embodiments and illustrations contained herein , but embrace all such modified forms thereof as come within the scope of the following claims . | 6 |
an embodiment 2 of the inventive apparatus is schematically depicted in fig1 . inventive apparatus 2 includes : a bioreactor 14 ; an aeration basin 26 ; a multimedia filter 40 ; a product water tank 52 ; and a backwash basin 58 . bioreactor 14 preferably comprises an open topped vessel 60 having a submerged , packing - type media bed 18 provided therein . bacteria effective for biological denitrification are attached to and supported on media 18 . a flow - through grate 20 is fixed in vessel 60 on top of media bed 18 to hold the media in place and prevent the media from flowing out of bioreactor 14 . a source water stream to be treated in inventive apparatus 2 is delivered to bioreactor 14 via conduit 4 . as used herein , the term &# 34 ; conduit &# 34 ; refers to piping or to any other conduit - type structure suitable for conveying process streams of the type encountered in the inventive process . disposed in conduit 4 are : an oxygen scavenger injection point 6 ; a carbon nutrient injection point 8 located downstream of scavenger injection point 6 ; a biostimulant injection point 10 located downstream of nutrient injection point 8 ; and an in - line static mixer 12 located downstream of biostimulant injection point 10 . the oxygen scavenger is delivered by pump 64 from vessel 62 to injection point 6 via conduit 66 . if necessary , the oxygen scavenger can be diluted in vessel 62 with a sufficient amount of potable water to provide a pumpable slurry . it is preferred that , upon injection of the oxygen scavenger , carbon nutrient source , and biostimulant , the source water stream be delivered directly to bioreactor 14 so that most ( preferably substantially all ) of the oxygen scavenger reacts within the lower portion 68 of reactor bed 18 . the oxygen scavenger thus works with the bacteria contained in lower bed portion 68 to remove most ( preferably substantially all ) of the dissolved oxygen contained in the source water stream . consequently , the oxygen requirements of the bacteria contained in the mid and upper portions 70 , 72 of reactor bed 18 must be met substantially entirely by the biological breakdown of nitrate and / or nitrite contaminants contained in the source water stream . since the oxygen scavenger removes dissolved free oxygen which would otherwise have to be biologically removed in reactor 18 , the use of an oxygen scavenger reduces the amount of carbon nutrient required for completion of the denitrification process and also reduces the required size of bed 18 and of bioreactor vessel 60 . lower portion 68 of reactor bed 18 preferably comprises in the range of from about 20 % to about 35 % of the total volume of reactor bed 18 . in an alternative embodiment , a holding tank ( not shown ) could be provided upstream of reactor 14 to ensure that substantially all of the oxygen scavenger reacts prior to reaching bioreactor 14 . however , allowing at least most of the oxygen scavenger to react within lower portion 68 of reactor bed 18 eliminates the need for a separate holding tank and , since the bacteria in lower bed portion 68 also operate to remove dissolved oxygen , reduces the amount of oxygen scavenger required to complete the deoxygenation process . a sufficient amount of carbon nutrient source is fed to the bioreactor bacteria to complete the biological denitrification process . the carbon nutrient source is delivered by pump 76 from vessel 74 to injection point 8 via conduit 78 . the biostimulant used in the inventive process is delivered by pump 82 from tank 80 to injection point 10 via conduit 84 . the biostimulant preferably increases the energy level of the reactor biomass and thereby enhances biomass enzyme production such that the biomass more readily metabolizes the injected carbon nutrient material . as a result of the increased metabolism rate , the reactor bacteria also consume oxygen at an increased rate such that the biological denitrification process is accelerated . by accelerating the rates at which organic metabolism and nitrogen reduction occur in reactor bed 18 , the use of a biostimulant provides numerous benefits . increasing the rate of nutrient consumption in reactor bed 18 helps to ensure that essentially all of the carbon nutrient material is completely metabolized . thus , process odor , product volatile organic carbon content , product trihalomethane content , chlorine disinfectant demand , and the amount of carbon nutrient required to achieve a given denitrification efficiency are all reduced . additionally , by increasing the efficiency of bioreactor 14 , the injection of a biostimulant desirably limits biomass growth in reactor bed 18 and thereby helps to prevent biomass plugging and sloughing problems . in - line static mixer 12 operates to thoroughly blend the oxygen scavenger , carbon nutrient material , and biostimulant with the source water stream . in order to prevent excessive biomass accumulation and growth in conduit 4 , carbon nutrient and biostimulant injection points 8 and 10 are preferably located only a very short distance upstream of bioreactor 14 . conduit 4 delivers the source water stream to a lateral distribution grid 16 positioned in bioreactor 14 beneath media bed 18 . the water exiting distribution grid 16 flows upward through media bed 18 . lateral distribution grid 16 is preferably composed of a plurality of horizontally extending polyvinyl chloride piping branches having holes or other fluid flow apertures provided along the tops thereof . grid 16 extends over substantially the entire horizontal cross section of bioreactor vessel 60 and preferably includes a sufficient number and arrangement of flow apertures to ensure that the source water stream is evenly delivered to the bottom of media bed 18 . the number and size of the flow apertures provided in grid 16 is preferably such that the water exits each aperture at a velocity in the range of from about 2 to about 5 feet per second . most preferably , water exits each aperture at a velocity of approximately 3 . 5 feet per second . the biological breakdown of nitrate and nitrite compounds in bioreactor 14 produces a nitrogen gas product . the source water stream preferably flows upward through reactor bed 18 at a rate sufficient to carry the resulting nitrogen gas bubbles to the top of bioreactor 14 . however , the source water stream also preferably travels through bed 18 slowly enough to prevent significant amounts of biomass from being removed from bed 18 and carried to the water surface . upon reaching the upper water surface , the nitrogen gas bubbles are simply released to the atmosphere through the open top of bioreactor 14 . biologically treated water is preferably removed from the upper portion of bioreactor 14 by means of a reactor effluent trough 22 of the type depicted in fig1 and 2 . effluent trough 22 includes an open topped flow channel having serrated upper interior and exterior side edges 88 . effluent trough 22 has an open center portion 9 and preferably has either a large , square shape or some other shape ( e . g ., a large circular ring shape ) whereby trough 22 draws treated water substantially evenly from the entire water surface . most preferably , effluent trough 22 is shaped and sized such that none of the surface water removed from bioreactor 14 must travel a distance greater than three feet to reach effluent trough 22 . drawing water evenly from the water surface in this manner helps prevent the development of short circuiting flowpaths through bioreactor bed 18 . water collected in reactor effluent trough 22 flows from bioreactor 14 by means of conduit 24 to the bottom of aeration basin 26 . at the same time , air blower 30 delivers air to the bottom of aeration basin 26 via conduit 32 and air diffuser 34 . blower 30 preferably delivers air to aeration basin 26 at a rate of approximately 1 . 5 standard cubic feet per gallon of water flow . the air is evenly distributed by diffuser 34 across the bottom of aeration basin 26 . the air stream flows upwardly at a rate substantially exceeding the upward flow velocity of the water so that the air intimately contacts and mixes with the water stream . aeration basin 26 is preferably sized to provide a water retention time of at least 15 ( preferably in range of from about 20 to about 30 ) minutes . the aeration process strips nitrogen and other dissolved gases from the water stream and replaces such gases with dissolved oxygen . the aeration process also oxidizes any residual organics and any unwanted inorganic compounds ( e . g ., iron and manganese ) contained in the water stream . aeration basin 26 preferably has an open top such that the air and stripped materials simply flow through the top of basin 26 and are released to the atmosphere . as will be understood by those skilled in the art , aeration systems of the type described herein are commonly employed in water treatment processes and are available from various commercial manufacturers . upon reaching the upper portion of aeration basin 26 , the water stream is drawn out of basin 26 by means of an effluent trough 28 . effluent trough 28 preferably comprises a structure , similar to reactor trough 22 , having an open top flow channel . the aerated water stream flows from aeration basin 26 to multimedia filter 40 via conduit 36 . as the aerated water stream flows through conduit 36 , chlorine can optionally be injected into the stream at pre - filter chlorination injection point 38 . chlorine is preferably intermittently injected at injection point 38 in an amount sufficient to prevent significant bacterial growth from occurring within multimedia filter 40 . liquid chlorine or a chlorine solution is delivered by pump 94 from tank 92 to injection point 38 via conduit 96 . alternatively , chlorine gas can be injected at point 38 using , for example , a standard vacuum regulator / injector system . the bed 42 of multimedia filter 40 preferably comprises : a top layer 98 comprised of granular , activated carbon ; an intermediate layer 100 comprised of silica sand ; and a bottom layer 102 comprised of garnet . in comparing the relative degrees of coarseness and the relative specific gravities of the three filter layers , top layer 98 has a high relative coarseness and a low relative specific gravity , intermediate layer 100 has an intermediate relative coarseness and an intermediate relative specific gravity , and bottom layer 102 has a low relative coarseness and a high relative specific gravity . as will be understood by those skilled in the art , a layered filter bed of this type allows longer runs between backwashings by ensuring that larger particulate materials are trapped in the upper portion of bed 42 while smaller particulates are trapped in the lower portion of bed 42 . in order to allow continuous operation of inventive system 2 , two or more parallel filters 40 can be provided such that when a given one of the individual filters is taken off - line for backwashing , the other filter ( s ) can remain in operation . multi - media filter systems of the type described herein are commonly employed in water treatment processes and are available from various commercial manufacturers . aerated water is delivered by conduit 36 to the upper portion of filter 40 and flows gravitationally downwardly through filter bed 42 . the water stream preferably flows downwardly through filter bed 42 at a rate in the range of from about 3 to about 4 gallons per minute per square foot of the horizontal cross - sectional area bed 42 . a water collector / backwash distributor 44 provided in the bottom of filter 40 collects the filtered water stream as it travels through bed 42 . various types of suitable collection / distribution systems are commercially available . example includes : false bottom underdrains ; porous plate underdrains ; lateral collection grids ; and tile underdrains . collection / distribution system 44 is preferably a lateral collection grid comprising perforated piping segments wrapped with a mesh screen . the mesh screen should be sized to allow free water flow into the grid while blocking the flow of filter media particles . filtered water received in collector / distributor 44 flows to product water tank 52 via conduit 46 . if the filtered water product is to be used for human consumption , the water product is preferably disinfected by injecting chlorine at chlorine injection point 50 . when chlorine is also injected at pre - filter chlorination point 38 , the amount of disinfectant chlorine required at injection point 50 is typically reduced . chlorine is delivered by pump 106 from tank 104 to injection point 50 via conduit 108 . alternatively , chlorine gas can be injected at point 50 using , for example , a standard vacuum regulator / injector system . product water tank 52 provides sufficient chlorine contacting time to ensure that the product water stream is adequately disinfected . tank 52 also preferably provides sufficient capacity to meet product water storage and filter backwashing needs . purified product water can be conducted by product pump 56 from tank 52 via conduit 54 . due to the collection of particulates in filter bed 42 , multimedia filter 40 must be periodically backwashed . the preferred backwashing procedure includes an air blowing step followed by a water backwashing step . a pressure sensor can be provided downstream of filter 40 such that , when the outlet pressure of filter 40 drops below a predetermined point , aerated water flow to filter 40 is shut off and the backwashing procedure automatically begins . the blowing stage of the backwashing procedure begins with the closing of filter inlet and outlet valves 110 and 112 and the opening of air valve 114 . air blower 118 is then operated to deliver air to the bottom of filter 40 via conduit 116 and collector / distributor 44 . air is preferably delivered to filter 40 at a rate effective for churning filter bed 42 sufficiently to free debris trapped in bed 42 . blower 118 is then shut off and blower valve 114 is closed . before beginning the water backwashing step , filter bed 42 is preferably allowed sufficient time to settle back into place . the water backwashing step begins with the opening of valve 120 disposed in backwash supply water conduit 122 and the opening of valve 124 disposed in backwash effluent conduit 126 . backwashing water is then delivered by pump 128 from product water tank 52 to collector / distributor 44 via conduit 122 . the backwash expels air trapped in filter bed 42 and expands filter bed 42 . preferably , an adequate amount of backwashing water is delivered to filter 40 such that the upward backwash flow through the filter media bed expands the bed volume sufficiently to allow particulate debris to be carried upward from all three layers of bed 42 . most preferably , a sufficient amount of backwashing water is delivered to filter 40 to provide an upward flow rate through filter bed 42 of approximately 15 gallons per minute per square foot of filter bed cross - sectional area . at this rate , the upward backwash flow expands the media bed volume by about 50 % the backwash water stream is collected in backwash effluent trough 130 provided above filter bed 42 . backwash effluent trough 130 can be constructed and configured in the same manner as aeration effluent trough 28 . backwash water collected in trough 130 flows via conduit 126 to backwash basin 58 . backwash basin 58 preferably includes a settling compartment 132 and a decanted water compartment 134 . a weir 136 separates compartment 134 from compartment 132 . backwash water is initially delivered to settling compartment 132 . sufficient capacity is provided in compartment 132 for solids to settle to the bottom of basin 58 . the backwash water then flows over weir 136 and into compartment 134 . if the decanted water received in compartment 134 has a high organic content , the water can be delivered by decant pump 138 via conduit 40 to reactor inlet conduit 4 . if , on the other hand , the decanted water has a low organic content , the decanted water can be delivered by pump 138 via conduits 140 and 142 to aeration basin inlet conduit 24 . when the flow of backwashing water to filter 40 is terminated , the differing relative specific gravities of the filter bed materials allow filter bed layers 98 , 100 , and 102 to settle back to their proper relative positions . the oxygen scavenger used in the present invention is preferably comprised of one or more sulfur - including compounds which will react with and thereby remove dissolved free oxygen contained in the source water stream . examples of suitable sulfur - including compounds include : sodium sulfite , sodium bisulfite , sodium thiosulfite , sodium metabisulfite , and sulfur dioxide . the oxygen scavenger used in the present invention is preferably comprised of one or more sulfite compounds selected from the group consisting of : sodium sulfite , sodium bisulfite , sodium thiosulfite , and sodium metabisulfite . the oxygen scavenger used in the present invention is most preferably sodium sulfite . preferably , a sufficient amount of oxygen scavenger is used to ensure that the deoxygenation process is substantially completed in the lower portion 68 of bioreactor bed 18 . oxygen scavenger is most preferably added to the source water stream in an amount in the range of from about 1 . 5 to about 4 . 5 parts per part of dissolve free oxygen . the oxygen scavengers used in the present invention react with dissolved free oxygen contained in the source water stream to form sulfates . such sulfates substantially remain in the water stream but are produced in such minute quantities that their presence is not significant . further , any excess oxygen scavenger added to the source water stream forms a precipitate which is removed by filter 40 . examples of denitrification bacteria suitable for use in the present invention are disclosed in u . s . pat . nos . 4 , 756 , 831 , 4 , 970 , 000 , and 5 , 211 , 847 . the entire disclosure of each of these references is incorporated herein by reference . the denitrification bacteria used in the present invention is / are preferably naturally occurring , soil - dwelling bacteria . examples of suitable soil - dwelling bacteria include : thiobacillus denitrificans , micrococcus denitrificans , and various species of serratia pseudomonas and achromabacter . such naturally occurring bacteria will typically be present in any groundwater stream delivered for treatment to inventive apparatus 2 . if naturally occurring denitrifying bacteria are present in the source water stream , then , regardless of the type of bacteria initially used to seed bioreactor bed 18 , the naturally occurring source water bacteria will likely become dominant in the denitrification process . seed bacteria suitable for starting up the inventive system are available from various commercial suppliers . bioreactor bed 18 can be initially seeded with denitrification bacteria by ( 1 ) filling bioreactor 14 with raw source water to a level above the top of reactor bed 18 , ( 2 ) pouring seed bacteria directly into the open top of bioreactor 14 , ( 3 ) adding carbon nutrient material to bioreactor 14 , and ( 4 ) blowing air into the lower portion 68 of reactor bed 18 . during the seeding process , the carbon nutrient material can be continuously added to bioreactor 14 via a conduit ( not shown ) extending from the discharge of nutrient pump 76 to the top of bioreactor 14 . the air blown into lower bed portion 68 can be delivered by means of an air conduit ( not shown ) extending from the discharge of air blower 30 . carbon nutrient materials suitable for conducting the inventive denitrification process are disclosed , for example , in u . s . pat . nos . 4 , 756 , 831 , 4 , 970 , 000 , and 5 , 211 , 847 . examples of preferred carbon nutrient materials include : ethanol , acidic acid , glucose , sugar , corn syrup , and methanol . methanol and ethanol are typically more rapidly metabolized by the denitrification bacteria and are therefore preferred for use in the inventive system . assuming that the treated water product is to be used for human consumption , the amount of carbon nutrient material added to the source water stream will preferably be an amount effective to achieve a total nitrate and nitrite ion concentration in the bioreactor effluent stream not exceeding 4 parts per million by weight ( as nitrogen ) based on the total weight of the bioreactor effluent stream . assuming , for example , that the carbon nutrient material is ethanol , the nutrient material will preferably be added to the source water stream in an amount in the range of from about 2 . 5 to about 4 parts per million by weight per each part per million by weight ( as nitrogen ) of nitrate and nitrite present in the source water stream . the biostimulant used in the inventive system is preferably a material derived from at least one plant steroidal compound . examples of suitable commercially available biostimulants include : compounds derived from sea kelp steroids , compounds derived from aloe plant steroids , and compounds derived from yucca cactus plant steroids . the biostimulant is preferably added to the source water stream in an amount effective for increasing the rate at which biological denitrification occurs in bioreactor 14 . typically , the biostimulant will preferably be added in an amount effective to provide a biostimulant concentration in the range of from about 0 . 2 to about 0 . 4 parts by weight of biostimulant per million parts by weight of source water . as an alternative to or in addition to the use of a biostimulant , enzymes effective for assisting and accelerating the biological denitrification reaction can be added to the source water stream . the support media used in forming bioreactor media bed 18 is preferably a synthetic ( e . g ., plastic ) packing - type media wherein the maximum linear dimension of each individual piece of media is preferably in the range of from about 0 . 75 to about 2 . 5 inches . examples of suitable media element figurations are depicted in fig3 , and 5 . such media configurations ( a ) allow suitable water flow through and around the individual media pieces ; ( b ) provide a large amount of available surface area for biomass attachment per unit volume of bulk media ; ( c ) provide a nonuniform configuration which prevents the formation of shortcircuiting flow paths through media bed 18 ; ( d ) provide biomass contact in all directions of water flow through the media ; ( e ) provide void spaces large enough to prevent the biomass from bridging between the media surfaces and thereby plugging the media ; and ( f ) provide a very high bulk void volume which facilitates water flow and water retention within media bed 18 . by preventing biomass bridging and plugging , the preferred media also eliminates the need to inject compressed air into the bioreactor to clear biomass overgrowth from the media flow passages . most preferably , the media comprising bioreactor media bed 18 will ( a ) provide in the range of from about 30 to about 45 square feet of surface area per cubic foot of bulk media ; ( b ) provide a bulk void volume which is at least 93 % of the total bulk volume of the media ; and ( c ) provide , when packed in bioreactor 14 , a multitude of horizontal , vertical , and diagonal surfaces for continually redirecting and mixing water throughout bioreactor bed 18 . for any given application , bioreactor 14 and bioreactor bed 18 will be sized to accommodate the source water flow rate and to provide a desired degree of denitrification efficiency . the horizontal cross - sectional area of bioreactor bed 18 will preferably be sufficiently large such that the upward water flow velocity through bed 18 does not exceed 2 . 5 inches per minute . typically , reactor bed 18 should be sized to provide at least 15 cubic feet of bulk media per each gallon per minute of water flow through bioreactor 14 . for potable water applications , reactor 14 and bed 18 should be sized to yield a combined nitrate and nitrite ion concentration , as nitrogen , in the bioreactor effluent stream not exceeding 3 parts by weight per million parts by weight of water . in such applications , the combined concentration , as nitrogen , of nitrate and nitrite ions in the bioreactor effluent stream will preferably not exceed 1 part per million by weight . using the inventive system , biological denitrification efficiencies exceeding 90 % are readily obtainable . thus , in addition to the many advantages and benefits mentioned above , the present invention provides further cost advantages by allowing a substantial quantity of untreated water to be blended with the treated product water stream to yield a combined water product which meets purity requirements . although the present invention has been discussed in terms of biological denitrification , it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the inventive system can be used for any biological treatment process wherein microorganisms are employed to remove source water contaminants . in each case , the microorganisms , nutrients , and biostimulants used in the inventive process will be selected based on the particular contaminants which are to be biologically removed . using a pilot plant configured in the manner depicted in fig1 gpm of a source water stream having a nitrate content of 57 . 46 parts per million by weight ( 13 parts per million by weight as nitrogen ) and a dissolved oxygen content of 12 . 5 parts per million by weight was conducted via conduit 4 to distribution grid 16 positioned in the bottom of bioreactor 14 . as the source water stream traveled through conduit 4 , sodium sulfite , ethanol , and biostimulant ( byo - gon px109 , available from byo - gon industries , derived from seal kelp and aloe plant steroids ) were added to the source water stream in amounts sufficient to yield a sulfite concentration of 35 parts per million by weight , an ethanol concentration of 39 parts per million by weight , and a biostimulant concentration of 0 . 2 parts per million by weight . upon exiting distribution grid 16 , the source water stream flowed upwardly through bioreactor bed 18 . bioreactor bed 18 was filled with a two inch extruded plastic packing material of the type depicted in fig3 having naturally occurring denitrifying bacteria attached thereto . the media provided 34 square feet of surface area per cubic foot of bed and had a volumetric void content of 93 percent . bioreactor bed 18 was cylindrical and had a diameter of six feet and a height of five feet . the upward velocity of the source water stream through bed 18 was 3 . 4 inches per hour and the residence time of the source water stream in bed 18 was three hours . the lower portion 68 of bioreactor bed 18 comprised about 27 percent of the total volume of bed 18 . the biomass contained in lower portion 68 worked together with the sodium sulfite additive to remove dissolved free oxygen from the source water stream such that , upon exiting lower portion 68 , the source water stream had a dissolved oxygen content of less than 2 . 0 parts per million by weight . thus , the oxygen requirements of the bacteria contained in mid and upper portions 70 , 72 of bioreactor bed 18 were met almost entirely by the breakdown of the nitrate ions contained in the source water stream . upon flowing through the top of bioreactor bed 18 , the biologically treated water stream was collected in reactor effluent trough 22 and gravitationally flowed through conduit 24 to the bottom of aeration basin 26 . nitrogen gas produced in the denitrification process was expelled to the atmosphere through the open top of bioreactor 14 . the biologically treated water stream exiting bioreactor 14 had a nitrate content of 5 . 50 parts per million by weight ( 1 . 24 parts per million by weight as nitrogen ). aeration basin 26 was a rectangular basin having a length of two feet , a width of two feet , and a height of five feet . blower 30 delivered air to the bottom of aeration basin 26 at a rate of 16 standard cubic feet per minute . aerated water arriving at the top of aeration basin 26 collected in aeration basin effluent trough 28 and flowed via conduit 36 to multimedia filter 40 . the water stream then flowed downwardly through filter bed 42 and was received in lateral distribution grid 44 . filter bed 42 had a 1 . 5 feet by 2 . 0 feet rectangular cross section and a total height of 38 inches . upper layer 98 of bed 42 was comprised of activated carbon and had a height of 18 inches . intermediate layer 100 of bed 42 was comprised of silica sand and had a height of 12 inches . lower layer 102 of bed 42 was comprised of garnet and had a height of 8 inches . next , the filtered water stream flowed via conduit 46 to product water tank 52 . as the filtered water stream flowed through conduit 46 , chlorine was added to the water stream in an amount sufficient to provide a chlorine concentration of 3 parts per million by weight . this test achieved a nitrate removal efficiency of 90 . 42 %. the calculated cost of the ethanol used was $ 0 . 12 per 1000 gallons of water treated . the calculated cost of the biostimulant used was $ 0 . 02 per 1000 gallons of water treated . example 1 was repeated except that ( a ) no biostimulant was used and ( b ) ethanol was added to the source water stream in an amount sufficient to yield an ethanol concentration of 54 . 64 parts per million by weight . the water product produced in this test had a nitrate concentration of 7 . 78 parts per million by weight ( 1 . 76 parts per million by weight as nitrogen ). thus , a nitrate removal efficiency of 86 . 43 % was achieved at a calculated ethanol cost of $ 0 . 17 per 1000 gallons of water treated . both examples 1 and 2 demonstrate the effectiveness of using a sulfur - containing oxygen scavenger . moreover , example 2 clearly demonstrates the efficiency and cost benefits obtained by the use of a biostimulant . thus , the present invention is well adapted to carry out the objects and attain the ends and advantages mentioned above as well as those inherent therein . while presently preferred embodiments have been described for purposes of this disclosure , numerous changes and modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art . such changes and modifications are encompassed within the spirit of this invention as defined by the appended claims . | 8 |
table i reports a number of glass compositions , expressed in terms of mole percent on the oxide basis , illustrating the compositional parameters of the instant invention . table ia records the same compositions but expressed in terms of weight percent . the batch ingredients can comprise any material , either the oxide or other compound , which , when melted together with the remaining ingredients , will be converted into the desired oxide in the proper proportions . in the recited compositions , the fluoride ions ( and chloride ions ) were added as the compound reported in the table . the batch ingredients were compounded , ballmilled together to assist in securing good melt homogeneity , and placed in platinum crucibles . the crucibles were then covered , transferred to a furnace operating at 1000 °- 1150 ° c ., and the batches melted for about 2 - 4 hours . to further homogenize the melts , they were poured several times from one heated crucible to another before casting . the melts were thereafter cast into steel molds to yield slabs about 1 / 4 &# 34 ;× 4 &# 34 ;× 10 &# 34 ; and the slabs immediately moved to annealers operating at 300 °- 350 ° c . the compositions of table i were sub - divided into four general categories , viz ., the li 2 o -( lif ). sub . 2 . b 2 o 3 system , the li 2 o . ( lif ) 2 . al 2 o 3 . b 2 o 3 system , the li 2 o . ( alf 3 ) 2 b 2 o 3 system , and the general li 2 o - f and / or al 2 o 3 - b 2 o 3 system plus extraneous additions . the compositions in each system are recited in the general order of increasing li 2 o level . thus , examples 1 - 17 encompass glasses within the li 2 o . ( lif ) 2 b 2 o 3 field , examples 18 - 42 include the li 2 o . ( lif ) 2 2 al 2 o 3 b 2 o 3 glasses ; examples 43 - 57 constitute the li 2 o . ( alf 3 ) 2 . b 2 o 3 system ; and examples 58 - 64 recite li 2 o -- f and / or al 2 o 3 -- b 2 o 3 glass compositions with additional extraneous components . table i__________________________________________________________________________ ( mole %) li . sub . 2 o . ( lif ). sub . 2 . b . sub . 2 o . sub . 3 system 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9__________________________________________________________________________b . sub . 2 o . sub . 3 80 . 0 80 . 0 75 . 0 75 . 0 71 . 4 66 . 7 66 . 7 66 . 7 64 . 0li . sub . 2 o -- 10 . 0 -- 12 . 5 14 . 4 -- 16 . 7 22 . 2 --( lif ). sub . 2 20 . 0 10 . 0 25 . 0 12 . 5 14 . 2 33 . 3 16 . 7 11 . 1 36 . 0 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17__________________________________________________________________________b . sub . 2 o . sub . 3 64 . 0 64 . 0 60 . 0 60 . 0 66 . 7 66 . 7 66 . 7 66 . 7li . sub . 2 o 18 . 0 27 . 0 20 . 0 15 . 0 -- -- -- --( lif ). sub . 2 18 . 0 9 . 0 20 . 0 25 . 0 32 . 3 30 . 3 23 . 3 30 . 3 ( licl ). sub . 2 -- -- -- -- 1 . 0 3 . 0 10 . 0 --( naf ). sub . 2 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 3 . 0li . sub . 2 o . ( lif ). sub . 2 . al . sub . 2 o . sub . 3 . b . sub . 2 o . sub . 3 systems 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26__________________________________________________________________________b . sub . 2 o . sub . 3 70 . 0 65 . 0 60 . 0 55 . 0 51 . 0 49 . 0 47 . 0 74 . 0 68 . 8al . sub . 2 o . sub . 3 5 . 0 5 . 0 5 . 0 5 . 0 5 . 0 5 . 0 5 . 0 6 . 0 5 . 2li . sub . 2 o 25 . 0 30 . 0 35 . 0 40 . 0 44 . 0 46 . 0 48 . 0 -- --( lif ). sub . 2 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 20 . 0 25 . 0 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35__________________________________________________________________________b . sub . 2 o . sub . 3 61 . 7 56 . 7 56 . 7 55 . 6 44 . 5 50 . 0 50 . 0 40 . 0 50 . 0al . sub . 2 o . sub . 3 5 . 0 10 . 0 10 . 0 11 . 1 22 . 2 10 . 0 10 . 0 20 . 0 5 . 0li . sub . 2 o 33 . 3 33 . 3 16 . 7 33 . 3 33 . 3 40 . 0 20 . 0 40 . 0 45 . 0 ( lif ). sub . 2 -- -- 16 . 7 -- -- -- 20 . 0 -- -- 36 37 38 39 40 41 42__________________________________________________________________________b . sub . 2 o . sub . 3 45 . 0 55 . 0 55 . 0 55 . 0 50 . 0 50 . 0 50 . 0al . sub . 2 o . sub . 3 10 . 0 5 . 0 5 . 0 5 . 0 5 . 0 10 . 0 10 . 0li . sub . 2 o 45 . 0 39 . 0 37 . 0 30 . 0 17 . 5 35 . 0 25 . 0 ( lif ). sub . 2 -- -- -- -- 17 . 5 -- 10 . 0 ( licl ). sub . 2 -- 1 . 0 3 . 0 10 . 0 10 . 0 5 . 0 5 . 0li . sub . 2 o . ( alf . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 . b . sub . 2 o . sub . 3 system 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51__________________________________________________________________________b . sub . 2 o . sub . 3 62 . 0 58 . 0 54 . 0 59 . 0 55 . 0 51 . 0 50 . 0 56 . 0 52 . 0 ( alf . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 2 . 0 2 . 0 2 . 0 5 . 0 5 . 0 5 . 0 5 . 0 8 . 0 8 . 0li . sub . 2 o 36 . 0 40 . 0 44 . 0 36 . 0 40 . 0 44 . 0 45 . 0 36 . 0 40 . 0 52 53 54 55 56 57__________________________________________________________________________b . sub . 2 o . sub . 3 48 . 0 56 . 7 50 . 0 40 . 0 55 . 0 55 . 0 ( alf . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 8 . 0 10 . 0 10 . 0 10 . 0 5 . 0 5 . 0li . sub . 2 o 44 . 0 33 . 3 40 . 0 50 . 0 39 . 0 30 . 0 ( licl ). sub . 2 -- -- -- -- 1 . 0 10 . 0li . sub . 2 o -- f and / or al . sub . 2 o . sub . 3 -- b . sub . 2 o . sub . 3 glass withadditions 58 59 60 61 62 63 64__________________________________________________________________________b . sub . 2 o . sub . 3 56 . 7 56 . 7 50 . 0 54 . 5 54 . 5 54 . 5 54 . 5al . sub . 2 o . sub . 3 10 . 0 10 . 0 10 . 0 -- -- -- -- li . sub . 2 o 11 . 7 16 . 7 20 . 0 36 . 4 18 . 2 36 . 4 18 . 2 ( lif ). sub . 2 16 . 7 -- 15 . 0 -- 18 . 2 -- 18 . 2mgo 5 . 0 16 . 7 -- -- -- -- -- mgf . sub . 2 -- -- 5 . 0 -- -- -- -- sio . sub . 2 -- -- -- 9 . 1 9 . 1 -- --( alpo . sub . 4 ). sub . 1 / 2 -- -- -- -- -- 9 . 1 9 . 1__________________________________________________________________________ table ia__________________________________________________________________________ ( weight %) li . sub . 2 o . ( lif ). sub . 2 . b . sub . 2 o . sub . 3 system 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9__________________________________________________________________________b . sub . 2 o . sub . 3 84 . 3 87 . 2 80 . 1 83 . 6 81 . 0 72 . 9 77 . 3 78 . 9 70 . 4li . sub . 2 o -- 4 . 7 -- 6 . 0 7 . 0 -- 8 . 3 11 . 3 -- lif 15 . 7 8 . 1 19 . 9 10 . 4 12 . 0 27 . 1 14 . 4 9 . 8 29 . 6 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17__________________________________________________________________________b . sub . 2 o . sub . 3 75 . 2 77 . 8 71 . 8 70 . 5 72 . 5 71 . 8 69 . 3 71 . 8li . sub . 2 o 9 . 1 14 . 1 10 . 3 7 . 6 -- -- -- --( lif ). sub . 2 15 . 8 8 . 2 17 . 9 21 . 9 26 . 2 24 . 3 18 . 0 24 . 3 ( licl ). sub . 2 -- -- -- -- 1 . 3 3 . 9 12 . 7 --( naf ). sub . 2 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 3 . 9li . sub . 2 o . ( lif ). sub . 2 . al . sub . 2 o . sub . 3 . b . sub . 2 o . sub . 3 system 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26__________________________________________________________________________b . sub . 2 o . sub . 3 79 . 5 76 . 3 72 . 9 69 . 2 66 . 1 64 . 4 62 . 7 75 . 8 71 . 2al . sub . 2 o . sub . 3 8 . 3 8 . 6 8 . 9 9 . 2 9 . 5 9 . 6 9 . 8 9 . 0 9 . 5li . sub . 2 o 12 . 2 15 . 1 18 . 2 21 . 6 24 . 5 26 . 0 27 . 5 -- -- lif -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 15 . 2 19 . 3 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35__________________________________________________________________________b . sub . 2 o . sub . 3 74 . 1 66 . 2 62 . 4 64 . 5 48 . 7 61 . 1 56 . 7 46 . 3 65 . 2al . sub . 2 o . sub . 3 8 . 8 17 . 1 16 . 1 18 . 9 35 . 6 17 . 9 16 . 6 33 . 9 9 . 6li . sub . 2 o 17 . 2 16 . 7 7 . 9 16 . 6 15 . 7 21 . 0 9 . 7 19 . 9 25 . 2lif -- -- 13 . 7 -- -- -- 16 . 9 -- -- 36 37 38 39 40 41 42__________________________________________________________________________b . sub . 2 o . sub . 3 57 . 0 68 . 5 67 . 2 62 . 9 55 . 5 58 . 3 54 . 3al . sub . 2 o . sub . 3 18 . 6 9 . 1 9 . 0 8 . 4 8 . 1 17 . 1 15 . 9li . sub . 2 o 24 . 5 20 . 9 19 . 4 14 . 7 8 . 3 17 . 5 7 . 0lif -- -- -- -- 14 . 5 -- 16 . 2licl -- 1 . 5 4 . 5 13 . 9 13 . 5 7 . 1 6 . 6li . sub . 2 o . ( alf . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 . b . sub . 2 o . sub . 3 system 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51__________________________________________________________________________b . sub . 2 o . sub . 3 75 . 4 72 . 5 69 . 5 68 . 2 64 . 3 62 . 2 61 . 4 61 . 7 58 . 8alf . sub . 3 5 . 9 6 . 0 6 . 2 13 . 9 14 . 3 14 . 7 14 . 8 21 . 3 21 . 8li . sub . 2 o 18 . 8 21 . 5 24 . 3 17 . 8 20 . 4 23 . 0 23 . 7 17 . 0 19 . 4 52 53 54 55 56 57__________________________________________________________________________b . sub . 2 o . sub . 3 55 . 7 59 . 6 54 . 8 46 . 7 64 . 7 59 . 7alf . sub . 3 22 . 4 25 . 4 26 . 4 28 . 2 14 . 2 13 . 1li . sub . 2 o 21 . 9 15 . 0 18 . 8 25 . 1 19 . 7 14 . 0licl -- -- -- -- 1 . 4 13 . 2li . sub . 2 o -- f and / or al . sub . 2 o . sub . 3 -- b . sub . 2 o . sub . 3 glass withadditions 58 59 60 61 62 63 64__________________________________________________________________________b . sub . 2 o . sub . 3 61 . 9 64 . 3 56 . 2 69 . 9 65 . 1 69 . 8 65 . 0al . sub . 2 o . sub . 3 16 . 0 16 . 6 16 . 5 -- -- -- -- li . sub . 2 o 4 . 6 8 . 1 9 . 7 20 . 0 20 . 0 9 . 3lif 13 . 6 -- 12 . 6 -- 16 . 2 -- 16 . 2mgo 3 . 2 11 . 0 -- -- -- -- -- mgf . sub . 2 -- -- 5 . 0 -- -- -- -- sio . sub . 2 -- -- -- 10 . 1 9 . 4 -- -- alpo . sub . 4 -- -- -- -- -- 10 . 2 9 . 5__________________________________________________________________________ table ii reports a visual description of the glass slabs prepared from the compositions of table i along with a number of physical property measurements determined in the conventional manner on the glass samples . the resistance of the glasses to attack by water , while not directly predicting durability vis - a - vis molten lithium metal or sulfides , does provide a means for comparing relative chemical durability among the several glasses . the weight loss ( wt . loss ) after immersion in stirred h 2 o for 16 hours at room temperature is recorded in terms of %. the annealing point ( ann . pt .) and strain point ( str . pt .) are tabulated in ° c . the coefficient of thermal expansion ( exp .) was measured over the range of 0 °- 300 ° c . and is reported in terms of × 10 - 7 /° c . the electrical resistivities ( elect . res .) are recorded in terms of log ρ and were measured at 25 ° c ., 100 ° c ., and 200 ° c . table ii__________________________________________________________________________li . sub . 2 o . ( lif ). sub . 2 . b . sub . 2 o . sub . 3 systemex . no . wt . loss ann . pt . str . pt . exp . log ρ 25 ° log ρ 100 ° log ρ 200 ° visual appearance__________________________________________________________________________1 -- 388 358 96 12 . 05 9 . 78 7 . 88 clear glass2 -- 390 358 85 14 . 79 11 . 50 8 . 73 clear glass3 1 . 14 415 -- -- 12 . 71 9 . 44 6 . 71 clear glass4 0 . 83 -- -- -- -- -- -- clear glass5 -- -- -- -- 11 . 93 8 . 88 6 . 24 clear glass6 1 . 28 384 359 104 10 . 01 7 . 39 5 . 20 clear glass7 0 . 90 -- -- -- 10 . 55 7 . 98 5 . 82 clear glass8 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- clear glass + slight devitrification9 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- clear glass + top ( air ) surface devitrification10 0 . 71 405 382 105 9 . 89 7 . 44 5 . 39 clear glass11 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- devitrification + some glass12 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- clear glass + top ( air ) surface devitrification13 -- -- -- -- 8 . 75 6 . 46 4 . 55 clear glass + large crystals in top ( air ) surface14 -- -- -- -- 10 . 23 7 . 76 5 . 67 clear glass + slight spots of devitrification15 -- -- -- -- 10 . 16 7 . 69 5 . 61 clear glass16 -- -- -- -- 9 . 15 6 . 79 4 . 80 clear glass17 -- -- -- -- 15 . 37 11 . 96 9 . 09 clear glassli . sub . 2 o . ( lif ). sub . 2 . al . sub . 2 o . sub . 3 . b . sub . 2 o . sub . 3 system18 0 . 4 470 445 83 12 . 39 9 . 49 7 . 06 clear glass19 0 . 5 468 443 90 10 . 83 8 . 25 6 . 08 clear glass20 0 . 5 455 433 100 9 . 71 7 . 33 5 . 32 clear glass21 1 . 0 435 411 110 8 . 62 6 . 39 4 . 53 clear glass22 1 . 5 413 394 118 8 . 25 6 . 14 4 . 38 clear glass23 2 . 2 410 -- 130 8 . 05 5 . 97 4 . 23 clear glass24 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- clear glass + bottom surface ( mold ) opal25 0 . 83 389 358 84 14 . 52 11 . 16 8 . 34 clear glass26 0 . 78 -- -- -- 13 . 42 10 . 23 7 . 55 clear glass27 0 . 89 -- -- 90 10 . 12 7 . 66 5 . 59 clear glass + slight bottom surface ( mold ) devitrification28 0 . 75 447 422 88 10 . 93 8 . 22 5 . 95 clear glass29 0 . 36 397 373 104 10 . 38 7 . 78 5 . 61 clear glass + slight bottom surface ( mold ) devitrification30 0 . 32 444 419 98 11 . 37 8 . 51 6 . 11 clear glass31 0 . 03 427 400 95 11 . 66 8 . 81 6 . 43 clear glass32 0 . 81 416 392 102 9 . 37 7 . 07 5 . 13 clear glass33 0 . 35 -- -- -- 8 . 05 5 . 97 4 . 23 slight haze34 0 . 10 401 378 101 11 . 02 8 . 15 5 . 73 clear glass + slight bottom surface ( mold ) devitrification35 1 . 53 409 388 121 8 . 23 6 . 12 4 . 35 clear glass + slight bottom surface ( mold ) devitrification36 1 . 27 -- -- -- 8 . 66 6 . 54 4 . 76 clear glass + bottom surface ( mold ) devitrification37 -- -- -- -- 8 . 74 6 . 60 4 . 81 clear glass + slight devitrification38 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- clear glass39 1 . 28 416 391 114 7 . 57 5 . 67 4 . 08 clear glass + bottom surface ( mold ) haze40 1 . 61 355 -- 125 8 . 25 6 . 50 5 . 04 clear glass + hazy skin41 1 . 17 -- -- 110 8 . 49 6 . 48 4 . 79 clear glass + bottom surface ( mold ) hazy spots42 0 . 41 -- -- -- 9 . 09 6 . 79 4 . 85 clear glass + bottom surface ( mold ) hazeli . sub . 2 o . ( alf . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 . b . sub . 2 o . sub . 3 system43 0 . 6 -- -- -- -- -- -- clear glass + devitrification44 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- devitrification + glass45 0 . 95 411 389 -- 8 . 13 6 . 07 4 . 34 clear glass + devitrification46 0 . 25 -- -- -- -- -- -- clear glass47 0 . 29 399 377 113 9 . 10 6 . 82 4 . 91 clear glass48 0 . 74 390 367 -- 8 . 57 6 . 33 4 . 46 devitrification + glass49 -- -- -- 116 8 . 24 6 . 15 4 . 35 clear glass + slight bottom surface ( mold ) devitrification50 0 . 15 -- -- -- -- -- -- clear glass51 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- top ( air ) surface devitrification + glass52 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- devitrification + glass53 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- devitrification54 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- devitrification55 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- devitrification56 -- -- -- -- 8 . 95 6 . 80 5 . 00 clear glass + slight surface ( all ) haze57 -- -- -- -- 8 . 40 0 . 23 4 . 41 clear glass + slight bottom surface ( mold ) devitrificationli . sub . 2 o -- f and / or al . sub . 2 o . sub . 3 -- b . sub . 2 o . sub . 3 glass withadditions58 0 . 13 425 -- -- 15 . 81 11 . 14 7 . 23 clear glass59 0 . 19 505 -- -- 15 . 59 11 . 95 8 . 91 clear glass60 0 . 21 393 371 -- 10 . 48 7 . 81 5 . 58 clear glass + slight surface ( all ) devitrification61 0 . 37 473 451 106 10 . 58 8 . 05 5 . 92 clear glass62 0 . 22 -- -- -- 10 . 44 7 . 84 5 . 66 clear glass + slight bottom surface ( mold ) haze63 0 . 63 -- -- -- 8 . 60 6 . 43 4 . 61 clear glass64 0 . 49 -- -- -- -- -- -- clear glass + bottom surface ( mold ) devitrification__________________________________________________________________________ as can be observed from a combined reading of tables i and ii , clear glasses can readily be achieved in the li 2 o ( lif ) 2 . b 2 o 3 system up to a combined lithium level , i . e ., li 2 o +( lif ) 2 , of about 36 mole percent . at that level , exhibited by example 10 , equimolar li 2 o and ( lif ) 2 is demanded for clear glass . excess lif causes extensive lif surface devitrification whereas excess li 2 o causes internal devitrification of lithium borate species , examples 9 and 11 . higher total lithium levels are generally unstable toward devitrification upon cooling from the melt . notwithstanding the foregoing circumstances , clear glasses can be obtained in the li 2 o . ( lif ) 2 . b 2 o 3 system up to a combined lithium level , i . e ., li 2 o +( lif ) 2 , of at least about 40 mole percent in articles of small bulk , e . g ., fibers or thin - walled tubing , or by utilizing forming techniques wherein the glass melt is cooled quite rapidly to avoid devitrification . the physical properties do not vary significantly over the glass - forming range although glasses having a higher total lithium concentration do demonstrate somewhat higher coefficients of thermal expansion . electrical resistivity decreases as the lithium level is increased . example 13 , taken from the clear glass area , exhibits the lowest resistivity of this composition system although the heavily chlorided example 16 possesses a markedly lower resistivity than the comparable chloride - free example 6 . the striking effect which mixed alkali has upon resistivity can be observed through a comparison of example 17 , 3 mole percent ( naf ) 2 1 ( lif ) 2 , with the na 2 o - free example 6 . hence , the resistivity of example 17 is increased four orders of mangitude . examples 18 - 24 illustrate the effects of decreasing the b 2 o 3 / li 2 o ratio in a series of glasses stabilized against devitrification via five mole percent al 2 o 3 . this technique permits the incorporation of up to about 46 mole percent li 2 o in a clear glass . as the li 2 o content increases , the annealing and strain points become lower , thereby suggesting that li 2 o is behaving as a conventional flux . more importantly , however , electrical resistivity decreases rapidly to about 40 mole percent li 2 o and more slowly thereafter . at 400 ° c ., example 23 has an extrapolated resistivity , ρ , of about 197 ohm - cm . at the same temperature , β - alumina has a ρ of less than about 10 ohm - cm , but lithium aluminosilicate glasses have a ρ of about 1000 ohm - cm . a comparison of examples 27 , 28 , 30 , and 31 manifests the increase in resistivity which accompanies the substitution of al 2 o 3 for b 2 o 3 . this behavior , coupled with the modest decrease in annealing and strain points , indicates that at least some of the al + 3 ions must be forced into an octahedral , modifying position , thereby impeding li 30 ion mobility . a similar effect can be observed via a comparison of examples 21 , 32 , and 34 . the inclusion of al 2 o 3 in amounts of 10 % by weight and greater frequently leads to a significant increase in electrical resistivity . this effect can be counteracted , however , via the incorporation of fluoride or the use of large quantities of li 2 o , viz ., greater than 20 % by weight , as is evidenced by the pairs of examples 28 - 29 and 32 - 33 . finally , inclusion of the chloride ion appears to cause a decrease in resistivity , particularly in the region of 5 - 10 mole percent ( licl ) 2 / li 2 o . this can be seen in a study of examples 21 , 39 and 32 , 41 , 42 . the clear glass - forming region of the li 2 o . ( alf 3 ) 2 . b 2 o 3 system is rather limited but low resistivity glasses such as examples 45 and 47 - 49 can be produced . again , 10 mole percent of ( licl ) 2 / li 2 o reduces the electrical resistivity , as is illustrated by examples 47 and 57 . examples 52 - 55 illustrate the lack of glass stability resulting from high al 2 o 3 contents even with correspondingly high fluoride and li 2 o values . a comparison of examples 58 and 59 with example 29 demonstrates that the molar substitution of mgo for li 2 o or ( lif ) 2 increases the electrical resistivity of the glass . that a similar increase in resistivity also occurs when mgf 2 is substituted for ( lif ) 2 on a molar basis is manifested via a comparison of example 60 with example 33 . the addition of sio 2 appears to play two roles . not only is the electrical resistivity increased , but also sio 2 appears to stabilize the glass against devitrification in a manner similar to that demonstrated by al 2 o 3 . example 63 points out that additions of alpo 4 maintain low electrical resistivity more effectively than do silica additions or the other substitutions discussed above . furthermore , alpo 4 also helps to stabilize the glass against devitrification . the measured water durability of the reported lithium borate - based glasses is surprisingly good inasmuch as sodium borate - based glasses of like molar proportions exhibit losses ranging between about 12 - 57 % by weight when tested in accordance with the same procedure . in general , alkali metal oxides other than li 2 o are to be avoided because of the strong mixed alkali effect noted in example 17 . other constituents such as the alkaline earth oxides , sio 2 , and alpo 4 should be incorporated sparingly , if at all , to avoid excessive increases in resistivity . thus , whereas the addition of such components can be useful in small amounts to improve glass stability , chemical durability , to modify the coefficient of thermal expansion , etc ., larger amounts objectionably hazard an increase in electrical resistivity . therefore , the total of all such extraneous additions will be held below about 10 mole percent and , most preferably , below about 5 mole percent . chloride , however , can be useful in amounts up to about 10 mole percent , expressed as ( licl ) 2 , in providing a lowering effect upon resistivity . table iii records a number of other physical properties measured in the conventional manner on several of the exemplary compositions recited in table i . such properties include density ( g / cm 3 ), refractive index ( n d ), young &# 39 ; s modulus (× 10 6 psi ), shear modulus (× 10 6 psi ), and poisson &# 39 ; s ratio . table iii______________________________________example young &# 39 ; s shear poisson &# 39 ; sno . density n . sub . d modulus modulus ratio______________________________________ 3 2 . 182 1 . 516 9 . 2 3 . 6 0 . 28 6 2 . 239 1 . 516 10 . 5 4 . 1 0 . 2810 2 . 247 1 . 525 11 . 2 4 . 4 0 . 2718 2 . 118 1 . 536 9 . 7 3 . 8 0 . 2819 2 . 243 1 . 549 11 . 1 4 . 4 0 . 2720 2 . 281 1 . 559 12 . 2 4 . 8 0 . 2621 2 . 293 1 . 567 12 . 9 5 . 1 0 . 2822 2 . 289 1 . 567 12 . 6 4 . 9 0 . 2723 2 . 280 1 . 569 12 . 8 5 . 0 0 . 2732 2 . 300 1 . 564 12 . 2 4 . 4 0 . 2734 2 . 306 1 . 560 11 . 7 4 . 6 0 . 2635 2 . 288 1 . 568 12 . 5 5 . 0 0 . 26______________________________________ an examination of the data reported in table iii in combination with those set forth in tables i and ii points up three significant factors : first , the inventive glasses exhibit unusually high refractive index / density and young &# 39 ; s modulus / density ratios . second , young &# 39 ; s modulus reaches a peak at about 40 mole percent li 2 o . this level corresponds to the maximum number of tetrahedrally coordinated boron atoms caused by the addition of li 2 o . an inspection of examples 18 - 23 of table ii indicates that li 2 o is acting in the manner of a conventional flux . yet , the elasticity data coincide with an increase in the number of boron tetrahedra to at least 40 mole percent li 2 o , as is evidenced by example 21 . no satisfactory explanation has been propounded for this apparent anomaly . third , an inspection of the physical property measurements reported for examples 21 , 32 , 34 , and 35 indicates that increasing al 2 o 3 contents do not stiffen or harden these glasses , i . e ., al 2 o 3 does not play its customary role in these glass compositions . instead , increasing al 2 o 3 contents soften the glasses , decrease elasticity and refractive index , and increase electrical resistivity significantly . aluminum cannot follow boron into triangular - planar coordination . if it cannot displace boron from tetrahedral sites in the glass structure , it must occupy six - fold coordinated modifying positions to account for the observed physical properties . on the other hand , if aluminum does displace boron in tetrahedral coordination , the observed changes in properties may be associated with the fluxing action of boron in triangular - planar coordination . in terms of the lowest electrical resistivity , viz ., a log ρ at 25 ° c . less than 11 and , desirably , less than 10 , coupled with good chemical durability , low temperature melting capabilities , and excellent glass stability , a review of tables i - iii indicates that the most preferred glasses will be essentially free from silica , alkaline earth metal oxides , and alkali metal oxides other than li 2 o and will be selected from the following groups , their compositions consisting essentially of the stated proportions expressed in terms of weight percent on the oxide basis as calculated from the batch of : ( a ) 0 - 9 . 1 % li 2 o , 14 . 4 - 27 . 1 % lif , 18 - 29 . 5 % li 2 o + lif , 0 - 12 . 7 % licl , and 69 . 3 - 77 . 3 % b 2 o 3 ; and ( b ) 0 - 26 . 0 % li 2 o , 0 - 16 . 9 % lif , 0 - 13 . 9 % cl , 17 . 2 - 36 . 3 % li 2 o + lif + licl , 0 - 18 . 6 % al 2 o 3 , but & lt ; 10 % al 2 o 3 when f and / or cl are absent and li 2 o is no more than 20 %, 0 - 14 . 8 % alf 3 , 6 . 2 - 18 . 6 % al 2 o 3 + alf 3 , and 54 . 3 - 74 . 1 % b 2 o 3 . | 2 |
the present invention shall now be described with reference to the accompanying figures . as depicted in fig1 a video transmission , which may , for example be a live television broadcast of an event being played on field 10 , is captured for remote viewing by television cameras 12 , and is composed into a program for viewing within a standard video production unit 14 , which may be a television production truck or a video studio , equipped with well known video production equipment . after being composed into a program , the video is fed through a live video insertion system 16 . the live video insertion system unit 16 performs the functions of recognition using the recognition unit 18 , tracking using the tracking unit 20 , occlusion mask production using the occlusion mask production unit 22 and then pitch display has a core sequence which shows a flat sign rotating to reveal what is on the back of it . each of the mid sequence variations is a single field showing the back of the sign with one of the thirty possible pitch speeds . instead of 30 animation clips , a single main animation with thirty , one - field mid sequence variations is all that is required . such an animation is sufficiently small that it can be stored in the internal random access memory of a live video insertion system unit , and be under direct control of that system &# 39 ; s operational software , making it not only less expensive , but also simplifying the synchronization and timing issues . one intended use of live video insertion systems is to create virtual billboards in the broadcasted video signal . one of the paradox &# 39 ; s of the virtual billboard function of a live video insertion system is that , to the television audience , it inserts artificial or virtual signage into video images in a way that makes the sign look as if it really is part of the stadium or venue from which the broadcast is being sent . however , in order to make the insertion more valuable to the advertiser , it is desirable to draw attention to the insertion . one way to do this is to make the insertion appear to be an animated object , such as , but not limited to , a rotating sign . the motion of such a moving sign draws viewer &# 39 ; s attention to the insertion . broadcasters and sports fans , on the other hand , find such arbitrary motion distracting from the game . an additional benefit of the present invention in which a live video insertion system is used to display sports information is that it increases the value of the signage for the advertiser . making the sign animate in such a way that it displays information that is linked to the game , and adds to the understanding or enjoyment of the game satisfies both the advertiser &# 39 ; s desire for visibility and the broadcaster / sports fan wanting to enhance the game . it may also be in the interest of both advertisers , the broadcasters and the sports fans , to make the sign animate to display information which may not be related to the game or event being televised , but is of interest to the viewer watching the game , such as , but not limited to the closing price of the dow jones index , the results performs mixing 24 of the logo into the main video using the insertion unit 26 , as discussed in detail in u . s . pat . nos . 5 , 264 , 933 , 5 , 543 , 856 and 5 , 627 , 915 referenced above , as well as allowed , co - pending u . s . patent application ser . no . 08 / 563 , 598 filed nov . 28 , 1995 , u . s . pat . no . 5 , 892 , 554 , entitled “ system and method for inserting static and dynamic images into a live video broadcast ”; ser . no . 08 / 662 , 089 filed jun . 12 , 1996 , u . s . pat . no . 5 , 953 , 076 , entitled “ system and method of real - time insertions into video using adaptive occlusion with a synthetic common reference image ”, and co - pending provisional patent application ser . no . 60 / 031 , 883 filed nov . 27 , 1996 entitled “ camera tracking using persistent , selective image texture templates ”, the teachings of which are hereby included by reference . the recognition and tracking parameters may also be provided by sensors 13 attached to the camera itself , and interpreted by a camera head data interpreter 15 , as used by some virtual reality studio systems , and as discussed in co - pending u . s . patent application ser . no . 09 / 604 , 976 , entitled “ image insertion in video streams using a combination of physical sensors and pattern recognition ”, the teachings of which are hereby included by reference . a viewer watching the broadcast on a well known television set 28 will see the image of the game 30 into which the inserted indicia 32 has been placed to look as if it really is in the stadium , and which changes size , shape and position appropriately as the image of the game 30 is panned , zoomed and otherwise altered in perspective , and is properly occluded by players or other objects from the game moving in front of it . in fig2 a television video image 30 of a sporting event has a graphic overlay 42 showing current game statistics , which may be the current score , a graphic overlay 44 showing the state of play , which may be a graphic indicating the position of players on the field , and a graphic overlay 46 showing the speed of the pitch . each of these conventional graphic overlays 42 , 44 , and 46 has been put in by well - known video keying devices such as the chyron corporation &# 39 ; s infinit ® family of character generators . all these well - know video keying devices make their insertions in a fixed region of the television image and are not responsive to motion of objects within the video image itself . moreover , the graphic overlays obsure objects in the video , which is why the clutter the produce can become detracting to the viewer , despite their providing extra information about the game . in fig3 a television video image 40 of a sporting event has extra information displayed on an live video insertion system insert 48 , which appears to be a sign board attached to the stadium back wall . this insert 48 moves and adjusts size and shape to maintain the illusion that it is part of the back wall as the television video image 40 is panned , zoomed and otherwise adjusted . this insert 48 is also properly occluded , meaning that when players , or other objects in the game , move in front of it , the insertion 48 allows the players or objects to be displayed in their entirety , exactly as if the player or object has really moved in front of the sign . this occlusion of the live video insertion system &# 39 ; s insert 48 is what allows the extra information to be conveyed to the fan while minimizing the disruption of the viewing experience . although it is possible to implement the invention by having a camera trained on a display that shows the required result or statistic , and insert this live video as an live video insertion system insert , this introduces the extra cost of another camera , the need for a properly constructed model scoreboard or sign , and added difficulties of synching the video and of framing the edge of the shot so as to make the total insert look as if it really is part of the scene being viewed . another , slightly more manageable way to implement this invention is to modify the live video insertion system by adding on a well known random access video storage unit , such as one of avid inc .&# 39 ; s video storage devices . if this random access video storage device is supplying video to the live video insertion system , and the random access device has a multitude of different versions of an animation of the score board or sign , one of which shows one of the possible outcomes to be shown , then all the operator has to do is to select and activate the correct animation sequence into the live video insertion system on cue . there are technical difficulties and costs associated with this simple implementation of the invention . in particular , having a large number of complete animations on such an external storage device is expensive in memory , and introduces timing and synchronization difficulties . for these reasons , the preferred method of implementation of the invention makes use of simpler , multi threaded animations 50 , as shown diagrammatically in fig4 . the multi - threaded animation 50 consists , in general , of a core start sequence 54 , a number of mid sequences 56 , 58 and 60 and an end sequence 62 , all of which are made up of a sequence of individual video frames 52 . the mid sequence animations 56 , 58 and 60 represent the possible outcomes of the event being broadcast . one way in which the system works is by having the first frame 64 as a static animation , which may represent a score board or an advertising sign , or any other suitable object for showing the added information on . when the event occurs , which may for instance be a football field goal attempt , and the kick is either good or bad , the live video insertion system operator activates , via the usual live video insertion system control interface , the animation selecting the appropriate mid - sequence animation . for instance if the kick is good , the selected animation would start at the first frame 64 of the core start animation sequence 54 and run through , displaying each frame 52 of the core start animation sequence 54 for a predetermined time which may be as short as a single field of video . the core start animation sequence 54 may , for instance , represent a signboard rotating to reveal the other side . when the final frame 66 of the core start animation sequence 54 is reached , the animation then jumps to a start frame 68 , 76 or 80 of one of the of mid sequence animations 56 , 58 and 60 that has been determined or chosen as being appropriate for the kick being good . if the kick were bad , or a two - point conversion was scored , then the appropriate mid sequence animation would be chosen instead . at the end frame 70 , 78 or 82 of whichever of the mid sequence animations 56 , 58 or 60 that has been shown , the animation then jumps to the first field 72 of the core end animation sequence 62 and runs through , displaying each of the animation frames 52 for a predetermined length of time , until it reaches the end frame 74 of the core end animation sequence . the key idea of the multi - threaded animations 50 is that the total number of animation frames is kept relatively small even if there are a large number of mid - sequence animations . by keeping the total animation small , it is possible to have all the animation frames stored in memory as part of the logo 24 of the live video insertion system . for instance a current version of live video insertion system used in live broadcast by the assignee of the present invention , pvi inc ., has sufficient memory to store forty 120 by 90 pixel full color images with attached keys . having the complete set of possible animations stored on such an internal memory significantly reduces the cost of the system and makes control of it significantly easier . if powerful enough computers or other information manipulating devices , are used , or the graphic or animation is simple enough , or only part of the animation needs to be changed , the mid - sequences 56 , 58 and 60 can be created after the event related information is captured . they may even be created while the core start sequence 54 is being displayed . this results in an even greater saving of computer memory . the appropriate mid - sequence animation 56 , 58 or 60 may be created in its entirety or by compositing critical information , such as the digits representing a speed or other statistic , onto a pre - rendered image or animation sequence . obviously the idea of multi - threaded animations 50 can be implemented in many different ways , including but not limited to , having the initial insertion displayed be an animation sequence , comprising the core start animation sequence 54 frames , which are displayed sequentially in a continuous loop , until such time as the operator or the system calls for a jump to one of the of mid sequence animations 56 , 58 and 60 that is appropriate for action that has just occurred , or information that has become available . the possible statistics about the game that may be displayed by such a multi - thread animation of the preferred embodiment of the present invention include , but are not limited to , the current score , the time elapsed , the time of the game remaining , the speed an object is thrown , hit or served , the distance a ball or object is thrown , hit or served , the time taken for an object or player to move from one point to the next and so on . as long as there is a means , such as clock , stop watch , radar gun , a marker that can be observed automatically or by a person , to measure a statistic in a reasonable time , that statistic can be displayed by the preferred embodiment of the present invention . such information is routinely displayed in television broadcasts as a static or animated overlay by means of such well - known keying devices as the chyron corporation &# 39 ; s infinit ® family of character generators , and is therefore often made available over standard data buses or in standard machine readable form . a second example will serve to illustrate more fully the advantages of the multi - threaded animation 50 of the present invention . in a baseball game , it is of interest to viewers of the game to be able to see the speed of the pitch . since a reasonable baseball pitch in a major league game can be anywhere from 70 to 99 miles per hour , there are 30 possible outcomes , one of which has to be selected within a fraction of a second by an operator and displayed . by having the version of the multi - threaded animation 50 shown in fig5 in which the core animation sequence 54 is a ten frame animation used both as a start and end core animation sequence , and the set of mid sequence animations 84 consists of thirty single - field animations , each one corresponding to one of the possible pitch speeds of interest in a major league broadcast , starting with the lowest value of 70 mph on frame 86 to the highest value of 99 mph on frame 88 , the entire multi - threaded animation is only 40 fields . although the exact number of fields is only important for specific memory constraints , the set up illustrates the tremendous compression achieved by the multi - threaded animation 50 . such a set up could obviously be adapted to either show information other than the speed of the pitch in a baseball game , or to show similar information in a variety of other sports broadcasts . one way the baseball speed of the pitch would work , is to have frame 80 , the first frame of the core animation sequence be displayed as a normal inserted indicia of a live video insertion system onto the back wall behind a batter . this inserted indicia , frame 80 , which is the scoreboard or sign where the speed of the pitch will be displayed , is positioned so as to be in the field of view in a usual camera shot of the event . after the pitch is thrown and the speed measured by a radar gun , such as the well known juggs gun , the information from the juggs gun is either feed directly to the live video insertion system in some appropriate machine readable encoding , or is conveyed to the operator . on receiving the information , the operator either pushes a key or the system interprets the data , and the insertion unit 26 causes the core animation sequence 54 frames to be displayed as the insert , beginning with the start frame 80 and running to the end frame 82 , showing each of the intermediate animation frames 52 in turn for a predetermined number of video fields . the animation that this results in being displayed as the live video insertion system &# 39 ; s insertion may for instance be an image of a scoreboard or sign changing or morphing in a particular fashion , such as , but not limited to be a sign rotating round to reveal the back of the sign . the final frame 82 of the core animation sequence 54 may represent the back of the sign but with nothing on it . the next frame displayed is then one of the thirty single frames of the set of mid sequence animations 84 , each of which displays the back of the sign with a number corresponding to a pitch speed , in miles per hour , from 70 to 99 . this frame is displayed for a predetermined , operator variable , number of fields , after which the insertion unit 26 causes the final frame 82 of the core animation sequence 54 to be displayed . the animation then runs backward to the start frame 80 , showing each of the intermediate animation frames 52 in turn , but in reverse order to which they were originally shown , for a predetermined number of video fields . the animation that this results in being displayed as the live video insertion system &# 39 ; s insertion may for instance be an image of a scoreboard or sign changing or morphing in a particular fashion , such as , but not limited to be a sign rotating from revealing the back of the sign round to the sign itself . the overall effect of such an animation is of a sign rotating round to reveal the speed of the pitch on the back , then rotating back again to the original sign . in the preferred embodiment described above , the invention makes the information look as if it is part of the original video . alternative embodiments are readily implemented wherein intelligence from the live video insertion system ( to include data obtained from camera sensor devices ) is used selectively . for instance , the animation or graphic displaying the event related information may remain in a fixed position of the screen , and may also remain at a fixed size with respect to the viewer &# 39 ; s screen , but the intelligence from the live video insertion system is used to allow event related action to pass in front of the event related information display . in another alternative embodiment this intelligence may be used not to provide occlusion , but to resize or reposition the insert so as to avoid event action being obscured . in yet another alternative embodiment this intelligence may also be used to simply disable the event information display when it would otherwise obstruct the tv audience &# 39 ; s view of the event action . it is to be understood that the foregoing disclosure taught and described herein is illustrative of the present invention . modifications may readily be devised by those ordinarily skilled in the art without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention . | 7 |
stanozolol is a synthetic steroid derived from dihydrotestosterone ( dht ). it is commonly sold under the name winstrol . in an injectable liquid form , the stanozolol is usually dissolved in paraben water along with benzyl alcohol and sesame oil . the stanozolol will preferably be deployed in the present composition as an injectable suspension from about 10 to about 50 mg of stanozolol per ml of suspension . other components in the stanozolol suspension may include minor amounts of propylene glycol ; sodium carboxymethylcellulose ( nacmc ), sodium chloride and the like . nandralone is most usually sold as its decanoate ester under the name deca - durabolin . less common is the phenylpropionate ester commercially available under the mark durabolin . nandralone is a white crystalline powder which forms an oily , yellow suspension when suspended in benzyl alcohol and a suitable oil such as peanut oil , grapeseed oil , sesame oil and the like . the nandralone , as an injectable suspension , is present in an amount ranging from about 100 to about 200 milligrams per ml of suspension . generally , the injection will comprise from about a 0 . 5 : 1 to about 2 . 0 : 1 weight ratio of nandralone to stanozolol , and preferably about a 1 : 1 weight ratio . the resulting injectable suspension is stable for about five ( 5 ) minutes . it is injected into the buttocks of a female . in use the suspension is administered over a period of 7 to 14 days until the pain is alleviated . generally , the injection is deployed about once a week . the medications are continued until the pain is gone , indefinitely or if pregnancy is contemplated . it is further contemplated that in lieu of an injectable composition , that the composition hereof be applied as a topical cream based upon a plo or pluronoic lecithin organo gel . as is known to those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains , plo gels are transdermal vehicles used to administer medications through the skin . these gels can be formulated to be absorbed through the skin for immediate effects . they contain combinations of ingredients that provide quick relief without unwanted side - effects . plo gels disrupt the lipid layers of the stratum corneum without damaging the skin . this allows the medication to defuse through the stratum corneum into the dermal - epidermal blood flow . generally speaking , plos are acleas - based and ordinarily contain poloxamer 407 potassium sorbate water as an aqueous phase and an organic phase of lecithin and isopropyl palmitate in sorbate acid . typically there is a four to one aqueous to organic phase in preparing the cream . in preparing a topical cream in accordance herewith , to prepare a 30 day mixture administered as two mgs of composition per day generally , about 20 mg admixed with about mg of the gel of stanozolol per ml of suspension and 20 mg per ml of suspension of nandralone are added to the plo gel . however , greater amounts can be used . for example up to about 200 mgs of the nandralone suspension and up to about 40 mgmg of the suspension stanozolol can be prepared by mixing equal volumes of the two components into the plo gel at ambient conditions with stirring . where used , the cream is applied anywhere from daily to a little as about twice a week , as dictated by the pain . where the combination of oral ingestion of stanozolol plus the injection of nandralone , generally , 20 to 50 mg per week of stanozolol is ingested , along with an injection of nadralone in the amount of 20 mg to about 40 mg of nandralone in one ml of suspension . the nadralone is a single injection on a weekly basis . the stanozolol is taken over the week in the requisite amounts to achieve a 20 to 50 mg per week dosage of suspension or cream . it should be noted that the use of nandrolone , alone , also suppresses the fsh ( follicle stimulating hormone ) and lh ( leutinizing hormone ) release from the pituitary . the present treatment focuses on plugging up the androgen - receptor ( a - r ) receptor on the endometriotic cell walls . nandrolone has an affinity to stick tightly into the a - r ; about three times stronger than testosterone and about ten to thirty times stronger than any of the estrogens , i . e . estrone , estradiol , xeno - estrogen . when the nandrolone is in the receptor , the endometrial cells ‘ dry up .’ however potent the nandrolone is , it is diluted in the blood stream by sex hormone binding globulin ( shbg ). normal range of shbg in the female blood stream is usually about 30 - 40 nmol / l . yet , the dilution potency of shbg can increase , during pregnancy , to about 500 nmol / l . thus , a woman with an androgen producing tumor will deliver a baby unaffected because of the high shbg . therefore , to maximize the effect of nandrolone it is necessary to minimize shbg . many women , not pregnant , with or without endometriosis , can have an shbg level of over about 250 nmol / l . with the use of the presently defined dosage of shbg , the shbg should suppress to less than 30 nmol / l . otherwise , more stanozolol is used in the mixture . it should be further noted that reliance on nandrolone alone fails as the androgenic side effects ( acne , weight gain , hair growth ) are self - limiting . the utilization of the present invention has exhibited efficacy in the treatment of endometriosis . | 0 |
referring specifically to fig1 of the accompanying drawings , a unitary blank 10 of paper board , cardboard or foldable plastic material is illustrated as including three distinct sections 11 , 13 and 15 . in the preferred embodiment sections 11 , 13 and 15 are disposed at successive longitudinal locations along a central longitudinal axis a -- a wherein the central section 13 is separated from the two end sections 11 and 15 by respective transversely - extending fold lines 12 and 14 . in this embodiment , the entire blank 10 is transversely symmetrical about axis a -- a in each of the sections . it should be understood , however , that such symmetry is a desired but not a necessary feature of the invention . in addition , the arrangement of sections 11 , 13 and 15 in longitudinal succession is also a preferred embodiment of the invention but it will be noted that sections 11 and 15 may be disposed at adjacent rather than opposite ends of middle section 13 . blank section 11 includes a relatively short portion defined between transverse sides or edges 16 and 17 which converge generally toward one another from opposite ends of fold line 12 . the remainder of section 11 extends remotely from fold line 12 and has a generally rectangular configuration . the width or transverse dimension of the rectangular portion of section 11 is 2x , so that the spacing between axis a -- a and each longitudinally - extending edge 18 and 19 is x . the middle section 13 has a picture - viewing aperture 20 defined therein . aperture 20 , in the preferred embodiment , has a generally oval configuration , although this is not a limiting feature of the present invention . a pair of longitudinally - extending fold lines 21 and 22 are defined on opposite sides and in spaced relation with respect to aperture 20 . fold lines 20 and 22 are mutually parallel and extend perpendicular to fold line 12 from opposite ends of that fold line . the transversely outer portion of section 13 beyond fold lines 21 and 22 correspond to respective flaps 23 and 24 which terminate at their transversely distal ends in longitudinally - extending edges . the sides of flaps 23 and 24 which are proximate section 11 of the blank include respective first portions 25 and 26 which are straight line continuations of the edges 16 and 17 , respectively , of the short portion of section 11 of the blank . flaps 23 and 24 are otherwise generally rectangular in configuration . each flap includes a score line 27 , 28 extending longitudinally along the flap in parallel relation to fold lines 21 and 22 . a pair of slots 29 and 30 are cut in respective flaps 23 and 24 between the score lines 27 , 28 and the fold lines 21 , 22 . slots 29 and 23 are skewed slightly from longitudinal orientation such that they diverge generally toward one another in a direction toward fold line 14 . the transverse dimension between fold lines 21 and 22 is 2y so that , as illustrated in fig1 the spacing between axis a -- a and each fold line 21 and 22 is y . the spacing between each fold line 21 , 22 and its adjacent score line 27 , 28 is designated w , whereas the transverse distance from axis a -- a to the outer edge of each of the flaps 23 , 24 is designated z . in the preferred embodiment , the distance x is provided so as to be greater than the distance y - z . under such circumstances , and as will be appreciated from the description below relating to fig2 - 6 , when section 11 is folded over onto section 13 along fold line 12 , flaps 23 and 24 can be folded along lines 21 and 22 respectively , to overlap a portion of section 11 . in addition , in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the invention , the distance x on section 11 is less than y - w . this places the score lines 27 and 28 in a position wherein they do not overlap the section 11 . section 15 , which extends outwardly from fold line 14 , is of generally rectangular configuration having a width substantially equal to 2w , or the width between the fold lines 21 and 22 in section 13 . a pair of tabs 31 and 32 project transversely outwardly from opposite longitudinally - extending sides of section 15 at locations proximate the remote or distal edge 33 of section 15 . tabs 31 and 32 are adapted to be inserted into slots 29 and 30 in the manner described herein below , and consequently are longitudinally positioned so as to generally align with the slots when section 15 is folded over section 13 along fold line 14 . a pair of fold lines 34 and 35 are defined in section 15 and intersect distal edge 33 at spaced locations . fold lines 34 and 35 diverge from distal edge 33 toward opposite ends of fold line 14 . it is noted that the longitudinally - extending sides of section 15 terminate prior to intersecting fold line 14 so that the actual joinder between sections 15 and 13 includes edges corresponding to extensions of the fold lines 34 and 35 . in assembling the picture frame of the present invention from the blank illustrated in fig1 it should be noted that the surface of section 13 illustrated in fig1 corresponds to the rear surface of the front panel of the finally assembled picture frame . the first step in the assembly is to fold flaps 23 and 24 along fold lines 21 and 22 , respectively , over onto the rear surface of the front panel or blank section 13 , as illustrated in fig2 . the flaps 23 and 24 need not be pressed onto the section 13 at this time , as long as the fold is generally made . as illustrated in fig3 the flaps are then folded along score lines 27 and 28 so that the edges of the flaps extend away from the front panel or blank section 13 . blank section 11 , which serves as an intermediate panel in the assembled frame , is then folded along fold line 12 on to the rear surface of front panel 13 in the manner illustrated in fig4 . since the dimension x , corresponding to one - half the width of intermediate panel 11 , is less than y - w , the intermediate panel readily fits between the up - folded edges of the flaps 23 and 24 in order to permit the intermediate panel to be placed adjacent the rear surface of front panel 13 . this step is followed by folding the flaps 23 and 24 along score lines 27 and 28 once again , but this time folding the flap extensions generally downward so as to overlap the intermediate panel 11 . in other words , since the dimension x is greater than y - z , the flap extensions overlap the intermediate panel . blank section 15 , which also corresponds to the rear panel of the assembled picture frame , is then folded along fold lines 34 and 35 such that the rear surface of the rear panel will ultimately be convex . the rear panel 15 is then folded along fold line 14 over the flaps 23 and 24 in the manner illustrated in fig5 and 6 . tabs 31 and 32 are inserted into slots 29 and 30 , respectively to provide the finally assembled picture frame illustrated in fig6 - 9 . in the final assembled frame , the intermediate panel 11 defines a pocket between it and the rear surface of front panel 13 in which a picture can be placed by temporarily disconnecting and unfolding the rear panel 15 . this pocket is closed at the bottom of the frame by the fold line 12 between front panel 13 and intermediate panel 11 . the picture is prevented from falling out from the sides of the frame by the flaps which cover the intermediate panel . the top of the frame is also closed by fold line 14 which joins the front panel 13 and the rear panel 15 . the bottom edge of the front panel , corresponding to fold line 12 , serves as one part of the support edge arrangement for the frame . the other part of the support edge arrangement is provided by distal edge 33 of rear panel 15 which is folded into a generally trapezoidal configuration by means of the folds along fold lines 34 and 35 . rear panel 15 is maintained in this folded state , thereby maintaining the trapezoidal edge configuration , by the engagement of tab members 31 and 32 in respect to the slots 29 and 30 . it should be noted that the intermediate panel 11 need not be rectangular in cross - section as illustrated in the preferred embodiment . it is only necessary that the intermediate panel 11 provide a pocket with a closed bottom edge in conjunction with the rear surface of front panel 13 for receiving a picture to be viewed through viewing aperture 20 . another desirable feature of the invention is that flaps 23 and 24 be configured to overlie the intermediate panel 11 in the assembled frame so that the sides of the pocket are closed . it is also a desirable feature of the invention that the engagement of the rear panel 15 to the flaps 23 , 24 ( such as by tabs 31 , 32 engaging slots 29 , 30 ) be such that the rear panel 15 is maintained folded along fold lines 34 and 35 by such engagement , thereby assuring the curved configuration of lower edge 33 for support purposes . from the foregoing description it will be appreciated that the present invention makes available a novel , inexpensive picture frame which is easily put together . the frame is provided with a pocket which reliably retains any picture inserted therein . moreover , the bottom edge arrangement of the frame provides a stable support which maintains the frame in an upright position . having described a particular embodiment of a new and improved picture frame and unitary forming blank constructed in accordance with the present invention , it is believed that other modifications , variations and changes will be suggested to those skilled in the art in light of the above disclosure . it is therefore to be understood that all such variations , modifications and changes are believed to fall within the scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims . | 0 |
although adding a room to a house is not new , the present disclosure will describe embodiments of novel improvements incorporated in the design and method of installation of an inventive prefabricated temporary house addition ( the addition 100 ). it can be seen that the addition 100 is particularly suited for satisfying a heretofore unmet need of handicapped , partly disabled , ill , or infirm house residents for a temporary addition providing needed living space and facilities , and that is easily installed and later removed with minimal impact on the house and yard and resultant property resale value . therefor the inventive addition 100 is prefabricated to simplify installation , is constructed for transport to and from an existing residential house location , and incorporates features that enable re - use of a particular addition at a plurality of residential sites . referring to fig1 a - 1c , 4 a - 4 c , 8 and 10 , the prefabricated house addition 100 is a factory - built , substantially enclosed structure including a room 102 having a floor section 104 underneath , a roof section 112 above , and surrounding front wall 106 , back wall 108 , and two side walls 110 ; all being interconnected and suitably constructed according to applicable building codes for an outdoor structure attached to a residential building ( e . g ., user &# 39 ; s house 500 ). an important feature of the inventive addition 100 is a collar 120 that enables simplified , removable temporary joining of the prefabricated house addition 100 to a user &# 39 ; s house 500 wherein modification of the house 500 is minimized while still providing easy access from the house 500 to a living space ( room ) 102 in the addition 100 . the collar 120 extends forward from the front wall 106 and comprises : a hallway 122 that passes through the front wall 106 to define a passageway that is open at a distal forward collar end 124 and is surrounded by a collar floor section 126 extending the room &# 39 ; s floor section 104 forward , two collar side walls 128 and a collar roof section 130 , all being joined with the front wall 106 to form suitable exterior corner joints 132 and substantially right angle interior wall corners 134 . the collar has outside dimensions of collar height oh ( from a bottom board 186 beneath a collar floor section 126 to roofing 182 on top of a collar roof section 130 ) and collar width ow ( between exterior wall coverings 148 on two collar side walls 128 ) that are minimized but limited by a hallway width w between interior surfaces 136 of collar side walls 128 , and a flooring 138 - to - ceiling 140 hallway height h , that are no smaller than applicable residential building code minimum values for width and height of a passageway to be used by one adult at a time . in preferred embodiments , the hallway height h and width w are approximately equal to ada minimum values for use by a person in a wheelchair . for example , the ada minimum width for a hallway is 36 inches or 32 inches for a short portion , like a doorframe . the collar 120 has an outside collar length ol measured from a front wall 106 of the addition 100 to a distal forward collar end 124 , which presents a substantially planar , forward - facing surface 144 on the collar &# 39 ; s side walls 128 , floor section 126 and roof section 130 . this planar surface is a marriage joint 142 for attaching the addition 100 to the house 500 by sealing against a site - prepared corresponding planar mating surface 525 ( fig6 and 8 ). preferably a good seal is formed by a releasable sealing gasket 146 rather than caulking in a test unit we will use a “ barrier seal ” product that is specifically sold for use in “ marriage joints ” of factory built modular and double wide manufactured homes . also known as “ bulb seal ”, the itp sealing gasket 146 is a longitudinally extending strip with a p - shaped cross - section made of a “ highly compressible , non - gassing , engineered polymer foam .” this embodiment of the sealing gasket 146 is available from industrial thermo polymers ltd . ( itp ), of brampton , ontario , canada . also shown in fig1 a is an exterior door 194 that is shown with an optional wheelchair ramp 196 , this being but one example of a number of provisions that can be made for handicapped access such as a ramp , elevator , low pitch steps , and the like . the door 194 is nominally 36 inches wide and the ramp 196 is suitably made to accommodate wheelchair access / egress in and out of the home 500 through the attached room addition 100 if existing outside doors in the home are not wide enough . the door 194 can also be used to provide rear access to the house if an existing rear door is temporarily blocked by the addition 100 . nevertheless , fig1 shows that spacing the addition 100 apart from the house 500 by the collar length ol , and by only covering a minimized area ( collar width ow by collar height oh ) then very little of the house siding 511 is disturbed and functional presence of projecting house features 504 such as windows , doors and hose faucets , for example , are retained . a “ shadow ” drawn on the house 500 shows that without the collar 120 , attachment to the house 500 of the entire width rw and height rh of the front wall 106 of the addition would require removal or boarding up of the window feature 504 and removal or moving of the faucet feature 504 . fig2 illustrates some aspects of the prefabricated temporary house addition 100 that enhance its portability and facilitate its re - use . the room width rw and room height rh are suitable for transport on truck beds ( e . g ., width rw of 9 ′- 9 ″, and height rh of about 11 ′- 9 ″). to accommodate a narrow residential driveway , a longitudinally split addition 100 can be prefabricated like a “ double wide ” house trailer . for example , fig2 shows a split portion 116 that is separated from the nearest third of the addition along a line parallel to a collar side 128 . preferably as shown , fork channels 174 are built into the addition 100 . these are heavy gauge structural metal channels ( e . g ., 5 gauge steel ) that extend completely across the room width rw under the floor section 104 ( see fig5 and 7 a - b ), thereby spreading out the forces imposed by lifting the addition 100 on forklift truck forks . furthermore , the fork channels 174 are sized and shaped to confine a forklift fork above and on both sides in order to minimize wobbling and shifting of the addition 100 while it is carried from truck bed to installation site and also while it is being precisely positioned against the house 500 and on a foundation 160 of the addition 100 that may comprise only four narrow posts 162 ( see fig6 ). an optional component for the addition 100 is a collar extension 118 that duplicates the collar 120 structure except for additionally having a rearward facing planar surface 144 ′ that is suitable for use like a house mating surface 525 for marrying with the forward facing marriage joint of the standard collar 120 . as with the house mating surface 525 , through holes 540 can be provided in the rear face 144 ′ for enabling the use of lag screws or lag bolts / nuts 150 to secure the collar extension 118 to the collar 120 . the collar extension may be provided in several standard collar lengths , or could be custom made for specific installations . fig3 a - 3c show floor plans for three examples of rooms 102 that can be provided by additions 100 to supply temporary living facilities to meet various needs . fig3 a and 3b show two bathrooms 102 a and 102 b , the main difference being that the second bathroom 102 b also has a washer and dryer 180 d as an extra living facility 180 , in addition to a step - in shower 180 a , a lavatory / sink 180 b , and a toilet 180 c . in preferred embodiments the living facilities are all ada compliant , and also the arrangement of facilities 180 in the room comply with ada standards for movement in a wheelchair . for example , ada3 indicates a 5 foot diameter circle for allowing a 360 degree turn . likewise , ada1 and ada2 indicate minimum required open spaces for use of the shower and sink facilities . it can be seen that suitable handgrip bars are provided where needed . in fig3 b , ada4 indicates the ada compliant doorway width ( nominal 36 ″, minimum 32 ″). the hallway 122 in the collar 120 has a width w that is substantially 36 ″ wide . it can be seen that by leaving out the laundry facilities 180 d , the room depth rd can be reduced from rd ( b ) to a smaller dimension rd ( a ), while still maintaining ada compliance . fig3 c shows a multipurpose room 102 c which can be used as a bedroom and / or sitting room or otherwise private area . an air conditioner 214 and / or a window 198 may be provided . likely facilities 180 e would include , at a minimum , properly spaced electrical outlets , for example . fig5 illustrates an extra base framing for strength , portability : a metal support frame with addition “ exploded ” above it , lined up for assembly . fig6 shows site preparation for installation : perspective view — a doorframe installed in outside wall of house . lap siding removed from wall around it and header / mating boards / ledger board installed around it . three helical pier posts in place , one lying on ground . hole in basement wall below ledger , with bundle of wires , two water lines , and a sewer line extending out from it . fig7 a - b show how a helical pile cap with mounting plate is welded to bottom of metal sill , ( alternatives include pile cap to double wood rim joists / lag screws , and metal sill on wood frame ) 7 c is a 6 × 6 wood post in buried cement bolted into inside corner of floor rim joists , d = standard cement block wall on buried poured foundation , e = concrete slab with joists resting on a single brick riser . fig8 is marriage joint : top view of horizontal x - section , magnified to show portions of married ( installed ) collar end and house wall at doorframe . shows p - seal flattened between flat collar end face and header above plus “ mating boards ” either side of door frame , flush with outside of house sheathing . shows azek trim boards sealed against house siding . shows bolts or lag screws removably holding joint together . fig9 shows utility connections / foundation insulation : side xsection view of installed addition , magnified to show collar floor and down to ground , hole in basement wall , and part of basement . shows ledger board supporting end of collar floor , utility supply lines from basement thru hole , connections together under floor of collar . identifies releasable reusable connections . shows insulation in floor , bottom board , and optional ejection pump . referring to fig4 a - 5 , the prefabricated house addition 100 is factory built using robust construction methods and materials , thereby providing a re - usable unitary structure capable of a plurality of transport , lifting , installation , short - to - medium term use , and removal cycles . robust construction includes any combination of : 2 × 6 exterior wall studs 155 with a double top plate 157 , osb sheathing for exterior wall sheathing 156 , roof decking 156 and floor decking 156 ( which is preferably also tongue and groove ); doubled or lvl joist headers and stringers 154 , flexible rubber membrane roofing material 182 ; engineered wood or metal trusses 158 in the roof section 112 ; and solid blocking 153 of floor joists 152 . optionally the roof section 112 is constructed a 3 - 12 pitch shed roof , but could also be a peaked roof . the trusses as well as joists are secured both by nails and by hanger brackets . the roof may be finished with underlayment , asphalt shingles or metal - standing seam roofing . the roof is vented by conventional means , and the roof cavity is insulated with an extra thick layer of either batt or blown - in insulation 190 . the exterior walls are constructed using 2 × 6 wood or metal studs 155 secured 16 inches on center . drywall or other suitable products cover the interior side of the exterior walls ; wood sheathing 156 covers the exterior side of the walls . the exterior walls are insulated with either batt or blown - in insulation ( not shown ). the exterior walls are finished with moisture barrier and vinyl or other suitable products . the floor joists 152 are constructed with either 2 × 8 or ( preferably ) 2 × 10 wood or metal joists spaced 16 inches o / c . open joists may be used in places to accommodate plumbing and the like . insulation 190 preferably fills the space between the floor joists 152 , headers and stringers 154 . wood decking 156 is applied to the top of the floor joists , then covered by finish flooring 138 such as vinyl or other suitable materials . referring to fig9 - 10 , the underside of the floor joists 152 are covered with a suitable bottom board 186 . when the preferred foundation of piers or posts 162 is used , the resulting crawl space is enclosed by a complete skirt 192 with insulation 190 applied from the bottom of the floor joists to grade level and extending completely around the addition 100 and connecting collar 120 after the plumbing and electrical connections are completed . two pre - plumbed ¾ inch copper or pex tubing , plumbing lines run in the center of the addition between the floor joists . one supplies hot water to the sink , shower , and laundry , if present , and the second water line supplying cold water to the toilet , sink , shower , and laundry , if present . ½ inch hot and cold water supply lines branch off from the ¾ inch line at the point of termination into the bathroom fixtures . a third pre - plumbed 3 inch sanitary line runs next to the hot and cold water branches between the floor joists in the center of the addition . this 3 inch sanitary line has branches that are also 3 inch to pick up the sanitary waste from the toilet , sink , shower , and washer , if present . this 3 inch sanitary line has a 2 inch conventional venting loop from beginning to end that terminates through the roof . the utilities 200 : hot and cold water lines 207 , the sanitary line 209 and the electrical wiring 202 end at a connection point 201 under the collar 120 but protected within it . corresponding utility lines 529 from the existing home &# 39 ; s plumbing and electrical lines are extended through a hole 520 cut in the foundation wall 518 to the point of connection 201 . advantageously , releasable and re - usable utility connectors / couplers are used . for example , a fernco coupling 210 will be used to connect the pvc sanity line 209 to the house sewer line 530 . fernco couplings have earned a reputation for consistent , superior performance . the dimensional flexibility of fernco couplings ensures leak - proof seals on virtually any pipe material : plastic , cast iron , asbestos cement , clay , concrete , steel , copper and ductile iron . the coupling is made of an elastomeric compound that meets the requirements of astm # d5926 , c1173 and applicable portions of astm # c443 , c425 , c564 , csa b602 and d1869 . it is leak - proof , root - proof and resistant to chemicals , ultraviolet rays , fungus growth , and normal sewer gases . stainless steel clamps are corrosion - resistant and rust - proof . the water lines 207 and 532 are preferably pex plumbing lines for hot ( red plastic ) and cold ( blue ) water being connected to the supply lines 532 from the home with sharkbite reusable push - fit fittings 208 . there is a sharkbite disconnection tool that is used to disconnect the supply lines when the addition 100 is removed . thus the fittings are re - usable ( both water and sewer ). sharkbite couplings make fast and easy connections from pex , copper , or cpvc with no soldering , clamps , unions or glue required . sharkbite push - fit fittings are fittings that you can push the connector by hand onto the tube or pipe . once pushed to the proper depth , you &# 39 ; re done ; no extra parts , soldering or tools are required . watertight to 200 psi , approved for hidden use . there are three pre - wired electrical circuits that supply an exhaust fan and lighting , a gfi ( ground fault interrupter ) outlet next to the sink , and the radiant heater . the exhaust fan and lighting circuit could also be on a gfi circuit . all three circuits are of conventional amperage and wattage . two additional pre - wired circuits of conventional amperage and wattage are provided with suitable receptacles for laundry facilities , if present . all pre - wired circuits are fed back to a junction box 204 between the floor joists of the connecting collar . patch connections are made from the existing home &# 39 ; s electrical panel to the junction box under the connecting collar to provide electricity . standard wire nuts may be used as re - usable connectors . viewed in fig3 a , an ada compliant walk - in shower and that is 60 inches wide and 30 inches deep is pre - installed . the shower seat is located 17 - 19 inches from the shower floor per ada guidelines and extends the full depth of the shower stall . the controls for the hot and cold water and the lowest adjustable point for the flexible shower hose with handle are located between 38 and 48 inches from the shower floor . the hot and cold water controls and the shower handle are located no farther than 27 inches from the corner of the wall with attached seat . 1¼ or 1½ inch grab bars and are pre - installed throughout at proper ada height between 33 and 36 inches from the floor . and are the 36 × 60 inch ada approaches for this shower . an ada compliant raised toilet , is pre - installed with a seat height 17 to 19 inches from the floor . the flush control is located on the open side of the toilet . a 36 inch grab bar that is 1¼ or 1½ inches in diameter is pre - installed behind the toilet , and a 42 inch grab bar of the same diameter is pre - installed at the closed wall side of the toilet at proper ada height between 33 and 36 inches from the floor and extends no farther than 54 inches from the wall behind the toilet . a sink is pre - installed and mounted with counter or rim no higher than 34 inches above finished floor . knee clearance is provided that is at least 8 inches under the sink where the height clearance is 27 inches . 17 inches of toe clearance from the wall is provided with a minimum height of 9 inches . the pipes under the sink are covered to prevent contact . the sink shall be a maximum of 6½ inches deep , and the faucet will have paddle handles . a tilt mirror is mounted no higher than 40 inches above the finish floor . and illustrate the 30 inch approach area for the sink . the room 102 b with space and utility connections providing for a laundry area is meant to receive either a washer and dryer from the existing home &# 39 ; s basement or a washer and dryer purchased for the occupants level of functioning , i . e ., occupant uses a cane , walker , or wheelchair . is the 30 × 48 inch approach areas to the washer and dryer . a 5 foot turning radius is provided to comfortably make a 360 degree turn in a wheelchair . the entrance into the addition , connecting collar hallway , is 36 inches wide and . the width of the exit door and clear floor space to this exit door is 36 inches ( somewhat reduced by trim and door hinge edge , but well over the minimum allowance of 32 inches ). fig6 and 8 illustrate the marrying of collar to house . the brick or siding would be peeled away to make room for the door framing . install a ledger board 524 on the home where the frame for the hallway will rest for support . the exterior will be finished with either azek trim for around doorway plus caulk or aluminum siding trim plus caulk . azek is a moisture resistant trim board . from web page : the plumbing that connects to the home after a hole is bored through the basement block may have a box 536 built around it so that the heat from the basement will pass through the bored hole and fill the box connecting the floor joists and the basement block . the box could also contain additional insulation 190 . if needed , a sewage ejector pump 212 is provided when gravity draining won &# 39 ; t work . although the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and foregoing description , the same is to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive in character — it being understood that only preferred embodiments have been shown and described , and that all changes and modifications that come within the spirit of the invention as claimed are desired to be protected . undoubtedly , many other “ variations ” on the “ themes ” set forth hereinabove will occur to one having ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention most nearly pertains , and such variations are intended to be within the scope of the invention , as disclosed herein . | 4 |
the double bayonet connector of the invention comprises two parts : a female connector assembly and a male connector assembly . one connector assembly is attached to the refrigeration source , and the other connector assembly to the device to be cooled . preferably , the connector assemblies are fabricated from a vacuum and weld compatible material , such as stainless steel . certain components are required to have low thermal conductivity , as well . fig1 depicts a male connector assembly of the invention designed for use in a superconductive nmr probe assembly . referring to fig1 the male connector assembly includes an elongated sheath 10 formed from a high strength material , such as stainless steel . in the preferred embodiment , the sheath is formed from 1 . 125 &# 34 ; od × 0 . 050 &# 34 ; wall thickness stainless steel tubing and is 5 . 4 &# 34 ; in length . the sheath is attached at one end to a base 20 . the opposite end of the sheath is provided with a threaded fitting 30 . a slot 40 is cut the length of the sheath 10 to provide a guide for insertion of a key attached to the female connector assembly . fig2 depicts a longitudinal section of the male connector assembly of fig1 . the base 20 has a flat surface 50 on the side facing the space enclosed by the sheath . a pair of fluid transfer tube assemblies are positioned within the sheath . each fluid transfer tube assembly comprises an inner tube 60 and outer tube 70 . the outer tube 70 is fabricated from a low thermal conductivity material and is sealed , preferably welded , to the base 20 . in the preferred embodiment , the outer tube is 0 . 187 &# 34 ; od × 0 . 010 &# 34 ; wall thickness stainless steel , but any material having low thermal conductivity and sufficient mechanical strength and flexibility may be used . the inner tube 60 is of a sufficiently narrower diameter than the outer tube 70 that , when concentrically positioned with respect to the outer tube , a vacuum space 80 is created . in the preferred embodiment , the inner tube is 0 . 062 &# 34 ; od × 0 . 010 &# 34 ; wall thickness . the tubes are joined together at the end distal from the base by a solid stainless steel reduction bushing 90 brazed onto the tubes to form a vacuum - tight seal . the inner tube 60 extends through the base 20 and continues beyond . the inner tube 60 is secured in a concentric position relative to the outer tube 70 by a low thermal conductivity clip 100 which is secured to the base . g - 10 or stainless steel are suitable materials for the clip . the area 110 beyond the distal side of the base is a vacuum region through which the inner tubes run . vacuum region 110 is contiguous with vacuum region 80 . typically , flexible vacuum tubing ( not shown ) is attached to the base and to the source of the circulating fluid . however , it is within the scope of the invention to fashion the vacuum space from appropriate rigid or flexible materials . fig3 depicts a view looking down on the male connector from line a -- a . in fig3 it can be seen that the slot 40 is 90 ° from a line bisecting the inner tubes . fig4 depicts a view looking up from line b -- b . the inner tubes 60 extend through the clip 100 which is held in place by fasteners 120 . the fasteners may be screws , or any other device capable of maintaining the position of the clip . the clip is made of a low thermal conductivity material , such as stainless steel or fiberglass . slots may be cut in the clip to increase the thermal path between the room temperature fastener and the inner tubes , thereby reducing thermal conductance and parasitic heat load . fig5 depicts a female connector assembly of the invention . a vacuum cylinder 150 contains the receptacle tubes 160 for the fluid transfer , which extend through a face plate 170 . the receptacle tubes are made from a low thermal conductivity material . a protrusion on the outside of the cylinder 180 forms a key for guiding the joining of the male to the female connectors . in use , the key slides along slot 40 . a nut 190 is provided for securing the female connector to the male connector at the threaded fitting 30 shown in fig1 . the nut is retained by a stop 200 on one side and a spring clip 210 on the other side . fig6 depicts a longitudinal section of the female connector assembly of the invention . a vacuum space 220 is defined by the cylindrical vacuum wall 150 and a face plate 170 . the vacuum space is contiguous with a vacuum region 230 of the object to which the connector is attached . in the example of the nmr probe , the vacuum space is a rigid space provided by the probe body . however , it is within the scope of the invention to fashion the vacuum space from appropriate rigid or flexible materials . generally , flexible vacuum tubing will be used for one or both of the connector halves to facilitate connection . the female connector contains a pair of receptacle tubes 160 within the vacuum space 220 for insertion of the outer tubes of the male connector assembly . the receptacle tubes of the example have a diameter of 0 . 250 &# 34 ; od × 0 . 010 &# 34 ; thick . the receptacle tubes extend through and are flush with the surface of the face plate 170 . the receptacle tubes are sealed to the face plate to provide a vacuum - tight connection . grooves 240 for o - rings are around each of the receptacle tube openings in the room temperature face plate 170 . fig7 depicts a cross - sectional view of the female connector assembly taken along line c -- c . in fig7 it can be seen that the o - rings 250 are separated from the end of the cold receptacle tube 160 , and are in contact with the face plate , which is at or near ambient temperature . fig8 depicts a longitudinal section of an assembled connector of the invention . the nut and spring clip have been omitted for clarity . the slot and key are not illustrated . in use , the key is aligned with the slot , and the male assembly is inserted until the inside surface of the male base 50 contacts the o - rings 250 . the nut is then used to compress the o - rings and form a seal around each receptacle . the fluid lines are optionally purged with a noncondensible gas , typically helium . this may be accomplished by repetitive evacuation and filling with the cryogen or by pressurizing with a clean gas of the cryogen and venting . next , the flow of the cryogen ( or heated fluid ) is turned on and the fluid allowed to circulate to disconnect , the cryogen flow is first turned off . the connector is warmed to room temperature , the nut unscrewed , and the connector halves slid apart . it is sometimes desirable in an open - cycle cooling system to circulate fluids . either liquids or gases , back to the location of fluid reservoir for venting . fig9 not drawn to scale , depicts a cross section of a male assembly component of an embodiment of the invention adapted to open - cycle use . the bayonet assembly 300 is as described for fig1 - 4 . a flexible vacuum line 310 connects the male assembly 300 to a junction box 320 , from which extend an exhaust vent extension 330 and a supply tube extension 340 of sufficient length to reach into a dewar . the space defined by the bayonet assembly , vacuum line assembly , junction box , exhaust vent extension and supply tube extension is tightly sealed and under vacuum . a supply tube 350 and an exhaust tube 360 extend from the bayonet to junction box , at which point they separate , with the exhaust tube traveling through the exhaust vent extension and forming a vacuum seal therewith . the supply tube turns extends to the lower end of the supply tube extension , and is sealed to the extension . a flow controller 370 is fitted over the supply tube extension . the flow controller is closed at the bottom , and has an opening 380 for cryogen to flow through and into the supply tube . a conventional arrangement of a slot and screw fitting provides flow control . the assembly also provides a heater 390 on the supply tube for controlling the temperature of the cryogen . in use , cryogen flows from a storage dewar through the opening 380 in the flow controller , through the supply tube 350 to the bayonet connector where its temperature may be adjusted with the heater 390 . from there it flows to the object to be cooled and returns through the exhaust tube 360 and vents at the dewar . this arrangement provides advantages over an open cycle system lacking a return . in the open cycle apparatus of the invention , vented cryogen is isolated to a single location , that at which the dewar is vented . the connector is designed for easy connection , while minimizing heat load on the cryogenic fluid . heat transport comes from three sources : thermal conduction along the transport tubes , radiation and thermal transport via the gas within the gap along the length of the outer tube 70 of the male connector and the receptacle tube 160 of the female connector . by making the gap small and selecting materials with low emissivity , the radiative and convective losses are minimized . the dominant heat load , thermal conduction along the transport tubes is calculated from the equation : where q is the heat flow , κ is the thermal conductivity , a is the cross - sectional area , l is the length , and δt is the temperature difference . in the geometry of the example , in which there are two bayonets , each with two concentric 4 &# 34 ;- long stainless steel tubes . the outer having an outside diameter of 1 / 4 &# 34 ; and the inner having an outside diameter of 3 / 16 &# 34 ;, each with a wall thickness of 0 . 010 ,&# 34 ; the heat load would be approximately 400 mw . it is within the scope of the invention to provide different geometries and / or different materials of construction . the skilled artisan will select geometries and materials to meet the heat load requirements of the particular system in which the connector will be used . the invention is applicable to any situation in which it is desired to provide a disconnect for a circulating fluid system . it is particularly useful for systems in which the fluid must be maintained at a temperature which is significantly different from ambient temperature . for example , it would be useful for circulating steam , or for circulating helium , when the system as a whole is maintained at normal room temperature . it would also be applicable to circulating fluids at or near normal room temperature when the system as a whole is maintained at extremely hot or cold temperatures . while the above description contains many specific details , these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the invention , but rather as an exemplification of preferred embodiments . many other variations are possible and will no doubt occur to others upon reading and understanding the preceding description . accordingly , the scope of the invention should be determined not by the embodiments illustrated , but by the appended claims and their legal equivalents . | 8 |
in the following detailed description , numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention . it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details . in other instances , well - known methods , procedures , components and structures may not have been described in detail so as not to obscure the present invention . the present invention is directed to a device , system , and methods for positioning of a bypass graft . the principles and operation of a device , system and methods according to the present invention may be better understood with reference to the drawings and accompanying descriptions . before explaining at least one embodiment of the present invention in detail , it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings . the invention is capable of other embodiments or of being practiced or carried out in various ways . also , it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting . it is appreciated that certain features of the invention , which are , for clarity , described in the context of separate embodiments , may also be provided in combination in a single embodiment . conversely , various features of the invention , which are , for brevity , described in the context of a single embodiment , may also be provided separately or in any suitable sub - combination . for the purposes of the present application , the terms “ distal ” and “ proximal ” refer to the orientation of the device within the body of a patient . as used herein , “ distal ” refers to the end of the device extended into the body first , and “ proximal ” refers to the end of the device located farthest from the distal end of the device when the device is in its fully deployed configuration . the term “ incision ” refers to any opening of any size in the body . reference is now made to fig1 , which is a schematic illustration of a vessel 200 having a bifurcation 202 . in one example , vessel 200 is a femoral artery , which branches off into a superficial femoral artery 210 and a deep femoral artery 212 . in other embodiments , vessel 200 may be another vessel in the body with branches . a blockage 204 is located in one of the branch vessels ( in the present embodiment , the superficial femoral artery 210 ). current methods for bypassing blockage 204 rely on surgical bypass methods , which may include autografts , xenografts or artificial grafts . it is a feature of the present invention to provide a minimally invasive method and system for delivery of a bypass device 208 into a vessel such as the femoral artery without the need for an open surgical procedure . reference is now made to fig2 a - 2d , which are schematic illustrations of a device 10 in accordance with embodiments of the present invention . the main operating principles of device 10 are depicted in fig2 a - 2d , but the details of device 10 and systems and methods for its delivery into vessel 200 are described further hereinbelow . device 10 includes a supporting segment 12 , an extending segment 14 , and a bypass segment 16 . supporting segment 12 , extending segment 14 and bypass segment 16 are comprised of flexible graft material . in some embodiments , each of supporting segment 12 , extending segment 14 and bypass segment 16 is comprised of the same flexible material . in other embodiments , one or more of the segments are comprised of different flexible materials . flexible materials may be any suitable flexible material such as , but not limited to , dacron , ptfe , fluoro - based compounds , biological materials , etc . supporting segment 12 has a supporting member 30 which provides support to the flexible material of supporting segment 12 . in some embodiments , supporting member 30 is an external supporting member and surrounds the flexible material . in other embodiments , supporting member 30 is an internal supporting member positioned internally with respect to the flexible material . in yet additional embodiments , supporting member is sandwiched between two layers of flexible material . supporting member 30 is comprised of a substantially rigid material for support , such as a metal or a hard polymer , for example . supporting member 30 may be a stent , for example . similarly , extending segment 14 has a flexible inverting portion 15 and an internal supporting member 32 , wherein internal supporting member 32 is comprised of substantially rigid material . the material comprising internal supporting member 32 may be the same as or different than the material comprising supporting member 30 . in some embodiments , internal supporting member 32 further comprises an additional layer of flexible material therein , wherein said internal supporting member 32 surrounds the additional layer of flexible material so that blood flowing through extending segment 14 may be in contact with a flexible material rather than a substantially rigid material . flexible inverting portion 15 has a proximal end 17 and a distal end 13 , and internal supporting member 32 has a proximal end 21 and a distal end 19 . flexible inverting portion 15 is attached to supporting segment 12 at its distal end 13 at a connecting area 29 , and proximal end 21 of internal supporting member 32 is attached to proximal end 17 of flexible inverting portion 15 at an attachment area 34 . in the embodiment shown in fig2 a - 2d , initially , extending segment 14 is in an inverted configuration , as shown in fig2 a , with flexible inverting portion 15 proximal to extending segment proximal end 17 . as shown in fig2 b and 2c , when deploying extending segment 14 , only flexible inverting portion 15 is inverted , while internal supporting member 32 remains in its initial configuration . in this way , distal end 13 of flexible inverting portion 15 retains a distal position while proximal end 17 of flexible inverting portion 15 moves from a distal position to a proximal position . during these movements , internal supporting member 32 remains in its initial configuration , such that distal end 19 of internal supporting member 32 begins to align with distal end 13 of flexible inverting portion 15 , while proximal end 21 of internal supporting member 32 begins to align with proximal end 17 of flexible inverting portion 15 . internal supporting member 32 sits within extending segment 14 and acts as a support for flexible inverting portion 15 . in this way , the substantially rigid members do not need to undergo deformation , un - inversion or other complicated configurations . in some embodiments , internal supporting member 32 is crimped onto a balloon , and in a final step , the balloon is expanded , thereby expanding internal supporting member 32 , as shown in fig2 d . in other embodiments , internal supporting member 32 is enclosed within an outer sheath , which is then removed upon deployment of internal supporting member 32 . a bypass segment 16 remains positioned at an insertion site throughout the procedure , as will be described in greater detail . reference is now made to fig3 a - 3c , which are schematic perspective illustrations of device 10 , in accordance with embodiments of the present invention . device 10 may be described as having three segments : a supporting segment 12 , an extending segment 14 and a bypass segment 16 , wherein supporting segment 12 and extending segment 14 are designed to be positioned within a vessel , and wherein bypass segment 16 is a synthetic bypass material which is attached to supporting segment 12 and extending segment 14 and which is designed to provide a bypass area for blood flow . an intersection of supporting segment 12 , extending segment 14 and bypass segment occurs at connecting area 29 . supporting segment 12 has a supporting segment proximal end 18 , which is attached to connecting area 29 , and further includes a supporting segment distal end 20 , configured to enter the vessel first . extending segment 14 has an extending segment proximal end 22 , which is the end of extending segment 14 furthest from supporting segment distal end 20 , and an extending segment distal end 24 , which is attached to connecting area 29 . bypass segment 16 has a bypass segment proximal end 28 which is the end of bypass segment 16 which is furthest from supporting segment distal end 20 , and a bypass segment distal end 26 , which is adjacent to connecting area 29 . supporting segment proximal end 18 and extending segment distal end 24 are positioned adjacent to bypass segment proximal end 26 at connecting area 29 . supporting segment 12 includes a supporting member 30 and a flexible portion 31 , wherein in some embodiments , supporting member 30 is positioned external to flexible portion 31 , as depicted in fig3 a , and in other embodiments , supporting member 30 is positioned internal to flexible portion 31 . in additional embodiments , as shown in fig3 b , two layers of flexible portion 31 may be used , with supporting member 30 sandwiched in between the two layers , as depicted by dotted lines . extending segment 14 includes a flexible inverting portion 15 and an internal supporting member 32 . in an initial configuration , extending segment 14 is inverted , or folded or rolled , into device 10 such that extending segment distal end 24 is proximal to extending segment proximal end 22 . after full deployment of device 10 within the vessel , the un - inverted configuration shown in fig3 a - 3c is obtained . in some embodiments , an internal surface of internal supporting member 30 may be covered with another layer of flexible material , as shown in fig3 b . in some embodiments , supporting member 30 extends over connecting area 29 , and in additional embodiments may extend even further over a portion of bypass segment 16 , as shown in fig3 c . reference is now made to fig4 a , which is an illustration of a delivery system 100 for device 10 , in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention . delivery system 100 has a supporting segment sheath 102 surrounding supporting segment 12 and extending proximally to a delivery system proximal end 106 . supporting segment sheath 102 may initially be positioned over the entire distal portion of device 10 , and may then be moved proximally so as to release supporting segment 12 . supporting segment sheath 102 is depicted in fig4 a as being partially pulled back proximally , exposing an internal sheath 110 . internal sheath 110 has an internal supporting member sheath portion 111 and a guidewire sheath portion 113 . internal supporting member sheath portion 111 and guidewire sheath portion 113 are attached to one another at their respective distal ends at an attachment area 115 and are configured to separate from one another proximal to attachment area 115 . means for rejoining internal supporting member sheath portion 111 and guidewire sheath portion 113 proximal to attachment area 115 after they have been separated from one another ( i . e . after deployment of device 10 ) are described in greater detail with reference to fig4 b - 4e . a guidewire 104 extends from proximal end 106 ( proximal to the proximal end of supporting segment sheath 102 ) to a delivery system distal end 108 and is enclosed within guidewire sheath portion 113 of internal sheath 110 . at delivery system distal end 108 , guidewire 104 has a bent distal portion 112 , and further includes a proximal extension portion 114 which is attached to internal supporting member 32 , positioned within internal supporting member sheath portion 111 of internal sheath 110 . in some embodiments , bent distal portion 112 is external to internal sheath 110 . internal supporting member sheath portion 111 of internal sheath 110 extends from an area proximal to bent distal portion 112 and covers internal supporting member 32 . guidewire sheath portion 113 extends from an area proximal to bent distal portion proximally until proximal end 106 of delivery system 100 . guidewire sheath portion 113 is moveable with respect to guidewire 104 . since internal supporting member sheath portion 111 and guidewire sheath portion 113 are attached to one another , moving guidewire sheath portion 113 results in simultaneous movement of internal supporting member sheath portion 111 . reference is now made to fig4 b - 4e , which are illustrations of internal sheath 110 , showing internal supporting member sheath portion 111 and guidewire sheath portion 113 separated from one another proximal to attachment area 115 . this separation allows for deployment of device 10 within the vessel , as shown below with respect to fig5 c . however , in order to retract internal sheath 110 after deployment of device 10 , it is necessary to rejoin internal supporting member sheath portion 111 and guidewire sheath portion 113 to enable both of these portions of internal sheath 110 to be retracted from the vessel together . thus , a linking element 120 may be included for this purpose . in one embodiment , as shown in fig4 b , linking element 120 includes a wire 122 extending from proximal end 106 of system 100 to distal end 108 of system 100 external to internal sheath 110 , with a wire loop portion 124 at distal end 108 . wire loop portion 124 is configured to surround internal sheath 110 . by pulling wire 122 proximally , internal supporting member sheath portion 111 and guidewire sheath portion 113 are brought into contact with one another . once they are in contact , wire 122 and internal sheath 110 may be pulled together proximally to remove them both from the vessel . in another embodiment , as shown in fig4 c , linking element 120 includes a cable 126 having an internal portion 125 and an attachment portion 127 . internal portion 125 is positioned through guidewire sheath portion 113 of internal sheath 110 and extends distally through guidewire sheath portion 113 until it reaches an opening 128 . attachment portion 127 of cable 126 is a portion of cable 126 which extends through opening 128 and is attached to internal supporting member sheath portion 111 . thus , by pulling proximally on cable 126 , internal supporting member sheath portion 111 is brought into contact with guidewire sheath portion 113 . once they are in contact , cable 126 and internal sheath 110 may be pulled together proximally to remove them both from the vessel . cable 126 may be of any suitable configuration , including a wire , a rope , a string , or any other relatively flexible material which is suitable for the method described herein . in another embodiment , as shown in fig4 d , linking element 120 includes an attachment sheath 130 . attachment sheath 130 is an additional sheath positioned external to internal sheath 110 , and includes a distal portion surrounding both internal supporting member sheath portion 111 and guidewire sheath portion 113 , and a proximal portion for guidewire sheath portion 113 . this configuration is similar to the wire with wire loop portion 124 as shown in fig4 b , but instead of a wire , a sheath is used . an advantage of using a sheath is that the sheath can include a balloon 134 at a distal end thereof , with an inflation lumen 136 through attachment sheath 130 , as shown in fig4 e . these types of balloons are known in the art and may be used to enhance apposition of device 10 to the inner wall of the vessel . reference is now made to fig5 a - 5f , which are cross - sectional illustrations of device 10 and delivery system 100 in various stages of deployment . as shown in fig5 a , initially , flexible inverting portion 15 of extending segment 14 sits inside supporting segment 12 . supporting segment 12 is shown in an expanded configuration , and includes a supporting member 30 surrounding supporting segment 12 . supporting member 30 is shown herein as an external supporting member . it should be readily apparent that this configuration occurs only after removal of supporting segment sheath 102 . internal supporting member 32 is held in an unexpanded configuration by internal supporting member sheath portion 111 of internal sheath 110 , which is positioned distal to supporting segment 12 and to flexible inverting portion 15 . extension portion 114 of guidewire 104 is also positioned within internal supporting member sheath portion 111 of internal sheath 110 , and further includes a stopper 116 in the vicinity of distal end 112 . stopper 116 is designed to hold internal supporting member 32 in place as internal sheath 110 is removed . guidewire sheath portion 113 surrounds a portion of guidewire 104 which is proximal to bent distal portion 112 of guidewire 104 , and extends proximally through bypass segment 16 to a proximal end of delivery system 100 . guidewire sheath portion 113 is attached to internal supporting member sheath portion 111 at attachment area 115 . guidewire 104 also extends through bypass segment 16 within guidewire sheath portion 113 of internal sheath 110 to the proximal end of delivery system 100 . as shown in fig5 b , guidewire 104 and guidewire sheath portion 113 of internal sheath 110 may be pulled proximally , causing internal supporting member sheath portion 111 of internal sheath 110 , extension portion 114 of guidewire 104 , stopper 116 and internal support member 32 to move proximally into supporting segment 12 . as shown in fig5 c , this proximal motion continues until flexible inverting portion 15 is almost completely straightened out . during this proximal motion , guidewire sheath portion 113 and the portion of guidewire 104 which is within guidewire sheath portion 113 are configured to move proximally through bypass segment 16 while internal supporting member sheath portion 111 moves proximally within the vessel . this motion is made possible by the fact that these two portions are separatable proximal to attachment area 115 and it can occur until attachment area 115 reaches an intersection of bypass segment 16 and extended extending portion 14 . as shown in fig5 d , guidewire 104 is then held in place , while internal sheath 110 is pushed distally to release internal supporting member 32 . stopper 116 holds internal supporting member 32 in place while internal sheath 110 is pushed distally . alternatively , internal supporting member 32 may be expanded with a balloon included on guidewire 104 or by any other method . internal supporting member 32 may be comprised of a metal , polymer , or any other substantially rigid material which can provide support in a vessel . as shown in fig5 e , guidewire 104 may then be pushed distally , internal supporting member sheath portion 111 and guidewire sheath portion 113 are brought together via linking element 120 , and then guidewire 104 and internal sheath 110 may be pulled together proximally through bypass segment 16 . finally , as shown in fig5 f , once delivery system 100 is removed via bypass segment 16 device 10 remains in place in the vessel . reference is now made to fig6 a - 6h , which are illustrations of the various stages of deployment as described with reference to fig5 a - 5f , shown in the vessel 200 . as shown in fig6 a , delivery system 100 with device 10 positioned therein is introduced into vessel 200 at an incision area 206 . delivery system 100 is positioned upstream from bifurcation . as shown in fig6 b , supporting segment sheath 102 is pulled back proximally , exposing bent distal end 112 of guidewire 104 and internal sheath 110 . as shown in fig6 c , supporting segment sheath 102 is pulled further proximally , thus releasing supporting segment 12 . as shown in fig6 d , supporting segment 12 with supporting member 30 anchors device 10 in place in within vessel 200 . as shown in fig6 e , guidewire 104 and internal sheath 110 are pulled in a proximal direction , as shown by arrow 300 , and flexible inverting portion 15 begins to assume its uninverted configuration . once flexible inverting portion 15 is in position , as shown in fig6 f , internal supporting member 32 is expanded , as shown in 6 g , by holding guidewire 104 in place while pushing internal sheath 110 distally . finally , as shown in fig6 h , remaining portions of delivery system 100 are removed from vessel 200 , leaving device 10 in place , wherein supporting segment 12 and extending segment 14 are in vessel 200 , and wherein bypass segment 16 is external to vessel 200 for diverting blood flow away from the obstructed vessel while still allowing blood to flow through the unobstructed branch vessel . extending segment 14 is not limited to the configuration described herein . for example , extending segment 14 may have a flap configuration wherein in a first configuration the flap is folded in and adjacent to supporting segment 12 and in a second configuration the flap is extended proximally into the vessel . other configurations are possible as well and are included within the scope of the present invention . by using a system , device and method such as the ones described herein , it is possible to perform a percutaneous minimally invasive bypass procedure by directly accessing the vessel only through an incision in the vessel and anchoring the device therein , without the need for suturing or other complicated anastomoses . this procedure can serve as an alternative to surgical bypass , which is an extensive procedure requiring long hospital stays and associated with high risk . in some cases , when the surgery is considered extremely high risk , this may provide the only alternative for saving a limb . | 0 |
now with more particular reference to the drawings , fig4 - 8 illustrate sequentially the deposit of a marker into a desired tissue location , utilizing a preferred embodiment of the invention . specifically , the marking instrument 10 comprises a marker element 12 which includes an umbrella end comprising a pair of attachment members or wings 14 and 16 , and a center wire 18 . all three wires 14 , 16 and 18 are joined at the distal end 20 of the center wire 18 , preferably by welding . at the proximal end 22 of the center wire is a deployment actuator or pull ring 24 , which is preferably attached by welding or brazing . to place the marker element 12 at a desired location , a biopsy needle or gun is preferably used , though other known delivery means could be used as well . for example , the stand - mounted biopsy instrument described in u . s . patent application ser . no . 08 / 217 , 246 , previously incorporated by reference into this application , is a preferred instrument for introducing the marker element into the body of a patient . one embodiment of such an instrument 26 is partially illustrated in fig1 - 3 . the biopsy instrument 26 includes a housing 28 . a hollow outer piercing needle 38 is attached to the housing 28 at location 34 . a distal end of the hollow outer piercing needle 38 includes a point 40 . hollow outer piercing needle 38 also includes a tissue receiving port or bowl 42 ( fig2 and 3 ). a cannular inner cutter 44 is movably positioned coaxially within the hollow outer piercing needle 38 and housing 28 . a vacuum line 46 supplies vacuum to ports 50 in the bottom of the receiving bowl 42 . operation of the biopsy instrument to facilitate the placement of a tissue marker is illustrated sequentially in fig1 - 3 . fig1 illustrates the distal end point 40 of the hollow outer piercing needle 38 in position to pierce a target tissue 51 . the initial position of the point 40 with respect to the tissue area being marked is determined by the overall position of the biopsy instrument with respect to the patient . for example , the entire biopsy instrument may be mounted on a commercially available stereotactic guidance system ( not shown ) commonly used in the medical field for accurate positioning of a variety of medical devices with respect to a patient . a detailed description of such a motorized biopsy needle positioner , i . e . stereotactic guidance system , is given in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 240 , 011 , issued on aug . 31 , 1993 to michael assa , which is hereby incorporated herein by reference . the suspect lesion within tissue 51 is to be targeted and marked according to the instructions provided with the stereotactic guidance system . as shown in fig1 , the stereotactic guidance system has positioned the biopsy instrument 26 such that the distal end point 40 is immediately adjacent to the surface of the tissue 51 . once the point 40 is adjacent the specific lesion to be marked , the needle 38 is fired into the lesion such that the point 40 traverses through the lesion , thereby placing the tissue receiving bowl 42 in the center of the lesion . as shown in fig2 , after the hollow outer piercing needle 38 has been positioned at the precise location within the tissue 51 at which it is desired to mark tissue , the cutter 44 is moved proximally of the housing 28 to provide an entry access for the tissue marker delivery system . as shown in fig3 , a vacuum source attached to vacuum line 46 is actuated , thereby generating a region of low pressure at the vacuum ports 50 to facilitate the prolapse of tissue 51 a immediately adjacent to the tissue receiving port 42 into the hollow interior of hollow outer piercing needle 38 . now again referring to fig4 - 8 , the marking instrument 10 includes a tube 54 . the center wire 18 runs axially through a lumen 56 of the tube 54 , with the pull ring 24 being attached to the proximal end of the center wire 18 , proximally of the tube 54 . the distal end 20 of the center wire extends distally of the tube 54 and is joined to attachment members 14 and 16 , as described above . in operation , the tube 54 of the marking instrument is inserted into the patient &# 39 ; s body in the direction of the arrow 58 , as shown in fig4 , until the distal end 20 of the center wire 18 approaches the desired location , adjacent to or in the abnormal tissue or lesion . because direct visual access to the targeted tissue is impossible , an aided visualization device , such as the stereotactic guidance system described above , is used to guide the distal portion of the marking instrument to the targeted tissue . then , if the biopsy instrument shown in fig1 - 3 is utilized to deploy the markers , the targeted tissue 51 a ( fig5 ) is vacuumed into the tissue receiving port 42 . referring particularly to fig5 , once the distal end 20 of the center wire reaches the targeted , vacuumed tissue , the ring 24 is pulled away from the tissue in the direction of the arrow 60 . this action deploys the marker attachment members 14 and 16 as they are forced into a die formed in the tip 62 of the tube . this die may take any desired form , depending upon the desired deployed configuration of the attachment members 14 , 16 . with reference to fig6 , tension continues to be applied to the ring 24 , in the direction shown by the arrow 64 , until the distal end of the marker is fully deployed . forcing the attachment members into the die 62 causes them to extend outwardly , as illustrated , into the tissue . their outward energy anchors the marker element 12 in the tissue for permanent implantation . the tips 66 and 68 of the attachment members may be configured to be less traumatic as an implant , or may alternatively be sharpened to provide a more secure grip . at full deployment , the width of the umbrella end of the marker element is preferably about 0 . 035 to 0 . 045 inches , though other sizes may be utilized within the scope of the invention . now referring to fig7 , even after the attachment members 14 and 16 have been fully deployed , the pull ring 24 is pulled to further increase tension in the direction of the arrow 70 , until the center wire 18 is sheared at a point of weakness or detent 72 ( see fig4 - 6 ) which is established in the center wire 18 proximally of the tip 20 . once failure has occurred , the pull ring 24 and the proximal portion 18 ′ of the center wire may be discarded as they are severed from the marker element 12 and remaining distal portion 18 ″ of the center wire . finally , with reference to fig8 , to finish placing the marker element 12 , the tube 54 is withdrawn in the direction of the arrow 74 , as illustrated . the marker element is thereby permanently secured to locate the lesion site for future examination by known imaging methods . in the preferred embodiment , the marker element 12 is fabricated of stainless steel . however , many other biocompatible , radiopaque , implantable materials may be used for the marker element 12 as well , including , for example , titanium , tantalum , or nickel - titanium alloys . additionally , while a 3 - pronged umbrella end is shown and described , any number of prongs may be used , if desired . while it is preferred that the marker element 12 be deployed using the biopsy instrument described and shown in fig1 - 3 , any instrument capable of delivering the element percutaneously may be utilized . such instruments , for example , may include the hand - held biopsy gun described in u . s . pat . no . re . 34 , 056 , entitled “ tissue sampling device ” and issued to lindgren et al . all of these types of instruments include a tube ( typically a cannula or needle ) which is adapted to enter the body , and would be capable of delivering the marker element . it is also within the scope of the invention to deliver the marker element through any tube which has access to the body or using optical medical instruments , such as endoscopes , arthroscopes , or laparoscopes , in which case the marker element is delivered to the desired tissue site from outside the body of the patient , through the body of the instrument . now with reference to fig9 - 11 , an alternative embodiment of a marking instrument 10 a is shown , which is identical to the instrument 10 in all respects not shown or described herein . portions of the instrument 10 a corresponding to portions of the instrument 10 are designated by corresponding reference numerals followed by the letter a . the fig9 embodiment is substantially similar to the fig4 embodiment , in that the marking instrument includes a tube 54 a which has a lumen 56 a , and may utilize a cannula , needle , or imaging instrument ( i . e . endoscope , laparoscope , or the like ) for access to a delivery site within the body and to aid in delivery . again , as is the case for all succeeding embodiments , it is preferred that the tube 54 a utilize the hollow outer piercing needle 38 of the biopsy instrument shown in fig1 - 8 , though any other instrument which is capable of delivering a marker percutaneously or through a body orifice from a location outside the patient &# 39 ; s body may be utilized . a center wire 18 a runs longitudinally through the lumen 56 a . at the proximal end of the center wire 18 a is a deployment actuator or pull ring 24 a . at the distal end of the center wire is the marker element 12 a . a primary difference between the fig4 and fig9 embodiments is that the fig9 marker element 12 a is preferably a generally “ u ” shaped element resembling a surgical ligating clip , having tips 66 a and 68 a , which is captured by the distal looped end 20 a of the twisted center wire . in operation , once the tips 66 a and 68 a of the marking element 12 a reach the targeted tissue , the ring 24 a is pulled rightwardly in the direction of the arrow 76 ( fig1 ). this action retracts the base portion 78 of the marker element 12 a into a forming recess 80 ( fig9 ), wherein the recessed tube wall 82 forces prongs 86 and 88 together until tips 66 a and 68 a of the prongs 86 and 88 , respectively , contact or nearly contact one another ( fig1 ). at this point , increasing tension applied to the pull ring 24 a causes the wire 18 a to fail at a point of weakness or detent ( not shown ) provided in the center wire at or near its tip end 20 a , thereby releasing the marker into the target tissue , as illustrated in fig1 . referring now to fig1 , a second alternative embodiment of a marking instrument 10 b is shown , which is identical to the instrument 10 in all respects not shown or described herein . portions of the instrument 10 b corresponding to portions of the instrument 10 are designated by corresponding reference numerals followed by the letter b . the fig1 embodiment is substantially similar to the fig4 embodiment , in that the marking instrument includes a tube 54 b which has a lumen 56 b , and may utilize a cannula , needle , or imaging instrument ( i . e . endoscope , laparoscope , or the like ) for access to delivery site within the body and to aid in delivery . there are two primary differences between the embodiments of fig4 & amp ; 9 and that of fig1 . first , in the fig1 embodiment , a plurality of marker elements 12 b ( two are shown , though any number may be employed ) may be preloaded into the tube 54 b , each comprising a pre - formed spring which is deployed through the tube &# 39 ; s distal region 90 in an axial direction . second , the nature of the deployment mechanism utilizes a compressive rather than tensile force . it may further be noted that , though end deployment of the marker elements in the fig1 embodiment is illustrated , they may be similarly deployed radially through a side port ( not shown ) in tube 54 b , or at any other angle , to accommodate delivery through an existing instrument ( i . e . cannula , needle , endoscope , laparoscope , or the like ). in being deployed radially , the distal region 90 is not used for passage of the marker element and could be utilized to house a piercing element ( not shown ) similar to that shown in fig1 - 3 . armed with the piercing element , this marker delivery system would not be dependent on a positioning system as described in fig1 - 3 for placement at the tissue site and could be used alone in conjunction with a commercially available stereotactic or other guidance system . this concept may be applied to all subsequent embodiments except that illustrated in fig1 . still with reference to fig1 , each marker element or spring 12 b preferably includes a center coil 92 from which a pair of attachment members 94 and 96 extend , and is adapted to automatically attach itself to the target tissue by utilizing its own stored energy . thus , in operation , each spring 12 b is held in a compressed position within the tube 54 b . when it is desired to deploy the marker , a mandrel 98 is preferably utilized to push the spring 12 b through the center lumen 56 b and out through the distal open end 90 of the tube . once the spring exits the tube , stored energy causes the attachment members 94 and 96 to expand outwardly , as shown . as this expansion occurs , the tips 102 and 104 of the attachment members 94 and 96 , respectively , anchor themselves into the tissue to permanently secure the marker element in the desired location . as with the fig4 embodiment , the tips 102 and 104 may be blunt to be less traumatic as an implant , or may alternatively be sharpened or barbed to provide a more secure grip . once a spring has been deployed , the instrument may be repositioned to the next desired location for the immediate deployment of another marker until the supply in the tube 54 b is exhausted , eliminating the need to remove and re - load the marking instrument 10 b between each deployment . again in this embodiment , the spring 12 b may be fabricated of any known biocompatible , implantable , radiopaque material , though stainless steel is preferred . additionally , the forces required to deploy the attachment members on the spring may be customize by varying the spring filar , dimensions , material , and / or the number of coils in the torsional part of the spring . fig1 illustrates another alternative embodiment of the marking instrument 10 , which is identical to the instrument 10 b of fig1 in all respects not shown or described herein . portions of the instrument 10 c corresponding to portions of the instrument 10 b of fig1 are designated by corresponding reference numerals followed by the letter c . in actuality , the fig1 embodiment is substantially identical to that of fig1 , except for the shape of each spring 12 c , and is employed in precisely the same manner . thus , to deploy a marker element 12 c , the mandrel 98 c is utilized to push the spring 12 c through the center lumen 56 c and out through the distal open end 90 c of the tube . as in the fig1 embodiment , the marker element travels in the direction of the arrow 100 c , until the attachment members 94 c and 96 c extend outwardly sufficiently to anchor themselves to the target tissue . also , the fig1 embodiment is similar to the fig1 embodiment in that the instrument may be repositioned to immediately deploy another marker element without re - loading , and marker elements may be deployed radially through a side port in tube 54 c ( not shown ), or any other angle , to accommodate delivery through an existing instrument ( i . e . cannula , needle , endoscope , laparoscope , or the like ). fig1 shows still another alternative embodiment of the marking instrument 10 , which is also substantially identical to the instrument 10 b of fig1 in all respects not shown or described herein . portions of the instrument 10 d corresponding to portions of the instrument 10 b of fig1 are designated by corresponding reference numerals followed by the letter d . again , the fig1 embodiment is substantially identical to those of fig1 and 13 , except for the shape of the marker element or spring 12 d . a marker element 12 d is deployed preferably using a mandrel 98 d or the like to push the spring 12 d through the center lumen 56 d until it exits through the open end 90 d of the tube . as in the fig1 and 13 embodiments , the marker element travels in the direction of the arrow 100 d , until the tips 102 d and 104 d extend outwardly sufficiently to anchor themselves to the target tissue . in practice , a radiologist or other operator of the equipment can use a marker shaped like marker 12 b , as shown in fig1 , during one biopsy , then use a differently shaped marker , such as the marker 12 c in the fig1 embodiment , or the marker 12 d in the fig1 embodiment , during a subsequent biopsy procedure . the differently shaped markers permit the distinction between different biopsy procedures during future imaging procedures , as well as between biopsy sites which may be close in proximity , thereby improving the information available to the radiologist and thus the ability to monitor or diagnose the patient &# 39 ; s future condition more precisely . fig1 illustrates yet another alternative embodiment of the marking instrument 10 , which is also substantially identical to the instrument 10 b of fig1 in all respects not shown or described herein . portions of the instrument 10 e corresponding to portions of the instrument 10 b of fig1 are designated by corresponding reference numerals followed by the letter e . in this embodiment each marker element 12 e is deployed distally through the open distal region 90 e of the tube 54 e by a mandrel 98 e , much as in the previous embodiments shown in fig1 , 13 , and 14 . the primary difference , however , between this embodiment and the previous embodiments is that , while the marker elements in the previous embodiments rely largely on the barbed nature of the spring to secure themselves in the tissue , in this embodiment , the springs are secured simply because of their significant expansion upon exit from the tube . this embodiment particularly lends itself to marking the boundaries of a biopsy or other desired site by defining the perimeter of the site . the expansion of the spring 12 e causes the blunt edges 102 e and 104 e to press outwardly against the selected tissue , thereby wedging the spring securely into position . an advantage of this embodiment is that , because of the tight compression of the springs 12 e within the tube 54 e , a larger number of markers can be inserted therein simultaneously , thereby permitting the deployment of more markers without having to pause and disengage to re - load . another advantage the fig1 embodiment provides is the ability to deploy springs adapted to expand to a number of different sizes all from the same lumen . larger sized springs would require more coils within a given lumen than smaller sized springs ( not shown ). it should be noted that the springs need not be limited to the configuration illustrated , but could include any spring of any configuration which expands to secure its position . while stainless steel is presently preferred , any other biocompatible , implantable , and radiopaque material could be used alternatively . also as in the previous embodiments , marker elements may be similarly deployed radially through a side port in tube 54 e ( not shown ), or any other angle , to accommodate delivery through an existing instrument ( i . e . cannula , needle , endoscope , laparoscope , or the like ). still another alternative embodiment of the marking instrument 10 is shown in fig1 . in this embodiment , the marking instrument 10 f comprises a tube 54 f . wire segments 106 of any desired length are preloaded into the lumen 56 f , which runs along substantially the entire length of the tube 54 f . once the needle is properly positioned , the marker elements 12 f are deployed by pushing them out of the tip of the needle , through the side exit port 108 . a curved portion 110 of the lumen 56 f comprises a die portion , and is adapted to form the wire segments 106 into helical marker elements 12 f as they pass therethrough , pushed by a mandrel ( not shown ) or other known means from the tip of the needle through the exit port 108 . the nature of the curve or curves in the die portion 110 and preformed curves imparted into the wire segments determine the final shape ( which resembles a partial or whole helix ) and dimensions of the marker element . this embodiment is versatile in that it is capable of continuously deploying any number of marker elements without the necessity of re - loading , since all that is required is a continuous feed of wire segments into the proximal region of the tube 54 f . furthermore , differently sized and shaped helixes may be delivered in the same procedure by utilizing marker wires of different diameters and / or preformed curves , which approximate different helical shapes as they pass through the die portion . thus , loading a plurality of different sized wires into the needle yields a plurality of different shaped markers . of course , as with the previous embodiments , although stainless steel is presently preferred , many different types of biocompatible , implantable , and radiopaque materials could be utilized within the scope of the invention . also as in the previous embodiments , marker elements may be similarly deployed at different angles to accommodate delivery through an existing instrument ( i . e . cannula , needle , endoscope , laparoscope , or the like ). unlike previous embodiments , fig1 preferably incorporates a piercing element 112 enabling this marker to be delivered without the aid of the positioning system described in fig1 - 3 for placement at the tissue site . this embodiment could be used alone in conjunction with a commercially available stereotactic or other ( i . e . ultrasonic ) guidance system . though a number of different embodiments of the conceptual invention have been described and shown , it is considered to be within the scope of the invention for the marking elements and delivery instruments to take on many other forms . for example , embolization coils like that illustrated in fig1 and designated with reference numeral 12 g are well known in the medical field for placement into vessels such as veins and arteries in order to block off fluid flow abnormalities ( such as fistulas and arteriovenous malformations ). these coils have been made of various materials , including stainless steel , platinum , and gold , and are wound into configuration similar to that of a light bulb filament . they are generally placed into the body using a catheter or trocar system . the inventors in the present application have discovered that such coils may indeed also be used as marker elements , for permanent implantation in target tissue , in a manner similar to that described previously with respect to fig1 - 16 . marker elements of many other materials and configurations may be used as well . for example , one such multi - appendaged jack - shaped marker 12 h is illustrated in fig1 . additionally , small beads 12 i ( fig1 ) of calcium carbonate or other radiodense materials , which are highly visible by mammographic imaging , could be deployed as marker elements . one such application would be to place a plurality of such beads or pellets ( each having a diameter of about 500μ ) around the entirety of a breast lesion prior to the extraction procedure , which would then serve as guides to ensure that all of the margins had been removed . during subsequent imaging procedures , they would function to denote the location of the previous biopsy for reference purposes . referring now to fig2 , yet another alternative marker element 12 j , which is of a woven construction , is illustrated . other such marker materials may include adhesives and epoxies which would be injected at the biopsy site . biodegradable polymers and other plastics could also be used , as long as they are biocompatible , implantable , and visible using an imaging system . while this invention has been described with respect to various specific examples and embodiments , it is to be understood that the invention is not limited thereto and that it can be variously practiced within the scope of the following claims . | 0 |
it has been surprisingly found by the inventors that nickel phosphorus coatings on an activated plastic substrate can be deposited from an ammonia - and lead - free electroless nickel plating bath for deposition of nickel phosphorus alloys having a phosphorus content of 4 to 11 wt .-% at low temperatures , which are suited for direct deposition of immersion copper , the plating bath comprising i . a source of nickel ions ii . a source of hypophosphite ions , iii . a complexant mixture comprising a ) at least one first complexant selected from the group consisting of hydroxy carboxylic acids , dihydroxy carboxylic acids and salts thereof and b ) at least one second complexant selected from the group consisting of iminosuccinic acid , iminodisuccinic acid , salts and derivatives thereof , a ) bismuth ions , and b ) at least one compound selected from the group consisting of mercapto benzoic acids , mercapto carboxylic acids and mercapto sulfonic acids and salts thereof . the advantages of the inventive electroless nickel plating bath are a ) ammonia and lead are not required in the plating bath and b ) the activation of a nickel phosphorus layer prior to copper deposition from an immersion copper plating bath is not required . the inventive electroless nickel plating bath contains nickel ions in a concentration of 0 . 5 g / l to 5 g / l , more preferred 2 . 5 g / l to 4 g / l . the source of nickel ions is selected from water soluble nickel salts . preferred sources of nickel salts are selected from the group comprising nickel chloride , nickel sulphate , nickel methanesulfonate and nickel carbonate . the inventive electroless nickel plating bath further contains a reducing agent which is selected from hypophosphite compounds such as sodium hypophosphite and potassium hypophosphite . the concentration of hypophosphite ions in the plating bath preferably ranges from 10 g / l to 35 g / l , more preferably from 20 g / l to 27 g / l . the inventive electroless nickel plating bath further contains a mixture of complexants which is constituted of at least one first complexing agent selected from the group consisting of hydroxy carboxylic acids , dihydroxy carboxylic acids and salts thereof . the at least one second complexing agent is selected from the group consisting of iminosuccinic acid , iminodisuccinic acid , derivatives thereof and salts thereof . the at least one first complexing agent is preferably selected from the group consisting of hydroxymalonic acid , glycolic acid , lactic acid , citric acid , mandelic acid , tartaric acid , malic acid , paratartaric acid , succinic acid , aspartic acid and salts thereof . cations in salts of the at least one first complexing agent are selected from lithium , sodium and potassium . the most preferred first complexing agents are selected from the group consisting of succinic acid , glycinic acid and glycolic acid . the concentration of the at least one first complexing agent ranges from 1 g / l to 50 g / l , more preferably from 10 g / l to 20 g / l . the at least one second complexant which is selected from iminosuccinic acid , diiminosuccinic acid , derivatives thereof or salts thereof is selected from the group consisting of iminosuccinic acid , iminodisuccinic acid , derivatives thereof and salts thereof . cations in salts of iminosuccinic acid derivatives are selected from lithium , sodium and potassium . the concentration of the at least one second complexing agent ranges from 0 . 2 g / l to 10 g / l , more preferably from 0 . 8 g / l to 5 g / l . the inventive electroless nickel plating bath composition further contains a stabilizer mixture consisting of two components : the bismuth salt added to the electroless nickel plating bath is a water soluble bismuth salt selected from the group consisting of bismuth nitrate , bismuth tartrate , bismuth sulphate , bismuth oxide and bismuth carbonate . the concentration of bismuth ions in the electroless nickel plating bath ranges from 0 . 5 mg / l to 100 mg / l , preferably from 0 . 5 mg / l to 30 mg / l , more preferably from 1 mg / l to 30 mg / l . the mercapto benzoic acid , derivative or salt thereof are selected from the group consisting of 2 - mercapto benzoic acid , 3 - mercapto benzoic acid , 4 - mercapto benzoic acid , salts thereof and mixtures thereof . preferably the salts of the mercapto benzoic acid or derivative thereof are selected from the group consisting of lithium , sodium and potassium salts and mixtures of the foregoing . the concentration of the at least one mercapto benzoic acid or salt thereof ranges from 0 . 1 mg / l to 100 mg / l , more preferably 0 . 5 mg / l to 30 mg / l . the mercapto carboxylic acid is selected from the group consisting of 3 - mercaptopropionic acid , 3 - mercapto - 2 - methylpropionic acid , 2 - mercaptopropanoic acid , mercapto acetic acid , 4 - mercaptobutyric acid , 3 - mercaptoisobutyric acid . preferably the mercapto carboxylic acid is not mercapto acetic acid . more preferably the mercapto carboxylic acid is selected from the group consisting of 3 - mercaptopropionic acid , 3 - mercapto - 2 - methylpropionic acid , 2 - mercaptopropanoic acid , 4 - mercaptobutyric acid , 3 - mercaptoisobutyric acid . the mercapto sulfonic acid is selected from the group consisting of 2 - mercapto - 1 - ethane sulfonic acid , 3 - mercapto - 1 - propane sulfonic acid , 4 - mercapto - 1 - butane sulfonic acid . the concentration of the at least one mercapto carboxyl acid or mercapto sulfonic acid or salt thereof ranges from 0 . 1 mg / l to 100 mg / l , more preferably 0 . 5 mg / l to 30 mg / l . the ph value of the inventive nickel phosphorous plating bath ranges from 6 . 5 to 11 . 5 , preferably 6 . 5 to 9 . 0 . the nickel phosphorous plating bath is held at a temperature in the range of 20 to 55 ° c ., preferably in the range of 25 to 35 ° c ., more preferably in the range of 27 to 32 ° c . during plating . during the deposition of the nickel alloy , mild agitation of the plating bath generally is employed ; its agitation may be a mild air agitation , mechanical agitation , bath circulation by pumping , rotation of a barrel plating , etc . the plating solution may also be subjected to a periodic or continuous filtration treatment to reduce the level of contaminants therein . replenishment of the constituents of the bath may also be performed , in some embodiments , on a periodic or continuous basis to maintain the concentration of constituents , and in particular , the concentration of nickel ions and hypophosphite ions , as well as the ph level within the desired limits . the nickel phosphorous plating bath can preferably be employed in the plating of non - conductive plastic substrates , which generally comprises the following steps : a ) provide a conductive seed layer onto the plastic substrate b ) apply a nickel phosphorous coating to said plastic substrate by bringing it into contact with above mentioned plating bath composition , c ) optionally , rinse the such plated plastic substrate with water and d ) apply a copper coating onto the nickel phosphorous coating by bringing the plastic substrate into contact with an immersion copper plating bath comprising copper ions . no additional activation step of the nickel phosphorous coating is required before the copper immersion plating in step d ). the non - conductive substrates can be activated according to step a ) by various methods which are described , for example , in handbuch der leiterplattentechnik , vol . 4 , 2003 , pages 292 to 300 . these processes involve the formation of a conductive layer comprising carbon particles , pd colloids or conductive polymers . some of these processes are described in the patent literature and examples are given below : european patent ep 0 616 053 describes a process for applying a metal coating to a non - conductive substrate ( without an electroless coating ) comprising : a . contacting said substrate with an activator comprising a noble metal / group iva metal sol to obtain a treated substrate ; b . contacting said treated substrate with a self accelerating and replenishing immersion metal composition having a ph above 11 to ph 13 comprising a solution of ; ( i ) a cu ( ii ), ag , au or ni soluble metal salt or mixtures thereof , ( ii ) a group ia metal hydroxide , ( iii ) a complexing agent comprising an organic material having a cumulative formation constant log k of from 0 . 73 to 21 . 95 for an ion of the metal of said metal salt . u . s . pat . no . 5 , 503 , 877 describes the metallisation of non - conductive substrates involving the use of complex compounds for the generation of metal seeds on a non - metallic substrate . these metal seeds provide for sufficient conductivity for subsequent electroplating . this process is known in the art as the so - called “ neoganth ” process . a ) provide a conductive seed layer onto the plastic substrate by first etching the substrate , e . g . an abs plastic substrate , in an aqueous solution containing 100 - 400 g / l cro 3 and 100 - 500 g / l sulphuric acid at elevated temperatures between 50 to 80 ° c ., b ) apply a nickel phosphorous coating to said plastic substrate by bringing it into contact with above mentioned plating bath composition , c ) optionally , rinse the such plated plastic substrate with water and d ) apply a copper coating onto the nickel phosphorous coating by bringing the plastic substrate into contact with an immersion copper plating bath comprising copper ions and sulphuric acid . generally , immersion copper plating baths contain a source of copper ions , e . g . copper sulphate . the copper ion concentration can vary depending on the plating process . it can for example range between 0 . 5 - 1 . 0 g / l . generally , it is slightly acidic and contains an inorganic acid like sulphuric acid . additionally additives like surfactants can be added if required . such additives are known in the art . thereafter , the such coated substrates can be further metallised by electrochemical methods with copper , chromium , nickel etc . known in the art . the invention will now be illustrated by reference to the following non - limiting examples . pre - treatment of the abs substrate material prior to deposition of a nickel phosphorus material applied for all examples : the abs substrates were first etched in an aqueous solution containing 360 g / l cro 3 and 360 g / l conc . sulphuric acid heated to 65 ° c . for 6 min . next the substrates were rinsed with water , dipped into an aqueous solution of sodium hydrogen sulfite and again rinsed with water . next , the abs substrates were dipped into an aqueous solution of 300 ml / l conc . hydrochloric acid , activated for 1 min in an aqueous solution consisting of 300 ml / l conc . hydrochloric acid , 250 mg / l palladium chloride and 17 g / l tin ( ii ) chloride and rinsed with water again . after deposition of the nickel phosphorus alloy coating from electroless nickel plating baths the abs substrates of examples 1 to 4 were rinsed with water and then subjected without any further activation for 2 min to an immersion copper plating bath comprising 0 . 7 g / l of copper ions and 1 . 7 g / l conc . sulphuric acid held at 35 ° c . the phosphorus content of the nickel phosphorus alloy deposits was measured with aas ( atomic absorption spectrometry ) after dissolution of the deposits . the contact resistivity of the derived copper coating was measured with a standard multimeter and 1 cm distance between the contact tips . the lower the contact resistivity of a sample , the better the coverage of the nickel phosphorus layer coated with copper . a nickel phosphorous alloy was deposited from an aqueous electroless nickel plating bath containing 3 . 5 g / l nickel ions , 25 g / l hypophosphite ions ( corresponding to 11 . 9 g / l of phosphorous ), 5 g / l of citric acid and 2 . 5 g / l iminodiscuccinic acid as complexant mixture and 2 . 7 mg / l bismuth ions and 12 . 8 mg / l 2 - mercapto benzoic acid as stabilizer mixture . the operating temperature of the electroless nickel plating bath was held at 35 ° c . and the abs coupons were dipped into the plating baths for 10 min . a nickel phosphorous alloy deposit having a phosphorous content of 7 . 9 wt .-% was obtained . next the as coated substrate was rinsed with water and then dipped without any activation directly for 2 min in an immersion copper plating bath comprising 0 . 7 g / l of copper ions and 1 . 7 g / l conc . sulphuric acid held at 35 ° c . the whole nickel phosphorous alloy layer was coated with a layer of copper . the contact resistance of the nickel phosphorous alloy and then copper plated abs coupons was in the range of 0 . 1ω to 1 . 6 ω / cm , which corresponds to a high conductivity which is suitable for subsequent electroplating . example 1 was repeated using an_electroless nickel plating bath containing the same compounds except that 2 - mercapto benzoic acid as stabilizer was replaced by 15 mg / l 3 - mercaptopropionic acid . a nickel phosphorous alloy deposit having a phosphorous content of 7 . 6 wt .-% was obtained . next the as coated substrate was rinsed with water and then dipped without any activation directly for 2 min in an immersion copper plating bath comprising 0 . 7 g / l of copper ions and 1 . 7 g / l conc . sulphuric acid held at 35 ° c . the whole nickel phosphorous alloy layer was coated with a layer of copper . the contact resistance of the nickel phosphorous alloy and then copper plated abs coupons was in the range of 0 . 2ω to 1 . 4 ω / cm , which corresponds to a high conductivity which is suitable for subsequent electroplating . example 1 was repeated using an_electroless nickel plating bath containing the same compounds except that 2 - mercapto benzoic acid was omitted . a nickel phosphorous alloy deposit having a phosphorous content of 11 . 2 wt . % was obtained . no immersion plating of copper was possible when treating the deposited nickel phosphorous alloy with a copper immersion plating solution described above . the contact resistance of the nickel phosphorous alloy was in the range of 40ω to 60 ω / cm . example 1 was repeated using an_electroless nickel plating bath containing the same compounds except that iminodisuccinic acid was omitted . a nickel phosphorous alloy deposit having a phosphorous content of 11 . 2 wt . % was obtained . no immersion plating of copper was possible when treating the deposited nickel phosphorous alloy with a copper immersion plating solution described above . the contact resistance of the nickel phosphorous alloy was in the range of 50ω to 70 ω / cm . a nickel phosphorous alloy was deposited from an aqueous electroless nickel plating bath containing 3 . 5 g / l nickel ions , 25 g / l hypophosphite ions ( corresponding to 11 . 9 g / l of phosphorous ), 5 g / l of citric acid and 2 . 5 g / l iminodiscuccinic acid as complexant mixture and 1 mg / l bismuth ions and 2 mg / l 2 - mercapto benzoic acid as stabilizer mixture . the ph value of the electroless nickel plating bath was 8 . 0 . the operating temperature of the electroless nickel plating bath was held at 35 ° c . and the abs coupons were dipped into the plating bath for 10 min . a nickel phosphorous alloy deposit having a phosphorous content of 7 . 23 wt .-% and a bismuth content of 0 . 19 wt .-% was obtained . the deposition rate was 1 . 53 μm / h . example 5 was repeated using an electroless nickel plating bath containing the same compounds except that 2 - mercapto benzoic acid as stabilizer was replaced by 5 mg / l mercapto acetic acid . a nickel phosphorous alloy deposit having a phosphorous content of 8 . 5 wt .-% and a bismuth content of 0 . 13 wt .-% was obtained . the deposition rate was 1 . 40 μm / h . example 5 was repeated using an electroless nickel plating bath containing the same compounds except that iminodisuccinic acid in the complexant mixture was replaced by 2 . 5 g / l succinic acid . a nickel phosphorous alloy deposit having a phosphorous content of 11 . 4 wt .-% and a bismuth content of 0 . 22 wt .-% was obtained . the deposition rate was 1 . 43 μm / h . example 5 was repeated using an electroless nickel plating bath containing the same compounds except that 2 - mercapto benzoic acid as stabilizer was replaced by 2 mg / l thiodiglycolic acid . a nickel phosphorous alloy deposit having a phosphorous content of 12 . 4 wt .-% and a bismuth content of 0 . 22 wt .-% was obtained . the deposition rate was 1 . 28 μm / h . a nickel phosphorous alloy was deposited from an aqueous electroless nickel plating bath containing 3 . 5 g / l nickel ions , 25 g / l hypophosphite ions ( corresponding to 11 . 9 g / l of phosphorous ), 5 g / l of citric acid and 2 . 5 g / l iminodiscuccinic acid as complexant mixture and 4 mg / l bismuth ions and 5 mg / l 2 - mercapto benzoic acid as stabilizer mixture . the ph value of the electroless nickel plating bath was 8 . 6 . the operating temperature of the electroless nickel plating bath was held at 35 ° c . and the abs coupons were dipped into the plating bath for 10 min . a nickel phosphorous alloy deposit having a phosphorous content of 8 . 9 wt .-% was obtained . example 9 was repeated using an electroless nickel plating bath containing the same compounds except that 2 - mercapto benzoic acid as stabilizer was replaced by 5 mg / l 3 - mercapto - 1 - propane sulfonic acid . a nickel phosphorous alloy deposit having a phosphorous content of 8 . 6 wt .-% was obtained . | 2 |
in the following description , reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof , and which show , by way of illustration , several embodiments of the present invention . it is understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention . fig1 a - 1c illustrate the basic relationship of signal layers in a layered modulation transmission . fig1 a illustrates a first layer signal constellation 100 of a transmission signal showing the signal points or symbols 102 . fig1 b illustrates the second layer signal constellation of symbols 104 over the first layer signal constellation 100 where the layers are coherent . fig1 c illustrates a second signal layer 106 of a second transmission layer over the first layer constellation where the layers may be non - coherent . the second layer 106 rotates about the first layer constellation 102 due to the relative modulating frequency of the two layers in a non - coherent transmission . both the first and second layers rotate about the origin due to the first layer modulation frequency as described by path 108 . fig2 a - 2c illustrate a signal constellation of a second transmission layer over the first transmission layer after first layer demodulation . fig2 a shows the constellation 200 before the first carrier recovery loop ( crl ) and fig2 b shows the constellation 200 after crl . in this case , the signal points of the second layer are actually rings 202 . fig2 c depicts a phase distribution of the received signal with respect to nodes 102 . a relative modulating frequency causes the second layer constellation to rotate around the nodes of the first layer constellation . after the second layer crl this rotation is eliminated . the radius of the second layer constellation is determined by its power level . the thickness of the rings 202 is determined by the carrier to noise ratio ( cnr ) of the second layer . as the two layers are non - coherent , the second layer may also be used to transmit analog or digital signals . a special case of layered modulation is found in hierarchical modulation , such as hierarchical non - uniform 8 psk . fig3 a is a diagram illustrating a signal constellation for a qpsk hp data signal . the signal constellation includes four possible signal outcomes 302 for a and b wherein { a , b }={ 0 , 0 } ( point 302 a in the first quadrant ), { 1 , 0 } ( point 302 b in the second quadrant ), { 1 , 1 } ( point 302 c in the third quadrant ), and { 0 , 1 } ( point 302 d in the fourth quadrant ). an incoming and demodulated signal mapped to one of quadrants ( i - iv ) and the value for { a , b } ( and hence , the value for the relevant portion of the hp data stream ) is determined therefrom . fig3 b is a diagram illustrating an 8 psk constellation created by addition of an lp data stream ( represented by “ c ”). the application of hierarchical modulation adds two possible data values for “ c ” ( c ={ 1 , 0 }) to each of the outcomes 302 a - 302 d . for example , outcome 302 a ({ a , b }={ 0 , 0 }) is expanded to an outcome pair 304 a and 304 a ′ ({ a , b , c }={ 0 , 0 , 1 } and { 0 , 0 , 0 }), respectively , with the members of the pair separated by an angle θ from { a , b }. this expands the signal constellation to include 8 nodes 104 a - 104 d ( each shown as solid dots ). if the angle θ is small enough , a legacy qpsk signal will receive both { a , b , c }={ 0 , 0 , 1 } and { 0 , 0 , 0 } as { a , b }={ 0 , 0 }. only receivers capable of performing the second hierarchical level of modulation ( lp ) can extract the value for { c } as either { 0 } or { 1 }. this hierarchical signal structure has been termed “ non - uniform ” 8 psk . the choice of the variable θ depends on a variety of factors . fig3 b , for example , presents the idealized data points without noise . noise and errors in the transmission and / or reception of the signal vary the actual position of the nodes 304 a - 304 d and 304 a ′- 304 d ′ in fig3 b . noise regions 306 surrounding each node indicate areas in the constellation where the measured data may actually reside . the ability of the receiver to detect the symbols and accurately represent them depends on the angle θ , the power of the signal ( e . g . the carrier ), represented by r c , and the noise ( which can be represented by r n ). as can be seen by inspecting fig3 b , interference of lp into hp is reduced as signal power increases , or as θ decreases . the performance of this hierarchical modulating system can be expressed in terms of its carrier to interference ratio ( c / i ). with a layered - type demodulation as in this invention , the noise contributed by ul symbol errors to the extracted ll signal is avoided . with a layered modulation mapping , the lp bit value for the 8 nodes alternates between 0 and 1 around the circle , i . e ., { 0 , 1 , 0 , 1 , 0 , 1 , 0 , 1 }. this is in contrast with the { 0 , 0 , 1 , 1 , 0 , 0 , 1 , 1 } assignment in fig3 b for the conventional hierarchical modulation . layered demodulation first fec - decodes the upper layer symbols with a quasi - error free ( qef ) performance , then uses the qef symbols to extract the lower layer signal . therefore , no errors are introduced by uncoded lower layer symbol errors . the delay memory required to obtain the qef upper layer symbols for this application presents a small additional receiver cost , particularly in consideration of the ever - decreasing solid state memory cost over time . in a conventional hierarchical receiver using non - uniform 8 psk , the lp signal performance can be impacted by hp demodulator performance . the demodulator normally includes a timing and carrier recovery loop . in most conventional recovery loops , a decision - directed feedback loop is included . uncoded symbol decisions are used in the prediction of the tracking error at each symbol time of the recovery loop . the tracking loop would pick up an error vector whenever a symbol decision is in error ; the uncoded symbol error rate ( ser ) could be as high as 6 % in many legacy systems . an fec - corrected demodulator of this invention avoids the degradation . fig4 a is a block diagram illustrating a first layered modulation system 400 using a single transponder 402 in a satellite . the uplink signal 406 is processed at the broadcast center 408 . both the upper layer ( ul ) and lower layer ( ll ) signals 410 , 412 are encoded and mapped and modulated together 414 before frequency upconversion 416 . the signals 410 , 412 are combined after fec encoding . a receiver 418 decodes the downlink from the transponder 402 . conventional single traveling wave tube amplifiers ( twtas ) are suitable for constant - envelope signal such as 8 psk and derivatives . this system is suited for layered modulation using coherent ul and ll signals . fig4 b is a block diagram illustrating a second layered modulation system 420 using multiple transponders 402 a , 402 b . the upper layer ( ul ) and lower layer ( ll ) signals 410 , 412 are separately encoded and mapped and modulated 414 a , 414 b before separate frequency upconversion 416 a , 416 b . a separate broadcast center 408 can be used for each layer . the signals 410 , 412 are combined in space before downlink . a receiver 418 decodes the downlinked signals simultaneously received from transponders 402 a , 402 b . separate twtas for the transponders 402 a , 402 b allow nonlinear twta outputs to be combined in space . the upper layer and lower layer signals 410 , 412 can be coherent or non - coherent . fig5 is a block diagram of an exemplary receiver 500 of a layered modulation signal , similar to those described in u . s . patent application ser . no . 09 / 844 , 401 , filed on apr . 27 , 2001 , and entitled “ layered modulation for digital signals ”, by ernest c . chen . fec re - encoding and remodulation may begin prior to the final decoding of the upper layer . in addition , processing is simplified for signals that are coherent between layers , particularly processing of the lower layer . the effect of two layered modulation on channel capacity can be demonstrated by the following analysis . n : power of thermal noise s l : power of lower - layer signal with gaussian source distrib . n u : effective power of upper - layer noise ( n u = s l + n ) s u : power of upper - layer signal with gaussian source distrib . c cm : channel capacity for conventional modulation ( bps / hz ) with the total power c lm : channel capacity for layered modulation ( bps / hz ) c cm = log 2 ( 1 + s l + s u n ) c lm = log 2 ( 1 + s l n ) + log 2 ( 1 + s u n u ) = log 2 [ ( 1 + s l n ) ( 1 + s u n u ) ] since ( 1 + s l n ) ( 1 + s u n u ) = 1 + s l n + ( 1 + s l n ) s u s l + n = 1 + s l + s u n thus , assuming gaussian source and noise distributions , sharing power between two layers does not reduce the total capacity of a layer modulation system . the effect of an additional layer in a layered modulation system on channel capacity can also be demonstrated by the following analysis . n : power of thermal noise s b : power sum of bottom 2 signal with gaussian source distrib . ( b ≡ u + l ; s b = s u + s l ) n t : power of top - layer noise ( n t = s b + n ) s t : power of top - layer signal with gaussian source distrib . c cm : channel capacity for conventional modulation ( bps / hz ) with the total power c lm : channel capacity for layered modulation ( bps / hz ) c cm = log 2 ( 1 + s b + s t n ) c lm = log 2 ( 1 + s b n ) + log 2 ( 1 + s t n t ) = log 2 [ ( 1 + s b n ) ( 1 + s t n t ) ] ( 1 + s b n ) ( 1 + s t n t ) = 1 + s b n + ( 1 + s b n ) s t s b + n = 1 + s b + s t n thus , again assuming gaussian source and noise distributions , sharing power among any number of layers does not reduce the total capacity . fig6 is a example plot illustrating channel capacity shared between upper and lower layers . this example is for a 11 . 76 db total signal power ( referenced to thermal noise ). the power is shared between upper and lower layer signals . a gaussian source distribution is assumed for both layers as well as a gaussian noise distribution . channel capacity is approximately 4 bps / hz for cnr of 11 . 76 db . as shown , the sum of the two layer capacities always equals the total capacity . hierarchical 8 psk can be viewed as a special case of layered modulation . referring to fig3 b , constant power can be applied for all signals . the high priority ( hp ) data signal , represented by the nodes 302 a - 302 d corresponds to the upper layer . the low priority ( lp ) signal , represented by the nodes 304 a - 304 d and 304 a ′- 304 d ′, corresponds to the lower layer . the hp and lp signals are synchronous , having coherent phase and identical baud timing . the hp layer of an 8 psk hierarchically modulated signal can be demodulated as if the composite signal were qpsk , typically using a decision - direct feedback tracking loop . fig7 & amp ; 8 are block diagrams of exemplary receivers for hierarchical modulation similar to those described in pct patent application no . pct / us03 / 20862 , filed on jul . 1 , 2003 , and entitled “ improving hierarchical 8 psk performance ”, by ernest c . chen et al . embodiments of the invention comprise systems and methods for simulating a layer - modulated signal , including a hierarchically modulated signal . the methods and systems presented herein can be used to accelerate the study and development of layered modulation systems while reducing costs . many different proposed layered modulation implementations can be quickly and inexpensively evaluated . in one exemplary embodiment an end - to - end simulation of communication channel , including satellite distortions , downlink noise , receiver phase noise and receiver implementation errors is developed . the simulator can be developed using a mathematical programming tool such as matlab . standard signals can incorporated into the simulator for ready application , e . g . directv and dvb - s signals as well as turbo codes and other signals . the simulator can be used to process computer - simulated signals or data captured from modulators and / or satellites . for example , lm signals can be emulated by rf - combining real - time signals . in addition , cross - check laboratory tests can be performed with synthesized signal performance . a field programmable gate array ( fpga ) lm signal processor essentially mimics a lm simulator of the invention , but with real time processing . fig9 is a block diagram of a complete simulation 900 of a layer modulated signal . pseudorandom binary sequence ( prbs ) generators 902 , 904 are used to create the upper and lower layer data . data from each layer is then passed through an forward error correction ( fec ) encoder 906 , 908 . after fec encoding the signals can be processed to simulate either a single or dual - transponder system . see fig4 a and 4b . if a dual - transponder system is being simulated ( as in fig4 b ), the upper and lower layers are processed separately . each signal layer is separately passed through a signal mapper 910 a , 910 b , a pulse shaping filter 912 a , 912 b ( e . g ., a root raised cosine filter ), a baud timing and carrier frequency offset simulator 914 a , 914 b , and a satellite distortion simulator 916 a , 916 b . if a single transponder system is being simulated ( as in fig4 a ), the upper and lower layers are combined and passed through the same set of processes together with a weighted summation contained in signal mapper 910 . for a dual - transponder system , the upper and lower layers are combined at the output in a weighted summation 918 . in either case , modeled channel interference effects 920 ( adjacent and co - channel ) are added . the composite signal is then processed by adding white guassian noise provided by a noise generator 922 , phase noise from a phase noise generator 924 and frequency filtering by a receiver front end filter 926 before receiver processing 928 . captured data 930 from laboratory equipment that provide the same functionality as the simulation modules ( 902 , 904 . . . all items in fig9 except 930 and 928 ) can be applied to the receiver processing to evaluate performance . fig1 is a graphical user interface ( gui ) 1000 of an exemplary layer modulated signal simulator including several blocks of fig9 showing ber test results . the display outlines the simulator signal processing flow . upper and lower layer signal transmitters 1002 , 1004 are shown with signal outputs combined and passed through the additive white gaussian noise ( awgn ) channel 1006 . the composite signal then arrives at the receiver 1008 . lower layer outputs are provided to a lower layer performance measurement block 1010 along with the original lower layer signal from the lower layer transmitter 1004 . similarly , upper layer outputs are provided to an upper layer performance measurement block 1012 along with the original upper layer signal from the upper layer transmitter 1002 . an error rate and frame based bit error calculation are performed for each layer to establish a performance measurement . operational parameters can be set in a dialog box 1014 . fig1 a is a block diagram of an exemplary system 1100 for synthesizing a layer modulated signal in a laboratory . a first modulator 1102 is used to modulate a first bit stream , e . g . a prbs , of the upper layer to produce an upper layer signal . a noise generator 1106 can be used to add noise to the upper layer signal . a second modulator 1104 is used for modulating a second bit stream of a lower layer to produce a lower layer signal . an attenuator 1108 , ( such as variable attenuator ) can be used for appropriately attenuating the lower layer signal . a combiner 1110 is then used to combining the noise - added upper layer signal and the attenuated lower layer signal to produce the composite layer modulated signal . ( equivalently , noise generator 1106 with a corresponding output power level may be placed on the lower layer path instead of the upper layer path .) the composite layer modulated signal can then be upconverted 1112 before being communicated to a tuner 1114 to extract the in - phase and quadrature components of the separate signal layers , analyzed using a scope 1116 as desired . if a digitizing oscilloscope is used , the digitized in - phase and quadrature signals can be introduced as the captured data 930 in fig9 . directional couplers 1118 , 1120 can be used to tap the upper layer signal ( prior to noise addition ) and the lower layer signal ( after attenuation ) to be used in evaluating the relative power levels of the upper and lower layer signals prior to the addition by the combiner 1110 . similarly , the composite signal can also be tapped by a direction coupler 1122 . fig1 b is a block diagram of an exemplary system 1150 for simulating a layer modulated signal using satellite signals . distinct satellite signals 1152 , 1154 are received at separate antennas 1156 , 1158 . it is important to note that the two received signals 1152 , 1154 are not layered modulation signals . both signals 1152 , 1154 are passed through separate amplifiers 1160 , 1162 . the satellite signal 1154 to be used as the lower layer signal is passed through an attenuator 1164 ( such as a variable attenuator ) to appropriately attenuate the signal . both signals are then combined at the combiner 1166 to form the composite layered modulation signal . the composite signal can then be communicated to a tuner 1168 to extract the in - phase and quadrature components of the separate signal layers which may be analyzed using a scope 1176 . if a digitizing oscilloscope is used , the digitized in - phase and quadrature signals can be introduced as the captured data 930 in fig9 . directional couplers 1170 , 1172 , 1174 can be used to tap the upper layer signal , lower layer signal and the composite signal , respectively . these tapped signal are used to evaluate the signal and / or attenuator performance . this system 1150 requires less expensive equipment than the embodiment of fig1 a ( particularly , omitting the modulators 1102 , 1104 ). in addition , because actual satellite signals 1152 , 1154 are used , real signal effects are included in the composite layer modulated signal . fig1 is flowchart of an exemplary method 1200 for simulating a layer modulated signal . the method applies to the systems of both fig1 a & amp ; 11b . the method 1200 simulates a layer modulated signal having a first modulation of an upper layer and a second modulation of a lower layer . at step 1202 an upper layer signal is provided comprising a first modulated bit stream . at step 1204 , a lower layer signal is provided comprising a second modulated bit stream . next at step 1206 , the lower layer signal is attenuated . finally at step 1208 , the upper layer signal and the attenuated lower layer signal are combined to produce the composite layer modulated signal . the method can be further modified consistent with the foregoing system embodiments . fig1 is a flowchart of processing for a layer modulated signal . further detail of layered modulation processing can be found u . s . patent application ser . no . 09 / 844 , 401 , filed on apr . 27 , 2001 , and entitled “ layered modulation for digital signals ”, by ernest c . chen . layered modulation simulation methods and systems of the invention can be used to evaluate the performance of layered signals as well as receiver processes . an exemplary computer simulation of a layered modulation signal can be defined with the following parameters . both layers can use a nominal symbol frequency of 20 mhz ( not necessarily synchronized to each other in timing frequency and phase ). the carrier frequencies are not necessarily coherent with respect to each other either . the excess bandwidth ratio is 0 . 2 . it is assumed that no satellite degradation of the signal occurs ; twta and filter effects can be modeled separately if necessary . the upper and lower layer signals can each be a convolutional code 6 / 7 , reed - soloman ( 146 , 130 ) signal with an assigned reference power of 0 db to the upper layer . upper layer cnr is approximately 7 . 7 db . lower layer cnr is approximately 7 . 6 db . noise ( awgn ) of − 16 db can be applied . a turbo - coded signal may alternately be used for the lower layer . phase noise of the low noise block ( lnb ) and tuner are included . the following table summarizes the simulation results . input output cnr ( db ) cnr ( db ) dynamic ul ll ul ll range 7 . 6 none 7 . 43 none 7 . 43 7 . 7 7 . 6 7 . 51 7 . 22 15 . 48 the first row applies to processing only the upper layer , which reduces cnr by approximately 0 . 2 db ( 7 . 6 db − 7 . 43 db ). the second row applies to processing both layers . the lower layer cnr is reduced by approximately 0 . 4 db ( 7 . 6 db − 7 . 22 db ). this result compares favorably with nominal 16 qam performance . further details of the simulation process are shown hereafter . fig1 is power spectrum plot of an exemplary layer modulated signal that can be simulated by the method and system previously described . the composite upper and lower layer signals are added with thermal noise . a sampling frequency of 100 mhz is used and a display resolution of 1 mhz is shown . the spectrum peak is scaled to 0 db , showing a thermal noise floor of approximately − 17 db . a front end receiver filter is used to taper the noise floor . fig1 a - 15c are plots illustrating upper layer symbol timing recovery for an exemplary layer modulated signal . fig1 a is a plot of the comparator output , based on a zero - crossing method . fig1 b is the low pass filter ( lpf ) output of the loop filter ; a decision - directed second order filter is applied . a nominal baud rate of 20 mhz is recovered . fig1 c is a plot of the tracked symbol times ( indicating a delta baud rate ) with a fitted curve overlaid . a small rms error is exhibited . fig1 d - 15f are plots illustrating an upper layer symbol timing recovered signal for an exemplary layer modulated signal . fig1 d and 15e illustrate respectively the upper layer signal before and after the timing recovery loop . fig1 f is a plot of the cnr estimate after the timing recovery loop . the estimated output cnr of 7 . 78 db , which includes measurement errors , compares very favorably with the input cnr of 7 . 7 db . fig1 a - 16c are plots illustrating upper layer carrier recovery for an exemplary layer modulated signal . fig1 a is a plot of the phase comparator output , based on quadrature multiplication . fig1 b is a plot of the loop lpf output , using a decision - directed second order scheme . a baud rate of approximately 20 mhz is recovered . fig1 c is a plot of the phase tracked out for the simulated carrier frequency and phase noise . a small rms error in phase is exhibited . fig1 d - 16f are plots illustrating an upper layer carrier recovered signal for an exemplary layer modulated signal . fig1 d illustrates the upper layer signal before the carrier recovery loop . fig1 e illustrates the upper layer signal after the carrier recovery loop when the signal constellation is stabilized ; the upper layer qpsk signal in the presence of the lower layer qpsk and noise are apparent . fig1 f is a histogram of the phase error about a constellation node . the estimated output cnr of 7 . 51 db compares well with the input cnr of 7 . 7 db . fig1 a is a plot of uncoded upper layer bit errors at the demodulator output for an exemplary layer modulated signal . the errors at the carrier recovery loop output are shown . the plot identifies 80 r - s packets of data by the “ packet ” number versus the two - bit symbol number . the plot reports approximately 0 . 16 % of ber at an estimated cnr of 7 . 5 db . fig1 b is a plot of upper layer byte errors at the viterbi decoder output for an exemplary layer modulated signal . the packet number is displayed versus an eight - bit symbol number , showing 95 packets worth of data . a ber of 0 . 282 % is reported . fig1 c is a plot of upper layer byte errors at the de - interleaver output for an exemplary layer modulated signal . the packet number is displayed versus an eight - bit symbol number , showing 83 packets worth of data . fig1 d is a plot of upper layer errors correctable by a reed - solomon decoder for an exemplary layer modulated signal . of the 83 packets worth of data , only 3 packets with one r - s correctable error byte each occurred , which is well below the correction threshold of eight errors . thus , no uncorrectable errors were exhibited in 83 packets at an estimated cnr of 7 . 5 db . fig1 is a plot of upper layer signal matching calculated between received signal and reconstructed signal for an exemplary layer modulated signal . as shown , nearly constant matching coefficients ( in magnitude and phase ) are exhibited over 300 , 000 100 - mhz samples , despite the presence of the lower layer signal . fig1 is power spectrum plot of an extracted lower layer signal of an exemplary layer modulated signal . a sampling frequency of 100 mhz is used and a display resolution is 1 mhz . the spectrum peak is scaled to 0 db with a thermal noise floor of approximately − 9 db after canceling out the upper layer signal . the plot can be compared with the power spectrum of the composite signal shown in fig1 . fig2 a - 20c are plots illustrating the extracted lower layer symbol timing recovery for an exemplary layer modulated signal . fig2 a is a plot of a lower layer comparator output , based on a zero - crossing method . fig2 b is the loop low pass filter ( lpf ) output ; a decision - directed second order filter is applied . a nominal baud rate of 20 mhz is extracted . fig2 c is a plot of the tracked symbol times ( indicating a delta baud rate ) with a fitted curve overlaid . a small rms error is exhibited . fig2 d - 20f are plots illustrating a lower layer symbol timing recovered signal for an exemplary layer modulated signal . fig2 d and 20e illustrate respectively the upper layer signal before and after the timing recovery loop . the lower layer forms a ring in signal constellation . fig2 f is a plot of the cnr estimate after the timing recovery loop . the estimated output cnr of 7 . 22 db compares well with the input cnr of 7 . 6 db . fig2 a - 21c are plots illustrating lower layer carrier recovery for an exemplary layer modulated signal . fig2 a is a plot of the lower layer phase comparator output , based on quadrature multiplication . fig2 b is a plot of the loop lpf output , using a decision - directed second order scheme . a nominal baud rate of 20 mhz is extracted . fig2 c is a plot of the phase tracked out for the simulated carrier frequency and phase noise . a nominal rms error in phase is exhibited . fig2 d - 21f are plots illustrating an lower layer carrier recovered signal for an exemplary layer modulated signal . fig2 d illustrates the upper layer signal before the carrier recovery loop . fig2 e illustrates the upper layer signal after the carrier recovery loop when the signal constellation is stabilized ; the lower layer qpsk signal in the presence of noise are apparent . fig2 f is a histogram of the phase error about a constellation node . the estimated output cnr of 7 . 22 db compares reasonably well with the input cnr of 7 . 6 db . fig2 a is a plot of uncoded lower layer bit errors at the demodulator output for an exemplary layer modulated signal . the errors at the carrier recovery loop output are shown . the plot identifies 80 r - s packets of data by the “ packet ” number versus the two - bit symbol number . the plot reports approximately 1 . 1 % of ber at an estimated cnr of 7 . 2 db . fig2 b is a plot of lower layer byte errors at the viterbi decoder output for an exemplary layer modulated signal . the packet number is displayed versus an eight - bit symbol number , showing 95 packets worth of data . a ber of 0 . 297 % is reported . fig2 c is a plot of lower layer byte errors at the de - interleaver output for an exemplary layer modulated signal . the packet number is displayed versus an eight - bit symbol number , showing 83 packets worth of data . fig2 d is a plot of upper layer errors correctable by a reed - solomon decoder for an exemplary layer modulated signal . of the 83 packets worth of data , only 11 packets with one r - s correctable error byte each occurred , which is well below the correction threshold of eight errors . thus , no uncorrectable errors were exhibited in 83 packets at an estimated cnr of 7 . 2 db . fig2 a is a plot of uncoded bit error rates for upper and lower layers of an exemplary layer modulated signal . the plot identifies the lower layer and upper layer simulation results relative to a theoretical result based on additive white gaussian noise ( awgn ) curve , illustrating the result of 65k samples ( 130k bits ) of data . the lower layer at the estimated cnr is shown with a ber right on the awgn curve . the upper layer shows a ber below the curve equaling a 2 . 1 db increase . thus , qpsk interference is more benign than awgn of the same power . fig2 b is a plot of viterbi decoder output bit error rates for upper and lower layers of an exemplary layer modulated signal . the plot identifies the lower layer and upper layer simulation results relative to the awgn curve , illustrating the result of 65k samples ( 130k bits ) of data . in this case , the estimated cnr and ber for both upper and lower layers occur close to the awgn curve . the foregoing description including the preferred embodiment of the invention has been presented for the purposes of illustration and description . it is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed . many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching . it is intended that the scope of the invention be limited not by this detailed description , but rather by the claims appended hereto . the above specification , examples and data provide a complete description of the manufacture and use of the invention . since many embodiments of the invention can be made without departing from the scope of the invention , the invention resides in the claims hereinafter appended . | 7 |
the present invention now is described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings , in which embodiments of the invention are shown . this invention may , however , be embodied in many 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 invention to those skilled in the art . like numbers refer to like elements throughout . in the figures , the thickness of certain lines , layers , components , elements or features may be exaggerated for clarity . broken lines illustrate optional features or operations unless specified otherwise . the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention . unless otherwise defined , all terms ( including technical and scientific terms ) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs . it will be further understood that terms , such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries , should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the specification and relevant art and should not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein . well - known functions or constructions may not be described in detail for brevity and / or clarity . as used herein , the singular forms “ a ”, “ an ” and “ the ” are intended to include the plural forms as well , unless the context clearly indicates otherwise . it will be further understood that the terms “ comprises ” and / or “ comprising ,” when used in this specification , specify the presence of stated features , integers , steps , operations , elements , and / or components , but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features , integers , steps , operations , elements , components , and / or groups thereof . as used herein , the term “ and / or ” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items . as used herein , phrases such as “ between x and y ” and “ between about x and y ” should be interpreted to include x and y . as used herein , phrases such as “ between about x and y ” mean “ between about x and about y .” as used herein , phrases such as “ from about x to y ” mean “ from about x to about y .” it will be understood that when an element is referred to as being “ on ”, “ attached ” to , “ connected ” to , “ coupled ” with , “ contacting ”, etc ., another element , it can be directly on , attached to , connected to , coupled with or contacting the other element or intervening elements may also be present . in contrast , when an element is referred to as being , for example , “ directly on ”, “ directly attached ” to , “ directly connected ” to , “ directly coupled ” with or “ directly contacting ” another element , there are no intervening elements present . it will also be appreciated by those of skill in the art that references to a structure or feature that is disposed “ adjacent ” another feature may have portions that overlap or underlie the adjacent feature . spatially relative terms , such as “ under ”, “ below ”, “ lower ”, “ over ”, “ upper ”, “ lateral ”, “ left ”, “ right ” and the like , may be used herein for ease of description to describe one element or feature &# 39 ; s relationship to another element ( s ) or feature ( s ) as illustrated in the figures . it will be understood that the spatially relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures . for example , if the device in the figures is inverted , elements described as “ under ” or “ beneath ” other elements or features would then be oriented “ over ” the other elements or features . the device may be otherwise oriented ( rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations ) and the descriptors of relative spatial relationships used herein interpreted accordingly . fig1 illustrates a portion of a fiber management component comprising a housing 10 with a floor 12 and a rear wall 14 in an interior 16 of the housing 10 . the rear wall 14 includes a first aperture 18 and a second aperture 20 . a support 22 is mounted in the interior 16 on floor 12 and has a first end 24 proximate first aperture 18 and a second end 26 longitudinally spaced from first end 24 in housing interior 16 . a first receiver 28 is provided at first end 24 of support 22 and a second receiver 30 is provided at second end 26 of support 22 . first receiver 28 comprises a bore 34 having a first end 36 at first end 24 of the support 22 and a second end 38 facing the second end 26 of support 22 . second receiver 30 comprises a channel 40 having first and second sidewalls 42 having inner sides 44 and outer sides 46 which channel 40 extends from an end wall 47 surrounding the second end 38 of bore 34 to the second end 26 of support 22 . sidewalls 42 each include a notch 48 spaced from the second end 26 of support 22 , and protrusions 50 on their outer sides 46 . a web 52 supports support 22 on floor 16 such that first end 24 of support 22 is directed toward first aperture 18 . an additional support substantially identical to support 22 may be , and generally would be , provided in front of second aperture 20 , but is omitted in fig1 for clarity of illustration . fig2 illustrates a fan - out cable 60 that can be mounted to support 22 as discussed further below . fan - out cable 60 comprises a plurality of individual optical fibers 62 having terminal connectors 64 which optical fibers 62 are joined to form a bundle 66 . the bundle 66 is connected to a ferrule 68 in a conventional manner so that the end faces ( not illustrated ) of the individual fibers 62 are exposed at an end face 70 of ferrule 68 for connection to fibers at an end face of a second ferrule ( not illustrated ) held against ferrule 68 by an adapter ( not illustrated ). two alignment pins 72 project from end face 70 of ferrule 68 which mate with openings in a second ferrule to properly align the first and second ferrules and their associated optical fibers . ferrule 68 has a narrow portion 74 and a wide portion 76 at a second end 78 opposite end face 70 which wide portion 76 forms a shoulder 80 where it joins to narrow portion 74 . a spring 82 is placed over bundle 66 before it is connected to ferrule 68 , and a spring push 84 is secured to bundle 66 . spring push 84 comprises a body portion 86 that slidably attaches to bundle 66 . first and second flexible legs 88 extend from body portion 86 each of which flexible legs 88 terminates in a barbed end portion 90 . a push wall 92 on body portion 86 between the flexible legs 88 engages spring 82 when the fan - out cable 60 is connected to support 22 . fan - out cable 60 has some elements in common with the conventional fan - out cable 500 illustrated in fig5 ; however , unlike a conventional fan - out cable , fan - out cable 60 does not include a connector housing . instead , fan - out cable 60 is connectable to support 22 in the housing 10 of the fiber management component . eliminating the connector housing from the fan - out cable 60 reduces the cost of the fan - out cable and reduces the number of discrete elements that require assembly in a fiber management component . the connection of fan - out cable 60 to the support 22 of fig1 will now be described with reference to fig3 . the ferrule 68 of the fan - out cable 60 is placed into channel 40 of support 22 and moved into bore 34 until the wide portion 76 of the ferrule 68 abuts against end wall 47 of channel 40 . the length of narrow portion 74 of ferrule 68 is selected so that end face 70 and alignment pins 72 of ferrule 68 project slightly from the first end 36 of the bore 34 . as ferrule 68 moves into first receiver 28 , bundle 66 and spring 82 enter the channel 40 followed by the barbed end portions 90 of the first and second flexible legs 88 of spring push 84 . the angled ends of the barbed end portions 90 engage the inner sides 44 of channel side walls 42 and force the first and second flexible legs 88 toward each other as the spring push 84 moves toward the second end 38 of the first receiver 28 . the wide portion 76 of ferrule 68 engages end wall 47 of channel 40 before the barbed end portions 90 of the flexible legs 88 of the spring push 84 reach the first and second notches 48 of the sidewalls 42 . as spring push 84 is moved further along , the spring 82 is compressed between the second end 78 of ferrule 68 and the push wall 92 of the spring push 84 . when the barbed end portions 90 of the flexible legs 88 reach notches 48 in the sidewalls 42 of the channel 40 , the flexible legs 88 flex away from one another as the barbed end portions 90 enter the notches 48 thereby securing the fan - out cable 60 to the support 22 . ferrule 68 is spring biased against end wall 47 of the channel 40 , but can move toward second end 26 of support 22 if a force is applied against the end face 70 , such as when end face 70 is being pressed against the mating face of a second ferrule ( not illustrated ). thus , the ability to accommodate slight axial mismatch between two connectors placed in an adapter is maintained . protrusions 50 are provided on the outer sides 46 of sidewalls 42 to engage a suitable adapter ( not illustrated ) for connecting the fan - out cable 60 to a trunk cable ( not illustrated ). fig4 illustrates another embodiment of the present invention in which the same reference numerals are used to identify elements common to the embodiment of fig1 - 3 . in this embodiment , support 22 is connected to rear wall 14 of housing 10 by first and second support arms 100 , thereby removing the need for web 52 and providing additional space beneath support 22 for possible fiber management use . the present invention has been described herein in terms of presently preferred embodiments . however , modifications and additions to these embodiments will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the relevant art upon a reading of the foregoing description . it is intended that all such additions and modifications comprise a part of the present invention to the extent they fall within the scope of the several claims appended hereto . | 6 |
in the preferred embodiment there are two sides 1 and 2 which are localized at right angles to the direction of travel of any striking vehicle and these two sides are joined with one another by two pairs of outwardly inclined sides 3a , 4a and 3b , 4b respectively . all the sides are joined with each other via weakened corner or edge portions formed of internal grooves 5 and 6 . when it is desired to have a more stable post for carrying a large sign it is possible , in order to permit interconnection of several posts in cooperation , to provide the two first - mentioned sides 1 and 2 with a notch 7 and a tenon 8 to guide posts which are joined together by wrapping bands , glueing or by some other appropriate means . an additional post is indicated by dashed lines in fig4 . as long as the post is intact the interconnected sides coact in a normal manner . when , on the contrary , the post is run into it will be deformed in the way shown in fig2 - 3 and 5 - 6 respectively . when the side 1 is hit by the bumper of a car it will be pressed in towards the side 2 because the connections at the grooves 5 and 6 are weaker than the remaining material and this will lead to displacement and turning of the sides 3a , 4a and 3b , 4b while the material at the grooves 5 and 6 is subjected to a very strong relative tensional strain which rapidly results in a fracture which , in case the grooves have been made by cold rolling or pressing , is brittle and instantaneously progressive . as the cross - sectional extent of the post , as seen in the direction of travel , will rapidly diminish , the section modulus or bending resistance of the post will immediately be reduced . the section modulus of the post in intact condition is dependent on the coaction of the six sides which are kept in rigid relation in certain relative positions . the cross - sectional reduction of the hollow profile and the ruptures in the corners , which is a consequence of the compression of the sides , involves that the remaining section modulus will substantially be the intrinsic resistance of the compressed material , which , as compared to the initial section modulus , is practically negligible . when the two sides 1 and 2 of the hollow profile have been compressed to the position shown in fig3 and 6 the edges 9 of the grooves 6 situated between the sides 3a - 4a and 3b - 4b respectively will bear against each other , which during continued compression will result in the groove bottom 10 being split up due to the leverage action caused thereby . in this connection the post profile will be divided up , at and outside the struck portion , into two separate strips of material of reduced rigidity . in case the lower end of the post is firmly anchored in the ground the progressive compression and the splitting of the post will proceed accordingly as the car moves beyond the foundation of the post . in order that the properties of the posts of the type herein referred to should show to advantage they should be combined with signs of light - weight and yieldable construction . the post according to the invention may be produced by extrusion of a hollow profile , the material being light metal . extruded profiles have equal cross - section throughout their length and posts made up of such profiles are most appropriate where the post height is low or the post is partly concealed by e . g . a sign , reference board or the like . separate posts of greater height , e . g . lamp posts , are likely to give an unnecessarily clumsy impression if they are of a uniform thickness and for this reason it is desired that such posts taper in upward direction . as for posts of upwardly tapering cross - section , instead of using extruded profiles use is made of plastic - coated steel sheet which is provided with longitudinal weakening lines , converging towards the intended tapered end , in the form of pressed or stamped grooves or the like where the material is thinner than the remaining sheet . the sheet is folded up after stamping of the grooves and jointed or lapped together so as to constitute a closed polygonal tube . irrespective of whether the post is made of extruded light metal or stamped steel sheet it will function as described above when being run into . however , in case of cold - worked grooves the longitudinal fracture will become brittle and progress also in the non - deformed section . the invention must not be considered restricted to that described above and shown in the drawings but may be modified in various ways within the scope of the appended claims . | 4 |
referring firstly to fig1 , a self - routing , highly - available , real - time network communication system 100 includes a set of spatially distributed nodes ( n 1 - n 15 ) that is interconnected by a star - based network ( comprising star couplers s 1 - s 4 whose interconnection is depicted by single - dash lines ) channel providing a single route between any two of the nodes . the nodes communicate by exchanging frames , each of which contains a frame - start - sequence ( fss ). as so far described , the system may be , for example , a ‘ flexray ’ communication system , and need not be described in further detail . however , in distinction to a known ‘ flexray ’ communication system , the system 100 adds additional links l 1 , l 2 and l 3 ( depicted by double - dash lines ) between , respectively , the star couplers s 3 and s 4 , the star couplers s 1 and s 4 , and the star couplers s 1 and s 3 . these additional connections between the star couplers prevent partitioning of the network in the event of connection failures among star couplers by providing an alternative communication path . in the configuration shown in fig1 , the system 100 can withstand two such connection failures without loss of communication among the nodes . for the purpose of illustration an interruption 110 is marked in fig1 between the star couplers s 2 and s 3 . as will be discussed in more detail below , the star couplers resolve frame collisions by choosing exactly one input ( the first detected input frame ) and routing it to the remaining outputs . each of the star couplers performs this function by continuously scanning its input lines in search of a frame - start - sequence , in a similar manner to that in a known ‘ flexray ’ system . in a given network the shortest ( in the sense of the fastest ) connection between star couplers will be found automatically . reference is now also made to fig2 , which shows a portion of the system of fig1 , made up of the nodes n 1 , n 2 & amp ; n 7 , the star couplers s 1 , s 2 & amp ; s 3 , and the links therebetween ( including the interruption 110 ). fig2 illustrates three cases : case 1 — a single input frame arrives ( from the node n 1 ) at the star coupler s 2 on one of its inputs ( e . g ., on input 2 ), causing this input to be selected and causing the star coupler to output this frame on all others of its outputs . case 2 — three input frames arrive at the star coupler s 1 ( e . g ., on inputs 2 , 3 and 4 ). in this case , of these inputs the input from the star coupler s 2 ( say , input 4 ) is selected , as it is the first to arrive . case 3 — at the star coupler s 3 , the input ( e . g ., input 1 ) from the star coupler s 1 via the additional link l 3 is selected , as it is the first input to be detected ( i . e ., scanned ) by the star coupler . diagnosis ( i . e ., fault detection ) is a vital issue for providing real - time availability . in the system of fig1 and fig2 , fault detection is achieved as follows . a star coupler ( s 1 , s 2 , s 3 or s 4 ) shortens the frame for output ( compared with a selected input frame ) by removing or consuming bits from the frame - start - sequence within the star coupler . by analysing a received frame , a receiver node can detect the route taken by the received frame . shortening the frame - start - sequence may be realized either by ( a ) internal time base / clock ( for timing the occurrence of the predetermined amount of the frame - start - sequence ), or ( b ) bit detection ( for detecting the occurrence of the predetermined amount of the frame - start - sequence ). fig3 shows a star coupler ( such as the star coupler s 1 , s 2 , s 3 or s 4 ) 300 , which has inputs ( four of which are shown ), outputs ( four of which are shown ), an input detector 310 , a fss shortener 320 , and an output enabler 330 . the input detector 310 ( whose detailed structure will be apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art , and need not be described further ) detects which of the inputs is receiving , or is the first to receive a frame - start - sequence , and selects this input . the selected input is applied to the fss shortener 320 ( as mentioned above , either an internal time base / clock or a bit detector — whose detailed structure will be apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art , and need not be described further ), which removes 2 bits ( as will be described below ) of the frame - start - sequence . the shortened fss and the following frame data are applied to the output enabler 330 , which applies the shortened fss frame to all outputs other than that which was selected by the input detector 310 . an example of the fault detection procedure referred to above is shown in fig2 ( and also in fig4 , which will be referred to in more detail below ), in which each star coupler removes 2 bits from the frame - start - sequence of a frame which traverses the star coupler . in the example illustrated , node n 1 transmits a frame with an 8 - bit frame start sequence 210 . from the 8 - bit fss frame 210 , the star coupler s 2 outputs a 6 - bit fss frame 220 . from the 6 - bit fss frame 220 , the star coupler s 1 outputs a 4 - bit fss frame 230 . since the path between the star couplers s 2 and s 3 is interrupted , node n 7 receives a frame 240 ( which , from node 1 , has traversed star couplers s 2 , s 1 and s 3 ) with a remaining 2 - bit frame - start - sequence as the frame had to pass three star couplers . in comparison , in the fault - free case if there were no interruption between the star couplers s 2 and s 3 , the frame 240 received at node 7 ( which , from node 1 , would have traversed star couplers s 2 and s 3 ) would have a 4 - bit frame - start - sequence . thus , by determining the number of fss bits in the received frame originating from the node n 1 , the node n 7 can determine whether the frame travelled via the path n 1 - s 2 - s 3 - n 7 ( 4 - bit fss ) or the frame travelled via the path n 1 - s 2 - s 1 - s 3 - n 7 ( 2 - bit fss ). referring now also to fig4 , the behaviours of the star couplers s 2 , s 1 and s 3 are illustrated respectively for the three cases 1 , 2 & amp ; 3 referred to above . thus , it can be seen that in case 1 ( at the star coupler s 2 ) ‘ frame 1 ’ arrives ( from the node n 1 ) at the input 2 of the star coupler . after a maximum signal detection time t_in , the input ‘ frame 1 ’ is selected , and no further input signal is then accepted . after a subsequent maximum time t_out to power up the outputs , the ‘ frame 1 ’ ( now with 2 - bits removed from its fss ) is output at each of the other outputs ( outputs 1 , 3 and 4 ) of the star coupler . in case 2 ( at the star coupler s 1 ) ‘ frame 2 ’ ( from the star coupler node n 1 via the star coupler s 2 ) arrives at the input 4 of the star coupler , ‘ frame 3 ’ arrives at the input 3 of the star coupler , and ‘ frame 4 ’ arrives at the input 2 of the star coupler . after a maximum signal detection time t_in , the input ‘ frame 2 ’ is selected , since it the first to arrive , and no further input signal is then accepted . after a subsequent maximum time t_out to power up the outputs , the ‘ frame 2 ’ ( now with a further 2 - bits removed from its fss ) is output at each of the other outputs ( outputs 1 , 2 and 3 ) of the star coupler . in case 3 ( at the star coupler s 3 ) ‘ frame 5 ’ ( from the star coupler node n 1 via the star coupler s 2 and the star coupler s 1 ) arrives at the input 1 of the star coupler , and ‘ frame 6 ’ arrives at the input 4 of the star coupler . after a maximum signal detection time t_in , the input ‘ frame 5 ’ is selected , since it the first to be detected , and no further input signal is then accepted . after a subsequent maximum time t_out to power up the outputs , the ‘ frame 5 ’ ( now with a further 2 - bits removed from its fss ) is output at each of the other outputs ( outputs 2 , 3 and 4 ) of the star coupler . it will be understood that the self - routing , highly - available network architecture based on star couplers described above provides the following advantages : improves the availability of the network by providing additional , alternative communication paths ( l 1 , l 2 , l 3 ) enables error detection by detecting if the header length ( fss ) is shorter than for shortest path communication , automatic activation of alternative paths based on physical principle of propagation delay ( since , if the alternative paths such as l 1 , l 2 , l 3 are not needed , frames transferred via these redundant paths will not progress further because their longer propagation delay will prevent their frames being selected by further star couplers ) no need for intelligent functions in the star couplers other than selecting the first message and cutting a defined number of fss bits of the frame . it will also be understood that variations to the above - described network will be apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the invention . for example , although the star couplers are described as shortening the frame - start - sequence by 2 bits , the network may be implemented with star couplers which change the frame - start - sequence in any desired manner such that an interconnection failure may be diagnosed by analysing the frame - start - sequence . for example , the frame - start - sequence could be a special frequency ( e . g . 50 mhz sine wave ) or symbol to activate the input and the star coupler could change this frequency to 40 mhz at its output or would send a different symbol . the next star coupler could change the fss from 40 to 30 mhz and so on , or would change the symbol again . also , for example , although the network has been described in the context of a ‘ flexray ’ communication system , the network may be implemented in any system employing a deterministic media access scheme such as tdma ( time division multiple access ). | 7 |
the general method of preparing the inventive formulation is to put ground birch bark ( betula alba ) into an acidic solution , preferably an acetic acid solution , and allowing the birch bark to soak in the acidic solution for at least about 30 minutes . this step may optionally include any standard mechanical means of agitation . the concentration of acid in the solution is selected so that the final solution has a ph of between about 2 and about 5 . the solution is then filtered to remove visible particulates . optionally the birch bark / acid solution can be boiled for some or all of the soaking time . the formulation is then placed into bottles , pump spray bottles or pressurized aerosol containers . the preferred option is to place the formulation into pump spray bottles because this provides for a convenient , cost effective and efficacious means of topical application . it also avoids the problem of contamination if the formulation is stored in a regular bottle and avoids the extra cost and possible side effects of propellants that are necessary for a pressurized aerosol container . optionally the inventive formulation may be mixed with medically acceptable or cosmetically / pharmaceutically / physiologically acceptable carriers , excipients , diluents , adjuvants , vehicles , preservatives , antibiotics and mixtures thereof appropriate for the formation of emulsions , slurries , poultices , drenches , balms , salves , pomades , oils , jellies , foams , creams , solutions , shampoos , soaps , lotions , ointment , hydrogels , bath gels , shower gels , and gels . in a clean large stainless steel pot ( or large pyrex glass erlenmeyer flask ) between about 1 , 000 mg and about 10 , 000 mg ( preferably about 4000 to about 5000 mg ) of finely ground and dried betula alba bark ( mountain rose herbs in eugene , oreg . 97405 phone : 1 - 800 - 879 - 9337 ) is combined with distilled water and glacial acetic acid such that the proportion of acetic acid to water produces a ph in the range of about 3 . 0 to 4 . 0 with a total volume of liquid of about 400 mls . subsequent steps are described below . an alternative procedure is to mix 59 milliliters distilled white vinegar ( which is about 5 % acetic acid ) with finely ground and dried betula alba bark ( from mountain rose herbs ) in the weight range of between 1 , 000 mg and 10 , 000 mg ( preferably between about 4000 to about 5000 mg ). stir with a stainless steel whisk which is inserted into a stainless steel automatic stirring apparatus , and place on a heating element . stir until the liquid comes to a boil . distilled water in the amount of 355 mls is then added , stirring is continued and the contents brought back to a boil for no less than 30 minutes , but for no more than about one hour while the heat level was observed and adjusted to avoid boiling over of the liquid . the solution was removed from the heating element and the pot is covered with a clean stainless steel lid ( a clean glass stopper or clean paper towel may be substituted as a lid if a flask is used ) and allowed to sit undisturbed for at least 60 minutes . specifically , the initial extract of birch bark can be achieved by boiling and / or soaking in vinegar ( about 5 % acetic acid ) and then diluting the vinegar by the addition of water or in the alternative all of the boiling and / or soaking is done in the diluted vinegar . the contents of the flask was filtered such that printed material of arial bold characters with a font size 40 or smaller can be read through one inch depth of solution under the bottom of a clear glass beaker . two means of achieving this level of clarity have been utilized , though there are many other means well known in the art . one method is to filter through a filter funnel with three layers of filter paper of 5 micron of less pore size and repeating this filtration twice more with the filtered solution , through fresh 3 ply paper filters ( or an equivalent filtration medium ). the alternative is to perform three successive vacuum filtrations thorough membrane filters having a pore size of about 5 microns or less . optimal product color is a pale golden yellow and has a ph of about 3 to 4 . the solution is funneled into a glass bottle , labeled and assembled with fine mist aerosol pump , and then plastic shrink wrap was applied to protect the bottle from tampering and contamination . the packaged bottles is then subjected to gamma irradiation for a calculated period of time , dependent upon the weight of the solution , to achieve a specific calculate dose of irradiation delivered of at least about 30 kgy , but no more than about 50 kgy . over 700 patients have been treated with the inventive formulation while under the care of the inventor , a california licensed medical doctor , specialized in dermatology . the majority of patients were suffering with conditions which arose from , were impacted by or resulted in neurocutaneous malcircuitry , and which had failed standard medical treatments before receiving a topical application of the inventive solution . the only treatment failures were associated with ongoing inflammatory disorders such as an incarcerated femoral hernia , osteomyelitis , and bone fracture non - union . a more complete understanding of the present invention can be obtained by reference to the following specific examples . the examples are described solely for purposes of illustration and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention . the symptoms of patients suffering from conditions of neurocutaneous malcircuitry were mitigated by the inventive formulation as evidenced by the ratings of clinical patients regarding improvement of acute and chronic pain , as well as subject reports of normalization of function , sensation , numbness , and pruritus . medical conditions mitigated by the inventive formulation include normalization of signs , symptoms , functions , control , and / or conditions impacted by neural maltransmission and / or malcircuitry including , but not limited to , the following examples of the documented clinical effects on patients suffering from the clinical conditions listed below : 1 . normalization of muscle tone , range of motion , and muscular control ( resolution of inappropriate muscle contractions in cases of arthritis and radiculopathy complicated by clinical evidence of neurocutaneous malcircuitry ). 2 . reduction of abnormal involuntary somatic movement ( reduction of involuntary movement in cases of benign essential tremor , hemispasms , and tardive dyskinesia impacted by neurocutaneous malcircuitry ). 3 . reduction of abnormal autonomic activity ( reduction of flushing impacted by cytokine induced neurocutaneous malcircuitry of rosacea ). 4 . reduction of abnormal vascular flow ( resolution of burning feet syndrome hyperemia due to neurocutaneous malcircuitry of erythromelalgia ). 5 . reduction of abnormal inflammation ( reduction of redness , swelling and pain from carpet burn , spider bite , drug induced dermatitis , radiation dermatitis , hypersensitivity reactions types ii - iv , post surgical tissue changes , acne , seborrheic dermatitis ). 6 . reduction of hyperhidrosis ( resolution of sweaty macerated feet arising from neurocutaneous malcircuitry with sympathetic stimulation of erythromelalgia ). 7 . reduction of normal and abnormal bruising and swelling ( reduction of and hastened resolution of post traumatic and spontaneous bruising related to trauma , vascular stasis , liposuction , coumadin , and excision of skin cancers ). 8 . reduction of abnormal secretory and ductal dysfunction ( resolution of abnormal reflexive tearing sustained by facial trauma induced neurocutaneous malcircuitry ) 9 . normalization of bladder control and function ( complete resolution of neurogenic bladder associated with the neurocutaneous malcircuitry of erythromelalgia ) 10 . reduction of hyperesthesia , inflammation and pain escalation of normal acute , chronic pain , and from infection ( analgesia related to disruption of extraneous neural transmission and conduction of trigeminal neuralgia , post herpetic neuralgia , mrsa infection of skin , burn pain , injuries , arthritis ) one of the first patients treated with the formulation of the invention suffered from erythromelalgia , which is one of the conditions resulting from neurocutaneous malcircuitry . erythromelalgia results in radiating progressive pain associated with autonomic system dysregulation . the pain and neural malcircuitry of erythromelalgia typically extends to the feet , and this pain is refractory to all medical and surgical treatment modalities . typically the skin of the feet in erythromelalgia , is very inflamed , hot , and red in color , and is associated with severe recalcitrant pain . on may 16 , 2006 , an elderly white female , suffering with erythromelalgia , sought assistance from the treating physician and asked if there was anything that could be done to help her with her excruciating pain . historically , the patient had suffered from multiple rheumatologic and orthopedic problems , associated with chronic severe back pain . over many years , multiple spinal surgeries failed to correct her upper and lower back pain , and she became unable to walk normally or lift her arms over her head . she then developed a neurogenic bladder and became unable to void without manually pushing her bladder to obtain urinary flow . in 2001 , the patient began to suffer intense feet pain , associated with heat and color changes . the only relief that she could get was from standing in a tub of ice water , and this relief was only temporary . her erythromelalgia was refractory to additional neurosurgical efforts , pain medications , physical therapy and nerve blocks . when she was examined , the patient was unable to ambulate normally , dragging one leg as she walked and she ambulated with a very stooped posture . she also demonstrated that she could not lift her arms above her shoulders . the patient &# 39 ; s feet were very warm , sweaty and reddened in color bilaterally . after obtaining informed consent to participate in clinical case study research , the inventive formulation was applied to the most painful foot . it was observed that the redness of the foot disappeared within seconds . the patient exclaimed that the foot pain , as well as much of her lower back pain was immediately relieved by this application , even though the formulation had only been applied to that one foot . while observing her response to application of the inventive formulation to the one foot , the redness of the contra lateral foot immediately disappeared . the patient &# 39 ; s posture spontaneously straightened from the formerly hunched posture . the patient was now smiling and laughing excitedly . she reached down and touched her toes , demonstrating a range of motion that she had not experienced in years . the inventive formulation was then applied directly over the local orthopedic tenderness sites of the upper and lower back . the patient instantly raised her arms above her head , rejoiced and began to demonstrate restoration of full range of movement of the upper extremities . the patient ambulated normally from the clinic with erect and normal posture and was no longer dragging her leg . a few hours later that day , she called from her home to report that she was now able to spontaneously and normally empty her bladder , for the first time in many years . application of the inventive formulation to the skin regions associated with the patient &# 39 ; s neural malcircuitry resulted in spontaneous remission of her neurogenic bladder . the patient reported that she remained pain free with continued normalization of bladder and ambulatory functions on the following day . she was advised to continue to apply the inventive formulation twice daily , but she discontinued regular application of the inventive formulation after a few days because she was no longer symptomatic of her erythromelalgia . this patient remained free of her erythromelalgia and neurogenic bladder over five years later , and has sustained this improvement until this writing . she occasionally applies the inventive formulation to control the pain and stiffness of her chronic arthritis in her shoulders and spine . she still no longer requires a cane for ambulation . an elderly white male with an active herpes zoster infection was examined and found to be suffering from pain characterized as 15 / 10 on a pain scale of 1 - 10 . narcotics , steroids , capsaicin cream , and antiviral medication failed to relieve his pain . after obtaining informed consent for participation in clinical case study research , the inventive formulation was applied over the involved dermatome . pain relief was obtained upon application , and the patient was advised to apply the inventive formulation at home twice daily . the patient states that the inventive formulation provided the only successful pain relief during his zoster infection . application of the inventive formulation allowed the patient to finally be able to sleep at night , and the baseline pain gradually decreased with ongoing usage . after several weeks , the patient was free of zoster pain , and he discontinued application of the inventive formulation . he continued to maintain relief from the zoster pain during the subsequent two years , even without further application of the inventive formulation . this same patient later suffered from post operative orthopedic pain and stiffness in his shoulders . he was unable to obtain adequate relief with narcotics and other traditional medications . he characterized the pain as 8 / 10 when he tried to lift his right arm . within a minute of topical application of the inventive formulation , his pain was reduced to 2 / 10 , and he obtained greater range of motion . a middle aged white female was examined found to have constant and severe pruritus over the posterio - lateral bilateral arms . her diagnosis was brachioradial pruritus . she had suffered with this disorder for many years and her condition had been unsuccessfully treated with scabicide cream , steroids , and antihistamines . the only relief that she could obtain was to apply ice to her arms . although the pruritus was constant , her worst pruritus was at night , which disrupted her sleep . after obtaining informed consent to participate in clinical case study research , the inventive formulation was applied to the involved areas , and complete symptomatic relief of pruritus was obtained within minutes . she continued to apply the inventive formulation to the involved areas at home once daily , before bedtime . the pruritus episodes became less frequent . she discontinued daily application of the inventive formulation , using the product only when she became symptomatic . upon clinical follow up , a few months later , the patient estimated that frequency of the pruritus was reduced to only about twice a month . a 71 year old white female was examined on feb . 3 , 2010 with severe disfiguring facial drooping after receiving botox for right facial hemispasms ( severe twitching ). the patient was very unhappy with the disfiguring results of the botox treatment administered by her neurologist . her facial spasms returned 3 after her botox injection . on sep . 22 , 2011 , she was examined and found to have right eye eyelid , right cheek , right perioral , and right platysmal muscle twitching , which was very distracting when she tried to engage in communication . after obtaining informed consent to participate in clinical case study research , she was allowed to apply the inventive formulation to the involved facial regions . she was examined again on jan . 25 , 2011 with improvement of the intensity and frequency of the facial spasms . it was noted that light touch on a post auricular region of the neck resulted in reflexive spasms . in this case , intense pulsed light was applied this trigger point of reflexive spasms , with no benefit noted . the patient was advised to apply the inventive formulation to the involved region , including the trigger point , every four hours while awake . the next morning , the patient awoke with no spasms , and her result was sustained for the next four days , the patient was completely free of her facial hemispasms ; however , the patient discontinued use of the inventive formulation when the facial hemispasms disappeared . the hemispasms began to recur on the fifth day after the last application of the inventive formulation . upon resumption of daily application of the inventive formulation , the hemispasms were again diminished . a 30 year old white female was examined and complained of severe episodic genital region pain . the condition began during a long overseas flight to australia . she experienced extreme pain when sitting . the most painful tissue , at the posterior aspect of the vaginal extroitus , was observed to become very red , swollen and macerated during pain episodes . antidepressants , pain medications , and steroid creams were tried and proved unsuccessful in managing the pain . her condition became complicated by pruritus , possibly due to steroid - related dermatitis . even during pain free intervals , any manipulation of the involved region resulted in swelling and pain . the painful site was biopsied by her gynecologist , and histopathologic examination revealed no pathology . she was diagnosed with vulvodynia , but did not obtain effective treatment . the patient sought help from many medical specialists , only to be misdiagnosed as having a psychosomatic disorder . she was examined by the inventor several months before her scheduled wedding . upon examination , there was evidence of a prior biopsy scar at the vaginal extroitus . there was no exudate , sclerosis , or lymphadenopathy . given the history , the patient was diagnosed with vulvodynia related to angioedema complicated by steroid dermatitis . after obtaining informed consent to participate in clinical case study the inventive formulation was applied to the involved region . the patient obtained immediate symptomatic relief of pain after application of the inventive formulation . topical steroids were discontinued and the patient was instructed to apply the inventive formulation twice daily and as needed . she was also instructed to avoid long periods of sitting and to avoid long overseas air travel . her painful episodes became less frequent and less intense . her marriage was consummated in november of 2010 . although the inventive solution did not cure the tendency toward angioedema underlying her vulvodynia , the invention allowed her to enjoy comfortable sexual relations and provided effective symptomatic management of her condition . on feb . 14 , 2011 , a middle aged white female was examined and found have pain at a level of 4 - 5 out of 10 ( 10 being the worst pain ) of her neck related to plastic surgery procedures that had been performed within the prior few weeks . she also complained of 4 out of 10 pain in her right hip from arthritis , and 4 - 6 out of 10 pain from orthopedic surgery related to a fracture of her left foot . after obtaining informed consent to participate in clinical case study research , the inventive formulation was applied to the involved regions . the subject obtained complete relief of each of these pain conditions within a few minutes after topical application of the solution . she rated her pain as zero ( no pain ) within 5 minutes of each application . an elderly female developed a new onset itchy and painful eruption within her inferior breast folds which appeared following the eruption of a painful dermatitis on her neck . both eruptions were refractory to topical steroids prescribed by her primary care physician . the neck eruption was well demarcated to the area of 5 - fluorouracil cream application for actinic keratosis , consistent with drug induced dermatitis . the breast fold eruption was thought to be caused by severe yeast dermatitis with secondary bullous impetigo ; thus , empiric antibiotic and topical antifungal therapy was begun . bacterial cultures returned negative . this eruption failed to clear after empiric antimicrobial therapy . the eruption was biopsied . histological tissue examination demonstrated many eosinophils and a subepidermal split diagnostic of bullous pemphigoid . the bullous lesions and macerated psoriasiform patches were localized only to the region of the inferior breast folds , consistent with the vegetative form of bullous pemphigoid . the vegetative form of bullous pemphigoid has a predilection for the intertriginous areas of the skin . it is unclear whether the 5 - fluorouracil treatment may have precipitated this case of bullous pemphigoid . after obtaining informed consent to participate in clinical case study research , the inventive formulation was applied to both the neck and breast fold eruptions . the patient immediately obtained symptomatic relief of the pain and itchiness of both the neck and breast fold eruptions . she was advised to apply the solution twice daily at home . at her one week follow up , the inflammatory eruption of the neck had completely cleared and the breast fold pain and itchiness had ceased . the inflammation and induration of the breast fold eruption had also improved ; however , bullous lesions continued to erupt . once the histologic diagnosis of bullous pemphigoid was obtained , traditional treatment with tetracycline was begun , and the patient continued application of the inventive formulation twice daily . although the inventive formulation had not cleared all of the eruption associated with the bullous pemphigoid , she obtained complete symptomatic relief of the pain and itchiness with the inventive formulation . on nov . 2 , 2010 , a female college student was examined and found to have painful subcutaneous nodules of erythema nodosum which arose after resolution of mononucleosis . the nodules were distributed over the bilateral lower extremities and were very tender after she had been on her feet for a while . the pain and induration of the nodules were refractory to diphenhydramine and nsaid medication . after obtaining informed consent to participate in clinical case study research , the inventive formulation was applied to the involved regions . pain was immediately relieved and the nodules became softer and smaller in size within minutes . support stockings were recommended , along with daily application of the inventive formulation . the patient obtained excellent symptomatic management of her erythema nodosum . the condition was no longer apparent a few weeks later at clinical follow up . on apr . 29 , 2008 , a 74 year old white female was examined and found to have a very painful , swollen , fissured nose with copious exudate . the eruption began after application of imiquimod to the nose to treat actinic keratosis . a culture was performed . after informed consent to participate in clinical case research , the inventive formulation was applied to the entire nasal eruption . the patient experienced relief of pain and swelling upon application of the inventive formulation . she was advised to discontinue the imiquimod and to apply the inventive formulation to the nasal eruption twice daily . empiric antibiotic treatment was initiated . culture results returned positive for methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus . the bacterial sensitivity demonstrated that the staphylococcus aureus was sensitive to the prescribed antibiotic . upon clinical follow up , on jun . 19 , 2008 , the infection had cleared and the nose was well healed without scarring , pain or discomfort . no recurrence of the actinic keratosis was evident upon later follow up of feb . 15 , 2011 . the cosmetic result was excellent as evidenced by smooth texture and normal coloration at the actinic keratosis treatment site . an elderly white female was examined for a skin condition . she mentioned that she was in severe pain from arthritis of the right shoulder . she reported that her other doctor diagnosed her with arthritis of the right shoulder . the shoulder pain was refractory to nsaid medications . the patient found physical therapy to be painful and of questionable benefit . she was not able to lift her right arm above her shoulder , and movement of the shoulder was very painful ( 9 + out of 10 on the pain scale ). after informed consent was obtained to participate in clinical case research , the inventive formulation was applied to the right shoulder . three months later , the patient returned for follow up on her skin condition and reported that she had obtained 100 % sustained pain relief and restoration of complete range of motion of the right shoulder since that one time office application of the inventive formulation . a young adult female sustained a laceration to the nasal side wall from a motor vehicle accident several years prior to clinical presentation . ever since the nasal laceration healed , a light touch to her nose ( which remained numb since the accident ) resulted in intense pain of her cheek , associated with reflexive tearing from her right eye ( and not her left ). after obtaining informed consent to participate in clinical case study research , the inventive formulation was applied to the involved regions . after topical application of the inventive formulation , the numbness , reflexive pain , and reflexive tearing were instantly extinguished and normal sensation was restored to her nose . upon clinical follow up , years later , there was no recurrence of the pain , numbness , or abnormal reflexive tearing . resolution of the extraneous neural conduction and transmission was sustained since that one single application of the inventive solution . an elderly white female when examiner was found to be suffering with excruciating pain of several days duration associated with an expanding and ulcerating lesion over the right medial thigh . she was afebrile . there was no purulent drainage , no crusting , and no honey colored exudate associated with the lesion . the pain was refractory to the antibiotics and traditional pain medications prescribed by her regular doctor . black widow spiders are common to the southern california region in which the patient lived . given the intensity of the pain and lack of evidence for infection , she was diagnosed with black widow spider bite . after obtaining informed consent to participate in clinical case study research , the inventive formulation was applied to the site of the lesion and pain relief was obtained within seconds . the patient applied the inventive solution twice daily for two to three weeks until the lesion was completely healed , and during this time the solution effectively managed her pain . the lesion promptly regressed and healed in response to the inventor &# 39 ; s formulation . there was no residual pain , numbness or paresthesia upon clinical follow up . although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed for illustrative purposes , those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modification , additions and substitutions are possible , without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention . | 0 |
[ 0021 ] fig1 is a diagram of a post - transmission phev configuration . a powertrain driveline 197 includes rotational dynamics for a phev , which accepts ic engine 202 and motor torque ( in a regenerative or motoring mode ), and delivers torque to drive wheels 204 through a differential 206 and halfshafts 208 . motor torque is delivered via a transaxle to the differential 206 through a 4 × 4 coupler connected to a halfshaft 208 , and summed with engine torque at the differential 206 . the engine 200 is connected directly to the differential 206 through the engine clutch 210 , transmission and final drive , as in a conventional powertrain . included in the driveline 197 is a layshaft transmission 212 that lies between the engine clutch 210 and the differential 206 . a phev coordinated controller 214 provides motoring and regenerative commands to a motor controller 215 for corresponding positive and negative motor 202 torque , and throttle blade commands to an engine controller 217 . these commands may be based on the battery soc , motor speed versus torque limits , motor 202 torque current , motor 202 field current , transmission 212 gear , accelerator pedal 220 position , engine clutch 210 state , motor clutch 225 state , engine 200 speed , average power at the drive wheels 204 , shift status , estimated engine 200 torque , and estimated motor 202 torque available . in addition , the controller 214 provides engine and motor clutch 210 , 225 control during braking , or hybrid operation . the controller distributes braking commands to a regenerative brake system associated with the motor 202 and a friction brake system ( not shown ). the torque may be partitioned to operate in an engine 200 only mode , a motor 202 only mode , or a two traction device mode ( hybrid mode ). hybrid mode operation consists of motor 202 only operation , engine 200 operation , motor 202 torque application during shifting , motor 202 assist during power boost , and regenerative braking . the motor 202 can provide torque during shifting so that torque disruption to the driveline 197 is eliminated . the drive line 197 will provide negative torque via the motor 202 during braking for energy recovery to a battery 213 . during periods of low storage device ( soc ) battery 213 operation , the engine 200 may be loaded with the alternator ( not shown ) to increase the storage device operation . the vehicle driveline 197 has a torque sensor 216 . torque sensor 216 may be a single torque sensor or a plurality of torque sensors which may sense the torque at the halfshafts 208 and by computation determine the torque of the engine 200 or of the motor 202 or may be a combination of sensors appropriately placed . the controller 214 is also connected with a motor torque available sensor 218 to apprise the controller 214 on the amount of maximum motor torque available which is typically highly dependent upon battery soc . to receive operator drive commands for torque there is an accelerator pedal 220 . the accelerator pedal 220 is operatively associated with an accelerator pedal position sensor 222 . the accelerator pedal position sensor 222 is also communicative with the controller 214 . the motor 202 also has between itself and the differential 206 a clutch 225 which for the purposes of this invention can be considered essentially in a closed or engaged position . the vehicle also has a brake pedal 224 which communicates with the controller 214 . the vehicle launches in motor 202 only mode for optimal drivability , emissions , and fuel economy . when the average power at the vehicle drive wheels 204 reaches a level where operation of the engine 200 is beneficial , the motor 202 is no longer operated alone . this section contains a high level description with a detailed description in the next section . the torque split 1 control algorithm determines the magnitudes of the motor 202 torque command and the engine 200 torque command . this algorithm also determines the accelerator pedal 220 command from the driver and determines the torque partitioning between the traction devices ( engine 200 , motor 202 ). fig1 - 8 are block diagrams depicting the control algorithm . these diagrams were used to generate autocode ( c code ), which actually ran in the prototype vehicle . brake switch ( logic ): when 1 , a brake pedal 224 is depressed accel pos : accelerator pedal travel position in per unit values ( 0 — no pedal command to 1 — wide open throttle ( wot )) temaxavailatwheels 204 ( nm ): maximum engine 200 torque available at the wheels 204 accel pedal flag ( logic ): when 1 , the accelerator pedal 220 is depressed mtr only trigger ( logic ): motor 202 only trigger = 1 , only the motor 202 is operating , no engine 200 operation engine 200 on c ( logic ): when 1 , the engine 200 is operating with or without the motor 202 engine 200 on and shift b ( logic ): when 1 , the engine 200 is operating without motor 202 boost prior to the shift mo assist no sh eng on d ( logic ): when 1 , the motor 202 is boosting and the vehicle is not shifting motor 202 only flag a ( logic ): when 1 , the motor 202 is operating without the engine 200 motor 202 assist with shift flag e ( logic ): when 1 , the motor 202 is boosting prior to a shift tmatwheels 204 max ( nm ): maximum motor 202 torque available at the wheels clu pos : clutch 210 position logic , when 1 , the engine clutch 210 is asked to engage clutch 210 state ( logic ): when 1 , the engine clutch 210 is engaged when the vehicle is launched in motor 202 only mode , depicted in fig2 the amount of motor 202 torque commanded is a linear function based on the maximum motor 202 torque available at any instant , tmatwheels 204 max , and the percentage of accelerator pedal 220 , accel pos , depressed . this is labeled as peraccpedal tmavail , block 95 , in fig2 . if the accelerator pedal 220 is depressed 100 %, then 100 % of the maximum motor 202 torque available is commanded . if the accelerator pedal 220 is depressed 50 % then the motor 202 torque commanded is 50 % of the maximum motor 202 torque available . since the battery 213 soc can change drastically from the beginning of a journey to the end of a journey , the accelerator pedal 220 is scaled in this manner so that the driver always can be assured of receiving more motor 202 torque for increased pedal depression . the amount of motor 202 torque available is heavily dependent on the battery 213 soc . when the driver depresses the accelerator pedal 220 50 %, the driver knows 50 % more torque is available if needed . if the driver depresses the accelerator pedal 220 100 % and the vehicle does not accelerate as desired due to low battery 203 soc the driver knows to drive cautiously . this vehicle is capable of operating in a motor 202 only , engine 200 only or hybrid mode . this mode is selected by the driver through a switch on the driver control panel . any mode that the driver chooses to operate the vehicle is transparent . the pedal interface between the driver and the vehicle is invisible to the driver . when the vehicle is operated in the hybrid mode and the vehicle transitions from motor 202 only mode to engine 200 on mode , the torque commanded by the driver at this transition is commanded initially to the motor 202 . if the driver ” s accelerator pedal 220 command did not change but the hybrid controller wishes to command torque to the engine 200 instead of the motor 202 the driver will not be aware of this transition . when the vehicle transitions from motor 202 only to engine 200 on operation the motor 202 torque commanded must be saved at the exact accelerator pedal 220 position command from the driver during the transition , shown in fig3 and 4 . this saved motor 202 torque command , tmatwheels 204 save , and pedal travel ( first position ), motor 202 peraccpedalsave , is then used to scale the accelerator pedal ” s torque output per pedal angular movement . a predefined fixed percentage of pedal travel is selected as a second pedal position ( second position ). preferably the percentage of pedal travel selected as the second position will be 75 - 85 %. 80 % pedal travel has been found to be a preferable pedal travel second position in many instances . a first predefined percentage of a maximum of engine 200 torque available at the wheels 204 corresponds to 80 % accelerator pedal 220 travel ( second position ). the first predefined percentage of maximum engine 200 torque available will typically be between 95 and 100 %. 100 % has been found to be preferable in most instances . the difference between 80 % of pedal travel ( second position ) and the saved percentage of pedal travel first position is used as endpoints . a first predefined function relationship , which is typically linear is used to scale the accelerator pedal 220 with the maximum engine 200 torque being at the accelerator pedal 220 second position . this is depicted in fig5 . at 80 % of accelerator pedal 220 travel , the maximum engine 200 torque available is commanded . the remaining 20 % of pedal travel is scaled as a second predefined function , typically linear with a second predefined percentage of maximum motor 202 torque available ( typically 100 %) to provide boost . at 80 % accelerator pedal 220 travel no motor 202 torque is commanded , and at 100 % accelerator pedal 220 travel the second predefined percentage maximum motor 202 torque available is commanded . as the vehicle transitions from engine 200 operation back to motor 202 only operation , the engine 200 torque commanded at the transition and the non - fixed accelerator pedal 220 travel position ( third position ) at the transition are saved . these saved values are used to scale the motor 202 torque command in a third predefined functional relationship ( usually linear ) between the accelerator pedal 220 third position and a third predefined percentage of pedal travel position ( typically 0 - 5 %). this is shown in fig6 and 7 . the vehicle launches in motor 202 only mode . the amount of motor 202 torque commanded , tq cmd at mtr , is described in fig2 . the following explains the motor 202 torque command algorithm . the motor 202 torque commanded at the motor 202 is that motor 202 torque commanded at the wheels 204 divided by the 4 × 4 and transaxle gear ratios , block 19 , and filtered with a low pass filter , blocks 92 and 94 . if the brake switch , activated by brake pedal 224 , is high the torque command at the motor 202 , tq cmd at mtr , is zero in this part of the algorithm , blocks 2 and 8 . if the engine 200 clutch 210 is being commanded to engage ( clu pos = 1 ) and the clutch 210 is open ( clutch 210 state = 0 ) and the transmission is in second gear blocks 80 , 3 , 11 , 97 , then the motor 202 torque commanded at the wheels 204 is 30 nm * 4 × 4 and transaxle gear ratios , block 1 . if the motor 202 only flag a , or the motor 202 assist with shift flag e or the engine 200 on and shift b flags are high , blocks 16 and 5 , then the motor 202 torque commanded at the wheels 204 , tm cmd at wheels 204 , is the acceleration position , accel pos , multiplied by the maximum motor 202 torque at the wheels 204 , tmatwheels 204 max , block 95 . else if the motor 202 assist with no shift d is high , block 86 , then the motor 202 torque commanded at the wheels 204 is the difference between the present accelerator pedal 220 position , accel pos , and 80 % of the pedal travel multiplied by the maximum motor 202 torque available at the wheels 204 , tmatwheels 204 max , divided by 20 % of the pedal travel , block 83 . else if the motor 202 only flag a is high after previously being in a state where motor 202 only flag a , or motor 202 assist with shift flag e , or engine 200 on and shift flag b , or motor 202 assist with no shift flag d , block 7 , was high then the motor 202 torque command at wheels 204 is the acceleration position , accel pos , multiplied by the engine 200 torque at the wheels 204 saved , teatwheels 204 save , divided by the engine 200 torque percent accelerator pedal 220 saved , teperaccpedalsave . this is shown in fig8 blocks 10 and 97 . motor 202 to engine 200 transition saved torque and pedal values . as depicted in fig3 and 4 , when the brake switch is high , the accelerator position accel pos is continuously being updated and the motor 202 peraccpedalsave is zero . when the brake switch goes low the accel pos accelerator position is no longer updated and the present value is saved as motor 202 peraccpedalsave . similarly , tmatwheels 204 save is saved . when the brake switch is low then motor 202 peraccpedalsave is zero . when the brake switch goes high , then the accelerator position is saved as motor 202 peraccpedalsave and the motor 202 torque is saved as tmatwheels 204 save . as depicted in fig6 and 7 , when the mtr only trigger is high the accelerator position accel pos is continuously being updated and the teperaccpedalsave is zero . when the mtr only trigger goes low the accel pos accelerator position is no longer updated and the present value is saved as teperaccpedalsave . similarly , teatwheels 204 save is saved . when the mtr only trigger is low then teperaccpedalsave is zero . when the mtr only trigger goes high , then the accelerator position is saved as teperaccpedalsave and the engine 200 torque is saved as teatwheels 204 save . as described in fig8 when the vehicle is not in a motor 202 only mode , the engine 200 torque command , te cmd , is derived by subtracting the percent of motor 202 only accelerator pedal 220 saved , motor 202 peraccpedalsave , from the present accelerator pedal 220 , accel pos , value . this difference is the amount of extra pedal desired , amt of extra desired , from the driver . the amount of extra desired is that above and beyond what was previously being commanded during motor 202 only . during the transition from motor 202 to engine 200 on , as shown in fig5 the difference between the maximum engine 200 torque available at the wheels 204 , temaxavailatwheels 204 , and the motor 202 torque saved , tmatwheels 204 save , at the wheels 204 gives the engine 200 torque available for scaling , teavailscaled nm , block 4 . the difference between the 80 % tip in value and the percent motor 202 accelerator pedal 220 saved , motor 202 peraccpedalsave , determines the available percentage of the pedal for scaling , block 1 , 7 , 9 . the engine 200 torque available , teavailscaled nm , multiplied with the amount of extra accelerator pedal 220 desired divided by the percent of accelerator pedal 220 scaled , perpedalavailscaled , gives the engine 200 torque commanded referred to the wheels 204 , tecmdatwheels 204 , block 3 . the absolute value of the engine 200 torque commanded at the wheels 204 is taken , abs_te_cmd , and multiplied by the sign of the amount of extra accelerator pedal 220 desired , amt of extra desired . the motor 202 torque saved at the wheels 204 tmatwheels 204 save , is then added to the signed engine 200 torque command , abs_te_cmd , when the accelerator pedal 220 is depressed to get tecmd for pos scaling , blocks 94 , 98 , and 99 . in fig8 when the amount of extra ( torque ) desired is negative , block 35 , the accelerator position , accel pos , is less than the torque motor 202 per accelerator pedal 220 saved , motor 202 peraccpedalsave . when this occurs , the present accelerator position , accel pos , is multiplied by the motor 202 torque saved at the wheels 204 , tmatwheels 204 save , and divided by the percent motor 202 accelerator pedal 220 saved , motor 202 peraccpedalsave , block 25 . this then is the engine 200 torque command , te cmd , else the previous engine 200 torque command , tecmdfor posscaling , is used , block 45 . viewing fig9 if the transmission is in neutral , then the engine 200 torque command is zero , blocks 93 , 96 , and 97 . the engine 200 torque command at the engine 200 becomes the engine 200 torque commanded at the wheels 204 divided by the gear ratio and the final drive , blocks 9 and 94 . if a motor 202 assist non shifting mode , block 9 , is desired then the maximum engine 200 torque available at the wheels 204 is commanded , temaxavailatwheels 204 . this occurs when the accelerator pedal 220 position is greater than 80 %. if the engine 200 is on without shifting then , te cmd is the engine 200 torque command , te cmd , at engine 200 . a post - transmission phev was built and test data was taken . the vehicle was driven in engine 200 only mode , motor 202 only mode and hybrid mode , while test data was taken . the following figures show simulations of medium acceleration hybrid operation ; low acceleration / deceleration profile repeated on a 10 % grade hybrid operation ; low acceleration / deceleration profile repeated in hybrid operation ; medium acceleration / deceleration profile repeated in hybrid operation ; wot acceleration / deceleration profile repeated in hybrid operation . the figures also show medium acceleration engine 200 only and low acceleration motor 202 only simulations . the hybrid mode simulations show strip charts of vehicle velocity in mph , throttle angle in degrees , engine 200 speed in rpm , gear number , halfshaft torque in nm , engine 200 torque in nm , motor 202 torque in nm , accelerator position in per unit , velocity error between the command and vehicle in mps , and clutch 210 position in per unit . the engine 200 only and motor 202 only simulations show strip charts of vehicle velocity in mph , throttle angle in degrees , engine 200 speed in rpm , gear number , halfshaft torque in nm , and engine 200 torque in nm . the first plot , fig1 , shows a medium acceleration hybrid operation . the vehicle launches in motor 202 only mode . from zero seconds until 2 . 5 seconds the vehicle begins to accelerate , the throttle angle is at idle , the engine 200 speed is at idle speed , the vehicle is in first gear , the halfshaft torque begins increasing , the engine 200 torque is zero , the motor 202 torque is increasing , the accelerator position is increasing from 20 % to maximum , the velocity error is increasing and the clutch 210 is disengaged . from about 2 . 5 seconds until about 6 seconds the vehicle is in second gear . during second gear operation the vehicle continues to accelerate , the throttle angle increases from idle during the gear shift ( as seen in the first second of second gear ) to full throttle ; the engine 200 speed increases from idle speed to 5000 rpm ; the halfshaft torque remains constant during the first second in second gear , due to torque fill in from the motor 202 during the gear shift , the halfshaft torque then increases due to the engine 200 torque being added to the motor 202 torque ; the engine 200 torque starts at idle during the gear shift , and then ramps to 100 nm of torque ; the motor 202 torque provides fill in torque at the beginning of the shift , and is then ramped to an appropriate boost value to aid the engine 200 during the driver wot command ; the velocity error decreases as the engine 200 assists the motor 202 in second gear ; the clutch 210 is beginning to engage . the shift from second to third gear occurs at about seven seconds . during the gear shift the vehicle continues to accelerate due to the motor 202 torque fill in ; the throttle angle is ramped to idle ; the engine 200 speed is ramped to idle , but does not make it to idle before clutch 210 engagement occurs ; gear three is selected ; the halfshaft retains torque due to the motor 202 torque fill in during a shift ; the vehicle velocity error continues to decrease ; the clutch 210 is disengaged . from seven until nine seconds gear three is exercised . during gear three the motor 202 torque can be seen decreasing due to the driver accelerator command falling below 80 %, that is it exits the boost mode . the vehicle velocity error is almost zero . the vehicle shifts to fourth and fifth gear in the same manner . the vehicle launches in the same manner during this mode of operation . in fig1 , during second gear the motor 202 does not assist the engine 200 due to a less than 80 % driver accelerator command . during third gear motor 202 assistance is necessary due to the driver commanding more than 80 % throttle . during fourth gear the driver continues to accelerate the vehicle , then begins to brake the vehicle . during vehicle braking the vehicle decelerates ; the throttle angle is commanded to idle ; the engine 200 speed is driven to idle ; the vehicle remains in fourth gear ; the halfshaft torque becomes negative ; the motor 202 is operated as a generator and performs regenerative braking supplying negative torque to the drive wheels 204 ; the accelerator position is zero ; the vehicle velocity error becomes negative ; the clutch 210 disengages . as the vehicle decelerates the transmission down shifts . the vehicle comes to zero speed . the engine 200 remains at idle . gear one is obtained . the halfshaft torque and motor 202 torque become zero , and the clutch 210 remains open . the driver commands acceleration at about 35 sec . the vehicle launches with motor 202 only until gear two . the previously described behavior continues . [ 0078 ] fig1 shows that vehicle launch occurs in first gear using the traction motor 202 . during second gear , occurring at approximately seven seconds , the throttle angle increases from idle to about 70 degrees ; the engine 200 speed ramps from idle to about 4000 rpm ; the engine 200 torque increases from zero to 60 nm ; the motor 202 torque ramps from 50 nm to zero ; the driver accelerator command continues to increase ; the vehicle continues to accelerate ; the halfshaft torque follows the engine 200 torque ; the vehicle velocity error goes to zero ; the clutch 210 closes . third gear operates as second gear . during the gear change from second to third the motor 202 torque rises to fill in during the gear shift . during fourth gear operation the driver stops commanding vehicle acceleration ; the throttle angle decreases from 90 degrees to idle ; the engine 200 speed decreases from about 3000 rpm to idle ; the halfshaft torque shows a transition between positive torque to negative torque provided by regenerative braking ; the engine 200 produces positive torque , transitions to negative brake torque , and then to idle torque ; the motor 202 transitions from positive tractive torque to regenerative brake torque ; the velocity error becomes negative ; the clutch 210 does not fully engage , then disengages . when the engine 200 provides negative brake torque during the transition from positive torque to negative torque the clutch 210 is disengaged so that regenerative brake torque usage is optimized . during the beginning of fourth gear operation the driver is commanding over 80 % throttle momentarily . during this time the motor 202 , after providing fill in torque during the gear shift from three to four , provides torque boost . the vehicle decelerates to a stop ; the throttle angle remains at idle ; the vehicle speed remains at idle ; the gear changes from four to one even though the clutch 210 is disengaged such that the gear would be appropriate if the driver suddenly commanded acceleration ; the halfshaft torque becomes zero , when regenerative brake torque can no longer be collected , leaving the hydraulic brakes to continue the task of vehicle deceleration alone ; the engine 200 torque is zero the motor 202 torque goes to zero when regenerative braking is completed ; the accelerator pedal 220 remains untouched by the driver ; the vehicle velocity error goes to zero ; the clutch 210 remains disengaged . the vehicle again accelerates upon driver request in a similar manner . [ 0082 ] fig1 shows simulation results of medium acceleration / deceleration hybrid operation . the operation in this profile is similar to the previous profile with the exception that more motor 202 boost occurs due to increased acceleration demand . the motor 202 boost operation can be noted in gears three and four . additionally the vehicle gets into fifth gear . during wot operation , shown in fig1 first gear behavior is as previously described . during second , third and fourth gears the driver is commanding full motor 202 and engine 200 torque ; the vehicle is accelerating ; full throttle is commanded and drops to idle during gear changes ; halfshaft torque decreases with increasing gear due to motor 202 torque capability being limited as motor 202 speed increases and gear ratio decreases with increasing gear ; vehicle velocity error remains approximately constant ; the clutch 210 does not completely engage . during fifth gear the vehicle cruises and this is reflected in a reduced throttle angle . the engine 200 speed remains steady during cruising ; the halfshaft torque remains steady during cruising ; the engine 200 torque remains steady during cruising ; the motor 202 torque remains zero during cruising ; the driver command is small during cruising ; the clutch 210 engages and remains engaged during cruising . the vehicle decelerates and the behavior is as previously described during deceleration . the acceleration and deceleration scenario is repeated . the first engine 200 only simulation is with 60 % accelerator pedal 220 depression shown in fig1 a - f . the vehicle accelerates in first gear ; the throttle angle increases from idle to 80 degrees ; the vehicle speed increases from idle to 3500 rpm ; the halfshaft torque increases from zero to 800 nm and reaches steady state of 400 nm ; the engine 200 torque increases from zero to 100 nm . the clutch 210 disengages during gear changes ; the engine 200 speed decreases ; the halfshaft torque decreases ; the engine 200 torque decreases . the remaining gears demonstrate similar behavior . the simulation of motor 202 only shown in fig1 a - j demonstrates th vehile accelerating ; the throttle angle at idle ; the engine 200 speed at idle ; the gears changing ; smooth halfshaft torque ; zero engine 200 torque ; motor 202 torque increasing and decreasing with vehicle speed ; accelerator pedal 220 command ; small vehicle velocity error ; a disengaged clutch 210 . 1 . the phev coordinated controller provides motoring and regenerative commands to the motor controller 215 for corresponding positive and negative motor 202 torque , and throttle blade commands to the engine controller 217 . these commads may be based on th battery soc , motor 202 speed versus torque limits , motor 202 torque current , motor 202 field current , transmission gear , driver pedal position , engine clutch 210 state , motor clutch 225 state , engine 200 speed , average power a the drive wheels 204 , shift status , estimated engine 200 torque , and estimated engine 200 torque available . 2 . the phev controller provides engine clutch 210 control during braking , or hybrid operation . 3 . the torque may be partitioned to operate in an engine 200 only mode , a motor 202 only mode , or a two traction device ( hybrid ) mode . 4 . hybrid mode operation consists of motor 202 only operation , engine 200 operation , motor 202 torque application during shifting , motor 202 assist during power boost , and regenerative braking . during periods of low storage device operation , the engine 200 may be loaded with the alternator to increase the storage device operation . 5 . the vehicle launches in motor 202 only mode for optimal drivability , emissions , and fuel economy . 6 . a torque split algorithm determines the magnitudes of the motor 202 torque command and the engine 200 torque command . 7 . the torque split algorithm determines the accelerator pedal 220 command from the driver and determines the torque partitioning between the traction devices . 8 . the torque split algorithm for pre - transmission phev contains seventeen inputs : c . accelerator position in per unit values ( 0 — no pedal command to 1 — wot ) d . maximum engine 200 torque available at the wheels 204 ( temaxavailatwheels 204 ) in nm g . engine 200 torque at the wheels 204 ( teatwheels 204 ) in nm j . motor 202 assist no shift engine 200 on d logic n . maximum motor 202 torque available at the wheels 204 ( tmatwheels 204 max ) in nm 9 . the torque split algorithm contains two outputs : ( a ) te command at engine 200 in nm ; ( b ) torque command at motor 202 in nm . 10 . when the vehicle is launched in motor 202 only mode , the amount of motor 202 torque commanded is a linear function based on the maximum motor 202 torque available at any instant and the percentage of accelerator pedal 220 depressed . 11 . this vehicle is capable of operating in a motor 202 only , engine 200 only or hybrid mode . any mode that the driver chooses to operate the vehicle is transparent . the pedal interface between the driver and the vehicle is invisible to the driver . 12 . when the vehicle is operated in the hybrid mode and the vehicle transitions from motor 202 only mode to engine 200 on mode , the torque commanded by the driver at this transition is commanded initially to the motor 202 . 13 . when the vehicle transitions from motor 202 only to engine 200 on operation the motor 202 torque commanded must be saved at the exact accelerator pedal 220 position command from the driver during the transition . 14 . this saved motor 202 torque command and pedal position is used to scale that pedal position to 80 % of pedal travel . 15 . the maximum engine 200 torque available at the wheels 204 corresponds to 80 % accelerator pedal 220 travel . 16 . the difference between 80 % of pedal travel and the saved percentage of pedal travel is used as a linear function with maximum engine 200 torque available , to command the engine 200 torque . 17 . the remaining 20 % of pedal travel is used as a linear function with the maximum motor 202 torque available , to provide boost . 18 . at 80 % accelerator pedal 220 travel no motor 202 torque is commanded , and at 100 % accelerator pedal 220 travel the maximum motor 202 torque available is commanded . 19 . as the vehicle transitions from engine 200 operation to motor 202 only operation the engine 200 torque commanded at the transition and the accelerator pedal 220 position at the transition are saved . 20 . these saved values are used to linearly scale the motor 202 torque command . 21 . the motor 202 torque estimate is multiplied by gear ratios of transaxle and 4 × 4 to become the motor 202 torque at the wheels 204 . 22 . when the brake switch is high the accelerator position accel pos is continuously being updated and the motor 202 peraccpedalsave is zero . when the brake switch goes low the accel pos accelerator position is no longer updated and the present value is saved as motor 202 peraccpedalsave . similarly , tmatwheels 204 save is saved . when the brake switch is low then motor 202 peraccpedalsave is zero . when the brake switch goes high , then the accelerator position is saved as motor 202 peraccpedalsave and the motor 202 torque is saved as tmatwheels 204 save . 23 . when the mtr only trigger is high the accelerator position accel pos is continuously being updated and the teperaccpedalsave is zero . when the mtr only trigger goes low the accel pos accelerator position is no longer updated and the present value is saved as teperaccpedalsave . similarly , teatwheels 204 save is saved . when the mtr only trigger is low then teperaccpedalsave is zero . when the mtr only trigger goes high , then the accelerator position is saved as teperaccpedalsave and the engine 200 torque is saved as teatwheels 204 save . 24 . when not in motor 202 only trigger mode the engine 200 torque command is derived by subtracting the motor 202 accelerator percent pedal saved from the present accelerator pedal 220 value . this difference is the amount of extra pedal desired from the driver . 25 . the difference between the maximum engine 200 torque available at the wheels 204 and the motor 202 torque saved at the wheels 204 gives the engine 200 torque available for scaling . 26 . the difference between the 80 % tip in value and the percent motor 202 accelerator pedal 220 saved determines the available percentage of the pedal for scaling . 27 . the engine 200 torque available multiplied with the amount of extra accelerator pedal 220 desired divided by the percent of accelerator pedal 220 scaled gives the engine 200 torque commanded referred to the wheels 204 . 28 . the absolute value of the engine 200 torque commanded at the wheels 204 is taken and multiplied by the sign of the amount of extra accelerator pedal 220 desired . 29 . the motor 202 torque saved at the wheels 204 is then added to the engine 200 torque command when the accelerator pedal 220 is depressed . 30 . when the amount of extra ( torque ) desired is negative , the accelerator position is less than the torque motor 202 per accelerator pedal 220 saved . when this occurs , the present accelerator position multiplied by the motor 202 torque saved at the wheels 204 divided by the percent motor 202 accelerator pedal 220 saved . this then is the engine 200 torque command else the previous engine 200 torque command is issued . 31 . when the motor 202 only trigger is high after being low the motor 202 torque command is the present accelerator position multiplied by the engine 200 torque at the wheels 204 saved divided by the engine 200 torque per accelerator pedal 220 saved . 32 . if the transmission is in neutral , then the engine 200 torque command is zero . 33 . the engine 200 torque command at the engine 200 becomes the engine 200 torque commanded at the wheels 204 divided by the gear ratio and the final drive . 34 . if a motor 202 assist non shifting mode is desired then the maximum engine 200 torque available at the wheels 204 is commanded . this occurs when the accelerator pedal 220 position is greater than 80 %. 35 . the motor 202 torque commanded at the motor 202 is that motor 202 torque commanded at the wheels 204 divided by the 4 × 4 and transaxle gear ratios and filtered with a low pass filter . 36 . if the brake switch is high the torque command at the motor 202 is zero in this part of the algorithm . 37 . if the engine 200 clutch 210 is being commanded to engage and the clutch 210 is open and the transmission is in second gear then the motor 202 torque commanded at the wheels 204 is 30 nm * 4 × 4 and transaxle gear ratios . this is done in order to allow quicker engine 200 clutch 210 engagement to occur . 38 . if the motor 202 only flag , the motor 202 assist with shift flag or the engine 200 on and shift b flags are high then the motor 202 torque commanded at the wheels 204 is the acceleration position multiplied by the maximum motor 202 torque at the wheels 204 . 39 . else if the motor 202 assist with no shift is high then the motor 202 torque commanded at the wheels 204 is the difference between the present acceleration position and 80 % of the pedal travel multiplied by the maximum motor 202 torque available at the wheels 204 divided by 20 % of the pedal travel . 40 . else if the motor 202 only flag is high after previously being in a state where motor 202 only flag , or motor 202 assist with shift flag , or engine 200 on and shift flag , or motor 202 assist with no shift flag , was high then the motor 202 torque command at wheels 204 is the acceleration position multiplied by the engine 200 torque at the wheels 204 saved divided by the engine 200 torque percent accelerator pedal 220 saved . it is apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention and method of utilization thereof can be readily utilized in vehicles having a pre - transmission parallel vehicle configuration or in vehicles where different drive axles are powered by the electric and ic engine 200 . in such vehicles , many of the parameters of the aforementioned are reduced or eliminated . however , the basic strategy of saving the torque demand on the electric motor 202 when transitioning to the ic engine 200 remains the same as well as the parameters in scaling the accelerator pedal 220 . accordingly , other inputs to the aforementioned algorithm can be reduced or modified . however , the maximum engine 200 torque will be set at the 80 % preferred value as previously described . it is apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention and method of utilization thereof can be readily utilized in vehicles having a pre - transmission parallel vehicle configuration or in vehicles where different drive axles are powered by the electric and ic engine 200 . in such vehicles , many of the parameters of the forementioned are reduced or eliminated . however , the basis strategy of saving the torque demand on the electric motor 202 when transitioning to the ic engine 200 remains the same as well as the parameters in scaling the accelerator pedal 220 . accordingly , other inputs to the aforementioned algorithm can be reduced or modified . however , the maximum engine 200 torque will be set at the 80 % preferred value as previously described . | 1 |
referring to fig1 the invention is an improvement in a suspension for a vehicle seat 10 . for illustration , the back cushion 12 and seat cushion 14 of the seat 10 are shown , mounted above a base 16 to a vehicle body ( not shown ). a mechanism 18 interposes the seat cushion 14 and the base 16 . the cushions 12 , 14 are filled with foam rubber and covered with leather . the back cushion and seat cushion are contoured to include wings for the greater comfort and stability of an occupant . ( while the contour and materials of the seat 10 are specified for illustration , an advantage of the invention is that the invention limits neither the shape nor materials of the seat with which it is employed . the seat incorporating the invention may be a comfortable seat and an aesthetically pleasing seat .) referring to fig2 the mechanism 18 , as with the first preferred embodiment illustrated in fig2 is contained in the area under the seat . the mechanism 18 occupies substantially the same space as the parallelogram suspension of the past , or the knee - pivot suspension of u . s . pat . no . 3 , 711 , 149 ( incorporated by reference ). referring now to fig3 a first preferred embodiment of the invention 11 includes a plurality of components . a chassis housing 20 is linked to the base 16 for conventional vertical and forward / backward static positioning of the seat 10 to suit the size and desires of an occupant . the housing 20 includes two upright , parallel side plates 22 , 24 joined by an upright face plate 26 . the plates are welded metal plates , and the face plate 26 forms rearwardly directed flanges at its upper and lower edges to which the side plates are joined for increased stability of the assembly . an outer stanchion 28 is welded atop the fact plate 26 . the outer stanchion has a &# 34 ; c &# 34 ; shape in horizontal cross - section , thereby forming a vertically oriented , rectangular stanchion passage 30 . a plurality of pins , slots and openings are defined on the chassis housing 20 , as will be described hereafter . an inner stanchion 32 includes a vertical face and two side flanges , formed integrally in the inner stanchion . the inner stanchion 32 has four pins 33 extending horizontally from the side flanges , two per side flange . a slide block 34 is fitted on each pin . the inner stanchion 32 with four slide blocks 34 is slidably movable within the stanchion passage 30 of the outer stanchion 28 . the slide blocks 34 separate the inner stanchion 32 from direct sliding contact with the outer stanchion 28 , and smooth the vertical sliding movement of the inner stanchion 32 . a slot 36 is defined in the face plate 26 of the chassis housing 20 , beneath the outer stanchion 28 . the slot is narrow horizontally , and extends vertically . the slot 36 receives a slide pin 38 mounted on the bottom of the face of the inner stanchion 32 . the movement of the slide pin 38 is limited by the vertical extent of the slot 36 . thus , the slot 36 is a slide control slot , and the pin 38 is a slide control pin . together , the slot 36 and pin 38 form one form of a means for limiting the extent of the vertical sliding movement of the inner stanchion 32 relative to the outer stanchion 28 . a welded steel cushion tube assembly 40 is mounted to the inner stanchion 32 for pivoting about a first , horizontal axis . the cushion tube assembly includes a pair of outer cushion tubes 42 , 44 extending from a forward , central cushion pivot tube 46 . the cushion pivot tube 46 is mounted to the inner stanchion 32 at a pair of pivot openings 47 , 49 adjacent the top of the inner stanchion 32 . plastic bearings interpose the cushion pivot tube 46 , the inner stanchion 32 and a pivot pin 51 , and smooth the pivoting of the cushion pivot tube 46 relative to the inner stanchion 32 and pivot pin 51 . a reinforcing bar 48 joints the outer cushion tubes and a central plate 53 back of the cushion pivot tube 46 , to strengthen the assembly 40 . the outer cushion tubes 42 , 44 extend rearward from the reinforcing bar to plate steel arm brackets 50 , 52 of a back cushion frame 54 . bushings , bearings and fasteners such as bolts ( not shown ) mount the arm brackets 50 , 52 on the cushion tubes 42 , 44 , respectively , for pivoting motion of the arm brackets and back cushion about a second , horizontal axis . a welded steel pivot arm assembly 56 underlies the cushion tube assembly 40 . the pivot arm assembly 56 extends in two mirror - image arms 58 , 60 formed of plate , from a forward pivot arm pivot tube 62 to a rear pivot arm pivot tube 64 . the forward pivot arm pivot tube 62 is pivotably mounted via a pivot shaft 65 to the side plates 22 , 24 of the chassis housing 20 for pivoting about a third , horizontal axis . the rear pivot arm pivot tube 64 is mounted to the back cushion frame arm brackets 50 , 52 for pivoting about a fourth , horizontal axis . an air spring 66 is mounted under a plate 67 extending between the arms 58 , 60 intermediate the pivot tubes 62 , 64 . an arm 58 of the pivot arm assembly 56 includes a steel slide actuator pin 68 . the pin 68 extends beyond and forward of the front pivot arm pivot tube 64 , through a pin slot 70 in the face plate 26 of the chassis housing 20 . the pin slot 70 is narrow horizontally , and extends vertically . the pin 68 engages a control bracket 72 , within a pin recess 74 . the control bracket 72 is pinned to the chassis housing face plate 26 , for rocking motion about a fifth horizontal axis perpendicular to the first through fourth axes ( which are parallel to each other ). the bracket 72 is pinned to a rocker pin 75 , which lies between the pin slot 70 and the slide control slot 36 . opposite the slide actuator pin 68 , the slide pin 38 engages the bracket 72 , within a second recess 76 . referring to fig4 when the slide actuator pin 68 is at the bottom of the pin slot 70 , the slide pin 38 is at the top of the slide control slot 36 , and the inner stanchion 32 is up . when , as in phantom , the slide actuator pin 68 is at the top of the pin slot 70 , the slide pin 38 is at the bottom of the slot 36 , and the inner stanchion 32 is moved down . referring to fig5 and 6 , the slide actuator pin 68 is at the bottom of the pin slot 70 when the cushion tube assembly 40 and pivot arm assembly 56 are in static positions , as shown in fig5 . the slide actuator pin 68 is at the top of the pin slot 70 when the cushion tube assembly 40 and pivot arm assembly 56 are in vibrated positions , as shown in fig6 . referring again to fig5 the air spring 66 shown in fig3 causes the mechanism 18 to occupy and return from vibration to the static position shown in fig5 . the inner stanchion 32 is in a static , raised position relative to the outer stanchion 28 . the cushion tube assembly 40 and pivot arm assembly 56 are in static positions suitable to comfortable , preferred seat positioning for an operator . vibration of a vehicle in which the seat 10 is located causes movement from the static positions of fig5 . referring to fig6 vibration causes the cushion tube assembly 40 to pivot downward about the pivot openings 47 , 49 of the inner stanchion 32 , as depicted by arrow 77 . movement of the back cushion frame 54 and pivot arm assembly 56 is caused by movement of the cushion arm assembly 40 . the pivot arm assembly 56 pivots downward about the shaft 65 on the chassis housing 20 , as depicted by arrow 78 . the back cushion frame 54 maintains its angle to the horizontal as it moves . the pivoting of the pivot arm assembly 56 causes upward movement of the slide activator pin 68 . as described above , the inner stanchion 32 is moved down . the consequence is that upon vibration , the seat 10 pivots down and simultaneously , the front , knee area of the seat moves linearly down . lengths and pivot locations are selected such that total linear movement of the seat front is about one inch . the air spring 66 causes position recovery , i . e ., causes the seat to rebound from vibration . as now may be understood , the first preferred embodiment of the invention includes a vibration linkage for a seat . the linkage includes , in this preferred embodiment , as one possible form of the linkage , the inner stanchion assembly , cushion tube assembly , pivot arm assembly , and portions of the back cushion frame . the linkage has a horizontal pivot at the top of the inner stanchion for pivoting of the seat and a sublinkage , comprising the slide actuator pin , control bracket and inner stanchion , for simultaneous vertical movement of the seat . the inner stanchion forms a vertical slide proximate the seat front along which the horizontal pivot is slid ; the outer and inner stanchions constitute one possible form of first and second slide members , respectively . attention is now directed to the second preferred embodiment . some elements of the second preferred embodiment are identical to elements of the first preferred embodiment . where identical , the elements have reference numerals identical to the first preferred embodiment . referring to fig7 the second preferred embodiment includes an inner stanchion 32 with slide blocks 34 in an outer stanchion 28 . a cushion tube assembly 40 pivots on the inner stanchion 32 . a pivot arm assembly 156 , lacking a slide actuator pin 68 , mounts on a chassis housing 120 , lacking slots 36 , 70 or rocker pin 75 . a coil spring 112 substitutes for the slide actuator pin 68 , rocker pin 75 and associated elements . the coil spring 112 is situated beneath the inner stanchion 32 , between the inner stanchion 32 and the chassis housing 120 . the coil spring 112 spring biases the inner stanchion 32 to a static position identical to the position of fig5 . as vehicle vibration overcomes the spring force , the coil spring 112 provides downward movement of the seat , simultaneous to pivoting movement of the seat to a position identical to the position of fig6 . attention is now directed to the third preferred embodiment 210 . the third preferred embodiment is the current commercially preferred embodiment , and differs more from the first preferred embodiment than does the second preferred embodiment . referring to fig8 a pivot tube 246 of a cushion arm assembly 240 is pivotably mounted directly on an outer stanchion 228 . there is no sliding of the pivot tube 246 . inner cushion arms 241 , 243 extend rearward and outward of the pivot tube 246 to pivoting attachment to the arm brackets 250 , 252 of a back cushion frame 254 . outer cushion arms 242 , 244 attach with the inner cushion arms to the arm brackets , and extend forward to direct , fixed attachment to the seat cushion 14 ( shown in fig1 ). a front cushion support bracket 280 is independent of , i . e ., not attached to any part of the cushion arm assembly 240 . the bracket 280 attaches directly to the seat cushion 14 , as do the outer arms 242 , 244 . together with the arms 242 , 244 , the bracket 280 supports the seat cushion 14 . unlike cushion tube assembly 40 of the first preferred embodiment , the inner arms 241 , 243 are not directly attached to and do not directly support the seat cushion 14 . a pivot arm assembly 256 mounts to a chassis housing 220 and arm brackets 250 , 252 , in the same manner as assembly 56 mounts to housing 20 and arm brackets 50 , 52 . in contrast to the first preferred embodiment , cushion bracket arms 290 , 292 are pivotably linked to the arms 258 , 260 of the pivot arm assembly 256 , between the assembly connection to the chassis housing and the arm brackets . the arms 290 , 292 are also pivotably linked to the front cushion support bracket 280 . referring to fig1 , the elements of the third preferred embodiment occupy static positions of desirable positioning of a seat . referring to fig1 , vibration causes downward pivoting of the inner cushion arms 241 , 243 and of the arms 258 , 260 of the pivot arm assembly 256 . downward pivoting of the arms 258 , 260 causes downward movement of the arms 290 , 292 , and with them , the front cushion support bracket 280 . because the cushion is attached to the bracket 280 , downward movement of the bracket 280 causes downward movement of the seat cushion , along its front . seat motion is substantially identical to seat motion in the first preferred embodiment , despite difference of mechanism . as now may be understood , the seat of the third preferred embodiment includes a vibration linkage of a plurality of links . the inner cushion arms 241 , 243 constitute one possible form of first link members pivotably mounted to the seat base toy mounting chassis housing to the cushion bracket arms constitute one possible form of second link members , and the pivot arm assembly arms constitutes one possible form of third link members . pivots are formed as follows : ( 1 ) between the first link members and the seat base , first pivots ; ( 2 ) between the second link members and third link members , second pivots ; ( 3 ) between the second link members and the seat cushion , at the front cushion support brackets , third pivots ; ( 4 ) between the third link members and the seat base , fourth pivots ; ( 5 ) between the second link members and the back cushion frame brackets , fifth pivots ; and ( 6 ) between the third link members and the arm brackets , sixth pivots . | 1 |
a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described herein below with reference to the accompanying drawings . in the following description , same drawing reference numerals represent the same constitutional elements even in different drawings . also , well - known functions or constructions are not described in detail since they would obscure the invention in unnecessary detail . according to an embodiment of the present invention , an sos phrase selected by a user through a user interface is converted into a code signal of a particular format ( e . g ., a morse code ), and stored in a memory . or , according to another embodiment of the present invention , an sos message format converting section may convert a different phrase actually desired by the user ( other than those stored in memory ) into the particular format . the converted sos message is modulated into a corresponding high frequency bandwidth , and is transmitted . [ 0018 ] fig1 is a block diagram illustrating a device for transmitting sos signals in a mobile telecommunication terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention . a user interface 110 provides an sos service menu , and outputs to a control section 120 key data corresponding to a menu item selected by the user . the sos service menu enables the user to select from a plurality of sos phrases stored in the mobile telecommunication terminal . the sos service menu may also provide a sentence editing function . a memory 130 stores signals of the code format of each sos phrase . the code format may be morse code , for example . the control section 120 selects the signals of the corresponding code format stored in the memory 130 in accordance with the key data input from the user interface 110 . a frequency generation section 150 generates a local oscillating frequency of a preselected bandwidth . the frequency generation section 150 may be a voltage controlled oscillator ( vco ). also , the frequency bandwidth may be a frequency bandwidth used by rescue teams , a high frequency ( hf ) bandwidth , or 3 mhz - 30 mhz , to name a few . a frequency modulation section 140 frequency - modulates the code signal output from the control section 120 , and outputs the modulated signal through antenna 160 . [ 0020 ] fig2 is a block diagram illustrating a mobile telecommunication terminal for transmitting sos signals according to another embodiment of the present invention . a control section 210 controls the general operation of the mobile telecommunication terminal . a memory 240 comprises storage devices such as a rom for storing an operative program , an eeprom for electric programming , a ram and a flash memory . the memory 240 stores a program for controlling the method of transmitting sos signals according to an embodiment of the present invention . the memory 240 stores code signals corresponding to each sos phrase . the code format may be morse code . a display section 220 is a display device such as a liquid crystal display ( lcd ) or a graphic screen . the display section 220 displays the state of the mobile telecommunication terminal or a state of processing the program under a control by the control section 210 . the display section 220 also provides an sos service menu according to the present invention . the user may select any one of a plurality of phrases in the menu stored in the mobile telecommunication terminal . the sos service menu may also provide a sentence editing function . a key input section 230 comprises a plurality of numeric keys and functional keys for performing diverse functions , and outputs key input data to the control section 210 . an rf section 250 up - converts the signals input from an analog base band section 260 , and transmits the converted signals to a base station ( not shown ) through an antenna 280 . the rf section 250 also down - converts the signals received through the antenna 280 under control by the control section 210 , and outputs the converted signal to the analog base band section 260 . the analog base band section 260 converts the signal input from the rf section 250 to a base bandwidth and a digital signal , and outputs the converted signal to the control section 210 . the analog base band section 260 also outputs the signal output from the control section 210 to the rf section 250 . the control section 210 performs a channel demodulation and a channel decoding with respect to the digital signal output from the base band section 260 . the control section 210 also outputs the corresponding voice data to a signal processing section 270 . the signal processing section 270 decompresses compressed voice data , converts the decompressed data to audible voice signals , and outputs the converted signals to a speaker . the signal processing section 270 converts the voice signals of the user to voice data , compresses the converted signals , and outputs the compressed signals to the control section 210 . the control section 210 performs a channel coding and a channel modulation with respect to the voice data , and transmits the modulated signals to the base station through the rf section 250 and the antenna 280 . the rf section 250 comprises the vco , and generates a frequency of a wireless frequency bandwidth or an hf bandwidth through a frequency division under a control by the control section 210 . the rf section 250 further enables the control section 210 to use a clock speed compatible with the hf bandwidth by feeding back the frequency of the hf bandwidth when the mobile telecommunication terminal operates in an sos mode . the vco may generate a signal of a particular frequency to be allotted when the sos service is launched for the mobile telecommunication terminal . comparing the embodiment of fig1 to the device of fig2 in the sos mode , the combination of the control section 210 and the analog base band section 260 of fig2 are equivalent to the frequency modulation section of fig1 while the vco included in the rf section 250 is equivalent to the frequency generation section of fig1 . in the sos mode , the control section 210 outputs an sos menu through the display section 220 . the control section 210 further outputs to the analog band base section 260 the code signals corresponding to the key input data in accordance with the selection of a menu item by the user . at this stage , the analog base band section 260 converts the input signals to analog signals of the base bandwidth , and outputs the analog signals to the rf section 250 . the rf section 250 subsequently generates a frequency of the hf bandwidth under a control by the control section 210 , modulates the analog signals of the base bandwidth into the signals of the hf bandwidth , and transmits them through the antenna 280 . [ 0030 ] fig3 is a flow chart illustrating a process for performing a method for transmitting an sos signal in a mobile telecommunication terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention . the method according to an embodiment of the present invention will now be explained with reference to fig2 . in step 310 , the control section 210 converts each of the sos phrases into code signals of the particular format , and stores the sos phrases ad the corresponding converted signals as a convert table in the memory 240 . the format of the code signal may be morse code . when entering the sos mode in step 320 by means of an input of the corresponding key data by the user , the control section 210 in step 330 displays on the display section 220 a selection menu of the sos phrases stored in the memory 210 . in step 340 , the control section 210 selects the code signals of the format stored in the memory 240 in accordance with a selection of the menu by the user . the control section 210 then outputs the selected signal to the analog base band section 260 . in step 350 , the analog base band section 260 converts the selected signal to an analog signal of the base bandwidth , and outputs the converted signal to the rf section 250 under a control by the control section 210 . the rf section 250 generates a frequency of the hf bandwidth under a control by the control section 210 . the rf section 250 also modulates the analog signal of the base bandwidth to a signal of the hf bandwidth , and in step 360 transmits the modulated signal through the antenna 280 . here , the hf bandwidth may be the frequency bandwidth used by rescue teams . also , the corresponding bandwidth may be 3 mhz - 30 mhz . while fig3 above exemplified the construction of converting the sos phrase selected by the user through the user interface to a code signal of the corresponding format ( e . g ., morse code ) and storing the converted signal in the memory , it is also possible to convert a phrase actually desired by the user in an emergency state to a code signal of the corresponding format by introducing a format converting function of the control section 210 , the words inputted by the user being converted to the sos code by the format converting function . as described above , the present invention provides an advantage of enabling the user to transmit an sos message even in the areas beyond reaches of electric waves sent from a base station by converting the sos message to code signals of a format relevant to a mobile telecommunication terminal , storing the formatted signals and transmitting the stored signals in a corresponding frequency bandwidth . while the invention has been shown and described with reference to a certain preferred embodiment thereof , it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims . | 6 |
the present invention addresses and solves problems related to testing semiconductor packages . more specifically , it reduces semiconductor package and testing equipment damage common with conventional testing methods when testing is initiated on a semiconductor package that is improperly seated in the test apparatus . it also reduces data collection and semiconductor package routing errors stemming from the inability of manufacturers to accurately and completely read identifying information on semiconductor packages . these benefits over conventional testing methods are achieved by the monitoring and recording capabilities of the present invention . embodiments of the present invention comprise a testing apparatus having a plunger , a test socket configured to seat a semiconductor package , a camera for detecting semiconductor package seating and for reading and recording semiconductor package - identifying information , and a monitoring device . the camera is attached above the test socket so as to have an unobstructed view of a semiconductor seated in the test socket . the monitoring device , which is attached to the camera , determines whether a semiconductor package is properly seated in the test socket based on image data generated by the camera . when a semiconductor package is properly seated in the test socket , a signal is generated that activates the plunger and initiates testing . when a semiconductor package is improperly seated in the test socket , a signal is generated that prevents the plunger from lowering onto the improperly seated semiconductor package to initiate testing . an embodiment of the present invention is schematically illustrated in fig1 wherein similar features bear similar references . fig1 shows an apparatus for testing a semiconductor package 4 , the apparatus comprising a test socket 2 , a plunger 6 , a plunger shaft 8 , a camera 10 , and a monitoring device 12 . the test socket 2 is configured to seat a semiconductor package 4 , thereby holding the semiconductor package 4 in place in the testing apparatus during testing . the monitoring device 12 is configured to determine whether a semiconductor package 4 is properly seated in the test socket 2 . in an embodiment of the present invention , the camera 10 used to monitor semiconductor package 4 seating is an image capturing camera . it will be appreciated by one skilled in the art that the present invention can be practiced with various camera types , e . g ., digital or video cameras . the camera 10 and its components also can be adapted to accommodate different testing configurations and environmental factors . for example , the lenses , filters , and film used with the camera 10 are dictated by the size of the semiconductor package 4 being tested , the light intensity in the test socket 2 area and the type of data being captured or collected by the camera 10 . the plunger 6 is attached to the plunger shaft 8 in an embodiment of the present invention . the camera 10 is attached to the plunger shaft 8 above the plunger 6 with the camera lens 14 oriented downwardly , thereby directing the camera lens 14 towards the test socket 2 area . in an embodiment of the present invention , the camera 10 is attached to the plunger shaft 8 via an adjustable arm 16 , thereby beneficially enabling variable camera 10 positioning in relation to the plunger shaft 8 and test socket 2 . the camera 10 is attached to the adjustable arm 16 with a fixture 18 that rotates , pivots or otherwise moves about the adjustable arm 16 , thus permitting the camera 10 to be directed at different angles or locations in the test socket 2 area and required to monitor and detect a semiconductor package &# 39 ; s 4 position in the test socket 2 and to capture semiconductor package 4 identification information . it will be appreciated that the camera 10 is attached to the adjustable arm 16 through commonly found joint fixtures that allow the camera 10 to be pointed , as by rotating , swiveling or pivoting , in different directions , e . g ., a ball and socket combination . the position of the camera 10 and adjustable arm 16 may be set or altered manually or automatically . the adjustable arm 16 is extendable beyond the plunger 6 so that the camera lens 14 has an unobstructed view of the test socket 2 and semiconductor package 4 seated therein . an embodiment of the present invention includes a monitoring device 12 , comprising a computer containing a software program for controlling plunger 6 activation and semiconductor package 4 testing . a connection 20 runs between the camera 10 and the monitoring device 12 for carrying imaging , signaling and other data between the camera 10 and the monitoring device 12 . signal transmission over the connection 20 may be duplex , half duplex or simplex . an embodiment of the present invention includes an electrical connection 20 made from a material , e . g ., coaxial or fiber optic cable . the connection 20 of the present invention may comprise one or more materials . wireless technology , e . g ., infrared or other radio frequency transmission technologies may also form the connection 20 . it will be appreciated that other ways suitable for carrying imaging , signaling or other data can be used to form the connection 20 . another aspect of the present invention provides a method for testing semiconductor packages . the method includes the steps of placing a semiconductor package in a test socket of atesting apparatus and monitoring the position of the semiconductor package to determine whether it is seated properly in the test socket . in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention , semiconductor package seating is monitored by positioning an image capturing camera over the semiconductor package seated in the test socket . the camera lens is directed towards the semiconductor package and test socket area . the camera is then activated . it will be appreciated by one skilled in the art that camera positioning and activation may be accomplished manually or automatically . upon activation , the camera captures an image of the position and orientation of the semiconductor package in the test socket . the image data indicating the position and orientation of the semiconductor package in the test socket is transmitted to the monitoring device . the monitoring device receives the image data indicating the position and orientation of the semiconductor package and then makes a determination whether the semiconductor package is seated in conformance with predetermined positioning and orientation parameters . for example , to complete testing , the monitoring device determines whether the semiconductor package is facing the correct direction , e . g ., face up or face down , whether the semiconductor package is seated according to horizontal and vertical planar parameters within the test socket , whether there is alignment between the test socket contacts and semiconductor package leads and whether the semiconductor package is oriented properly , e . g ., as when components are located in a particular position relative to the semiconductor package . this monitoring ability advantageously reduces incidents of damage to semiconductor packages and testing equipment caused with conventional testing methods when testing is initiated on an improperly placed semiconductor package and avoids false test results . the monitoring device activates the plunger upon determining that the semiconductor package is seated in conformance with predetermined positioning and orientation parameters , thereby allowing the plunger to be lowered onto the semiconductor package seated in the test socket and initiating testing . upon determining that the semiconductor package is not seated in conformance with predetermined positioning and orientation parameters , the monitoring device deactivates the plunger , thereby delaying testing until the semiconductor package seating is corrected . the ability to control plunger activation until a semiconductor package is properly seated beneficially increases production yield and reduces productions costs compared with conventional testing methods by avoiding unnecessary semiconductor package damage and rework , as well as testing equipment repair and replacement . in addition to monitoring semiconductor seating in the test socket , in an embodiment of the present invention , the monitoring device directs the camera to capture an image of the alphanumeric characters , e . g ., make , model , batch , lot or other characters on the semiconductor package seated in the test socket . the camera then captures the image of the alphanumeric characters on the semiconductor package seated in the test socket and transmits the image data of the alphanumeric characters to the monitoring device . the monitoring device records the image data of the alphanumeric characters . the captured and recorded alphanumeric characters associated with a semiconductor package are used to direct packages through the assembly steps following testing , e . g ., different semiconductor package models are directed to different downstream assembly steps , thereby improving production speeds and reducing manufacturer oversight associated with conventional testing methods . the ability to electronically capture and record semiconductor package information also eliminates errors associated with manual data recording , thereby increasing the accuracy of the information used to correlate testing , performance and damage data with a particular semiconductor package and enabling the manufacturer to attribute semiconductor package errors and malfunctions to the correct make , model , batch or lot and to make correct decisions concerning the cause and effect of such errors or malfunctions . the present invention enjoys industrial applicability in manufacturing various types of semiconductor devices and / or packages . the present invention has particular applicability in detecting and monitoring semiconductor package seating in testing equipment in preparation for and during semiconductor package testing . only the preferred embodiment of the present invention and but a few examples of its versatility are shown and described in the present disclosure . it is to be understood that the present invention is capable of use in various other combinations and environments and is capable of changes and modifications within the scope of the inventive concept as expressed herein . | 6 |
fig1 and 2 show a bipolar separator 1 for use with a carbonate fuel cell , in accordance with the principles of the present invention . the bipolar separator 1 includes a plate member 2 having first and second surfaces 2 a and 2 b which are compatible with oxidant and fuel gases , respectively . the member 2 also has opposing end sections 2 c and 2 d and 2 e and 2 f . adjacent each of the end sections , the plate 1 includes a pocket member . more particularly , pocket members 3 and 4 are situated adjacent the end sections 2 c and 2 d and pocket members 5 and 6 are situated adjacent the end sections 2 e and 2 f . each end pocket member includes a top wall 7 a , side walls 7 b and 7 c , a back wall 7 d and a back extension 7 e . the pocket members 3 and 4 have their top walls 7 a facing the first surface 2 a of the member 2 which is oxidant gas compatible and , thus , are on the oxidant side of the bipolar separator 1 . the pocket members 5 and 6 , on the other hand , have their top walls 7 a facing the second surface 2 b of the member 2 which is fuel gas compatible and , thus , are on the fuel side of the bipolar separator 1 . in accordance with the invention , the plate member 2 is separately formed from the pocket members 3 - 6 . as a result , the material used for the plate member can be selected to best meet the fuel cell environment requirements of this member , while the material used for the pocket members 3 - 6 can be selected to best meet the fuel cell environment requirements of these members . in particular , the plate member , whose first and second surfaces form the active areas for the bipolar separator 1 when the separator is incorporated in a carbonate fuel cell stack assembly , must be oxidant and fuel gas compatible , while resistant to corrosion , highly conductive and exhibit low corrosion - associated electrolyte loss . the pocket members , in turn , since they form wet - seals for the carbonate electrolyte , which they directly contact , and since they are exposed to the dual atmosphere of reducing and oxidizing hot gases , but are not in an electrical pathway , when the separator 1 is incorporated in a carbonate fuel cell stack assembly , need not be highly conductive , but must be highly resistant to corrosion and prevent corrosion - associated electrolyte loss . these differing requirements are satisfied , in accordance with the invention , by forming the plate member 2 from a first material and the plate members 3 - 6 from a second different material . in particular , in the case where electrolyte is expected to creep on the fuel gas side of the member 2 , the member 2 is formed from a stainless steel having a ni clad or coating . this coating forms the second surface 2 b on the fuel gas side of the plate member 2 . preferably , the stainless steel is a high alloying austenitic stainless steel with a moderate cr content ( 18 - 26 % wt ), as compared to 310 stainless steels and a higher ni content ( 11 - 33 % wt ), as compared to 18 - 8 type stainless steels . also , preferably , the ni cladding or coating has a thickness of 25 - 50 μm . with this type of material for the plate member 2 , a superior hot corrosion / oxidation resistance is exhibited , as compared to the 18 - 8 type stainless steels with a corrosion scale electrical conductivity higher than 310 stainless steels . thus , the member 2 exhibits sufficient endurance life for carbonate fuel cell application . in the case where electrolyte is not expected to creep on the fuel gas side of the member 2 and the adjoining fuel cell components have non - wetting surfaces , ni protection is not necessary on the fuel gas side , i . e ., on the surface 2 b . as a result , the member 2 can be formed from a high - alloying stainless steel without a ni cladding and this will provide the member 2 with sufficient corrosion resistance for long - term carbonate fuel cell application . the pocket members 3 - 6 , in turn , in accordance with the invention , are formed from an al coated or clad stainless steel . the al coating can be on one or both surfaces of the stainless steel material . the al coating is fully dense , uniform in thickness and well bonded to the base stainless steel material . with such a coating , a defect free in - situ diffused corrosion protection layer is formed on the pocket members upon diffusion in the temperature range between 500 and 650 ° c . this occurs after assembly of the bipolar separator 1 in a carbonate fuel cell stack assembly and during stack start - up . no additional heat treatment for creating the corrosion protection layer is necessary . for the pocket members 3 and 4 on the oxidant gas side of the bipolar separator , the al coating can be on the external face of the member ( i . e ., the face opposing the face facing the surface 2 a ) or on both the external face and internal face ( i . e ., the face facing the surface 2 a ) of the member . this is shown in fig4 a and 4b . for the pocket members 5 and 6 on the fuel gas side of the plate member 2 , the al coating can also be on the internal or external faces of the member . alternatively , in this case , the external face can be al coated and the internal face ni coated . this is shown in fig5 a and 5b . for the pocket members , the al coating can have a thickness of 12 - 40 μm . if a ni coating is used , it can have a thickness of 25 to 50 μm . where a double sided coating is used , the stainless steel can be austenitic stainless steel with a cr - content in the range of 16 - 20 % wt and a ni - content in the range of 8 - 14 % wt . for the case of a single sided coating , a stainless steel of higher corrosion resistance is required . in this case , austenitic stainless steels or corrosion resistant alloys , with a cr - content higher than 18 % wt and a ni - content higher than 11 % wt are suitable . in forming the sets of pocket members 3 and 4 and 5 and 6 , each set can be pressed formed simultaneously from a suitably coated stainless steel blank . the blank can then be split down the middle to form the two pockets . this is illustrated for the pockets 3 and 4 in fig3 . as previously mentioned , the pocket members 3 and 4 and 5 and 6 are separately formed from the plate member 2 . in accordance with the invention , the pocket members are then joined to their respective sides of the plate member by welding . this is shown in fig1 by the welds 8 , 9 , 11 and 12 , and schematically in fig6 for the pocket 5 . since the weld areas 8 , 9 , 11 and 12 are exposed to the same fuel cell hot gas corrosion environment , in accord with the invention , a corrosion resistant material is also included in the weld material . preferably , al is included in the weld material for this purpose . this can be accomplished by utilizing al - containing filler wires during the welding process . the filler wires can be pure al , al alloys , or high al - content alloys such as alloys sold under the names kanthal and fecralloy composed of 22 - 24 cr % wt , 4 - 6 al % wt and the balance fe . they can be fed either by an automated wire feeder or inlay of the wire along the weld seam during welding . fig7 shows a fuel cell unit 70 comprising upper and lower bipolar plates 1 as shown in fig1 - 2 . the fuel cell unit further includes a cathode element 71 comprised of a cathode electrode 71 a and a cathode current collector 71 b having a surface abutting one surface of the cathode electrode . the cathode element 71 extends over the length and width of the surface 2 a of the upper bipolar separator 1 . in particular , the longitudinal ends of the element extend to the pocket members 3 and 4 and the lateral ends extend to the sides 2 e and 2 f of the plate 2 . spacer elements 72 and 73 formed from spacer segments 72 a , 73 a and current collector segments 72 b and 73 b extend from respective ends of the cathode element 71 into the pocket members 3 and 4 . as can be appreciated , the cathode current collector elements 71 b , 72 b and 73 b can be integrally formed as a one - piece element . similarly , the cathode electrode 71 a , spacer segment 72 a and spacer segment 73 a can be integrally formed as one piece . the height of the cathode element 71 is made equal to that of the pocket members 3 and 4 . the element 71 and pocket members thus form a flush surface for receiving an electrolyte matrix or tile 74 which abuts and extends over the entirety of this surface . an anode element 75 formed of an anode electrode 75 a and a corrugated anode current collector 75 b follow the matrix element 74 . one face of the anode electrode 75 a abuts the matrix 74 , while the other face abuts and supports one surface of the anode current collector 75 b . the other surface of the anode current collector 75 b rests on the surface 2 b of the lower separator plate 1 . the anode element 75 extends laterally between the pocket areas 5 and 6 of the lower separator plate 1 and longitudinally to the ends 2 c and 2 d of the plate 2 . spacer elements 76 and 77 extend from the anode element 75 and fit into the latter pocket members . the spacer elements 76 and 77 include separator segments 76 a and 77 a and current collector segments 76 b and 77 b . as with the cathode current collector elements , the anode current collector elements 75 b , 76 b and 77 b can be formed as a single element . a similar situation holds true for the cathode elements 75 a , 76 a and 77 a . the anode element 75 sits on a flat surface formed by the surface 2 b . the anode electrode 75 a of the anode element 75 provides a flat surface for seating the lower surface of the electrode matrix 74 . as can be appreciated , the pocket members 3 and 4 of the upper separator plate 1 and the trough areas 5 and 6 of the lower separator plate 1 act as rails and the surfaces of these rails form wet - seals with the matrix 74 . these wet - seals , in turn , keep the oxidant gas and fuel gas from leaking from the gas chambers formed by the cathode and anode elements and the separator plates , so as to prevent gas cross - over and gas escape form the fuel cell unit . in all cases it is understood that the above - described arrangements are merely illustrative of the many possible specific embodiments which represent applications of the present invention . numerous and varied other arrangements can be readily devised in accordance with the principles of the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . | 7 |
the present invention is directed to a method and apparatus for detecting the presence of cancerous tissue using native visible luminescence . an experimental arrangement used to measure the luminescence spectra from the various tissues is shown in fig1 . a 10 mw argon ion laser 1 operating a 488 nm was focused on the front surface of the tissue 2 to a spot size of about 100 μm . the native luminescence from the front surface was collected into a double spex - 1 / 2 m grating scanning spectrometer 3 blazed at 500 nm . a photomultiplier tube ( pmt ) rca 7265 ( s - 20 ) 4 located at the exit slit of the spectrometer 3 measured the intensity at different wavelengths . the spectral bandwidth was 1 . 8 nm . the output of the pmt was connected to a princeton applied research lock - in recorder combination 5 to display the spectrum . both the laser and reference signal from light 7 and detected by a pmt 6 were chopped at 200 hz . the spectra were not corrected for the spectrum response of the system . each sample emission spectrum was run three times for reproducibility . the measured spectra were stable in time and different regions yielded similar spectra . the luminescence emitted from cancerous and normal tissues from rat prostate and kidney were investigated . the spectra from a rat female bladder tumor and a mouse bladder tumor were also measured . all tumors were subcutaneously implanted . rat prostate tumors were implanted in fischer / copenhagen male ( f 1 ) rats and were five weeks old at the time of the testing . rat kidney tumors were implanted in wistor / lewis rats and were four weeks old . rat bladder tumor was implanted in a female fischer rat and was four weeks old at the time of testing . mouse bladder tumor was implanted in a female c3hhe mouse and was also four weeks old . all tissue samples were nonnectrotic , clean free and approximately 1 gm in weight . all tissue samples were solid chunks but not cut to any particular specificity , and were few millimeters thick . each tissue sample was placed in a clean pyrex test tube for these luminescence studies . the spectral curves for the cancerous and normal tissues are displayed in fig2 - 4 . one notices the differences in the spectra between the normal and cancerous tissues . the prominent maxima in the spectra from rat prostate tumor [ fig2 ( a )] and rat normal prostate [ fig2 ( b )] are located at 521 and 533 . 5 nm ., respectively . the prostate tumor spectrum has two subsidiary maxims located at 552 and 593 nm while no additional maxima are recorded in the normal prostrate spectrum . in the prostate tumor spectrum there are four points of inflections located at 538 . 3 , 571 . 7 , 587 . 0 , and 619 . 5 nm . on the decreasing side of the normal prostate curve there are two points of inflection located at 571 . 7 and 603 . 3 nm , as shown in fig2 ( b ). the main maxima in the spectra from male rat kidney tumor [ fig3 ( a )] and normal male rat kidney [ fig3 ( b )] are also located at 522 . 0 and 530 . 6 nm ., respectively . after the first prominent peak , the spectrum from the rat kidney tumor decreases monotonically and there are three small peaks located at 592 , 612 , and 638 nm . along this declining side of the curve there are four inflectionary points located at 548 . 7 , 559 . 3 , 581 . 3 , and 604 . 2 nm . however , after the first prominent peak for the normal male kidney , the spectrum declines monotonically until it reaches a wavelength at 590 . 8 nm where it starts to increase . along the declined portion of the curve there are three smaller peaks located at 562 , 600 and 622 nm . the spectrum also contains three inflectionary points located at 522 and 595 nm . similar spectral differences have been observed in human tissues of the lung and breast . the salient features of the rat bladder tumor spectrum are its four peaks . [ fig4 ( a )]. the first prominent peak is located at 519 . 1 nm ; other smaller peaks are located at 554 , 590 , and 634 nm . the spectrum also contains two inflectionary points locate at 567 . 0 and 605 . 2 nm . after the minimum at 614 . 7 nm the curve starts rising to the last peak at 634 . 0 nm , after which there is a fall off to zero intensity . the salient features of the mouses bladder tumor spectrum are its two wide peaks [ see fig4 ( b )]. the first prominent peak is located at 521 . 0 nm , and the other at 600 . 0 nm . the spectrum starts declining from 610 to 648 nm after which its slope changes and decays slowly to zero . there are two points of inflection in the spectrum , one located at 559 . 2 nm and the other at 648 . 2 nm . the summary of the results from the fluorescence measurements shows the following salient features that are found in common among the tumor spectra : 1 . location of the prominent maxima of the tumor spectra all occur at about 521 . 0 nm . 2 . the width of the prominent maxima are virtually the same , approximately spanning 1 . 5 nm . 3 . secondary peaks which are in common to all tumors occur between 590 - 640 nm . 4 . the secondary peak which is also in common with the rat prostate tumor and the rat bladder tumor is in the range of 552 - 554 nm . 5 . the secondary peak which is also in common with the rat kidney tumor and the rat bladder tumor fall in the range of 634 - 638 nm . upon analysis of the data between the two normal spectra , one recognizes the prominent maxima are located at 530 - 533 nm and the width of the prominent maxima are broad , each spanning 38 nm . the most salient differences between the cancerous and the normal tissues are that the spectral profiles are very different and that the cancerous prominent maxima are shifted and located around 521 nm , whereas the prominent maxima of the normal tissues spectra are located at about 531 nm . as can be seen , when protein containing fluorphors either gain positive charge ions or lose negative charge ions the fluorescence from the fluorphors have been noted to be blue shifted . the prominent maxima of all cancerous spectra exhibit in our results a 10 nm blue shift , suggesting an accumulation of positive ions , or a depletion of negative ( or positive ) ions in the mitochrondria of cancerous cells , thus causing the flavins to emit at 521 nm instead of 531 nm . the emission from 590 - 640 nm is attributed to porphyrins . in cancerous tissue the relative intensity of porphyrins bands are different , usually smaller in intensity from its normal counterpart . the spectral changes can be caused by other species such as hemoglobin . similar differences have been observed in human lung and breast tissues . referring now to fig5 . there is illustrated an embodiment of an apparatus for detecting cancerous tissue according to the teachings of this invention . the apparatus includes a source 11 of white light , such as a tungsten - halogen filament lamp , and a narrow band filter 13 . alternatively , source 11 may comprise a laser . light source 11 has power coupled to it from a conventional power supply ( not shown ). narrow band filter 13 has a bandwidth of less than about 30 nm and preferably less than about 10 nm and is designed to pass light at a wavelength 1 . light from source 11 that is passed by filter 13 is passed through a chopper 14 which removes any ambient light present and is then fed into an input leg 15 of a fiber optic probe 17 . the light entering fiber optic probe 17 emerges at the probing end 19 and impinges on tissue ts to be tested . light from tissue ts enters probing end 19 and is conducted out of fiber optic probe 17 through output legs 21 , 23 , and 24 , which are located at the same end as input leg . 15 . alternatively , the light from tissue ts can be imaged into a spectrograph or optical filters coupled to a video silicon intensified target camera computer for displaying the entire spectra . the light can be collected and imaged using a lens or a fiber optic bundle into a video camera . fiber optic probe 17 is made up basically of a bundle of optical fibers . the diameter of the bundle is preferably about 1 / 2 to 5 nm . the fibers within the bundle are preferably randomly arranged to reduce any geometrical collection effects . fiber optic probe 17 may include a lens or lens system ( not shown ) at the probing end 19 so that non - contact probing may be achieved . light emerging from output leg 21 is passed through a narrow band filter 25 having a bandwidth of less than about 10 nm , and designed to pass light at a wavelength λ 2 , and impinges on a photodetector 27 . light emerging from output leg 23 is passed through a narrow band filter 29 having a bandwidth of less than about 10 nm and designed to pass light at a wavelength λ 3 , and impinges on photodetector 31 . light emerging from output leg 24 is passed through narrow band filter 30 having a bandwidth of less than 10 nm and designed to pass light of wave - length λ 4 and impinges on photodetector 32 . the value of λ 1 is between 350 and 500 nanometers . photodetectors 27 , 31 and 32 are conventional photodetectors having maximum sensitivity in the regions of interest , namely at wavelengths λ 2 and λ 3 and λ 4 respectively of the fluorescence spectra . the wavelengths are chosen where the largest difference in intensity occurs for cancerous and normal tissues , i . e . λ 2 = 531 nm , λ 3 = 522 nm , λ 4 = 633 nm . by using more detectors at more wavelengths one can more accurately determine differences in the spectra . comparing the entire spectra using video spectroscopy such as shown in fig7 results in a more accurate way to find cancer . photodetectors 27 , 31 and 32 each produce an electrical signal output whose magnitude s1 , s2 and s3 respectively , is proportional to the intensity of the incident light . the electrical output signals from photodetectors 27 , 31 and 32 are each fed into an electronic circuit 33 which produces three output signals s4 , s5 and s6 , one corresponding to the ratio of s1 and s3 and the third corresponding to the ratio of s2 to s3 , another corresponding to the ratio of s1 and s2 . the three output signals are fed into a display where they are displayed 34 . the difference in the signals ( i . e . the difference between signals s1 and s2 or s2 and s3 ) could also be used and compared . light source 11 , narrow band filters 13 , 25 , 29 and 30 and photodetectors 27 , 31 and 32 are preferably all situated in a light - tight comparmented housing 37 . in detecting the presence of cancerous tissue in accordance with this embodiment of the invention , the ratios of the three probe signals s1 , s2 and s3 are first determined for a known noncancerous region for the particular organ containing the tissue under test . any changes in the ratios between signals s1 and s2 and s3 will indicate that the tissue is cancerous . instead of taking the ratios between signals s1 and s2 and s3 , the differences or ratios of any two as opposed to three signals , such as s1 and s2 may be used to determine the relative change of the spectra . this may be achieved using any conventional type of difference circuit for differences or a divider circuit for ratios . referring now to fig6 there is illustrated a simplified diagram of another embodiment 102 of the invention . monochromatic light from a source 101 is transmitted by a fiber optic probe 103 for a sample tissue st6 to be tested . light from the sample tissue st6 is transmitted by fiber optic probe 103 to a spectrograph ( i . e . dual zero dispersion ) 105 constructed so as to detect native luminescence emitted light from the sample tissue st6 . the output of the spectrograph 105 is imaged by a video camera 107 whose output is fed through a digitizer 109 into a computer 111 . the spectrum of emitted light along with a spectrum of emitted light for a normal tissue ( for the particular organ in question ) are both displayed on a display ( such as a tv monitor ). the difference in spectra is obtained by a computer and then displayed to determine if the tissue is cancerous . in fig7 there is shown another embodiment 110 of the invention . light from a source 111 is passed through a narrow band filter 113 where it is transmitted by a fiber optic probe 115 to the tissue st7 to be tested . native luminescence emitted from tissue st7 is imaged by a lens 117 through a filter wheel 119 having two or more filters where it is imaged on the eye 121 . instead of a filter wheel and eye , the light from lens 117 may be imaged onto the slit of a spectrograph ( i . e . dual zero dispersion ) and then processed as in the fig6 embodiment . in fig8 there is shown another apparatus constructed according to this invention , the apparatus being identified by reference numeral 131 . apparatus 131 includes a first laser 133 whose output beam is used to detect the cancerous tissue and a second laser 135 whose output beam is used to destroy the cancerous tissue after it has been detected as will hereinafter be described . laser 133 is a low or medium power laser such as an argon laser or a helium - cadmium laser . laser 135 is a high power laser such as a q - switched laser , a copper vapor laser , a gold vapor laser , a nitrogen laser or a dye laser . light from laser 133 is transmitted by an optical fiber bundle 137 to a filter 139 which filters out all light but the preselected wavelength . light passed by filter 139 is transmitted by an optical fiber bundle 141 to a dichroic coupler 143 which is designed to transmit light from laser 133 and reflect light from laser 135 . light transmitted through coupler 143 from laser 133 is transmitted by an optical fiber bundle 145 to a beamsplitting coupler 147 . light transmitted through coupler 147 from coupler 143 is transmitted by an optical fiber bundle 149 to a beam splitting coupler 151 . light transmitted through beamsplitting coupler 151 is transmitted by an optical fiber bundle 153 which functions as an endoscope and strikes sample tissue st8 which is being examined . light subsequently emitted from sample st8 ( i . e . the native luminescent radiation ) and striking bundle 153 is transmitted back to beamsplitting coupler 151 where it is reflected to an optical fiber bundle 155 which transmits the light to a spectrograph 157 . the output of spectrograph 157 is imaged by a video camera 159 . the output of video camera 159 is fed through a digitizer 160 into a computer 161 where it is compared with a spectrum of emitted light for a normal tissue to see if the tissue is cancerous . the results obtained in computer 161 ( i . e . the difference in spectra ) are displayed in a display 163 . if the results are positive , computer 161 sends a signal to activate laser 135 . light from laser 135 is transmitted through fiber bundle 169 to coupler 143 and is then reflected by coupler 143 through bundle 145 , coupler 147 , bundle 149 , coupler 151 and endoscope 153 where it strikes sample st8 and destroys the cancerous tissue by ablation . a vacuum pump ( not shown ) can be used to draw out the cancerous tissue fragments . apparatus 131 also includes a lamp 171 for illuminating the area being examined ( or treated ) at an appropriate time , so that it can be visually observed through an eyepiece 173 by a person such as a doctor . light from lamp 171 is fed into coupler 147 through a fiber bundle 175 , a filter 177 , a fiber bundle 179 , a beamsplitter 181 and a fiber bundle 183 . from coupler 147 the light is fed into endoscope 153 . the illuminated area is viewed through eyepiece 173 which is coupled to beamsplitter 181 through optical fiber bundle 187 . instead of comparing the spectrum obtained with a spectrum for normal tissue the spectrum could be compared with a spectrum for known cancerous tissue and the differences displayed . also , instead of simply displaying differences , the spectra themselves can be displayed and the decision made by the viewer as to whether it is cancerous . in another arrangement the spectrum obtained is compared with spectra for normal and for cancerous tissue and a determination made as to which of the two spectra the sample spectrum more closely represents . in another embodiment of the invention , excitation spectra are generated and used for detecting the presence of cancerous tissue in a similar manner as the luminescense spectra . the excitation spectra are obtained by measuring the intensity of the native luminescence at a preselected emission wavelength as the excitation wavelength is varied . excitation spectroscopy provides information on which bands are responsible for the observed spectroscopic differences . experimental results have shown that the differences in the excitation spectra for the normal and cancerous tissues are pronounced . an apparatus 201 for obtaining excitation spectra and also for destroying the tissue examined if desired if it is cancerous is shown in fig9 . the apparatus includes means 203 for illuminating a sample st9 with a beam of monochromatic light whose wavelength is varied and means 205 for measuring the intensity of emitted light at a preselected wavelength . apparatus 201 is similar to apparatus 131 , the differences being that laser 133 is replaced by a light source 207 , a spectrometer 209 and a chopper 211 and the spectrograph 157 and video camera 158 are replaced by a spectrometer 213 , a photodetector such as a photomultipler tube 215 , an optical fiber bundle 217 and a lock - in amplifier 219 . light source 207 is a source of white light and may be for example a tungsten - halogen lamp . in using apparatus 201 , light from source 207 is chopped and fed into spectrometer 209 . the output of spectrometer 209 is transmitted through the various beamsplitters and optical fiber bundles and strikes sample st9 . the wavelength of the output of spectrometer 209 is varied by turning a knob ( not shown ) or scanning with a motor in spectrometer 209 . the intensity of the emitted light is fed into spectrometer 213 whose output is detected by detector 215 . the output of detector 215 is fed into lock - in amplifier 219 whose output is fed into computer 161 . the excitation spectra so obtained is then compared with excitation spectra for normal and / or cancerous tissue and a determination made if the tissue is cancerous based on the comparison . instead of a lock - in amplifier 219 , a dc meter could be employed . the light emitted from spectrometer 209 is monochromatic and varied over a range of wavelengths . accordingly , means 205 measures the intensity of emitted light at a preselected wavelength as the excitation wavelength is varied . laser 135 is used to destroy to tissue if it is deemed desirable . spectrometer 213 can be replaced by an appropriate filter , if desired . experimental apparatus used to obtain excitation spectra from a sample native human breast tissues was a perkin - elmer ls - 5 fluorescence spectrometer . frontal excitation was used to pump the tissue samples . the excitation spectra were scanned from 300 nm to 500 nm for an emission peak at 520 nm , from 300 nm to 530 nm for an emission peak at 550 nm and from 300 nm to 580 nm for an emission peak at 600 nm . the emission peaks were chosen to be 520 nm , 550 nm , and 600 nm because these peaks are prominent in the emission spectra of the native breast tissues . the tissue samples were put in plastic square cells which did not generate strong background in the excitation spectrum region from 300 nm to 580 nm after nd filters were placed in the emission spectrum path to reduce emission . three pairs of human breast normal and tumor ( cancerous ) tissues were measured . the excitation spectrum profiles were consistent with each other . typical excitation spectra from native normal and tumor ( cancerous ) human breast tissues emitted at 520 nm , 550 nm , and 600 nm are shown in fig1 through 15 . one notices that the excitation spectrum profiles are quite different from the normal and tumor tissues . the excitation spectra consists of two wide bands , centered in the ultraviolet ( uv ) and visible . the uv band of the excitation spectra for the normal breast tissues in fig1 and fig1 consist of three sharp peaks located at 336 nm , 352 nm , and 371 nm . the major peak is centered at 352 nm . however , there are no clear sharp peaks in the uv bands of the excitation spectra of cancer tissues . in fig1 and fig1 a very small peak at 352 nm can be observed . the cancer spectra are broader with a characteristic feature existing at 396 nm . the main peak in the visible band of the excitation spectra in fig1 and fig1 for normal tissues is located at 473 nm . the intensities of the visible band are about four times weaker than the uv bands . however , for the tumor breast tissues in fig1 and fig1 , the intensities of the visible bands are higher than the uv bands . the excitation spectra for emission wavelength at 600 nm for normal and tumor tissues are shown in fig1 and fig1 . the larger difference between the structures in the excitation spectra for normal and tumor tissues can be easily noticed . structures exist in uv spectra for normal tissue while a broad band with a peak at 396 nm exists for cancer tissues . a visible band at 473 nm exists in both spectra . the intensity differences for the excitation spectra of tumor tissues from normal tissues are displayed in the table in fig1 for emissions at 520 nm , 550 nm , and 600 nm . the ratios between the excitation intensities for tumor and normal tissues can serve as a diagnostic marker . the excitation spectra in the uv band from normal tissues consist of three peaks while the tumor excitation spectra are without much distinct peaks . the uv band of the tumor excitation spectra are much wider than the uv band of the normal tissues due to the existence of the 396 nm peak . we should point out that the broad spectrum and the peak at 396 nm may be a characteristic of cancer in the excitation spectra which may be used to distinguish cancer from normal tissues . these differences suggest that the electronic states of fluorophores are altered in cancer cells in comparison to those molecules in the normal cells . the visible bands of the excitation spectra show clear differences in the electronic band centered at 473 nm for the excitation spectra intensity . the intensity of the tumor tissue for 520 nm is 5 . 38 times larger at 457 . 9 nm and 2 . 59 times larger at 488 nm than for the normal tissues . the excitation spectrum intensity for 550 nm is 5 . 16 times stronger at 457 . 9 nm and 3 . 53 times stronger at 488 nm that that of the normal tissues . however , the differences are much weaker for uv . these results support the fact that the cancer fluorescence emission spectra are different and stronger than normal tissue spectra for 488 nm excitation and only slightly different for uv excitation . thus , excitation spectroscopy can be used as a diagnostic tool for the detection of pathological changes in tissues . in the fig6 embodiment the fiber optic bundle could be replaced by a microscope for microscopic analysis of normal and cancerous tissue . also in fig9 the photodetector 215 could be replaced by a video system . the embodiments of the present invention is intended to be merely exemplary and those skilled in the art shall be able to make numerous variations and modifications to it without departing from the spirit of the present invention . all such variations and modifications are intended to be within the scope of the present invention as defined in the appended claims . | 0 |
the invention comprises a plasmid design and a process for construction of this plasmid expressing a protective antigen against n . meningitidis in an attenuated salmonella strain . the plasmid design includes insertion of the tbpb gene in a pet plasmid to keep this gene under the control of the t7 promoter already present in the pet plasmid and the addition of a metabolic marker ( the e . coli asd gene ) to avoid the use of a plasmid with the ampicillin resistance gene ( a feature not appropriate for a vaccine with potential human use ). also , this plasmid requires a second plasmid inside the vaccine strain to allow the expression of the tbpb antigen . 1 .— cloning of tbpb gene from neisseria meningitidis b : 4 : nt by pcr amplification and gene ligation into the pgem - t plasmid . 3 .— expression analysis of the tbpb gene and testing best bacterial growth conditions to optimize recombinant tbpb protein synthesis . 4 .— insertion of the asd gene into pet21a / tbpb plasmid to replace the use of the antibiotic resistance marker ( ampicillin ) by a metabolic marker to complement chromosomal asd mutation . 5 .— tbpb expression assay in an e . coli strain carrying an asd mutation . 6 .— plasmid transfer to a salmonella typhimurium strain with a mutation in the asd gene that provides dna methylation of plasmids constructions allowing protection to these plasmids when are finally transferred to the vaccine strain which has its restriction / methylation system in operative status 7 .— plasmid transfer to the attenuated vaccine strain carrying the mutated asd gene to be complemented by the wild type asd gene present in the modified pet21a / tbp / asd vector . all the above stages led to a formulation of a pre - clinic assay to evaluate humoral response ( antibodies ) in an oral vaccination procedure according to the protocol already established in mice . then , the experimental approach was performed regarding whether anti - tbpb antibodies induced in vaccinated mice have bactericide activity ( serum ability of killing neisseria meningitidis in an in vitro assay ). in the following examples , each stage of the invention procedure is explained in details . after completing the above stages a plasmid product was obtained . this plasmid derived from pet21a which comprises the tbpb gene of the chilean neisseria meningitidis strain b : 4 : nt , under the control of t7 promoter . it was also possible to establish the tbpb gene sequence of the chilean n . meningitidis b : 4 : nt strain in particular . the specific sequences are illustrated in the fig4 and 5 . therefore , the oral vaccine against meningitis b is formulated in this way . to achieve this , it was required an attenuated salmonella typhimurium strain as a vector , like the one disclosed in the provisional patent pending , 1047 - 2004 , of the same bearer , or the salmonella typhimurium χ4550 which was used to demonstrate the functionality of the afore mentioned plasmid . the invention discloses a procedure to construct a plasmid which allows the expression of the neisseria meningitidis tbpb surface antigen , which gene was cloned and sequenced . this plasmid can be used as a source to synthesize a protective antigen as part of an oral vaccine based on some type of attenuated salmonella strain such as salmonella typhimurium χ4550 . the plasmid required to be modified by insertion of the asd gene in order to be stabilized in the salmonella vaccine strain . at the same time , it was demonstrated that the tbpb antigen , from a chilean strain of group b n . meningitidis , induces an igg serum response and these antibodies showed bactericidal activity against n . meningitidis serogroup b , which confirms that tbpb antigen is a protective antigen when assayed in a murine model . tbpb protein ( b protein which binds human transferrin ) is found in the surface of the neisseria meningitidis bacteria and is part of a complex with tbpa , which is necessary for iron uptake . ( see fig1 , scheme ). free iron is a scarce element in the host and this ion is transported through host body fluids associated to carrier proteins . therefore , this pathogen has developed virulence factors for iron uptake from substances that transport iron in the host such as human transferrin . several pieces of data suggest that tbpb could be a good antigen for vaccine development . with all the above information chromosomal dna from a n . meningitidis b : 4 nt strain obtained from the instituto de salud pública de chile , purified by a standard procedure and used as a model to amplify the tbpb gene in a pcr reaction under conditions described below . the experimental strategy is illustrated in fig2 . the amplification reaction was performed in a final volume of 100 μl in buffer solution of 20 mm tris - hcl , ph 8 . 4 ; 50 mm kcl ; 1 . 5 mm mgcl 2 ; 200 μm of each deoxynucleoside triphosphate ( datp , dgtp , dctp and dttp ) and primers at a final concentration of 0 . 5 μm ( 50 pmol / 100 μl ). primer sequences were as follows : these primers included a nde1 site for the 5 ′ end of the gene and a hindiii site ( both underlined ) for the 3 ′ end of the gene . before the amplification , the n . meningitidis genomic dna of the respective strain ( 0 . 1 - 0 . 5 μg ), already present in the reaction mixture , was denature at 95 ° c . for 5 min . then , 0 . 5 units of pfu dna polymerase were added and tubes were coated with a drop of mineral oil . alternatively , in other assays taq dna polymerase ( 0 . 5 u per tube ) was used . each reaction mixture was subjected to 35 cycles of amplification in a mj research thermocycler . each cycle consisted of 2 min at 95 ° c . ( denaturation step ), 2 min at 52 ° c . for annealing with tbp - 1 and tbp - 1 . 3 primers , and 4 min at 72 ° c . for product elongation . finally , samples were incubated for another 10 min at 72 ° c . and kept at 4 ° c . until analyzed . the amplified fragment was analyzed in a 1 % agarose gel electrophoresis under standard conditions . the size of the fragment obtained was 2 . 1 kb ( fig3 ). fragment separation between 0 . 5 and 10 kb was performed by electrophoresis en horizontal agarose gels ( 0 . 8 - 1 . 0 %) prepared in tae solution ( 40 mm tris - hcl , 2 mm edta , 20 mm sodium acetate adjusted to ph 8 . 0 with glacial acetic acid ). gels were submitted to electrophoresis in tae buffer , at 50 ma for analytical gels , and 30 ma for preparative gels . before placing samples into the gel , these were incubated for 5 min a 65 ° c . with an equal volume of 2 × sample buffer ( 25 % glycerol , 0 . 5 % sds , 0 . 025 % bromophenol blue and 12 mm edta ). dna bands in agarose gels were visualized on a uv transiluminator , previously stained for 10 min in a 1 μg / ml ethidium bromide ( et - br ) solution . gels were photographed under uv light , using polaroid type 667 films . ligation of the tbpb insert into the pet21a expression vector followed by transfer to dh5 α e . coli to obtain plasmid dna necessary for vector modification . the fragment excised from the agarose gel was purified using a qiagen kit . the dna fragment containing the tbpb gene was released by double digestion with ndei and hindiii enzymes under standard conditions and ligated to the pet21a vector ( novagen ) using dna ligase and 1 mm atp ( sambrook et al ., 1989 ). an aliquot of the ligation reaction containing 50 ng of ligated dna was used to transform by electroporation e . coli dh5α cells . this bacterium had the following genotype : f ′ enda1 hsdr17 ( r k − m k + ) gln v44 thi - 1 reca1 gyra ( nal r ) rela1 δ ( laczya - argf ) u169 deor ( φ80 lacaδm15 ). these were prepared according to the method described by miller ( 1994 ) with the following modifications : 100 ml of bacterial culture grown in luria medium until o . d . 600 reached values between 0 . 4 and 0 . 6 , then was transferred into a sterile 150 ml corex tube and centrifuged at 5 , 000 rpm in a gsa rotor ( sorvall ) at 4 ° c . during 15 min . after discarding all culture medium , cells were maintained in ice and carefully suspended in 100 ml of sterile cold distilled water and were centrifuged again under the same conditions . pelleted bacteria were resuspended in 2 ml of distilled cold sterile water and they were distributed into two microfuge sterile tubes . cells were centrifuged at 5 , 000 rpm in the microfuge and finally , the pellet of each tube was resuspended in 100 μl of cold 10 % glycerol solution . the suspension was kept frozen in 40 ul aliquots at − 70 ° c . until used . the average yield of this preparation varied between 10 9 and 10 10 viable cells / ml . this was done according to the method described by chasy et al ., ( 1988 ), with minor modifications of miller ( 1994 ). bio - rad equipment including the gene pulser ™ power supply ( version 2 - 89 ), coupled to a pulse controller was used . in a sterile microfuge tube kept on ice , 40 μl of electrocompetent cells ( 10 8 - 10 9 cells / ml ) were mixed with 0 . 1 to 1 . 0 μg of plasmid dna . the mixture was maintained on ice for 5 min and then transferred to a bio - rad electroporation sterile cuvette of 0 . 2 cm separation between the electrodes . the cuvette maintained on ice was then transferred into a special electroporation chamber to apply the electric pulse . the gene pulser ™ equipment was coupled to the pulse controller unit and the electroporation conditions were fixed at 2 , 500 v , 200ω resistance and 25 uf capacitance , obtaining an electric field of 12 . 5 kv / cm and a time constant between 4 and 5 msec . the actual electroporation conditions were verified by reading the equipment display . the dna and cells mixture was transferred to a sterile tube with 1 ml luria medium . the mixture was incubated at 37 ° c . with constant shaking during 60 min . selection of transformants was done in 1 % luria agar plates containing 100 μg / ml ampicillin . plates were incubated 16 to 24 h at 37 ° c . many clones were obtained and some of them were sequenced in both strands using internal primers . the complete nucleotide sequence of a clone is shown in fig4 and the deduced amino acid sequence obtained from it by a dnastar program is shown in fig5 . modification of the vector by replacement of the ampicillin resistance gene by the asd gene ( aspartate semialdehyde dehydrogenase enzyme ) used as a metabolic marker in order to avoid plasmid loss by asymmetric segregation after replication in the bacterial cells , the plasmid carrying the heterologous antigen gene usually maintained within the attenuated bacteria under selective pressure using an antibiotic resistance gene included into the plasmid . since the use of a vaccine strain with an antibiotic resistant ability is not appropriate for human use , a metabolic gene inserted into the plasmid to complement a disabled cellular function of the host as a feasible alternative for selective pressure . therefore , to maintain the plasmid in the bacteria as long as possible , the ampicillin resistance gene in pet21a vector was replaced by the aspartate dehydrogenase gene ( asd ). the vaccine strain we have selected is an asd mutant that requires diaminopimelic acid ( dap ) to grow . since this metabolite is not present in mammalian extracellular fluids , insertion of the asd gene in the e . coli pet21a vector will replace the requirement of dap for the mutant to grow . in addition , the insertion of the asd gene interrupts the ampicillin resistance gene , causing its inactivation . for this purpose it was necessary to obtain the asd gene from e . coli k - 12 , and to insert it into the pet21a vector containing the tbpb gene , as described in the following paragraph . the amplification reaction was done in 25 μl final volume of a buffer containing 20 mm tris - hcl , ph 8 . 4 ; 50 mm kcl ; 1 . 5 mm mgcl 2 , and 200 μm of each desoxiribonucleoside triphosphate ( datp , dgtp , dctp and dttp ), and 0 . 5 μm each primer ( 50 pmol / 100 ul ). chromosomal dna from e . coli k12 strain was isolated by the grimberg et al . method ( 1989 ) and used as template . primers were designed from the nucleotide sequence of the asd gene ( haziza , 1982 ), included promoter region and the translation stop codon , and restriction sites as indicated : the actact sequence corresponds to the recognition site of the scai enzyme ( underlined ), necessary to include the amplified fragment in the scai site contained in the middle of the ampicillin resistance gene in the vector . the sequence ggatcc ( boldface ) corresponding to a bamhi site was included as an alternative approach . the amplification and purification conditions of the asd gene were similar to that described earlier for the tbpb gene , except that taq polymerase enzyme and the corresponding buffer provided with the polymerase were used during amplification procedure . 3 . 2 .— ligation of the fragment containing the asd gene from e . coli to the pgem - t vector and then subcloned into the pet21a vector . the amplified fragment was purified and ligated to the pgem - t vector and then used to transform dh5α cells by electroporation . transformed bacteria were selected in luria - agar plates containing 100 μg / ml ampicillin . the plasmid was extracted from a positive clone with the following standard procedure here described . the asd gene cloned into the pgem - t vector was obtained by digestion with the scai enzyme and a 1 . 2 kb fragment was purified from an agarose gel with a plasmid dna purification kit . then , the asd gene was ligated into the pet21a vector carrying the tbpb gene and previously linearized with the scai enzyme . the scai site is located within the ampicillin resistance gene , thus this strategy allowed at the same time the inclusion of the asd gene and inactivation of the ampicillin resistance gene . the conditions for this ligation varied slightly from the ones described by sambrook et al ., ( 1989 ) since this fragment had blunt ends . clones containing pet21a plasmid carrying the asd gene from e . coli k12 are shown in fig6 . transformation of the e . coli χ6212 asd mutant strain with the modified vector containing the asd wild type gene after transformation of e . coli χ6212 cells with the modified plasmid vector , they become independent of dap metabolite but , and the plasmid is stably conserved since it carries the asd wild type gene . the e . coli χ6212 strain genotype is : φ80d laczm1 deor δ ( laczya - argf ) u169 supe44 λ − gyra96 ( nal r ) reca1 rela1 enda1 , δasd a4 δzhf - 2 :: tn 10 , hsdr17 ( r − m + ). thus , the pet21a / tbpb / asd prototype vector was transferred to this strain by electroporation as it has been previously described . after colony selection process in absence of dap , clone 10 carrying plasmid pet / tbpb / asd was characterized . in order to assure that the ampicillin resistance gene was indeed inactivated and replaced by asd , parallel cultures were incubated in the presence of 100 μg / ml ampicillin . in addition clone 10 grew in plates that had no dap , demonstrating that this clone carried a functional asd gene and also that ampicillin gene was inactive . transfer of the pet21a / tbpb / asd plasmid from the e . coli χ6212 strain to the salmonella typhimurium χ3730 strain and expression of the tbpb gene in salmonella in order to achieve the expression of the tbpb antigen from neisseria meningitides b : 4 : nt strain into the salmonella vaccine strain it was first necessary to transfer the dual plasmid to the salmonella typhimurium χ3730 strain , for two reasons : i ).— this is a strain that has an altered system of dna modification - restriction because a mutation in the restriction enzyme gene . it methylates foreign dna ( the required plasmids for tbpb antigen expression ) but does not degrade it , facilitating the transfer of plasmids into the vaccine strain which is a wild type restriction enzyme system . a previous passage of plasmid dna through strain χ3730 methylates this dna avoiding degradation when transferred into the vaccine strain , since both strains share the same restriction - modification system but s . typhimurium χ3730 strain only methylates foreign dna increasing transformation efficiency when plasmid dna is introduced into the vaccine strain . ii ) the s . typhimurium χ3730 strain is asd - mutant . thus the incorporation of a plasmid containing a wild type asd gene ensures the independence from dap under determined growth conditions , giving stability to the pet21a / tbpb / asd plasmid construction , since asd gene is required for bacterial survival . that has been previously constructed . the s . typhimurium χ3730 strain genotype is : leu hsdl gale trpd2 rpsl120 ( str r ) δasda1 δ [ zhf - 4 :: tn10 ] mete551 meta22 hsdsa hsdb ilv . in addition , this strain already carried the pgp1 - 2 plasmid . this plasmid contains the rna polymerase gene from t7 phage allowing the expression of the tbpb gene cloned in pet21a because is under the control of the t7 promoter . the s . typhimurium χ3730 / pgp1 - 2 strain was transformed with the pet / tbpb / asd plasmid . the s . typhimurium χ3730 / pgp1 - 2 intermediate strain is a hsd mutant with r − m + phenotype , in contrast to the vaccine strain that is r + m + . the dual system includes the pet - derivative plasmid with the gene to be expressed under the control of the t7 promoter ( p t7 ) and the pgp1 - 2 plasmid ( tabor and richardson , 1985 ) that provides the t7 rna polymerase ( see fig7 ). the expression is triggered by abruptly raise of the incubation temperature from 30 ° c . to 42 ° c ., since the t7 rna polymerase gene , contained in the pgp1 - 2 plasmid is under the left promoter of phage λ ( λ p l ) which depends on temperature raise to function . this promoter is permanently inhibited by the temperature sensitive repressor cl857 , when the temperature is under 30 ° c . thus , cl857 repressor inhibits transcription at the λ p l promoter at 30 ° c . but the repressor becomes active after the culture temperature within these cells raises briefly to 42 ° c . the repressor is inactivated inducing the t7 rna polymerase gene . thus , this enzyme promotes transcription of genes cloned in the pet vector family . because of this , tbpb gene cloned in pet21a is under the control of p t7 , specifically recognized by the t7 rna polymerase . pet21a plasmids ( and its derivatives ) and pgp1 - 2 plasmids are compatible to share the same bacterial cell and are not excluded once inside the bacterium . this is due to their different replication origins ( cole1 and pa15 ) and also they carry different resistance markers , amp and kan , respectively ( ausubel , 1991 ), facilitating the selection pressure . furthermore , pet21a / tbpb construction has already been modified so , instead of presenting ampicillin resistance it carries a wild type asd gene that allows the strain to growth in the absence of dap . transformation has been done by electroporation as previously described and the selection in luria medium without dap and with kanamicyn 50 ug / ml . to verify the presence of both plasmids , 4 colonies were chose from the isolated clones , and the presence of both plasmids was verified by alkaline lysis ( bimboim and doly , 1979 ) with a modification described by sambrook et al ., ( 1989 ), or alternatively , using the appropriate qiagen kit , following provider instructions . two of the selected colonies had both plasmids . 5 . 2 .— expression assays for e . coli ( de3 ) derivatives under iptg inducible promoters . two milliliters of luria broth containing the appropriate selection agent were inoculated with 0 . 1 ml of saturated culture containing the clones of interest and inocula were incubated with shaking at 37 ° c . until od 600 reached 0 . 5 . then , to induce the expression of recombinant proteins , 1 mm iptg was added to the cultures and incubated during 4 hours . cell lysates and the western blot analyses were done as previously mentioned . 5 . 3 .— expression assays using the dual plasmid system for salmonella strains . the dual system consists of the pgp1 - 2 plasmid ( kan r ), containing the t7 rna polymerase under the control of the thermo inducible λ p l phage promoter and of the plasmid derived from pet21a containing the gene of interest under the control of the t7 promoter and the asd gene inserted in this plasmid as a metabolic marker . inoculation of clones carrying the asd gene was done in 2 ml of luria with 50 μg / ml kanamycin ( clones with asd gene ) using 50 μl ( 1 : 40 dilution ) of saturated cultures grown overnight with continuous shaking at 30 ° c ., in the case of e . coli , or at 37 ° c . in the case of s . typhimurium . cultures were grown until a od 600 of 0 . 4 - 0 . 6 was reached — then , iptg was added to a final concentration of 1 mm and cultures were kept in an incubation bath at 42 ° c . for 30 min to induce the expression of genes of interest under the control of t7 promoter in the pet vector . total extracts of induced cultures were prepared and analyzed by western blot as described below . 5 . 4 .— expression of tbpb antigen in s . typhimurium χ3730 assayed by western blot . four colonies carrying the tbpb gene were assayed . all presented a similar level of expression after induction with iptg , as demonstrated by western blot results ( fig8 ). this technique was done as described by towbin et al ., ( 1979 ) and it is based upon the recognition of the antigen with specific antibodies . proteins present in bacterial lysates were previously separated by sds - polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis ( laemmli , 1970 ) and transferred to nitrocellulose membranes . the unstained gel containing the separated proteins was deposited into an electrotransfer system that consists of a sponge over which is set a whatman 3 mm filter paper , followed by the gel with the proteins , the nitrocellulose membrane , another filter paper and finally , another sponge . all this setting was supported between two perforated plastic plates . this system was submerged in a chamber containing the transfer solution ( 25 mm tris - hcl , ph 8 . 4 ; 192 mm glycine and 20 % methanol ), carefully leaving the nitrocellulose towards the anode (+ electrode ) and the gel towards the cathode . the electrotransfer was carried out at 200 ma during 1 h . the nitrocellulose sheet with the electrotransferred proteins , was incubated in a blocking solution of pbs containing 1 % of non - fat milk and incubated at room temperature during 45 min or at 4 ° c . for 10 h with continuous shakingtirring . after blockade of filter free sites , the nitrocellulose filter was incubated during 60 min at room temperature with rabbit polyclonal serum ( 1 : 1000 dilution ) in pbs - 1 % milk solution . the non specific binding of antibodies was eliminated by 3 consecutive 5 min washes with washing solution ( pbs - 0 . 1 % tween 20 ). the specific binding of antibodies to the trpb present in the nitrocellulose , were visualized by incubation during one hour at room temperature with an anti - rabbit igg antibody , conjugated to horse radish peroxidase ( diluted 1 : 1000 ) in the blocking solution ( pbs - 1 % milk ). after washing as previously described , the conjugate was revealed by incubation of the nitrocellulose with 50 ml of 50 mm tris - hcl ph 7 . 4 containing 150 mm nacl , to which 30 mg of 4 - chloro - α - 1 - naphthol previously dissolved in 10 ml of cold methanol and 200 μl of 30 % hydrogen peroxide were added . the reaction was stopped by extensive washing with distilled water . plasmid transfer from s . typhimurium χ3730 strain to the attenuated s . typhimurium χ4550 strain for the expression of the tbpb antigen . from the s . typhimurium χ3730 clones that expressed the tbpb antigen , four containing the pet - tbpb / asd and pgp1 - 2 plasmids were selected . plasmids containing modified methylation pattern were isolated and introduced by electroporation into the s . typhimurium χ4550 vaccine strain . the selection was done by growing with 50 μg / ml kanamycin 50 ug / ml and in the absence of dap . grown colonies of each construction were picked up , and the above described plasmid analysis and expression studies were carried out to these transformants . five pettbpb / asd plus pgp1 - 2 containing colonies expressed tbpb . the expression of this antigen was determined by western blot analysis as described before ( fig9 ). mice immunization with the attenuated oral vaccine ( s . typhimurium χ4550 ) expressing tbpb to evaluate the antigen as inducer of protective humoral response against n . meningitidis . to determine if tbpb will be a suitable antigen to develop an oral live vaccine against the infection by n . meningitidis , the ability to induce specific antibodies after mice immunization through intra gastric pathway with the s . typhimurium χ4550 and the corresponding antigen was evaluated . for this purpose , balb / c mice were used and divided in groups of 8 individuals , which were immunized following the steps described below . 7 . 1 — preparation of the bacterial suspension with the vaccine strain that expresses tbpb . using a saturated inoculum , the culture was grown under continuous shaking ( 250 rpm ) in luria broth containing the selection agent at 37 ° c . until a od 600 of 0 . 4 to 0 . 6 was obtained . cells were recovered from an 1 ml aliquot by centrifugation and were resuspended in 4 parts of pbs and 1 part of 7 . 5 % sodium bicarbonate in a total volume of 200 μl . the bacterial population of the suspension was estimated by extrapolating the od 600 in a growth curve previously established , then it was adjusted to a 1 × 10 7 cfu that was confirmed by counting the number of viable bacteria after seeding appropriate dilutions in luria broth agar plates . 7 . 2 — counting the number of s . typhimurium χ4550 ( vaccine strain ) viable cells carrying recombinant plasmids . clones of interest were grown at different stages in luria broth with the appropriate selection agent , under shaking at 30 ° c . o 37 ° c ., according to the case , until an od 600 of 0 . 2 , 0 . 4 , 0 . 6 , 0 . 8 and 1 . 0 was reached . aliquots in each of these points in the growing culture with convenient dilutions in luria agar plates were seeded . after overnight incubation , colonies were counted and the number of colony forming units ( cfu ) per ml of culture was obtained . these values were an average of at least 2 independent assays . moreover , with these data and the time variable , a growth curve was elaborated . groups of 8 females , pathogen free balb / c mice , aged 8 - 12 weeks were obtained from the animal facility of the facultad de ciencias , pontificia universidad católica de chile . these mice were immunized by oral route , applying the bacterial dose through a gastric probe of approximately 25 gauge × ¾ t . w . ( 0 . 5 × 19 mm ) diameter . the primary immunization consisted of 3 doses administered in a 6 days period , containing 1 × 10 7 cfu / 200 μl ( od 600 = 0 . 4 ) and a booster or secondary immunization as a unique dose ( 1 × 10 7 cfu ) six weeks later . one day before immunization process started ( pre - immune samples ) and 10 days after booster immunization , serum , saliva and feces samples were obtained . before obtaining samples and in order to facilitate animal manipulation , mice were partially anesthetized with cotton containing a few drops of ethylic ether . sera were obtained by centrifugation of 100 to 150 μl blood samples , collected through eye retro - orbital pathway with heparinized microcapillars ( marienfeld , germany ). sera were kept at − 70 ° c . until used . feces of each mouse were collected ( approximately 100 mg ) and pbs with sodium azide 0 . 02 % was added . after strong mixing in a vortex , a suspension was obtained . it was then centrifuged and the supernatant was kept under − 70 ° c . until it was used . antibody detection in saliva was omitted in this study because of lack of reproducibility in the collected volume , and in general , by the small amount of antibodies present in this fluid . to detect antibodies in mice sera and feces it was necessary to prepare a large amount of purified tbpb antigen to immobilize in the elisa plates . protein separation was done according to every and green ( 1982 ) in preparative sds - polyacrylamide gels ( 15 × 13 × 0 . 3 cm ), fifteen ml samples of bacterial cultures of clones expressing tbpb in optimal conditions were used as source of protein . the electrophoresis requires 18 to 20 h at 50 v . to avoid protein staining , bands were visualized with 0 . 1 m kcl . the gel was cut in the band of interest , fractionated into small pieces and put into an electroelution chamber ( eluter , bio - rad ). tbpb was obtained with a moderate yield and in reduced concentration due to its big size ( approximately 80 kda ). to evaluate the obtained protein concentration , markwell method ( 1978 ), a modification of that described by lowry in 1951 was used . alternatively , protein amount in aliquots of the electroeluted protein were compared to bsa dilutions of known concentration , after separation by sds - page electrophoresis . comparison of the intensity of coomasie blue staining obtained for different bsa concentrations allowed to estimate the approximate amount of protein obtained after electroelution . in order to optimize the elisa assays , the binding efficiency of the antigen was increased by the addition of the commercial protein pegotina ™ during this process . an aliquot of 100 μl of pegotina ™ ( 2 ug / ml diluted in pbs , bioschile i . g . s . a .) was added to each well from polystyrene 96 wells plates ( nunc , flat bottom ). plates were left overnight at 37 ° c . on the next day , plates were activated by the addition of 100 μl per well of purified tbpb ( 50 ng per well , diluted in pbs ) and incubation at 37 ° c . during 2 h . then , wells were washed 3 times , 10 min each , with pbs - 0 . 02 % tween 20 . non - specific binding sites were blocked with 200 μl pbs - 1 % bsa , by 1 h incubation at room temperature . plates were washed again with pbs - 0 . 02 % tween 20 and dried over adsorbent towel . double serial dilutions in pbs - 1 % bsa of sera and feces extract samples ( 100 μl ) from immunized mice were added to each well . plates were incubated for 1 hour at 37 ° c . and non - specific antibodies were eliminated by washing 3 times with 300 μl of pbs - 0 . 02 % tween 20 during 5 min each time . specific antibodies bound to the protein used to activate the solid phase were detected with mouse anti - igg or anti - iga antibodies conjugated to alkaline phosphatase , diluted according to vendor instructions , and incubated during 30 min at 37 ° c . the excess of conjugated was washed away under the same conditions previously described . specific antibody binding was revealed after incubation with 100 μl of 1 mg / ml pnp solution ( p - nitrophenylphosphate in 97 mm diethanolamine buffer with 3 mm sodium azide , ph 9 . 8 ) during 30 min at room temperature and in a dark room . finally , the reaction was stopped with 50 μl of 3m naoh and the hydrolyzed pnp was determined by absorbance at 405 nm in an elisa reader ( labsystems uniskan ® i , flow laboratories ). a total of two groups of mice were inoculated through the intra gastric via ( one with the tbpb antigen and one control group ) twice ( primary immunization and secondary or booster after 50 days approximately ), with 200 ul of bacterial suspension containing 1 × 10 7 cfu . to determine if these antigens induced serum igg and iga antibodies in mucosal secretions ( feces ), blood and feces samples were taken , one month after the primary immunization and 10 days after the booster . also , samples were taken one day before primary immunization ( pre - immune samples ). elisa assays for anti - tbpb antibody determination , of igg and iga class , were analyzed in two forms . in one form , average elisa values from pre - immune samples were compared to that obtained after primary and secondary immunizations with the vaccine strain expressing tbpb antigen in the serum ( fig1 ) and in feces ( fig1 ). on the other form , antibody titers reached in serum and feces were calculated , determining the highest dilution after which a statistical significant value , higher than that from the corresponding pre - immune samples was obtained ( t student test , p & lt ; 0 . 05 ), for oral immunization with this antigen ( fig1 ). moreover , the antibody response against a total s . typhimurium χ4550 vaccine strain lysate was evaluated . values were obtained measuring od 405 . from the analysis of sample values ( od 405 ) obtained one month after primary immunization , 10 days after secondary immunization , and that of pre - immune samples , it was observed that group 2 of mice ( pet - tpbb / as and pgp1 - 2 constructs , with a dose of 1 . 0 × 10 7 cfu / 100 μl ) had a high antibody response with a 512 titer , statistically significant ( p & lt ; 0 . 05 ) compared to pre - immune serum ( fig1 ). this result was not observed in the pbs control group ( no significant difference was found between od 405 from the sample obtained after the primary immunization and that from the pre - immune sample ). these observations strongly suggest that in this group intestinal colonization occurred by the vaccine strain and , therefore an appropriate stimulation with the tbpb antigen was expected . fecal samples from mice groups immunized with tbpb presented od 405nm values higher that those of the respective pbs control group . fecal anti - tbpb iga titer obtained after the secondary response was 16 ( fig1 ) in mice that received a booster 30 days after the primary immunization . to infer the protective effect of anti - tbpb antibodies produced after the immunization process , it was proposed to measure the bactericidal activity of anti - tbpb iggs . for this purpose , we followed the procedure described by robki et al ., ( 1997 ) with modifications of a protocol for the assay of the bactericidal activity of the national center for infectious diseases , c . d . c ., atlanta , ga ., u . s . a . a scheme of this assay is shown in fig1 . as the pathogen for this assay , neisseria meningitidis b4 :: nt strain from year 1993 ( isp strain ) was used . an aliquot of n . meningitidis stored in glycerol at − 70 ° c . was taken , and successive passages of them into agar brain - heart plates with incubations at 37 ° c . in 5 % co 2 ( approximately 3 days ) to obtain a confluent bacterial growth were made . then , one colony was diluted into 4 ml of hanks solution ( 4 mm nahco 3 , 0 . 5 % glucose , 0 . 1 % bsa fraction v ), ph 7 . 2 , until a meningococcal suspension was obtained and adjusted to 1 × 10 5 cfu / ml to which 2 . 5 u / ml heparin were added ( 1 : 50 dilution ). twenty five microliters of hanks solution , 25 μl of immunized mice serum ( primary immunization and booster diluted until 1 : 1024 ), 10 μl of pathogenic bacteria adjusted to 1 × 10 5 cfu / ml , and 15 μl of normal human plasma as a source of complement were added to each well of a sterile microtiter plate . controls used were : bacteria viability control ( 40 μl of hanks buffer and 10 μl of same bacteria dilution ), complement control ( 25 μl of hanks buffer plus 10 μl of bacteria and 15 μl of plasma ), pre - immune mice serum control ( 25 μl serum plus 10 μl of bacteria and 15 μl of plasma ). after the addition of all components , the mixture was incubated at 37 ° c . during 30 min , time after which 100 μl of soy - tryptone agar ( 0 . 9 %) was added avoided bubble formation . it was left overnight at 37 ° c . in 5 % co 2 . bactericidal activity was determined by counting colonies in serial dilutions with the aid of a microscope . for this assay immunized mice sera were used and the results obtained ( table i ) indicated that serum from mouse 24 contained anti - tbpb antibodies with 79 . 8 % bactericide efficiency in the 1 / 32 dilution from booster serum , therefore its bactericidal calculated titer was 32 . ceesay s j , allen s j , menon a , todd j e , cham k , carlone g m , turner s h , gheesling l l , dewitt w , plikaytis b d , et al . ( 1993 ). decline in meningococcal antibody levels in african children 5 years after vaccination and the lack of an effect of booster immunization . j infect dis . 167 : 1212 - 1216 . constantino p , viti s , podda a , velmonte m a , nencioni l , rappuoil r . ( 1992 ). development and phase 1 clinical testing or a conjugate vaccine against meningococcus a and c . vaccine . 10 : 691 - 698 . coppens i , alonso s , antoine r , jacob - dubuisson f , reauld - mongenie g . jacobs e , locht c . ( 2001 ). production or neisseria meningitidis transferrin - binding protein b by recombinant bordetella pertussis . infect . immun . 69 : 5440 - 5446 . curtiss iii r , goldschmidt r m , fletchall n b , kelly s m . ( 1988 ). avirulent . salmonella typhimurium δcya δ crp oral vaccine strains expressing a streptococcal colonization and virulence antigen vaccine 6 : 155 - 160 . de kleijn e , van eijndhoven l , vermont c , kuipers b , van dijken h , rumke h , de groot r , van alphen l , van denn dobbelsteen g . ( 2001 ). serum bactericidal activity and isotype distribution of antibodies in toddlers and schoolchildren after vaccination with rivm hexavalent pora vesicle vaccine . vaccine 20 : 352 - 358 . de moraes j c , perkins b a , camargo m c , hidalgo n t , barbosa h a , sacchi c t , landgraf i m , gattas v l , vasconcelos hde g , et al . ( 1992 ). protective efficacy of a serogroup b meningococcal vaccine in sao paulo , brazil . lancet . 340 : 1074 - 1078 . erratum in : lancet 1992 december 19 - 26 ; 340 ( 8834 - 8835 ): 1554 . gral i m . ( corrected to landgraf i m . diaz - romero j . and outschoorn y . ( 1994 ). current status of meningococcal group b vaccine candidates : capsular or non capsular ? clin . microbiol . rev . 7 : 559 - 575 . gotschlich e . c ., goldschneider i . artenstein m . s . ( 1969 ). human immunity to the meningococcus . iv . immunogenicity of group a and group c meningococcal polysaccharide in humans volunteers . j . exp . med . 129 : 1367 - 1384 . granoff d m , moe g r , guiliani m m , adu - bobie j , santini l brunelli b piccinetti f , zuno - mitchell p , lee s s , neri p , bracci l , lozzi l , rapppuoil r . ( 2001 ). a novel mimetic antigen eliciting protective antibody to neisseria meningitidis . j . immunol . 167 : 6487 - 6496 . grimberg j , maguire s , belluscio l . ( 1989 ). a simple method for the preparation of plasmid and chromosomal e . coli dna . nucl . acids res . 17 . 8893 martin s , sadler f , borrow r , dawson m , fox a cartwright k . ( 2001 ). igg antibody subclass responses determined by immunoblot in infants &# 39 ; sera following vaccination with a meningococcal recombinant hexavalent pora omv vaccine . vaccine . 19 : 4404 - 4408 . robki b , mignon m , maitre - wilmotte g , lissolo l , danve b , caugant d a quentin_millet m j . ( 1997 ). evaluation or recombinant transferring - binding protein b variant from nesseria mengiditidis for their ability to induce cross - reactive and bactericidal antibodies against a genetically diverse collection of serogroup b strains . infect . immun . 65 : 55 - 63 . robki b , renault - mogenie g , miignon m , danve b , poncet d , chabanel c , caugant d a , quentin - millet m j . ( 2000 ). allelic diversity of the 2 transferrin binding protein b gene isotypes among a collection of neisseria meningitidis strains representative of serogroup b disease : implication for the composition of a recombinant tbpb - bases vaccine . infect . immun . 68 : 4938 - 4947 sierra g v , campa h c , varcarel n m , garcia i l , izquierdo p l , sotolongo p f , casanueva g v , rico c o , rodríguez c r , terry m h . ( 1991 ). vaccine against group b neisseria meningitidis : protection trial and mass vaccination results in cuba . nihp ann . 14 : 195 - 207 ; discussion 208 - 10 . west d , reddin k , matheson m , health r , funnell s , hudson m , robinson a , gorringe a . ( 2001 ). recombinant neisseria meningitidis transferring binding protein a protects against experimental meningococcal infection . infect . immun . 69 : 1561 - 1567 . zollinger w d , boslego j , moran e , garcia j , cruz c , ruiz s , brandt b , martinez m , arthur j , underwood p , et al ( 1991 ). meningococcal serogroup b vaccine protection trial and follow - up studies in chile . the chilean national committee for meningococcal disease . nihp ann . 14 : 211 - 212 ; discussion 213 . | 0 |
referring to fig1 a , there is shown a perspective view of an apparatus 10 incorporating features of the present invention . although the present invention will be described with reference to the various embodiments shown in the drawings , it should be understood that the present invention can be embodied in many alternate forms of embodiments . in addition , any suitable size , shape or type of elements or materials could be used . fig1 a shows the basic configuration of the system . a fiber optic or bundle 2 directs light from a source or lamp 4 onto a sample . there may be a transmission window or sight glass 6 that abuts the sample 8 to be studied . a second fiber optic or bundle 10 collects light from the sample and directs it to a spectrometer 12 and / or a detector 14 . in an equivalent configuration , the light entering through bundle 2 may already have been predispersed . the spectrometer 12 may be a photodiode array instrument such as those made by ocean optics or micron optical systems , an aotf such as those made by brimrose , or an ftir such as those made by perkinelmer . to minimize reflections from the glass 6 , the glass may be treated with antireflection coating at the wavelengths used in the system . alternatively , there may be a drop of index matching fluid 16 between the fibers and the glass . another way to minimize back reflections is to rotate the angle at which light from the fibers meet the plane of the glass , as is shown in fig1 b . varying the separation of the fibers will also tend to reduce spurious reflections at various distances between the fibers . in yet another configuration , shown in fig1 c , one or more of the fibers may be positioned with a focusing lens 20 or a collecting lens 22 to allow imaging into portion 24 or from portion 26 of the sample . the sample may be in a flow cell 45 . it is important to note that variation of the focus position and / or the collection position of the lenses is another degree of freedom with which to examine the system , analogous to d . a support block 28 that holds the fibers is attached to a micropositioner 30 , such as a single axis translation stage made by newport corporation , to move the fibers to the desired separation distance d 32 . the translation stage may be driven by a motor which can be interfaced to a computer to provide an integrated method of collecting spectral data at variable inter - fiber spacings , d . when d is close to zero , the system is in the backscattering mode , the standard diffuse reflectance configuration . spectra s d are collected by sets σ with σ consisting of at least one , but generally a plurality of spectra , at specified d values . such sets are called “ movies ” since , in general , they are snapshot spectra done in multiple positions or framers . for example , a set may consist of s 0 , s 2 , s 5 , and s 10 , where the subscripts denote the size of d in millimeters . traditional diffuse reflectance measurements are a special case of σ , containing only s 0 . data may be used in single - beam mode . in a preferred form , data may either be normalized by an absolute intensity as in the method of schmitt and kumar , or the data of σ may be divided by s 0 to observe deviations in the relative amplitude of the peaks of the various spectra . thus , when the effect of increasing d is merely to uniformly increase the path length across the available spectrum , the new ratios , s d / s 0 will all be flat lines . since scattering depends on the ratio of the wavelength of the incident light λ to the size r of the scattering particle ( assumed spherical for simplicity ), when λ / r & gt ;& gt ; 1 , the particle is an isotropic scatterer . for large particles , i . e ., when λ / r ≈ 1 , the scattering tends to beam in the forward direction . two phenomena are anticipated : 1 . as λ / r increases , more light is directed outward toward the large d values . this happens because the isotropically scattered beam has components going in every direction , including parallel to the interface . by contrast , large particles , which scatter in the forward direction , lack a significant component in the direction transverse to the direction of the injected light . of course , it is the presence of multiple scattering that enables detection at significant d values in the first place . 2 . within a spectrum , there is a chromatic effect . for example , for a bandwidth of 800 nm with λ going from 800 nm to 1600 nm there is a wide difference in λ / r ratios . at the blue end , where λ is smallest , particles appear to act larger than at the red end . these phenomenologies can be used to advantage in several ways : a series of σ measurements may be made to represent the time evolution of a mixture as it is being mixed and or milled . in this process particles are frequently made smaller . thus , the scattering properties of the mixture varies , or σ is really σ ( t ) where t is time . at some time t f the mixture will be completed . however , t f may vary due to a variety of external factors such as mixing / milling rate , initial size of particulates , etc . if the σ ( t f ) data is available , then a real time comparison of σ ( t ) can be done . to obtain σ ( t f ) a sample of the product that is considered to be of acceptable quality as determined by whatever standards are normally employed is separately measured . the quality standards will differ from product to product . for a food it might be texture , viscosity , or some other variable or set of variables . for a cosmetic it may be sheen or transparency . nevertheless , each of these acceptably finished products can be linked with a σ simply by measuring a sample . this σ is by definition the σ ( t f ). in general , it will be possible to store a time evolution of σ so that not only will it be possible to determine if a mixture is ready , but also how far along the process it is . fig2 and 3 , which are representations of a σ with only an s 0 , i . e ., a fixed spacing , backscattering probe , show that near ir radiation can be scattered back from particulate matter in liquid dispersions and that the resulting near ir spectrum provides information about both system composition and particle size . additionally , the figures demonstrate that particles may be either self - forming droplets , as emulsions , or solid materials like minerals . it is universally known , that when water and an oil , like canola oil , are shaken together the two liquids form an emulsion . basically globules of oil in water or water in oil are formed . it is also well known , that the shaken system will eventually settle out and the oil phase will once again settle above the water phase . in the process , the moderate size emulsion droplets that had been created upon shaking , agglomerate . they then grow to larger droplets until the “ droplet ” size becomes the whole phase . the spectrum of the emulsion system changes as the emulsion breaks , as seen in fig2 . these spectra were taken with an external galileo probe using an indium antimonide detector . the galileo probe is a fixed spacing , back - scattering fiber optic probe connected via the external port to a perkinelmer ft spectrometer . bright ( 100 +) inkjet paper was used as a neutral reference background , so these reflectance spectra have units analogous to those for transmission spectra , i . e . percent reflected . the prominent water peaks around 1450 nm and 1900 nm are clearly seen in the emulsion reflectance spectra . so , too are the structures of canola oil at 1700 - 1800 nm as well as in the 1200 nm and 2300 nm regions . thus , the system composition spectra can be recognized . but additionally , as a function of time , the spectra move in a downward direction . in other words , as the particles get bigger , the spectrum shifts downward . the number of particles is also decreasing since virtually all the oil in this 25 % oil emulsion system is used up to make droplets . as the droplet size increases , the additional oil comes at the expense of sacrificing other particles . in this case there is also a moderate shape change as evidenced by the difference in the spectra below 1350 nm and again between 1600 and 1900 nm . samples of ink in the process of being milled were obtained by removal from the process wet - millers at different stages of completion . fig4 illustrates a downshift in the near ir spectrum in the course of this process . the ink goes from starting as a premix at the very top spectrum , through 2 manufacturing passes and then down to a final product as the lowest spectrum . not all sample spectra move downward in time . other data , not shown , exhibit a rise in spectral position as milling proceeds . the conclusion is that the near - ir spectrum , can in addition to showing details of chemical composition by the position of spectral peaks , also shows the relative particle size of mixtures of particles dispersed in a fluid . these particles could be liquid themselves , as with emulsions , or they could be solid materials as with the inks and dyes . emulsions are intrinsically unstable mixtures . it is frequently necessary to know the stability lifetimes for a variety of products . for example , the anticipated shelf life of creams and foods is in part determined by the phase stability of the product . since the invention is a sensitive detector of both scattering ( relating to particle size ) and absorption ( relating to chemical composition ), it is useful in determining the status of an emulsion by moving the fiber optic probes to scan along the height h s 44 of a container with emulsion filled to height h e 42 , as shown in fig4 . the light source or lamp 4 , and the spectrometer , 12 are shown . the apparatus can be moved vertically along the column of a separating emulsion 40 . initially , all σ will be virtually identical since the system is approximately uniform . as the system begins its phase separation , an interface will form , shown at height h i and σ will vary . for example , if the intial mixture were a simple oil and water emulsion , the σ data will evolve such that ultimately there will be a uniform set of them along the bottom section of the column , corresponding to the water phase , and a very different set of σ values in the upper part of the column for the oil phase . however , considerably before full separation , it will be apparent that there is a discontinuous change in the σ pattern . this discontinuity corresponds to the interface that is evolving . in principle , only one measurement , taken at a constant spacing , d , which could be zero , may be needed . however , by taking multiple frames at differing inter - fiber separations , the analysis may be improved . another objective of the invention is to determine average particle size and / or particle size distribution . inasmuch as both the magnitude of light at increasing d values ( item 1 above ) and the relative amount of modification ( or distortion ) of the backscattered spectrum s 0 as seen at higher d values ( item 2 above ) are a byproduct of particle size , there is data to be mined . another feature to consider is that scattering behaves as λ − n where n goes from approximately 4 in the rayleigh ( small particle ) regime to & lt ; 1 in the mie ( large particle ) regime . a way to process this data is to use samples of colloidal suspensions , preferably ones that can be diluted , and independently determine particle size . next perform a multivariate analysis on σ to extract the information . an example is a suspension of paint pigment , which unlike emulsion droplets , can be diluted in a routine manner . the diluted sample can then be measured with correlation techniques ( dynamic light scattering ). polydispersity or average particle size can be forward modeled from the equations in scmitt and kumar &# 39 ; s work simply by summing up the results from their calculations on monodisperse materials . despite the fact that their calculation in equation 1 from the cited reference is the result of a random diffusion model , their results are dependent on entirely measurable quantities . thus , in their modeling , they predict the reflectance of a system based on absorption coefficients , volume fractions of materials , surface reflectivities and , importantly , scattering cross sections . these cross sections are themselves based on mean volume of spheres . thus , for a measured reflectance and with all other properties but size known , a trial - and - error fit can be made to match the observed spectrum to the various trial particle sizes . furthermore , the spectra calculated by schmitt and kumar are functions of the inter - fiber distances . by making a plurality of measurements at differing fiber spacings , a suite of spectra can be obtained . a best fit of the predicted spectra to the suite as a function of spacing using the estimated particle size would provide an optimal result . this method could be extended to trial distributions of particles to fit a hypothesized particle size distribution to the measured reflectance . ideally , this would be after selection of a size probability distribution and integrating over particle size . thus , for example , if one assumed n different particle sizes , one could generate n diffusion equations and sum them up , suitably weighted , to give an overall prediction of spectral changes form polydisperse mixtures . utilizing a probe with a variable distance between the fiber that injects light into the sample ( the sender ) and the fiber that collects the reflected light ( the receiver ), results in different positions providing variable overall intensities . fig5 shows a suite of such spectra for a finished commercial cream . when a fixed probe is used , comparison between different samples can be achieved simply by overlaying their respective spectra and noting variations . the customary way to do this is to subtract one spectrum from the other . the closer the residuals are to zero , the more nearly alike are the two spectra , and therefore , the more nearly alike are the samples themselves . the analogous situation when comparing the suite of spectra , called the movie , is shown in fig6 . this , too , is a subtraction , but it generates a two - dimensional surface because the individual movie frames are plotted one behind the other in a 3 - arrangement . if the sample is finished product , its movie is the same as that of the movie of fig6 . the 3 - d plot then collapses into a flat sheet at zero because all of the respective frames have matched spectra . in fact , the data at the higher frame numbers appears to be very close to zero , providing the impression that the two samples are well - matched at higher frame numbers . such a conclusion would be misleading for the following reason : as fig5 shows , the raw spectral data is much smaller at high frame numbers than at low ones . consequently , subtracting two small numbers is bound to leave a small number as a remainder . for the early frames , where signals can exceed 30 , 000 counts , even a 3 % variation is 900 counts , a value larger than some of the spectra in the later frames . to improve the balance of the subtraction , a weighted difference is taken in place of the raw difference . in one implementation the two spectra in a particular frame number are subtracted from each other , as before , but in addition the difference is divided by the spectrum of the finished product in a point - by - point manner . this scheme provides equal weighting to all the frames . naturally , a more complex set of weights may be assigned if unequal weighting is appropriate . for example , a weighting that is proportional to the magnitude of the signal or to the square root of the signal might be chosen , where by “ signal ” the integrated area under the curve is meant . other possibilities for defining signal could be considered . in effect , a fractional change in the spectrum is calculated . see fig7 . under these conditions , the smoothness in the high - frame - number region is now replaced with a bumpy ( positive and negative deviations ) structure . the process of normalizing the data to provide a fractional difference rather than an absolute difference is seen therefore to improve the ability to discern variations in the data that are real and independent of frame number . this tool can be applied to a set of samples measured on the near ir instrument . the objective is to determine which samples appear to be most similar to other samples and , correspondingly , which are most different . since the objective is to find the degree of dissimilarity between samples , the best way to begin this effort is by taking multiple data sets on a single sample . thus , three runs were performed on each particular sample , with the container moved to a fresh location between runs . inasmuch as these data should be very close to each other , this triplet sets a minimum standard of variation that should be expected to be detectable . 1 . taking the mean spectrum of all three runs for each frame . 2 . subtracting the mean spectrum from each of the three using the weighting previously described . 3 . tabulating the results according to frame number . table 1 shows reproducibility errors of 5 creams as a function of frame number . the table entries can be considered to be the overall percent error of mismatch between the specific run and the mean of the three runs . thus , the errors are the difference between the mean of the three runs and the individual spectra . the larger deviation errors in the higher frames could be a useful indicator for unequal weighting of the subtraction data . for example , the weighting could be set to be inversely proportional to the deviation . if frame 10 is ( arbitrarily ) chosen as the benchmark , samples a , c , d and e appear to reproduce to about 7 % or better , but sample b shows mismatches as high as 180 %. this enormous error is fortuitous . the attempt to put all the frames on an equal footing by taking a ratio of the differences to one of the spectra has a built - in limitation at numbers near zero . reference is made to fig8 as an example . an artifact is introduced in attempting to weight data points with very small numbers to the same degree as the larger amplitude points . to reduce the effect of this undesired situation , another technique is added : windowing . the region ( window ) from pixels 90 to 130 is cut out of the data analysis entirely . when this is done , the errors in all the points in table 1 go down in magnitude . the summary for frame 10 can be seen in table 2 . three out of the five examples provide excellent repeatability when the bottom - scraping data points are eliminated . a fourth one , a , provides respectable results . b , though much improved is clearly an example of poor data . this suggests that the integrity of a sample data set should be inspected prior to moving on to another sample . a closer look at fig8 shows that at high bin values , ( approximately 240 ), there is another drop in the spectrum toward zero . a comparison between b and another sample is illustrative of what a good quality control measure can provide . fig9 is a plot of fractional differences of one movie ( of three ) and a mean movie . referring in particular to sample c , most of the variation occurs in the region of the window excised , i . e . pixels 90 − 130 . the dynamic range is − 4 to + 8 . in fig1 , one of the sample - b movies is generated under comparable conditions to those of fig9 . not only is the amplitude of the variation in the 90 - 130 region dramatically higher for b , but there is also a huge variation in the 225 + region . no other samples have this problem . it is possible that random instrument drift may account for some of the difference , however , variation in the second region was not accounted for , though it could have been . in other words , by adding more windows , problems of variability may be diminished . a reasonable general rule that would be helpful in ensuring that measured variations are the result of real spectral differences rather than fluctuations near zero is all regions that have data within an ε of zero should be windowed out to the data points that are nε . naturally , ε and n are particular to each system and are largely dependent on the noise . for example , a selection may be made to window out regions of the spectrum , which are less than 10 times the value of the noise . clearly , this could be a larger burden for the higher frames of the movie since , in general , their signal is lower than that of the early frames . fractional differences are simply the difference of the individual run and the mean of the three runs divided by the mean of the three runs . once the quality of individual samples is determined then variations between samples can be reliably quantified . the mean value of each of the samples is compared in table 3 . in accordance with the invention , one way to carry out reproducibility measurements during on - line operation is to allow the sample to flow . in this way , every movie is taking measurements on fresh sample , not measured previously . this is the equivalent of moving the sample cup to examine different parts of the sample as done in the laboratory . thus , a plurality of measurements , i . e . of movies , can be made during operation to ascertain the degree of reproducibility of in - line measurements . naturally , this process is limited to those samples which themselves do not change appreciably during the measurement time of replicate movies . for example , if a movie takes 90 seconds to complete , three movies could take about 5 minutes . for a process that is completed in 15 minutes , this duration is much too long . the sample would undoubtedly be altered during this time . in such a situation , single movies done either on the flowing sample , or preferentially on a static sample , would be a favored approach . on the other hand , for a multi - hour process , five minutes of sample observation is likely to be the equivalent of a single point in time , with a virtually constant composition . when a diffuse reflectance spectrum is measured with sufficient s / n to constitute a repeatable signal to within a specified tolerance , deviations from repeatability are indicators of a changing sample . the meaning of repeatable signal could be defined in at least two ways . the simpler method would be to look at the overall intensity of the signal by integrating the area under the spectral curve . this is equivalent to having a single detector that does not break the scattered light into a spectrum , but looks at the intensity of the overall beam . a more sophisticated way would be to calculate the rms difference of subsequent spectra to quantify the variation . this is a particularly useful method when the inhomogeneity derives from poorly dispersed constituents , generating spectral differences because of compositional variations . for an unchanging sample , there will be some variation of the diffuse reflectance spectrum attributable to random noise , instrument drift and other either controllable or uncontrollable variables . it is vital to know the repeatability limits of the instrument . when measurements are made showing non - repeatable results , i . e . spectra outside the expected limits of error of the instrument , these results are indicative of a change in the sample . since most on - line measurements of mixing / milling processes are done on flowing systems , the spectral result is really due to an average over a volume of material . for example , a near - ir fiber optic probe could be on a portal in a vat looking into a stirred stream ; directly immersed into the stirred stream ; or , at a sample cell that is part of a slip stream whereby some of the dispersion from the vat is pumped out and through the cell and generally allowed to return to the vat . during the measurement interval a volume proportional to the measurement time passes through the detection region . as the detection time is increased , more fluid flows by and greater amounts of the dispersion are averaged . conversely , shortening the measurement time is equivalent to looking at smaller volumes of the dispersion . now it is typically true that the larger the volume examined , the greater the degree of apparent homogeneity . items present in low abundance , particularly large aggregates will appear to fluctuate greatly in number when small volumes are chosen . this result is a simple consequence of the standard deviation being proportional to the square root of the number of elements , n , and the relative deviation is just the inverse of this quantity or n − 1 / 2 . as n gets larger , the relative error decreases . a common way to manually assess the homogeneity of a dispersion is to remove a sample and place it between to microscope slides . then it can be held to a light and examined for uniformity . an improved , automated way to achieve the same goal , is to examine the near - ir ( or indeed any other radiation that can be scattered from the dispersion ) as a function of integration time of the measurement . for example , if a measurement is done over a 15 second interval , sampling the volume that traverses the probe in that time , the same type of measurement may be done over briefer intervals , say 10 seconds , 5 seconds , 1 second . the only criterion is that the repeatability of the system at these different integration times must be kept in mind . these criteria had previously been established with unchanging samples . thus , the homogeneity of the system can be derived from the time scale of integration , which is equivalently proportional to the volume of material , needed to obtain consistent results within the criteria of reproducibility . the mixing / milling process frequently has multiple requirements including full dispersion of the chemicals and a grinding down of particle size . the time scales for each of the activities must be kept in mind . for example , the system may have rapidly become homogeneous but is undergoing constant and significant particle size reduction . this event , however , would be detectable by the consistent ( monotonic ) change in the series of spectra . an inhomogeneous system would have , on average , as many upward and downward fluctuations in the spectral data . the quality of homogeneity of a dispersion undergoing a particular manufacturing process can be quantified by looking at the time scale needed to achieve repeatability of the signal . when doing so , it is important to make sure that flow rates are taken into consideration since a faster slipstream for example , would mean a greater amount of material per unit time and would give the illusion of greater homogeneity . it is good practice to fix the flow conditions to a specified reference standard before making conclusions about uniformity of the dispersion . for a manufacturing process done according to a fixed protocol , the integration time procedure is a useful method of judging how close a product &# 39 ; s uniformity is to that of previous successful products . a second measurement port may alternatively be used in the mixer either instead of or in addition the probe that observes the mixture . this would be a dual purpose cell capable of measuring either in transmission or reflectance to examine incoming material and compare its spectrum to a database of known materials . in one embodiment , the sample cell would be multiplexed to make either type of measurement . in the other , only a transmission or a reflectance measurement would be needed . for example , in the manufacture of dispersions comprised entirely of transparent liquid materials , only a transmission cell would be needed . in the case of a more complex mixture involving powders , a dual cell would be appropriate , or just a diffuse reflectance cell for the case that only the powders are of concern . the cell may have a single light source and a fiber or other optical method to couple diffuse reflectance from the front surface . it would also be equipped with a fiber at the rear of the cell opposite the illumination , for transmission measurements . in another embodiment , no fiber optics would be necessary ; a detector would be inline . another way to implement this cell would be in series , where the first cell is in transmission mode and the second is in reflectance , or vice versa . as material is added , the spectra are taken . for a given flow rate measured with an auxiliary device , the amount of material inserted can be determined by the duration of time that the spectrum of the particular material is measured . alternatively , a weighing device may be used . a computer or similar storage device records this information for later retrieval to validate the addition of proper components . in a preferred embodiment , the full mixture is monitored with the near - ir , as well , to verify that that the particle size and overall composition of the mixture is as required . fig1 shows autocorrelation data from laser light scattering in three cream samples . notwithstanding that the classical diffusion theory is suspended for interpretation of the data , the fact that reproducible correlation functions are obtainable is significant . the objective is to be able to associate particular correlation functions with specific chemical compositions . in this way , the correlation - data strategy resembles much of the earlier discussion of broadband analyses . both methods rely on the prior knowledge of a defined goal material , and both accumulate standard results which can be stored and used later for comparison with new samples . this association of a particular shape correlation function with a specific product or with a product in a stage of being processed is useful for making distinctions among products with similar appearance . more importantly , it can be used as a set of curves representing a cream or lotion during manufacturing . the correlation measurements can be made on the samples , preferably on - line , during mixing / milling to determine the current state of the system . by comparing the correlation functions to a known set taken as a library reference , the operator can judge the current condition of the process . the process can then be terminated when the curve corresponding to the finished sample is obtained . the raw correlation function is subject to variations that significantly modify its appearance , but in ways unrelated to the chemical system . these artifacts need to be eliminated . first , subtract the theoretical baseline from all of the samples . correlation functions have baselines equal to the product of the total number of counts times the square of the average number of counts per channel . then consider the possible statistical variation in the laser coherence , a phenomenon that is likely to vary significantly in very short time intervals , maybe even as short as a second . this fluctuation impacts the overall amplitude after baseline subtraction . when this fluctuation is taken into consideration simply by normalizing the remaining correlation function , the results shown in fig1 are obtained . this figure shows data taken in triplicate for cream samples in three states of manufacture . there are numerous ways to characterize the evolving correlation functions . one way is to use the standard cumulant analysis , which after the filtering already done is basically a polynomial description of the curve . this can be done to arbitrary order , though in practice it is rarely carried out beyond fourth order . a second way would be to assemble a series of samples and measure their correlation functions and then perform a cluster analysis so that particular formulations would be associated with a given cluster . a measured unknown could be assessed for membership in or proximity to a given cluster . it should be understood that the foregoing description is only illustrative of the invention . various alternatives and modifications can be devised by those skilled in the art without departing from the invention . accordingly , the present invention is intended to embrace all such alternatives , modifications and variances , which fall within the scope of the appended claims . | 6 |
fig1 shows schematically a cylinder 1 with two inlet valves 2 and 3 and two inlet channels 4 and 5 , with no other portions of the internal ( reciprocating piston ) combustion engine being illustrated . the two inlet valves 2 and 3 are disposed laterally to the axis of the cylinder 1 . the inlet channel , or tangential channel 4 is formed as a filling channel with the smallest possible curvature and a correspondingly small resistance to flow . the portion of the inlet channel 4 , which is remote from the inlet valve , extends approximately tangentially , radially , or somewhere between these conditions in relation to the cylinder 1 and first experiences a curvature in a direction approximately parallel to the axis of the cylinder 1 . the mouth 6 of the inlet channel 4 is closeable in the cylinder 1 by means of the disk 7 of the inlet valve 2 . likewise , the portion of the inlet channel 5 , which is remote from its inlet valve , extends approximately radially , tangentially , or between these directions in relation to the cylinder 1 . the portion of the inlet channel 5 which is near its inlet valve is wound spirally around the shaft of the inlet valve 3 in a direction toward the cylinder 1 , and the mouth 8 of the inlet channel 5 is closeable in the cylinder 1 by the disk 9 of the inlet valve 3 . the inlet channel 5 is consequently formed as a filling channel . when the inlet valves 2 and 3 are open the inlet or charge air arriving through the filling channel 4 flows in approximately uniformly through the mouth 6 and approximately uniformly all around from the valve disk 7 down and into the cylinder 1 , while the inlet air flowing through the spiral channel 5 experiences a twisting force as a result of being directed through the spiralling inlet channel and , in spiral form , flows from the inlet valve disk 9 into the cylinder 1 . in fig1 the all - around , approximately uniform discharge from the inlet valve disk 7 is indicated by the arrows 10 and the spiralling air discharge from the inlet valve disk 9 is indicated by the arrow 11 . it should be noted that , according to fig1 the portion of incoming charge air , which flows through the inlet channel 4 and into the cylinder 1 toward the left , disturbs the spiral - formed discharge of charge air which flows in through the inlet channel 5 , while the right - sided portion of charge air from the inlet channel 4 , due to the wall of the cylinder 1 , is reversed and supports the spiral or turbulence of the charge air in the cylinder 1 . in this respect in fig1 the usual flow conditions during the loading or charging action in combustion engines having cylinders with four valves is illustrated , whereby the adjustment or timing of both inlet channels 4 and 5 , as well as the not - illustrated injection valve , takes place with the cylinder 1 in such a way that , with nominal speed and nominal output or power or also with maximum speed and maximum output or power of the combustion engine optimum intake spiral conditions and / or turbulence conditions prevail . this results in a combustion having the least possible smoke and pollutants , along with a high efficiency . however , with a lower power output of the internal combustion ( piston reciprocating ) engine , a smaller air volume flows through the inlet channels 4 and 5 . the spiral formation and / or turbulence formation of the charge in the cylinder 1 is then no longer sufficient for the optimum fuel preparation for combustion ; and a combustion rich in carbon and pollutants with an increased consumption occurs . to eliminate this defect , a rotating flap valve 13 is arranged around a vertical axis 12 in the filling - inlet channel 4 , as shown in fig1 . in the illustrated state of rest of the flap valve 13 this flap valve lies close to the spiral channel 5 flat on the related channel side and , consequently , is not influenced by the flow through the inlet channel 4 ; this rest position receives the flap valve 13 with the nominal or fully loaded operation of the internal combustion reciprocating engine . in the partially loaded operation , the flap valve 13 is rotated around the axis 12 in such a way that it , more or less , influences the flow - through of the inlet channel 4 with the following described effect ; whereby in the partially loaded operation , the spiral and / or the turbulence of the charge air in cylinder 1 increases and the fuel treatment is thereby improved , so that , as in the fully loaded operation , a combustion having the lowest possible smoke and pollutants and a low consumption is achieved . the engine load - dependent adjustment or control of the flap valve 13 , which is disposed in the cylinder head or in a channel connecting part that is arranged to the charge side ahead of the cylinder head , occurs advantageously manually or automatically in dependence on the engine parameters , especially the charge pressure and / or the engine speed . in fig4 the inlet channel 4 is formed as a filling channel and is once again illustrated , together with the inlet valve 2 and the valve disk from an altered angle of view ; whereby it is made clear that a function of the flap valve 13 is to rotate around a horizontal , lateral axis 12 . the disk 13 is illustrated in fig2 in the half opened position , which corresponds to one of the middle power outputs of the engine . the fully opened flap valve position is indicated by the line 13 &# 39 ;. when the disk 13 is partially opened , the flow through the inlet channel 4 is hindered in the iower area near the cylinder , while in the upper area which is distant from the cylinder , an unhindered flow can result . these flow differences continue at least approximately during the length of the inlet channel 4 , so that with an opened inlet valve 2 and therewith a lowering of the valve disk 7 from the mouth 6 , an irregular or unequal discharge of the charge air into the cylinder arises over the periphery : whereas the bulk of the charge air , according to the heavily inked arrow 10 , flows through in the flap valve 13 along the inlet channel 4 and , again deflected by the valve disk 7 approximately in an extended direction of the inlet channel 4 , flows into the cylinder 1 , a smaller portion of the charge air , as indicated by the fainter arrow 10 &# 39 ;, arrives on the sides of the inlet channel 4 in cylinder 1 out of the mouth 6 . the arrangement is now affected in such a way that the large charge air portion , according to arrow 10 of fig2 effects a spiral - formation and / or turbulence formation , while the small charge air portion , according to the arrow 10 &# 39 ;, takes no influence or a lagging influence on the spiral - and / or turbulence - formation of the charge air in the cylinder 1 . altogether , an irregular or unequal discharge of the charge air around the opened inlet valve 2 thus results by means of the partially employed flap valve 13 , whereby the spiral -- and / or turbulence - strengthened charge air portion is essentially strengthened and the inhibiting charge air portion is essentially weakened ; therefore , all together in the cylinder , a high spiral - and / or turbulence - formation occurs despite the average partially loaded operation of the motor . referring to fig1 with the partial closing of the flap valve 13 . thus there results an irregular discharge of the charge air from the inlet valve disk 7 in such a way that , according to the right - directed arrow 10 , the discharging , spiral - strengthened , operating charge air volume is increased ; to the contrary , according to the left - directed arrow , the diverging , discharging , spiral - lessened , operating charge air volume is decreased . the flap valve 13 can be formed by an internal combustion engine with two inlet valves 2 and 3 and two inner channels 4 and 5 , in such a way that , in its operating position , in which the valve is fully operated and extends across to the longitudinal direction of the inlet channel 4 , it closes the cross section of the inlet channel 4 only to some extent or on the other hand also , as will yet be described later , at least approximately fully closes it . this working position takes in the valve in the low partially loaded operation of the internal combustion engine . by this partially opened cross section of the inlet channel 4 , vortex paths in the charge air flow occur behind the flap valve 13 , which additionally strengthen the spiral - and / or turbulence of the charge air in the cylinder 1 ; these vortex paths are not illustrated in fig2 . in an internal combustion engine with only an inlet channel 4 with an inlet valve 2 per cylinder , which thus has no second inlet channel constructed as a spiral channel , in its operating position , the flap valve 13 closes only a part of the cross section of the inlet channel 4 . hereby also effected , according to fig2 the irregular or unequal discharge of the charge air from the valve disk 7 over the periphery into the cylinder 1 causes in the cylinder a strengthening of the spiral and / or the turbulence of the charge air with the already mentioned improvement of the fuel preparation and combustion . the arrangement according to fig3 corresponds to that of fig2 whereby the flap valve 14 is rotatable around a vertical axis 12 and has an essentially smaller height than the inlet channel 4 , so that , in the illustrated operating position , hence in the closed portion , the valve seals only the lower portion of the inlet channel 4 . there arises thereby , as in the fig2 description , an irregular or unequal discharge of the charge air out of the mouth 6 into the cylinder 1 with the spiral - and / or turbulence - strengthening effect . in the fully opened position , the flap valve 14 occupies the position indicated with the line 14 &# 39 ;, in which it does not influence flow - through of the inlet channel 4 . in the partially opened position , according to fig4 the flap valve 14 engages transversely , whereby , at least to one side , additional vortex paths indicated by the arrow 15 , which effect spiral strengthening in the charge air , form in the charge air current , as has already been referred to in fig2 . in the cylinder head as shown in fig5 a filling channel 4 and a spiral channel 5 , which correspond to the inlet channels in fig1 extend to the inlet valves 2 and 3 . similarly , two valves are provided for the exhaust the outlet valves 16 and 17 , from which leads away an outlet channel 18 . in the filling channel 4 of the cylinder head 19 , that is , in the connection portion 20 which is superposed on the cylinder head , a flap valve 13 was rotatably disposed around a vertical axis 12 in such a way that it was capable of acting , in its operating or closing position as the case may be , as a throttle valve or flap to almost throttle down the flow - through of the filling channel 4 ; the charge air volume will hereby push back out of the filling channel 4 into the spiral channel 5 , so that all of the charge air must flow through in the spiral channel 5 and consequently a great spiral - and / or turbulence - formation is obtained in the cylinder . the valve occupies this operating or closed position as the case may be by a lower partially loaded operation of the internal combustion engine ; the flap valve 13 will be increasingly opened with climbing power outputs of the engine until , by the nominal or maximum output of the motor , it occupies its fully opened and thereby rest position . thus with the increasing power output of the engine , an increasing flow through the filling channel 4 takes place , so that an increasing charge air volume flows in almost spiral - free through the inlet valve 2 into the cylinder . moreover , the adjustment takes place in such a way that , in all loaded operations of the engine , optimum spiral - and / or turbulence - formation in the cylinder 1 will be achieved . the rotary control of the flap valve 13 or 14 takes place , as already mentioned , preferably automatically as a function of , or in dependence on , the respective power outputs of the engine signaling parameters , especially as a function of the engine rotational speed and / or the supercharge pressure ; the rotary motion itself can be effected via usual setting mechanisms . the rotary control can also take place as a function of the filling position on the injection pump . the adjustment can take place merely two - staged with rest - opened position and operating - closed position , with intermittent inbetween positions , or also continuous with inbetween positions . instead of the hinged valve , as described for all embodiments , different aperture plates , for example , aperture plates , can be provided . furthermore , by the construction according to fig5 it is possible , instead of the throttle valve or flap to provide an engine power - dependent control of the inlet valve 2 , in such a way that the inlet valve 2 is opened only by a full power output of the engine , is only partially opened with declining power outputs , and in lower partially loaded operation is eventually stopped fixed closed . this construction form is attainable in an easier manner with a spatial cam steering for the inlet valve 2 . the inlet spiral device and / or turbulence device is also not vertical , in contrast to fig2 - 4 , but instead adaptably slants in the cylinder flowing inlet channels : in this manner , with an irregular from - forward - here - in charge air flow from the inlet valve into the cylinder , which has inlet channels , via corresponding influence of the charge air flow in the inlet channel by means of adjustable flap valves , also in the partially loaded operation of the engine , a charged spiral - and / or turbulence - strengthening can be achieved via the charge air flow from the inlet valve . differing from the preceding described embodiments , it is also possible with engines having both filling channels and spiral channels , to arrange as controlling part the serving flap valves in the spiral channels , to adjust the engine on optimum charged spiral - and / or turbulence - conditions in the partially loaded range by opened flap valves , and in the fully loaded operation to adjust the flap valves in a closing direction for at least a partial blocking of the flow - through cross section of the spiral channel or returning a large charged portion into the filling channels . both in the filling and in the spiral channels flaps can be arranged , which are adjusted , dependent on the engine load opposing to each other and thereby simultaneously or successively , dependent on the engine load . moreover , it is possible to arrange the stream or flow control part rigidly in a filling channel with , as the case may be , the axial oncoming flow of the valve disks . it is possible , via a simple , practical attachment , to otherwise locate the flow control part on or before a cylinder head without changing its inlet channel form . it is thereby also adapted to the addition of the existing engine construction . the flow control part can be formed in such a way that it shifts the surge limit of a provided turbo - supercharger , so that it gives an enlarged partially loaded - operation range . | 8 |
“ alkyl ” refers to monovalent saturated aliphatic hydrocarbyl groups having , unless expressly stated otherwise , from 1 to 8 carbon atoms , such as , 1 to 6 carbon atoms or 1 to 4 carbon atoms . this term includes , by way of example , linear and branched hydrocarbyl groups such as methyl , ethyl , n - propyl , isopropyl , n - butyl , isobutyl , sec - butyl , tert - butyl , n - pentyl and neopentyl . also by way of example , a methyl group , an ethyl group , an n - propyl group , an isopropyl group , an n - butyl group , an iso - butyl group , a sec - butyl group and a tert - butyl group are all represented by the term c 1 - 4 alkyl . likewise terms indicating larger numerical ranges of carbon atoms ( for example c 1 - 6 alkyl ) are representative of any linear or branched hydrocarbyl falling within the numerical range . “ ambient temperature ” refers to a temperature of between 15 ° c . to about 25 ° c ., for example between 18 ° c . to 22 ° c ., such as about 20 ° c . “ base ” refers to a substance that can accept protons . examples of bases include , but are not limited to , inorganic bases , for example carbonates ( such as cesium carbonate , sodium carbonate , sodium bicarbonate , potassium carbonate ) and hydroxides ( such as sodium hydroxide , potassium hydroxide or lithium hydroxide ), and organic bases , for example nitrogen - containing organic bases ( such as ammonia , methylamine , dimethylamine , ethylamine , diethylamine , dimethylethylamine , triethylamine or di - isopropylethylamine ). “ heterocyclic ” means a c - linked or n - linked , 4 to 6 - membered , monocyclic saturated ring system containing 1 - 3 heteroatoms independently selected from n , s and o . by way of example , such heterocyclic rings include morpholinyl , piperidinyl , piperazinyl , and pyrrolidinyl rings , including n - alkylated version of such rings , such as n - methyl morpholinyl and n - methyl piperidinyl . “ solvate ” refers to a complex formed by combination of at least one solvent molecule with at least one molecule or ion of the solute . one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the stoichiometry of the solvent to the solute in a solvate may be greater than one , equal to one , or less than one . the solvent can be an organic compound , an inorganic compound , or a mixture of both . some examples of solvents include , but are not limited to , acetic acid , n , n - di -( c 1 - 4 alkyl )- formamide , n , n - di -( c 1 - 4 alkyl )- acetamide , n — c 1 - 6 alkyl - pyrrolidinone , n — c 1 - 6 alkyl - piperidinone , n , n - dimethylformamide and water . when used herein , the term “ solvate ” is not intended to restrict the solvate compounds described herein to any particular sort of bonding ( such as ionic or covalent bonds ). in a salt , proton transfer occurs between the compound of formula ( ii ) and the counter ion of the salt ( such as triethylamine ). the skilled person will be aware that in some cases proton transfer may not be complete and the solid is not therefore a true salt . in such cases the compound of formula ( ii ) and the “ co - former ” molecules in the solid primarily interact through non - ionic forces such as hydrogen bonding . it is accepted that proton transfer is a continuum , and can change with temperature , and therefore the point at which a salt is better described as a co - crystal can be somewhat subjective . the compound of formula ( ii ) may therefore form a mixture of salt and co - crystal forms and it is to be understood that the present invention encompasses the salt forms , co - crystal forms and salt / co - crystal mixtures , as well as any solvates ( including hydrates ) thereof . the synthesis of di - tert - butyl chloromethyl phosphate ( ix ) is illustrated in scheme i below . the synthesis of the compound of formula ( vi ) wherein r 3 and r 4 are both tert - butyl ( formula ( x )) from the compound of formula ( vii ) is illustrated in scheme ii below . the synthesis of the compound of formula ( v ) from the compound of formula ( x ) is illustrated in scheme iii below . the synthesis of the compound of formula ( iii ) from the compound of formula ( v ) is illustrated in scheme iv below . the synthesis of the bis ( triethylammonium ) salt of the compound of formula ( ii ) ( the compound of formula ( iv )) is illustrated in scheme v below . the synthesis of the compound of formula ( i ) or hydrate thereof from the compound of formula ( iv ) is illustrated in scheme vi below . the invention is further understood by reference to the following examples , which are intended to be purely exemplary of certain aspects of the invention and are not intended to limit the scope . in the examples below as well as throughout the specification , the following abbreviations have the following meanings . if not defined , the terms have their generally accepted meanings . proton ( 1 h ) and carbon ( 13 c ) nuclear magnetic resonance ( nmr ) spectra were acquired using bruker avance 400 spectrometer at 300 k . samples were prepared as solutions in d 6 - dmso ( d 6 - dimethyl sulfoxide ) containing trimethylsilane ( tms ), or d 4 - meod ( d 4 - methanol ). nmr data is reported as a list of chemical shifts ( δ , in ppm ) with a description of each signal , using standard abbreviations ( s = singlet , d = doublet , m = multiplet , t = triplet , q = quartet , br = broad , etc .). spectra were referenced d 6 - dmso ( δ = 2 . 50 ppm ) or d 4 - meod ( δ = 3 . 30 ppm ). j - coupling constants are listed , where measured , in the descriptions of the resonances . slight variation of chemical shifts and j - coupling constants may occur , as is well known in the art , as a result of variations in sample preparation , such as analyte concentration variations . mass spectrometry data was obtained using a bruker microtof - q quadrupole time - of - flight mass spectrometer . samples were analyzed using positive ion electrospray ionization . accurate mass measurement was used to determine the elemental formula of the resulting ions . large scale reactions were carried out in glass - lined steel reactors fitted with heat transfer jackets and serviced with appropriate ancillary equipment . standard laboratory glassware and equipment was used for smaller scale processes . starting materials , solvents and reagents were purchased commercially and used as supplied . 5 - fluoropyrimidine - 2 , 4 - diol ( 525 kg , 1 . 00 mol eq ) is mixed with phosphorous oxychloride ( 1545 kg , 2 . 50 mol eq ) and heated to about 100 ° c . with stirring under a nitrogen atmosphere . n , n - dimethylaniline ( 980 kg , 2 . 00 mol eq ) is then added over a period of about 9 hours and the resulting mixture stirred at about 100 ° c . for up to 4 hours . this is then cooled to about 20 ° c . over about 2 hours and then quenched into a mixture of water ( 3150 kg ) and dichloromethane ( 1915 kg ), maintaining the temperature below 40 ° c . the contents are then stirred at about 20 ° c . for at least 3 hours and then the layers separated . the aqueous phase is washed with dichloromethane ( 1915 kg ) and the layers again separated . the combined organics are then washed with concentrated aqueous hydrochloric acid ( 525 kg ) at least once , sometimes more than once , then with 5 % w / w aqueous sodium hydrogen carbonate solution ( 2625 kg ). the resulting organic solution is then distilled at atmospheric pressure down to about 1310 kg to give a solution of 2 , 4 - dichloro - 5 - fluoro - pyrimidine in dichloromethane , with typical solution strength of about 50 % w / w and yield of about 95 %. this solution is then used directly in the next process . 6 - amino - 2 , 2 - dimethyl - 4h - pyrido [ 3 , 2 - b ][ 1 , 4 ] oxazin - 3 - one ( 450 kg , 1 . 00 mol eq ) is stirred in a mixture of methanol ( 1971 kg ) and water ( 1610 kg ) under a nitrogen atmosphere with heating to about 65 ° c . to this is added a solution of 2 , 4 - dichloro - 5 - fluoro - pyrimidine in dichloromethane ( 545 kg 2 , 4 - dichloro - 5 - fluoro - pyrimidine , 1 . 40 mol eq , about 50 % w / w solution ) over a period of about 4 hours , during which dichloromethane is distilled off . the mixture is then stirred at about 70 ° c . until distillation is complete and then at reflux for about 15 hours . this is then cooled to about 45 ° c . and filtered . the filtered solid is washed twice with methanol ( 2 × 675 kg ) and then dried under vacuum at about 55 ° c . once dry , the solid is slurried in 85 % w / w aqueous formic acid ( 3150 kg ) at about 50 ° c . for about 6 hours and then filtered . this slurry may be repeated . the resulting damp solid is cooled to about 20 ° c ., washed twice with methanol ( 2 × 1800 kg ) and dried under vacuum at about 80 ° c . to give the title compound ( 577 kg , 77 %) as a colored solid . 1 h nmr ( 400 mhz , dmso - d 6 ) δ ppm 1 . 42 ( s , 6h ) 7 . 41 ( d , j = 8 . 5 hz , 1h ) 7 . 46 ( dd , j = 8 . 5 , 0 . 5 hz , 1h ) 8 . 34 ( d , j = 3 . 3 hz , 1h ) 10 . 10 ( br . s , 1h ) 11 . 12 ( br . s , 1h ). 6 -[( 2 - chloro - 5 - fluoro - pyrimidin - 4 - yl ) amino ]- 2 , 2 - dimethyl - 4h - pyrido [ 3 , 2 - b ][ 1 , 4 ] oxazin - 3 - one ( step a ) ( 568 kg , 1 . 00 mol eq ) is mixed with 3 , 4 , 5 - trimethoxyaniline ( 402 kg , 1 . 25 mol eq ) in n - methylpyrrolidin - 2 - one ( 2835 kg ) with stirring under a nitrogen atmosphere . to this is added water ( 11 kg ) and the mixture heated to about 120 ° c . and stirred for about 10 hours . this is then cooled to about 65 ° c . and the ph adjusted to ph 8 . 5 with 4 % w / w aqueous sodium hydroxide solution . the resulting slurry is further cooled to about 20 ° c ., stirred for at least 6 hours and then filtered . the filtered solid is washed twice with water ( 2 × 1440 kg ) then twice with acetone ( 2 × 1140 kg ) and finally dried under vacuum at about 40 ° c . to give the title compound ( 754 kg , 91 %) as a colored solid . 1 h nmr ( 400 mhz , dmso - d 6 ) δ ppm 1 . 42 ( s , 6h ) 3 . 59 ( s , 3h ) 3 . 66 ( s , 6h ) 7 . 04 ( s , 2h ) 7 . 32 ( d , j = 8 . 5 hz , 1h ) 7 . 68 ( d , j = 8 . 5 hz , 1h ) 8 . 13 ( d , j = 3 . 4 hz , 1h ) 9 . 10 ( br . s , 1h ) 9 . 14 ( br . s , 1h ) 11 . 06 ( br . s , 1h ). a mixture of 6 -[[ 5 - fluoro - 2 -( 3 , 4 , 5 - trimethoxyanilino ) pyrimidin - 4 - yl ] amino ]- 2 , 2 - dimethyl - 4h - pyrido [ 3 , 2 - b ][ 1 , 4 ] oxazin - 3 - one ( step b ) ( 382 kg , 1 . 00 mol eq ), tetra - n - butylammonium chloride ( 57 . 5 kg , 0 . 25 mol eq ) and potassium carbonate ( 252 kg , 2 . 25 mol eq ) in n , n - dimethylacetamide ( 1792 kg ) is warmed to about 40 ° c . with stirring . to this is added a solution of ditert - butyl chloromethyl phosphate ( example 2 ) in isopropyl acetate ( 229 kg ditert - butyl chloromethyl phosphate , 1 . 10 mol eq , about 25 % w / v solution ). the resulting mixture is stirred for about 8 hours and then cooled to about 5 ° c . isopropyl acetate ( 1329 kg ) is added and then water ( 2292 kg ) slowly , maintaining the temperature at & lt ; 25 ° c . the layers are then separated , retaining the upper layer of the three observed . to this is added acetic acid ( 99 kg ) and the resulting solution of the sub - title compound is used directly in the next step . a mixture of acetic acid ( 2605 kg ) and water ( 860 kg ) along with [ 6 -[[ 5 - fluoro - 2 -( 3 , 4 , 5 - trimethoxyanilino ) pyrimidin - 4 - yl ] amino ]- 2 , 2 - dimethyl - 3 - oxo - pyrido [ 3 , 2 - b ][ 1 , 4 ] oxazin - 4 - yl ] methyl dihydrogen phosphate ; acetic acid solvate seed ( synthesised according to the method described in wo 2011 / 002999 ) ( 15 kg , 0 . 03 mol eq ) are heated to about 70 ° c . to this is then added the solution of ditert - butyl [ 6 -[[ 5 - fluoro - 2 -( 3 , 4 , 5 - trimethoxyanilino ) pyrimidin - 4 - yl ] amino ]- 2 , 2 - dimethyl - 3 - oxo - pyrido [ 3 , 2 - b ][ 1 , 4 ] oxazin - 4 - yl ] methyl phosphate ( step c ) over about 5 hours . the resulting mixture is further stirred for about 1 hour , cooled to about 50 ° c . and then filtered , washing twice with acetone ( 2 × 605 kg ). the damp solid is finally dried under vacuum at about 40 ° c . to give the sub - title compound ( 317 kg , 61 %) as an off white solid . 1 h nmr ( 400 mhz , dmso - d 6 ) δ ppm 1 . 45 ( s , 6h ) 1 . 90 ( s , 3h ) 3 . 61 ( s , 3h ) 3 . 68 ( s , 6h ) 5 . 81 ( d , j = 6 . 9 hz , 2h ) 7 . 06 ( s , 2h ) 7 . 40 ( d , j = 8 . 5 hz , 1h ) 7 . 95 ( d , j = 8 . 5 hz , 1h ) 8 . 18 ( d , j = 3 . 4 hz , 1h ) 9 . 20 ( br . s , 2h ). to [ 6 -[[ 5 - fluoro - 2 -( 3 , 4 , 5 - trimethoxyanilino ) pyrimidin - 4 - yl ] amino ]- 2 , 2 - dimethyl - 3 - oxo - pyrido [ 3 , 2 - b ][ 1 , 4 ] oxazin - 4 - yl ] methyl dihydrogen phosphate ; acetic acid solvate ( step d ) ( 3 . 50 kg ) in a heated vessel at about 65 ° c . is added hot n , n - dimethylformamide ( 17 . 5 kg , preheated to about 70 ° c .). the mixture is stirred at about 65 ° c . for about 30 minutes , [ 6 -[[ 5 - fluoro - 2 -( 3 , 4 , 5 - trimethoxyanilino ) pyrimidin - 4 - yl ] amino ]- 2 , 2 - dimethyl - 3 - oxo - pyrido [ 3 , 2 - b ][ 1 , 4 ] oxazin - 4 - yl ] methyl dihydrogen phosphate ; n , n - dimethylformamide solvate seed ( synthesised according to the method described in wo 2011 / 002999 ) ( 0 . 04 kg ) is added , and then the mixture is cooled to about 40 ° c . over about 4 hours . this is then warmed again to about 60 ° c . over about 1 hour , held for about 30 minutes and then cooled to about 20 ° c . over about 8 hours . the resulting slurry is stirred for at least 10 hours , filtered and then washed twice with methyl - t - butyl ether ( 2 × 7 . 88 kg ). the damp solid is finally dried under vacuum at about 40 ° c . to give the sub - title compound ( 2 . 82 kg , 88 %) as a white to off white solid . 1 h nmr ( 400 mhz , dmso - d 6 ) δ ppm 1 . 45 ( s , 6h ) 2 . 72 ( d , j = 0 . 6 hz , 3h ) 2 . 88 ( d , j = 0 . 6 hz , 3h ) 3 . 61 ( s , 3h ) 3 . 68 ( s , 6h ) 5 . 81 ( d , j = 6 . 9 hz , 2h ) 7 . 06 ( s , 2h ) 7 . 40 ( d , j = 8 . 6 hz , 1h ) 7 . 94 - 7 . 96 ( m , 2h ) 8 . 18 ( d , j = 3 . 4 hz , 1h ) 9 . 21 ( br . s , 2h ); to [ 6 -[[ 5 - fluoro - 2 -( 3 , 4 , 5 - trimethoxyanilino ) pyrimidin - 4 - yl ] amino ]- 2 , 2 - dimethyl - 3 - oxo - pyrido [ 3 , 2 - b ][ 1 , 4 ] oxazin - 4 - yl ] methyl dihydrogen phosphate ; n , n - dimethylformamide solvate ( step e ) ( 1 . 00 kg , 1 . 00 mol eq ) is added a solution of triethylamine ( 0 . 34 kg , 2 . 20 mol eq ) in isopropanol ( 1 . 32 kg ) and water ( 3 . 33 kg ). this is stirred at about 20 ° c . to give a solution which is then filtered . the resulting solution of the sub - title compound is used directly in the next step . the solution of bis ( triethylammonium )[ 6 -[[ 5 - fluoro - 2 -[( 3 , 4 , 5 - trimethoxyphenyl ) amino ] pyrimidin - 4 - yl ] amino ]- 2 , 2 - dimethyl - 3 - oxo - pyrido [ 3 , 2 - b ][ 1 , 4 ] oxazin - 4 - yl ] methyl phosphate ( step f ) is warmed to about 40 ° c . and then a solution of sodium 2 - ethylhexanoate ( 0 . 05 kg , 0 . 20 mol eq ) in isopropanol ( 0 . 04 kg ) and water ( 0 . 10 kg ) is added over about 20 minutes . to the resulting solution is then added disodium [ 6 -[[ 5 - fluoro - 2 -( 3 , 4 , 5 - trimethoxyanilino ) pyrimidin - 4 - yl ] amino ]- 2 , 2 - dimethyl - 3 - oxo - pyrido [ 3 , 2 - b ][ 1 , 4 ] oxazin - 4 - yl ] methyl phosphate hexahydrate seed ( synthesised according to the method described in wo 2011 / 002999 )( 0 . 01 kg , 0 . 01 mol eq ) and the mixture is held for about 3 . 5 hours . a solution of sodium 2 - ethylhexanoate ( 0 . 97 kg , 3 . 80 mol eq ) in isopropanol ( 0 . 75 kg ) and water ( 1 . 90 kg ) is next added over about 6 hours . the resulting slurry is cooled to about 20 ° c . over at least 1 hour , stirred for about 1 hour and then filtered , washing with a mixture of isopropanol ( 0 . 53 kg ) and water ( 1 . 33 kg ) and then with acetone ( 1 . 58 kg ). the damp solid is finally dried under vacuum ( about 400 mbar ) at about 40 ° c . to give the title compound ( 1 . 03 kg , 92 %) as a white to off white solid . 1 h nmr ( 500 mhz , methanol - d 4 ) δ ppm 1 . 52 ( s , 6h ) 3 . 78 ( s , 3h ) 3 . 80 ( s , 6h ) 5 . 86 ( d , j = 4 . 9 hz , 2h ) 6 . 97 ( s , 2h ) 7 . 24 ( d , j = 8 . 6 hz , 1h ) 8 . 00 ( d , j = 3 . 6 hz , 1h ) 8 . 10 ( d , j = 8 . 6 hz , 1h ); to a mixture of potassium ditert - butyl phosphate ( 261 kg , 1 . 00 mol eq ), tetra - n - butylammonium hydrogensulphate ( 18 . 5 kg , 0 . 05 mol eq ) and sodium hydrogencarbonate ( 400 kg , 4 . 50 mol eq ) in water ( 1150 kg ) is added isopropyl acetate ( 1275 kg ). the mixture is warmed to about 35 ° c . and then to this is added chloromethylchlorosulphate ( 313 kg , 1 . 80 mol eq ) over about 4 hours . the mixture is further stirred for about 45 minutes , cooled to about 25 ° c . and then the layers separated . the organic phase is cooled to about 10 ° c . and washed twice with 2 % w / v aqueous potassium hydrogencarbonate solution ( 2 × 800 kg ) and then with a mixed 2 % w / v potassium hydrogencarbonate and 20 % w / v potassium hydrogencarbonate aqueous solution ( 640 kg ). the resulting organic solution is then distilled at & lt ; 100 mbar to half volume , maintaining the temperature below 45 ° c . the resulting mixture is filtered , washing the filter with isopropyl acetate ( 115 kg ), to give the title compound as a solution , with typical solution strength of about 25 % w / v and yield of about 90 %. this solution is then used directly in example 1 , step c . | 2 |
in accordance with the present disclosure , methods and systems are provided to establish a beneficially consistent naming convention for hardware devices identified by components of an operating system ( os ) operating on a network appliance . more specifically , the present disclosure permits the resolution of inconsistencies between internal logical names and external physical labels associated with hardware devices , such as network ports , in a network appliance . systems and methods of the present disclosure are described below in an exemplary embodiment that addresses naming inconsistencies between logical names and physical labels associated with hardware devices in the form of network ports within a network appliance . however , it should be appreciated that the presently disclosed systems and methods are also applicable to address naming inconsistencies between logical names and physical labels of other hardware devices in a network appliance as discussed subsequently . referring to fig2 , a simplified hardware diagram of a network appliance 200 is illustrated . network appliance 200 includes a processor 210 and a memory 220 that interact to provide control and communication services for components of network appliance 200 . for example , processor 210 can retrieve and execute instructions from memory 220 to implement a software construct , such as an os ( not shown ) and / or file management system ( not shown ). although not shown in fig2 , memory 220 can store application programs , an os , information involved in communications , and generally any type of information that may be generated or used by network appliance 200 . a port controller 230 is coupled to memory 220 and processor 210 , and can receive control instructions from processor 210 related to controlling network ports 240 . information that may be sent or received by network ports 240 may be managed by port controller 230 , and may be stored in memory 220 under the control of processor 210 . referring now to fig3 , a diagram of a network appliance 300 that is implemented in accordance with the present disclosure is illustrated . network appliance 300 may be implemented as network appliance 200 shown in fig2 . network appliance 300 includes items illustrated as hardware elements , such as network hardware 310 , which represents a portion of network appliance 300 that includes network ports ( not shown ) and externally accessible components . network hardware 310 may be implemented as network ports 240 illustrated in fig2 . another illustrated hardware element is a port controller 324 , which provides a mechanism for communicating information between network hardware 310 and a control portion 330 . port controller 324 may be implemented as port controller 230 illustrated in fig2 . control portion 330 can be implemented as a software construct that can provide processing and control services for controlling port controller 324 , which in turn controls network hardware 310 . control portion 330 can be implemented with memory 220 and processor 210 illustrated in fig2 . network hardware 310 includes physical labels 316 used to identify network connector hardware in the form of network cable receptacles 312 . physical labels 316 include a plurality of identifiers that are intended to match internal logical names that are used to refer to network ports 240 ( fig2 ) that are connected to corresponding network cable receptacles 312 . fig3 provides an example in which there are twelve physical labels 316 , with identifiers eth0 - eth11 ; however , it is understood that the actual number of network cable receptacles 312 and associated physical labels 316 may be greater or less than twelve in accordance with the present disclosure and without undue experimentation . in accordance with the exemplary embodiment shown in fig3 , network hardware 310 includes network cable receptacles 314 that are connected to network ports that are onboard ports or integrated in a system board ( not shown ) of network appliance 300 . network hardware 310 also includes network cable receptacles 318 that are connected to network ports that are provided on network interface controller ( nic ) cards 350 that can be pcie cards that are installed in pcie card slots labeled 0 and 1 that permit connection with a pcie bus ( not shown ) in network appliance 300 . network cable receptacles 312 can be implemented as ethernet connectors to provide cable connectivity to a connected network port that can be implemented as an ethernet network port . network cable receptacles 314 are identified with physical labels 316 of eth0 , eth1 , eth2 and eth3 are representative of system integrated network ports . likewise , network cable receptacles 318 are pcie cards that are physically installed on a system board ( not shown ) that forms a part of network appliance 300 . thus in fig3 , network hardware 310 represents physical connections and locations for hardware that are divided into system integrated network cable receptacles 314 and nic cards 350 based network cable receptacles 318 , each of which are connected to network ports 240 ( fig2 ) that can be used to implement ethernet network ports . in fig3 , control portion 330 illustrates components of network appliance 300 that can be implemented in software as an architecture that provides processing and control services . control portion 330 components include os 320 , which can configure and utilize naming conventions 322 , and direct the operations of network communications using port controller 324 . naming conventions 322 can represent storage locations in disk files or computer memory for storing internal nomenclature such as logical names used to identify network ports 240 ( fig2 ) to os 320 . accordingly , naming convention 322 provides logical names for network ports 240 , which are each connected to and associated with a respective network cable receptacle 312 . in the case of network ports 240 being implemented as ethernet network ports , the logical names can have designations eth0 - eth11 , which are used by port controller 324 to address specific ones of network ports 240 . when network appliance 300 is initialized , such as by being powered on to load os 320 from nonvolatile memory storage , or by receiving a new version of os 320 , the hardware devices in network appliance 300 are discovered and configured . as part of this process , os 320 includes programming instructions to examine various aspects of network hardware 310 that makes up network appliance 300 , to permit the hardware to be configured for operation . in some instances , network hardware 310 is configured for operation by installing software drivers ( not shown ) that receive and execute commands to operate the hardware to which the software driver is assigned . in some circumstances , os 320 identifies network hardware 310 upon initialization and creates internal identifiers or logical names that are used to refer to the hardware devices . the logical names can be stored in files on disk media , or can be stored in operating system memory or other storage locations that permit os 320 to refer to those hardware devices identified by the logical names . os 320 uses port controller 324 to determine the content and configuration of network hardware 310 . port controller 324 , under the direction of os 320 , can help identify hardware devices such as network ports 240 ( fig2 ), typically in accordance with a sequence defined by os 320 . as os 320 discovers each of the hardware devices in network hardware 310 , a logical name is assigned to each discovered hardware device in naming conventions 322 . the logical names are typically assigned in accordance with a convention , such as by having a text prefix followed by a number used to specify a particular hardware device in a group of like devices . for example , in the case of ethernet network ports , the logical names assigned to the ports can take the form “ ethxx ,” where “ xx ” represents a number for identifying a specific port . in general , upon initialization , os 320 assigns logical names in numerical sequence order for like hardware devices , thus resulting in one of the logical names , designated as eth0 - eth11 in the case of ethernet network ports , being assigned to one of network ports 240 ( fig2 ). after each of the network ports 240 has been assigned an associated logical name in naming conventions 322 , those logical names can be used by os 320 to refer to individual ones of network ports 240 , through commands provided to port controller 324 , for example . conventionally , the logical names assigned to network ports 240 may not match physical labels 316 that are used to identify network cable receptacles 312 that provide connection access for network ports 240 . such a mismatch typically leads to uncertainty and confusion as to which network port is configured for which network cable receptacle , especially from the viewpoint of a service technician seeking to connect network cables to appropriate network cable receptacles for proper system operation . in accordance with the present disclosure , a naming process 340 embodies an exemplary method for collecting information on the identification process undertaken by os 320 and determining the logical names used to refer to network ports 240 . moreover , naming process 340 can determine certain physical network port properties , such as a media access control ( mac ) address for a network port implemented as an ethernet network port . naming process 340 can also identify pcie address bus information that os 320 may obtain and store . naming process 340 can determine a relationship between the logical names in naming conventions 322 and hardware addresses , such as mac addresses , for network ports . for example , naming process 340 can obtain hardware addresses for network ports 240 , and use such hardware addresses to lookup the associated logical names through queries posed in os 320 . with the originally assigned logical name information , hardware addresses of the network ports and / or pcie address bus information , naming process 340 can map , or assign , new logical names to each of network ports 240 . in accordance with an exemplary embodiment , a physical labeling specification 342 is provided to network appliance 300 to define a set of desired logical names for network ports 240 . physical labeling specification 342 can provide information about physical labels 316 , for example , to permit naming process 340 to establish logical names in naming conventions 322 that directly correspond with physical labels 316 . physical labeling specification 342 can also provide information relating desired logical names to hardware addresses , such as mac addresses , at which specific hardware devices , such as ethernet network ports , are installed . for example , physical labeling specification 342 can provide information on hardware device location , such as hardware locations associated with network ports 240 that are to be associated with desired logical names that reflect the arrangement of physical labels 316 . naming process 340 can use the hardware addresses for network ports 240 to lookup desired logical names associated with those hardware addresses within physical labeling specification 342 . naming process 340 can then determine if the already assigned logical names and the desired logical names are inconsistent , and then replace inconsistent already assigned logical names with desired logical names for the associated hardware addresses that correspond to a desired network port 240 for a given desired logical name . naming process 340 may alternately , or in addition , omit a comparison between already assigned logical names and desired logical names for associated hardware addresses , and directly provide the desired logical names to naming conventions 322 to be associated with hardware addresses to refer to desired network ports 240 . naming process 340 can construct or replace logical names provided to naming conventions 322 , so that os 320 can refer to the network ports ( not shown ) in network hardware 310 in accordance with the re - assigned references provided by naming process 340 . accordingly , naming process 340 can modify files or memory in which logical names used by naming conventions 322 are stored , or can modify files or memory used to generate the contents of naming conventions 322 to generate the logical names as desired for referring to network ports 240 ( fig2 ) to be consistent with physical labels 316 provided on network hardware 310 . moreover , naming process 340 can generate the logical names used to refer to network ports 240 in network hardware 310 to be persistent , so that the assigned mapping of logical names survives events such as re - initialization or updates to form os 320 . naming process 340 operates to automatically generate the logical names in naming conventions 322 in accordance with physical labeling specification 312 , so that naming process 340 can be included in an initialization process to re - establish the desired logical names for network ports 240 in accordance with physical labels 316 in network hardware 310 upon a system re - initialization , restart or operating system update . naming process 340 may also be invoked as part of a manufacturing process used to create network appliance 300 . for example , network appliance 300 may be initialized with os 320 during manufacture , resulting in logical names being defined for network ports 240 that may not be consistent with or match the arrangement of associated physical labels 316 . naming process 340 may then be employed to reassign logical names in naming conventions 322 in accordance with physical labeling specification 312 . such a logical name reassignment can be made persistent , so that consistent hardware device naming can be provided with network appliance 300 as it is deployed . referring now to fig4 , a flowchart 400 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of naming process 340 ( fig3 ) in accordance with the present disclosure . as indicated in block 410 , the internal logical names assigned to network ports 240 ( fig2 ) by os 320 ( fig3 ) are determined . the associated hardware addresses for network ports 240 are also determined . these pieces of information can be determined by reading specific files or memory locations originated or maintained by os 320 ( fig3 ) when discovering or configuring hardware devices , such as may occur upon initialization of os 320 , for example . the hardware addresses associated with network ports 240 referenced by the logical names can also be determined from files or memory locations originated or maintained by os 320 as well . alternately , or in addition , system components , such as various hardware items or memory storage , can be queried to obtain the hardware addresses . hardware addresses for system integrated hardware devices , such as network ports 240 ( fig2 ) can be determined by examining the hardware configuration of bus - connected components determined by os 320 , or by querying the components themselves , such as by querying properties of network ports 240 and network hardware 310 ( fig3 ). various os facilities such as , for example , ethernet device configuration files or system log files can be used to collect the os - assigned logical names for the devices , as well as the associated hardware addresses . for example , in the case where os 320 is implemented as rhel , naming process 340 ( fig3 ) illustrated in flowchart 400 may inspect device configuration files and system log files such as / var / log / messages * and / or / etc / sysconfig / network - scripts / ifcfg -*, as well as other potentially related files providing configuration information that may be maintained by rhel . once the logical names and associated hardware addresses for the hardware devices , such as network ports 240 ( fig2 ) in network hardware 310 ( fig3 ), are determined , naming process 340 ( fig3 ) illustrated in flowchart 400 can divide and group the logical names with respective hardware addresses for the system integrated and added - on devices , as illustrated in block 412 . the logical names and hardware addresses may be grouped according to physical locations in network appliance 300 ( fig3 ), the specific capabilities or design criteria for the hardware devices , and / or the properties of the hardware devices . for example , network ports 240 may be grouped by logical name and hardware address in accordance with whether the devices are system integrated devices , such as is indicated with physical labels 316 ( fig3 ) eth0 - eth3 , or whether the hardware devices belong to a specific add - on nic card 350 ( fig3 ) such as is shown in slot 0 for eth4 - eth7 or slot 1 for eth8 - eth11 . the separation and grouping of logical names and hardware addresses can contribute to organizing the hardware devices in accordance with certain goals for setting up or maintaining network appliance 300 ( fig3 ), such as implementing security or administrative provisions . naming process 340 ( fig3 ) illustrated in flowchart 400 then makes a determination as to whether the logical names of the devices assigned by os 320 is in accordance with physical labels 316 as illustrated in network hardware 310 of fig3 , for example . if the logical names assigned to network ports 240 ( fig2 ) are consistent with the physical labels 316 , naming process 340 ( fig3 ) illustrated in flowchart 400 continues with appliance specific device pairing , as illustrated by the yes branch being taken out of decision block 414 to block 424 . application specific device pairing refers to the practice of using multiple network connections to implement an application function , such as security or administrative tasks , or can refer to the provision of the features of redundancy or aggregation to an implemented application function . if the logical names do not match physical labels 316 , actions are taken to reassign or remap the logical names , as indicated by the no branch being taken out of decision block 414 . the reassignment or remapping of logical names begins with a determination of a pcie bus address , such as may be acquired for slot 0 and / or slot 1 of network hardware 310 ( fig3 ). once the pcie bus address for slot 0 and slot 1 is found , as illustrated in block 416 , the hardware addresses for the network ports on nic cards 350 in slot 0 and slot 1 are determined , using , as illustrated in block 418 , the previously determined pcie ( fig3 ) bus addresses for slot 0 and slot 1 . in accordance with an exemplary embodiment , naming process 340 ( fig3 ) illustrated in flowchart 400 can tag the logical names assigned by os 320 to network ports 240 associated with slot 0 and slot 1 , such as network ports 240 that are connected to network cable receptacles 318 , for reassignment and / or remapping . the respective network ports in slot 0 and slot 1 are , in this example , located on pcie cards that are added - on or installed in expansion card receptacles ( not shown ) provided in hardware 300 ( see fig3 ). the inserted pcie cards are thus established to be located at hardware positions identified as slot 0 or slot 1 , which identification can be used for physically referencing the network ports located on each of the inserted pcie cards . once the hardware addresses for the network ports are determined , as illustrated in block 418 , naming process 340 ( fig3 ) illustrated in flowchart 400 remaps the hardware addresses to desired logical names that are consistent with physical labels 316 illustrated as eth0 - eth11 in network appliance 300 . the step of remapping hardware addresses to desired logical names is illustrated in block 420 . according to an exemplary embodiment , an os facility can be used to identify the pcie bus addresses for nic cards in slot 0 and slot 1 of network hardware 310 ( fig3 ). for example , in the case of an os implemented in accordance with rhel , an os facility such as “ lspci ” can be used to list the pcie address bus information as well as the device information associated with addresses on the pcie bus . although discovery of hardware devices in slots 0 and / or 1 may occur in any particular order , some os implementations may cause hardware devices in slot 1 to be discovered and configured before those in slot 0 . in such an instance , slot 1 may be assigned a bus address that is lower in value than that of slot 0 . thus , for example , the bus address for a nic card 350 located in slot 0 may be higher in value than that for a nic card 350 located in slot 1 . the respective bus addresses are used to identify the respective hardware addresses for hardware devices respectively located in slot 0 and slot 1 . these identified hardware addresses can then be used to identify the logical names associated with the hardware devices located in respective slots 0 and 1 . logical names may then be reassigned to the hardware devices located in respective slots 0 and 1 , based on , for example , device enumeration offsets used in conjunction with the bus address respectively assigned to slot 0 and slot 1 . thus , hardware devices in slot 0 may be provided with logical names , e . g ., eth4 , eth5 . . . eth7 , that are sequentially prior to the logical names assigned to hardware devices in slot 1 , e . g ., eth8 , eth9 , . . . eth11 , even though slot 1 may have a bus address that is lower in value than slot 0 . the pcie bus address information that can be determined from os facilities can be used to identify the hardware addresses associated with network ports 240 ( fig2 ) located in respective slots 0 and 1 . the hardware addresses for the hardware devices in slot 0 and slot 1 can be used to identify the logical names assigned to those hardware addresses . in the case of system integrated network ports 240 associated with physical labels 316 designated as eth0 - eth3 , as illustrated in network hardware 310 of fig3 , the logical names and hardware address relationship is reordered and a new logical name is assigned to respective ones of network ports 240 in accordance with physical labels 316 and appliance requirements . in an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure , the logical names are assigned to the appropriate device using device enumeration offset that is applicable for use with system integrated network ports 240 connected to network cable receptacles 314 . for example , naming process 340 ( fig3 ) may determine a base hardware address for a network port 240 with a logical name of eth0 in the operations indicated in block 412 . the base hardware address may then be used to refer to the hardware addresses for network ports 240 with logical names of eth1 - eth3 by using device enumeration offsets combined with the base hardware address for network port 240 with the logical name of eth0 . with the determination of the relationship between the logical names and the hardware addresses , the logical names can be remapped in accordance with physical labels 316 of network appliance 310 using , for example , the settings provided in physical labeling specification 342 . according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure , physical labeling specification 342 specifies a relationship or association between desired logical names and hardware addresses that are each identified with one of physical labels 316 . naming process 340 matches the hardware addresses specified in physical labeling specification 342 with the hardware addresses for network ports 240 that were determined by naming process 340 , as illustrated in block 418 . each desired logical name associated with a hardware address specified in physical labeling specification 342 is then assigned as the logical name for the matched hardware address in network appliance 300 . thus , naming process 340 uses an association between logical names and hardware addresses in a specification as may be provided by physical labeling specification 342 to determine the logical name to assign to a hardware device such as a network port 240 . the specified association between logical names and hardware addresses is configured so that each hardware address is defined as being associated with one of physical labels 316 . once the logical names are remapped or reassigned to the hardware address locations as desired , as illustrated in block 420 , naming process 340 ( fig3 ) illustrated in flowchart 400 causes the os facilities to be updated with the new mappings between the desired logical names and associated device hardware addresses , as illustrated in block 422 . for example , os facilities may be employed to update ethernet device configuration files maintained by os 320 . some configuration files may include “ udev ” persistent rules , which are modified with the new mappings and assignments between the desired logical names and associated hardware addresses . these persistent rules can preserve the new mappings and assignments between logical names and hardware addresses , even with the occurrence of certain events such as system restart or initialization , or os upgrade . once the relationship between desired logical names and hardware addresses associated with physical labels 316 is established or verified , naming process 340 ( fig3 ) illustrated in flowchart 400 continues with operations to configure network device pairing or to provide other configuration settings for network deployment to achieve desired network operation , as is illustrated in block 424 . the device pairing can be a logical based construct for aggregating network traffic over several network cables with the grouping or pairing of certain network devices or ports . such logical constructs may also be employed to establish or improve security redundancy for network communications , for example . by establishing a consistent reference between physical labeling and internal logical naming , network appliance 300 can provide deterministic operation that is consistent with service technician expectations for setting up network appliances and network cabling . the present disclosure obtains these benefits with newly manufactured systems , as well as with legacy systems that have an installation and operation history . the benefits of the subject matter of the present disclosure can also be attained with system reconfiguration , as may occur with the insertion of nic cards into a network appliance , or with the installation or upgrade of an os , since the disclosed processes , such as naming process 340 ( fig3 ) can be executed on system restart or reconfiguration to establish consistent naming practices between logical names and physical labeling . in addition , the present disclosure provides for persistency of the generated mapping or assignment between logical names and hardware devices associated with a physical label . the operations herein depicted and / or described herein are purely exemplary and imply no particular order . further , the operations can be used in any sequence when appropriate and can be partially used . with the above embodiments in mind , it should be understood that they can employ various computer - implemented operations involving data transferred or stored in computer systems . these operations are those requiring physical manipulation of physical quantities . usually , though not necessarily , these quantities take the form of electrical , magnetic , or optical signals capable of being stored , transferred , combined , compared and otherwise manipulated . any of the operations depicted and / or described herein that form part of the embodiments are useful machine operations . the embodiments also relate to a device or an apparatus for performing these operations . the apparatus can be specially constructed for the required purpose , or the apparatus can be a general - purpose computer selectively activated or configured by a computer program stored in the computer . in particular , various general - purpose machines employing one or more processors coupled to one or more computer readable medium , described below , can be used with computer programs written in accordance with the teachings herein , or it may be more convenient to construct a more specialized apparatus to perform the required operations . the disclosed systems and methods can also be embodied as computer readable code on a computer readable medium . the computer readable medium is any data storage device that can store data , which can be thereafter be read by a computer system . examples of the computer readable medium include hard drives , read - only memory , random - access memory , cd - roms , cd - rs , cd - rws , magnetic tapes and other optical and non - optical data storage devices . the computer readable medium can also be distributed over a network - coupled computer system so that the computer readable code is stored and executed in a distributed fashion . the foregoing description has been directed to particular embodiments of this disclosure . it will be apparent , however , that other variations and modifications may be made to the described embodiments , with the attainment of some or all of their advantages . the procedures , processes and / or modules described herein may be implemented in hardware , software , embodied as a computer - readable medium having program instructions , firmware , or a combination thereof . for example , the function described herein may be performed by a processor executing program instructions out of a memory or other storage device . therefore , it is the object of the appended claims to cover all such variations and modifications as come within the true spirit and scope of the disclosure . | 6 |
[ 0017 ] fig2 is a functional block diagram of a memory system 200 including a memory controller 202 coupled to a memory device 204 that includes a self - refresh controller 206 for adjusting the refresh rate of dynamic data as a function of an applied supply voltage vcc according to one embodiment of the present invention . in operation , the self - refresh controller 206 adjusts a refresh frequency rf of a refresh clock signal rfclk , which defines a refresh rate of the dynamic data as a function of the supply voltage vcc , to ensure the integrity of data as the supply voltage decreases , as will be explained in more detail below . the memory device 204 in fig2 is a double - data rate ( ddr ) synchronous dynamic random access memory (“ sdram ”), although the principles described herein are applicable to any memory device containing memory cells that must be refreshed ( i . e ., that store dynamic data ), such as conventional drams and sdrams , as well as packetized memory device like sldrams and rdrams , and are equally applicable to any integrated circuit that stores dynamic data . in the following description , certain details are set forth to provide a sufficient understanding of the invention . it will be clear to one skilled in the art , however , that the invention may be practiced without these particular details . in other instances , well - known circuits , control signals , timing protocols , and software operations have not been shown in detail or omitted entirely in order to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the invention . before describing the self - refresh controller 206 in more detail , the various components of the memory device 204 will first be described . the memory controller 202 applies row , column , and bank addresses to an address register 208 over an address bus addr . typically , a row address ra and a bank address ba are initially received by the address register 208 and applied to a row address multiplexer 208 and bank control logic circuit 210 , respectively . the row address multiplexer 208 applies either the row address ra received from the address register 208 or a refresh row address rfra received from the self - refresh controller 206 to a plurality of row address latch and decoder circuits 214 a - d . the bank control logic 212 activates the row address latch and decoder circuit 214 a - d corresponding to either the received bank address ba or a refresh bank address rfba from the self - refresh controller 206 , and the activated row address latch and decoder circuit latches and decodes the received row address . in response to the decoded row address , the activated row address latch and decoder 214 a - d applies various signals to a corresponding memory bank or array 216 a - d to thereby activate a row of memory cells corresponding to the decoded row address . the data in the memory cells in the accessed row is stored in sense amplifiers coupled to the array 216 a - d , which also refreshes the accessed memory cells as previously described . the row address multiplexer 210 applies the refresh row address rfra to the row address latch and decoders 214 a - d and the bank control logic circuit 212 uses the refresh bank address rfba when the memory device 204 operates in an auto - refresh or self - refresh mode of operation in response to the controller 202 applying an auto - or self - refresh command to the memory device 204 , as will be described in more detail below . after the address register 208 memory controller 202 has applied the row and bank addresses ra , ba , the memory controller applies a column address ca on the address bus addr . the address register 208 provides the column address ca to a column address counter and latch circuit 218 which , in turn , latches the column address and applies the latched column address to a plurality of column decoders 220 a - d . the bank control logic 212 activates the column decoder 220 a - d corresponding to the received bank address ba , and the activated column decoder decodes the column address ca from the counter and , latch circuit 218 . depending on the operating mode of the memory device 204 , the counter and latch circuit 218 either directly applies the latched column address to the decoders 220 a - d , or applies a sequence of column addresses to the decoders starting at the column address ca provided by the address register 208 . in response to the column address from the counter and latch circuit 218 , the activated column decoder 222 a - d applies decode and control signals to an i / o gating and data masking circuit 222 which , in turn , accesses memory cells corresponding to the decoded column address in the activated row of memory cells in the array 216 a - d being accessed . during data read operations , data being read from the activated array 216 a - d is coupled through the i / o gating and data masking circuit 222 to a read latch 224 . the circuit 222 supplies n bits of data to the read latch 224 , which then applies two n / 2 bit words to a multiplexer 226 . in the embodiment of fig3 the circuit 222 provides 64 bits to the read latch 224 which , in turn , provides two 32 bits words to the multiplexer 226 . a data driver circuit 228 sequentially receives the n / 2 bit words from the multiplexer 226 and also receives a data strobe signal dqs from a strobe signal generator 230 and a delayed clock signal clkdel from a delay - locked loop ( dll ) circuit 232 . the dqs signal has the same frequency as the clk , clk * signals , and is used by the controller 202 in latching data from the memory device 204 during read operations , as will be described in more detail below . in response to the delayed clock signal clkdel , the data driver circuit 228 sequentially outputs the received n / 2 bits words as corresponding data words dq that are in synchronism with rising and falling edges of the clk signal , respectively , and also outputs the data strobe signal dqs having rising and falling edges in synchronism with rising and falling edges of the clk signal , respectively . each data word dq and the data strobe signal dqs collectively define a data bus data coupled to the controller 202 which , during read operations , latches the each n / 2 bit dq word on the data bus responsive to the data strobe signal dqs . as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art , the clkdel signal is a delayed version of the clk signal , and the dll circuit 232 adjusts the delay of the clkdel signal relative to the clk signal to ensure that the dqs signal and the dq words are placed on the data bus in synchronism with the clk signal . the data bus also includes masking signals dqm 0 - x , which will be described in more detail below with reference to data write operations . during data write operations , the memory controller 202 applies n / 2 bit data words dq , the strobe signal dqs , and corresponding data masking signals dm 0 - x on the data bus data . a data receiver circuit 234 receives each dq word and the associated dm 0 - x signals , and applies these to an input register 236 that is clocked by the dqs signal . in response to a rising edge of the dqs signal , the input register 236 latches a first n / 2 bit dq word and the associated dm 0 - x signals , and in response to a falling edge of the dqs signal the input register latches the corresponding n / 2 bit dq word and associated dm 0 - x signals . the input register 236 provides the two latched n / 2 bit dq words as an n - bit word to a write fifo and driver circuit 238 , which clocks the the applied dq word and dm 0 - x signals into the write fifo and driver circuit in response to the dqs signal . the dq word is clocked out of the write fifo and driver circuit 238 in response to the clk signal , and is applied to the i / o gating and masking circuit 222 . the i / o gating and masking circuit 222 transfers the dq word to the accessed memory cells in the activated array 216 a - d subject to the dm 0 - x signals , which may be used to selectively mask bits or groups of bits in the dq words ( i . e ., in the write data ) being written to the accessed memory cells . a control logic and command decoder circuit 240 receives a plurality of command and clocking signals from the memory controller 202 over a control bus cont , and generates a plurality of control and timing signals to control the components 206 - 238 during operation of the memory device 204 . the command signals include a chip select signal cs *, a write enable signal we *, a column address strobe signal cas *, and a row address strobe signal ras *, while the clocking signals include a clock enable signal cke * and complementary clock signals clk , clk *, with the “*” designating a signal as being active low . the memory controller 202 drives the command signals cs *, we *, cas *, and ras * to values corresponding to a particular command , such as a read , write , or auto - refresh command . in response to the clock signals clk , clk *, the command decoder circuit 240 latches and decodes an applied command , and generates a sequence of control signals that control various components in the memory device to execute the function of the applied command . the clock enable signal cke enables clocking of the command decoder circuit 240 by the clock signals clk , clk *. the command decoder circuit 240 latches command and address signals at positive edges of the clk , clk * signals ( i . e ., the crossing point of clk going high and clk * going low ), while the input registers 236 and data drivers 228 transfer data into and from , respectively , the memory device 204 in response to both edges of the data strobe signal dqs and thus at double the frequency of the strobe signal and clock signals clk , clk *. for this reason the memory device 204 is referred to as a double - data - rate device , with data being transferred to and from the device at double the rate of a conventional sdram , which transfers data at a rate corresponding to the frequency of the applied clock signal . the detailed operation of the control logic and command generator circuit 240 in generating the control and timing signals is conventional , and thus , for the sake of brevity , will not be described in more detail . as previously mentioned , in battery - powered electronic devices it is desirable to place the memory device 204 in a low - power mode of operation when the memory controller 202 is not accessing data stored in the memory device . in the memory device 204 , this low - power mode of operation is known as a self - refresh mode . to place the memory device 204 in the self - refresh mode of operation , the memory controller 202 applies a self - refresh command to the memory device . in response to the self - refresh command , the command decoder circuit 240 applies control signals to the row address multiplexer 210 and the bank control logic circuit 212 that cause the circuits to utilize the refresh row address rfra and refresh bank address rfba from the self - refresh controller 206 to sequentially access each row of memory cells in the memory array 216 a - d to thereby refresh the memory cells . the self - refresh controller 206 controls the refresh rate at which the memory cells in the arrays 216 a - d 0 are refreshed as a function of a supply voltage vcc applied to the memory device 204 . the operation of the self - refresh controller 206 during the self - refresh mode along with the structure of the self - refresh controller will now be described in more detail . the self - refresh controller 206 includes a bias voltage generator 242 that receives the supply voltage vcc and generates a bias voltage vbias having a value that is a function of the magnitude of the supply voltage . a self - refresh oscillator 244 receives the bias voltage vbias and generates a refresh clock signal rfclk having a refresh frequency rf that is a function of the bias voltage vbias . the self - refresh oscillator 244 applies the refresh clock signal rfclk to clock a self - refresh row - bank address counter 246 which sequentially generates the refresh row addresses rfra and bank addresses rfba in response to the rfclk signal , and applies the refresh row address to the row address multiplexer 210 and refresh bank address to the bank control logic circuit 212 as previously described . in operation , upon receiving a self - refresh command , the control logic and command decoder circuit 240 resets the counter 246 and applies control signals causing the row address multiplexer 210 and bank control logic circuit 212 to utilize the refreshed row address rfra and refresh bank address rfba , respectively . the self - refresh oscillator 244 applies the refresh clock signal rfclk to clock the counter 246 which , in turn , sequentially generates the refresh row addresses rfra and refresh bank addresses rfba . the sequentially generated refresh row addresses rfra are applied through the multiplexer 210 and latched and decoded by the activated row address latch and decoder circuit 214 a - d , with the bank control logic circuit 212 activating the circuit 214 a - d corresponding to the refresh bank address rfba . the refresh controller 206 generates a given refresh bank address rfba and then generates refresh row addresses rfra to sequentially activate all rows in the memory array 216 a - d corresponding to the bank address , and thereafter generates a new bank address and activates each row in the new memory array , and so on for each memory array . in this way , the refresh controller 206 sequentially activates rows of memory cells in the arrays 216 a - d to thereby refresh the memory cells . although the refresh controller 206 is discussed as generating addresses that refresh the memory cells during the self - refresh mode , one skilled in the art will appreciate that the control logic and command decoder circuit 240 also generates signals to control various components in the memory device 204 during this mode of operation . the refresh rate of the memory cells in the arrays 216 a - d is determined by the rate at which the counter 246 sequentially generates the refresh row and bank addresses rfra , rfba , which is determined by the frequency rf of the applied refresh clock signal rfclk , as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art . thus , the frequency rf of the rfclk clock signal determines the refresh rate of the memory cells in the arrays 216 a - d . as previously mentioned , the frequency rf of the rfclk signal is a function of the bias voltage vbias from the variable bias voltage generator 242 , and the bias voltage is a function of the magnitude of the supply voltage vcc . the refresh rate of the memory cells in the arrays 216 a - d is therefore a function the magnitude of the supply voltage vcc . in this way , the self refresh controller 206 controls the refresh rate as a function of the supply voltage vcc to ensure the refresh rate is sufficient to reliably maintain the data stored in the arrays 216 a ′- d . for example , as the supply voltage vcc decreases during a low - power mode of operation , the self - refresh controller 206 increases the refresh rate of the memory cells in the arrays 216 a - d to ensure data integrity . in the self - refresh controller 206 , the variable bias voltage generator 242 controls the bias voltage vbias as a function of the magnitude of the supply voltage vcc , and the bias voltage is applied to the self - refresh oscillator 244 to control the frequency rf of the rfclk signal and thereby control the refresh rate of the memory cells in the arrays 216 a - d as a function of the supply voltage vcc . accordingly , the precise manner in which the variable bias voltage generator 242 controls the bias voltage vbias as a function of the supply voltage vcc and the precise manner in which the self - refresh oscillator 244 controls the frequency rf of the rfclk signal in response to the bias voltage determine how the self refresh controller 206 controls the refresh rate as the supply voltage varies . [ 0028 ] fig3 a and 3b are signal diagrams illustrating the operation of the variable bias voltage generator 242 and self - refresh oscillator 244 in combination to control the frequency rf of the rfclk signal as a function of the supply voltage vcc according to one embodiment of the present invention . in the embodiment of fig3 a , the variable bias voltage generator 242 maintains the bias voltage vbias at a relatively constant value vbc when the supply voltage vcc is greater than a minimum value vmin . as seen in fig3 b , the relatively constant bias voltage vbc when the supply voltage vcc is greater than the voltage vmin results in the oscillator 244 developing the rfclk signal have a relatively constant frequency rfn . the supply voltage vcc being greater than the minimum value vmin corresponds to a normal operating mode of the memory device 204 . when the supply voltage vcc is less than or equal to the minimum value vmin , the variable bias voltage generator 242 begins increasing the bias voltage vbias as the supply voltage decreases , which increases the frequency rf of the rfclk signal and thereby increases the refresh rate of the memory cells in the arrays 216 a - d . the supply voltage vcc being less than or equal to the minimum value vmin and greater than a lower limit vl corresponds to a low - power operating mode of the memory device 204 . thus , in the embodiment of fig3 a and 3b , the refresh rate is increased as the supply voltage vcc decreases below a minimum value vmin to ensure data is adequately refresh during a low - power mode of operation . the lower limit vl corresponds to a supply voltage vcc having such a small magnitude that the refresh controller 206 can no longer reliably refresh data stored in the memory arrays 216 a - d . [ 0029 ] fig4 is a signal diagram illustrating the operation of the variable bias voltage generator 242 and the self - refresh oscillator 244 in combination to control the frequency rf of the rfclk signal as a function of the supply voltage vcc according to a second embodiment of the present invention . in the embodiment of fig4 the variable bias voltage generator 242 maintains the bias voltage vbias relatively constant when the supply voltage vcc is greater than a minimum value vmin , resulting in the oscillator 244 maintaining the frequency rf of the rfclk at a relatively constant value rfn . once again , when the supply voltage vcc is greater than the minimum value vmin the memory device 204 operates in a normal operating mode . in this embodiment , when the variable bias voltage generator 242 detects the supply voltage vcc is less than or equal to the minimum value vmin , the voltage generator outputs the supply voltage as the bias voltage vbias . as seen in fig4 when the supply voltage vcc is output as the bias voltage vbias , the frequency rf of the rfclk signal increases to a maximum value rfm due to the increased magnitude of the bias voltage , and the refresh rate increases accordingly . the frequency rf and , accordingly , the refresh rate thereafter decrease as the supply voltage vcc and thus the bias voltage vbias decrease . the supply voltage vcc being less than or equal to the minimum value vmin and greater than a lower limit vl once again corresponds to a low - power operating mode of the memory device 204 . in the embodiment of fig4 the magnitude of the bias voltage vbias is increased due to the greater magnitude of the supply voltage vcc , which is applied as the bias voltage . this increased bias voltage vbias increases the frequency rf of the rfclk signal which , in turn , increases the refresh rate of the memory cells in the arrays 216 a - d . [ 0030 ] fig5 is a signal diagram illustrating the operation of the variable bias voltage generator 242 and the self - refresh oscillator 244 in combination to control the frequency rf of the rfclk signal as a function of the supply voltage vcc according to a third embodiment of the present invention . in this embodiment , the variable bias voltage generator 242 maintains the bias voltage vbias at a relatively constant value vbc when the supply voltage vcc is greater than a minimum value vmin to thereby cause the oscillator 244 to develop the rfclk signal have a relatively constant frequency rfn . the supply voltage vcc being greater than the minimum value vmin once again corresponds to a normal operating mode of the memory device 204 . when the supply voltage vcc is less than or equal to the minimum value vmin , the variable bias voltage generator 242 begins increasing the bias voltage vbias as the supply voltage decreases , which increases the frequency rf of the rfclk signal and thereby increases the refresh rate of the memory cells in the arrays 216 a - d . the variable bias voltage generator 242 and oscillator 244 operate in this way , which corresponds to the operation previously described with reference to fig3 a and 3b , to increase the refresh rate as the supply voltage vcc decreases . the generator 242 and oscillator 244 operate in this manner until the variable bias voltage generator 242 detects the supply voltage vcc is less than a first lower limit vf . when the variable bias voltage generator 242 determines the supply voltage vcc is less than or equal to the first lower limit vf , the bias voltage generator operates as previously described with reference to fig4 outputting the supply voltage as the bias voltage vbias to the oscillator 244 . the increased magnitude of the supply voltage vcc being output as the bias voltage vbias causes the frequency rf of the rfclk signal to increase to a maximum value rfm , and the refresh rate increases accordingly . the frequency rf and , accordingly , the refresh rate thereafter decrease as the supply voltage vcc and thus the bias voltage vbias decrease . the supply voltage vcc being less than or equal to the minimum value vmin and greater than a second lower limit vl once again corresponds to a low - power operating mode of the memory device 204 . it should be noted that in this embodiment , the low - power operating mode includes two sub modes , a first submode corresponding to the operation of the generator 242 and oscillator 244 when the supply voltage vcc is between the minimum value vmin and the first lower limit vf , and a second sub mode when the supply voltage is between the first lower limit vf and the second lower limit vl . referring back to fig2 in another embodiment of the refresh controller 206 , the memory controller 202 monitors the supply voltage vcc . when the memory controller 202 determines the supply voltage vcc is less than a minimum value vmin , the memory controller applies a refresh rate adjustment command to the memory device 204 . this refresh rate adjustment command may , for example , correspond to a load mode command that loads appropriate information into mode registers contained in the control logic and command decode circuit 240 . in response to receiving the refresh rate adjustment command , the command decode circuit 240 applies control signals to the variable bias voltage generator 242 , causing the voltage generator to operate as previously described for the embodiment of fig3 a - 3 b . in this embodiment , the memory controller 202 could also further monitor the supply voltage vcc and send another refresh rate adjustment command to the memory device 204 when the supply voltage becomes less than a first lower limit vf , with the command decode circuit 240 thereafter causing the variable bias voltage generator 242 and oscillator 244 to operate as previously described for the embodiment of fig5 when the supply voltage is between the first lower limit vf and the second lower limit vl . when the memory controller 202 applies this second refresh rate adjustment command , the refresh controller 202 operates the same as in the embodiment of fig4 . as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art , other embodiments of the refresh controller 206 in which the refresh controller controls the refresh rate in different ways as a function of the magnitude of the supply voltage vcc are well within the scope of the present invention . [ 0034 ] fig6 is a block diagram of a computer system 700 including computer circuitry 702 which includes the memory device 204 of fig2 and which may also include of the memory controller 202 of fig2 as well . typically , the computer circuitry 702 is coupled to the memory controller 202 through address , data , and control buses to provide for writing data to and reading data from the memory device 204 . the computer circuitry 702 includes circuitry for performing various computing functions , such as executing specific software to perform specific calculations or tasks . in addition , the computer system 700 includes one or more input devices 704 , such as a keyboard or a mouse , coupled to the computer circuitry 702 to allow an operator to interface with the computer system . typically , the computer system 700 also includes one or more output devices 706 coupled to the computer circuitry 702 , such as output devices typically including a printer and a video terminal . one or more data storage devices 708 are also typically coupled to the computer circuitry 702 to store data or retrieve data from external storage media ( not shown ). examples of typical storage devices 708 include hard and floppy disks , tape cassettes , compact disk read - only ( cd - roms ) and compact disk read - write ( cd - rw ) memories , and digital video disks ( dvds ). it is to be understood that even though various embodiments and advantages of the present invention have been set forth in the foregoing description , the above disclosure is illustrative only , and changes may be made in detail , and yet remain within the broad principles of the invention . for example , many of the components described above may be implemented using either digital or analog circuitry , or a combination of both , and also , where appropriate , may be realized through software executing on suitable processing circuitry . therefore , the present invention is to be limited only by the appended claims . | 6 |
fig1 through 14 , discussed below , and the various embodiments used to describe the principles of the present disclosure in this patent document are by way of illustration only and should not be construed in any way to limit the scope of the disclosure . those skilled in the art will understand that the principles of the present disclosure may be implemented in any suitably arranged access system . fig1 illustrates exemplary fixed wireless access network 100 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure . fixed wireless network 100 comprises a plurality of transceiver base stations , including exemplary transceiver base station 110 , that transmit forward channel ( i . e ., downlink or downstream ) broadband signals to a plurality of subscriber premises , including exemplary subscriber premises 121 , 122 and 123 , and receive reverse channel ( i . e ., uplink or upstream ) broadband signals from the plurality of subscriber premises . the present disclosure may be implemented in any type of broadband access systems , including wireline systems ( i . e , digital subscriber line ( dsl ), cable modem , fiber optic , and the like ) in which a wireline connected to the subscriber integrated access device carries forward and reverse channel signals . subscriber premises 121 - 123 transmit and receive via fixed , externally - mounted antennas 131 - 133 , respectively . subscriber premises 121 - 123 may comprise many different types of residential and commercial buildings , including single family homes , multi - tenant offices , small business enterprises ( sbe ), medium business enterprises ( mbe ), and so - called “ soho ” ( small office / home office ) premises . the principles of the present disclosure may be used in those systems that are not considered fixed wireless system such as mobile , portable or battery - powered wireless systems that serve as emergency backups for fixed systems in case of a power blackout or natural disaster . the transceiver base stations , including transceiver base station 110 , receive the forward channel ( i . e ., downlink ) signals from external network 150 and transmit the reverse channel ( i . e ., uplink ) signals to external network 150 . external network 150 may be , for example , the public switched telephone network ( pstn ) or one or more data networks , including the internet or proprietary internet protocol ( ip ) wide area networks ( wans ) and local area networks ( lans ). exemplary transceiver base station 110 is coupled to rf modem shelf 140 , which , among other things , up - converts baseband data traffic received from external network 150 to rf signals transmitted in the forward channel to subscriber premises 121 - 123 . rf modem shelf 140 also down - converts rf signals received in the reverse channel from subscriber premises 121 - 123 to baseband data traffic that is transmitted to external network 150 . rf modem shelf 140 comprises a plurality of rf modems capable of modulating ( i . e ., up - converting ) the baseband data traffic and demodulating ( i . e ., down - converting ) the reverse channel rf signals . in an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure , each of the transceiver base stations covers a cell site area that is divided into a plurality of sectors . in an advantageous embodiment of the present disclosure , each of the rf modems in rf modem shelf 140 may be assigned to modulate and demodulate signals in a particular sector of each cell site . by way of example , the cell site associated with transceiver base station 110 may be partitioned into six sectors and rf modem shelf 140 may comprise six primary rf modems ( and , optionally , a seventh spare rf modem ), each of which is assigned to one of the six sectors in the cell site of transceiver base station 110 . in another advantageous embodiment of the present disclosure , each rf modem in rf modem shelf 140 comprises two or more rf modem transceivers which may be assigned to at least one of the sectors in the cell site . for example , the cell site associated with transceiver base station 110 may be partitioned into six sectors and rf modem shelf 140 may comprise twelve rf transceivers that are assigned in pairs to each one of the six sectors . the rf modems in each rf modem pair may alternate modulating and demodulating the downlink and uplink signals in each sector . rf modem shelf 140 is located proximate transceiver base station 110 in order to minimize rf losses in communication line 169 . rf modem shelf 140 may receive the baseband data traffic from external network 150 and transmit the baseband data traffic to external network 150 via a number of different paths . in one embodiment of the present disclosure , rf modem shelf 140 may transmit baseband data traffic to , and receive baseband data traffic from , external network 150 through central office facility 160 via communication lines 166 and 167 . in such an embodiment , communication line 167 may be a link in a publicly owned or privately owned backhaul network . in another embodiment of the present disclosure , rf modem shelf 140 may transmit baseband data traffic to , and receive baseband data traffic from , external network 150 directly via communication line 168 thereby bypassing central office facility 160 . central office facility 160 comprises access processor shelf 165 . access processor shelf 165 provides a termination of data traffic for one or more rf modem shelves , such as rf modem shelf 140 . access processor shelf 165 also provides termination to the network switched circuit interfaces and / or data packet interfaces of external network 150 . one of the principal functions of access processor shelf 165 is to concentrate data traffic as the data traffic is received from external network 150 and is transferred to rf modem shelf 140 . access processor shelf 165 provides data and traffic processing of the physical layer interfaces , protocol conversion , protocol management , and programmable voice and data compression . fig2 illustrates in greater detail an alternate view of selected portions of exemplary fixed wireless access network 100 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure . fig2 depicts additional transceiver base stations , including exemplary transceiver base stations 110 a through 110 f , central office facilities 160 a and 160 b , and remote rf modem shelves 140 a through 140 d . central office facilities 160 a and 160 b comprise internal rf modems similar to rf modem shelves 140 a through 140 d . transceiver base stations 110 a , 110 b , and 110 c are disposed in cells sites 201 , 202 , and 203 , respectively . in the exemplary embodiment , cell sites 201 - 203 ( shown in dotted lines ) are partitioned into four sectors each . in alternate embodiments , sites 201 , 202 , and 203 may be partitioned into a different number of sectors , such as six sectors , for example . although fig2 illustrates a portion of a fixed wireless access network , other systems such as mobile , portable or battery - powered wireless systems may also be used . as in fig1 , rf modem shelves 140 a - 140 d and the internal rf modems of central office facilities 160 a and 160 b transmit baseband data traffic to , and receive baseband data traffic from , access processors in central office facilities 160 a and 160 b of the pstn . rf modem shelves 140 a - 140 d and the internal rf modems of central office facilities 160 a and 160 b also up - convert incoming baseband data traffic to rf signals transmitted in the forward ( downlink ) channel to the subscriber premises and down - convert incoming rf signals received in the reverse ( uplink ) channel to baseband data traffic that is transmitted via a backhaul network to external network 150 . baseband data traffic may be transmitted from remote rf modem shelves 140 a - 140 d to central office facilities 160 a and 160 b by a wireless backhaul network or by a wireline backhaul network , or both . as shown in fig2 , baseband data traffic is carried between central office facility 160 a and remote rf modem 140 a by a wireline backhaul network , namely wireline 161 , which may be , for example , a ds3 line or one to n t1 lines . a local multipoint distribution service ( lmds ) wireless backhaul network carries baseband data traffic between central office facilities 160 a and 160 b and remote rf modem shelves 140 b , 140 c , and 140 d . in a lmds wireless backhaul network , baseband data traffic being sent to remote rf modem shelves 140 b , 140 c , and 140 d is transmitted by microwave from microwave antennas mounted on transceiver base stations 110 a , 110 c , and 110 f to microwave antennas mounted on transceiver base stations 110 b , 110 d , and 110 e . baseband data traffic being sent from remote rf modem shelves 140 b , 140 c , and 140 d is transmitted by microwave in the reverse direction ( i . e ., from transceiver base stations 110 b , 110 d , and 110 e to transceiver base stations 110 a , 110 c , and 110 f ). at each of transceiver base stations 110 b , 110 d , and 110 e , downlink data traffic from central office facilities 160 a and 160 b is down - converted from microwave frequencies to baseband signals before being up - converted again for transmission to subscriber premises within each cell site . uplink data traffic received from the subscriber premises is down - converted to baseband signals before being up - converted to microwave frequencies for transmission back to central office facilities 160 a and 160 b . generally , there is an asymmetry of data usage in the downlink and the uplink . this asymmetry is typically greater than 4 : 1 ( downlink : uplink ). taking into account the factors of data asymmetry , channel propagation , and available spectrum , an advantageous embodiment of the present disclosure adopts a flexible approach in which the physical ( phy ) layer and the media access ( mac ) layer are based on the use of time division duplex ( tdd ) time division multiple access ( tdma ). tdd operations share a single rf channel between a transceiver base station and a subscriber premises and use a series of frames to allocate resources between each user uplink and downlink . a great advantage of tdd operation is the ability to dynamically allocate the portions of a frame allocated between the downlink and the uplink . this results in an increased efficiency of operation relative to frequency division duplex ( fdd ) techniques . tdd operations typically may achieve a forty to sixty percent advantage in spectral efficiency over fdd operations under typical conditions . given the short duration of the transmit and receive time slots relative to changes in the channel , tdd operations also permit open loop power control , switched diversity techniques , and feedforward and cyclo - stationary equalization techniques that reduce system cost and increase system throughput . to aid with periodic functions in the system , tdd frames are grouped into superframes ( approximately 10 to 20 milliseconds ). the superframes are further grouped into hyperframes ( approximately 250 to 1000 milliseconds ). this provides a coordinated timing reference to subscriber integrated access devices in the system . fig3 illustrates an exemplary time division duplex ( tdd ) time division multiple access ( tdma ) framing hierarchy according to one embodiment of the present disclosure . at the highest level , the tdd - tdma framing hierarchy comprises hyperframe 310 , which is x milliseconds ( msec .) in length ( e . g ., 250 msec .≦ x ≦ 1000 msec .). hyperframe 310 comprises n superframes , including exemplary superframes 311 - 316 . each of superframes 311 - 316 is 20 milliseconds in duration . superframe 313 is illustrated in greater detail . superframe 313 comprises ten ( 10 ) tdd frames , including exemplary tdd frames 321 - 324 , which are labeled tdd frame 0 , tdd frame 1 , tdd frame 2 , and tdd frame 9 , respectively . in the exemplary embodiment , each tdd frame is 2 milliseconds in duration . a tdd transmission frame is based on a fixed period of time during which access to the channel is controlled by the transceiver base station . exemplary tdd frame 321 is illustrated in greater detail . tdd frame 321 comprises a downlink portion ( i . e , base station to subscriber transmission ) and an uplink portion ( i . e ., subscriber to base station transmission ). in particular , tdd frame 321 comprises : frame header 330 — frame header 330 is a broadcast message that synchronizes the start of frame and contains access control information on how the remainder of tdd frame 321 is configured . the modulation format of frame header 330 is chosen so that all subscribers in a sector of the transceiver base station can receive frame header 330 . generally , this means that frame header 330 is transmitted in a very low complexity modulation format , such as binary phase shift keying ( bpsk or 2 - bpsk ), or perhaps quadrature phase shift keying ( qpsk or 4 - bpsk ). d downlink slots — the d downlink slots , including exemplary downlink slots 341 - 343 , contain transceiver base station - to - subscriber transmissions of user traffic and / or control signals . the modulation format of each slot is optimized for maximum possible data transmission rates . downlink slots may be grouped in blocks to form modulation groups as shown in fig5 a . subscribers who receive data using the same modulation format ( or modulation index ) and the same forward error correction ( fec ) codes are grouped together in the same modulation group . in some embodiment of the present disclosure , two or more modulation groups may have the same modulation format and fec codes . in alternate embodiments of the present disclosure , downlink slots may be grouped in blocks based on physical beam forming , rather than on modulation format and fec codes . for example , a transceiver base station may transmit data to several subscribers that are directionally along the same antenna beam in consecutive bursts . in still other embodiments of the present disclosure , downlink slots may be grouped in blocks based on any combination of two or more of : 1 ) physical beam forming , 2 ) modulation format , and 3 ) fec codes . for the purpose of simplicity , the term “ modulation group ” shall be used hereafter to refer to a group of downlink slots that are transmitted to one or more subscribers using a common scheme consisting of one or more of modulation format , fec codes , and physical beam forming . u uplink slots — the u uplink slots , including exemplary uplink slots 361 - 363 , contain subscriber - to - transceiver base station transmissions of user traffic and / or control signals . again , the modulation format ( modulation index ) is optimized for maximum possible data transmission rates . generally , the modulation format and fec codes in the uplink slots are less complex than in the downlink slots . this moves complexity to the receivers in the base stations and lowers the cost and complexity of the subscriber access device . uplink slots may be grouped in blocks to form sub - burst groups as shown in fig5 a . subscribers who transmit data using the same modulation format ( or modulation index ) and the same forward error correction ( fec ) codes are grouped together in the same sub - burst group . in some embodiments of the present disclosure , two or more sub - burst groups may have the same modulation format and fec codes . in other embodiments of the present disclosure , uplink slots may be grouped in blocks based on physical beam forming , rather than on modulation format and fec codes . in other embodiments , uplink slots may be grouped in blocks based on any combination of two or more of : 1 ) physical beam forming , 2 ) modulation format , and 3 ) fec codes . for the purpose of simplicity , the term “ sub - burst group ” shall be used hereafter to refer to a group of uplink slots that are transmitted to one or more subscribers using a common scheme consisting of one or more of modulation format , fec codes , and physical beam forming . contention slots 360 — contention slots 360 precede the u uplink slots and comprise a small number of subscriber - to - base transmissions that handle initial requests for service . a fixed format length and a single modulation format suitable for all subscriber access devices are used during contention slots 360 . generally , this means that contention slots 360 are transmitted in a very low complexity modulation format , such as binary phase shift keying ( bpsk or 2 - bpsk ), or perhaps quadrature phase shift keying ( qpsk or 4 - bpsk ). collisions , such as inter - cell collisions , ( more than one user on a time slot ) result in the use of back - off procedures similar to csma / cd ( ethernet ) in order to reschedule a request . tdd transition period 350 — tdd transition period 350 separates the uplink portion and the downlink portion and allows for transmitter ( tx ) to receiver ( rx ) propagation delays for the maximum range of the cell link and for delay associated with switching hardware operations from tx to rx or from rx to tx . the position of tdd transition period 350 may be adjusted , thereby modifying the relative sizes of the uplink portion and the downlink portion to accommodate the asymmetry between data traffic in the uplink and the downlink . exemplary downlink slot 341 is shown in greater detail . downlink slot 341 comprises burst header 371 , encapsulated packet data unit ( pdu ) 372 , and forward error correction check sum value 373 . the length of downlink slot 341 varies according to the modulation format used communicate with the subscriber access device to which downlink slot 341 is transmitted . the other downlink slots and uplink slots in tdd frame 321 are similar in structure to downlink slot 341 . a key aspect of the present disclosure is that the timing of the downlink and uplink portions of each tdd frame must be precisely aligned in order to avoid interference between sectors within the same cell and / or to avoid interference between cells . it is recalled from above that each sector of a cell site is served by an individual rf modem in rf modem shelves 140 a - 140 d and the internal rf modem shelves of central office facilities 160 a and 160 b . each rf modem uses an individual antenna to transmit and to receive in its assigned sector . the antennas for different sectors in the same cell site are mounted on the same tower and are located only a few feet apart . if one rf modem ( and antenna ) are transmitting in the downlink while another rf modem ( and antenna ) are receiving in the uplink , the power of the downlink transmission will overwhelm the downlink receiver . thus , to prevent interference between antennas in different sectors of the same cell site , the present disclosure uses a highly accurate distributed timing architecture to align the start points of the downlink transmissions . the present disclosure also determines the length of the longest downlink transmission and ensures that none of the uplink transmissions begin , and none of the base station receivers begin to receive , until after the longest downlink is completed . furthermore , the above - described interference between uplink and downlink portions of tdd frames can also occur between different cell sites . to prevent interference between antennas in different cell sites , the present disclosure also uses the highly accurate distributed timing architecture to align the start points of the downlink transmissions between cell sites . the present disclosure also determines the length of the longest downlink transmission among two or more cell sites and ensures that none of the base station receivers in any of the cells begins to receive in the uplink until after the longest downlink transmission is completed . within a cell site , a master interface control processor ( icp ), as described below in fig4 , may be used to align and allocate the uplink and downlink portions of the tdd frames for all of the rf modems in an rf modem shelf . between cell sites , the access processor may communicate with several master icps to determine the longest downlink . the access processor may then allocated the uplinks and downlinks across several cell sites in order to minimize interference between cell sites and may designate on master icp to control the timing of all of the master icps . fig4 illustrates the timing recovery and distribution circuitry in exemplary rf modem shelf 140 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure . rf modem shelf 140 comprises front panel interface 410 having connectors 411 - 414 for receiving input clock references and transmitting clock references . exemplary connector 411 receives a first clock signal from a first external source ( external source a ) and exemplary connector 414 receives a second clock signal from a second external source ( external source b ). connector 412 outputs an internally generated clock signal ( master source out ) and connector 413 receives an external one second system clock signal ( external 1 second clock ). rf modem shelf 140 also comprises a plurality of interface control processor ( icp ) cards , including exemplary icp cards 450 , 460 , 470 and 480 . isp card 450 is designated as a master icp card and icp card 480 is designated as a spare icp card in case of a failure of master icp card 450 . within rf modem shelf 140 , the icp cards provide for control functions , timing recovery and distribution , network interface , backhaul network interface , protocol conversion , resource queue management , and a proxy manager for ems for the shelf . the icp cards are based on network processor ( s ) that allow software upgrade of network interface protocols . the icp cards may be reused for control and routing functions and provide both timing and critical tdd coordinated burst timing for all the rf modems in rf modem shelf 140 and for shelf - to - shelf timing for stacked frequency high density cell configurations . the timing and distribution architecture in rf modem shelf 140 allows for three reference options : primary — an external input derived from another remote modem shelf acting as a master . bits ( building integrated timing supply ) reference is a single building master timing reference ( e . g ., external source a , external source b ) that supplies ds1 and ds0 level timing throughout an office ( e . g ., 64k or 1 . 544 / 2 . 048 mbps ). secondary — a secondary reference may be derived from any designated input port in rf modem shelf 140 . for remote rf modem shelf 140 , this is one of the backhaul i / o ports . an icp card is configured to recover a timing source and that source is placed on a backplane as a reference ( i . e ., network reference ( a / b )) to master icp card 450 . by default , two icp cards are configured as a master icp card and a spare icp card . the active master icp card distributes timing for all of rf modem shelf 140 . the timing distribution architecture of rf modem shelf 140 meets stratum 3 levels of performance , namely a free - run accuracy of +/− 4 . 6 ppm ( parts per million ), a pull - in capability of 4 . 6 ppm , and a holdover stability of less than 255 slips during the first day . there are three components to the timing distribution for the access processor backplane : the timing masters are capable of sourcing all clocks and framing signals necessary for the remaining cards within the ap backplane . within a backplane , there are two timing masters ( icp cards 450 and 480 ), which are constrained to the slots allocated as the primary and secondary controllers . the timing masters utilize the redundant timing references ( external source a , external source b , external 1 second clock ) found on the backplane to maintain network - qualified synchronization . isp card 450 ( and isp card 480 ) comprises backhaul network input / output ( i / o ) port 451 , multiplexer 452 and pll - clock generator 453 . mux 452 selects anyone of external source a , external source b , network reference ( a / b ), and the signal from i / o port 451 to be applied to pll - clock generator 453 . the timing master has missing clock detection logic that allows it to switch from one timing reference to another in the event of a failure . timing is distributed across a redundant set of clock and framing signals , designated master clock bus in fig4 . each timing master ( i . e ., icp cards 450 and 480 ) is capable under software control of driving either of the two sets of clock and framing buses on the backplane . both sets of timing buses are edge - synchronous such that timing slaves can interoperate while using either set of clocks . the timing supplied by the timing master ( e . g ., icp card 450 ) consists of a 65 . 536 mhz clock and an 8 khz framing reference . there is a primary and secondary version of each reference . to generate these references , the primary and secondary timing masters are provisioned to recover the timing from one of the following sources : to simplify clock distribution and to provide redundancy all the clocks are derived from a common clock source . the following table summarizes the backplane reference clocks as well as the clock rates of the various backplane resources and how they are derived from these references . timing slaves ( i . e ., icp cards 460 and 470 ) receive the timing provided by redundant sets of clock and framing buses . under software control , timing slaves choose a default set of clocks from either the a - side or b - side timing buses . they also contain failure detection logic such that clock and framing signal failures can be detected . once a clock or framing failure is detected , the timing slave automatically switches to the alternate set of timing buses . icp cards 460 and 470 contain backhaul i / o ports 461 and 471 , respectively , which may be used to bring in external timing signals from other rf modem shelves in the network . the timing masters ( i . e ., icp cards 450 and 480 ) also contain the timing slave function insofar as they also utilize the timing provided on the backplane clock and framing buses . a qualified timing reference is required for the timing master to derive backplane timing and to maintain synchronization within network 100 and with any outside network . under software control , an access processor card can be assigned to derive this timing and to drive one of the two timing reference buses . ideally , a second , physically separate card will contain a second qualified timing source and drive the second backplane timing reference . in the event that no qualified timing is present from trunk interfaces , the access processor backplane has connections which allow external reference timing ( e . g ., a gps - derived clock ) from the interface tray to be applied to the backplane . a one pulse - per - second ( 1 pps ) signal is distributed to all system cards for time stamping of system events and errors . installations involving multiple access processor shelves require the timing reference to be distributed between all access processor backplanes . in this scenario , the timing reference for a given backplane is cabled to the remaining backplanes through external cabling . multiple remote modem shelves are utilized to distribute high - capacity backhaul traffic to one or more additional co - located modem shelves . traffic is distributed among the shelves through t1 , t3 , oc3 and / or other broadband telecommunication circuits . to maintain network timing , the additional shelves are slaved to these distribution links and recover timing through the same pll mechanisms as the head - end shelf . fig5 a illustrates exemplary time division duplex ( tdd ) frame 500 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure . fig5 b illustrates exemplary transmission burst 520 containing a single fec block according to one embodiment of the present disclosure . fig5 c illustrates exemplary transmission burst 530 containing multiple fec blocks according to one embodiment of the present disclosure . tdd frame 500 comprises a downlink portion containing preamble field 501 , management field 502 , and n modulation groups , including modulation group 503 ( labeled modulation group 1 ), modulation group 504 ( labeled modulation group 2 ), and modulation group 505 ( labeled modulation group n ). as explained above in fig3 , a modulation group is a group of downlink slots transmitted to one or more subscribers using a common scheme of one or more of : 1 ) modulation format , 2 ) fec codes , and 3 ) physical beam forming . tdd frame 500 also comprises an uplink portion containing transmitter - transmitter guard ( ttg ) slot 506 , 0 to n registration ( reg ) minislots 506 , 1 to n contention ( con ) request minislots 508 , n sub - burst groups , including sub - burst group 509 ( labeled sub - burst 1 ) and sub - burst group 510 ( labeled sub - burst n ), and receiver - transmitter guard ( rtg ) slot 511 . as explained above in fig3 , a sub - burst group is a group of uplink slots transmitted to one or more subscribers using a common scheme of one or more of : 1 ) modulation format , 2 ) fec codes , and 3 ) physical beam forming . each modulation group and each sub - burst group comprises one or more transmission bursts . exemplary transmission burst 520 may be used within a single modulation group in the downlink and covers one or more downlink slots . transmission burst 520 also may be used within a single sub - burst group in the downlink and covers one or more uplink slots . transmission burst 520 comprises physical media dependent ( pmd ) preamble field 521 , mac header field 522 , data packet data unit ( pdu ) field 523 , and block character redundancy check ( crc ) field 524 . transmission burst 530 comprises physical media dependent ( pmd ) preamble field 531 , mac header field 532 , data pdu field 533 , block crc field 534 , data pdu field 535 , block crc field 536 . the start of every frame includes a start - of - frame ( sof ) field and a phy media dependent convergence ( pmd ) field . pmd preambles are used to assist in synchronization and time - frequency recovery at the receiver . the sof field allows subscribers using fixed diversity to test reception conditions of the two diversity antennas . the sof pmd field is 2 n symbols long ( typically 16 , 32 , 64 symbols long ) and consists of pseudo - random noise ( pn ) code sequences , frank sequences , cazac sequences , or other low cross - correlation sequences , that are transmitted using bpsk or qpsk modulation . the sof field is followed by downlink management messages broadcast from the base station to all subscribers using the lowest modulation or fec index and orthogonal expansion . management messages are transmitted both periodically ( n times per hyperframe ) and as required to change parameters or allocate parameters . management messages include : 1 . downlink map indicating the physical slot ( ps ) where downstream modulation changes ( transmitted every frame ); 2 . uplink map indicating uplink subscriber access grants and associated physical slot start of the grant ( transmitted when changed and at a minimum of one second hyperframe periods ( shorter periods are optional )); 3 . tdd frame and physical layer attributes ( periodic at a minimum of one second hyperframe period ); and 4 . other management messages including ack , nack , arq requests , and the like ( transmitted as required ). the downlink management messages are followed by multi - cast and uni - cast bursts arranged in increasing modulation complexity order . the present disclosure introduces the term “ modulation group ” to define a set of downstream bursts with the same modulation and fec protection . a subscriber continuously receives all the downstream data in the tdd frame downlink until the last symbol of the highest modulation group supported by the link is received . this allows a subscriber maximum time to perform receive demodulation updates . the downlink - to - uplink transition provides a guard time ( ttg ) to allow for propagation delays for all the subscribers . the ttg position and duration is fully programmable and set by management physical layer attribute messages . the ttg is followed by a set of allocated contention slots that are subdivided between acquisition uplink ranging mini - slots and demand access request mini - slots . the uplink map message establishes the number and location of each type of slot . ranging slots are used for both initial uplink synchronization of subscribers performing net entry and for periodic update of synchronization of active subscribers . contention slots provide a demand access request mechanism to establish subscriber service for a single traffic service flow . as collisions are possible , the subscriber uses random back - off , in integer tdd frame periods and retries based on a time out for request of service . contention slots use the lowest possible modulation , fec , and orthogonal expansion supported by the base station . the contention slots are followed by individual subscriber transmissions ( sub - bursts ) that have been scheduled and allocated by the base station in the uplink map . each subscriber transmission burst is performed at the maximum modulation , fec , and orthogonal expansion supported by the subscriber . finally , the subscriber transmissions are followed by the uplink - to - downlink transition which provides a guard time ( rtg ) to allow for propagation delays for all the subscribers . the rtg duration is fully programmable and set by management physical layer attribute messages . in the downlink , the physical media dependent ( pmd ) burst synchronization is not used . the transmission burst begins with the mac header and is followed by the packet data unit ( pdu ) and the associated block crc field that protects both the pdu and the header . the pdu may be a complete packet transmission or a fragment of a much larger message . when a channel requires more robust fec , the pdu may be broken into segments that are protected by separate fec crc fields . this avoids wasting bandwidth with additional mac headers . one significant difference between the uplink and the downlink is the addition of the pmd preamble . the pmd preamble length and pattern can be programmed by transceiver base station 110 . like the sof field at the beginning of the tdd frame , the preamble provides a synchronization method for the base station receiver . uplink registration and ranging packet bursts use longer pmd preambles . the medium access control ( mac ) layer protocol is connection oriented and provides multiple connections of different quality of service ( qos ) to each subscriber . the connections are established when a subscriber is installed and enters operation fixed wireless access network 100 . additional connections can be established and terminated with the base station transceivers as subscriber requirements changes . as an example , suppose a subscriber access device supports two voice channels and a data channel . the quality of service ( qos ) on both of the voice channels and data can set based on the service structure set by the wireless service provider . at installation , a subscriber may start with two service connections : a toll quality voice channel and a medium data rate broadband data connection . at a later point in time , the subscriber may order and upgrade service to two toll quality voice channels and high speed data connection ( a total of three connections ). the maintenance of connections varies based on the type of connection established . t1 or fractional t1 service requires almost no maintenance due to the periodic nature of transmissions . a tcp / ip connection often experiences bursty on - demand communication that may be idle for long periods of time . during those idle periods , periodic ranging and synchronization of the subscriber is required . in an exemplary embodiment of fixed wireless access network 100 , each subscriber maintains a 64 - bit eui for globally unique addressing purposes . this address uniquely defines the subscriber from within the set of all possible vendors and equipment types . this address is used during the registration process to establish the appropriate connections for a subscriber . it is also used as part of the authentication process by which the transceiver base station and the subscriber each verify the identity of the other . in the exemplary embodiment , a connection may be identified by a 16 - bit connection identifier ( cid ) in mac header 522 or mac header 532 . every subscriber must establish at least two connections in each direction ( upstream and downstream ) to enable communication with the base station . the basic cids , assigned to a subscriber at registration , are used by the base station mac layer and the subscriber mac layer to exchange mac control messages , provisioning and management information . the connection id can be considered a connection identifier even for nominally connectionless traffic like ip , since it serves as a pointer to destination and context information . the use of a 16 - bit cid permits a total of 64k connections within the sector . in an exemplary embodiment of fixed wireless access network 100 , the cid may be divided into 2 fields . bits [ 16 : x ] may be used to uniquely identify a subscriber . in a cyclo - stationary receiver processing at a base station , this would set the antenna , equalizer , and other receiver parameters . bits [ x : 1 ] may be used to indicate a connection to a type of service . each subscriber service can have individual modulation format , fec , and arq . thus , within a single sub - burst group transmitted by a subscriber , the voice data may use one type of modulation format , fec , and arq , and the broadband internet service may use a different modulation format , fec , and arq . similarly , within a single modulation group transmitted to the subscriber , the voice data may use one type of modulation format , fec , and arq , and the broadband internet service may use a different modulation format , fec , and arq . as an example , bits [ 16 : 7 ] of the cid may identify 2 ̂ 10 ( or 1024 ) distinct subscribers and bits [ 6 : 1 ] may identify 2 ̂ 6 = 64 possible connections . an apartment building could be given a set of subscriber ports [ 16 : 9 ] so that bits [ 9 : 7 ] allow 2 ̂ 8 connections or 256 connections . requests for transmission are based on these connection ids , since the allowable bandwidth may differ for different connections , even within the same service type . for example , a subscriber unit serving multiple tenants in an office building would make requests on behalf of all of them , though the contractual service limits and other connection parameters may be different for each of them . many higher - layer sessions may operate over the same wireless connection id . for example , many users within a company may be communicating with tcp / ip to different destinations , but since they all operate within the same overall service parameters , all of their traffic is pooled for request / grant purposes . since the original lan source and destination addresses are encapsulated in the payload portion of the transmission , there is no problem in identifying different user sessions . fragmentation is the process by which a portion of a subscriber payload ( uplink or downlink ) is divided into two or more pdus . fragmentation allows efficient use of available bandwidth while maintaining the qos requirements of one or more of services used by the subscriber . fragmentation may be initiated by a base station for a downlink connection or the subscriber access device for the uplink connection . a connection may be in only one fragmentation state at any given time . the authority to fragment data traffic on a connection is defined when the connection is created . the mac layer protocol in wireless access network 100 also supports concatenation of multiple pdus in a single transmission in both the uplink and the downlink , as shown in fig5 c . since each pdu contains a mac header with the cid , the receiving mac layer can determine routing and processing by higher layer protocols . a base station mac layer creates concatenated pdus in the uplink map . management , traffic data , and bandwidth may all be concatenated . this process occurs naturally in the downlink . in the uplink , concatenation has the added benefit of eliminating additional pmd preambles . fig5 d illustrates exemplary interface tray 500 d associated with rf modem shelf 140 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure . interface tray 500 d comprises signal conditioning - 10 mhz oscillator circuitry 505 d , alarm conditioning circuitry 510 d , rf circulator - power divider circuitry 515 d , and 6 : 1 switches 520 d and 525 d . exemplary interface tray 500 d , located above remote modem shelf 140 , is the junction at which the cell site antennas and the rf modems interconnect . interface tray 500 d provides n + 1 redundancy among the rf modems in rf modem shelf 140 , using an rf distribution circuit housed within interface tray 500 d . in addition to the antenna feeds , all external alarms , the bits and gps timing signals , control signals , and power supplies ( not shown ) are interfaced through interface tray 500 d . access processor shelf 165 shares the same interface tray design . all access to the cell tower antennas , alarms , power , 12 c , and bits timing and gps signals are accomplished through rear panel 501 of interface tray 500 d . rf signals supplied to the rf modem cards are received through front panel 502 of the tray . all communications and control with interface tray 500 d are done via discrete connections . control functions with interface tray 500 d via the remote modem icp cards are : any external alarms that are detected are conditioned as necessary by alarm conditioning circuitry 510 d for output to the primary and secondary master icp cards in remote rf modem shelf 140 via the discrete interconnections . for co alarm requirements , the system will output an alarm to the facility switching equipment via relay contact closure . interface tray 500 d serves three timing input sources , namely the bits signal , the gps signal , and the gps 1 pps signal . these timing signals are conditioned by signal conditioning - 10 mhz oscillator circuitry 505 d , as required , before being transmitted out front panel 502 d for interfacing to rf modem shelf 140 . interface tray 500 d supports diversity reception required by the rf modems . one channel of the diversity pair is dedicated to transmission . that channel is fed by one of the rf circulators in rf circulator - power divider circuitry 515 d to allow for transmission and reception and to support redundant switchover . the second channel is a receive - only channel . one of the rf power dividers in rf circulator - power divider circuitry 515 d feeds the receive only channel . to provide n + 1 redundancy in the remote modem shelf 140 , a switchover scheme must be devised . for the purposes of discussion , a six sector cell site is assumed . in this scheme , both rf feeds for each rf modem channel must be fed to one of 6 : 1 switches 520 d and 525 d . switching is chosen over power division to reduce the path loss through the channel versus a power division scheme . all of the tx / rx signals are fed to 6 : 1 switch 520 d and all of the rx only signals are to 6 : 1 switch 525 d . upon detection of an rf modem failure , master icp card 450 is notified and the spare modem is switched in . there is a stable 10 mhz oscillator circuit in signal conditioning - 10 mhz oscillator circuitry 505 d in interface tray 500 d . the 10 mhz signal is used to phase reference all of the rf modem cards . a low - cost backup oscillator is available in interface tray 500 d in the event of failure of the primary oscillator . the backup oscillator is phased locked with the gps signal to allow for enough stability to operate until maintenance can be performed on interface tray 500 d . fig6 depicts flow diagram 600 , which illustrates the adaptive modification of the uplink and downlink bandwidth in the air interface in wireless access network 100 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure . initially , an rf modem shelf , such as rf modem shelf 140 a , receives new access requests from subscriber access devices in fixed wireless access network 100 and determines traffic requirements for each new and existing subscriber in each sector of a single cell site ( process step 605 ). the traffic requirements of each subscriber may be established in a number of ways , including minimum qos requirements , service level agreements , past usage , and current physical layer parameters , such as modulation index , fec codes , antenna beam forming , and the like . the rf modem shelf then determines from the subscriber traffic requirements the longest downlink portion of any tdd frame in each sector of a single cell site ( process step 610 ). next , the access processor for the rf modem shelf ( or the rf modem shelf itself ) determines the appropriate allocation of downlink and uplink portions of tdd frames for a single cell site in order to minimize or eliminate interference within the cell site ( process step 615 ). bandwidth is allocated , and tdd transition period 350 is positioned , such that the longest downlink transmission is complete before any receiver in the cell site starts to listen for the uplink transmission . next , if global allocation of downlink and uplink bandwidth across multiple cell sites is being implemented ( generally the case ), the access processor determines the longest downlink portion of any tdd frame across several closely located cell sites stations ( process step 620 ). the access processor then determines the allocation of uplink and downlink bandwidth for all tdd frames across several closely located cell sites in order to minimize or eliminate cell - to - cell interference ( process step 625 ). again , bandwidth is allocated , and tdd transition period 350 is positioned , such that the longest downlink transmission is complete before any receiver in any of the closely located cell sites starts to listen for uplink transmissions . finally , the downlink portions of the tdd frames are launched simultaneously using the highly accurate clock from the distributed timing architecture ( process step 630 ). the dynamic application of tdd bandwidth allocation is bounded by set minimum and maximum boundaries set by the service provider , based on traffic and network analysis . further , the bandwidth bounds may be allocated in sub - groupings based on established quality of service ( qos ) requirements ( e . g ., voice data ) and service level agreements ( sla ) ( e . g ., broadband data rate ) as the primary consideration and with best efforts , non - qos data , and ip traffic as secondary considerations . the bandwidth bounds may be allocated based on the fact that a subscriber may support more that one interface and thus more than one modulation format in order to achieve required error rates for one or more services provided to the subscriber . fig7 depicts flow diagram 700 , which illustrates the adaptive assignment of selected link parameters , such as modulation format , forward error correction ( fec ) codes , and antenna beam forming , to the uplink and downlink channels used by each subscriber in wireless access network 100 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure . the rf modem shelf monitors data traffic between subscribers and base station and determines for each subscriber the most efficient combination of modulation format , fec code , and / or antenna beam forming for the uplink and downlink . the selected combination is based at least in part on the error rates detected by the rf modem shelf when monitoring the data traffic . if the error rate for a particular subscriber is too high in either the uplink or the downlink , the rf modem shelf can decrease the modulation format complexity and use a higher level of fec code protection in either the uplink or the downlink in order to reduce the error rate . conversely , if the error rate for a particular subscriber is very low in either the uplink or the downlink , the rf modem shelf can increase the modulation format complexity and use a lower level of fec code protection in either the uplink or the downlink in order to increase the spectral efficiency , provided the error rate remains acceptably low . different modulation formats and fec codes may be used for different services ( e . g ., voice , data ) used by a subscriber ( process step 705 ). next , the rf modem shelf assigns subscribers to modulation groups in the downlink and to sub - burst groups in the uplink ( process step 710 ). the base station transceiver then transmits media access fields ( e . g ., signaling , ack & amp ; nack ) using the lowest modulation format / fec code complexity . the base station transceiver then transmits the remaining modulation groups in the downlink to the subscribers in increasing order of modulation format / fec code complexity ( process step 715 ). when the downlink is complete , the base station transceiver receives registration & amp ; contention minislots transmitted by the subscriber access devices using the lowest modulation format / fec code complexity . the base station transceiver then receives the remaining sub - burst groups transmitted by the subscribers in increasing order of modulation format / fec code complexity ( process step 720 ). the use of adaptive link parameters improves the link throughput and correspondingly affects the bandwidth allocation described above in fig6 . link parameters apply not only to the transmitter but to the receiver as well . the present disclosure uses a bounded ( finite ) set of modulation formats to maximize bandwidth utilization to each subscriber in a channel or sector . in an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure , the low complexity ( low bandwidth efficiency ) modulation formats used for media access fields ( e . g ., signaling , ack , nack ) are binary phase shift keying ( bspk or 2 - psk ) and quadrature phase shift keying ( qpsk or 4 - psk ). the present disclosure may also use multiple - code orthogonal expansion codes in conjunction with the low complexity modulation formats for extremely robust communication . the higher complexity ( higher efficiency ) modulation formats used for the modulation groups and the sub - burst groups may be 8 - psk , 16 quadrature amplitude modulation ( qam ), 32 qam , 64 qam , 128 qam , and the like . the present disclosure also uses bounded set of fec codes to maximize bandwidth utilization to each subscriber in a channel or sector . the level of fec code protection is based on the services provided . each subscriber may support multiple services . in an advantageous embodiment of the present disclosure , the rf modem shelf may use packet fragmentation to transport data in either the uplink or the downlink . fragmentation is the division of larger packets into smaller packets ( fragments ) combined with an arq ( automatic request for retransmission ) mechanism to retransmit and recover erroneous fragments . the rf modem shelf automatically reduces fragment size for high error rate channels . fragmentation is applied for guaranteed error - free sources . the degree of fragmentation and arq is based on the service provided , since each subscriber may support multiple services . fig8 depicts flow diagram 800 , which illustrates the adaptive assignment of selected link parameters to the different service connections used by each subscriber in wireless access network 100 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure . the rf modem shelf assigns connection identification ( cid ) values to the uplink and to the uplink connections used by a subscriber . if a subscriber uses more than one service ( e . g ., two voice , one data ), the rf modem shelf assigns separate cid values to each uplink connection and separate cid values to each downlink connection ( process step 805 ). as noted above , the cid comprises a bit field with the uppermost bits identifying the subscriber and the lowermost bits identifying a specific connection to the subscriber . while many sets of adaptive transmission and reception parameters are possible , there are a finite number of combination that make logical sense . these combinations are grouped into physical layer usage codes that are broadcast to subscribers as part of the general header of tdd superframe or frame header on a periodic basis . these apply to both the base station transmissions and the subscriber transmissions . the rf modem shelf monitors data traffic between subscriber and base station and determines for each connection the most efficient combination of modulation format , fec code , and / or antenna beam forming for the uplink and downlink ( process step 810 ). the rf modem shelf then assigns each subscriber connection to a modulation group in the downlink and to a sub - burst group in the uplink ( process step 815 ). the base station transmits media access fields ( e . g ., signaling , ack & amp ; nack ) using the lowest modulation format / fec code complexity . then base station then transmits modulation groups to subscribers in increasing order of modulation format / fec code complexity ( process step 820 ). finally , the base station receives registration & amp ; contention minislots using the lowest modulation format / fec code complexity . then base station then receives sub - burst groups from subscribers in increasing order of modulation format / fec code complexity ( process step 825 ). physical layer usage codes are bound to subscriber cid values by a service establishment protocol . if there is a degradation or improvement in the channel between a subscriber and the base station , a protocol exists so the subscriber access device and the base station may revise the physical layer usage code and subscriber cid code . the codes and bindings can be added and deleted based on services requirements of the subscriber . the present disclosure applies beam forming in the transmit and receive paths of wireless access network 100 for a number of reasons , including greatly improved to carrier - to - interference ratio , which allows frequency reuse patterns that require less spectrum , two to four times the amount of spatial reuse using multiple simultaneous beams , and increased cell radius , particularly for the band where the uplink from the subscriber to the base can use higher receive gain to overcome uplink loss problems . the use of advanced antenna technology introduces an additional level of media access control ( mac ) complexity . the mac layer and physical ( phy ) layer have an added spatial / beam component that must be factored into mac layer coordination of the phy layer . on a subscriber - by - subscriber basis ( i . e ., link - by - link basis ), the mac layer and phy layer must coordinate the following parameters : a ) individual uplink or downlink for tdd system ; and b ) joint uplink and downlink for fdd system ; beam forming and advanced antennas change the basic paradigm that all subscribers have the capability of simultaneously receiving broadcast information from the base station . transmit and receive beams are formed to optimize communications with a given subscriber with a channel response h n ( t ) and beam parameters b n ( t ). the base station forms the beam and either sends or receives from the subscribers in an order determined by the mac layer . to support advanced antenna systems both fdd and tdd links must be designed to provide transmissions based on self - contained bursts . conceptually , tdd is easy to understand . a beam is formed for each transmitted burst in either the upstream or the downstream . these simple sequential cases can be expanded to advanced beam forming techniques to provide simultaneous multiple access to spatially independent users . a beam - forming network can create two or more independent beams with low self - interference that allow simultaneous communications using the same frequency . while beam - forming complexity is increased , spectral reuse is also increased . the complexity of phy layer hardware and mac layer scheduling software also increase proportionally with the number of beams created . the mac and phy also need to perform burst scheduling and transmission based on spatial concatenation . one or more subscribers can be supported by a single set of beam - forming parameters due to close physical proximity . a beam - forming network is a series of antenna elements combined with a delay - weight network that combines the rf energy of a wave front incident on the antenna elements . this enhances gain in a given direction or steers a null in a specific direction . a beam - forming system consisting of n antenna elements is generally arranged in a line or in a rectangular array . the n element array can theoretically steer n − 1 nulls . beam - forming networks are much less efficient at creating gain patterns for distinct beams . the array elements are spaced by w / n , where n is an integer value 1 , 2 , 4 , 8 , . . . , and w is the wavelength of the signal . typically , the elements are spaced at w / 4 . each of these elements is connected to a circuit that can be programmed with a variable delay and phase to each element . the signal products are summed together to form the final beam ( e . g ., the ideal constructed beam diagram ). conceptually this is very much like a fir signal filter . the array coherently sums the wave front components from a given direction by forming a time / phased delay at each element . beam forming can be performed at rf frequencies using analog delay and phase elements or at baseband frequencies using digital techniques . fig9 illustrates selected portions of the receive path of conventional analog beam - forming system 900 . analog beam - forming system 900 comprises beam - forming network 910 , antennas 931 - 936 , and modem / mac layer control block 950 . beam - forming network 910 comprises programmable delay and phase controller 920 , delay ( d ) elements 921 - 926 , and signal combiner 940 . an incident wave front is detected by antenna 931 at time t 1 , by antenna 932 at time t 2 , by antenna 933 at time t 3 , by antenna 934 at time t 4 , by antenna 935 at time t 5 , and by antenna 936 at time t 6 . as fig9 illustrates , the delay of the signal wave at each element for a given angle of signal arrival is given by : where c is the speed of light . the distance , l , between wave fronts to each element is based on the angle of arrival of the signal relative the antenna elements . as an example , if the delay , d , for the antenna elements are all set to be equal , then the antenna has maximum gain at 0 degrees . if the delays are incrementally set from delay element 926 to delay element 921 to have the values 0 , w / 4c , 2w / 4c , 3w / 4c , . . . , 5w / 4c , then the beam that is formed at the output of signal combiner 940 has maximum gain at 90 degrees ( i . e ., to the right ). fig1 represents an exemplary spatial response of the receive path of conventional analog beam - forming system 900 . power lobe 1010 represents the received beam formed by conventional analog beam - forming system 900 . the signal gain maximum occurs at an angle of approximately + 40 degrees to the right of an arbitrary 0 degree reference in the sector covered by the antennas of conventional analog beam - forming system 900 . analog beam forming has numerous benefits . analog beam - forming capabilities can be retrofitted to existing systems by adding telemetry and time coordination . there is a much lower cost relative to the baseband configuration . analog beam - forming systems also have excellent back - lobe / front - to - back emission characteristics to meet etsi tm4 standards . however , analog beam forming systems are limited in the number of simultaneous beams according to the maximum number of rf cables up a tower and rf combiner losses . fig1 illustrates selected portions of the transmit path and the receive path of conventional digital beam - forming system 1100 . digital beam - forming system 1100 comprises modem processors 1110 , 1120 and 1130 , transmit signal combiner 1140 , digital signal bus 1145 and a plurality of transceiver front - end elements . modem processor 1110 is representative of modem processors 1120 and 1130 . modem processor 1110 comprises modem 1111 , programmable transmitter ( tx ) weight / delay controller 1112 , and programmable receiver ( rx ) weight / delay controller 1113 . three exemplary transceiver front - end elements are illustrated . a first transceiver front - end element comprises antenna 1151 , radio frequency / intermediate frequency ( rf / if ) converter 1152 , analog - to - digital converter ( adc ) 1153 , and digital - to - analog ( dac ) 1154 . a second transceiver front - end element comprises antenna 1161 , radio frequency / intermediate frequency ( rf / if ) converter 1162 , analog - to - digital converter ( adc ) 1163 , and digital - to - analog ( dac ) 1164 . finally , the first transceiver front - end element comprises antenna 1171 , radio frequency / intermediate frequency ( rf / if ) converter 1172 , analog - to - digital converter ( adc ) 1173 , and digital - to - analog ( dac ) 1174 . as fig1 illustrates , each antenna has a rf / if down - converter and up - converter ( i . e ., rf / if converters 1152 , 1162 , and 1172 ), an a / d converter , and a d / a converter . the receive path signals are distributed on high - speed digital signal bus 1145 to be processed by programmable rx weight / delay controller 1113 and modem 1110 in each baseband modem processor 1110 . the transmit path differs slightly from the receive path . programmable tx weight / delay controller 1112 performs the delay and phase adjustments to the signal to be feed to each antenna element . then , transmit signal combiner 1140 ( generally an individual card ) sums the transmit signals from the multiple simultaneous channels if more than one channel is to be transmitted . this summed signal is presented to the rf / if converter for each antenna . digital baseband beam forming has the numerous benefits . digital baseband beam - forming systems provide the most flexible configuration and provide all antenna data to the receiver circuits to allow for rapid calculation of adaptive cancellation . digital baseband beam - forming systems also provide all - digital processing of weights and delay values and reduce the size of the rf amplifier . however , digital baseband beam - forming systems have a very high up - front cost . to limit costs , sparse arrays ( as opposed to array panel configurations ) are sometimes used , which causes beam pattern back - lobe problems and sometimes results in failure to consistently meet etsi tm4 ( i . e ., cell - to - cell interference ) standards . also , critical tower loading is still a problem . high performance ( large number of antenna element ) configurations must have full demodulation and electro - optic interfaces at the tower . the present disclosure uses a combination of the following techniques to maximize frequency re - use and the number of subscribers per base station in wireless access network 100 : 2 ) spread spectrum transmission to allow down - link broadcast of synchronization and beam maps for the mac layer with a cell sector . the present disclosure uses pre - programmed sets of directed beam patterns to cover a cell in an angular fashion . this is referred to herein as “ beam scanning ”. fig1 a illustrates exemplary beam scanning pattern 1210 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure . beam scanning pattern 1210 covers a cell sector that is approximately 90 degrees wide . beam scanning pattern 1210 is covered by nine directed scanning beams , each approximately 10 degrees wide . the base station establishes a set of beams to cover the cell . based on physical location in the sector , a specific beam is used to communicate with one or more subscribers that lie in that sector . the nine scanning beams may be transmitted or received in any order . fig1 b represents exemplary spatial response 1220 of the transmit and receive scanning beams in beam scanning pattern 1210 . nine signal gain maximums occur , one for each scanning beam . the leftmost signal gain maximum is formed at an angle of approximately − 40 degrees to the left of an arbitrary 0 degree reference in the sector . the rightmost signal gain maximum is formed at an angle of approximately + 40 degrees to the right of an arbitrary 0 degree reference in the sector . the nine signal gain maximums are spaced 10 degrees apart . an important issue when using a spatial / beam component in wireless access network 100 is subscriber acquisition and maintaining system synchronization . if wireless access network 100 could guarantee equal distribution of subscribers into the sector beam set , a simple round robin polling method could be used . however , uniform distribution is not guaranteed and wireless access network 100 may use a large number of beams to cover a sector . the revisit time to any specific beam may result in subscribers falling out of synchronization . one alternative to a guaranteed minimum revisit time is to have a full - sector coverage broadcast beam and use of spread spectrum processing gain in the air interface . the broadcast beam is shown in fig1 a and 13b . fig1 a illustrates exemplary broadcast pattern 1310 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure . broadcast pattern 1310 covers all of the 90 degree cell sector in fig1 a . fig1 b represents exemplary spatial response 1320 of the broadcast beam . the broadcast beam covers the 90 degree sector fairly uniformly . by introducing spread spectrum and a broadcast beam operating on the start of frame ( sof ) field of every frame , the present disclosure provides improved performance for acquisition and synchronization as opposed to either equal duration round robin polling per scan beam or dynamic weighted polling per scan beam based on the throughput per cell . 3 ) map information for beam scheduling and up / down link maps for a given frame ; and according to an advantageous embodiment of the present disclosure , the air interface is implemented using a tdd frame format . according to one embodiment , beam switching occurs on a frame - by - frame basis so that for a complete tdd frame , only one beam is active . however , in alternate embodiments of the present disclosure , more than one beam may be used in each tdd frame , particularly in the downlink due to typical 4 : 1 asymmetry . the uplink may be limited to a single scanning beam per frame . to implement the added complexity of switched beam access , the exemplary tdd frame in fig1 may be used . fig1 illustrates the use of broadcast beams and scanning beams in exemplary time division duplex ( tdd ) signal 1400 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure . in fig1 , single beam per frame mode is depicted . tdd signal 1400 comprises a first tdd frame having a downlink portion comprising a first start - of - frame field ( sof 1 ), a first beam map field ( beam map 1 ), and a first scan map field ( scan map 1 ). the remainder of the downlink portion comprises preamble field 501 , management field 502 , and n modulation groups , including exemplary modulation groups 503 and 505 , which were described above in greater detail in fig5 . the first tdd frame also has an uplink portion comprising a transmitter - transmitter guard ( ttg ) slot , a plurality of registration ( reg ) minislots , a plurality of contention ( con ) request minislots , and n sub - burst groups , including sub - burst groups 509 and 510 , and receiver - transmitter guard ( rtg ) slot 511 , which were described above in greater detail in fig5 . the first tdd frame is followed by a second tdd frame in which portions of the downlink are shown . the second tdd frame comprises a second start - of - frame field ( sof 2 ), a second beam map field ( beam map 2 ), and a second scan map field ( scan map 2 ). according to one embodiment of the present disclosure , an exemplary spread spectrum broadcast beam is used to transmit the start - of - frame fields ( sof 1 and sof 2 ) and the beam map fields ( beam map 1 and beam map 2 ) in each tdd frame , and distinct scan beams ( i . e ., scan beam a and scan beam b ) are used to transmit the scan map fields ( scan map 1 and scan map 2 ) and the remainder of the uplink and downlink portions of each tdd frame . the broadcast beam maps provide data indicating which scanning beam ( or beams ) are used at which time ( measured in symbols or other baud - oriented time unit ) for the frame . for each scanning beam used , an uplink map and a downlink map must be provided . the scanning beam map provides the uplink and downlink maps . the scanning beam map states at which time in the frame , using the scanning beam described in the broadcast beam map , the downlink modulation groups and specific uplink slots with associated cids are allocated for the frame using the specific scanning beam . according to an exemplary embodiment , the broadcast beam uses dsss spectrum spreading to make up antenna gain loss and transmits as few fields and frame information as possible to maintain efficiency . the broadcast beam transmits the sof synchronization field so that all subscribers , even those that are not actively communicating ( i . e ., idle subscribers ) can maintain synchronization . beam map 1 and beam map 2 comprise a frame beam map and super - frame beam map containing information that defines scanning beams that cover the sector , the adjoining sectors of the same base station , and the sectors of adjoining base stations . the frame beam map defines the number of downlink beams in the remainder of the current frame and lists a beam number and frame time ( physical slot ) in which each beam starts . the frame beam map also defines the uplink beam numbers for each subscriber . the super - frame beam map defines the number of beams in the relevant sector . scan beams a and b provides 802 . 16 map / mac and standard packet communications using standard modulation formats . the remainder of the tdd frame is processed using the uplink / downlink map information provided by the broadcast beam . in such an embodiment , the broadcast beam and the associated super - frame and frame beam maps inform all subscriber wireless access devices which beams are used . once the scanning beam is activated , communications are limited to the subscribers associated with that beam . as noted above , the scanning beam map used in the scanning beams are downlink maps and uplink maps . the downlink map indicates the modulation format and forward error correction code ( fec ) and time slots enabled on the downlink ( i . e ., modulation group ). the uplink map indicates the specific subscriber , modulation format , fec , and equalizer ( cyclo - stationary processing ) for the allowed uplink data bursts . 1 ) sof and beam map fields allow initial acquisition identical to a conventional single beam system , including coarse and fine frame alignment , baud and frequency nco lock , and equalizer initialization ; 2 ) access equipment at the subscriber premises creates a histogram of received signal strength and quality on a per beam basis ; 3 ) subscriber access equipment selects the best scan beam based on the histogram data ; and 4 ) uplink acquisition and ranging initiated by subscriber on the best scan beam . although the present disclosure has been described in detail , those skilled in the art should understand that they can make various changes , substitutions and alterations herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure in its broadest form . | 7 |
reference is now made to the drawings and particularly to fig1 which is a view of a display panel 10 on an electric powered lift truck showing various indicators for use by an operator of the truck . included on the display panel 10 is a battery voltage level indicator 15 ( a type of fuel gauge ) that is provided with a symbol 20 that represents a battery , a symbol 21 that represents a discharged battery and a symbol 22 that represents a charged battery . a plurality of indicator lamps 25 show the actual state of charge of the battery . it is noted that while the term &# 34 ; lamp &# 34 ; is used to refer to indicators which are illuminated or flashed , lamp is intended to include light emitting diodes ( led &# 39 ; s ) and any other form of illumination device now in existence or later developed which is immediately or remotely associated with the area to be illuminated , for example by fiber optics . a lift truck representation 28 is formed on the display panel 10 . associated with the lift truck representation 28 are a set of disks l1 - l4 that size - wise represent the maximum permissible load at different heights of the forks ; several height zone indicator lamps c1 - c4 , which indicate the recommended height range to which the forks of the lift truck should be raised for a given actual load on the forks ; and , fork height lamps h1 - h4 and 30 which represent the actual height of the forks with the fork height lamp 30 indicating when the forks are in a free lift zone beneath the collapsed height for the truck . also on the display panel 10 are an operator correctable error indicator 35 ( an iso standard symbol ), a maintenance needed indicator 40 , a performance tune pushbutton 45 , a truck hour usage pushbutton 50 represented by a stylized hourglass symbol , a maintenance pushbutton 55 , a text display screen 60 , and three push buttons 65 , 70 and 75 for controlling the input of data to the text display screen 60 . fig2 illustrates a typical rider reach fork lift truck 100 , such as series rr or rd lift trucks manufactured by crown equipment corporation , the assignee of the present application . the truck 100 includes a power unit 110 which houses a battery 115 for supplying power to a traction motor ( not shown ) connected to a steerable wheel 120 and to hydraulic motors ( not shown ) which supply power to several different systems , such as mast , fork and reach hydraulic cylinders . an operator &# 39 ; s compartment 125 in the power unit 110 is provided with a steering tiller ( not shown ) for controlling the direction of travel of the truck 100 , and a control handle 135 for controlling travel speed and direction as well as fork height , extension , and tilt . the speed of the truck 100 is measured by a tachometer , represented at 140 , included within the truck 100 in a conventional manner . an overhead guard 145 is placed over the operator &# 39 ; s compartment 125 . a pair of forks 150 are mounted on a fork carriage mechanism 155 which is in turn mounted on a carriage assembly 170 . a load back rest 160 is provided , as shown . as described in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 586 , 620 which is incorporated herein by reference , the carriage assembly 170 is attached to an extensible mast assembly 180 by a scissors reach mechanism 175 extending between the carriage assembly 170 and a reach support 176 . the reach support 176 is mounted to the mast assembly 180 which includes a fixed , lower mast member 182 and nested movable mast members 184 and 186 . a hydraulic cylinder ( not shown ) is operated by control handle 135 to control the height of the forks 150 . as shown in fig2 the mast is raised and the reach mechanism 175 is extended . the height of the forks 150 is measured by a digital encoder , represented at 190 , which may be similar to the device shown in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 103 , 226 which is incorporated herein by reference . in the illustrated embodiment , the height of the forks 150 is also detected by a height switch , represented at 191 , which is mounted on the reach support 176 and actuated whenever the height switch 191 is disengaged from a track ( not shown ) on the mast member 186 . the height switch 191 is positioned so that it is actuated whenever the top of the load back rest 160 extends above the top of the fixed mast member 182 , i . e ., the collapsed height as shown by dashed line 34 . as used herein , the term &# 34 ; collapsed height &# 34 ; refers to the top of the lower mast member 182 as represented by the dashed line 34 . thus , &# 34 ; below the collapsed height &# 34 ; means that neither the back rest 160 nor either of the mast members 184 or 186 extends above the dashed line 34 . the height switch 191 can be mounted on the reach support 176 at a height corresponding to the height of the back rest 160 if different height load back rests are used . however , it may be preferred to mount the height switch 191 at a single position corresponding to the tallest load back rest which is provided for a given series of trucks . in this way , the switch 191 is ensured to be actuated at or before extension of the back rest above the top of the mast member 182 regardless of which back rest may be used on a truck . the forks 150 may be tilted through a range shown by the arrow 195 by means of a hydraulic tilt cylinder 200 located between a bracket attached to the forks 150 and the carriage assembly 170 , see fig2 and 3 . the weight of the load on the forks 150 is measured by a pressure transducer which serves as a weight sensor 210 that is attached to a hydraulic line connected to the tilt cylinder 200 , see fig4 . a tilt switch 250 is actuated whenever the forks 150 are at their full tilt down or full tilt back positions , as will be explained . referring now to fig4 which is a hydraulic schematic diagram for the reach , side shift and tilt functions of the fork lift truck 100 shown in fig2 hydraulic fluid under pressure is supplied to a hydraulic manifold 220 in the carriage assembly 170 by hydraulic input lines 222 and 224 . within the manifold 220 are a pair of check valves pocv and a solenoid valve svr which controls and directs hydraulic fluid to a pair of reach cylinders 226 and 228 . hydraulic fluid under pressure is also applied to a manifold 230 which includes a solenoid valve svt for controlling the operation of the tilt cylinder 200 . a load sensing check valve 242 is included in a return line 244 , which is in turn connected to the input line 222 . the weight sensor 210 is connected to one side of the tilt cylinder 200 to monitor the pressure of the hydraulic fluid in the tilt cylinder 200 which pressure is a function of the weight being carried by the forks 150 , provided , of course , that the forks 150 have not reached a mechanical stop ( not shown ) due to tilting movement of the forks 150 . tilting of the forks 150 is monitored by the switch 250 which is activated by the forks 150 immediately prior to the forks 150 reaching the mechanical stop so that the tilt switch 250 is actuated whenever the forks 150 are in their full tilt down or full tilt back positions . preferably , the tilt switch 250 comprises a single switch 250s which is engaged with a plunger / cam 250pc which is spring biased to extend outside the tilt switch 250 , see fig3 and 3a . advantageously , the switch 250s is activated whenever the plunger 250pc is forced back into the tilt switch 250 or extended a defined distance beyond the tilt switch 250 so that both full tilt down and full tilt back positions can be detected using the single switch 250s . in this way , the tilt switch 250 is actuated when the weight signal generated by the weight sensor 210 may not be accurate due to the forks 150 being tilted into contact with the mechanical stop . as illustrated in fig5 the tilt switch 250 and more particularly the switch 250s includes a normally closed contact which is connected in series with the weight sensor 210 so that the signal from the weight sensor 210 is interrupted whenever the forks 150 are tilted into engagement with the mechanical stop and the weight signal is not accurate . whenever the forks 150 are at either the full tilt down position or full tilt back position , as detected by the tilt sensor or tilt switch 250 , and the weight sensor 210 does not accurately reflect the weight of the load on the forks 150 , none of the indicators of the display panel 10 are energized and the message monitor disabled is displayed on the text display screen 60 . the weight sensor 210 is preferably a transducer which provides an output signal proportional to weight . the output signal from the weight sensor 210 is used to determine the weights of the loads on the forks 150 and thereby the height zone lamps c1 - c4 to be lighted to indicated recommended height ranges for the loads . the weight sensor 210 can also be a simple switch , in which case , the only display would be weight above and below the threshold level of the switch , or in other words , above and below a predetermined level . the electrical block diagram of fig5 shows a speed sensor illustrated as the tachometer 140 , the fork height sensor 190 , the weight sensor 210 , and the tilt switch 250 connected to a control circuit taking the form of a microprocessor 80 in the illustrated embodiment which processes the input data from these devices in accordance with data representative of the truck 100 recorded in a storage device represented by a memory 85 . the results of this processing are then displayed on the display panel 10 , and , if necessary , audible alarm 90 is sounded . the microprocessor includes a lamp flashing mechanism . referring now to fig6 - 8 , wherein a second simplified embodiment of a display panel 10a for a lift truck without a weight sensor but having a sensor that detects when the forks are above the collapsed height represented by the dashed line 34 and a truck speed sensor . fig6 shows a representation 28 of a lift truck with the forks represented by a fork lamp 32 which is not energized when the forks are below the collapsed height . in fig7 fork lamp 32 is on or energized when the forks of the truck are above the collapsed height line 34 and the vehicle &# 39 ; s speed is below a predetermined value . fig8 shows the fork lamp 32 flashing and an audio alarm 90 sounding when the forks of the truck are above the collapsed height 34 and the truck &# 39 ; s speed is above a predetermined value . reference is now made to fig2 and 9 - 21 . the weight of the load on the forks 150 is measured by the weight sensor 210 and used by the microprocessor 80 , together with truck data stored in the memory 85 , to determine a recommended height to which a load of that weight should be lifted . the truck load weight / recommended height data in the illustrated embodiment is based on having the load center 24 inches from the back of the load back rest 160 and 24 inches above the forks 150 . however , in the present invention , truck data can be provided for a plurality of load centers with the appropriate set of data being manually selected by the owner or operator of the truck depending upon specific loads being handled . specific data for one of a plurality of load centers can also be selected automatically if a load moment sensor is available on the truck . as is well known , the load weight ( height of the forks ) that is recommended to be carried by a fork lift truck is a function of the height of the forks ( weight of the load ); the higher the forks ( load weight ), the lower the recommended load ( fork height ), as represented by symbols l1 - l4 in fig1 . according to the present invention , the height zone indicators c1 - c4 are energized to indicate the recommended maximum height or range of height to which the forks should be raised for the weight of a sensed load on the forks . for example for a truck represented by height / weight specification data shown in table 1 , the height zone indicator lamps c1 - c4 are energized as shown . thus , if the sensed weight on the forks is less than or equal to 2500 pounds , for example , all the height zone indicator lamps c1 - c4 are illuminated since for such weights there is no limitation on the recommended height to which the forks can be raised . therefore , when the actual weight is less or equal to 2500 pounds , the maximum recommended fork height is 321 inches , the maximum lift height for the truck . as another example of interpreting table 1 , if the sensed weight on the forks is 3200 pounds , then only lamps c1 and c2 would be illuminated , and the maximum recommended fork height is 270 inches . other examples are described below with reference to the drawing figures . table 1______________________________________indicator weight ( pounds ) max . height ( inches ) ______________________________________c4 ≦ 2500 321c3 ≦ 3000 300c2 ≦ 4000 270c1 ≦ 4500 240______________________________________ if the interrelated specifications for load weight , fork height and truck speed are violated , the microprocessor 80 lights certain lamps on the display panel 10 or 10a . the microprocessor 80 may also make some lamps flash , sound an audible alarm , and in some cases , generate a text message on the text display screen 60 , as illustrated in the flow chart of fig2 and shown in table 2 for the illustrated embodiment . table 2______________________________________height / weight speed lamplimits limit 35 alarm 90 text 60______________________________________under spec & lt ; creep off off noneunder spec ≧ creep off on noneover spec & lt ; creep on on check loadover spec ≧ creep on on check load______________________________________ the microprocessor 80 continuously processes the signals coming in from the weight sensor 210 , the fork height sensor 190 and the speed sensor 140 . while these signals can be processed in a number of ways for the present invention , fig2 illustrates a currently preferred processing flow . in fig2 , the current weight signal is read and used to calculate the recommended fork height for the corresponding weight and the number of height zone indicator lamps c1 - c4 or icons which should be illuminated to advise the truck operator of the recommended maximum fork lift height , see block b1 . the corresponding height zone indicator icons are then illuminated , see block b2 . a check is then made to determine whether the forks 150 have been tilted to the point that they contact the mechanical rest as indicated by actuation of the tilt switch 250 . if the tilt switch 250 is actuated , the signal from the weight sensor 210 is interrupted which is sensed at block b3 by the value of the weight signal from an analog to digital ( a / d ) converter is equal to zero . if so , all weight icons and other indicators are turned off and a monitor disabled message is displayed on the text display screen 60 , see block b4 . the current fork height signal is read and used to determine which one of the fork height lamps h1 - h4 or icons to illuminate to indicate to the operator of the truck the height or height zone of the forks 150 , see block b5 . the determined fork height icon is then illuminated , see block b6 . next , the fork height is compared to the recommended fork height based on the weight of the load on the forks 150 as determined in block b1 , see block b7 . if the fork height is greater than or equal to the recommended fork height based on load weight or weight level , a check load message is displayed on the text display screen 60 and the operator correctable error indicator 35 is illuminated , see block b8 . if the fork height is less than the weight level , no such action is taken . the fork height is then compared to the staging or collapsed height for the truck and the signal from the truck speed sensor 140 is read , see block b9 . if the fork height is greater than the collapsed height for the truck and the travel speed is greater than a predetermined maximum value , for example 1 . 5 miles per hour ( mph ), also known as creep speed , then the illuminated fork icon is flashed and the audible alarm 90 is sounded , see block b10 . this processing sequence is then repeated to maintain the alerting system of the present invention up to date for current truck operating conditions . these operations will be clarified by the following examples which represent specific truck operating conditions and how the alerting system responds . in operation , when the fork lift truck 100 is initially turned on , the microprocessor 80 initiates a self check procedure which causes each of the lamps in the display to be energized , displays the word test on the text display screen 60 , and causes the audible alarm 90 to sound briefly as shown in fig9 . the indicator lamps shown in fig6 to 20 may be off , on or flashing . in the drawings , when off , a lamp is represented by an outline , for example as shown by h1 - h4 in fig1 ; when on , a lamp is represented by a solid shape , for example as shown by c1 - c4 in fig1 ; when flashing , a lamp is represented by cross - hatching , for example as shown by h1 in fig1 . if the weight of the load on the forks 150 , as detected by the weight sensor 210 , is below the weight permitted for elevation of the forks to full height , and the forks are below the collapsed height , then the display will be as shown in fig1 . all of the height zone indicator lamps c1 - c4 are illuminated indicating that the operator may raise the forks 150 to their maximum height . it is to be understood that while four zones are described , the display may include any reasonable number of zones greater than four or less than four . the lamp 30 is also energized to indicate that the forks are in a free lift zone beneath the collapsed height for the truck . if the weight of the load on the forks 150 exceeds the weight recommended for full height extension of the forks , then the display will appear as shown in fig1 and 12 . in fig1 , the weight of the load on the forks 150 is less than or equal to 3000 pounds so that the forks 150 should not be raised above the height represented by height zone indicator c3 and , accordingly , the height zone indicators c1 - c3 are illuminated while the height zone indicator c4 is not illuminated . similarly , in fig1 , if additional weight is added to the forks 150 , the maximum height should be limited to the height represented by illumination of only the height zone indicator c1 . when the forks 150 are moved above the collapsed height represented by the dashed line 34 in fig2 then the lamp 30 is extinguished . the actual fork height ( in zones ) is represented by energizing one of the fork height indicator lamps h1 - h4 . thus , in fig1 - 16 , the forks 150 are shown as being raised above the collapsed height , and therefore the forks and / or mast of the truck extends above the collapsed height , i . e ., dashed line 34 , which represents the minimum height of the truck , and into the first zone , h1 . in fig1 the weight of the load permits full height extension of the mast or maximum height of the forks , as shown by illumination of all of the height zone indicator lamps c1 - c4 , and the speed of the truck , as monitored by speed sensor or tachometer 140 , is below 1 . 5 mph , creep speed . fig1 is similar to fig1 except that the truck &# 39 ; s speed is equal to or greater than 1 . 5 mph , creep speed . as shown , the lamp h1 is flashing and an audible alarm 90 , typically a chime , is sounding to alert the operator to the operating conditions . fig1 and 16 are similar to fig1 and 14 , but the load on the forks is greater so that a lower maximum fork height is recommended . that is , the maximum recommended fork height is limited to the height zone indicated by the height zone indicator c2 . accordingly , to be in compliance with recommend truck operation , the forks 150 should only be raised to the height represented by height zone lamp c2 , or fork height zone h2 . of course , the operator can move the forks to any height since the invention of the present application does not control or limit truck operation but only alerts the operator to operating conditions which should be of concern to the operator . if the load on the forks is greater than the recommended maximum for the truck , with the forks 150 in the lowermost position , then the display 10 appears as shown in fig1 . none of the lamps c1 - c4 are energized , since the weight on the forks is above the maximum for even zone c1 , the operator correctable error indicator 35 is energized , and a message check load is displayed on the text display screen 60 . similarly , if the forks are raised above the recommended height based on the sensed weight of the load on the forks 150 , the display appears as shown in fig1 . in both fig1 and 18 , the speed of the truck is less than the predetermined creep speed . if the speed is increased to equal or exceed the so - called creep speed , then the display will appear as shown in fig1 where the fork height indicator lamp h3 is flashing and the audible alarm 90 is sounding . having thus described the invention of the present application 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 defined in the appended claims . | 1 |
referring to the drawings , the present invention is described in detail herein below . [ 0026 ] fig1 is a series of schematic sectional views of the steps in explaining a method of forming multiple levels of copper interconnects according to the present invention . a first interconnect trench ( 2 ) to form a copper interconnect through damascene metallization technique is formed on a first interlayer dielectric film ( 1 ) such as a silicon oxide film , by the means of photolithography using either the i - line ( 360 nm ) or the kr - f excimer laser ( 248 nm ) ( fig1 ( a )). next , a barrier metal layer ( 3 ) of tin , ta , tan , wn or the like is formed over the entire surface by the sputtering method , the pvd ( physical vapour deposition ) method , the cvd method or the like , and then a copper film ( 4 ) is grown thereon by the pvd method , the cvd method , the electroplating method or the like ( fig1 ( b )). subsequently , polishing by the cmp method is applied thereto till the surface of the first interlayer dielectric film ( 1 ) is exposed , and thereby a first - level interconnect ( 5 ) is formed ( fig1 ( c )). next , in the oxygen plasma , the exposed surface of the copper interconnect is oxidized , preferably at the oxidation rate of 20 nm / min or less and more preferably at the oxidation rate of 10 nm / min or less so as to form an arc ( 6 ) with a thickness of 30 nm or more ( fig1 ( d )). after a second - level interlayer dielectric film ( 7 ) is grown , a second interconnect trench ( 9 ) as well as a via hole ( 8 ) to bring out a contact with the first - level interconnect ( 5 ) are formed , in the similar manner , by means of photolithography ( fig1 ( e )). at this point , if the arc being made of copper oxide and exposed at the bottom of the via hole ( 8 ) is left as it is , the contact resistance with an upper interconnect that is to be formed increases , which indicates the necessity of its removal . on the other hand , with respect to the copper oxide ( cupric oxide ) film formed hereat , it was confirmed that etching under the normal etching conditions ( using fluorine containing gas ) cannot bring about the thorough removal thereof . accordingly , in the present invention , the following method is employed to prevent an increase in the contact resistance ; namely , the exposed surface of the copper oxide is subjected to a heat treatment in the reductive atmosphere under the hydrogen flow or the like , for instance , a heat treatment conducted for 30 minutes at 400 ° c ., under the flow of ar mixed with 5 % of h 2 , under the condition that the pressure is 100 mtorr or less , and thereby an oxidized section thereof is reduced to copper . since the oxidized section is not removed but reduced , this method has an additional effect that the resulting decrease in film thickness is very small . after this , in the same manner as described above , a barrier metal layer and a copper film are formed and the planarization by the cmp is applied thereto , and thereby a second - level interconnect ( 10 ) is accomplished . in case that another interconnect is required over this , the exposed surface of the copper interconnect is oxidized similarly and then a copper oxide film is formed as another arc ( 6 ) ( fig1 ( f )). with regard to the copper oxide film to be formed , it was found that the film thickness of 30 nm or more is enough to provide the anti - reflective effect , as clearly seen in fig3 . further , the upper limit is not specifically defined , and the film thickness thereof can take any value as long as the interconnect resistance caused by that film is within a range acceptable to a given film thickness of the copper interconnect layer that is to be formed . as for the conditions of the oxygen plasma treatment , preferably the pressure is 0 . 5 to 5 . 0 torr , the amount of oxygen flow is 100 to 500 sccm ( standard cubic centimeters per minute ), the plasma power is 200 to 1000 w and the treatment time is 30 to 600 seconds . the substrate temperature at which the treatment is performed is 150 ° c . or less and more preferably 25 to 150 ° c . referring to the preferred embodiments , the present invention is further described in detail below . first , using the plasma oxidation method , the change of the oxidation rate of copper was examined as the substrate temperature was varied . the measurement was made under fixed measuring conditions that the pressure was 3 torr and the plasma power was 345 w . as shown in fig2 the oxidation rate rose rapidly above 150 ° c . in addition , especially when the oxidation rate exceeded 20 nm / min , the peeling - off of the film became marked . next , the dependence of the oxidation rate upon the plasma power was studied . for the measuring conditions , the pressure and the substrate temperature were fixed at 3 torr and 100 ° c ., respectively , and the oxidation rates were measured when the plasma power was 345 , 550 and 800 w . the results are shown in fig4 . the oxidation rate increases in proportion to the power , as fig4 depicts . further , from a graph of fig2 mentioned above , it is evident that the rate of increase in the oxidation rate is low when the substrate temperature is set at a low temperature , and high , at a high temperature . consequently , in the present invention , the substrate temperature and the power had better be adjusted in such a way that the oxidation rate is 20 nm / min or less . next , the relation between the film thickness of the copper oxide film and the reflectance was investigated . the measurements of the reflectance were made by irradiating the laser beam with a wavelength of 260 nm onto the surface of the copper oxide film of various film thicknesses and each reflectance was detected through a spectrophotometer . the results are shown in fig3 . the reflectance of the copper surface over which no oxide was formed was 32 %. the reflectance gradually decreased with increasing the film thickness of the oxide film , and went down to 2 % when the film thickness was 30 nm . little change was observed when the film thickness increased still further . the result indicates that the copper oxide film is effective , provided the film thickness thereof is 30 nm or more . | 7 |
next , the reason for the components of the high - strength , high corrosion - resistant and non - magnetic stainless steel of the invention and their amounts to be contained is described . however , the present invention should not be construed as being limited thereto . unless otherwise indicated , the “%” as used herein means “% by weight ” based on the total weight of the stainless steel . though c is effective in improving strength and controlling blow holes of ingot as an austenite forming element , when it is included in an amount of 0 . 15 %, preferably exceeding 0 . 10 %, solubility of n in molten metal may be reduced and corrosion resistance may be deteriorated by reducing dissolved cr content in the matrix , so that the content is preferably controlled to 0 . 15 % or less . the content is preferably 0 . 10 % or less . si is an element which is added as a deoxidizing agent at the time of steel production , but hot workability may be reduced when it becomes 1 . 0 % or more , so that the content is preferably controlled to 1 . 0 % or less . since mn has an action to increase dissolved amount of n in the molted metal , this is contained as an element for this purpose . it is necessary to contain 3 . 0 % or more , preferably 4 . 0 % or more of mn for containing 0 . 70 % or more of n , but corrosion resistance may be deteriorated when it is contained in an amount of 12 . 0 %, preferably larger than 11 . 3 %, so that the content is preferably controlled to 3 . 0 to 12 . 0 %. the content is preferably from 4 . 0 to 11 . 3 %, more preferably from 7 . 5 to 10 . 5 %. p is effective for improving corrosion resistance in some cases but it may reduce toughness by segregating on the grain boundary so that a smaller amount is desirable , but the content is preferably controlled to 0 . 030 % or less because of the increase in cost when it is unnecessarily reduced . since s may deteriorate hot workability and also deteriorate corrosion resistance by converting into mns , it is adjusted to 0 . 015 % or less , preferably 0 . 004 % or less , when high machinability is not required . however , when a product having excellent machinability is required , this element is contained in an amount of 0 . 03 % or more but 0 . 40 % or less , because too many amount may cause deterioration of hot workability , toughness , and corrosion resistance . since ni is an element which causes ni allergy , a smaller amount is desirable but an unnecessarily reduced amount leads to the increase in cost , so that the content is preferably controlled to 0 . 50 % or less . preferred content is 0 . 1 % or less . since cr may increase dissolved amount of n in the molten metal and also improve corrosion resistance , this is contained as an element for these purposes . these effects may not be sufficient when the content is 15 . 0 %, preferably 17 . 0 % or less , and when the content is 21 . 0 %, preferably larger than 20 %, it may reduce dissolved n content , considerably deteriorates productivity due to generation of blow holes at the time of aggregation and causes inability to maintain non - magnetic property due to unstable austenite phase , so that the content is preferably controlled to 15 . 0 to 21 . 0 %. the content is preferably from 17 . 0 to 20 . 0 %, more preferably from 17 . 5 to 19 . 0 %. since n stabilizes the austenite and improves strength and corrosion resistance , this is contained as an element for these purposes . when the content is 0 . 70 %, preferably less than 0 . 81 %, non - magnetic property may not be obtained easily and sufficient corrosion resistance may not be obtained , and when the content is 1 . 50 %, preferably larger than 1 . 25 %, dissolving temperature of nitrides may become high which exerts bad influences upon corrosion resistance and mechanical properties due to a large amount of remaining un - dissolved nitrides even under solution heat treatment condition , so that the content is preferably controlled to 0 . 70 to 1 . 50 %. the content is preferably from 0 . 81 to 1 . 25 %, more preferably from 0 . 95 to 1 . 10 %. al is a deoxidizing agent and effective in reducing o which deteriorates corrosion resistance , but it may reduce corrosion resistance when its amount becomes 0 . 020 % or more due to increased amounts of oxides and nitrides , so that the content is preferably controlled to 0 . 020 % or less . since o reduces the index of cleanliness of steel and reduces corrosion resistance , the content is preferably controlled to 0 . 020 %. in this connection , it is desirable to adjust the content to 0 . 010 % or less when an ultra - thin wire processing is carried out or corrosion resistance is more important . since mo increases dissolved amount of n and improves corrosion resistance , this is contained as an element for these purposes . the effect to improve corrosion resistance may not be sufficient when the content is 0 . 1 %, preferably less than 0 . 51 %, and when the content is 4 . 0 %, preferably larger than 3 . 0 %, it may become difficult to secure the austenite which is effective in inhibiting blow holes at the time of aggregation and the productivity is considerably worsened due to formation of brittle phase , so that the content is preferably controlled to 0 . 1 to 4 . 0 %. the content is preferably from 0 . 1 to 3 . 0 %, more preferably from 0 . 51 to 2 . 5 %. since cu is effective in improving corrosion resistance , this is contained as an element for this purpose . it is necessary to contain this element in an amount of 0 . 1 % or more , preferably 0 . 7 % or more , to obtain excellent corrosion resistance , but the hot workability may be deteriorated when the amount is 1 . 5 %, preferably larger than 1 . 35 %, so that the content is preferably controlled to 0 . 1 to 1 . 5 %. the content is preferably from 0 . 7 to 1 . 35 %. since w is effective in improving corrosion resistance , this is contained as an element for this purpose . it is necessary to contain this element in an amount of 0 . 1 % or more , preferably 0 . 3 % or more , to obtain excellent corrosion resistance , but the hot workability may be deteriorated when the amount is 0 . 8 %, preferably larger than 0 . 7 %, so that the content is preferably controlled to 0 . 1 to 0 . 8 %. the content is preferably from 0 . 3 to 0 . 7 %. since nb , v , ti , ta and hf refine crystal grains and improve strength by the refining and also improve strength by solution treatment of the elements themselves , these elements are contained as elements for these purposes . it is necessary to contain each of these elements in an amount of 0 . 010 % or more for obtaining these actions and effects , but when the amount of each element is 0 . 25 %, preferably larger than 0 . 16 %, bulky nitrides may be formed and may deteriorate corrosion resistance and fatigue strength , so that the content of each element is preferably controlled to 0 . 010 to 0 . 25 %. the content is preferably from 0 . 010 to 0 . 16 % for each . ca , mg , b and rem ( rare earth metals ): 0 . 0005 to 0 . 0100 % since ca , mg , b and rem improve hot workability , they are contained as elements for this purpose . it is necessary to contain each of these elements in an amount of 0 . 0005 % or more for obtaining this effect , but when the amount of each of ca , mg and rem is larger than 0 . 0100 %, the index of cleanliness of steel may be reduced to exert bad influences upon toughness and corrosion resistance and when the amount of b is larger than 0 . 0100 %, it may form borides to exert bad influences upon hot workability and corrosion resistance , so that the content of each element is preferably controlled to 0 . 0005 to 0 . 0100 %. also , since ca is an element which improves machinability , it is contained in an amount of from 0 . 0002 to 0 . 02 % when used for this purpose . since te improves machinability , this is contained as an element for this purpose . it is necessary to contain it in an amount of 0 . 005 % or more for obtaining this effect , but toughness and hot workability may be reduced when it exceeds 0 . 05 %, so that the content is preferably controlled to 0 . 005 to 0 . 05 %. since se improves machinability , this is contained as an element for this purpose . it is necessary to contain it in an amount of 0 . 02 % or more for obtaining this effect , but toughness may be reduced when it exceeds 0 . 20 %, so that the content is preferably controlled to 0 . 02 to 0 . 20 %. in an example of the method for producing the high - strength , high corrosion - resistant and non - magnetic stainless steel of the invention , it is produced by melting a steel having the alloy composition in a melting furnace such as a high frequency induction furnace which can be pressurized to make it into ingots , billets or slabs , and making the casts such as ingots into a steel product having a necessary size by hot forging or hot rolling and then subjecting it to solution treatment in which the steel product is heated at 1 , 100 to 1 , 200 ° c . for 15 to 60 minutes and then water - cooled . examples of the use of the high - strength , high corrosion - resistant and non - magnetic stainless steel of the invention include applications which are used biometal body and require non - magnetic property , applications which require high strength and high corrosion resistance and applications which require high strength , high corrosion resistance and non - magnetic property , such as eyeglasses , ornaments , watch materials , implant parts for living body use , shafts , screws and wires . since the high - strength , high corrosion - resistant and non - magnetic stainless steel of the invention does not use ni , it does not cause ni allergy in the living body due to elution of ni , and since the amount of n to be used instead of ni is increased , it becomes high - strength and non - magnetic . also , since the amount of mn to be used instead of ni is reduced to a level smaller than the conventional amount , it has excellent corrosion resistance . a 50 kg portion of each of the steels shown in table 1 was melted using a high frequency induction furnace capable of carrying out pressurization and then cast into an ingot of 50 kg . test pieces of 6φ × 110 mm length were cut out from the ingot to carry out gleable test for the evaluation of hot workability , with the results shown in table 2 . subsequently , the ingot was subjected to cogging to obtain a 20 mm round bar and a 30 mm square bar . next , materials were collected from sound parts and subjected to solution treatment in which the materials were heated at 1 , 150 ° c . for 30 minutes and then water - cooled . thereafter , test pieces were cut out from respective round bars to carry out hardness test and tensile test , magnetic permeability measurement , pitting potential measurement and ni elution test using the following methods . also , drill life test pieces were cut out from the square bars to carry out the test . the results are shown in table 2 . the gleable test was carried out within the range of from 900 to 1 , 300 ° c . at intervals of 50 ° c . test pieces in which a temperature range showing a percentage reduction of area of 40 % or more based on the base steel was increased was evaluated as ◯, and did not change as δ and deteriorated as x . the tensile test was carried out at ordinary temperature using jis no . 4 test pieces , and 0 . 2 % proof stress and tensile strength were measure . the magnetic permeability measurement was carried out using a vibration sample type magnetometer . the pitting potential measurement was carried out in accordance with jis g 0577 . regarding the ni elution test , a test piece of 10 mm in diameter and 35 mm in length was soaked in a 0 . 5 % nacl + 0 . 1 % urea + 0 . 1 % lactic acid ( ph 6 . 5 ) aqueous solution in accordance with the european standard en 1811 , the amount of ni in the test solution one week thereafter was analyzed by icp , and the result was converted to the eluted amount of ni per 1 cm 2 of the sample surface . the drill life test for evaluating machinablity was carried out using a 5 φ straight - shank drill made of skh 51 as the tool until it became unable to be cut at a feed rate of 0 . 07 mm without using a lubricant . the results were evaluated by the cutting rate causing the cutting impossible at a cutting distance of 1 , 000 mm , and expressed as a ratio when the steel of example 2 was defined 1 . 0 . hot workability is ◯ for base steel or more , δ for about base steel and x for base steel or less . example 2 is the base steel of * 1 group and example 8 is the base steel of * 2 group . hot workability is ◯ for base steel or more , δ for about base steel and x for base steel or less . example 2 is the base steel of * 1 group and example 8 is the base steel of * 2 group . as is evident from the results shown in table 2 , all samples of the invention which have a hardness of from 241 to 298 hv , a 0 . 2 % proof stress of from 634 to 721 mpa , a tensile strength of from 1051 to 1241 mpa , a magnetic permeability of less than 1 . 01 μ , a pitting potential of 1 . 0 or 1 . 1 v vs sce and an ni elution of 0 . 1 μg / cm 2 and contain one or two or more of ca , mg , b and rem were excellent in hot workability in comparison with the base steel which does not contain them , and the machinability of samples which contain a machinability improving element was 1 . 1 to 1 . 3 in comparison with example 2 which does not contain the element . contrary to this , comparative example 1 which contains ni and is equivalent to sus 316 showed a hardness of 185 hv , a 0 . 2 % proof stress of 361 mpa and a tensile strength of 625 mpa , which were considerably lower than those of the examples , and its magnetic permeability was less than 1 . 01 similar to the case of examples , but the pitting potential was considerably low and the ni elution was 12 times or more in comparison with examples . also , comparative example 2 whose mn content is larger than examples showed the similar degree of hardness , tensile strength , magnetic permeability and ni elution in comparison with examples , but its 0 . 2 % proof stress was slightly lower and its pitting potential was also slightly lower . in addition , comparative example 3 whose mn content is larger than examples showed the similar degree of magnetic permeability and ni elution in comparison with examples , but its hardness , 0 . 2 % proof stress and tensile strength were slightly lower than those of examples and its pitting potential was sharply low . the high - strength , high corrosion - resistant and non - magnetic stainless steel of the invention exerts the following excellent effects due to its constitution . ( 1 ) though it does not use ni , its corrosion resistance can be improved to a level equal to or higher than that of austenite stainless steel which contains ni . ( 2 ) since it does not use ni , it can be used as a material for living body use . ( 3 ) its hardness and tensile characteristics are markedly excellent in comparison with the conventional austenite stainless steel which contains ni . while the invention has been described in detail and with reference to specific embodiments thereof , it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made therein without departing from the scope thereof . this application is based on japanese patent application no . 2001 - 028196 filed feb . 5 , 2001 , the entire contents thereof being hereby incorporated by reference . | 2 |
referring to fig1 , a prior art camshaft assembly 10 for an internal combustion engine 11 , substantially as disclosed in incorporated u . s . pat . no . 6 , 732 , 691 , includes a shaft element 12 supporting three substantially identical cam lobes 14 a , 14 b , 14 c . camshaft assembly 10 is exemplarily an intake valve camshaft for a three - cylinder bank of a v - 6 engine . a target wheel 16 mounted on camshaft 12 is provided with a plurality of angularly - discrete teeth 18 ′, 18 ″ angularly positioned relative to cam lobe 14 a as described below . ( of course , as the cam lobes are identical , they are indistinguishable , and either of the other two might equally be selected . because the method of the invention requires rotational analysis of the camshaft only once per revolution , only one of the cam lobes need be involved .) each tooth 18 ′, 18 ″ has a leading edge 20 ′, 20 ″ and a trailing edge 22 ′, 22 ″, defined by the direction 15 of camshaft rotation . teeth 18 ′, 18 ″ intermittently intercept a source signal ( not shown in fig1 ) impingent upon a sensor ( also not shown in fig1 ) such as , for example , a hall effect sensor , to produce a square wave ( interrupted ) signal indicative of known performance parameters of camshaft assembly 10 . typically , camshaft assembly 10 is connected to a camshaft phaser ( not shown in fig1 for clarity ), and the performance parameters relate to the degree of valve timing advance or retard afforded by such a phaser during rotation 15 thereof during engine operation . referring to fig2 , several activities are shown simultaneously as a function of the rotation of an engine crankshaft coupled to engine camshaft assembly 10 via a camshaft phaser . recall that in a four - stroke engine , the crankshaft rotates twice for each rotation of the camshaft ; thus , each lobe 14 in the example 10 shown herein has an actuation domain , from the start of its rising edge to the end of its falling edge , of 240 crank angle degrees . curve 24 shows the lift in millimeters of a typical engine valve through opening and closing by cam lobe 14 a . curve 26 shows the torque in newton - meters imposed on camshaft assembly 10 by actuation of the valve cam follower for lobe 14 a . note that the initial torque value is negative ( counter to camshaft rotation 15 ) as the follower begins to ascend the opening flank ( rising edge ) 28 of lobe 14 a ( fig1 ), reaching a minimum of approximately − 16 nm when the valve is about half - open ; then becomes increasingly positive ( in the direction 15 of camshaft rotation ), passing through 0 just ahead of the peak opening of the valve ; reaches a maximum value in excess of + 11 nm when the follower is descending the closing flank ( falling edge ) 30 of the lobe and the valve is about half - closed ; and remains positive through the remainder of the valve cycle until the follower is once again on the base circle portion of the cam lobe . the alternating negative and positive torque exerted on the camshaft ( and hence the rotor ) causes an oscillatory instability in the instantaneous camshaft angular position during valve actuation by each lobe 14 a , 14 b , 14 c , as shown in curve 32 in fig2 wherein instability is expressed in angular deviation from nominal ( 0 ) during actuation by a single lobe 14 a . in the example shown , the instability curve 32 nearly mirrors the valve opening curve 24 , reaching a minimum of about − 2 . 5 degrees near the valve opening peak and a maximum of about + 1 . 5 degrees when the valve is nearly closed again . the effect of such torque fluctuation on the camshaft is that the valve opening is slightly delayed and the valve closing is slightly accelerated from nominal . because of mechanical and hydraulic lash in the valve actuation system , including the cam phaser , a modest characteristic phaser hold instability is to be expected and can be accommodated at a fixed and steady - state net ( peak - to - peak ) amplitude . referring to fig1 through 3 , first tooth 18 ′ is angularly placed with respect to rising edge 28 of cam lobe 14 a such that trailing edge 22 ′ coincides with the peak point of the negative camshaft oscillation peak excursion 34 , graphically shown as point 25 in fig2 . second tooth 18 ″ is angularly placed with respect to falling edge 30 of the same cam lobe such that trailing edge 22 ″ coincides with the peak point of the positive camshaft oscillation excursion 36 , graphically shown as point 27 in fig2 . as shown in fig1 and schematically in fig3 , in an engine phaser control system 60 , teeth 18 ′, 18 ″ are positioned with respect to lobe 14 a such that during a full rotation of target wheel 16 ′, the trailing edge 22 ′, 22 ″ of each tooth induces a signal received by a receiver 38 , as for example , a hall effect sensor . the receiver 38 , in turn , transmits a signal 39 to an electronic monitoring system ( ems ) 44 , in known fashion . the ems also receives a signal 40 from crankshaft position sensor 42 which determines the precise angular position of the crankshaft 43 in its rotation and that provides an instantaneous reference for the camshaft angular position . with the camshaft phaser system in good working order , a baseline level of phaser instability is measured by ems 44 by algorithm , based on received signals 39 and 40 . this measurement is taken every camshaft rotation . thus , any changes to the baseline level of phaser instability , as measured by ems 44 , is a direct measurement of an increase in holding position instability of the phaser . in accordance with the present invention , instability amplitude can be monitored and controlled continuously as an operating characteristic of a cam phaser system . referring to fig3 and 5 , a baseline level of phaser instability is indicated by portion 70 of the cam position curve . at point 72 , phaser instability suddenly increases to an unacceptable level , as shown in portion 74 . increases in the amplitude of instability during engine operation can signify degraded performance of the phaser , as may be caused by drop in phaser actuating oil pressure , oil filter clogging , oil aeration , etc . such increases 74 are signals for ems 44 to take defensive action 52 in accordance with the present invention , until such time as the amplitude returns to an acceptable value 70 . referring now to fig4 and 6 , a method 78 in accordance with the invention is shown for adjusting the action of a camshaft phaser to reduce excessive instability when a predetermined amplitude alarm limit is reached . there are three elements in the method : measurement , diagnosis , and default strategy . a fourth element , diagnostic failure , may be implemented in the event that the default strategy repeatedly fails to correct the instability . a service p - code is stored for the variable cam phasing system . this is not necessarily an emissions - type failure . the calibration for the specific application determines whether the failure is treated as emissions - type or service - only . measurement : the instability is measured by sampling the actual phasing position at specific cam target teeth , for example , teeth 18 ′, 18 ″ on target wheel 16 to provide peak - to - peak position oscillation as described above . a measurement algorithm 80 keeps track of which tooth on the target wheel is presently being measured . the instability is measured only when the phasing system is at a steady - state , non - default position , away from the stop / end positions . transient operation is not useful for measuring instability . diagnosis : a diagnostic 82 monitors the level of instability 83 against predetermined acceptable levels , depending upon engine operating conditions 84 such as speed and oil temperature . the definition of excessive level of instability is predetermined by engine calibration in known fashion . when this level 85 ( fig6 ) is detected , an internal system alert 86 is activated . a default strategy 88 is then implemented to correct the excessive instability . in a presently preferred embodiment , the diagnostic 82 repeatedly executes a 125 millisecond loop and retrieves the latest available instability measurement 83 . the diagnostic 82 is enabled only if there are no measurement faults present . default strategy : the default strategy 88 for instability is to bias the control duty cycle 90 of the phaser to allow more oil to flow into the phaser on the side (“ actuating side ”) of the phaser that opposes the drift or eliminates oscillation . this is usually the side of the phaser that works against the valvetrain , but may be either side . the valvetrain and camshaft tend to drive the phaser in a net timing - retard direction . the bias of duty cycle and associated oil volume restores the stiffness of the hydraulic system , thus reducing the level of instability to an acceptable level 92 ( fig6 ). in a presently preferred embodiment , the default function detects the need for action by observing whether fail counts from the diagnostic have reached a small threshold . this threshold is separate from the fail threshold in the diagnostic , so that the default function can be activated before the diagnostic fails . a threshold of zero is not used so that unnecessary activity in the default function can be avoided , should there be any incidental fail counts in the diagnostic . the bias is applied by capturing the value of the integral at the time that the instability diagnostic starts to fail . a calibrated bias duty cycle is added to this failing integral value . the minimum integral is then clamped at the resulting biased duty cycle . while the invention has been described by reference to various specific embodiments , it should be understood that numerous changes may be made within the spirit and scope of the inventive concepts described . accordingly , it is intended that the invention not be limited to the described embodiments , but will have full scope defined by the language of the following claims . | 5 |
preferred embodiments of an optical waveguide positioning substrate according to the invention will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings . fig1 is an exploded perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the invention , showing a positioning substrate , each part of which is separated . this positioning substrate 1 has a ceramic array body 2 for aligning optical fibers f ( an example of an optical waveguide ) ( see fig2 and 3 ) projecting from an optical fiber cable s ( an example of an optical component ). this array body 2 is screwed to an internal plate mounted in a case ( not shown ). thus the array body 2 is suitably mounted by means of screws or the like to a predetermined part ( a fusion splicing part , that is , the vicinity of a part where electric discharge is carried out ) of a fusion splicing device or the like . the upper part of the array body 2 is formed to two arms , and optical component placing parts 5 and 6 are provided on the upper faces of these arms . multiple ( for example eight to twelve ) cross - sectionally v - shaped optical fiber aligning grooves 5 a and 6 a are formed in parallel in each of the optical component placing parts 5 and 6 in a one - to - one relationship . corresponding optical fiber aligning grooves 5 a and 6 a are aligned in a straight line . these ross - sectionally v - shaped optical fiber aligning grooves will hereinafter be called simply “ v - grooves ”. also , the positioning substrate i has a light - emitting means 8 which is designed to decrease the number of parts so as to lower manufacturing costs and thereby to reduce the frequency of failures and facilitate cleaning . this light - emitting means 8 has an optical fiber fixing piece 9 fixed to the array body 2 with adhesive . a plurality of light guide members 10 to be used as light guides are embedded in this optical fiber fixing piece 9 so as to extend vertically . the light guide members 10 are formed of optical fibers having smaller diameter than the groove width of the v - grooves 6 a and are aligned so that they each have one end face in the same plane as the upper face of the optical fiber fixing piece 9 to constitute a light - emitting part 15 . as shown in fig2 the light - emitting parts 15 of the light guide members 10 are aligned in one - to - one correspondence with some of the v - grooves 5 a . specifically , when there are eight of the v - grooves 6 a , four light guide members 10 are aligned in one - to - one correspondence with half , i . e . four , of the v - grooves 5 a ( see fig3 ). also , as shown in fig1 base ends of the light guide members 10 are inserted into and fixed with adhesive in through - holes 12 provided in a base table 3 . four green leds ( light sources ) 13 are aligned on a base plate 14 so as to face the four through holes 12 . the base plate 14 is fixed to the underside of the base table 3 , and by one of the leds 13 being disposed at each of the through holes 12 , the base ends of the light guide members 10 are positioned in front of the leds 13 serving as light sources . as a result of this construction , it is possible to introduce light into the corresponding light guide member 10 by lighting any of the leds , whereupon the light - emitting part 15 of the light guide member 10 corresponding to a predetermined v - groove 5 a illuminates . this illumination can be used as a guidance index when an optical fiber f is being set in a v - groove 5 a . to allow the optical fibers f to receive a uniform electric discharge energy , the positions in which the light - emitting parts 15 illuminate are changed in correspondence with the number of optical fibers f to change the positions at which the optical fibers f are set in the v - grooves 5 a . for example , to position four optical fibers f in a central region between electrode bars p and p , a predetermined light - emitting part 15 is illuminated among the four light - emitting parts 15 , and using this light - emitting position as a target , an optical fiber f at the outermost or the innermost among the four optical fibers f is set in the illuminated v - groove 5 a with the naked eye . this is only an example , and the illuminating position of the light - emitting part 15 is , of course , determined appropriately by the user . of course , one may choose either to illuminate / extinguish the light - emitting parts 15 or to change the colors of the light - emitting parts 15 . although the foregoing description refers to the v - grooves 5 a side , it is the same also for the v - grooves 6 a used in fusion splicing . that is , as shown in fig1 and fig3 light guide members 20 are aligned in an optical fiber fixing piece 19 with four light - emitting parts 18 thereof disposed in one - to - one correspondence with four of the v - grooves 6 a . in this case , the light guide members 20 are fixed in the through holes 12 . another preferred embodiment will now be described . as shown in fig4 twelve v - grooves 31 a are provided in an optical component placing part 31 of an array body 30 , and twelve light - emitting parts 32 are provided in a line extending over the full width of the optical component placing part 31 with one - to - one correspondence with the v - grooves 31 a . in this case , to correspond with the light - emitting parts 32 , as shown in fig5 twelve optical guide members 33 are connected to twelve leds 34 . as a result , the twelve light - emitting parts 32 can be illuminated / extinguished individually . with this construction , as shown in fig6 six centrally positioned light - emitting parts 32 are illuminated to correspond with six optical fibers f , and the optical fibers f , are set in the illuminated v - grooves 31 a using these illuminated positions as a guide . also , as shown in fig7 it is possible for both of the outermost ones of the light - emitting parts 32 of the six centrally positioned light - emitting parts 32 to be illuminated and used as a guide for setting the optical fibers f . or , the two outerside light - emitting parts 32 of the six centrally positioned light - emitting parts 32 may be illuminated at each side , as shown in fig8 or the colors of adjacent light - emitting parts 32 may be changed , or illuminating / extinguishing may be selected . or six of the centrally positioned light - emitting parts 32 may be extinguished and the remaining illuminated . of course , the location of the illuminated / extinguished light - emitting parts 32 are changed appropriately in accordance with the number of optical fibers f . a further preferred embodiment will now be described . as shown in fig9 a cross - sectionally u - shaped optical device placing groove 43 for aligning an optical device 44 , which is an example of an optical component having six optical waveguides 42 formed inside it , is formed in an optical component placing part 41 of an array body 40 . when the optical device 44 is disposed on this optical component placing part 41 , the bottom face 44 a of the optical device 44 is made to abut with the bottom face 43 a of the optical device placing groove 43 . in the array body 40 , at an end of the optical device placing groove 43 , multiple ( twelve ) light - emitting parts 45 are provided in a line extending over the full width of the optical device placing groove 43 . the number of light - emitting parts 45 is freely determinable , and the form of illumination of the light - emitting parts 45 is the same as that described hereinbefore . also , suction openings 50 can be provided in the bottom face 43 a of the optical device placing groove 43 and the optical device can be held in the optical device placing groove by vacuum suction from the other side of these holes . and , as shown in fig1 , the inner wall surface of the placing groove can be formed to have steps and suitable widths of the placing groove in accordance with the number of optical waveguides before the optical device is placed . for example , any suitable color of the light - emitting parts can be chosen , and their number is also freely determinable . this positioning substrate is used not only in a fusion splicing device having left and right optical device placing parts , but also in a fusion splicing device having only one optical device placing part , and it can be applied to various devices . the invention also can be used in cases for single - core fibers . | 6 |
fig1 shows the beginning of a construction process for the apparatus of the invention . a substrate 10 has an optional electrically conducting layer 12 deposited , and on top of the layer 12 , a layer of barrier material 14 is deposited . the substrate may be a material transparent to light , such as a glass , a polymeric material , or it may be a non transparent substrate such as stainless steel or any other inexpensive material as is known in the art . if the substrate is an electrically conducting substrate , the electrically conducting layer 12 may be dispensed with . the electrically conducting material of layer 12 may be a material transparent to light such as indium tin oxide ( ito ), for some embodiments of the invention , or it may be non - transparent such as a metallic layer of aluminum . the barrier material of layer 14 is a non - crystalline , non hydrocarbon material . for the purposes of this specification , a non - crystalline material is defined as an amorphous material or a material comprising atoms with only very short range ordering , wherein the short range order is over dimensions much less than the largest dimensions of nanocrystals which will be applied to the surface , ( shown later ). the barrier material of layer 14 may be homogeneous , or it may be a mixture of different material , or it may be a homogenous material with a large percentage of nanoparticles contained therein , where the nanoparticles have dimensions small compared to the largest dimension of the nanocrystals . a hydrocarbon material is defined as a material having a significant number of hydrocarbon ( c — h ) bonds , where the presence of the hydrocarbon bonds significantly affects the properties of the material . for the purpose of this specification , hydrocarbon material having c — h bonds substituted with c — f , c — cl , c — br , and c — i bonds is defined as a hydrocarbon material . layer 14 may be deposited on layer 12 by evaporation , sputtering , spin coating , or any other method as known in the art of depositing thin layers . fig2 shows the apparatus of fig1 having a layer 20 of preformed nanocrystals 22 deposited on layer 14 . for the purposes of this specification , a nanocrystal is formed of a crystalline material , wherein the atoms of the crystalline material have a long range order of the physical dimensions of the nanocrystal . the maximum dimension of the nanocrystals for the purposes of this specification is defined as 300 nm . the nanocrystals may have spherical , elliptical , or irregular shapes , where all spatial dimensions are comparable , or may be plate shaped , where one spatial dimension is much less than the other two , or rod shaped , where one spatial dimension is much longer than the other two . fig2 shows many nanocrystals covering layer 14 more or less uniformly , but in some preferred embodiments of the invention , one or a few nanocrystals in a group may be necessary . in the most preferred embodiments of the invention , a large plurality of nanocrystals is required . a large plurality is defined as more than 10 , 000 , and in the most preferred embodiments of the invention the layer 14 is entirely covered with at least one layer of nanocrystals , wherein the substrate 10 has dimensions of cm or meters . the nanoparticles may be applied by themselves to the surface of layer 14 , as shown in fig2 , or they may be admixed with another material and applied to the surface of layer 14 , or layer 14 and layer 20 may be co - deposited on layer 12 . the material admixed with the nanocrystals may be the same as the material of layer 12 , or another barrier material . the nanocrystals are preferably nanocrystalline for of a semiconductor , most preferably a iii - v semiconductor such as gaas , algaas , gainalas , gan , a ii - vi material , or an elemental semiconductor . a barrier material is defined as a material wherein a potential energy barrier exists against transferring carriers of at least one type between the conductor material and the preformed inorganic nanocrystals of layer 20 . preferred barrier materials are oxides and nitrides , particularly of silicon . oxides of other metals such as titanium , scandium , ruthenium etc . are also anticipated for their qualities of chemical stability . nano particles of these materials admixed into other barrier materials are also anticipated . fig3 shows two additional layers 30 and 32 deposited on top of the nanocrystal layer . layer 30 is a barrier layer which may be the same material as layer 14 or a different barrier material . layer 32 is an electrically conducting layer , which may or may not be a transparent material . if the substrate material and layer 12 are transparent , layer 32 may be a metallic material such as aluminum , which will serve as both an electrical conductor and as a hermetic seal . fig4 is an enlarged view of the apparatus of the invention , wherein optional additional layers of material 40 , 42 , 44 , and 46 are introduced for various purposes such as passivation layers and diffusion barrier layers . the structure of fig3 shows the electrically conducting layers 12 and 32 in physical contact with barrier layers 14 and 34 , which are in physical contact with the nanocrystals of layer 20 . in the present invention , physical contact between these layers is not required , as long as electrical contact is maintained . electrical contact is maintained when the electrical potentials of the various layers are determined , at least in part , by the potentials of another layer . for example , a current may flow between two electrically contacted materials separated by a layer of another material , or the potential of one layer is affected by capacitive coupling from the other , or charge carriers may travel from one layer to the next by diffusion , by tunneling , by field or thermionic emission , or by other means as known in the art or any combination of such means . the most preferred charge carrier movement is by tunneling . a preferred method of transfer of carriers is by a combination field emission of electrons and diffusion of holes . fig5 shows a sketch of the layer 20 formed from nanocrystals 51 of different shape or different materials . fig6 shows that the invention of fig2 can be stacked one on top of the other . conducting layers 64 and 66 , barrier layers 62 and 68 , and a layer 60 of nanocrystals 62 are deposited on a previously formed device . in fig6 , layers 66 and 68 are optional , as layer 30 will serve as a barrier layer for both nanocrystal layers 20 and 60 . fig7 shows a schematic band diagram for the most preferred apparatus of the invention of fig3 without solar illumination . the dashed line represents the fermi level ( ef ). component layers include the nanocrystal or quantum dot ( qd ) layer 20 , two barrier layers ( b 1 , b 2 ) representing layers 14 and 30 , and two contact layers ( c 1 , c 2 ) representing layers 12 and 32 . the and barrier conduction ( ec ) and valence ( ev ) bands are tilted because of the different work functions of the conductors , where the work function is defined as the distance between the vacuum level ( e vac ) and ef . e ′ vac represents the vacuum level before the contact , c 2 is mated with the rest of the structure . the difference in work functions is responsible for the slope of ec and ev . the fermi level of a system is defined in equilibrium ; it is a constant energy level throughout the system and is defined as the energy at which the probability of electron occupation is ½ . the work function , defined as the difference between the fermi level and the vacuum level is typically different for different materials . here , we initially design the work function of the two contacts to be different , thus sloping the conduction band ( ec ) and valence band ( ev ). this creates an important difference in the height of ec on each side of the qd conduction state with respect to this state . a unique feature of one embodiment of this device is the tunneling nature of the transport . if the charge carriers generated at the qd where transported by diffusion through the amorphous layers , the minority carrier diffusion length would likely be short ; the transport properties would not be optimum as in an amorphous si device . however , if the charged carriers quantum mechanically tunnel through the barrier , the mean diffusion length does not matter , except for issues related to barrier defects . if the energy difference between qd valence and conduction states are equal to the energy of photons illuminated on it , and the valence state is filled , while the conduction state is empty , then there is a probability that the photon will be absorbed by the qd , and an electron from the filled valence state can be excited to the conduction state , leaving a hole . this electron can relax back to the valence state and recombine with the hole in a characteristic time called the spontaneous emission radiative lifetime , or relax nonradiatively through defects or phonons with a nonradiative lifetime . however , in our device the electron tunnels through the barrier region and into the conductor , before any of the above processes occur . in parallel , the hole created in the qd valence state tunnels in the opposite direction , through a different barrier layer and into the other contact . thus , the characteristic tunneling time must be shorter than the radiative and nonradiative lifetimes . because the heights of ec and ev are different on each side of the qd , electrons preferentially tunnel through b 1 to c 1 , while holes preferentially tunnel through b 2 to c 2 . in this simple equilibrium picture above , with minimum illumination and no load , carriers will tunnel back and forth from c 1 ( c 2 ) through b 1 ( b 2 ) into the qd . however , under proper illumination and loading , electrons will build up negative charge on one side while holes build up positive charge on the other side , the system will not be in equilibrium and thus cannot be represented by a single fermi level . the fermi level on the c 1 side will rise ( becoming more negative ), while the fermi level on the c 2 side will fall . this is represented in fig8 . the tunneling current is initially dependent on an exponential function of the barrier height and width . thus , small differences in a function related to the barrier height and width will lead to large differences in tunneling current . two processes will bring the tunneling current back into equilibrium and clamp the voltage . first , as the injected carrier flux into the contacts increases the difference in quasi fermi levels continue to increase . when the quasi fermi levels reach the qd levels the current into and out of the qd states equilibrates . alternatively , as the quasi fermi level differences increase with increasing current , the electric field becomes more compensated , the barrier bands become more flattened and therefore the tunneling current reduces . which one of these processes dominates depends on the amount of band tilting ( the difference in work functions of the two contacts ) versus the difference in the qd states and the quasi fermi levels . if the band tilting processes limit the voltages , it will produce a slow reduction in current with increased voltage as the reverse tunneling current increases . however , if the alignment of the quasi fermi level with the qd confined states controls the current from the qd absorption , it will lead to a steep reduction in current as the critical voltage is reached . the later process , limited by the quasi fermi level alignment with the qd will ultimately give the largest i * v product ( power ), an important design parameter . finally , the hole and electron tunneling currents are dependent . in an ideal qd structure they must be the same , since absorption cannot take place if the valence state is empty ( hole occupation ), and absorption cannot take place if there is already an electron in the conduction state . both the hole and electron must tunnel to the contacts before the system can be returned to its initial state . even if the absorption takes place in a quantum wire or well , with a band of states instead of the discrete qd states , the tunneling of electrons and holes will come to equilibrium through the circuit . it is not necessary and the device may not be optimized for the tunneling of both electrons and holes . typically , the hole state is more weakly confined than the electron state ( as in fig8 ). carrier transport from this state maybe from diffusion over the top of the barrier , weakly confined tunneling , or some combination of both processes . while not common , it could be that the above process occurs in the conduction states , or both — it can be used as a design parameter . there are a few ways to improve on the initial device and force the voltage to be limited by the increase in quasi fermi levels instead to the band tilt flattening . the co - tunneling in the parasitic ( opposite ) directions needs to be minimized . an increase in one of the barrier widths to limit tunneling of one of the carriers will produce the necessary preferential tunneling , but this must be done in such a way that it does not reduced the other carrier type ( electron or hole ) from tunneling in that direction . for example , fig9 shows that if the width of b 2 in fig7 increases it reduces electron tunneling in that direction even when the tilt is removed . however , it will does not diminish the hole tunneling substantially because the hole state is weakly confined . if the hole state was not designed this way initially , the hole tunneling would be reduced . another approach is to make the work functions of barrier b 1 and b 2 different as depicted in fig1 so that the barrier height to electrons of say b 2 increases and at the same time diminishes the hole barrier height of b 2 . in fig9 , the barrier widths are different and one barrier has a unique work function with respect to the other materials . in fig1 , the work functions are all the same but the barrier widths and heights are different . optimizing the photovoltaic solar cell involves many design aspects , but we focus on only two here : ( i ) optimization of sunlight absorption ; and ( ii ) optimization of the power derived from that absorption . optimization of solar absorption is the optimization of the absorption of photons with a particular energy distribution . terrestrial solar incidence is governed by the normal radiative distribution of a thermal body modified by atmospheric absorption . the resulting distribution is naturally broken into three or four regions . ideally , we will choose nanocrystals that , when placed between barriers , have absorption regions centered on these regions . there is likely a design choice here as the ground - state absorption is governed by the general material of the nanocrystal , the size of the nanocrystal , and also to some extend the barrier height surround the nanocrystal in the solar cell . we do not seek necessarily narrow nanocrystal size distributions because we want the nanocrystal absorption distribution to cover regions of the terrestrial solar spectrum . there are clear peaks in the photon flux versus photon energy curve of sunlight reaching the earth &# 39 ; s surface . from this data we know that most of the photons on the earth &# 39 ; s surface coming from the sun have an energy of approximately 750 mev . this energy corresponds to a wavelength of 1 . 65 μm . the spectral range of photons contributing the most energy to the system is near 500 nm , corresponding to 2 . 5 ev . the next largest contribution is from the wavelength region centered on 626 nm , corresponding to 2 ev . since we are interested in obtaining large energy conversion , not photon conversion , we should design our system to capture 2 . 5 ev and 2 ev photons , and to a lesser extent 3 . 3 ev , 1 . 67 and 1 . 45 ev photons . since the photon flux at 1 . 45 ev is about twice as at 2 . 5 ev we must add more nanocrystals at these lower energies , even though the energy output will be lower . optimization of the power derived from solar absorption is also related to the solar cell material choices . specifically , the work functions of the contact and barrier materials , and the position of the confined nanocrystal states will have a strong effect on the device performance . there is a large parameter space for materials choices . from the last section , in the simple solar cell example , the work function difference of the two contact layers is critical both to the initial tunneling process establishing a current direction , and to the total voltage that can be achieved . however , the same effect can be achieved by tuning the thickness of the two barriers and either picking an advantageous nanocrystal work function for one of the barriers , or having the one of the barriers be a different height ( in energy ) than the other . a critically important aspect of this solar cell is the development of a high - throughput , low - cost manufacturing process . an example would be the sputtering of layers onto a glass or thin metal substrate . however , all materials cannot be sputtered , and more specifically all materials cannot be properly sputtered at relatively low temperatures , and even more specifically all materials do not deposit well together through sputtering . chemical reactions between layers , defects at the junctions between layers and point defects within layers must all be considered . it is likely that if we want to reduced interface and point defect states , elevated temperatures are desirable . the temperature is clamped by two issues . one is the colloidal nanocrystal material , which are often made from group ii - vi compound semiconductors . these materials can generally withstand temperatures up to 400 ° c . without degradation . additionally , for high - throughput , low - cost processing elevated temperatures are in general not desirable . the device calls for a highly specific set of energy band offsets , which will likely constrain our materials choices . chemical issues will certainly also play roles . for example , while the nearly perfect silicon - silcon dioxide interface has been one of the foundations of the microelectronics industry , most interfaces either react or have higher surface state densities . an issue that will clearly be important is the spraying of the nanocrystal material . the nanocrystal material may be stored in a solvent . it is unlikely that the solvent will be compatible with the other materials and so it must be removed before deposition . in addition , there are issues with the deposition of the nanocrystals onto the barrier layer . if then nanocrystal density is too large , clumping of the nanocrystals will occur and diminish the device characteristics : the nanocrystals will no longer be isolated in a large bandgap material . this clumping could also occur through the deposition process if the nanocrystals do not contain the proper surface coating to reduce aggregation . sputtering is a line - of - sight process . thus , the nanocrystals will shadow the region directly below the nanocrystals , leading to voids . these macroscopic voids occur because the nanocrystals sit firmly on top of the barrier region , while it would be desirable if the the nanocrystals were embedded within the region . an intermediate layer could be inserted to serve this function . this is illustrated in fig . a separate issue is microscale defects that may result between the nanocrystals and the surrounding regions . such defects include point defects , microvoids , and poor or incorrect bonding . as with the shadowing issue , it may be desirable to insert a passivating layer around the nanocrystals to insure proper surface passivation . while the passivating layer will ideally surround the nanocrystals and provide a pristine interface , it will not necessarily reduce shadowing . thus , two sets of interlayers may be necessary , one to reduce shadowing and one to aid in passivation . so far we have discussed only a single layer of nanocrystals and its associated barriers and contacts . we need many layers both of redundant nanocrystal absorption to increase the wavelength specific absorption , and different nanocrystals absorbing in different spectral regions to adequately cover the solar spectrum . these layers may be simply connected by flipping layers so that on adjacent layers holes and electrons are traveling in opposite directions , sharing contacts . a band diagram outlining such a scheme is shown in fig1 . while simple in concept , an extra processing step must occur to join all the even and odd contact layers . furthermore , we must determine if all the nanocrystal states in the group need to absorb at the same wavelength . it is likely that vsc will clamp at the lowest nanocrystal energy . thus , if different color absorbing layers are joined together some power conversion will be sacrificed . however , if the different color absorbing nanocrystal layers are separated an elaborate contacting scheme must be used . in addition to use of the apparatus as a solar cell , the invention provides several other electronic devices that absorb light , including a detector . also provided are devices that emit and modulate light . obviously , many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings . it is therefore to be understood that , within the scope of the appended claims , the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described . | 7 |
as shown in fig1 piston 12 is intended to be attached to connecting rod 14 via wrist pin 16 , which is housed in wrist - pin bore 36 . of course , piston 12 is reciprocably mounted within engine cylinder 18 . air enters the cylinder and exhaust exits by means of valves 20 in accordance with usual automotive practice , with both valves 20 being mounted within cylinder head 22 . those skilled in the art will appreciate in view of this disclosure that a piston according to the present invention could be employed with either 2 stroke or 4 stroke cycle spark ignited or compression ignition engines . as shown in the various figures , a plurality of piston rings 38 is mounted within a plurality of piston ring grooves 40 which are all contained within the crown portion 32 of piston 12 . this is significant because if any of the piston rings are mounted below crown portion 32 , the role played by the piston in controlling hydrocarbon emissions , which are regulated throughout most of the world today , will be impaired . another advantage of the present piston is the fact that prior art designs which included a full outer shell telescopically mounted upon an inner structure could be expected to have noise problems resulting from slapping of the outer shell upon the mating inner surfaces . mounting all of the piston rings upon crown portion 32 also promotes better heat transfer from the piston to the cylinder wall and dynamic system damping . details of construction of the present piston are shown with particularity in fig2 and 3 . crown portion 32 has an interior cylindrical wall surface 32a and a roof surface 32b , as shown in fig2 a . surface 32b opposes top surface 30a of trunk portion 30 . crown portion 32 is slidably mounted upon trunk portion 30 . fig2 a shows the present piston in its fully extended position at the maximum compression height . in other words , crown portion 32 is the maximum distance from wrist pin bore 36 . notice that belleville washer 42 is in a relatively extended position . fig2 b illustrates minimum compression height position in which annular lower surface 32c of crown portion 32 abuts upper surface 30b of trunk portion 30 . as is further shown in fig7 resilient buffer 52 may be interposed between annular lower surface 32c and surface 30b to avoid impact shock when crown portion 32 and trunk portion 30 move to the minimum compression height position . the spring rate of belleville washer 42 , or for that matter , any resilient element employed in the present piston , may be selected such that crown portion 32 will move to the minimum compression height position when the anticipated maximum cylinder pressure exceeds a predetermined threshold . the threshold value , whether determined experimentally or analytically , may be selected so as to control noise emissions , or peak cylinder pressure . in this manner , the efficiency resulting from a higher compression ratio , may be combined with the knock control available with a lower compression ratio . thus , the use of expensive , higher octane fuels may be avoided . and , in a diesel engine , structural requirements may be mitigated . fig7 illustrates an embodiment in which annular spring 44 has superimposed multiple leaves . alternatively , a single annular spring leaf could be employed with a piston according to the present invention . fig8 illustrates an embodiment in which pneumatic spring 46 is interposed between roof portion 32b of crown portion 32 and upper portion 30a of trunk portion 30 . fig9 illustrates a case wherein plastic foam spring 48 is interposed between crown portion 32 and trunk portion 30 . in either case , the resilient mechanisms work together to urge crown portion 32 to its maximum compression height position . fig4 illustrates an alternative embodiment for internal snap ring 26 . thus , ring 26a is formed as a wave washer which functions not only as an internal snap ring , but also a damping device to prevent undue shock when the crown portion 32 moves to the maximum compression height position in response to inertia force during some portion of the combustion cycle . as described above , the maximum compression height position is characterized by maximum separation between crown portion 32 and trunk portion 30 . fig1 illustrates another embodiment according to the present invention in which a hydraulic chamber defined by surfaces 32a and 32b of crown portion 32 and upper surface 30a of trunk portion 30 form a hydraulic chamber which is furnished with engine oil by means of passage 24 formed in connecting rod 14 . oil moving up from the lower end of connecting rod 14 ( not shown ) through drilled passage 24 moves through the interior of wrist pin 36 , which is sealed by plugs 28 , and then through first check valve 54 , which admits oil into the previously described chamber which is labeled 50 . oil trapped in chamber 50 is permitted to leave the chamber via valve 56 when crown portion 32 slides or moves from a position relatively farther from trunk portion 30 to a position relatively closer to the trunk portion . valves 54 and 56 have associated orifices 54a and 56a which are sized such that movement of crown portion 32 with respect to trunk portion 30 will be damped . in this manner , a piston according to the present invention may have a plurality of operating points between fully extended to maximum compression height and fully retracted and minimum compression height , because removal of oil from chamber 50 may be controlled on a time dependent basis by proper sizing of orifices 54a and 56a and tuning of valves 54 and 56 . while the invention has been shown and described in its preferred embodiments , it will be clear to those skilled in the arts to which it pertains that many changes and modifications may be made thereto without departing from the scope of the invention . | 5 |
referring now to the figures of the drawings in detail and first , particularly to fig1 thereof , there is shown a schematic illustration of a noisy system that is to be simulated . the system is described by a system model 1 , which is indicated as a box and describes the system behavior . the system behavior results from the input channels 2 , which are also designated as vector input and from the output channels 3 that are also designated as output . furthermore , a system - dictated noise is provided , which is present on noise input channels 4 and which is also designated as vector or as matrix noise . a matrix noise is present when the noise is taken into account with a plurality of channels , each column of the matrix noise containing a vector of noise values that are present on a noise input channel . the noise on the noise input channels 4 is , preferably , interpreted as a noise - dictated alteration of the system model 1 . the behavior of the input channels 2 and of the output channels 3 can be described by a system of differential equations or by a system of differential - algebraic equations to make possible reliable predictions of the system behavior . for each time step of the simulation of the system shown in fig1 a vector output of the output channels 3 is calculated for a vector input present on the input channels 2 and for a vector noise present on the noise input channels 4 . for the simulation over a relatively long period of time , the vectors input , output , noise are expediently specified as a matrix , a respective column k of the relevant matrix containing the values of the corresponding time series of the relevant input , output , noise . [ 0132 ] fig2 illustrates how a respective vector y k is attained that forms a column k of the matrix noise for the noise input channels 4 of the system model 1 . each vector y k serves for the simulation of a noise source . in a first step a desired spectral value β , an intensity constant const , and a window size d are defined . furthermore , the counter n of the present simulation time interval is set to a start value , which is assumed to be ( n ≧ d ) in the exemplary embodiment considered . the following sequence of computation steps is , then , carried out progressively for each simulation time step . firstly , the present simulation time step is defined . equivalently thereto , it is also possible to define the end of the present simulation time step , thereby producing the next point in time under consideration . afterward , the counter n of the present simulation time step is incremented by one . the covariance matrix c ( n ) of dimension ( d × d ) is subsequently determined according to equation ( 3 . 6 ). in the case ( n & gt ; d ), only the bottom right ( d × d )- sized window of the covariance matrix c ( n ) is determined . the variables i , j of equation ( 3 . 6 ) assume the values i , j =( n − d + 1 ), . . . , n in such a case . in the case ( n = d ), the entire covariance matrix c ( n ) is determined for the values i , j = 1 , . . . , n . during the determination of the covariance matrix c ( n ), recourse is had to the values of the (( d − 1 )×( d − 1 ))- sized window of the covariance matrix c ( n − 1 ) calculated during the previous iteration of the method steps , which window is disposed at the bottom right in the covariance matrix c ( n − 1 ). the values of such a window form the values disposed in the top left (( d − 1 )×( d − 1 ))- sized window in the covariance matrix c ( n ) that is to be newly determined . accordingly , in the recalculation , only the values of the last row and of the last column of the covariance matrix c ( n ) are explicitly recalculated . in the next step of the method according to the invention , the inverse b ( n ) of the covariance matrix c ( n ) is determined . this is calculated explicitly for the case ( n ≦ d ), for example , by a cholesky decomposition . for the case ( n & gt ; d ), the inverse b ( n ) is determined using schur complement techniques to increase the efficiency . in such a case , recourse is had to the variables c 22 ( n − 1 ), c 22 − 1 ( n − 1 ), c 12 t ( n − 1 ), b 22 ( n − 1 ), and b 12 ( n − 1 ) determined in the last iteration of the method steps . in the next two method steps , the auxiliary variables c 22 ( n ) and c 12 t ( n ) are determined from the covariance matrix c ( n ) using equation ( 3 . 11 ) and the auxiliary variables b 22 ( n ) and b 12 ( n ) are determined from the inverse b ( n ) using equation ( 3 . 12 ). the inverted submatrix c 22 − 1 ( n ) is determined by equation ( 3 . 15 ) using the auxiliary variables c 12 t ( n ), b 22 ( n ), and b 12 ( n ). this inverted submatrix c 22 − 1 ( n ) is required in the respective next iteration of the method steps for calculating the inverted covariance matrix b 22 ( n ). where sqrt designates the “ square root ” function and where e ( n , n ) designates that element of the inverted covariance matrix b ( n ) that is indexed by ( n , n ). in addition , a value of a ( 0 , 1 )- normally - distributed random variable x k is extracted and the vector x k of the normally distributed random numbers is , thereby , supplemented . the extracted random number has the expected value 0 and the variance 1 . this step is carried out for each noise source to be simulated . furthermore , a variable μ k is formed . it is formed , for ( n ≦ d ), from the first ( n − 1 ) components of the n - th row of the inverted covariance matrix b ( n ) and from the sequence of ( n − 1 ) 1 / f - distributed random numbers that were calculated for the preceding ( n − 1 ) simulation time steps . for ( n & gt ; d ), μ k is formed from the first ( d − 1 ) components of the n - th row of the inverted covariance matrix b ( n ) and from the sequence of the last ( d − 1 ) 1 / f - distributed random numbers that were calculated for the preceding ( n − 1 ) simulation time steps . for such a purpose , the procedure is in accordance with formula ( 3 . 9 ). this step is carried out separately , in the case of a plurality of noise sources k present , for each noise source k to be simulated . finally , that element of the matrix noise is calculated whose column index k specifies the noise source to be simulated and whose row index is equal to n . the present simulation time step is designated thereby . the presently calculated element r ( k , n ) of the matrix noise represents a random number that , together with the superjacent ( n − 1 ) elements of the same column k of noise , forms a vector y k of length n from 1 / f - distributed random numbers . such a vector y k serves for the simulation of one of the noise sources for the first n simulation time steps . each element y k of the n - th row of noise is , then , determined , based upon equations ( 3 . 7 )-( 3 . 9 ), from the last random number x k of the vector x and the variables μ k and σ , to be precise , according to the following specification : [ 0151 ] fig3 a to 3 f and 4 show the implementation of the method according to the invention based upon a concrete calculation example . in the calculation example , a sequence of random numbers that are based on random numbers of a 1 / f noise is generated . such a sequence of random numbers is stored in a vector y . the generation of these random numbers is , subsequently , carried out for the time steps t 0 = 0 . 000 , t 1 = 1 . 000 , t 2 = 1 . 500 , t 3 = 2 . 000 , t 4 = 2 . 750 , t 5 = 3 . 000 and t 6 = 4 . 000 . in this case , for the purpose of simple representation , after precise calculation , the calculated values are cut off after the third decimal place . for easier assignment of the vectors and matrices used , the index of the time step for which this variable was respectively calculated is specified in brackets in each case . thus , c ( 5 ) specifies the covariance matrix of the time step [ t 4 , t 5 ]=[ 2 . 750 , 3 . 000 ], which relates to the points in time t 0 , . . . , t 5 . in the calculation example , the value of the spectral value β is always assumed to be 0 . 5 . the value of the intensity constant const is arbitrarily assumed to be 1 . 0 , and d = 5 was used as the window size . [ 0154 ] fig3 a to 3 f show a calculation example for a simulation time step [ t 4 , t 5 ]=[ 2 . 750 , 3 . 000 ]. the 1 / f - distributed random numbers of the points in time t 1 , . . . , t 4 are assumed to be known in the following exemplary embodiment . [ 0156 ] fig3 a shows a covariance matrix c ( 5 ) of dimension ( n × n )=( 5 × 5 ) that is required for generating a further random number . the covariance matrix c ( 5 ) is determined according to equation ( 3 . 6 ). by way of example , this is carried out on the element c ( 5 , 4 ), that is to say c ( i , j ) where i = 5 and j = 4 . using equation ( 3 . 6 ), c ( 5 , 4 ) results as : 1 . 0 . ( - | t 4 - t 5 | 05 + 1 + | t 4 - 1 - t 5 | 05 + 1 + | t 4 - t 5 - 1 | 05 + 1 + | t 4 - 1 - t 5 - 1 | 05 + 1 ) = ( - | 2 . 750 - 3 . 000 | 15 + | 2 . 000 - 3 . 000 | 15 + | 2 . 750 - 2 . 750 | 15 - | 2 . 000 - 2 . 750 | 15 ) = - 0 . 125 + 1 + 0 - 0 . 649 = 0 . 225 in the next simulation step , the running variable n exceeds the window size d and , thus , the dimension of the covariance matrix c ( 6 ). accordingly , in fig3 b , 3c , 3 e , and 3 f , auxiliary parameters are determined that are required for the determination of the inverted covariance matrix b ( 6 ) of the next simulation time step n = 6 . [ 0160 ] fig3 b shows a vector c 12 t ( 5 ) determined from the covariance matrix c ( 5 ). the vector c 12 t ( 5 ) includes the second , third , fourth , and fifth elements of the first row of the covariance matrix c ( 5 ) and results from equation ( 3 . 11 ). [ 0161 ] fig3 c shows a submatrix c 22 ( 5 ) determined from the covariance matrix c ( 5 ). the submatrix c 22 ( 5 ) contains the elements of the (( d − 1 )×( d − 1 ))=( 4 × 4 )- sized window , which is disposed at the bottom right in the covariance matrix c ( 5 ). the submatrix c 22 ( 5 ) results from the covariance matrix c ( 5 ) using equation ( 3 . 11 ). [ 0162 ] fig3 d shows an inverted covariance matrix c − 1 ( 5 )= b ( 5 ) with respect to the covariance matrix c ( 5 ), which is designated exclusively as b ( 5 ) hereinafter . a check using equation ( 3 . 13 ) shows that matrix multiplication of the covariance matrix c ( 5 ) by the inverted covariance matrix b ( 5 ) produces the unit matrix i d . in the present case , the inverted covariance matrix b ( 5 ) was calculated explicitly from the covariance matrix c ( 5 ) using a cholesky decomposition ( not specifically illustrated here ). [ 0164 ] fig3 e shows a vector b 12 ( 5 ) determined from the inverted covariance matrix b ( 5 ). the vector b 12 ( 5 ) contains the second , third , fourth , and fifth elements of the first column of the inverted covariance matrix b ( 5 ). the vector b 12 ( 5 ) results from the inverted covariance matrix b ( 5 ) using equation ( 3 . 12 ). [ 0165 ] fig3 f shows a submatrix b 22 ( 5 ) of the inverted covariance matrix b ( 5 ) of fig3 d . this submatrix b 22 ( 5 ) includes those elements of the inverted covariance matrix b ( 5 ) that are contained in the bottom right window of dimension (( d − 1 )×( d − 1 ))=( 4 × 4 ) of the inverted covariance matrix b ( 5 ). the submatrix b 22 ( 5 ) results from the inverted covariance matrix b ( 5 ) using equation ( 3 . 12 ). the variable σ can , then , be calculated from the element disposed at the bottom right in the inverted covariance matrix b ( 5 ), namely , the value b ( 5 ) 5 ; 5 = 4 . 787 . b ( 5 ) 5 ; 1 , . . . , 4 =(− 0 . 094 , − 0 . 109 , − 0 . 093 , − 0 . 749 ), which contains the first , second , third , and fourth the fifth row of the inverted covariance matrix b ( 5 ), the value μ can be calculated . formula ( 3 . 9 ) is used in this case . using the variables σ and μ thus determined , and also using randomly extracted , normally distributed random numbers x ( n ), it is possible to calculate y ( 5 ) according to the formula in such a case , y ( 5 ) represents the fifth element of the vector y that has a sequence of random numbers that are approximated to random numbers of a 1 / f noise . [ 0172 ] fig4 a to 4 c show a calculation example for a sixth simulation time step [ t 5 , t 6 ]=[ 3 . 000 , 4 . 000 ]. the value of the running variable n is always equal to 6 for the sixth simulation time step . [ 0173 ] fig4 a shows an inverted submatrix c 22 − 1 ( 5 ) with respect to the submatrix c 22 ( 5 ) of fig3 c . the inverted submatrix c 22 − 1 ( 5 ) is not explicitly totally recalculated , but , rather , is produced using equation ( 3 . 16 ). the auxiliary variables b 12 ( 5 ), c 12 t ( 5 ), and also b 22 ( 5 ) that are required in equation ( 3 . 16 ) for calculating the inverted submatrix c 22 − 1 ( 5 ) have been determined in the preceding steps . the variable i d − 1 in equation ( 3 . 16 ) corresponds to the unit matrix for the dimension ( d − 1 )= 4 . [ 0175 ] fig4 b shows a covariance matrix c *( 6 ) of dimension ( d × d )=( 5 × 5 ). c *( 6 ) is produced as the bottom right window ( 2 , . . . , 6 ; 2 , . . . , 6 ) of the covariance matrix c ( 6 ) with the dimension d = 6 . for the calculation of the covariance matrix c *( 6 ), recourse is had to the submatrix c 22 ( 5 ) that is shown in fig3 c and forms the top left window of dimension (( d − 1 )×( d − 1 ))=( 4 × 4 ) in the covariance matrix c *( 6 ). accordingly , only those elements of the covariance matrix c *( 6 ) shown in fig4 b that are disposed in the fifth row or in the fifth column are recalculated . by way of example , such a calculation is carried out using equation ( 3 . 6 ) for the element c ( 3 , 6 ): 1 . 0 . ( - | t 6 - t 6 | 05 + 1 + | t 6 - 1 - t 3 | 05 + 1 + | t 6 - t 3 - 1 | 05 + 1 - | t 6 - 1 - t 3 - 1 | 05 + 1 ) = ( - | 4 . 000 - 2 . 000 | 15 + | 3 . 000 - 2 . 000 | 1 . 5 + | 4 . 000 - 1 . 500 | 15 - | 3 . 000 - 1 . 500 | 15 ) = - 2 . 828 + 1 + 3 . 952 - 1 . 837 = 0 . 287 [ 0178 ] fig4 c shows the inverted covariance matrix b *( 6 ) of dimension d = 5 with respect to the covariance matrix c *( 6 ) of fig4 b . a check using equation ( 3 . 13 ) reveals that the covariance matrix c *( 6 ) shown in fig4 b multiplied by the inverted covariance matrix b *( 6 ) shown in fig4 c produces the unit matrix i d . the inverted covariance matrix b *( 6 ) is not explicitly recalculated element by element , but , rather , is produced by schur complement techniques using the auxiliary variables shown in fig3 a to 3 f and those shown in fig4 a . using the bottom right value of the inverted covariance matrix b *( 6 ), namely , the value b *( 6 ) 5 ; 5 = 0 . 630 , σ results as 1 . 259 . using the vector b *( 6 ) 5 ; 1 , . . . , 4 =(− 0 . 085 , − 0 . 078 , − 0 . 139 , − 0 . 507 ) using the variables σ and μ thus determined and also using extracted , normally distributed random numbers x ( n ), a further random number y ( 6 ) is , then , calculated , which extends the vector y ( n ) of the random numbers approximated to random numbers of a 1 / f noise . the vector y ( n ) can be extended as desired by the method according to the invention . during such a calculation , the covariance matrix c ( n ), and the inverted covariance matrix b ( n ) thereof , required for determining the random numbers are limited in terms of the dimension n to the predetermined window size d . such a measure keeps the computation complexity small enough for each simulation time step . although the random numbers thus generated do not exactly match the random numbers of a 1 / f noise , they , nevertheless , represent a very good approximation to them . | 6 |
the invention is described in detail below for purposes of exemplification and illustration only . modifications to particular embodiments within the spirit and scope of the present invention , set forth in the appended claims , will be readily apparent to those of skill in the art . referring to fig1 , there is illustrated a double electric breast pump system 10 which includes a first collection bottle 12 and a second collection bottle 14 . each of the bottles includes a breast shield 16 , 18 for receiving a breast . a console 20 houses an electric cumulative vacuum pump 22 as well as a microprocessor ( not shown ) and a plurality of switches described hereinafter . console 20 also has a first cavity 24 and a second cavity 26 for receiving bottles 12 and 14 . also provided on console 20 is an lcd display 28 , an on / off switch 30 , and expression mode cycle time selection switch 32 , a peak vacuum level selection switch 34 , and a stimulation mode switch 36 . the microprocessor controls the cumulative vacuum pump to provide a plurality of operating modes as is seen in fig2 . it is seen in fig2 that the breast pump system shown in fig1 is operated in an expression mode or a stimulation mode . the peak vacuum pressure in the expression mode is selected to be between about 50 and 250 mm of mercury , while the cycle time is selected to be between about 0 . 5 and 1 cycles per second . in a stimulation mode or “ let - down ” mode , as is well known in the art , the apparatus 10 is operated at a cycle speed of about 1 . 85 cycles per second and at a vacuum pressure between about 50 and 150 mm of mercury . the apparatus is switched between the expression mode and the stimulation mode either automatically upon start up or by pressing button 36 to provide higher frequency stimulation . the various control schemes are shown in fig3 . in fig3 it is seen that in switching from expression to stimulation mode , the cycle speed is always fixed at 1 . 85 cycles per second ; whereas in switching from stimulation to expression mode , the cycle speed will always be set to a third level of each expression suction level l 1 to l 5 as shown in the diagram . typical operating parameters for the system are provided below in tables 1 and 2 . a typical suction curve for expression mode is shown in fig4 . in fig4 the breast pump system 10 generates a peak vacuum of about 100 mm of mercury at a cycle time of about 0 . 8 seconds per cycle . as can be seen , a typical curve has a cyclical suction profile which mimics the suction of an infant on a breast . of course , the simple curve shown in fig4 is similarly achieved at the other levels shown in table 1 . fig5 is a typical cyclical suction curve for stimulation mode operation of the breast pump apparatus 10 . in fig5 it is seen that the vacuum is set at a peak vacuum of about 92 mm of mercury and a cycle time at about 1 . 85 cycles per second . other pressure settings are likewise selected by operation of switch 34 on system 10 , as is shown above in table 1 . the various features of system 10 are better appreciated by reference to fig6 - 14 which illustrate a cumulative vacuum pump 22 with its various features . cumulative vacuum pump 22 includes a motor 40 , a connecting rod 42 , a pump diaphragm 44 , as well as a release unit 46 . also provided is as a safety unit 48 . pump diaphragm 44 is part of a diaphragm membrane 50 which is juxtaposed with a pump head plate 52 . also provided are a membrane plate 54 and a suction / exhaust manifold plate 56 . motor 40 is eccentrically coupled to connecting rod 42 , which in turn is secured to diaphragm 44 with a mounting washer 58 as well as a screw 60 . as the motor turns , the connecting rod drives the diaphragm toward the pump head plate 52 in order to actuate the pump . the connecting rod may also draw the diaphragm away from the pump head or simply allow the diaphragm to return to the position shown in fig6 by virtue of elastic recovery . the diaphragm is suitably made from any suitable elastomeric material such as acrylic elastomers ; butyl rubber ; chlorosulfonated polyethylene ; ethylene - propylene rubber ; fluorinated elastomers ; neoprene ; nitrile rubber ; polybutadiene ; polyethers ; polyisoprene ; polypentenamers ; styrene - butadiene rubber ; and thermplastic elastomers . see , kirk - othmer encyclopedia of chemical technology , 3 rd ed ., vol . 8 pp . 446 - 640 , the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference . other rubbers from which the pump diaphragm may be made include silicone rubber or natural rubber based materials . suitable silicone rubber materials are described in kirk - othmer encyclopedia of chemical technology , 3 rd ed , vol . 20 , pp . 943 - 53 , the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference the process generates vacuum due to the configuration and valving of the system . to this end , pump head plate 52 defines a vacuum chamber 62 which is provided with a suction valve aperture 64 as well as an exhaust valve aperture 66 . between apertures 64 and 66 there is provided a groove 68 across top dead center of pump head 70 . groove 68 provides dead space at top dead center of pump head 70 in order to ameliorate “ vacuum lock ” of the diaphragm as it reciprocates and generates vacuum . suction valve aperture 64 is adjacent a suction valve flap 72 on membrane plate 54 . a suction valve seat 74 is provided on suction / exhaust plate 56 such that the suction valve communicates with a suction line 84 . exhaust valve aperture 66 is juxtaposed with an exhaust valve flap 78 on membrane plate 54 . the exhaust valve flap has a seat 80 on pump head plate 52 . when diaphragm 44 moves toward and away from the pump head , the valves operate as follows . when diaphragm 44 moves toward pump head 70 , flap 78 will unseat from valve seat 80 and exhaust the exhaust air from chamber 62 to exhaust port 82 . when diaphragm 44 moves away from pump head 70 , suction valve flap 72 unseats from valve seat 74 of suction / exhaust manifold plate 56 , thus opening the aperture . at the same time , exhaust flap 78 will seat on seat 80 , thus sealing the vacuum chamber such that vacuum is applied to a vacuum line 84 of the unit . thus it is seen that the vacuum chamber communicates with the vacuum line through suction valve aperture 64 and suction valve flap 72 upon motion of the diaphragm away from the pump head ; and the vacuum chamber communicates with exhaust port 82 upon motion of the diaphragm toward the cylinder head through exhaust valve aperture 66 and exhaust valve flap 78 , thus generating a vacuum producing cycle . inasmuch as pump 22 is a cumulative vacuum pump , the various components are typically selected and operated such that a maximum vacuum occurs at roughly 80 revolutions ( or strokes ) in one preferred construction . the inventive system may thus be operated with a relatively low power motor , i . e ., a 5 or 10 watt motor . the power required to drive our pump at maximum load is 5 w , not 10 w ; however we are using a larger motor for our application in order to allow for possible future modifications in the system software and hardware . the motor may be battery driven and yet still generate the relatively high levels of vacuum seen in fig4 and 5 as well as tables 1 and 2 above . in this respect , the motor may be driven by wall current or by aa alkaline batteries , for example . it is important in a cumulative vacuum pump to carefully control the vacuum with a release valve in order to optimize performance , i . e ., it is desirable that the exhaust stroke of the diaphragm coincides with a release of a cumulative vacuum to complete a vacuum cycle applied to line 84 . that is to say , the vacuum seen by line 84 is that plotted in fig4 and 5 , for example . thus , the vacuum applied to line 84 is largely controlled by release unit 46 which , in turn , is controlled by the microprocessor which is connected to the switches on control console 20 . release unit 46 includes a solenoid 92 with an actuator 94 which is attached to a release portion 96 of diaphragm membrane 50 . pump head plate 52 includes a release channel 98 which communicates with a release aperture 100 of membrane plate 54 which in turn communicates with release line groove 90 of suction / exhaust manifold plate 56 . thus , release channel 98 communicates with vacuum line 84 to release the vacuum therein upon actuation by the microprocessor control unit in console 20 . the number of strokes between venting may be any suitable number , as noted above maximum vacuum of about 250 mm of mercury or so is reached after about 80 vacuum cycles ( 1 suction cycle ). note that the air flow through release unit 46 may be provided by a plurality of apertures such as apertures 46 a , 46 b in diaphragm membrane 50 . although the release unit is extremely reliable , a safety unit is also provided so that excess vacuum will not be applied to line 84 . to this end , safety unit 48 includes a set screw 102 which communicates with an aperture 104 in diaphragm membrane 50 . aperture 104 communicates with another aperture 106 in pump head plate 52 . in operation set screw 102 is advanced onto membrane plate 54 such that there is a tension between the screw and the region of the membrane plate at the safety unit . that is to say , screw 102 bears upon membrane 50 at an area close to aperture 104 in membrane 50 . aperture 104 communicates with aperture 106 which , in turn , communicates with release line groove 90 through a third aperture 108 in membrane plate 54 . thus , when a predetermined amount of vacuum builds up in line 84 , the vacuum will draw membrane plate 50 away from set screw 102 and allow air to enter the system , thus breaking the vacuum . a predetermined safety level can be set by adjusting screw 102 . that is to say , additional tension will supply a higher release threshold for the safety unit . thus , if the release unit does not properly vent the system to provide the desired peak pressure , the safety unit will allow air to enter the system at a predetermined vacuum level and insure that a preset peak vacuum level is not exceeded . the various air flow paths are indicated schematically on fig1 by a plurality of arrows . thus , summarizing the above , the cumulative vacuum pump of the present invention is operated in connection with two flap valves . the vacuum phase starts when the vacuum diaphragm is advanced all the way to the pump head . the exhaust flap closes the exhaust line and the suction flap opens the vacuum line , and vacuum is realized due to the connection of the vacuum line to the vacuum bottle and the sealing of the system against the breast of a user . vacuum is generated over a number of cycles before it is released by the release unit . in this way , the desired vacuum level and cycle times are achieved . the release system is controlled by way of the console switches and microprocessor as described above . the inventive pump is the only mobile cumulative vacuum breast pump available which allows a mother to vary the cycle speed within a limited comfort range , at a given set suction vacuum level setting . this actually allows the user to adjust her own comfort level of extracting milk from her breast . as in nature , if examined randomly , each baby has a different suction repetition rate at a given suction strength level . therefore ; since we are providing a pump with natural suction characteristics , it is important that we give the mother a capacity to adjust the suction repetition rate within the set suction power level and this pump does just that . the mother can conveniently fine - tune tune her suction pattern to match the natural suction characteristics of her baby , which is unique to herself and to her baby . existing cumulative vacuum pumps generally only allow the mother to select the suction power and the control electronics allocates a predetermined suction repetition rate for the selected suction power level , where the mother cannot change or adjust . she is limited to a predetermined cycle rate programmed into the pump memory . the inventive system introduces the ability to adjust the cycle rate at any given suction power level , from l 1 to l 8 as noted above . the air outlet phase starts when the membrane is withdrawn to the top of the stroke , i . e . away from the pump head . the suction flap closes the suction line as the diaphragm moves down and the exhaust flap opens to allow air to escape from the previous pump cycle . approximately 80 diaphragm movements are required for achieving maximum vacuum level from this product . the release valve can be opened by a linear solenoid according to adjustments or control from the microprocessor . in this way the vacuum line is open to the atmosphere and controlled set air release phase started . by controlling the release times , the desired suction cycles such as those shown in table 1 and fig4 and 5 are completed . the release unit is controlled with a dedicated algorithm in order to save energy and increase the life time of the solenoid by applying variable controlled power to the solenoid windings , depending on the selected suction level settings . the power required in order to release the diaphragm membrane varies according to the opposing vacuum force , which in turn applies a pulling action away from the solenoid plunger , hence the higher the vacuum setting , more pulling force is required to move the diaphragm membrane away from the venting hole and depending on the vacuum level setting , the required pull force , hence the required power to the solenoid varies . therefore considerable power saving and lifetime extension of the solenoid is provided by applying low power for low level vacuum settings and high power for higher level vacuum settings . the vacuum level is also limited by placing a safety valve communicating with the suction vacuum line . the safety level is adjusted with a screw . placement of the screw determines the preload on the safety diaphragm , i . e ., in the vicinity of the aperture , and thus provides an adjustable , yet pre - determined safety threshhold . when the vacuum level gets above the defined safety level , the force generated by vacuum exceeds the preloaded force . in this situation , the air flow is realized to the suction line and breaks the vacuum . that is to say , the vacuum level decreases because of the air entering the suction line through the safety unit . the channel will close when the balance between pressure force is created and the force created by the preload is achieved . in this way , protection from extreme vacuum levels is always present , even in the event of failure of the release unit . while the invention has been described in detail , modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will be readily apparent to those of skill in the art . in view of the foregoing discussion , relevant knowledge in the art and references discussed above in connection with the background and detailed description , the disclosures of which are all incorporated herein by reference , further description is deemed unnecessary . in addition , it should be understood that aspects of the invention and portions of various embodiments may be combined or interchanged either in whole or in part . furthermore , those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the foregoing description is by way of example only , and is not intended to limit the invention . | 0 |
an example of a solid - state image pickup device constructed according to the invention will be described with reference to fig1 which shows a part of the light detecting region in the device . in fig1 those components which have been already described with reference to fig4 are therefore designated by the same reference numerals or characters . a plurality of n - type layers are formed , in matrix arrangement , in a p - type silicon layer ( p - well ) formed on the surface of a semiconductor substrate , thus providing a plurality of light detecting elements ( photodiodes ) pd 11 , pd 12 , . . . , pd 22 , . . . . a plurality of charge transfer channels l 1 , l 2 , . . . are formed between the photodiodes in columns to transfer signal charges in the vertical direction . the regions ( shown surrounded by the dotted lines and shaded by the oblique lines in this drawing ) except for those of the photodiodes and the charge transfer channels l 1 , l 2 , . . . are channel stop regions . a plurality of transfer electrodes g 1 , g 2 , g 3 , g 4 , . . . made of a polysilicon layer are juxtaposed over the charge transfer channels l 1 , l 2 , . . . in such a manner that they extend in a horizontal direction . clock signals φ 1 , φ 2 , φ 3 and φ 4 generated according to a four - phase drive system are applied to these transfer electrodes with four transfer electrodes as a group . more specifically , two transfer electrodes g 1 and g 2 are formed for the line of photodiodes pd 11 , pd 12 , . . . , two transfer electrodes g 3 and g 4 are formed for the line of photodiodes pd 21 , pd 22 , . . . , and so on for the remaining lines ( not shown ). potential wells are formed in the charge transfer channels l 1 , l 2 , l 3 , . . . according to the variations in voltage of the clock signals φ 1 , φ 2 , φ 3 and φ 4 , so that signal charges generated by the photodiodes are transferred in the output direction y . the photodiodes are connected to the charge transfer channels l 1 , l 2 , l 3 , . . . through transfer gates tg 11 , tg 12 , . . . . the four - phase clock signals φ 1 , φ 2 , φ 3 and φ 4 are supplied to the transfer electrodes g 1 , g 2 , g 3 , g 4 , . . . through a switch control device ch ( encircled by a two - dot chain line in fig1 ) and signal lines v 1 through v 4 . the eight signal lines v 1 through v 8 and the signal lines v 1 through v 4 cross each other in the switch control device ch , and mos transistors s and d are connected between predetermined intersections . that is , when the transistors s are rendered conductive while the transistors d are rendered nonconductive , the signal φ 1 is applied to the signal lines h 1 and h 5 through the signal line v 1 , the signal φ 2 to the signal lines h 2 and h 6 through the signal line v 2 , the signal φ 3 to the signal lines h 3 and h 7 through the signal line v 3 , and the signal φ 4 to the signal lines h 4 and h 8 through the signal line v . thus , similarly to the case of fig6 the four - phase clock signals φ 1 through φ 4 are applied to the transfer electrodes g 1 through g 4 , g 5 through g 8 , . . . . when , on the other hand , the transistors s are rendered nonconductive while the transistors d are conductive , the signal φ 1 is applied to the signal lines h 1 and h 2 through the signal line v 1 , the signal φ 2 to the signal lines h 3 and h 4 through the signal line v 2 , the signal φ 3 to the signal lines h 5 and h 6 through the signal line v 3 , and the signal φ 4 to the signal lines h 7 and h 8 through the signal line v 4 . that is , the four - phase clock signals φ 1 , φ 2 , φ 3 and φ 4 are applied to pairs of adjacent transfer electrodes g 1 and g 2 , g 3 and g 4 , g 5 and g 6 , g 7 and g 8 , . . . . therefore , as is apparent from the potential profile shown in fig2 the transfer speed is twice as fast as that in the conventional charge transfer ( cf . fig6 ). that is , in the conventional charge transfer shown in fig6 in order to perform odd - numbered field signal charge transfer , the level of the clock signal φ 2 is set to a high voltage for a predetermined period of time so that the transfer gates tg 11 , tg 12 , . . . , tg 31 , tg 32 , . . . are rendered open ( on ), as a result of which the charges are transferred from the photodiodes pd 11 , pd 12 , . . . , pd 31 , pd 32 , . . . , pd 51 , pd 52 , . . . to the charge transfer elements under the transfer electrodes g 2 , g 6 , g 10 , . . . . under this condition , charge transfer is carried out as shown in fig6 . the above description is applicable as well to even - numbered field signal charge transfer . on the other hand , in accordance with the present invention , control is made with the similar clock signals φ 1 through φ 4 , and when the transistors s are nonconductive and the transistors d conductive , the clock signal φ 2 is set to a high voltage so that the transfer gates tg 11 , tg 12 , . . . , tg 51 , tg 52 , . . . are rendered open ( on ), as result of which the charges are transferred from the photodiodes pd 11 , pd 12 , . . . , pd 51 , pd 52 , . . . to the charge transfer elements under the transfer electrode pairs g 2 and g 3 , g 10 and g 11 , etc . therefore , in the case where an odd - numbered field signal reading operation is carried out , the charges of the photodiodes pd 31 , pd 31 , . . . are not read out . in an even - numbered field signal reading operation , as in the above - described odd - numbered field signal reading operation , a so - called &# 34 ; curtailed &# 34 ; operation is carried out . as is apparent from the above description , when the transistors s in the switch control device ch are rendered nonconductive while the transistors d are conductive , half the number of signal charges are read out , which can be done at a speed twice as fast . therefore , the resulting faster determination of photometric factors such as exposure and white balance according to the video signal thus read greatly increases the processing speed . after these photometric factors have been determined , in the switch control device ch the states of the transistors s and d are changed , that is , the transistors s are rendered conductive whereas the transistors d are rendered nonconductive , and under this condition a signal reading operation for an ordinary photographing operation is carried out . the video signal used in the determination of the photometric factors is lower in resolution than that read out in the ordinary photographing operation ; however , practically this causes no problems in operation because high resolution is not required for determination of the photometric factors . in the above - described embodiment , for application of the four - phase drive system clock signals , the connection of the four signal lines v 1 through v 4 and the eight signal lines h 1 through h 8 are changed in the switch control device ch . a general description of the switch control device follows . a first group of m signal lines ( corresponding to v 1 through v 4 in the above description ) for application of m - phase drive system clock signals , and a second group of m × n signal lines ( corresponding to h 1 through h 8 in the above description ), where n is the transfer speed magnification ( in the above description n = 2 because the transfer speed becomes twice as fast ) are arranged as shown in fig1 . switching devices for simultaneously connecting the first ( corresponding to v 1 in fig1 ) of the first group of signal lines to n signal lines beginning from the first signal line ( corresponding to h 1 and h 2 in fig1 ) in the second group of signal lines are provided , switching devices for simultaneously connecting the second ( corresponding to v 2 in fig1 ) of the first group of signal lines to the ( n + 1 )- th through the 2n - th signal lines ( corresponding to h 3 and h 4 in fig1 ) are provided , and similarly switching devices ( corresponding to d in fig1 ) for connecting the i - th of the first group of signal lines to the ( 2 - 1 )- th through i × n - th of the second group of signal lines are provided . another embodiment of the invention will be described with reference to fig3 . in the embodiment of fig3 the transfer speed is increased three - fold with the four - phase clock signals . as shown in fig4 the number ( m ) of signal lines in the first group is four ( m = 4 ), the number ( m × n ) of signal lines in the second group is twelve ( m × n = 4 × 3 = 12 ), and switching devices d are provided for connecting the signal lines in the first group to the signal lines in the second group with three signal lines as one unit . it goes without saying that , in order to read video signals at the ordinary charge transfer speed , switching devices s for applying the clock signals are provided for the signal lines in the second group , and the switching devices d and s are operated alternately and exclusively . in fig1 and 3 , at the first and last of the intersections of the first and second group of signal lines , the signal lines h 1 and v 1 , h 8 and v 4 , and h 12 and v 4 are directly connected . that is , both in the case where the transfer speed is made n times as fast and in the case where the ordinary transfer speed is employed , the same clock signals are applied , and therefore at those intersections the signal lines are connected directly without the transistors s and d . accordingly , the same effect is substantially obtained by providing the transistors s and d at those intersection . in the case where it is required to form a color solid - state image pickup device by laminating a color filter over the light detecting region as shown in fig1 or 3 , it is preferable to provide the same color filter for every line of photodiodes as viewed in the charge transfer direction ; that is , it is preferable to employ a so - called stripe filter . this is because if , for instance , a bayer arrangement is employed , then a color mixing phenomenon occurs when the charge transfer speed is increased . as described above , the solid - state image pickup device in which signal charges are transferred through charge storage type charge transfer paths with the aid of clock signals in an m - phase drive system , according to the invention , comprises : the first signal line group consisting of m signal lines for applying the clock signals ; the second signal line group consisting of m × n signal lines arranged to cross the signal lines of the first signal line group to provide a transfer speed increased by a factor of n ; first switching devices for simultaneously switching signal lines of the second signal line group with n signal lines as one unit with respect to each of the signal lines of the first signal line group ; the second switching means for simultaneously switching the signal lines of the second signal line group , with m signal lines as one unit , with respect to each of the signal lines of the first signal line group , the first and second switching devices being provided at intersections of the signal lines of the first and second signal line groups ; and a switch control device for operating the first and second switching devices alternately and exclusively . with this arrangement , both an ordinary charge transfer speed and a charge transfer speed n times as fast can be selected by switching . in an image pickup utilizing device such as an electronic camera , the time required for operations such as the determination of the various photometric factors can thus be greatly reduced by employing the multiplied charge transfer speed for photometric operations preliminary to the actual photographing operation . | 7 |
fig1 shows an observer tracking autostereoscopic display constituting an embodiment of the invention and including a video image tracking system also constituting an embodiment of the invention . the tracking system 2 shown in fig1 differs from that shown in fig1 in that the tracking sensor 3 comprises a sony xc999 ntsc camera operating at a 60 hz field rate and the tracking processor 4 is provided with a mouse 60 and comprises a silicon graphics entry level machine of the indy series equipped with an r4400 processor operating at 150 mhz and a video digitiser and frame store having a resolution of 640 × 240 picture elements ( pixels ) for each field captured by the camera 3 . the camera 3 is disposed on top of the 3d display 7 and points towards the observer 8 who sits in front of the display . the normal distance between the observer 8 and the camera 3 is about 0 . 85 meters , at which distance the observer has a freedom of movement in the lateral or x direction of about 500 millimeters . the distance between two pixels in the image formed by the camera 3 corresponds to about 0 . 7 and 1 . 4 millimeters in the x and y directions , respectively , the y resolution being halved because each interlaced field is individually used . the template described hereinafter is selected to have 150 × 50 pixels , corresponding to a region of about 105 × 70 millimeters . the mouse 60 is used during template capture as described hereinafter . the camera 3 captures and presents to the processor 4 a continuous sequence of images of the user under ambient lighting . fig1 illustrates in general terms the tracking method performed by the processor 4 . in an initialisation stage , a template comprising a target image is captured interactively at step 61 . following the initialisation stage , a tracking stage begins with a global template search at step 62 . this is followed by a movement detection step 63 and a local target search 64 . a step 65 checks whether tracking has been lost . if so , control returns to step 62 to perform another global template search . if tracking has not been lost , control returns to the motion detection step 63 . thus , steps 63 to 65 form a tracking loop which is performed for as long as tracking is maintained . the motion detection step 63 supplies position data as indicated at 66 by a differential movement method which determines the movement of the target image between consecutive fields and adds this to the position found by local template matching in the preceding step 64 for the earlier of the fields . fig1 illustrates the tracking method of fig1 in more detail . the interactive template capture step 61 makes use of the display 7 and the mouse 60 to allow the user to select the target image which is to form the template . during this mode of operation , as shown in fig1 , the display 7 displays an image of the observer 8 as captured by the video camera 3 . the processor 4 overlays the image with a graphical guide 67 of the required template size and with text indicating that the observer should place himself so that his eyes are inside the rectangle 67 on the display 7 and aligned with the middle line 68 . when the observer has correctly positioned himself with respect to the graphical guide 67 , he operates a button of the mouse 60 so that the processor 4 captures and stores the part of the image of the observer inside the graphical guide 67 for use as a template or target image . alternatively , the mouse may be used to drag the graphical guide 67 so that it is correctly aligned with the observer &# 39 ; s eyes , after which the mouse button is pressed to store the target image . an advantage of the interactive template capture 61 is that the observer is able to make the decision on the selection of the template with acceptable alignment accuracy . this involves the recognition of the human face and the selection of the interesting image region , such as the eye region . whereas human vision renders this process trivial , template capture would be difficult for a computer , given all possible types of people with different age , sex , eye shape and skin colour under various lighting conditions . in fact , template capture can be performed for observers who wear glasses of any shape and colour whereas other known types of tracking systems cannot cope with observers wearing glasses . as shown in fig1 , the step 61 comprises a step 69 in which the latest digital image is retrieved from the frame store of the processor 4 . in step 70 , the graphics overlay to indicate the template position is drawn . step 71 tests whether the template position is correct by detecting whether an input device such as a mouse button has been operated . if not , control returns to the step 69 . once the target image has been captured , control passes to the global template search step 62 . a step 72 obtains the next available digital image from the frame store and a step 73 applies template matching to the whole image so as to find an initial position ( having coordinates x 0 , y 0 ) of the target image forming the template . as described hereinafter , this is the position which gives best correlation between the template and the underlying image area . a step 74 determines whether the best correlation obtained in the step 73 is greater than a preset threshold . if not , control returns to step 72 and the process is repeated for the next available digital image . if the best correlation exceeds the threshold , control passes to the steps 63 , 64 and 65 which provide motion detection with target verification . in step 75 , the last processed image f 1 is stored and the next available image f 2 is retrieved for processing . step 76 applies a differential method as described hereinafter to the images f 1 and f 2 to calculate the motion or movement of the template between the images , which motion has cartesian components δx and δy . step 77 updates the position data by adding the movement calculated in the step 76 to the position determined during the previous template matching step so that the position data x 0 and y 0 output by a step 78 to the window steering mechanism 6 via the display control processor 5 is formed as x 0 + δx , y 0 + δy . after the step 78 , a step 79 applies template matching to the image f 2 as described hereinafter . in particular , a hierarchical search is applied to a small region of the image centred at the position x 0 , y 0 . the template matching involves a cross - correlation technique and a step 80 detects whether tracking is lost by comparing the best correlation obtained in the step 79 with a preset threshold . if the best correlation is less than the preset threshold , control returns to the step 72 of the global template search 62 so as to relocate the position of the target image within the next available digital image . if the best correlation is greater than the preset threshold , step 81 updates the position data by entering the position of the best correlation as the parameters x 0 and y 0 . control then returns to the step 75 and the steps 75 to 81 are repeated for as long as observer tracking is required . the template matching step 73 is of the type described hereinbefore with reference to fig1 to 14 . it is necessary to locate the target image within the whole image area as an initial step and whenever tracking is lost as determined by step 80 . in particular , the differential movement detection method 76 cannot begin until the position of the target image within the whole image is known , in a preferred embodiment , template matching is performed by cross - correlating the target image in the template with each subsection overlaid by the template as described with reference to fig1 . the similarity between the template and the current subsection of the image may be measured by any suitable metric but the normalised cross - correlation is used in the preferred embodiment . the normalised cross - correlation c ( x 0 , y 0 ) for the coordinates x 0 , y 0 at the top left comer of the image area to be matched with the template is calculated as follows : ## equ2 ## the values of the cross - correlation c ( x 0 , y 0 ) are in the range of [ 0 . 0 , 1 . 0 ], where the maximum value 1 . 0 is achieved when the template is identical to the underlying image . the same template matching technique is used in the step 79 but , in this case , template matching is applied to a relatively small region within the currently available image as illustrated in fig2 . the target image position located in the previous image field is indicated at 85 . during the time interval between consecutive video image fields , the maximum movement which can occur is limited by the maximum speed of movement of the observer . in the specific example of hardware described hereinbefore , this corresponds to a maximum vertical or horizontal movement 86 of about 8 . 33 millimeters . accordingly , the eye region of the observer must be within a boundary 87 having the same ( rectangular ) shape as the template and concentric therewith but taller and wider by 16 . 67 millimeters . the template matching step 79 is thus constrained within the boundary 87 so as to minimise the computing time . in order further to optimise the template matching of the steps 73 and 79 , an optimised hierarchical template matching technique is adopted as illustrated in fig2 . template matching is performed in first and second sub - steps : in the first sub - step , template matching is performed at sparsely displaced positions within the whole image for the step 73 or within the boundary 87 for the step 79 . instead of using all pixels of the template 47 to perform the cross - correlation with the underlying image section , only the image elements such as 88 and 89 at the intersections of a relatively coarse grid of lines are used so that the template and the underlying image region are subsampled to reduce the volume of data which has to be processed in the cross - correlation calculation . further , the data representing each image element may be truncated so as to reduce the calculation time . the last detected position of the target image is indicated at 90 . when the first sub - step of the template matching is complete , it is , for example , found that the maximum correlation occurs for the target image centred on the position 91 . the second sub - step is then performed so as to refine the new position of the target image . the same cross - correlation calculations are performed but , in this case , the search is confined to a smaller region 92 , each of whose dimensions is twice the sparse step in the first sub - step . this sub - step is performed with a finer step and higher image element resolution and results in a refined position 93 being found for the target image in the currently processed image field . although the template matching step may be divided into more than two sub - steps , it has been found that , in practice , a two sub - step arrangement is adequate in terms of efficiency and accuracy . this is because , in the first sub - step , the step size between two neighbouring positions cannot be too large as otherwise it might easily miss the true &# 34 ; coarse &# 34 ; position . as described hereinbefore , the steps 74 and 80 compare the best cross - correlation values obtained in the steps 73 and 79 , respectively , with a preset threshold to determine whether the target image is present in the current image ( in the case of the step 74 ) or is present within the boundary 87 of the image ( for the step 80 ). in theory , the cross - correlation value at the best - matched position would be 1 if : in practice , these conditions cannot be satisfied so that the template will not find a perfect match in the image . the best cross - correlation value is therefore compared with the preset threshold to establish whether an acceptable match has been found and to prevent the system from locking onto inappropriate image portions of relatively low cross - correlation value . the preset threshold is determined heuristically by experimenting with a large number of people of different types under various lighting conditions . a typical value for the threshold is 0 . 5 for the case where normalised cross - correlation with a maximum value of 1 . 0 is used . although the template 47 may have any shape , a rectangular shape is preferred because it is easier for computer processing . the size of the template is important in that it can affect the computing efficiency and accuracy in determining the position of the target image . larger templates tend to produce a sharper peak correlation so that the peak position can be determined more accurately , mainly because a larger image region contains more features of the face so that a small movement away from the peak position would change the cross - correlation value more substantially . however , a larger template requires more computing time . also , the template should not exceed the boundary of the face of the observer in the image so as to prevent template matching from being affected by the background content of the images . a typical size for balancing these factors is one which is just large enough to cover the two eye regions of the observer in the images . for the parameters described hereinbefore , a template size of 150 by 50 image picture elements is suitable . although a point midway between the eyes of the observer is used to control steering of the viewing windows , other positions of the template such as the corners may be used if the calibration referred to hereinbefore is performed by a human observer . an offset is implicitly and automatically included in the results of the calibration . the differential method 76 measures the relative movement between two consecutive image fields and assumes that this movement has been purely translational . the movement is determined from the intensity difference of the two consecutive image fields using the well - known taylor approximations , for instance as disclosed in t . s . huang ( editor ), image sequence analysis , isbn 3 - 540 - 10919 - 6 , 1983 . if f 1 ( x , y ) denotes the intensity of an image feature in the first of the consecutive fields at a point ( x , y ) and the image feature moves by ( δx , δy ) so that it is at position ( x + δx , y + δy ) in the second field , then the grey level f 2 ( x + δx , y + δy ) of the second frame has the same grey level , i . e : if the amount of motion is small , the right hand side of the above equation can be approximated using the taylor expansion truncated to the first order differential terms as follows : ## equ4 ## in this equation , δx and δy are the unknowns representing the movement . thus , a pair of pixels from two consecutive images produce one equation so that two pairs of pixels produce a linear system of two equations , which can be solved for the two unknowns to give the amount of movement . in practice , a larger number of pixels is used to reduce random errors using the well known least squares method . for instance , 50 to 60 pairs of image picture elements may be used . the pairs of elements should be selected from the target image , for instance the eye regions of the observer . however , the actual position of the target is not known before the amount of movement between consecutive fields has been determined . in practice , because there is a limit to the actual amount of movement between two consecutive fields as described hereinbefore with reference to fig2 , it is possible to choose the pairs of pixels from a region 94 shown in fig2 which will always contain parts of the head in consecutive image fields irrespective of the direction of movement but provided the speed of movement of the observer is less than the designed maximum speed . in order to illustrate the differential method more clearly , a one - dimensional example is shown in fig2 . in this case , the taylor approximation reduces to : ## equ5 ## where : the curves 95 and 96 shown in fig2 represent the images of a one dimensional moving target at times t 1 and t 2 , respectively , corresponding to consecutive fields of an image . after this movement , a point p 1 at a position x 0 at time t 1 becomes a point p 1 &# 39 ; at a position x 0 + δx at time t 2 . similarly , the point p 2 at time t 1 becomes a point p &# 39 ; 2 at time t 2 . as illustrated by the simple triangular geometry in fig2 , the movement δx can be calculated from the intensity difference δf at the position x 0 and the gradient of the target intensity at this position . in practice , the gradients in the two - dimensional taylor approximation represented by the partial derivatives may be approximated by numerical differences i . e : ## equ6 ## these approximations suffer from the inevitable noise present in the image fields . one way of reducing this effect is to fit a polynomial surface over a small window . for instance , over a 3 × 3 element window , the image may be fitted with the following surface : the parameters { a , b , c , d , e , g } are determined by minimising the following cost function : ## equ7 ## where the summation is over the 3 × 3 window centred at the current pixel . the minimisation is achieved when the partial derivative with each parameter is zero . this provides a system of equations which can easily be solved . the partial derivatives of f ( x , y ) are then calculated as : ## equ8 ## for a 3 × 3 window , the final expressions may be represented by the following filters : ## equ9 ## which are the conventional prewitt edge detectors . the differential method 76 is computationally efficient and , in the specific embodiment as described herein , requires only about 2 milliseconds while providing suitable accuracy so that the output of position data supplied at step 78 may be used to control the steering mechanism 6 of the autostereoscopic display . however , the motion detection method cannot be used on its own to achieve robust tracking because there are always measuring errors in the detected movement . merely repeating the motion detection method without intervening correction causes errors to accumulate so that accurate tracking is rapidly lost . the template matching step 79 is necessary to provide an accurate position measurement for each consecutive field and the errors occurring in the differential method 76 for a single iteration are too small to affect accurate observer tracking . the target verification provided by the step 79 verifies that , at the detected position , the target image is indeed there and also refines the position data before the next motion detection step 76 . as mentioned hereinbefore , the motion detection step takes about 2 milliseconds which , in the case of a field repetition rate of 60 hz leaves about 14 . 7 milliseconds before the next digitised image is ready . this &# 34 ; waiting time &# 34 ; is sufficient for the template matching step 79 to perform the target verification . the step 77 adds the movement determined in the step 76 to the position determined in the step 79 for the previous image field . thus , accumulative errors in the differential method step 76 are avoided since the results of only one differential method step 76 ( with only one set of errors ) are used to indicate the target image position at the step 78 . although the template matching step 79 calculates a target image position containing errors , such errors do not accumulate because the template is matched each time to the current image of the target . the resulting position data is thus always the true position of the target plus a single measuring error . the motion detection and template matching work together in an efficient way . the motion detection produces position data quickly so that the time latency is as short as possible . the result of motion detection confines the search area for template matching . the use of template matching confirms the target position and prevents the accumulation of measuring errors due to motion detection . this efficient combination makes it possible to produce a reliable tracking system which is suitable for observer tracking autostereoscopic 3d displays in that it satisfies the requirements of short time latency , high update frequency and sufficient measurement accuracy . fig2 illustrates the timing of the steps 76 and 79 in relation to the timing of digitisation of the sequence of image fields . digitisation starts at the time indicated at 97 and , using the ntsc video camera with a 60 hz field rate as shown in fig1 , each field is digitised in a period of 16 . 67 milliseconds . the processor 4 contains a ring buffer of the type illustrated in fig1 so that each field is available from its respective buffer memory whilst the subsequent field is being captured . assuming that computing starts at the time indicated at 98 and the global template search 62 has already been performed to give an initial position of the target image , the step 76 is performed in about 2 milliseconds and the position data pmd is then available for adding to the position ptm obtained in the preceding step 79 by template matching . thus , the step 76 begins immediately after a fresh field has been captured and digitised . the step 79 ends immediately after the step 76 has been completed and takes about 10 milliseconds . thus , the whole image tracking for each image field is completed within the time required to digitise an image field so that the repetition rate of the observer position measurements is equal to the field repetition rate of 60 hz . the latency of position measurements is 18 . 7 milliseconds and an x accuracy of better than 5 millimeters can be obtained . this is sufficient for the image tracking system to be used , for instance , in the autostereoscopic display illustrated in fig2 . the global template search 62 takes a fixed time of approximately 60 milliseconds . if the target image is lost during the steps 63 , 64 and 65 , for instance if the observer moves out of the field of view of the video camera 3 , the tracking system detects that the target image has been lost and changes to the global template search 62 until the observer moves back into the field of view and is located again by the tracking system . the differential method 76 works well when the motion between two consecutive fields does not exceed three to four image picture elements . this is about the average speed of an observer for a typical embodiment of the autostereoscopic display shown in fig2 but , in practice , the observer may move twice as fast as this from time to time . in these circumstances , the differential method tends to underestimate the amount of movement . one technique for solving this problem is to use an iterative differential method . for instance , if the target image has moved by 7 pixels between consecutive fields but the first iteration estimates a movement of 4 pixels , the second image field can be shifted by 4 pixels before another iteration . the relative movement between the shifted field and the previous field is now about 3 pixels which may be accurately measured . although more than two iterations may be used , two iterations have been found to be adequate in practice . as described hereinbefore , the observer position data may be represented in terms of cartesian coordinates as illustrated in fig3 . the tracking system described hereinbefore implements xy head tracking , but x position data alone may be sufficient for steering the viewing windows if the observer does not move in the z direction but remains in the window plane 23 of the display . usually , z tracking is required if the observer is to move in the z direction . however , for a special case where the optical centre of a lens 99 of the camera 3 is aligned with the optical centre 29 of the display , z tracking is not explicitly required . as illustrated in fig7 the viewing zones 28 are angularly spaced in the horizontal xz plane . with the optical centre of the camera lens 99 aligned with the optical centre 29 of the display as shown in fig2 , all points on the same switching line such as 100 are imaged to the same point such as 101 on the image plane 102 of the camera 3 . the x position of the camera pixel image therefore indicates the angular position of the observer and can be supplied directly to the optical system of the display 7 to provide correctly steered viewing windows without requiring any knowledge of the z position of the observer . this particular arrangement therefore allows the use of a single camera with increased accuracy and shortened response time so that the tracking system is particularly suitable for this type of autostereoscopic display . as illustrated in fig4 autostereoscopic displays typically allow some longitudinal viewing freedom for the observer . in particular , so long as the eyes of the observer remain in the appropriate diamond shaped viewing zones 21 and 22 , the observer will perceive a 3d image across the whole of the display . however , movement in the longitudinal or z direction causes a change of the size of the target image as the observer moves towards and away from the video camera 3 . the differential method 76 uses the latest two consecutive image fields so that the target may only move a small distance . the scaling effect is therefore minimal and does not cause a serious problem . the scaling effect is more important to the template matching steps 73 and 79 because each image field is always searched with a fixed template acquired during the template capture step 61 . the result of the scaling effect is that the maximum correlation is lower than the optimum value of 1 . for the specific embodiment described hereinbefore , the tracking system can tolerate longitudinal movement of about 150 millimeters forwards or backwards from the best viewing position of 0 . 85 meters , with a measuring error not exceeding 5 millimeters . as described hereinbefore , a preset threshold is used in the steps 74 and 80 to test whether the target image has been located . the preset threshold has to be sufficiently small so that it can accommodate different people at different positions and orientations under various lighting conditions . however , the threshold should be sufficiently large so that it can discriminate a true target image from a false one . target verification may be enhanced by further checking using additional methods such as hue ( h ) saturation ( s ) value ( v ) measurement as illustrated in fig2 and 26 . the image tracking method shown in fig2 differs from that shown in fig1 and 18 in that steps 103 and 104 are inserted . it is well known that human skin tends to be of uniform saturation . this uniformity is less affected by different lighting conditions than other image features , such as grey levels . with uniform illumination , both hue and saturation of the face change smoothly over a large portion of the face . even with non - uniform illumination , the saturation of the image remains fairly balanced on both sides of the observer face whereas the intensity picture could be visibly dark on one side and bright on the other . also , the average saturation value over the observer face region differs from that of the background more significantly . the mean value of the saturation over the observer face changes very little during head movement . this therefore provides an additional check for target verification . fig2 illustrates hsv as a double cone containing all possible colours of light . the axis of the double cone represents a grey scale progression from black to white . distance from the axis represents saturation . angular direction around the axis represents hue . in the case of a video camera 3 providing red , green and blue ( rgb ) outputs , conversion to hsv format may be obtained by finding the maximum and minimum values of the rgb signals . the v component is then given by the value of the maximum signal . the saturation s is defined as zero when the v component is zero and otherwise as the difference between the maximum and minimum rgb values divided by the maximum value . the hue is computed as follows : ## equ10 ## where d is the difference between the maximum and minimum rgb values and cmax is the maximum of the rgb values . if the peak correlation value exceeds the threshold , the step 103 converts the region of the image field underlying the template at the optimum position from rgb to hsy format as described hereinbefore . the mean value sl of the target image is calculated and compared with the mean saturation of the template ( which is fixed and which may be calculated during the template capture step 61 ). the difference s in mean saturation is calculated as | s1 - s2 |/ s2 and is compared in step 104 with another predetermined threshold having a typical value between 0 . 7 and 0 . 8 . if the mean saturation is greater than the threshold , control returns to the motion detection step 63 indicating that target verification has been successful . if s is less than the threshold , control returns to the global template matching step 62 . this additional checking thus reduces the possibility of false locking onto an incorrect target image . the system described hereinbefore employs a single template for a single user whose face is assumed to be in a roughly upright position during any head movement . in practice , the user is allowed to tilt and / or rotate his head within a small amount . the exact range is different from user to user , depending on a number of factors such as the face size , the facial features and signal - to - noise ratio in the image . the system may be modified to allow a larger degree of rotation and tilting by using multiple templates . the first row of fig2 illustrates the use of a single template which would allow the user to tilt from an angle of - a degrees to + a degrees . if a second template is obtained at an angle of 2a , this template may be used to match eye regions that are tilted in the range of a to 3a degrees . similarly a third template may be obtained at an angle of - 2a and extend the tilting range from - a to - 3a degrees . in this example , the first template may be used initially to find the best - matched region . if the best correlation value is above the pre - set threshold , then the eye region is found ; otherwise the second template is used to apply the template matching process . if the best correlation value is above the pre - set threshold , then the eye region is found ; otherwise the third template is used to apply the template matching process . if the eye region is found using the second template , for example , then the template matching for the next frame may start with the second template rather than the first template . if the best correlation value is above the pre - set threshold , then the eye region is found ; otherwise the other two templates may be used in turn until the eye region is found . if more templates are used , then the allowed tilting range may be further extended . the second and third templates may be obtained using the interactive method as described hereinbefore with the user keeping his head tilted to the desired degree . however , this may not be convenient and may not be necessary , as the second and third templates may be obtained computationally by rotating the first template by the desired degree . this method may be applied to extend the range of rotation allowed for a user who rotates his head about a vertical axis , as illustrated in fig2 . the extra templates however have to be captured manually and individually . the use of multiple templates increases the computing power required by a factor that is equal to the number of templates used . in order to keep the same performance , either a more powerful serial processing computer has to be used or a parallel computer may be used . this template matching process itself and the use of multiple templates are very suitable for parallel processing . in the fixture , as parallel computing becomes more readily available , such multiple template techniques may become advantageous in terms of implementation and computing efficiency . various modifications may be made within the scope of the invention . for instance , although much of the tracking system in the described embodiment is embodied as a programmed data processor , other implementations include the use of discrete components , for instance comprising a camera , a digital signal processing chip and a suitable store . the system may also be implemented as a special purpose silicon chip or chip set which may at least in part be built into a camera system . such a camera may have a first output for a standard video signal and a second output for position data . a system integrated directly with the camera sensor such as a cmos based camera system would not require digital / analogue and analogue / digital converters to generate and process analogue video data , thus providing an opportunity of reducing cost and improving performance . also , although the use of a visible light camera has been described , other sensors such as infrared light systems may be used . | 7 |
the present invention refers to a support that has been especially conceived for sustaining advertising or publicity posters , of the “ flag ” type , that are generally placed at a considerable height on a post , street - lamppost or other similar element . the object of the invention is to obtain a support that is highly resistant to weather effects , quick and easy to place on the corresponding post or the like , that also permits an unmoveable assembly of the publicity posters on the actual support , with the consequent versatility this involves . one of the normal forms of establishing advertising or publicity posters in public thoroughfares consists , for example , in using to this effect lighting street - lamps , in such a way , that at an appropriate height of the post of said street - lamps , a horizontal arm is attached , from which the poster is suspended in the manner of a flag . in practice , metallic clamps are used , which on occasions , are attached by means of screwing to the lamppost , with the consequent deterioration of the same , and which in a more common way , are attached by simple pressure , by means of screws relating the two semi - clamps or parts of the clamp . in addition to this clamp , at least one arm is made to form integral part that is intended for lateral or radial projection from the lamppost , the advertising or publicity posters being suspended from this arm . this type of support presents wide and varied problems that can be summarized as follows : in spite of being suitably treated , for example , by means of a galvanic coating , environmental inclemency causes due to its metallic nature , a rapid deterioration of the clamp , which a long time before being destroyed , generates a deplorable aesthetic appearance in the support , that extends to the actual post of the street - lamp when the residues generated in the oxidation of the support propagates along the same . its assembly on the street lamppost is quite slow , and can be calculated to be of approximately fifteen minutes , and since it is located , due to obvious reasons of publicity , generally in zones of considerable road traffic , both the assembly and the subsequent maintenance tasks involve an interruption of said road traffic generating important circulation problems . the arms are rigidly joined to the clamp , in such a way , that the existence of supports with one or two arms , depending on its specific application , is mandatory . this makes both the manufacturing cost and the storage cost more expensive . the actual one - piece union between arms and clamp also determines the need for different supports for posters with different widths . on windy days , the visualization of the poster is very difficult , losing the greater part of its efficacy due to the tendency to swing and to its wrapping around the actual arm of the support . the support for advertising or publicity posters proposed by the invention solves the previously indicated problems in a totally satisfactory manner in all and each one of the different aspects expressed . for this and more specifically , said support , centres its characteristics on the following aspects , as from the basic structurisation of a conventional support of the type previously indicated , in which a rigidizing clamp participates on the corresponding post and one or more lateral arms for sustaining the respective posters : the clamp is constituted by means of the combination of two recyclable plastic parts , with an appropriate colour that does not negatively influence the environment and is suitably treated versus ultraviolet rays to prevent is degradation . the two parts constituting the clamp are provided with the following : one of them with two lateral grooves , internally toothed and the other with two strips , likewise toothed and of considerable length , in such a way , that the locking of the clamp is performed by simple thrusting on said strips in the recess of the complementary grooves , which permits an extremely rapid and safe assembly , at the same time also permitting the attachment of the support to posts with different diameters . each one of the two parts that make up the clamp , or at least one of them , externally includes one hollow protuberance , open at the top and externally grooved , that permits the male - female coupling , with a perfect fit , with an expanded head finished off with the corresponding arm sustaining the poster , in such a manner , that said arms are physically independent from the clamp , and can be assembled on the latter once it has been attached to the post . each sustaining arm of the corresponding poster is capable of including a plastic web for the inclusion of the latter , that prevents its swinging , attaching said poster to the arm by means of a pair of attachment clips . complementary to the description being made , and with the purpose of aiding a better understanding of the characteristics of the invention , according to a preferred practical exemplary embodiment of the same , this description is enclosed , forming integral part of the same , with a set of drawings in which , with illustrative and non limitative character , the following has been represented : [ 0018 ] fig1 shows a perspective breakdown of a support for advertising or publicity posters carried out according to the object of the present invention , jointly with a post on which it is intended to be attached . [ 0019 ] fig2 shows , also according to a perspective view , the same assembly of the previous figure , appropriately mounted , on which a sectional detail at the same level as one of the attachment points between the two semi - grips has been represented . [ 0020 ] fig3 finally shows the support of the invention appropriately coupled onto a streetlamp and attaching two advertising or publicity posters , also according to a perspective view . in view of the indicated figures , it can be observed how the proposed support is constituted by two semi - clamps ( 1 - 2 ), of plastic nature , each one of which presents a concave surface , tending towards a semi - cylinder , to be correctly adapted to the corresponding sustaining post ( 3 ), as for example a street - lamppost . these semi - clamps ( 1 - 2 ) include at their confronted edges , various radial flanges ( 4 - 4 ′), one of them being equipped , as a perpendicular extension of the same , with a strip ( 5 ) forming integral part with the same , and the other with a groove ( 6 ), these elements , strip ( 5 ) and groove ( 6 ) being provided with complementary teeth ( 7 ), with saw - tooth profile , that aids the penetration of strips ( 5 ) inside grooves ( 6 ) but that make impossible their subsequent extraction , which in turn permits an easy , rapid and safe assembly and traction of the clamp ( 1 - 2 ) on post ( 3 ) additionally , each one of the clamps ( 1 - 2 ) externally includes , a hollow protuberance ( 8 ), that determines the preferably prismatic - rectangular housing ( 9 ), open at the top and also open sideways by means of an intermediate groove ( 10 ) in such a way , that in this housing ( 9 ) is capable of being housed by “ plugging ”, the prismatic - rectangular head ( 11 ) that finishes off the internal end , corresponding to the arm ( 12 ) that sustains the advertising publicity poster ( 13 ) and that is attached to said arm ( 12 ) with the collaboration of clips ( 14 ), the free end of said arm ( 12 ) being finished off with a cap ( 15 ) in accordance with this structure , not only are the clamps ( 1 - 2 ) easily couplable and attachable to the post ( 3 ), but also , on one or two arms ( 12 ) can be indistinctly assembled one same clamp ( 1 - 2 ), at the same time , said arms ( 12 ) can be of any length according to the requirements of posters ( 13 ) with different sizes . also , and for advantageously establishing said posters ( 13 ) suspended from arms ( 12 ), it has been provided that the latter may include a plastic web ( 16 ) constructed either on a laminar body housed inside a tubular poster , or on two parallel and vertical arms , housed in turn inside the tubular parts that are established at the side edges of the advertising and publicity poster , achieving in any case , that said poster remains perfectly extended and in an ideal vertical position for the visualisation of its contents . | 6 |
the method of the present invention is described below primarily in the context of a row crop planter . however , the method is applicable broadly to any input application machine such as but not limited to planter , air seeders , grain drills , fertilizer and chemical applicators , sprayers , etc . referring to fig1 , a row unit 10 of a row crop planter 12 is shown . the planter 12 includes a transversely extending tool bar 14 to which the row unit 10 is mounted . while a single row unit is show , multiple row units 10 are spaced along the tool bar 14 , each applying seed in a row as the tool bar is moved across a field in an forward direction shown by the arrow 16 . the planter 12 is connected to a tractor ( not shown in fig1 ) in a conventional manner and the planter and tractor together constitute a machine for applying an input to an agricultural field . the planter or other input applicator could be self - propelled instead of an implement for attachment to a tractor . the tractor or self - propelled machine is equipped with a guidance system such as autotrac ™ or iguide ™ available from john deere to guide the machine along a path in the field . such guidance systems use gps or other positioning systems to locate the machine in the field and to guide its movement across the field . the row unit 10 includes a frame 20 that is coupled to a mounting plate 22 by a parallel linkage 24 . the parallel linkage 24 allows the row unit to move up and down to a limited degree relative to the toolbar 14 . seed is automatically directed to an auxiliary hopper 26 by a pneumatic seed on demand delivery system ( not shown ). seed in the auxiliary hopper 26 is metered by a seed meter 28 and directed to a planting furrow by a seed tube ( not shown ) in a known manner . the planting furrow is formed by a double disc furrow opener 30 . depth gauging wheels 32 control the depth of penetration of the opener 30 . the planting furrow with metered seed deposited therein by the seed tube is closed by closing wheels 34 . the seed meter 28 is driven by a flexible rotatable drive shaft 36 that drives second gear box 38 . a ground driven common rotary drive , in the form of a hexagonal cross - section bar 40 , provides a rotational input to the flexible drive shaft 36 through a first gearbox 44 . a clutch 46 is provided at the coupling of the drive shaft 36 to the second gear box 38 . the clutch 46 is selectively operated to disengage the drive to the seed meter 28 thereby stopping the operation of the seed meter and the dispensing of seed through the seed tube to the seeding furrow . the clutches 46 may be individually controlled or two or more clutch assemblies on adjacent row units may be controlled together in what is known as “ section control .” the furrow opener 30 constitutes a ground engaging tool and remains engaged in the ground both when seed is being dispensed as well as when seed is not being dispensed by control of the clutches . other seeding equipment such as air seeders and grain drills have ground engaging openers as do fertilizer and chemical applicators . these machines also have input meters and dispensers , such as seed tubes and / or chemical tubes . the method a applying an input to an agricultural field according to the present invention is shown and described in connection with fig2 . fig2 illustrates an irregularly shaped field 100 . the first step is to define the field perimeter 102 . this can be accomplished by driving along the perimeter in a first , perimeter headland pass 104 having the width of the planter 12 . planter 12 is shown schematically with the toolbar 14 and row units 12 shown as boxes . the first perimeter headland 104 can be driven with the planting machine operating to plant in the headland 104 or without operating the planter . typically , the position sensor on the machine will be in the machine center , a half - width of the machine from the field perimeter . alternatively , the perimeter can be defined by driving another vehicle , such as an all - terrain vehicle , along the perimeter with the necessary guidance system installed to record the vehicle path and with the spacing between the position sensor on the vehicle and the perimeter 102 known . a field perimeter definition recorded during an operation in a previous growing season can also be used . the perimeter headland area 104 is defined inside the perimeter 102 consisting of one width of the seeding machine . one or more additional headland areas 106 are defined inside the perimeter headland area 104 as desired . each additional headland area has a width equal to the width of the machine 12 . the headland area at the top and bottom of the field as shown in fig2 is used for turning the machine as described below . additionally , the headland area at the right side of the field will be used for turning the machine . however , the headland area at the left side is not used for turning and thus may be narrower than the other headland areas but still in multiples of the machine width . after determining the total headland area , the remaining center area 108 of the field 100 is then defined . beginning with a selected starting location such as the point 110 , a path plan is determined for seeding the field beginning with the center area 108 . the center area path plan consists of a series of back and forth passes 114 with turns 116 executed at the ends of the back and forth passes . the turns take place in the headland areas 104 and 106 . the path planning may be a mental step by the machine operator or may be done by a computer program that is part of the machine guidance system . when the machine reaches the boarder between the center area 108 and the headland area , the row units are turned off , to stop dispensing seed . for those back and forth passes 114 which are perpendicular to the boarder of the center area , when the machine reaches the end of the pass , the tool bar 14 is raised , lifting the ground engaging tools from the ground . this also lifts the drive wheel for the shaft 40 from the ground , stopping the dispensing of seed from all row units at the same time . back and forth passes 120 at the right side of the field have borders 122 and 124 with the headland area which are inclined relative to the direction of machine travel in the back and forth passes . as the machine crosses the borders , the row units are turned on and off , one at a time , or one section at time as those row units cross the border . this is shown by the broken lines trailing each row unit representing the seed rows . this is shown in the enlarged view of fig3 . a row crop planter 130 is shown in the pass 120 crossing the border 124 between the center area and the headland area 106 . individual row units 10 are shut off as they cross the border . the seed rows are shown by the broken lines 132 . section control is shown with the back and forth pass 134 . the dispensers for multiple plant rows are simultaneously controlled resulting in two or more rows starting or stopping together . as the machine crossed the border 124 , the sections were turned off or on , producing a stair step pattern as multiple rows are shut off at a time . fig4 shows another application where the final back and forth pass 136 is narrower than the width of planter 138 . when planting in the last pass 136 , only those row units in the area of the pass 136 are operating . the row units in the area of the headland 106 are shut off . as a final step , the headland area is then planted . headland area 106 is planted at a full machine width . headland area 104 is also planted at a full width . headland 104 may be planted last or may have been planted during the first step when the field perimeter is determined . the perimeter headland 104 may be planted using manual operation of the machine . this will be the case if the planting of the perimeter headland occurs during definition of the field perimeter . furthermore , if the field perimeter is defined from a machine operation in a previous growing season , there may be some variation in the actual field perimeter this season , due to erosion , etc . from the definition from the previous season . as a result , the perimeter headland 104 will preferably be planted by manual operation rather than automatic operation to be able to compensate for changes in the perimeter . the manual planting of the perimeter headland 104 , whether performed first or last , may result in some overlap with the inner headland area 106 or with the center area 108 if there is only one headland area . the back and forth passes have been shown in fig2 - 4 as being straight passes . depending on the contours of the field , the passes may follow a curved path . in either case , the back and forth passes will generally be parallel with one another . an obstacle in the field can be dealt with as shown in reference to fig5 . here an obstacle 200 is in the center area of the field . the obstacle may be a wet area that can not be planted , a rock pile , a standard for overhead electric wires , etc . four back and forth passes 202 , 204 , 206 and 208 are shown surrounding the obstacle . the pass 202 is worked first with the machine planting in rows shown by the lines 210 . after turning , while working the subsequent pass 204 and planting the broken lines 212 , the operator or machine control system steers the machine around the obstacle by turning into the preceding pass area 202 , forming an incursion into pass 202 . the control system , knowing that pass area 202 has already been planted , will turn off the row units once they pass over the border 214 between the two pass areas 202 and 204 . this avoids double planting but does not prevent disturbing the seed . the incursion into the preceding pass is recorded for future operations . when planting in the following season , the control system will know that there will be an incursion from the subsequent pass 204 into pass 202 and can turn off the row units during pass 202 in the incursion area . then , when working pass 204 the row units can remain on and plant in the incursion area on the second time over that area . as an option , the operator may override the recording of the incursion if the obstacle will not likely be present during future operations . this may be the case if the obstacle is a wet area due to unusually high rainfall during the current planting season . alternatively , during the first year planting operation , when the incursion occurs , the seed dispensers may remain on to double seed and ensure that the seed will be placed in the soil at the desired depth for proper emergence . the seed planted in the first pass will be disturbed and may no longer be at the proper depth . however , any fertilizer dispenser can be turned off during the incursion to prevent double fertilizer in the area as this can be detrimental to overall plant health . on the following pass 206 , when the operator steers around the obstacle , the machine makes an incursion into the subsequent pass 208 which is yet to be worked . since the control system knows where the pass 208 is located , when the row units cross the border 216 into the subsequent pass 208 , the row units are shut off . after turning , during working of pass 208 , the row units remain on , and plant pass 208 with a full implement width , seeding the incursion area on the second pass over that area . in the claims that follow , the term “ machine ” is used broadly to mean a self - propelled input applicator or to a tractor and implement combination . where an area of a field is covered twice during the application of an input , the method of the present invention controls the product dispensers to dispense product only the second time the area is covered . having described the preferred embodiment , it will become apparent that various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the accompanying claims . | 8 |
in general , it is desirable to control at least three factors in making an acceptable gas sampling device . ideally , the device should ( 1 ) be independent of the effects of ambient velocity ; ( 2 ) have controllable mass uptake and ( 3 ) have controllable response time . the term gas as used herein includes substances dispersed in the molecular or atomic state including those materials which can exist as solids or liquids at normal room temperature and are generally called vapors in their gaseous forms . in order to demonstrate velocity and air flow direction effects , a mercury gas detector was formed . a device of polystyrene was injection - molded with a serpentine pattern about 1 / 8 in . ( 0 . 32 cm .) wide , 1 / 32 in . ( 0 . 08 cm .) deep and 6 in . ( 15 . 24 cm .) in length . a 150 angstrom thick adherent gold film was vapor deposited on the patterned surface of the substrate and the high portion of surface of the substrate abraded , leaving a thin gold serpentine resistor . a diffusion grating having 36 parallel holes of 0 . 062 in . ( 0 . 16 cm .) diameter by 0 . 250 in . ( 0 . 64 cm .) length in a block of polystyrene was placed over the detector . the holes were uniformly spaced on 0 . 125 in . ( 0 . 32 cm .) centers and perpendicular to and just above the gold detection surface . the devices were tested for velocity dependence at various angles of attack and at various velocities using air having a constant concentration of 50 micrograms hg / m 3 for a period of 25 hours . the attack angle is the acute angle between the direction of flow and the face of the device . the amount of mercury absorbed was determined by the change in the resistance of the gold film . the response of the device is determined by measuring the change in resistance and calculating a &# 34 ; normal response &# 34 ; unit ( n ). n is calculated by using the formula : ## equ1 ## where r is the initial resistance of the strip , δr is the change in resistance after exposure to mercury gas , t is the time of exposure to mercury gas and c is the concentration of mercury gas in mg hg per cubic meter of air . table i______________________________________ attackvelocity angle n______________________________________still air ( n / a )* 15 . 791 . 4 cm / sec3 ft / sec 90 ° 15 . 191 . 4 cm / sec3 ft / sec 45 ° 32 . 4183 cm / sec6 ft / sec 90 ° 27 . 9183 cm / sec6 ft / sec 45 ° 51 . 4______________________________________ *( n / a ) = not applicable these results indicated that the device response n at normal room velocities of 3 ft / sec ( 91 . 4 cm / sec ) is unaffected so long as the air flow is parallel to the axis of the holes . increasing the velocity to 183 cm / sec ( a fast walking speed ) doubles the responses of the device for parallel flow and about quadruples response for the 45 ° angle of attack . the ratio of the response at a 183 cm / sec velocity and a 45 ° attack angle to the response under stagnant conditions provides a good measure of a monitoring device &# 39 ; s freedom from velocity effects . generally an acceptable device will not have a velocity - dependent variation greater than about ± 45 percent when compared to the still air conditions . it has been found that the velocity effects can be controlled by an attenuating means which provides a placid layer . the attenuating means allows a diffusional transport of the gas from the ambient atmosphere to the detector layer and provides the device of this invention with the desired response characteristics . the attenuating means can take various forms such as wire screens , porous plates of particulate material , nonwoven batting , microporous polymeric films , etc . fine woven or microporous polymeric screens are one example of attenuating means which can reduce the velocity effect in a device of this invention and insure a relatively placid layer of gas between the opening of the device &# 39 ; s enclosure and the interactive substance contained therein . fine wire screens , such as 270 mesh and finer , offer little resistance and under some circumstances may increase the diffusion or mass transport of the gas molecules or atoms across the screen &# 39 ; s width but can at the same time provide as much as a 300 percent reduction in velocity effects . a further type of attenuating means is a porous sintered plate or layer made of particulate material . one example of a particulate material is epoxycoated spherical glass beads such as those disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 175 , 935 . the glass beads coated with a heat - bonding epoxy are packed in a mold and the resulting shape heat - cured . during curing , the resin flows to the contiguous points of contact of the spherical glass beads , bonding the glass beads together as a strong , porous material . also useful are metallic particles which can be compacted and sintered using standard powder metallurgy to form porous plates . suitable metal particles include copper , brass , bronze , stainless steel as well as other metals and alloys . the porous plate provides a relatively low mass transport attenuating means and also provides an excellent opportunity to screen out interferring gases by placing interacting substances within the plate . the void volume of the porous plate and pore size govern the degree of attenuation and can be changed by mixing the types of particles used , the addition of resin in the case of beads or using a filler which fills a portion of the voids . the attenuating means and the diffusion grating provide control of the sensitivity of the device by controlling the amount of gaseous material which passes through the means . the porous plates of particulate material will pass only a small fraction of the gas which would impinge on the detector layer is no plate were present or which would be passed by an open placid layer . thus , the attenuating means provide a method for tailoring the response of the device to different ambient conditions . where a long - term device is wanted , or where the selected gas is in high concentration , mass transport can be reduced , and where quick short - term response is important or the selected gas is in low concentration , a less restrictive attenuating means can be used . control of the response time is a characteristic of the placid layer formed . atomic and molecular drift from a region of high ambient concentration to a low or zero concentration at the interactive substance occurs at a characteristic drift velocity . the characteristic drift velocity ( cdv ) is equal to twice the binary diffusion constant divided by the length over which the molecules travel ( the length of the concentration gradient ). because the binary diffusion constants of various gases are relatively fixed , the primary control of response time is the length of the concentration gradient . the average time ( t ) necessary for an atom or molecule to move across a placid layer thickness ( l ) is a function of the characteristic drift velocity ( cdv ) and is related to the binary diffusion constant ( d ) by the expression : ## equ2 ## because of the parabolic relationship between the response time and placid layer thickness , the use of a thick placid layer to reduce velocity effects extracts a heavy penalty in response time . in choosing a gradient length which gives the desired response time , the choice of velocity attenuating means will be important in controlling velocity effects especially where , for quick response , a thin placid layer is used . the interactive substances useful in the practice of this invention include materials which absorb , adsorb , react or otherwise combine with the gas being measured . where the interactive substance undergoes a physical change , it is possible to measure the amount of material present immediately while other materials which absorb or adsorb the gas being monitored can be analyzed by standard analytical techniques , e . g . gas chromatography . specific examples include palladium ( ii ) chloride embedded in filter paper which changes color upon absorbing carbon monoxide ( white to grey to black ), thin metal films ( e . g ., gold ) which change their resistance , exchange resins , absorbers and adsorbers which retain a gas for later gas analysis , liquids or gels which absorb the gas for gravimetric analysis . the interactive substances useful in the practice of this invention will often be specific for a particular gas or class of gases . however , it is possible to use an absorbing material and chromatographic analysis to trap and measure a large number of gaseous components simultaneously . the enclosure of this invention is constructed of materials which are not reactive with the ambient environment and which are nonreactive and nonabsorbtive with respect to the gas being measured . examples of such materials are stainless steel , polyethylene , polypropylene , metals , etc . in general , the injection molded plastics form preferred enclosures because of their low expense , chemical inertness and ease of manufacture . the gas detection device of this invention can be made small , e . g ., 2 . 5 to 5 cm . in width and length , allowing the device to be mounted on the clothing or body of a person . after wearing the badge for a period of time , as the person goes about his normal business , the device can be analyzed . the amount of gas detected divided by the time the device is exposed gives a time average value of exposure in addition to the cumulative exposure of the device . referring to the accompanying drawing in which like numerals refer to like parts , initially to fig1 and 2 , a detection device 10 has a thin gold detector layer 12 suitable for absorbing mercury gas disposed thereon as a serpentine pattern . the detector unit has a diffusion grating 14 disposed thereon , the diffusion grating having a plurality of channel 16 therethrough . a fine woven mesh screen 18 is held above the upper surface of the channels 16 by a lip 19 which encircles the channels and keeps the screen from contacting the upper surface of the diffusion grating . the screen defines a layer 15 of relatively placid gas between the screen 18 and the upper surface of diffusion grating 14 , the placid layer serving to shield the diffusion grating from the effects of velocity . fig3 to 6 show gas analyzing devices with various attenuating means in series which form placid layers and minimize the effects of velocity . in fig3 and 4 a fine screen 18 protects the upper surface of an underlying means from the effects of gas moving past the analyzing device . specifically , in fig3 and 6 an enclosure 24 has a bed 26 of interactive substance contained within a chamber 27 forming a detection layer . in fig3 the open end 28 has a diffusion grating 14 with a plurality of channels therein . a mesh screen 18 is mounted a few millimeters above the diffusion grating 14 attached to the protuberances 30 so that there are no openings to the placid layer larger than the mesh openings . this prevents substantial amounts of gas from entering at the edges of the screens and causing velocity effects . this configuration forms a placid layer of gas 32 between the screen 18 and the diffusion grating 14 . this configuration provides a useful detection device and insures that the gas in contact with the upper surface of the diffusion grating is essentially placid . in fig4 the diffusion grating of fig3 has been replaced by a porous plate 34 formed of particulate material which has been consolidated to form a porous structure . the resulting attenuating means transports gas from the ambient surroundings to the interactive substance 26 by diffusion and minimizes velocity effects . in fig6 the device of fig3 has been modified by the addition of screens 36 above and below the diffusion grating 14 for a further reduction in velocity effects . the monitoring device of fig5 has a mat 22 of compressed nonwoven fibers placed between the diffusion grating 14 and the detector 10 . the mat 22 serves to further attenuate movement of gas within the diffusion channels . the mat may contain a reactive substance dispersed throughout which traps or holds a particular type of contaminant to avoid poisoning or alteration of the detection layer . one of the attenuating means may also be used to screen out or absorb one or more gas constituents of the gas mixture which could interfere with the interactive substance of the gas to be measured . for example , where acetone or other organic gases are present , activated carbon in the web 22 of fig5 will absorb the organics present while allowing gas , e . g . h 2 s , co and hg to pass through the attenuating layer . the invention is further illustrated by reference to the following nonlimiting examples in which all parts are by weight unless otherwise specified . where a particular item does not apply to an individual sample , the symbol n / a appears in the tabulated results . the diffusion grating used in the specification to generate table i was modified by placing a fine porous mesh of woven stainless steel mesh ( such as used for sifting fine particles ) over the parallel holes . the mesh openings were 0 . 0053 cm . on a side and the open area of the mesh was 32 percent . this device was tested for velocity dependence at a constant mercury vapor concentration as described hereinbefore with respect to table i . table ii______________________________________ attackvelocity angle n______________________________________still air ( n / a ) 16 . 4183 cm / sec 90 ° 19 . 5183 cm / sec 45 ° 23 . 6______________________________________ these results show a velocity dependence of 23 . 6 / 16 . 4 = 1 . 44 compared to 51 . 4 / 15 . 7 = 3 . 27 for the device of table i . since most drafts in rooms where toxic gases might be found are well below 183 cm / sec , the error of the device of this example due to the velocity of the gas would generally be considerably below 44 percent , in most cases less than 20 percent . a slight over - emphasis of the presence of toxic gases is perhaps valuable to those exposed and is acceptable in a personal monitoring device . water vapor detection devices were made by forming a circular chamber about 0 . 63 cm . deep and 7 . 62 cm . in diameter in a block of aluminum . the chamber was filled with &# 34 ; drierite &# 34 ; ( anhydrous caso 4 ) and a diffusion grating of &# 34 ; plexiglass &# 34 ; ( polymethylmethacrylate ) having 275 holes of 0 . 062 in . ( 0 . 157 cm ) diameter by 0 . 25 in . ( 0 . 635 cm ) long was sealed over the chamber . a woven screen of polyester monofilament having 0 . 0017 in . ( 0 . 0043 cm ) openings and 27 percent open area was suspended 0 . 3 in . ( 0 . 76 cm ) above the holes so as to provide a layer of air adjacent to the diffusion grating . the screen was sealed about its perimeter . thus , a velocity dissipating layer was formed in series with the placid layer formed by the diffusion grating . the devices were placed in a test chamber at 17 gm . h 2 o / m 3 of air for 3 . 17 hr . and the response of the device was measured gravimetrically . the relative weight gain was the percentage of weight gain over the original weight of dessicant . table iii______________________________________ attack relativevelocity angle water gain______________________________________still air ( n / a ) 9 . 94178 cm / sec 45 ° 11 . 80______________________________________ these results show a velocity dependence ratio of 11 . 80 / 9 . 94 = 1 . 19 which represents about 20 percent increase with velocity as compared with 44 percent for example 1 . the device of example 1 was provided with a porous frit in place of the diffusion grating . the porous frit material is made using resin coated glass beads compacted and bonded together , the beads being those described in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 175 , 935 . the frit contained closely packed 0 . 018 in . ( 0 . 046 cm ) diameter spheres . volume not occupied by the beads was about 30 percent . such an inert frit is an excellent attenuating means where chemical activity of the gas is a problem . the result of testing as in example 1 is tabulated in table iv . it is noted that the velocity dependence ratio for frit material is 1 . 21 . an enclosure was made 3 in . ( 7 . 62 cm ) long by 1 / 4 in . ( 0 . 63 cm ) wide block of &# 34 ; teflon &# 34 ; having a cavity , the cavity being filled with a small bed of &# 34 ; witco &# 34 ; grade 235 - 12 30 mesh activated charcoal . a nylon diffusion grating having 12 parallel holes of 0 . 125 in . ( 0 . 32 cm ) diameter and 0 . 6875 in . ( 1 . 75 cm ) length was placed over the cavity . a 200 mesh nickel screen was placed over the entrance of the holes of the diffusion grating . these devices were tested in air at 22 ° c . saturated with benzene for 0 . 1 hr . in comparison to comparable devices without screens . the devices with screens responded by an average weight gain of 3 . 8 mg . benzene and those without screens responded by 3 . 03 mg . the fact that the 200 mesh screen is only about 47 percent open clearly has not reduced the mass uptake by the same amount . quite the opposite , surprisingly , the screen increased the response . it was concluded that the presence of the fine porous screen does not reduce mass uptake as may have been expected . in order to verify the result of example 4 , the placid layer means of example 2 were tested in parallel to the placid layer means of example 1 . under exposure to hg vapor at still air conditions , the average response of devices with the fine porous media was 16 . 4 . the average response of those without the media was 14 . 0 . the ratio of response of screened to unscreened devices is greater than one . thus , the unusual result of example 5 is borne out and the presence of a fine porous media may increase the response slightly instead of decreasing it as might have been expected . to measure organic vapor concentration , a molded polypropylene enclosure having a lower chamber 0 . 50 in . diameter and 0 . 070 in . deep was formed . about 100 milligrams of &# 34 ; witco &# 34 ; 18 × 40 u . s . mesh ac - 4259 activated charcoal was placed into the chamber . a stainless steel screen such as that of example 1 was placed over the chamber to hold the carbon in place . a diffusion grating having 12 evenly spaced channels 0 . 062 in . diameter and 0 . 108 in . length was placed atop the stainless screen and the woven polyester screen of example 2 was bonded over the channel entrances . the devices were exposed to individual and mixed concentrations of toluene , trichloroethylene and methylethyl ketone ( mek ) vapors for periods of time . the results are summarized below : __________________________________________________________________________ concentration calculatedtest velocity cm / sec angle ° vapor ( s ) time hr . mg / m . sup . 3 still air observed mass uptake ( mg ) mass uptake__________________________________________________________________________ ( mg ) 1 76 . 2 90 toluene 2 483 0 . 202 0 . 2202 76 . 2 45 toluene 2 483 0 . 202 0 . 2213 76 . 2 90 trichloro - ethylene 1 1146 0 . 253 0 . 2504 76 . 2 90 mek 0 . 67 984 0 . 151 0 . 175 76 . 2 90 mek 1 . 75 313 0 . 129 0 . 13 trichloro - ethylene 1 . 75 598 0 . 219 0 . 21 toluene 1 . 75 253 0 . 098 0 . 08__________________________________________________________________________ the velocity dependence in tests 1 through 4 was a maximum of 12 . 5 percent . this is a good result even though the test conditions were not as severe as in previous examples . in this example , diffusion of organic vapors through the placid layer , about 0 . 27 cm ., results in a diffusion time of about 0 . 5 seconds for most organic vapors . the velocity independence of the device of this example was good despite the narrow placid layer . the mercury detection device described in connection with table i was provided with a grating having four rectangular slots 0 . 125 in . ( 0 . 31 cm ) wide , 0 . 25 in . ( 0 . 64 cm ) deep and 1 . 05 in . ( 2 . 66 cm ) long . the upper surface of the grating was covered by a micro - porous polypropylene film available as &# 34 ; celgard 2400 ,&# 34 ; the film being described in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 558 , 764 the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference . the pores of the &# 34 ; celgard &# 34 ; are generally believed to be 0 . 1 micron or less and to represent about 35 percent of the surface area of the film . testing as in example 1 at stagnant conditions n = 45 . 1 and at 45 ° attack angle and 183 cm / sec velocity n = 51 . 7 . the device increased its response only 14 percent even under the effects of velocity and provides a highly responsive device with only minimal velocity dependence . | 6 |
in the following , the terms &# 34 ; front &# 34 ;, &# 34 ; rear &# 34 ;, &# 34 ; right &# 34 ;, &# 34 ; left &# 34 ;, &# 34 ; upward &# 34 ;, &# 34 ; downward &# 34 ; and the like are to be understood with respect to a seat to which a seat adjuster of the invention is applied . referring to the drawings , there is shown the seat adjuster according to the present invention . this arrangement has seat sliding , lifting and reclining mechanisms as will become apparent as the description proceeds . in fig1 to 4 , denoted by numerals 1 and 1a are left and right upper rails . these rails are slidably disposed on lower rails 1b securedly mounted on a vehicle floor ( not shown ). although not specifically shown in the drawings , a known position lock mechanism is associated with the right upper and lower rails to lock the right upper rail 1a in a desired fore - and - aft position relative to the fixed right lower rail . the upper and lower rails and the lock mechanism thus constitute a seat sliding mechanism of the seat adjuster of the invention . in fig3 a locking lever 13 carried by the right upper rail 1a is shown , which is a part of the lock mechanism . as is seen from fig1 and 4 , extend respective base plates 2 and 2a extended upwardly from the left and right upper rails 1 and 1a . as is seen from fig2 and 5 , a seat belt anchor 100 is connected to a rear portion of the right base plate 2a by means of a bolt 102 and a nut 104 . suitable washers are used for the connection of the belt anchor 100 and the right base plate 2a . as is seen from fig5 the base plate 2a has a generally l - shaped cross section and is secured to the upper rail 1a . the base plate 2a has a downward extending middle portion 2b which is curled inward . as shown in fig3 a bolt is used to assure the connection of the middle portion 2b of the base plate 2a to the upper rail 1a . an elongate reinforcing plate 1c is secured to the right lower rail 1b and extends therealong . the reinforcing plate 1c has a curled upper portion which is slidably interlocked with the curled portion of the base plate 2a . the slidable interlocking between these two members 2b and 1c does not interfere the slidable movement of the upper rail 1a relative to the lower rail 1b . as shown in fig5 the seat belt anchor 100 has a buckle 108 for detachably catching a tongue member 110 held by a seat belt 112 on its top portion . due to the interlocked engagement between the base plate 2a and the fixed reinforcing plate 1c , the seat belt anchor 100 can be held in position even when an abnormally large force is applied thereto by a belt wearer such as occurs during a vehicle collision or the like . as is seen from fig1 the left base plate 2 has a raised rear portion to which a pivotal arm 3 is connected by way of a hinge shaft 4 . denoted by numeral 5 is a release lever which is pivotally connected to the base plate 2 and which allows adjustment of the inclination angle of the pivotal arm 3 relative to the base plate 2 . in fig2 numerals 6 , 6a and 6b denote brackets on which a seat pan ( not shown ) is mounted . although not shown in the drawing , a seat cushion is mounted on the seat pan . denoted by numerals 7 and 7a are front left and front right link mechanisms which are arranged at axial both ends of the front elongate bracket 6 . denoted by numerals 7b and 7c are rear left and rear right link mechanisms which are arranged at the rear smaller bracket 6a and 6b , respectively . denoted by numeral 8 is a rear drive mechanism for adjusting the height of a rear portion of the seat pan , and denoted by numeral 9 is a front drive mechanism for adjusting the height of a front portion of the seat pan . denoted by numeral 10 is a connecting pipe for synchronizing the operation of the link mechanisms 7b and 7c , and denoted by numeral 11 is a connecting pipe for synchronizing the operation of the link mechanisms 7 and 7a . denoted by numeral 12 is a tension spring which extends between the connecting pipes 10 and 11 . as is seen from fig1 and 2 , the front left link mechanism 7 comprises a bracket 14 secured to the connecting pipe 11 . the bracket 14 has one end to which a front end of the tension spring 12 is hooked . an arm 15 is pivotally connected to the bracket 14 through a pivot pin 16 . a flanged left end of the front elongate bracket 6 is pivotally connected to the arm 15 through a pivot pin 17 . the left end of the connecting pipe 11 tightly receives therein a small shaft 18 which is rotatably supported by the left base plate 2 . thus , the pipe 11 is rotatable about its axis . the left end of the connecting pipe 11 has an arm 19 secured thereto . a sector gear 22 is concentrically disposed about the small shaft 18 and secured to the arm 19 through a connecting pin 20 and a push nut 21 , so that the sector gear 22 rotates together with the pipe 11 about the axis of the pipe 11 . the sector gear 22 has teeth 22b at its rear portion . engaged with the teeth 22b of the sector gear 22 is a drive gear 24 of the front drive mechanism 9 . it is to be noted that the sector gear 22 is positioned in front of the front drive mechanism 9 . that is , in according to the present invention , the sector gear 22 is positioned near a front end of the seat cushion of the seat . thus , the moment applied to the sector gear 22 when a person sits on the seat is relatively small . this means that raising of the front portion of the seat cushion using the front drive mechanism can be achieved by a relatively small force . as is shown in fig6 and 7 , the front drive mechanism 9 comprises a brake drum 25 which is secured to an outer surface of the base plate 2 . a core 26 is rotatably received in the brake drum 25 . a large coil spring 27 is received in the brake drum 25 and presses against a first braking surface 25x ( see fig7 ) of the brake drum 25 . the coil spring 27 has both ends bent inward and received in a groove 26a of the core 26 . a smaller coil spring 28 is received in the brake drum 25 in a manner to press against a second brake surface 25y of the brake drum 25 . the smaller coil spring 28 has both ends bent outward and received in the groove 26a of the core 26 . one of the bent ends of the smaller coil spring 28 is hooked on a lug 24a of the drive gear 24 . the lug 24a is loosely engaged in the groove 26a of the core 26 . the core 26 has a coaxial shaft 26b integrally connected thereto . the shaft 26b has an inboard end about which the drive gear 24 is rotatably disposed and an outboard end about which a control knob 29 is secured . the drive mechanism 9 has a brake or one - way clutch function . when a torque is applied to the drive gear 24 from the sector gear 22 , the drive gear 24 is rotated slightly together with the lug 24a . the rotation of the lug 24a brings about an abutment of the lug 24a with one bent end of the large coil spring 27 thereby expanding the spring 27 . the expansion of the spring 27 increases the frictional engagement with the first braking surface 25x . furthermore , the slight rotation of the lug 24a pulls the engaged one bent end of the smaller coil spring 28 causing a contraction of the same . the contraction of the spring 28 increases the frictional engagement with of the same against the second braking surface 25y . under these conditions , the core 26 is locked in the brake drum 25 . thus , even when a torque is applied to the drive gear 24 from the sector gear 22 , the drive gear 24 is not permitted to rotate . accordingly , the relationship between the parts which are engaged with the drive gear 24 remains unchanged . on the other hand , when a torque is applied to the core 26 from the control knob 29 , the core 26 is rotated slightly . the turning of the core 26 brings about an abutment of one edge of the groove 26a with one bent end of the large coil spring 27 thereby inducing a contraction in the spring 27 . furthermore , the rotation of the core 26 brings about an expansion of the smaller coil spring 28 . under these conditions , the above - mentioned frictional engagements are no longer induced . thus , the control knob 29 is permitted to rotate and turn the drive gear 24 . this induces a change in the conditions between the parts engaged with the drive gear 24 . as is seen from fig2 and 3 , the front right link mechanism 7a comprises a bracket 14a secured to the connecting pipe 11 . an arm 15a is pivotally connected to the bracket 14a through a pivot pin 16a . a flanged right end of the front elongate bracket 6 is pivotally connected to the arm 15a through a pivot pin 17a . the right end of the pipe 11 is rotatably supported by the right base plate 2a . denoted by numeral 23a is an e - ring for holding the right end of the pipe 11 in place . as is seen from fig1 and 2 , the rear left link mechanism 7b comprises a bracket 32 secured to the connecting pipe 10 . a flanged left end of the smaller rear left bracket 6a is pivotally connected to the bracket 32 through a pivot pin 33 . the bracket 32 is of a bellcrank type having one end to which a rear end of the tension spring 12 is hooked . the left end of the connecting pipe 10 is rotatably supported by the left base plate 2 and held in place by an e - ring 31 . an arm 30 is secured to the connecting pipe 10 near the left end of the pipe 10 . a link 34 is pivotally connected at its rear end to the arm 30 through a pivot pin 35 . a front end of the link 34 is pivotally connected through a pivot pin 35 to a rear end of a sector gear 22 &# 39 ;. the sector gear 22 &# 39 ; is pivotally connected to the left base plate 2 through a pivot pin 36 . the sector gear 22 &# 39 ; has teeth 22 &# 39 ; b at its front portion . engaged with the teeth 22 &# 39 ; b of the sector gear 22 &# 39 ; is a drive gear of the rear drive mechanism 8 . the construction of this mechanism 8 is substantially the same as that of the afore - mentioned front drive mechanism 9 . that is , the rear drive mechanism 8 comprises a brake drum 25a , a core with a shaft 26c , larger and smaller coil springs and a control knob 29a . it is to be noted that the control nob 29a of the rear drive mechanism 8 is positioned near the control knob 29 of the front drive mechanism 9 . as is seen from fig2 and 3 , the rear right link mechanism 7c comprises a bracket 32a secured to the connecting pipe 10 . a flanged left end of the smaller rear right bracket 6b is pivotally connected to the bracket 32a through a pivot pin 33a . the right end of the connecting pipe 10 is rotatably supported by the right base plate 2a and held in place by an e - ring 31a . the brackets 6 , 6a and 6b , the front left and right link mechanisms 7 and 7a , the rear left and right link mechanisms 7b and 7c , and the front and rear drive mechanisms 9 and 8 thus constitute a seat lifting mechanism of the seat adjuster of the invention . in operation , the control knob 29 of the front drive mechanism 9 is turned clockwise in fig1 the drive gear 24 ( see fig6 ) is turned in the same direction thus rotating the sector gear 22 in a counterclockwise direction about its center . for the reason as mentioned hereinabove , the counterclockwise rotation of the sector gear 22 causes a rotation of the connecting pipe 11 in the same direction . with this , the arms 15 and 15a are pivoted upward and thus the front elongate bracket 6 is raised . thus , the front portion of the seat is raised . on the other hand , when the control knob 29 is turned counterclockwise , the parts 24 , 22 , 11 , 15 , 15a and 6 are moved in the reverse directions and thus the front portion of the seat is lowered . due to the above - mentioned one - way clutch function of the drive mechanism 9 , the condition of the front portion of the seat is maintained unchanged even when a considerable load is applied to the seat lifting mechanism by a passenger ( or the like ) on the seat . when the control knob 8 of the rear drive mechanism 8 is turned clockwise in fig1 the sector gear 22 &# 39 ; is turned in a counterclockwise direction . this rotation moves the link 34 leftward in fig1 and thus turns the connecting pipe 10 in a clockwise direction . thus , the rear smaller brackets 6a and 6b are raised along with the rear portion of the seat . on the other hand , when the control knob 8 is turned counterclockwise , the parts 22 &# 39 ;, 34 , 10 , 6a and 6b are moved in the reversed directions and thus the rear portion of the seat is lowered . due to the one - way clutch function provided in the drive mechanism 8 , the condition of the rear position is maintained unchanged even when a considerable load is applied to the seat lifting mechanism . in the following , the seat reclining mechanism included in the seat adjuster of the invention will be described in detail with reference to fig8 to 10 . in fig8 numeral 1 denotes the left upper rail , 2 the left base plate raised from the upper rail 1 , and 3 the pivotal arm which is pivotally connected through the hinge shaft 4 to the rear portion of the base plate 2 . although not shown in the drawing , the pivotal arm 3 is secured to a left side of a seatback . denoted by numeral 5 is the release lever for adjusting the inclination angle of the pivotal lever 3 relative to the base plate 2 . denoted by numeral 200 is a seat pan on which a seat cushion part of the seat is mounted . side brackets 202 are secured to a lower surface of the seat pan 200 at both sides of the same . denoted by numerals 7 and 7b are the front left and rear left link mechanisms , 8 is the rear drive mechanism and 9 is the front drive mechanism . denoted by numerals 10 and 11 are the rear and front connecting pipes , and 12 is the tension spring . as is shown in fig1 , a first toothed member 204 is secured to the pivotal arm 3 to pivot therewith about the axis of the hinge shaft 4 . the first toothed member 204 has a toothed arcuate edge 205 . a second toothed member 206 is pivotally connected through a pivot pin 208 to the left base plate 2 . the second toothed member 206 has a toothed arcuate edge 210 which is meshed with the toothed edge 205 of the first toothed member 204 . the second toothed member 206 is formed near the toothed edge 210 with a recess 206a and a projection 206b . a cam member 212 having a projection 212a slidably engageable with the recess 206a and the projection 206b is pivotally connected through a pivot pin 214 to the left base plate 2 . a cam plate 216 is secured to the cam member 212 to pivot therewith about the pin 214 . denoted by numeral 218 is an embossed portion by which the cam plate 216 and the cam member 212 are united . a pin 220 is secured to the cam plate 216 . as will be understood from fig8 the pin 220 passes through an arcuate slot 222 formed in a holder plate 224 . the pin 220 has a leading end secured to the release lever 5 . thus , when the release lever 5 is pivoted about the hinge shaft 4 , the cam unit ( see fig1 ) consisting of the cam member 212 and the cam plate 216 is pivoted about the pin 214 . the holder plate 224 is so sized as to conceal the cam plate 216 , the cam member 212 , the second toothed member 206 and part of the pivotal arm 3 and the first toothed member 204 . the holder plate 224 has hinge shaft 4 , the pivot pin 208 and the pivot pin 214 connected thereto . as is seen from fig8 the release lever 5 extends from the hinge shaft 4 toward the rear drive mechanism 8 . a return spring 226 extends between the release lever 5 and the holder plate 224 to bias the release lever 5 downward , that is , in a counterclockwise direction in the drawing . an elongate guide plate 228 is secured at its bent lower portion 228a to the left base plate 2 , by means of a rivet 230 . with this , as is understood from fig9 there is defined between the guide plate 228 and the base plate 2 an elongate guide space 232 in which a part of the release lever 5 is received . the elongate guide plate 228 is formed at its inner surface with a longitudinally extending ridge 232 to which the release lever 5 is frictionally contactable during its pivoting . for assuring the fixed connection of the guide plate 228 to the base plate 2 , a stopper boss 234 is formed on the base plate 2 . the pivotal arm 3 is formed with a pin 236 . between the pin 236 and the hinge shaft 4 , there is arranged a return spring 238 by which the pivotal arm 3 is biased forward . because the elongate guide plate 228 is provided , the pivoting movement of the release lever 5 is reliably carried out . the provision of the longitudinally extending ridge 232 of the guide plate 228 minimizes the friction generated between the release lever 5 and the guide plate 228 . in the following , operation of the seat reclining mechanism will be described . under rest or latched condition of the mechanism , the parts of the same assume the operating positions as shown in fig1 wherein the release lever 5 assumes a lowermost position , the projection 212a of the cam member 212 abuts against the projection 206b of the second toothed member 206 and thus the teeth 210 of the second toothed member 206 are meshed with the teeth 205 of the first toothed member 204 . thus , the seatback ( viz ., the pivotal arm 3 ) is locked at a certain angular position relative to the base plate 2 . when the release lever 5 is pivoted clockwise about the hinge shaft 4 against the biasing force of the return spring 226 , the pin 220 secured to the release lever 5 pivots the cam unit ( 212 + 216 ) about the pivot pin 214 in a counterclockwise direction . with this , the projection 212a of the cam member 212 is slid from the projection 206b of the second toothed member 206 to the recess 206a of the same inducing a counterclockwise pivoting of the second toothed member 206 about the pivot pin 208 , and thus , the teeth 210 of the second toothed member 206 are disengaged from the teeth 205 of the first toothed member 204 . thus , while the release lever 5 is pulled upward , the seatback ( viz ., the pivotal arm 3 ) is freely pivotal about the hinge shaft 4 . the release lever 5 is released when the seatback is pivoted to a desired new angular position . with this , the release lever 5 is turned back to the lowermost position due to the biasing force of the return spring 226 , and thus , the pin 220 turns the cam unit ( 212 + 216 ) and the second toothed member 206 to their operating positions as shown in fig1 . thus , the seatback becomes locked in the new angular position . | 1 |
in the drawings , like reference numerals indicate like features ; and , a reference numeral appearing in more than one figure refers to the same element . the drawings and the following detailed descriptions show specific embodiments of the invention . numerous specific details including materials , dimensions , and products are provided to illustrate the invention and to provide a more thorough understanding of the invention . however , it will be obvious to one skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details . an exterior view of the invention is shown in fig1 . the calorimeter 1 comprises probe body 2 , probe tip 3 , display panel 4 and measure button 5 . fig2 a and 2b are cross sectional top and side views , respectively , of the calorimeter . the colorimeter 1 comprises body 2 , probe tip 3 , display panel 4 , measure button 5 , optics assembly 30 , optics circuit ribbon 22 , analog circuit board 23 , digital circuit board 24 , interconnect circuit ribbon 25 , measure switch 27 and batteries 26 . fig3 is a drawing of the optics assembly . optics assembly 30 is enclosed within probe tip 3 and comprises light pipe 31 , light sensor 32 , leds 33 and optical filter 34 . light pipe 31 has the shape of a truncated cone with a concentric opaque bore 35 and an illumination surface 36 on its distal end . light sensor 32 and filter 34 are fitted into bore 35 . leds 33 are abutted to , or imbedded in , the proximal end of light pipe 31 . leds 33 and light sensor 32 are electrically connected to optics circuit board 37 which is in turn connected to optics circuit ribbon 22 . illumination surface 36 preferably has a truncated cone shape which may be concave ( i . e ., with its smaller end toward its proximal end ) with a diffusing surface finish or which may be convex ( i . e ., with its smaller end toward its distal end ) with a smooth refracting surface . however , surface 36 may have a diffusing or refracting surface of any shape which provides adequate illumination of the target . the outer conical surface of assembly 30 may be coated , or separated from the interior surface of tip 3 , to satisfy the index of refraction requirements for light pipe operation . light emitted from leds 33 is contained within light pipe 31 by total internal reflection ( tir ) and guided through illumination surface 36 to illuminate the target . if surface 36 is a diffusing surface , light is scattered uniformly over the target . if surface 36 is a refracting surface , light is refracted onto the target . the cone angle and surface finish of surface 36 can be chosen by one of ordinary skill in the art to optimize the uniformity and intensity of the illumination of the target . probe tip 3 shields the target from external ambient light . light reflected from the target passes through bore 35 and filter 34 to sensor 32 . the length and diameter of bore 35 are chosen to prevent specular reflections from the target from reaching sensor 32 . the surface of bore 35 may be coated to prevent light from the leds from reaching sensor 32 . filter 34 may be optionally used to pass only the desired wavelengths and to block light having other wavelengths . for example , filter 34 may be a bandpass filter which blocks infrared and ultraviolet light or it may comprise one or more notch filters used to provide separation between the wavelengths emitted by different color leds . a notch filter is a filter which blocks light of a narrow band of wavelengths . the probe tip comprises a sleeve that is sufficiently flexible and conformable to facilitate tight contact with the target surface . opaque materials are preferred for this purpose ( e . g ., an opaque vinyl or rubber ), sufficiently flexible and conformable to facilitate fairly tight contact with the target surface . preferably , the sleeve is sufficiently flexible to conform to an irregular surface . in medical or dental applications , the sleeve should be sanitary and disposable . a suitably - designed sleeve is preferably stiff enough to control the target position relative to the light sources and sensor . the probe tip can be removable or interchangeable with tip shapes customized for particular targets . in operation , the probe tip is placed against the target and the leds of each color are illuminated in sequence . as the target is illuminated by each color , a portion of the reflected light is captured by the sensor which produces an analog electrical signal representing the intensity of the reflected light . an exemplary plot of light intensity vs . wavelength for three led colors is shown in fig4 . this example shows spectral profiles for a red led 41 , a green led 42 and a blue led 43 . in this plot , the three profiles are discreet ; that is , they do not overlap . however , as known to those skilled in the art , leds having profiles with different peak wavelengths and different widths may be used . also , the inherent emission profiles of the leds may be altered by optical filters or coatings on the led encapsulations . the effective profile widths can be altered by the use of optical notch filters in the sensor light path or by setting a detection threshold 44 either within the signal path from the sensor to the microprocessor or in the digital processing routines of the microprocessor . such a threshold can be set to disregard light intensities below the threshold and thereby eliminate wavelengths outside the threshold . a different threshold can be specified for each color and stored in memory . the stored threshold values can be used directly by the microprocessor or converted by a digital - to - analog converter ( dac ) to an analog signal for use by a comparator in the analog signal path . a block diagram of the circuits contained in the colorimeter is shown in fig5 . although the circuits are shown as separate functional blocks , it will be recognized by those with ordinary skill in the art that some or all of the functions can be combined in integrated circuits . the term microprocessor as used herein includes the family of devices known as microcontrollers . to compensate for variations in sensitivity of the sensor across the wavelength spectrum and for differences in the efficiency of the different leds , the light output of each of the leds may be adjusted by varying its current . current is preferably supplied to the leds in short pulses to minimize self - heating and the resulting change in light - generating efficiency . if necessary to enhance accuracy within a measurement , multiple short pulses can be used to make a number of measurements and the results averaged , or otherwise statistically analyzed , to produce a single result . each time the calorimeter is turned on , and prior to its operation , a calibration sequence is performed . this consists of measuring the known reflectance of a substantially white reference surface using all the colors in the probe . preferably , white ( and black , if used ) calibration reference surfaces have a very low gloss ( i . e ., reflecting more than 100 times more light energy diffusely than specularly at the wavelengths to be measured ). the operation of the calorimeter is initiated by pressing the probe tip against the surface to be measured and pressing the &# 34 ; measure &# 34 ; button . this action is detected by the microprocessor and the measurement sequence is initiated . the measurement sequence comprises simultaneously sending a short current pulse to each of the leds of one color to illuminate the target . reflected light from the target is detected by the sensor which converts the light to an analog electrical signal . the analog signal is coupled to an analog - to - digital converter ( adc ) that converts the analog signal into a digital signal whose value is then stored in the storage device . this process is repeated for each of the colors in the system . prior to making a color measurement , the calorimeter is calibrated by performing the measurement sequence on a white reference . in some applications , the calibration may include a black or dark reference as well . all the color values measured for the reference surface are stored in memory as reference ( i . e ., calibration ) values . when color measurements are made , the microprocessor retrieves the stored reference values uses them to compute the ratio of the measured value to the reference value for each color . as used herein , a color ratio is defined as the ratio of the intensity of the light reflected onto the sensor from a target , whose color is being measured , to the intensity of the light reflected onto the sensor from the white calibration reference . when a black ( or dark ) reference is used , the color ratio is the ratio of the target intensity to the difference in intensity between the white and black ( or dark ) references . a color ratio is preferably generated for each led color used in the measurement . the measured ratios can then be compared with stored ratios in a look - up table . when a close match is found its identification can be shown on the display . when the calorimeter is first turned on , it performs a self - diagnostic test to ensure proper operating function . after the completion of a successful diagnostic test , the user is directed to calibrate the calorimeter . upon completion of the calibration step , the calorimeter is ready to perform a measurement . fig6 is a flowchart of the software executed during the measurement process . the calorimeter measures , processes , stores and displays reflectance measurements of red , green , and blue as shown . in some applications , these values are compared to those in a comparison look - up table stored in the colorimeter &# 39 ; s memory . when the values match within the range of a stored color code number , the color code number is displayed on the display . at the start of operation , the colorimeter is switched on by a power switch or , alternatively , by pressing the measure switch . when first turned on , the colorimeter prompts the user to calibrate using a white reference and optionally either a black reference or a dark measurement . the user applies the probe tip to the white reference , then depresses the &# 34 ; measure &# 34 ; button . an &# 34 ; end of measurement &# 34 ; beeper can be provided to indicate the end of a measurement operation . optionally , this step may be repeated to calibrate to a black reference . the calibration data is stored in the calorimeter until the unit power is turned off , and is used in calculation of measured color values . this calibration sequence occurs each time the unit is turned on . after calibration , measurements are made by placing the probe against the target and depressing the &# 34 ; measure &# 34 ; button . each time the &# 34 ; measure &# 34 ; button is depressed , the colorimeter will take a reflected light intensity measurement for each color , process it , and indicate the end of the measurement . the color value is then calculated and displayed on the display panel . preferably , each measurement comprises a number of short measurements taken in rapid succession and statistically analyzed during processing of the data to produce a single measurement value . a measurement is repeated each time the &# 34 ; measure &# 34 ; button is activated . each new measurement is displayed on the display panel , overriding the previous measurement . after use , the calorimeter may be switched off or , alternatively , controls can be provided in the hardware and software to allow the colorimeter to time out and turn itself off . fig7 is an exemplary state diagram of images that can be presented to an operator by the display panel of the invention . in the diagram , rectangles indicate displays and ovals indicate user inputs . a predetermined combination of led &# 39 ; s can be used to illuminate each of the reference samples and the resulting measurements stored . then these measurements can be used in two ways . first , the measurements from the white reference sample can be used to set &# 34 ; out of range &# 34 ; or error limits . if excessive ambient light leaks into the colorimeter , for example , the measurement could exceed the error limit . it could also indicate that one of the led &# 39 ; s is positioned to allow undesired specular reflection to enter the sensor aperture . a second function of the measurements could be to allow computation of light intensity . under normal measurement conditions , the sensor should return a signal between that of the white and the black references ; however , if the probe is pointed toward an external light source , the signal could far exceed the level measured for the white reference . such abnormal signal levels can be used to indicate error conditions . for reliable readings of irregular samples , the software can calculate various combinations or sequences of strobed led &# 39 ; s , using a selection process for choosing the most reliable measurement . for example , several combinations of led &# 39 ; s can be strobed , measurements recorded , and medians determined . upward aberrations may be caused by a high degree of specular reflection in the measurement . downward aberrations may be caused by irregular surfaces preventing adequate reflection , or perhaps a degraded led . such aberrations may be discarded or identified by a suitable process , preferably in software . an exterior view of a second embodiment of the invention , referred to herein as the modular colorimeter , is shown in fig8 . the modular probe 9 comprises modular probe body 8 , probe tip 3 , measure button 5 , cable 7 , connector 6 , display module 10 , modular display panel 12 , and control switches coupled to power button 13 , menu button 14 , scroll up button 15 and scroll down button 16 . the modular calorimeter differs from the calorimeter in that the display , the microprocessor and associated data processing hardware , and the batteries are moved from the body of the colorimeter to a display module . adding the display module permits the utilization of larger and more comprehensive data processing hardware , a larger display and larger or rechargable batteries . the display module may also include the capability of exchanging data with other devices , such as a computer , via infrared ( ir ) links , radio frequency ( rf ) links , cables or other media known in the art . the modular colorimeter can comprise a cradle ( not illustrated ) for holding the probe and display module when not in use . the cradle can comprise the data links such as infrared ( ir ) links , radio frequency ( rf ) links , cables or other media known in the art for exchanging data with remote devices . it can also provide a battery charger and a calibration reference for the calorimeter . a set of color values can be translated into a set of coordinates in several accepted color characterization systems . a color value for use in a particular industry could have its coordinate system correlated to color index schemes accepted in that industry . some such systems are qualitative , such as the color swatch system for characterizing flower colors established by the royal horticultural society . others are quantitative , such as the x , y , and y color coordinate system explained in billmeyer & amp ; saltzman , principles of color technology 43 ( 1966 ). although the invention encompasses monochromatic , discrete - color , and white light sources , emitted colors are referred to as having a nominal wavelengths , and ( optionally ) some distribution of light intensity at other wavelengths . various intensity distributions may prove advantageous for a product designer implementing the current invention , depending on component availability or matching to the receptors in the human eye . see , e . g ., w . d . wright , the measurement of color 69 ( 1969 ) for further discussion of this concept . a two - color light source system may be most advantageous for a particular model of probe , based on a designer &# 39 ; s empirical knowledge about the intended use : the color of a tooth , for example , can generally be measured adequately by red and yellow light sources . a database can be used to predict a mixture of ingredients to achieve a desired final color . to accomplish this , color values of a variety of mixtures of pigmented components are stored in the database , which contains information such as ingredient ratios and color values measured before and after curing . by interpolation methods known in the software arts , a computer can use these data to calculate the respective amounts of uncured ingredients and predict the uncured color coordinates of the mixture . the color values of the mixed ingredients can be measured before and after curing , thus serving as a quality control mechanism at several steps in the manufacture of products . while the invention has been described above with respect to specific embodiments , it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . all references mentioned herein are hereby incorporated by reference to the extent that they are not inconsistent with the present disclosure . | 6 |
fig1 is a cross - sectional view showing copper structure 2 inlaid within dielectric 4 according to damascene processing technology . a polishing operation such as chemical mechanical polishing may be used to form the structure which includes top surface 6 of copper structure 2 and top surface 8 of dielectric 4 which are substantially co - planar . dielectric 4 may be any of various suitable dielectrics used in semiconductor manufacturing , including low - k dielectric materials and various oxides and oxynitrides . after the structure shown in fig1 is formed , top surface 6 of copper structure 2 may be passivated using conventional techniques . according to one exemplary embodiment , the passivation process may include treating with an anti - corrosion solvent such as bta ( benzotriazole ) using conventional methods , but other anti - corrosion solvents and other passivation techniques may be used in other exemplary embodiments . in still further exemplary embodiments , the passivation technique may not be used . fig2 shows the structure of fig1 after optional etch stop layer 10 and upper dielectric 12 having been formed , using conventional methods , over top surface 8 and top surface 6 . cvd , chemical vapor deposition , or other formation techniques , may be used to form optional etch stop layer 10 and upper dielectric 12 . upper dielectric 12 may be any of various suitable dielectrics such as silicon oxides , silicon oxynitrides , silicon nitrides , or various low - k dielectric materials . etch stop layer 10 is chosen to have different etching characteristics than upper dielectric 12 , in particular , etch stop layer 10 is chosen to be resistant to the etching characteristics used to etch upper dielectric 12 . according to one exemplary embodiment , etch stop layer 10 may be silicon carbide but other materials such as silicon nitride may be used in other exemplary embodiments . in some exemplary embodiments , organosilicate ( sioch ) species may undesirably form at interface 14 formed between top surface 6 of copper structure 2 and etch stop layer 10 , during the formation of etch stop layer 10 . according to the embodiments in which etch stop layer 10 is not used , other contaminating species may form on top surface 6 during the formation of upper dielectric 12 . in each of the aforementioned exemplary embodiments , the contaminating species may be a product of species used to passivate the copper surface complexing with the species used to form upper dielectric 12 or optional etch stop layer 10 . photoresist film 16 is formed over upper dielectric 12 according to conventional techniques and includes opening 18 aligned over top surface 6 of copper structure 2 . conventional etching techniques are then used to form an opening that exposes top surface 6 for the purpose of providing an electrical connection to top surface 6 . fig3 shows the structure of fig2 after a conventional plasma etching operation or a sequence of plasma etching operations , has been carried out to etch through upper dielectric 12 and optional etch stop layer 10 to expose a portion of top surface 6 of copper structure 2 , and after the subsequent removal of the photoresist film shown in fig2 . opening 20 is formed by plasma etching and often results in polymeric residual materials and etch by - product materials formed on top surface 6 and which can increase the resistance of a contact formed by forming a conductive material within opening 20 that contacts top surface 6 . the polymeric etch residuals and by - products may include fluorine , f , carbon , c , copper , cu and other species in various combinations . for example , various cf x compounds may be produced . opening 20 may be a via in an exemplary embodiment or it may be single or dual damascene trench , but other openings that expose top surface 6 of copper structure 2 may be used in other exemplary embodiments . after the structure shown in fig3 is formed by etching , an aspect of the present invention provides a cleaning operation that effectively removes residual and by - product material from opening 20 and from top surface 6 . the cleaning operation effectively removes organosilicate ( sioch ) species which may have formed at interface 14 and which may still undesirably exist on top surface 6 . the cleaning operation also capably removes etch residuals and by - products such as cf x and others that may include fluorine , f , carbon , c , copper , cu or various other species . the cleaning procedure is a plasma cleaning operation that includes hydrogen and a trace gas that has an atomic mass of 15 or greater . in an exemplary embodiment , the trace gas may be atomic nitrogen , n 2 but other suitable trace gasses may be used in other exemplary embodiments . the hydrogen : trace gas ratio may range from 10 : 1 to 50 : 1 by volume but other ratios may be used in other exemplary embodiments . the trace gas may represent 2 - 10 % or 3 - 10 %, by volume , of the plasma gas . the atomic mass of 15 or greater provides a sputtering aspect of the cleaning operation . in one exemplary embodiment , the cleaning operation may include a ratio of hydrogen : nitrogen of 20 : 1 . in an exemplary embodiment , a gas flow of 400 sccm h 2 and 20 sccm n 2 may be used at a pressure of 60 millitorr and at a source power of 400 watts and a bias power of 150 watts of an inductively coupled plasma . in other exemplary embodiments , the pressure used in the cleaning chamber may range from 10 mt to 200 mt . also in other exemplary embodiments , the power for performing the cleaning operation may range from 100 w to 2000 w . due to the sputtering aspect provided by the trace gas , the cleaning operation is not very sensitive to the condition of the cleaning chamber . after the plasma cleaning operation is concluded , a conductive material is formed within opening 20 to contact cleaned top surface 6 . fig4 shows conductive material 22 filling opening 20 shown in fig3 . copper or other suitable conductive materials may be used . the exemplary structure shown in fig4 also shows top surface 24 of conductive material 22 being substantially co - planar with upper surface 26 of upper dielectric 12 such as may be produced after a polishing operation such as used in damascene processing technology , but other methods for forming a conductive structure within opening 20 ( fig3 ) and contacting top surface 6 of copper structure 2 , may be used in other exemplary embodiments . the preceding merely illustrates the principles of the invention . it will thus be appreciated that those skilled in the art will be able to devise various arrangements which , although not explicitly described or shown herein , embody the principles of the invention and are included within its spirit and scope . furthermore , all examples and conditional language recited herein are principally intended expressly to be only for pedagogical purposes and to aid the reader in understanding the principles of the invention and the concepts contributed by the inventors to furthering the art , and are to be construed as being without limitation to such specifically recited examples and conditions . moreover , all statements herein reciting principles , aspects , and embodiments of the invention , as well as specific examples thereof , are intended to encompass both structural and functional equivalents thereof . additionally , it is intended that such equivalents include both currently known equivalents and equivalents developed in the future , i . e ., any elements developed that perform the same function , regardless of structure . this description of the exemplary embodiments is - intended to be read in connection with the figures of the accompanying drawing , which are to be considered part of the entire written description . in the description , relative terms such as “ lower ,” “ upper ,” “ horizontal ,” “ vertical ,” “ above ,” “ below ,” “ up ,” “ down ,” “ top ” and “ bottom ” as well as derivatives thereof ( e . g ., “ horizontally ,” “ downwardly ,” “ upwardly ,” etc .) should be construed to refer to the orientation as then described or as shown in the drawing under discussion . these relative terms are for convenience of description and do not require that the apparatus be constructed or operated in a particular orientation . although the invention has been described in terms of exemplary embodiments , it is not limited thereto . rather , the appended claims should be construed broadly , to include other variants and embodiments of the invention , which may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and range of equivalents of the invention . | 7 |
in an embodiment of the invention a method is provided for the simple plugged flow blending of the bituminous material and sulphur just prior to the pugmill weigh bucket , in cases where it is desirous to simplify the paving plant modifications necessary , to enable the binder compositions of the invention to be used to prepare paving compositions , and also to maintain the paving plant capacity . in the emulsions of the invention , the liquid sulphur forms a discontinuous phase or dispersed phase in the continuous liquid bituminous phase . although the inventors do not wish to be limited to any particular theory , it is thought that the stabilizing effect of the organosiloxane polymer on the sulphur - bituminous emulsion arises from the formation of an insoluble monolayer of the polymer at the liquid interface of the sulphur and bituminous material ; the monolayer resulting in a significant reduction in the sedimentation rate of liquid sulphur particles during storage . a further stabilizing of the sulphur - bituminous emulsion may be due to the formation of a mechanical barrier of the polymer at the sulphur bituminous interface preventing coalescence of the liquid sulphur particles . in addition the emission of sulphur gases from the binder is reduced when the polymer is present in the mixture . suitably the emulsion binder composition contains about 40 % by weight of sulphur and about 60 % by weight of bituminous material . preferably the sulphur content should not be less than 20 % and not exceed about 50 % by weight of the binder and more preferably should be from about 30 to 40 % of the binder . generally the ratio of sulphur to bituminous material in the emulsion will not exceed 1 : 1 and is preferably within the range 43 : 100 to 67 : 100 . the paving mixture suitably contains from about 85 % to 95 % by weight of mineral aggregate and 5 % to 15 % by weight of the binder composition ; it will be appreciated that the preferred amounts of the ingredients of the paving mixture composition will be governed by aggregate type and gradation in any particular case . the organosiloxane polymer is employed in an amount effective to stabilize the emulsion of sulphur in bituminous material . this amount should be effective to prevent any significant sedimentation of liquid sulphur from the emulsion when it is maintained at a temperature of 125 ° c . to 145 ° c . under gentle agitation . suitably the amount of organosiloxane polymer will not exceed 0 . 1 %, by weight , based on the weight of bituminous material , and generally amounts of the order of 0 . 001 %, by weight , produce the desired stabilization of the emulsion . the bituminous materials employed in this invention are bitumen - containing mixtures such as occur in the native state and as a residue from petroleum distillation ; a particularly preferred bituminous material is asphalt . the asphalts employed in the invention should be fluid at the temperatures employed . asphalt has a penetration value for paving of from about 40 to 400 , the penetration grade selected for a specific situation being governed largely by the climatic conditions experienced in the particular area to be paved . the organosiloxane polymer is a liquid having the general formula ## str1 ## where n ranges from 0 to 1000 and r 1 and r 2 which may be the same or different are selected from the group consisting of alkyl of 1 to 6 carbon atoms , phenyl , benzyl , phenoxy and halo - alkyl of 1 to 6 carbon atoms , for example , ch 3 , c 6 h 5 , or c 3 f 3 h 4 . the preferred polymers are fluid polydimethyl siloxanes having the general formula where n ranges from 0 to 2000 and particularly suitable are such siloxanes having a viscosity in the range from about 50 to about 40 , 000 centistokes , preferably 300 to 12 , 500 and most preferably of the order of 1000 centistokes at 25 ° c . as the mineral aggregate , there may be employed any of the aggregates conventionally used in bituminous paving mixtures , as well as synthetic aggregates . other aggregates considered marginal for conventional paving aggregates may also be used . the binder compositions of the invention may be prepared by emulsifying the components , the bituminous material being in a fluid or liquid state and the sulphur being in a molten state , in the preferred amounts described above , in a mixer ; the organosiloxane polymer and bituminous material are suitably pre - mixed in a suitable fashion . any type of conventional mixer for producing emulsions may be used , for example , a colloid mill . however , the emulsion is readily generated enabling simpler mixing devices to be used . the preferred mixer is a stainless steel kenics . sup .™ static mixer which is a simple in - line mixer having no moving parts , mixing being achieved by simultaneous flow division and radial mixing . the mixing temperature should be in the range where sulphur is in a molten , pumpable state and consequently should be above the melting point of sulphur , about 118 °- 119 ° c . ; the upper mixing limit is about 159 ° c . ; above this temperature the sulphur viscosity increases rapidly by several orders of magnitude and it can no longer be pumped . the preferred mixing temperature is in the range 130 ° c . to 150 ° c . to store the emulsion , it is transferred to a thermostatically controlled vessel maintained at 125 ° c . to 145 ° c ., where the emulsion is subjected to continuous gentle agitation by for example slowly rotating low pitch propellers or a circulating pump . the emulsion can be stored under these conditions , ready for use as the binder in the formation of a paving composition . alternatively , the separate components of the binder composition can be introduced directly and simultaneously into a mixer with the mineral aggregate ; and mixed under the conditions indicated above for the emulsion formation ; in this case a pugmill is particularly suitable as the mixer . in order to minimize the modifications of existing paving plants and maintain the plants &# 39 ; normal production capacity , it will generally be desirable to join the molten sulphur stream and that comprising the bituminous material plus organosiloxane polymer just prior to the plant weigh bucket . this can be most effectively achieved , and the emulsion generated at the same time by joining the streams and passing them through a kenics . sup .™ static mixer of suitable size upstream from the weigh bucket . the size of the mixer is governed largely by the required fluid velocity of the sulphur / bituminous material composition through the mixer and is suitably in the range of about 1 to about 25 ft ./ sec ., preferably of the order of 10 ft ./ sec . the binder compositions of the invention are found to have improved storage characteristics as compared with the known sulphur - asphalt binders and exhibit reduced emissions of sulphur gases . good binder characteristics were demonstrated when the paving compositions were evaluated according to the marshall mix method astm d1559 . the binder composition further showed good results in freeze - thaw and immersion compression tests performed to evaluate adhesive properties of the binder composition in comparison with conventional paving grade asphalt cement . aging studies indicate that sulphur / asphalt emulsion concretes of the invention exhibit increased durability compared to ordinary asphalt concretes . computer pavement analyses using the chevsl program indicate that savings in asphalt concrete layer thickness , and hence savings in material costs , can be made using the sulphur / asphalt emulsion concretes of the invention . marshall stability tests on fresh sulphur - asphalt concretes of the invention show similar values as for comparable asphaltic concretes , however , on curing for a period of two weeks substantial increases are observed in the marshall stability of the sulphur asphalt emulsion concretes without an accompanying detrimental decrease in the marshall flow . no change in marshall stability with time is observed with regular asphaltic concretes . a particularly important aspect of the binder compositions of the invention is that the sulphur exhibits &# 34 ; supercooling &# 34 ; i . e . remains liquid below its melting point . thus paving mixes containing the sulphur asphalt emulsions as the binder retain their workability to lower temperatures than do those containing regular asphalt binders , with resultant advantages which will be apparent to one skilled in the art . the invention is illustrated by reference to the following examples which are not to be construed as limiting . the following ingredients were introduced to a total of 1800 gms into a mixer and emulsified at a temperature of 130 ° c . for 10 minutes . ______________________________________liquid sulphur 37 . 5 % by weightliquid asphalt ( gulf ac500 )*. sup .™ 62 . 5 % by weightdow corning 200 fluid ( trademark for a poly - dimethyl siloxane ) 0 . 001 % ( based on the weight of asphalt ) ______________________________________ the mixer was a cowles . sup .™ dissolver , model ivg with a cowles ™ hi - shear impeller no . b - 1530 ( 3 in . diameter ) operating at a speed of 4400 rpm . the resulting emulsion was degassed to remove entrained air , and separate samples of the emulsion were stored at 130 ° c . with mild agitation ( propeller rotating at 100 - 125 rpm ). density measurements were made at the top ( t ) and bottom ( b ) of three samples to determine whether or not settling was occurring and the results are shown in table 1 . table i______________________________________ 1 / 2 hr . 5 hr . 72 hr . sample t b t b t b______________________________________control 1 . 19 1 . 05 1 . 05 1 . 18 1 . 80 1 . 80dow corn - ing . sup .™ 200 1 . 19 1 . 10 1 . 15 1 . 19 1 . 21 1 . 20______________________________________ the control emulsion had broken within 5 hrs . by sedimentation of sulphur as shown by the significant variation in density between the top of each sample and the bottom , whereas the composition of the invention was essentially unchanged after 72 hrs . of heated storage . a molten sulphur stream and one containing asphalt ( gulf ac500 . sup .™ pen 150 - 200 ) plus dow corning ™ 200 fluid ( 0 . 001 % by weight of the asphalt ) were combined and pumped through a kenics . sup .™ model 1 / 2 - 10 - 320 - 0 static mixer . this is a one - half inch diameter mixer containing six helical baffles . fluid stream temperatures were maintained at 138 ° c . the linear velocity through the mixer was varied from 0 . 2 to 2 . 3 ft ./ sec . and the sulphur content varied between 15 % and 85 % by weight of the asphalt . samples of the emulsion prepared in this way were examined for particle size distribution by a photomicrographic technique . in all cases the average particle size was less than 5 microns and the particle size distribution range was narrow . paving mixes were prepared by the simultaneous injections of liquid sulphur and asphalt cement containing dow corning . sup .™ 200 fluid into a heated aggregate in a hobart laboratory mixer . the mixing temperature was 138 ° c . and the mixing cycle was 60 seconds . the mix composition was as follows : ______________________________________asphalt cement ( gulfac500 . sup .™ penetration150 - 200 ) 4 . 5 parts by weightliquid sulphur 3 . 0 parts by weightdow corning . sup .™ 200 fluid . 001 % by weight of the asphaltaggregate ( well graded3 / 8 &# 34 ;) 92 . 5 parts by weight______________________________________ a control mix containing 6 . 5 parts of asphalt and no sulphur was prepared and also a mix where the sulphur and asphalt had been pre - emulsified in a kenics . sup .™ static mixer . the samples were evaluated using the marshall method . the asphalt control was compacted at 127 ° c . and 35 blows / face were applied whereas the emulsion samples were compacted at 121 ° c . and 30 blows / face . the results are shown in table ii . table ii______________________________________ marshall stability - lbs . flow - 0 . 01 ins . 24 hrs . 14 days 24 hrs . 14 days after after after aftersample type molding molding molding molding______________________________________s . a 2050 3420 9 . 5 12 . 5s . a . pre - emulsified 2690 4250 9 . 0 11 . 0control 2050 2050 12 . 0 12 . 0______________________________________ s . a . denotes sulphur - asphalt emulsion of the invention . the initial compaction temperature of 121 ° c . for the sulphur - asphalt samples ensures that the temperature of the sample will fall below the melting point of sulphur during compaction . if solidification of the sulphur occurs during compaction the samples will loose compactability and this will be reflected in lower densities and marshall stabilities . the data in table ii indicates that freezing has not occurred during compaction . although the sulphur asphalt sample which was not pre - emulsified had a somewhat lower marshall stability compared to the pre - emulsified sample , the 24 hr . value was quite high and the characteristic increase in the marshall stability was observed over the 14 day period . a paving mix was prepared using a 2000 lb . asphalt paving batch plant . the mix composition was as follows : ______________________________________asphalt cement ( gulfac500 . sup .™ 150 - 200 pen ) 4 . 53 parts by weightsulphur 2 . 67 parts by weightdow corning . sup .™ 200 fluid 0 . 001 % by weight of the asphaltaggregate ( well graded1 / 2inch ) 92 . 8 parts by weight______________________________________ the asphalt stream containing the organosiloxane polymer was combined with the molten sulphur stream and passed through a kenics . sup .™, model kmod - 10 mixer . this is a 11 / 2 inch diameter unit containing six helical elements or baffles . the asphalt and sulphur were maintained at 138 ° c . and the velocity through the mixer was 18 ft ./ sec . the sulphur - asphalt emulsion was metered into a pugmill containing the heated aggregate ( 149 ° c .) and the emulsion and aggregate were mixed for 30 seconds . mix samples were subjected to evaluation by the marshall method astm d1559 ; the results are tablulated in table iii . table iii______________________________________marshall stability - lbs . flow - 0 . 01 ins . 24 hrs . 14 days 24 hrs . 14 daysafter after after aftermolding molding molding molding______________________________________2530 2660 8 102320 3040 9 . 5 9 . 5______________________________________ a durability study was aimed at establishing the change in stiffness of asphaltic concretes containing normal weight and lightweight aggregate filler and conventional and sulphur - asphalt emulsion binders . prior to placing the samples in the test environments the resilient modulus , m r , and the density of each sample were determined . samples were placed in a dry environment at each of two temperatures , 0 ° f . and 140 ° f ., for a period of seven months . it has been shown that for ordinary asphaltic concrete , storage for seven months at 140 ° f . is equivalent to 5 to 7 years aging in terms of recovered asphalt viscosity . the second temperature of 0 ° f . was used to determine the m r changes for the low temperature service extreme for asphaltic concretes . the results are shown in tables iv and v . table iv______________________________________results of storage at 0 ° f . original m . sub . r final m . sub . r final m . sub . r assample type (× 10 . sup . 5 psi ) (× 10 . sup . 5 psi ) % of original______________________________________emulsion a 3 . 86 2 . 79 72 . 3asphalt only a 1 . 29 0 . 79 61 . 6emulsion b 3 . 90 3 . 49 89 . 4asphalt only b 1 . 13 0 . 66 58 . 2______________________________________ a - denotes a normal weight aggregate b - denotes a lightweight aggregate emulsion - denotes a binding formulation of the invention . table v______________________________________results of storage at 140 ° f . original m . sub . r final m . sub . r final m . sub . r as % sample type (× 10 . sup . 5 psi ) (× 10 . sup . 5 psi ) of original______________________________________emulsion a 3 . 72 4 . 19 112 . 7asphalt only a 1 . 26 4 . 66 370 . 7emulsion b 3 . 94 5 . 67 143 . 9asphalt only b 0 . 93 3 . 06 328 . 5______________________________________ consideration of table iv shows that at 0 ° f . there is a reduction in the m r of all the specimens . however , the sulphur - asphalt emulsion concrete specimens of the invention show a greater retention of strength compared to regular asphalt concretes . at 140 ° f ., table v , it is clear that the increase in strength of the sulphur - asphalt emulsion concrete specimens is proportionately much less than that for the ordinary asphaltic concrete specimens . this indicates less aging ( hardening ) of the sulphur - asphalt emulsion concretes and suggests better durability properties than their ordinary asphalt counterparts . | 2 |
referring to fig1 - 7 , a first preferred embodiment of a locking pin clamp 21 of the present invention is used to locate or gauge and then clamp a workpiece 23 on a moving assembly line , in a start - and - stop manufacturing station , or in an off - line work cell . a clamp body 25 is affixed to a stationary mount or table 27 by way of two threaded screws 28 and two adjustable dowels ( not shown ) or can be attached to an end arm effector 29 secured to a robotic arm . thus , workpiece 23 can be moved relative to the stationarily mounted clamp 21 or clamp 21 can be moved relative to a stationarily mounted workpiece 23 . clamp 21 includes a hollow locating pin 31 , a clamping member 33 , a piston 35 , a pair of piston cylinders 37 and a collar 39 . clamp body 25 has a first longitudinally elongated internal bore 51 having a central axis 52 and a second transversely elongated internal bore 53 having a central axis 54 . a shoulder 55 transversely extends around the base of locating pin 31 and is bolted onto a working end of body 25 . accordingly , locating pin 31 outwardly extends in an elongated manner from body 25 such that an internal hollow cavity 57 ( see fig1 ) is elongated coaxial with axis 52 . locating pin 31 has a circular - cylindrical external side surface 61 interrupted by a pair of longitudinally elongated openings 63 . openings 63 are spaced away from each other and separated by a solid remaining portion 65 of external side surface 61 ; this remaining portion 65 serves as one of four equidistant contact points , the others being defined as points 67 , 69 and 71 , which coincide with the geometric tolerancing and dimension characteristics of a hole in workpiece 23 . a distal end 73 of locating pin 31 has an arcuate taper to ease installation of workpiece 23 in a snugly fitting manner around side surface 61 . a circular - cylindrical collar is bolted onto the external surface of shoulder 55 to partially surround a proximal end of locating pin 31 . workpiece 23 is operably clamped between collar 39 and clamping member 33 . clamping member 33 has a pair of bifurcated and spaced apart clamping arms 81 , which have curved portions that end in clamping surfaces 83 . clamping member 33 further has a unitary working portion 85 that contains a camming slot 87 and a hole 89 adjacent a distal end . working portion 85 is movably positioned in first bore 51 of body 25 . clamping member 33 has a generally j - shaped side view configuration . a solid pivot pin assembly 91 is stationarily affixed to body 25 by engagement of a bolt head 93 in an undercut of pin assembly 91 while a threaded section 95 of the bolt engages a threaded aperture in body 25 . pin assembly 91 is preferably a single stepped cylindrical pin , but it may also include rollers , bearings or other parts . pin assembly 91 passes through camming slot 87 of clamping member 33 . camming slot 87 includes a first camming segment 101 ( see fig1 ) generally elongated in the direction of axis 52 , which is also the elongated direction of clamping member 33 . camming slot 87 further has a second segment 103 angularly offset from first segment 101 . pin assembly 91 and camming slot 87 define a first camming mechanism . a pair of piston cylinders 37 are attached to body 25 . each cylinder 37 has an internal chamber accessible to second bore 53 and they are elongated coaxially with axis 54 . open end 111 of each piston cylinder 37 is inserted into second bore 53 and secured in its respective fully installed position relative to body 25 by way of a pair of circumferentially compressible roll pins 113 . ends of each roll pin are stationarily secured in openings 115 in body 25 while a middle portion of each roll pin 113 engages in a circular groove 117 machined in each piston cylinder 37 . accordingly , each piston cylinder 37 can be rotated 360 degrees relative to body 25 , even when fully inserted and attached to body 25 . this allows fluid carrying tubes , hoses and fittings which are attached to an inlet 121 to be repositioned free of any obstructions in the factory or to improve tube routing by minimizing bends . as can best be observed in fig5 , 9 and 10 , piston 35 is configured to have a pair of opposed piston heads 131 and 133 and a driving or camming member 135 mounted therebetween . piston 35 is movably located inside of second bore 53 and piston cylinders 37 . an elastomeric o - ring or other shaped seal 137 is secured within a groove 139 in each piston head 131 and 133 . a camming slot 141 is internally located in camming member 135 of piston 35 . camming slot 141 preferably has a closed looped configuration defined by a first elongated segment 143 elongated in generally the same direction as axis 54 . axis 54 also defines the advancing and retracting direction of piston 35 within second bore 53 . more specifically , an elongated axis of first segment 143 is approximately 9 degrees offset from axis 54 . camming slot 141 further has a second camming segment 145 angularly offset from first segment 143 . four detented step - like formations 147 are machined as part of one side of first camming segment 143 . each detent formation 147 provides approximately { fraction ( 1 / 5 , 000 )} of an inch of a step relative to the adjacent one . a second pin assembly 161 is secured to the distal end of clamping member 33 . pin assembly 161 includes a pair of outboard rollers 163 which are affixed onto a central elongated pivot pin 165 by way of snap rings 167 . outer rollers 163 longitudinally travel within longitudinally elongated slots 169 machined in body 25 . outer roller 163 are maintained in their outboard positions by an inward flange 171 offset from each longitudinally body slot 169 . a middle roller 181 is journalled around an intermediate portion of pivot pin 165 and rides within camming slot 141 of piston 35 . middle roller 181 is laterally trapped between an inwardly stepped lateral face 183 of clamping member 33 and an inwardly stepped face 185 of camming member 135 adjacent camming slot 141 . there is clearance between the secondary slot in stepped face 185 and pivot pin 165 . pivot pin 165 is rotatably secured within aperture 89 of clamping member 33 . camming slot 141 and second pin assembly 161 define a second camming mechanism . body 25 and piston cylinders 37 are preferably machined on a lathe from aluminum bar stock having a circular cross sectional shape . thus , the outer and inner surfaces of these parts predominantly have circular - cylindrical shapes with secondary holes and slots machined therein . piston 35 , locating pin 31 and collar 39 are preferably machined on a lathe from steel bar stock having a circular cross sectional shape with other grooves and holes being machined thereafter . clamping member 33 is preferably laser cut from a sheet of steel and then milled for the extra slots and apertures . the second preferred embodiment of locking pin clamp 21 of the present invention is shown in fig8 . in this embodiment , one of the cover plates 201 ( see fig5 ) of the first preferred embodiment is removed and replaced by a switch package 203 . switch package 203 includes a three - dimensionally shaped housing or cover 205 within which is secured a pair of proximity switch sensors 207 and 209 . sensors 207 and 209 are of an inductive type such as that which can be purchased from turck inc . or namco . housing 205 is fastened to the outside of clamp body 25 ( see fig5 ) by bolts such that sensing portions of sensors 207 and 209 are exposed to one of more of the inner bores of body 25 . housing 205 is sealed against body 25 thereby allowing the parts internal to body 25 and housing 205 to be greased and sealed for a longer life and improved durability . sensors 207 and 209 inductively sense the location of the adjacent outer roller 163 and thereby send the appropriate electrical or fiber optic signal to the fluid control unit that controls the amount and direction of pneumatic pressure applied within the piston cylinders . the electrical or fiber optic cables are connected via the coaxial or fiber optic connector 211 projecting from housing 205 . the third preferred embodiment of a locking pin clamp 321 is shown in fig1 and 14 . this embodiment is similar to the first preferred embodiment except that a clamping member 333 has a single clamping arm 381 with a curved portion that ends in a single clamping surface 383 . clamping member 333 further has a working portion 385 that contains a camming slot 387 and a hole 389 adjacent a distal end . working portion 385 is movably positioned in a first bore 351 of a body 325 . clamping member 333 has a generally j - shaped side view configuration . furthermore , a locating pin 331 has a generally pointed distal end projecting above a single longitudinally elongated opening 363 in locating pin 331 . opening 363 is laterally offset from a longitudinal centerline of locating pin 331 thereby providing four equally spaced locating points for a workpiece . the operation of the first preferred embodiment locking pin clamp 21 of the present invention can be observed with reference to fig1 - 12 . when pneumatic air pressure is applied against piston head 133 , piston 35 is advanced in a first direction along axis 54 . this will move clamping member 33 from the fully retracted position within the internal cavity of locating pin 31 , as shown in fig1 , to an intermediate rotated position , as shown in fig1 . this initial advancing movement from fig1 to that of fig1 , is achieved by sliding pin assembly 161 down the steeply inclined leading segment of camming slot 141 . concurrently , clamping member 33 is moved from a fully extended position , along the steeply inclined segment of camming slot 87 , downward and further into body 25 by interfacing with pin assembly 91 . this double camming mechanism arrangement causes an approximately 5 degree rotation of clamping member 33 relative to body 25 such that clamping surfaces 83 of clamping member 33 pass through openings 63 and are externally accessible beyond locating pin 31 and body 25 . further advancement of piston 35 causes pin assemblies 161 and 91 to further ride along their respective camming slots 141 and 87 . this drives clamping member 33 to a fully clamping position , as illustrated in fig1 ( with collar 39 removed for clarity ). approximately ten millimeters of linear movement is achieved in the longitudinal direction , generally perpendicular to axis 54 , between the fully retracted and fully clamping positions . in the clamping position of fig1 , middle roller 181 of pin assembly 161 engages the corresponding detent formation 147 ( see fig9 ). this detent - to - camming arrangement , in addition to the somewhat perpendicular movement geometries , encourage clamping member 33 to maintain its clamping ( or partial clamping ) position engaging the workpiece even if pneumatic pressure is lost or undesirably reduced . piston 35 is retracted by applying pneumatic pressure against the opposite piston head 131 to provide a reversal of the above discussed motions . while various embodiments of the locking pin clamp have been disclosed , it will be appreciated that other modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention . for example , a piston rod can be employed between the piston heads and the camming member . furthermore , many of the pin assemblies and camming slots can be reversed between the interfacing parts . moreover , the clamping member can have other shapes such that the clamping surface has a different orientation relative to the piston advancing direction . the clamping , piston , piston cylinder and camming configurations can be used without a locating pin although the preferred embodiment of the present invention is optimized with the locating pin arrangement to provide enhanced advantages . while various materials , shapes and manufacturing processes have been disclosed , it will be appreciated that others can be also employed . it is intended by the following claims to cover these and any other departures from the disclosed embodiments which fall within the true spirit of this invention . | 1 |
the high strength bar indicated by b is formed of a multiple laminated woven fiber web 1 which is indicated diagrammatically in fig1 and 3 as having three laminations 2 , 3 and 4 . each lamination is woven from strands of jute , hemp , sisal , ramie , mace , cotton or fiberglass or combinations thereof . the strands are relatively rought and have random projecting fibers . as shown in fig4 all three laminations 2 , 3 and 4 have warps parallel to their sides ; whereas the woof of the central lamination 2 is at 90 ° to the warp , the underlying lamination 3 has a warp 45 ° thereto in one direction and the overlying lamination 4 has a warp 45 ° in the opposite direction . this arrangement greatly increases the strength of the laminated product . additionally , the individual webs 2 , 3 and 4 are contained within a reel unit 5 having a reel 6 for each lamination . the laminations are fed in unison from the reel unit into a resin treatment unit 7 having a resin reservoir 8 into which the laminations are dipped . the separated laminations are passed through a resin applicator 9 having high pressure nozzles 10 and continue therefrom through a catalyst injector chamber 11 having nozzles 12 . the webs are maintained in position by a series of rollers which include an initial set 13a at the entrance end of the treatment unit 7 . all of the webs 2 may pass about a single roller 13b submerged in the resin reservoir 8 or each web may pass about a separate roller . the webs 2 , in passing through the reservoir , become saturated with the resin . on entering the resin applicator 9 , each web 2 passes between a pair of rollers 13c . the resin as discharged from the nozzles 10 is in a highly vaporized state and completes saturation of the fibers comprising the webs . while the reservoir is preferred , it may be omitted and the resin applicator 9 lengthened and provided with additional nozzles 10 . conversely , the resin applicator 9 may be omitted , except for the discharge rollers 13d . the webs 2 , on leaving the resin applicator 9 , pass between pairs of rollers 13d which squeeze out excess resin as well as entrapped air . the webs then pass over rollers 13e at the entrance end of the catalyst injector chamber 11 . the catalyst is in a highly volatile state and is readily absorbed into the resin . on leaving the catalyst injector chamber 11 , the webs pass over rollers 13f , then under a roller 14 which supports a weight 15 , and finally pass over an exit roller 13g . the weight serves to maintain the laminations 2 , 3 and 4 under tension and in mutual contact , forming the multi - laminated web 1 . the multi - laminated web 1 passes from the resin treatment unit 7 into a high strength bar forming unit 16 . included in the forming unit 16 is a web receiving channel member 17 with heavy walls capable of withstanding a high compaction force applied to a substantial number of multi - laminated webs . a pair of lapping rollers 18 and 19 of greater width than the web 1 are mounted on an angularly oscillatable frame 20 pivoted about a mounting bracket 21 below the chamber member 17 and driven by a drive means 22 . the frame 20 includes members contiguous to opposite sides of the channel member 17 and extend above the channel member to receive the lapping rollers 18 and 19 so that they may oscillate back and forth above the channel member 17 and beyond the extremities 17a and 17b thereof . the initial end of the web 1 is passed between the rollers and is then secured by a clamp 23 disposed at the receiving end 17a of the channel member 17 . initially the web 1 passes between the lapping rollers 18 and 19 and extends directly to the clamp 23 . initial movement of the rollers 18 and 19 is from the receiving end 17a toward and beyond the extended end 17b of the channel member 17 as viewed in fig5 . the rollers continue from the position indicated a short distance so as to bring the initial lap of the web 1 essentially into contact with the bottom of the channel member 17 . movement of the roller arm 20 is then reversed . the extremities of the channel member 17 are provided with transversely aligned openings 24 , as shown in fig7 which receive cross pins or fold maintaining pins 25 . when the web 1 at the extended end 17b of the channel member 17 is in its lower position underlying the initial pair of openings 24 , a fold maintaining pin 25 is inserted . continuing movement from the right side of the channel member as viewed in fig6 the web 1 folds over the pin 25 . during return movement , appropriate tension is maintained on the web 1 due to the weight 15 . when the rollers return to the receiving or left hand side of the channel member 17 , they move downward in the direction of the arrow indicated until a pin 25 may be inserted in overlying relation with the web 1 . additional layers are positioned as the rollers are moved back and forth and pins are inserted to maintain the folded condition of the web . when the desired number of the layers have been placed , the web is cut , the channel member 17 is removed and a compaction bar 26 is placed over the folded stack of web layers and subject to a compressive load as represented by the arrows 27 in fig8 . before compaction of the set of web laminations forming the bar b , the cross pins 25 are removed . alternatively , the cross pins 25 may be placed beyond the ends 17a and 17b of the channel member 17 and held in place by the folded laminations against the ends 17a and 17b . referring to fig9 and 11 , the finished bar b may be machined , cut , drilled or otherwise modified . for example , if the bar is employed as a crosstie , spike bores 28 may be drilled into the bar . such bores are smaller in diameter than a round spike 29 or smaller than the diametrical distance between the corners of a square spike 30 . as a consequence , the spike , as it is driven into the bore , causes the extremities of the fibers to deflect axially inward as indicated by 31 . tests have demonstrated that the force required to drive the spike into the bore is less than the force required to remove the spike . the amount of bonding resin and the manner of application is such as to saturate the fibers so as to maintain entrapment of air or other gases , yet avoid excess resin . the compaction applied is in the range of 45 , 000 to 50 , 000 pounds per square inch ( 18 , 650 kg per 1 cc .). such compaction produces a bar in which the volume percentage of fiber may be in the range of 80 % and 90 %. an optimum percentage is in the order of 90 %. such compaction is maintained while the bar b is fully cured . after cure , the bar is removed and the ends of the bar are trimmed . while a wide range of bonding resin may be used , the following has been tested and is presented as an example , not as a limitation : a bar formed of 9 &# 34 ; ( 229 mm ) webs of jute fiber impregnated with a polyester resin was folded in the manner herein illustrated and compressed to form a bar having the dimensions of a railroad crosstie ; namely , 9 &# 34 ;× 7 &# 34 ;× 85 &# 34 ; ( 299 mm × 178 mm × 2 . 134 mm ) was subjected to tests conducted by the association of american railroads corresponding to the standard tests of wooden crossties , and in each test the bar identified above was superior . having fully described my invention , it is to be understood that i am not to be limited to the details herein set forth , but that my invention is of the full scope of the appended claims . | 1 |
referring now to the drawings and particularly to fig1 there is shown a schematic partial view of an embodiment of the inventional applicator configured for direct application . the applicator includes a backing roll 2 , with a width b w , on which runs a material web 6 to be provided with an application , that is , with a liquid or pasty coating medium 4 . material web 6 is carried by backing roll 2 during the application process . material web 6 has a width b m . pasty coating medium 4 and the area to be coated with the pasty coating medium are shown stippled in fig1 . the direction of travel of material web 6 is indicated by an arrow . configured as an open - jet nozzle and extending transversely to the direction of travel of paper web 6 , an applicator a opposes backing roll 2 . the open - jet nozzle of applicator a is formed by a dosing slot 12 bounded by two lips 8 , 10 . applicator a is followed in the travel direction of the material web 6 by a doctor element extending across the entire machine width , presently a doctor blade 14 , scraping coating medium 4 , which is applied at surplus , down to a suitable profile . applicator a includes an adjustable coating edge delimiting apparatus 16 , 18 bounding dosing slot 12 on its two side edges , thus presetting a specific coating width of application 4 on backing roll 2 and on material web 6 running on it . the coating edge delimiting apparatus includes two coating edge delimiting elements , hereafter referred to as deckle slides 16 , 18 , with each of deckle slides 16 , 18 being coordinated with a corresponding side edge of traveling material web 6 . deckle slides 16 , 18 are positioned movably within a lateral edge area of dosing slot 12 . the movable arrangement of each of deckle slides 16 , 18 is such that it allows , for adjustment of coating width b g , easy sliding in the longitudinal direction of dosing slot 12 , i . e ., transverse to the direction of travel of material web 6 . the movable arrangement of each of deckle slides 16 , 18 also allows an oscillating movement for manipulation of the coating edge . the oscillating movability of deckle slides 16 , 18 is indicated in the figure by a double arrow , the plain slidability by two separate , opposed arrows of opposite direction . each of deckle slides 16 , 18 is , via suitable means of connection , coupled to a drive system , such as an electric actuator 20 , and is movable by actuator 20 in the manner described above . actuators 20 of both deckle slides 16 , 18 are incorporated in a closed loop r and a control circuit s of a common control / regulating system 22 , allowing an operator to adjust a mean coating width b gm for a given material web width b m or a given width b w of backing roll 2 , and to preset , as needed , the exact motion of deckle slides 16 , 18 . as already indicated above , two deckle slides 16 , 18 are , in the operation of applicator a , moved in a direction toward the center of the machine by means of actuators 20 . in the present embodiment , however , deckle slides 16 , 18 perform a slow harmonic oscillation with an amplitude of about 10 mm in the longitudinal direction of applicator a . as is evident from fig1 mean coating width b gm is selected such that two uncoated edges 6 . 2 are left on material web 6 . the motion of deckle slides 16 , 18 produces a wavy edge pattern 4 . 2 ( which shows graphically the harmonic motion of deckle slides 16 , 18 ) of applied liquid or pasty coating medium 4 without any abrupt transition between a coated area and uncoated areas 6 . 2 . accordingly , the relevant local width of uncoated edge 6 . 2 , for which a mean edge width b rm similar to mean coating width b gm , is to be suitably defined , varies before coated material web 6 passes through doctor blade 14 . wavy edge pattern 4 . 2 is then , under the effect of doctor blade 14 , wiped clean to a uniform uncoated edge 6 . 4 of essentially constant width b r as coated material web 6 passes doctor blade 14 . the technical problems associated with the prior art , with respect to the pronounced local wear of doctor blade 14 , do not occur with the present invention . fig2 a - 2e are graphical illustrations of the coating edge delimiting apparatus , i . e ., of relevant deckle slides 16 , 18 of the inventional applicator . the abscissa of each diagram represents the time axis , while the ordinate represents the amplitude axis . the illustrated forms of motion or oscillation are exclusively of an exemplary nature . the invention , naturally , is not fixed to these forms of oscillation . the motions of individual deckle slides 16 , 18 , furthermore , may basically take place in phase or out of phase , indicated in fig2 a by the dashed curve . moreover , the forms of oscillation of individual deckle slides 16 , 18 may be uniform or different . visible in fig2 e is an oscillating basic motion of respective deckle slides 16 , 18 with a superimposed stepwise motion . beyond that , the diagrams are self - explanatory , making further comments superfluous . the invention is not limited to the above exemplary embodiments , which merely explain the basic idea of the invention . within the scope of protection , the applicator according to the invention may also assume configurations other than described above . specifically , the transition between the coated and uncoated edge need not be located on the material web itself , as in the exemplary embodiment , but can also exceed the edge of the material web and be located , in part or exclusively , on the backing roll . the exact form of the oscillating motion of the coating edge delimiting apparatus may assume any suitable form of oscillation . the amplitude and / or wavelength and / or frequency of the oscillation may also vary . a coating edge delimiting apparatus other than the one described above can be used , as can other suitable drive systems for the coating edge delimiting apparatus . moreover , drive systems that are separate from each other may be used to adjust the coating width by the performance of the continuous , stepwise and / or oscillation motion of the coating edge delimiting apparatus . lastly , it is , in the sense of the invention , not absolutely necessary for the coating edge delimiting apparatus to be forced by the drive system to perform an oscillating motion ; the coating edge delimiting apparatus can also be stimulated to naturally oscillate in a suitable manner . 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 |
the accompanying drawing , which is hereby incorporated in this specification , illustrates several embodiments of the invention and together with the description serves to explain but not limit the scope of the present invention . thus , it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that certain modifications may be made to the invention as described without departing from the scope of the claims set out below . according to the first specific embodiment of the present invention , the process of the present invention can be carried out according to the scheme shown in fig1 wherein the hydrotreated fgo is recycled back to the first reaction zone in the catalytic conversion reactor according to the present process a prelift medium is introduced via a line 1 into the lower part of a riser reactor 2 . the regenerated catalyst from a line 16 is lifted by the prelift medium and moves upward . a inferior feedstock from a line 3 , along with the atomized steam from a line 4 , is injected into the lower part of the reaction zone i of the riser reactor 2 , and mixed with the existing stream in the riser reactor . said inferior feedstock cracks on the hot catalyst , and it moves upward . a light feedstock from a line 5 , along with the atomized steam from a line 6 , is injected into the lower part of the reaction zone ii of the riser reactor 2 , and mixed with the existing stream in the riser reactor . the feedstock cracks on the catalyst having a little deposited coke thereon , and it moves upward . the resulting reaction product vapors and the deactivated spent catalyst , through a line 7 , enter a cyclone separator of a disengager 8 , wherein the spent catalyst and the reaction product vapors are separated . the reaction product vapors exit the cyclone and flow into a plenum chamber 9 . fine catalyst particles go back to the disengager via a dipleg . the spent catalyst in the disengager flows into a stripping section 10 and contacts with a steam from a line 11 . the reaction product vapors stripped out of the spent catalyst enter the plenum chamber 9 , via the cyclone . the stripped spent catalyst flows into a regenerator 13 via a chute 12 . a main air enters the regenerator via a conduit 14 to burn off the coke deposited on the spent catalyst and regenerate the deactivated spent catalyst . flue gas flows into turbine via a line 15 . the regenerated catalyst is recycled into the riser reactor via the chute 16 . reaction product vapors in the plenum chamber 9 are transported via a transfer line 17 and introduced into a sequent separation system 18 . the separated propylene product is removed via a line 20 ; the separated propane product is removed via a line 21 ; the c4 hydrocarbons product is removed via a line 22 ; optional , the separated propane and c4 hydrocarbons , as a part of the light feedstock , can be cycled back to the reaction zone ii of the riser reactor 2 via a line 30 and 29 respectively ; the separated dry gas product is removed via a line 19 ; the separated gasoline product is removed via a line 23 ; the separated diesel product is removed via a line 24 or is recycled back to the reaction zone ii of the riser reactor 2 as a part of light feedstock via a line 28 ; and the separated fgo product is introduced via a line 25 into a hydrotreating unit 32 , wherein the separated light component is removed via a line 26 and the hydrotreated fgo is recycled back to the reaction zone i of the riser reactor 2 via line 27 for further producing high octane gasoline , propylene , and diesel . according to the second specific embodiment of the present invention , the process of the present invention can be carried out according to the scheme shown in fig2 . in the embodiment hydrotreated fgo product is cycled back to another catalytic cracking unit . the technological flow of the embodiment is similar to the first specific embodiment except that the hydroteating fgo product is introduced to another catalytic cracking unit 31 via a line 27 , wherein the fgo is converted to high octane gasoline , propylene and diesel ( not shown ). according to the third specific embodiment of the present invention , the process of the present invention can be carried out according to the scheme shown in fig3 wherein the raffinate of fgo is recycled back to the first reaction zone in the catalytic conversion reactor according to the present process . a prelift medium is introduced via a line 1 into the lower part of a riser reactor 2 . the regenerated catalyst from a line 16 is lifted by the prelift medium and moves upward . a inferior feedstock from a line 3 , along with the atomized steam from a line 4 , is injected into the lower part of the reaction zone i of the riser reactor 2 , and mixed with the existing stream in the riser reactor . said inferior feedstock cracks on the hot catalyst , and it moves upward . a light feedstock from a line 5 , along with the atomized steam from a line 6 , is injected into the lower part of the reaction zone ii of the riser reactor 2 , and mixed with the existing stream in the riser reactor . the feedstock cracks on the catalyst having a little deposited coke thereon , and it moves upward . the resulting reaction product vapors and the deactivated spent catalyst , through a line 7 , enter a cyclone separator of a disengager 8 , wherein the spent catalyst and the reaction product vapors are separated . the reaction product vapors exit the cyclone and flow into a plenum chamber 9 . fine catalyst particles go back to the disengager via a dipleg . the spent catalyst in the disengager flows into a stripping section 10 and contacts with a steam from a line 11 . the reaction product vapors stripped out of the spent catalyst enter the plenum chamber 9 , via the cyclone . the stripped spent catalyst flows into a regenerator 13 via a chute 12 . a main air enters the regenerator via a conduit 14 to burn off the coke deposited on the spent catalyst and regenerate the deactivated spent catalyst . flue gas flows into turbine via a line 15 . the regenerated catalyst is recycled into the riser reactor via the chute 16 . reaction product vapors in the plenum chamber 9 are transported via a transfer line 17 and introduced into a sequent separation system 18 . the separated propylene product is removed via a line 20 ; the separated propane product is removed via a line 21 ; the c4 hydrocarbons product is removed via a line 22 ; optionally , the separated propane and c4 hydrocarbons , as a part of the light feedstock , can be cycled back to the reaction zone ii of the riser reactor 2 via a line 30 and 29 respectively ; the separated dry gas product is removed via a line 19 ; the separated gasoline product is removed via a line 23 ; the separated diesel product is removed via a line 24 or is recycled back to the reaction zone ii of the riser reactor 2 as a part of light feedstock via a line 28 ; and the separated fgo product is introduced via a line 25 into a extraction unit 32 , wherein the extracted oil is removed via a line 26 and the raffinate of fgo ( that is said non - aromatic hydrocarbons ) is recycled back to the reaction zone i of the riser reactor 2 via line 27 for further producing high octane gasoline , propylene , and diesel . according to the fourth specific embodiment of the present invention , the process of the present invention can be carried out according to the scheme shown in fig4 . in the embodiment extraction fgo product is cycled back to another catalytic cracking unit . the technological flow of the embodiment is similar to the third specific embodiment except that the raffinate of fgo is introduced to another catalytic cracking unit 31 via a line 27 , wherein the fgo is converted to high octane gasoline , propylene and diesel ( not shown ). the following examples are used to demonstrate the effect of the present invention and are not meant to limit the scope of the invention to the detail examples shown herein . the properties of the feedstock are listed in table 1 . 1 ) 20 g nh 4 cl was dissolved in 1000 g water , and 100 g ( dry basis ) crystallized product zrp - 1 zeolite ( an mfi - structured zeolite produced in qilu petrochemical co . with a sio2 / al 2 o 3 molar ratio of 30 , a content of rare earth re 2 o 3 = 2 . 0 % by weight ) was added to this solution , after exchanging at 90 ° c . for 0 . 5 h , filtering to yield a filter cake . 4 . 0 g of h 3 po 4 ( with a concentration of 85 wt %) and 4 . 5 g of fe ( no 3 ) 3 were dissolved in 90 g water to obtain a solution . the filter cake was impregnated with the obtained solution and dried . the resultant solid was calcined at 550 ° c . for 2 hours to yield an mfi - structured medium pore sized zeolite containing phosphor and iron . the anhydrous chemical formula of the catalyst was 0 . 1na 2 o . 5 . 1al 2 o 3 . 2 . 4p 2 o 5 . 1 . 5fe 2 o 3 . 3 . 8re 2 o 3 . 88 . 1sio 2 . 2 ) 75 . 4 kg halloysite clay ( an industrial product of suzhou porcelain clay co . with a solid content of 71 . 6 % by weight ) was slurried with 250 kg deionized water , whereto 54 . 8 kg pseudo - boehmite ( an industrial product of shandong alumina plant with a solid content of 63 % by weight ) was added . the ph value was adjusted to 2 ˜ 4 with hydrochloric acid . the slurry was uniformly stirred and laid aside for aging at 60 ˜ 70 ° c . for 1 hour . the temperature was decreased to below 60 ° c . while maintaining the ph value at 2 ˜ 4 , and then 41 . 5 kg alumina sol ( a product of qilu petrochemical co . with an al 2 o 3 content of 21 . 7 % by weight ) was added . after stirring for 40 min , a mixed slurry was obtained . 3 ) 2 kg ( dry basis , prepared in step 1 ) mfi - structured medium pore sized zeolite containing phosphor and iron and 22 . 5 kg ( dry basis ) dasy zeolite ( an ultrastable zeolite - y product of qilu petrochemical co . with a unit cell size of 2 . 445 ˜ 2 . 448 nm ) were added into the mixed slurry ( prepared in step 2 ) and uniformly stirred to yield a slurry . the obtained slurry was shaped by spray drying , and the product was washed off the free na + with ammonium dihydrogen phosphate solution ( phosphor content 1 % by weight ). after drying , a sample of the catalytic conversion catalyst was obtained . the composition of the catalyst was 2 % by weight of mfi - structured medium pore sized zeolite containing phosphor and iron , 18 % by weight of dasy zeolite , 32 % by weight of pseudo - boehmite , 7 % by weight of alumina sol , and balanced kaolin . an 200 ml aqueous solution was prepare from ammonium metatungate (( nh 4 ) 2 w 4 o 13 . 18h 2 o , “ chemical pure ” grad ) and nickelous nitrate ( ni ( no 3 ) 2 . 18h 2 o , “ chemical pure ” grad ) by water dissolution . 50 g alumina support was added to the aqueous solution and impregnated for 3 hours under room temperature . during impregnation , the impregnating solution was treated by ultrasonic for 30 minutes , and then which was cooled , filtered , and then which was dried by microwave oven for 15 minutes . the composition of the catalyst was 30 . 0 % by weight of wo 3 , 3 . 1 % by weight of nio , and balanced aluminum oxide . conventional catalytic conversion catalysts mlc - 500 and cgp - 1 were used in the examples , which properties were listed in table 2 . in the experiment of the present example , vacuum residue oil a was directly used as the feedstock of catalytic cracking and the experiment was conducted in a pilot riser reactor plant . inferior feedstock a was injected into the lower part of the reaction zone i , wherein the catalytic cracking reaction was conducted by contacting catalyst gz - 1 with the feedstock . in the lower part of reactor zone i , the reaction temperature was 600 ° c ., the whsv was 100 h − 1 , the c / o was 6 , and the weight ratio of steam / the feedstock was 0 . 05 . in reactor zone ii , reacted vapors from reactor zone i , the recycled propane , c4 hydrocarbons and diesel are mixed and subjected to cracking reactions , wherein the reaction temperature was 500 ° c ., the whsv was 30 h − 1 , and the weight ratio of steam / the feedstock was 0 . 05 . reaction product vapors and the spent catalyst were separated in the disengager , and then the products were separated , wherein dry gas , lpg ( include propylene , propane and c4 hydrocarbons ), gasoline , diesel and fgo ( the cutting temperature is above 330 ° c .) were withdrawn . the resultant fgo is in an amount of 24 . 48 % by weight of the feedstock . then the fgo was hydrotreated , wherein the reaction temperature was 350 ° c ., the hydrogen partial pressure was 18 . 0 mpa , the hydrogen / oil ratio was 1500 by volume , and the volume hourly space velocity was 1 . 5 h − 1 . the hydrotreated fgo was introduced to another above mentioned type pilot riser reactor plant as feedstock , wherein the catalytic cracking catalyst was mlc - 500 . in reactor zone i , the reaction temperature was 600 ° c ., the whsv was 100 h − 1 , and the c / o was 6 . in reactor zone ii , the reaction temperature was 500 ° c ., the whsv was 20 h − 1 , and the c / o was 6 . the product vapors were separated to obtain dry gas , lpg , gasoline , diesel , and fgo which was returned to the hydrotreating unit . operating conditions and product slate were listed in table 3 . it can be seen from table 3 that the total light hydrocarbons ( lpg , gasoline and diesel ) yield attains as high as 88 . 39 % by weight ; the gasoline yield attains as high as 51 . 75 % by weight ; the propylene yield attains as high as 5 . 05 % by weigh ; the dry gas yield is only 2 . 62 % by weight ; the slurry yield is only 1 . 10 % by weight . vacuum residue feedstock a was directly used as the feedstock of catalytic cracking and the experiment was conducted in a pilot riser reactor plant , wherein the reaction temperature was 500 ° c ., the reaction time was 2 . 5 seconds , the c / o was 6 , and the weight ratio of steam / the feedstock was 0 . 05 . reaction product vapors and the spent catalyst were separated in the disengager , and then the products were separated , wherein dry gas , lpg , gasoline , diesel and slurry were withdrawn . operating conditions and product slate were listed in table 3 . it can be seen from table 3 that the total light hydrocarbons yield is only 77 . 44 % by weight ; the gasoline yield is only 43 . 76 % by weight ; the propylene yield is only 4 . 21 % by weigh ; the dry gas yield attains as high as 3 . 49 % by weight ; the slurry yield attains as high as 9 . 18 % by weight . compared to example 1 , light hydrocarbons yield decreases significantly , so the petroleum resources are underutilized . the experiment of the present example was carried out according to the scheme shown in fig2 . feedstock c was directly used as the feedstock of catalytic cracking and the experiment was conducted in a pilot riser reactor plant . inferior feedstock c was injected into the lower part of the reaction zone i , wherein the catalytic cracking reaction was conducted by contacting catalyst gz - 1 with the feedstock . in the lower part of reactor zone i , the reaction temperature was 600 ° c ., the whsv was 100 h − 1 , the c / o was 6 , and the weight ratio of steam / the feedstock was 0 . 05 . in reactor zone ii , reacted vapors from reactor zone i and quench medium ( cooled regenerated catalyst ) are mixed and subjected to cracking reactions , wherein the reaction temperature was 500 ° c ., the whsv was 30 h − 1 , and the weight ratio of steam / the feedstock was 0 . 05 . reaction product vapors and the spent catalyst were separated in the disengager , and then the products were separated , wherein dry gas , lpg , gasoline , diesel and fgo ( the cutting temperature is above 330 ° c .) were withdrawn . the resultant fgo is in an amount of 38 . 57 % by weight of the feedstock . then the fgo was hydrotreated , wherein the reaction temperature was 350 ° c ., the hydrogen partial pressure was 18 . 0 mpa , the hydrogen / oil ratio was 1500 by volume , and the volume hourly space velocity was 1 . 5 h − 1 . the hydrotreated fgo was introduced to another conventional pilot riser reactor plant as feedstock , wherein the catalytic conversion catalyst was cgp - 1 . in reactor zone i , the reaction temperature was 600 ° c ., the whsv was 100 h − 1 , and the c / o was 6 , steam / feedstock ratio was 0 . 10 . in reactor zone ii , the reaction temperature was 500 ° c ., the whsv was 20 h − 1 , and the c / o was 6 . the product vapors were separated to obtain dry gas , lpg , gasoline diesel and slurry which was returned to hydrotreating unit . operating conditions and product slate were listed in table 4 . it can be seen from table 4 that the total light hydrocarbons yield attains as high as 87 . 49 % by weight ; the gasoline yield attains as high as 41 . 35 % by weight ; the propylene yield attains as high as 8 . 04 % by weigh ; the dry gas yield is only 2 . 68 % by weight ; the slurry yield is only 1 . 30 % by weight . feedstock c was directly used as the feedstock of catalytic cracking and the experiment was conducted in a pilot riser reactor plant , wherein the catalyst is cgp - 1 , the reaction temperature was 500 ° c ., the reaction time was 2 . 5 seconds , the c / o was 6 , and the weight ratio of steam / the feedstock was 0 . 10 . reaction product vapors and the spent catalyst were separated in the disengager , and then the products were separated , wherein dry gas , lpg , gasoline , diesel and slurry were withdrawn . operating conditions and product slate were listed in table 4 . it can be seen from table 4 that the total light hydrocarbons yield is only 77 . 29 % by weight ; the gasoline yield is only 33 . 04 % by weight ; the propylene yield is only 7 . 06 % by weigh ; the dry gas yield attains as high as 3 . 63 % by weight ; the slurry yield attains as high as 9 . 77 % by weight . compared to example 2 , light hydrocarbons yield decreases significantly , so the petroleum resources are underutilized . the experiment of the present example was carried out according to the scheme shown in fig2 . high acid value feedstock e was directly used as the feedstock of catalytic cracking and the experiment was conducted in a pilot riser reactor plant . inferior feedstock e was injected into the lower part of reaction zone i , wherein the catalytic cracking reaction was conducted by contacting catalyst gz - 1 with the feedstock . in the lower part of reactor zone i , the reaction temperature was 600 ° c ., the whsv was 100 h − 1 , the c / o was 6 , and the weight ratio of steam / the feedstock was 0 . 05 . in reactor zone ii , reacted vapors from reactor zone i are carried out cracking reactions , wherein the reaction temperature was 500 ° c ., the whsv was 30 h − 1 , and the weight ratio of steam / the feedstock was 0 . 05 . reaction product vapors and the spent catalyst were separated in the disengager , and then the products were separated , wherein dry gas , lpg , gasoline , diesel and fgo ( the cutting temperature is above 330 ° c .) were withdrawn . the resultant fgo is in an amount of 18 . 03 % by weight of the feedstock . then the fgo was hydrotreated , wherein the reaction temperature was 350 ° c ., the hydrogen partial pressure was 18 . 0 mpa , the hydrogen / oil ratio was 1500 by volume , and the volume hourly space velocity was 1 . 5 h − 1 . the hydrotreated fgo was introduced to another conventional pilot riser reactor plant as feedstock , wherein the catalytic conversion catalyst was cgp - 1 . in reactor zone i , the reaction temperature was 600 ° c ., the whsv was 100 h − 1 , steam / feedstock ratio was 0 . 10 , and the c / o was 6 . in reactor zone ii , the reaction temperature was 500 ° c ., the whsv was 20 h − 1 , and the c / o was 6 . the product vapors were separated to obtain dry gas , lpg , gasoline diesel and fgo which was returned to hydrotreating unit . operating conditions and product slate were listed in table 5 . it can be seen from table 5 that the total light hydrocarbons yield attains as high as 87 . 51 % by weight ; the gasoline yield attains as high as 40 . 17 % by weight ; the propylene yield attains as high as 7 . 57 % by weigh ; the dry gas yield is only 3 . 21 % by weight . high acid value feedstock e was directly used as the feedstock of catalytic cracking and the experiment was conducted in a pilot riser reactor plant , wherein the catalyst is cgp - 1 , the reaction temperature was 500 ° c ., the reaction time was 2 . 5 seconds , the c / o was 6 , and the weight ratio of steam / the feedstock was 0 . 10 . reaction product vapors and the spent catalyst were separated in the disengager , and then the products were separated , wherein dry gas , lpg , gasoline , diesel and slurry were withdrawn . operating conditions and product slate were listed in table 5 . it can be seen from table 5 that the total light hydrocarbons yield is only 77 . 29 % by weight ; the gasoline yield is only 35 . 43 % by weight ; the propylene yield is only 6 . 52 % by weigh ; the dry gas yield attains as high as 5 . 51 % by weight ; the slurry yield attains as high as 6 . 22 % by weight . compared to example 3 , light hydrocarbons yield decreases significantly , so the petroleum resources are underutilized . the experiment of the present example was carried out according to the scheme shown in fig2 . atmospheric residue b and high acid value oil d were directly used as the feedstock of catalytic cracking and the experiment was conducted in a pilot riser reactor plant respectively . inferior feedstock was injected into the lower part of reaction zone i , wherein the catalytic cracking reaction was conducted by contacting catalyst gz - 1 with the feedstock . in the lower part of reactor zone i , the reaction temperature was 600 ° c ., the whsv was 100 h − 1 , the c / o was 6 , and the weight ratio of steam / the feedstock was 0 . 05 . in reactor zone ii , reacted vapors from reactor zone i were subjected to cracking reactions , wherein the reaction temperature was 500 ° c ., the whsv was 30 h − 1 , and the weight ratio of steam / the feedstock was 0 . 05 . reaction product vapors and the spent catalyst were separated in the disengager , and then the products were separated , wherein dry gas , lpg , gasoline , diesel and fgo ( the cutting temperature is above 330 ° c .) were withdrawn . the resultant fgo is in an amount of 41 . 90 % and 34 . 13 by weight of the feedstock respectively . then the fgo was hydrotreated , wherein the reaction temperature was 350 ° c ., the hydrogen partial pressure was 18 . 0 mpa , the hydrogen / oil ratio was 2000 by volume , and the volume hourly space velocity was 1 . 5 h − 1 . the hydrotreated fgo was introduced to another conventional pilot riser reactor plant as feedstock , wherein the catalytic conversion catalyst was mlc - 500 . in reactor zone i , the reaction temperature was 600 ° c ., the whsv was 100 h − 1 , steam / feedstock ratio was 0 . 05 , and the c / o was 6 . in reactor zone ii , the reaction temperature was 500 ° c ., the whsv was 20 h − 1 , and the c / o was 6 . the product vapors were separated to obtain dry gas , lpg , gasoline diesel and fgo which was returned to hydrotreating unit . operating conditions and product slate were listed in table 6 . it can be seen from table 6 that both the total light hydrocarbons yield attain as high as 86 . 02 % and 85 . 44 % by weight respectively ; both the gasoline yield attain as high as 41 . 63 % and 45 . 76 % by weight respectively ; both the propylene yield attain as high as 5 . 05 % and 4 . 21 % by weight respectively ; both the dry gas yield are only 2 . 89 % and 3 . 03 % by weight respectively ; both the slurry yield are only 2 . 30 % and 2 . 18 % by weight respectively . the experiment of the present example was carried out according to the scheme shown in fig3 . vacuum residue feedstock a was directly used as the feedstock of catalytic cracking and the experiment was conducted in a pilot riser reactor plant . inferior feedstock e was injected into the lower part of reaction zone i , wherein the catalytic cracking reaction was conducted by contacting catalyst gz - 1 with the feedstock . in the lower part of reactor zone i , the reaction temperature was 600 ° c ., the whsv was 100 h − 1 , the c / o was 6 , and the weight ratio of steam / the feedstock was 0 . 05 . in reactor zone ii , reacted vapors from reactor zone i , cycled back propane , c4 hydrocarbons and diesel are mixed and subjected to cracking reactions , wherein the reaction temperature was 500 ° c ., the whsv was 30 h − 1 , and the weight ratio of steam / the feedstock was 0 . 05 . reaction product vapors and the spent catalyst were separated in the disengager , and then the products were separated , wherein dry gas , lpg , gasoline , diesel and fgo ( the cutting temperature is above 330 ° c .) were withdrawn . the resultant fgo is in an amount of 24 . 48 % by weight of the feedstock . then the fgo was extracted with furfural , wherein the extraction temperature was 75 , the solvent / fgo ratio was 2 . 0 ( v / v ), and then raffinate of fgo ( that is said non - aromatic hydrocarbons ) and extracted oil were separated . the raffinate of fgo was introduced to the above mentioned pilot riser reactor plant as feedstock . operating conditions and product slate were listed in table 7 . it can be seen from table 7 that the total light hydrocarbons yield attains as high as 82 . 01 % by weight ; the gasoline yield attains as high as 47 . 69 % by weight ; the propylene yield attains as high as 4 . 86 % by weigh ; the dry gas yield is only 2 . 48 % by weight ; the slurry yield is only 1 . 04 % by weight ; the extracted oil ( rich in aromatics which is good chemical resource ) yield is 7 . 06 % by weight . vacuum residue feedstock a was directly used as the feedstock of catalytic cracking and the experiment was conducted in a pilot riser reactor plant , wherein the reaction temperature was 500 ° c ., the reaction time was 2 . 5 seconds , the c / o was 6 , and the weight ratio of steam / the feedstock was 0 . 05 . reaction product vapors and the spent catalyst were separated in the disengager , and then the products were separated , wherein dry gas , lpg , gasoline , diesel and slurry were withdrawn . operating conditions and product slate were listed in table 7 . it can be seen from table 7 that the total light hydrocarbons yield is only 77 . 44 % by weight ; the gasoline yield is only 43 . 76 % by weight ; the propylene yield is only 4 . 21 % by weigh ; the dry gas yield attains as high as 3 . 49 % by weight ; the slurry yield attains as high as 9 . 18 % by weight . compared to example 6 , light hydrocarbons yield decreases significantly , so the petroleum resources are underutilized . the experiment of the present example was carried out according to the scheme shown in fig4 . inferior hydrogenated residue feedstock c was directly used as the feedstock of catalytic cracking and the experiment was conducted in a pilot riser reactor plant . inferior feedstock c was injected into the lower part of reaction zone i , wherein the catalytic cracking reaction was conducted by contacting catalyst gz - 1 with the feedstock . in the lower part of reactor zone i , the reaction temperature was 600 ° c ., the whsv was 100 h − 1 , the c / o was 6 , and the weight ratio of steam / the feedstock was 0 . 05 . in reactor zone ii , reacted vapors from reactor zone i and quench medium ( cooled regenerated catalyst ) are mixed and subjected to cracking reactions , wherein the reaction temperature was 500 ° c ., the whsv was 30 h − 1 , and the weight ratio of steam / the feedstock was 0 . 05 . reaction product vapors and the spent catalyst were separated in the disengager , and then the products were separated , wherein dry gas , lpg , gasoline , diesel and fgo ( the cutting temperature is above 330 ° c .) were withdrawn . the resultant fgo is in an amount of 38 . 57 % by weight of the feedstock . then the fgo was extracted with furfural , wherein the extraction temperature was 75 , the solvent / fgo ratio was 2 . 0 ( v / v ), and then raffinate of fgo ( that is said non - aromatic hydrocarbons ) and extracted oil were separated . the raffinate of fgo was introduced to another conventional pilot riser reactor plant as feedstock , wherein the catalytic conversion catalyst was cgp - 1 . in reactor zone i , the reaction temperature was 600 ° c ., the whsv was 100 h − 1 , steam / feedstock ratio was 0 . 10 , and the c / o was 6 . in reactor zone ii , the reaction temperature was 500 ° c ., the whsv was 20 h − 1 , and the c / o was 6 . the product vapors were separated to obtain dry gas , lpg , gasoline diesel and fgo which was returned to hydrotreating unit . operating conditions and product slate were listed in table 8 . it can be seen from table 8 that the total light hydrocarbons yield attains as high as 81 . 17 % by weight ; the gasoline yield attains as high as 38 . 03 % by weight ; the propylene yield attains as high as 7 . 64 % by weigh ; the dry gas yield is only 2 . 51 % by weight ; the slurry yield is only 1 . 23 % by weight ; the extracted oil ( rich in aromatics which is good chemical resource ) yield is 7 . 09 % by weight . inferior hydrogenated residue feedstock c was directly used as the feedstock of catalytic cracking and the experiment was conducted in a pilot riser reactor plant , wherein the catalyst is cgp - 1 , the reaction temperature was 500 ° c ., the reaction time was 2 . 5 seconds , the c / o was 6 , and the weight ratio of steam / the feedstock was 0 . 10 . reaction product vapors and the spent catalyst were separated in the disengager , and then the products were separated , wherein dry gas , lpg , gasoline , diesel and slurry were withdrawn . operating conditions and product slate were listed in table 8 . it can be seen from table 8 that the total light hydrocarbons yield is only 77 . 29 % by weight ; the gasoline yield is only 33 . 04 % by weight ; the propylene yield is only 7 . 06 % by weigh ; the dry gas yield attains as high as 3 . 63 % by weight ; the slurry yield attains as high as 9 . 77 % by weight . compared to example 7 , light hydrocarbons yield decreases significantly , so the petroleum resources are underutilized . the experiment of the present example was carried out according to the scheme shown in fig4 . high acid value feedstock e was directly used as the feedstock of catalytic cracking and the experiment was conducted in a pilot riser reactor plant . inferior feedstock e was injected into the lower part of reaction zone i , wherein the catalytic cracking reaction was conducted by contacting catalyst gz - 1 with the feedstock . in the lower part of reactor zone i , the reaction temperature was 600 ° c ., the whsv was 100 h − 1 , the c / o was 6 , and the weight ratio of steam / the feedstock was 0 . 05 . in reactor zone ii , reacted vapors from reactor zone i were subjected to cracking reactions , wherein the reaction temperature was 500 ° c ., the whsv was 30 h − 1 , and the weight ratio of steam / the feedstock was 0 . 05 . reaction product vapors and the spent catalyst were separated in the disengager , and then the products were separated , wherein dry gas , lpg , gasoline , diesel and fgo ( the cutting temperature is above 330 ° c .) were withdrawn . the resultant fgo is in an amount of 18 . 03 % by weight of the feedstock . then the fgo was extracted with furfural , wherein the extraction temperature was 75 , the solvent / fgo ratio was 2 . 0 ( v / v ), and then raffinate of fgo ( that is said non - aromatic hydrocarbons ) and extracted oil were separated . the raffinate of fgo was introduced to another conventional pilot riser reactor plant as feedstock , wherein the catalytic conversion catalyst was cgp - 1 . in reactor zone i , the reaction temperature was 600 ° c ., the whsv was 100 h − 1 , steam / feedstock ratio was 0 . 10 , and the c / o was 6 . in reactor zone ii , the reaction temperature was 500 ° c ., the whsv was 20 h − 1 , and the c / o was 6 . the product vapors were separated to obtain dry gas , lpg , gasoline diesel and fgo which was returned to hydrotreating unit . operating conditions and product slate were listed in table 9 . it can be seen from table 9 that the total light hydrocarbons yield attains as high as 81 . 19 % by weight ; the gasoline yield attains as high as 36 . 93 % by weight ; the propylene yield attains as high as 7 . 20 % by weigh ; the dry gas yield is only 3 . 01 % by weight ; the extracted oil ( rich in aromatics which is good chemical resource ) yield is 7 . 08 % by weight . high acid value feedstock e was directly used as the feedstock of catalytic cracking and the experiment was conducted in a pilot riser reactor plant , wherein the catalyst is cgp - 1 , the reaction temperature was 500 ° c ., the reaction time was 2 . 5 seconds , the c / o was 6 , and the weight ratio of steam / the feedstock was 0 . 10 . reaction product vapors and the spent catalyst were separated in the disengager , and then the products were separated , wherein dry gas , lpg , gasoline , diesel and slurry were withdrawn . operating conditions and product slate were listed in table 9 . it can be seen from table 9 that the total light hydrocarbons yield is only 77 . 29 % by weight ; the gasoline yield is only 35 . 43 % by weight ; the propylene yield is only 6 . 52 % by weigh ; the dry gas yield attains as high as 5 . 51 % by weight ; the slurry yield attains as high as 6 . 22 % by weight . compared to example 8 , light hydrocarbons yield decreases significantly , so the petroleum resources are underutilized . the experiment of the present example was carried out according to the scheme shown in fig4 . atmospheric residue feedstock b and high acid value feedstock d was directly used as the feedstock of catalytic cracking and the experiment was conducted in a pilot riser reactor plant respectively . inferior feedstock was injected into the lower part of reaction zone i , wherein the catalytic cracking reaction was conducted by contacting catalyst gz - 1 with the feedstock . in the lower part of reactor zone i , the reaction temperature was 600 ° c ., the whsv was 100 h − 1 , the c / o was 6 , and the weight ratio of steam / the feedstock was 0 . 05 . in reactor zone ii , reacted vapors from reactor zone i were subjected to cracking reactions , wherein the reaction temperature was 500 ° c ., the whsv was 30 h − 1 , and the weight ratio of steam / the feedstock was 0 . 05 . reaction product vapors and the spent catalyst were separated in the disengager , and then the products were separated , wherein dry gas , lpg , gasoline , diesel and fgo ( the cutting temperature is above 330 ° c .) were withdrawn . the resultant fgo is in an amount of 41 . 90 % and 34 . 13 % by weight of the feedstock respectively . then the fgo was extracted with furfural , wherein the extraction temperature was 75 , the solvent / fgo ratio was 2 . 0 ( v / v ), and then raffinate of fgo ( that is said non - aromatic hydrocarbons ) and extracted oil were separated . the raffinate of fgo was introduced to another conventional pilot riser reactor plant as feedstock , wherein the catalytic conversion catalyst was mlc - 500 . in reactor zone i , the reaction temperature was 600 ° c ., the whsv was 100 h − 1 , steam / feedstock ratio was 0 . 05 , and the c / o was 6 . in reactor zone ii , the reaction temperature was 500 ° c ., the whsv was 20 h − 1 , and the c / o was 6 . the product vapors were separated to obtain dry gas , lpg , gasoline diesel and fgo which was returned to hydrotreating unit . operating conditions and product slate were listed in table 10 . it can be seen from table 10 that both the total light hydrocarbons yield attain as high as 78 . 76 % and 78 . 24 % by weight respectively ; both the gasoline yield attain as high as 37 . 73 % and 41 . 52 % by weight respectively ; both the propylene yield attain as high as 4 . 82 % and 4 . 05 % by weight respectively ; both the dry gas yield are only 2 . 69 % and 2 . 81 % by weight respectively ; both the slurry yield are only 2 . 14 % and 2 . 02 % by weight respectively ; both the extracted oil ( rich in aromatics which are good chemical resource ) yield are 8 . 26 % and 8 . 23 % by weight respectively . while there is shown and described certain specific embodiments embodying the invention , it will be manifest to those skilled in the art that various modifications and changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the underlying inventive concept and that the same is not limited to the particular forms herein illustrated . | 2 |
turning now to the drawings , fig1 shows part of a hydronic radiant heating system 16 suitable for installation over a subfloor , for example , concrete or plywood . major components of the system include panel assemblies , four of which are shown completely or partially at 18 , 20 , 22 and 24 . each of the panel assemblies is composed of elongate members including several panels 26 and several anchoring or structural members 28 , all coupled together in side by side fashion . panel assemblies can be coupled to one another end to end or side by side , as needed . at opposite ends of the system , edge panels 30 are joined to the panel assemblies . each of the edge panels has arcuate grooves designed for alignment with longitudinal ( the horizontal direction in fig1 ) grooves 50 in panels 26 . when the edge panels and panel assemblies are aligned as shown , their respective grooves cooperate to provide a serpentine path for a length of conduit or tubing 32 . the tubing 32 may be any suitable material . in the preferred embodiment , however , the tubing is preferably a flexible tubing , and more specifically , cross - linked polyethylene ( pex ) flexible tubing . tubing 32 includes a supply section 34 coupled to a water supply 36 , and a return section 38 through which water is returned to supply 36 . a heater 39 heats the water , and a pump 40 circulates the heated water through the conduit to transfer heat from the water to a series of aluminum plates or sheets 42 , which , in turn , transfers heat to a cover or finished floor ( not shown ), that acts as a radiator to heat the room . fig2 is a partial sectional view of panel assembly 20 taken along a transverse plane through the assembly and showing a panel 26 a , one of structural members 28 , and portions of panels 26 b and 26 c . the panel assembly is shown in the installed or working configuration , in which bottom ( reverse ) surfaces of the panels and structural members are coplanar . in the working configuration , longitudinally extending side surfaces of adjacent panels and structural members are contiguous . panels 26 a and 26 b are coupled to structural member 28 by an adhesive backed strip 44 applied to the reverse surfaces of these three components . strip 44 extends longitudinally for nearly the entire length of the panels and structural member , forming hinges that allow rotation of panels 26 a and 26 b relative to structural member 28 about longitudinal axes . when the panel assembly is folded , one of panels 26 a and 26 b remains aligned with the structural member as shown , while the other is pivoted 180 degrees relative to the structural member . in similar fashion , an adhesive backed strip 46 , attached to the obverse surfaces of panel 26 a and panel 26 c , allows these panels to pivot relative to one another about a longitudinal axis . complete folding involves rotating panel 26 c 180 degrees relative to panel 26 a . panels 26 preferably are formed of an expanded polymeric foam such as expanded polystyrene ( eps ). the panels preferably are formed by injection molding , each with its obverse ( top ) surface contoured to accommodate a radiant heating element . more particularly , a relatively shallow recess 48 and a u - shaped groove 50 extend longitudinally along the complete length of the panel . these features accommodate an elongate longitudinal extending radiant heating element or plate 42 , preferably formed of aluminum or another thermally conductive material . plate 42 is composed of opposite coplanar side sections 52 and 54 , and further is formed to include a central longitudinal channel 56 sized to contain tubing 32 for conducting heated water throughout the system . the inside diameter of channel 56 is slightly larger than the outside diameter of the tubing . however , an upper neck of the channel has a lateral dimension less than the tubing diameter , to require slight elastic compression of the flexible tubing as it is installed into the channel . as a result , the channel is better adapted to contain the tubing . each plate 42 is attached to its associated panel 26 with an adhesive , applied between side sections 52 and 54 and the panel obverse surface along the flat bottom of recess 48 . structural members 28 extend longitudinally , and are substantially uniform in lateral cross section . each structural member is beveled near its obverse surface 58 , as indicated at 60 . the preferred material for the structural members is a high density polyethylene ( hdpe ) known as “ plastic lumber ,” which imparts strength , durability , and moisture resistance . as seen in fig2 , grooves 50 are not laterally centered within their respective panels 26 , but are disposed nearer to the panel edge contiguous with one of the structural members . this equalizes the lateral spacing between grooves 50 along the panel assembly . in one particularly preferred arrangement , the panel lateral width is five and one - quarter inches , the structural member lateral width is one and one - half inches , and the center of each groove is spaced two and one - fourth inches from the “ support member ” side of its associated panel and three inches from the opposite side of the panel . the result is a uniform spacing of six inches between grooves 50 of adjacent panels , regardless of whether a structural member is situated between the adjacent panels . fig4 shows two of the panel assemblies coupled end to end . each of the panel assemblies includes several thermally conductive sheets or plates 42 , with one of the plates mounted to each panel . each of securing strips 46 is coupled to and positioned between two of the panels . each panel assembly includes two panel - to - panel junctions where adjacent panels are secured to each other by a strip 46 . the top of each panel assembly , visible in fig4 , is conveniently thought of as the obverse surface . the panels further include bottom or reverse surfaces of panels 26 and structural members 28 , which correspond to the bottom surface of the panel assembly . strips 44 of adhesive backed film or tape extend longitudinally to secure each structural member to its adjacent panels . strips 44 and 46 function as living hinges , so that adjacent panels and structural members are pivotable relative to each other about longitudinal axes . this allows each panel assembly to be folded into a storage or transport configuration , as shown in fig3 and 6 . fig4 shows the end to end coupling of panel assemblies in more detail . the end edges 100 , 102 of confronting panels abut one another along a continuous line . confronting structural members likewise abut one another . however , the structural members project longitudinally beyond the panels at one end of each assembly , and are recessed longitudinally from the panels at the other end . this offsets the structural member abutment locations 110 longitudinally from the panel abutment locations 112 . the result , as seen in fig4 , is that the structural members of one assembly protrude longitudinally into the other . this improves the coupling , enhances lateral stability , and ensures a proper lateral positioning of the assemblies to properly align their respective grooves 50 . fig5 shows a coupling of a panel assembly 26 and edge panel 30 in greater detail . structural members 26 project longitudinally into grooves 104 formed in the edge panel , again for an improved coupling , enhanced lateral stability , and accurate lateral positioning to align the arcuate grooves 106 of edge panel 30 with the linear grooves 50 of panels 26 . on the panel assembly end where the structural members are recessed , the edge panel can be attached using any conventional securing means , including adhesive , screws or the like . fig3 and 6 shows two panel assemblies in the folded configuration , and aligned with one another to minimize the required storage space . more particularly , the panels of one panel assembly include three panels ( upper panel plus a pair of panels below ) that project laterally beyond the other panels of that assembly , to the right as viewed in fig3 and 6 . this is due to the manner in which the panel assembly is folded to accommodate the structural members . similarly , three panels of the other panel assembly project laterally ( in this case to the left ) beyond the remaining panels of the assembly . the projecting panels of one assembly align with the recessed panels of the other , forming a space saving “ tongue and groove ” engagement . as shown schematically in fig7 , installation of a radiant heating system utilizing the panel assemblies involves selectively positioning one of the panel assemblies in the working configuration on a subfloor 62 . then , fasteners 64 are preferably installed through the structural members 26 and into the subfloor to secure the panel assembly in place . the fasteners 64 may be nails , wood screws or concrete fasteners , or adhesive depending on the subfloor . an advantage of the present invention is that when fasteners 64 are used , the fasteners are installed only through the structural members , which are constructed to withstand the concentrated holding forces of the fasteners . there is no need to install fasteners through the panels , nor is there any need to apply an adhesive to the panel of reverse surfaces or subfloor 62 . in addition to the panel assemblies , edge panels 30 are installed typically along the walls of the room and properly aligned with the panel assemblies to form the desired serpentine path for the heated water tubing . strips 46 are used to couple adjacent panel assemblies side - by - side . end - to - end couplings are as shown in fig4 . once the panel assemblies and edge panels are secured , tubing 32 is installed into channels 56 along the panel assemblies and arcuate grooves along the edge panels . linear grooves in the edge panels accommodate supply section 34 and return section 38 . the tubing is gently pressed downwardly into the channels , undergoing a slight elastic deformation as it enters the channels , resulting in containment within the channel as illustrated in fig8 . finally , a cover or finished floor layer 66 , such as carpeting , tile , wood , etc ., is installed over the panel assemblies and edge panels , as shown in fig9 . depending on the type of flooring involved , finished layer 66 may be secured in any conventional manner to the panel assemblies and edge panels . for wood flooring , as an example , the wood flooring boards are preferably installed in the lateral direction , i . e . with the boards perpendicular to the panels and structural members . fasteners can be driven through the finished layer into the structural members , which provide a reliable anchor for the finished layer . fig1 illustrates part of an alternative embodiment panel assembly 70 designed for electrical heating . panels 72 and structural members 74 are pivotally attached to one another by flexible adhesive backed strips as before . each of panels 72 has a longitudinal groove 76 in its obverse surface 78 , sized to accommodate an electric heating element 80 in the form of an electrically conductive cable surrounded by an electrically insulative , thermally conductive casing . a fabric mat or sheet partially holding the heating element extends laterally away from groove 76 . fig1 illustrates a further alternative embodiment in the form of a rigid panel structure 82 . adjacent panels 84 and structural members 86 are integrally coupled to one another , for enhanced lateral stability . the panels and structural members are not foldable , and remain fixed in the working configuration . however , panel structure 82 retains the advantages associated with combining the more thermally insulative panels with the stronger structural members . although only exemplary embodiments of the invention have been described in detail above , those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that many modifications are possible without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of this invention . accordingly , all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of this invention as defined in the following claims . | 8 |
the external and internal components of a distributing unit for use in a marine engine super flushing and corrosion control system are shown in fig1 a and 1b . fig1 a shows distributing unit 10 from the side . fig1 b shows distributing unit 10 from the end . distributing unit 10 is generally composed of main body 12 and plug 14 which are used to enclose turbine assembly 18 . main body 12 has inlet port 36 which is positioned in an off - axis orientation as seen in fig1 b . this off - axis orientation helps turn turbine assembly 18 as will be explained subsequently . main body 12 also has a plurality of axial outlet ports 24 . although four axial outlet ports 24 are shown in fig1 a , any number can be used . a range of two to eight is believed to be optimal , but the preferred number of outlet ports depends on the type and size of the marine engine and cooling system for which the flushing and corrosion control system is to be used . inlet fitting 16 is attached to main body 12 at inlet port 36 , and hose barbs 26 are attached at each axial outlet port 24 . inlet fitting 16 and hose barbs 26 can be screwed in place . additionally , although inlet fitting 16 and hose barbs 26 are illustrated with “ barbs ,” other fastening means can be used to attach hoses or other forms of piping to distributing unit 10 . for example , screw - on hoses and threaded fittings could also be used . turbine assembly 18 is contained within main body 12 . impeller blades 30 of turbine assembly 18 are positioned next to off - axis inlet port 36 so that fluid flow through inlet port 36 against impeller blades 30 causes turbine assembly 18 to spin inside main body 12 . water enters turbine interior 54 of turbine assembly 18 through impeller entry points 32 ( illustrated in fig2 ). referring back to fig1 a , turbine assembly 18 features a plurality of metering discharge ports 28 . metering discharge ports 28 are positioned along distribution cylinder 56 so that when the assembly spins each metering discharge port 28 alternates into alignment with corresponding axial outlet port 24 , thereby discharging a volume of water through each axial outlet port for each rotation of turbine assembly 18 . this particular feature allows for maximum fluid pressure to be discharged through each axial outlet port 24 in alternating fashion . the cyclical timing of fluid flow through each axial outlet port 24 also provides enhanced hydrodynamic forces . the oscillating pressure sequences through each axial outlet port 24 creates a non - constant fluid velocity profile which helps break down salt and mineral deposits . an exploded - parts view of distributing unit 10 is shown in fig2 . the reader will appreciate that turbine assembly 18 can be contained within main body interior 34 with the use of plug 14 . plug 14 can be attached to main body 12 in any desirable way , and can even be made detachable ( such as by using threads to make it screw on and off ). turbine assembly 18 has impeller entry ports 32 located between impeller blades 30 which allow water to enter the inside of turbine assembly 18 when subjected to fluid flow through off - axis inlet port 36 . a cut - away view of distributing unit 10 is provided in fig3 . the viewer will appreciate that when water flows in inlet port 36 it enters the annular flow space bounded by turbine head 52 , main body 12 , mating wall 50 , and plug 14 ( not shown here ). hydrodynamic forces provided by water flowing against blade face 58 and through impeller entry ports 32 cause turbine assembly to rotate in the clockwise direction . some of the water immediately enters into impeller entry port 32 , but some of the water travels further around the annular flow space before entering impeller other entry ports 32 . each impeller entry port 32 opens into turbine interior 54 . those that are skilled in the art will know that the water continues to travel in an approximately clockwise fashion as it travels down the length of turbine assembly 18 before exiting out axial outlet ports 24 ( not shown here ). turbine head 52 mounts flush with mating wall 50 and creates an approximately water tight seal . this forces the water that enters inlet port 36 into turbine interior 54 . an alternate embodiment of the present invention is shown in fig4 . this particular version of the invention utilizes only one metering discharge port 28 to service a plurality of axial outlet ports 24 . instead of employing plurality of axial outlet ports 24 down the length of main body 12 , axial outlet ports 24 are arranged in a circle around the circumference of main body 12 . an exploded - parts view of the alternate embodiment of distributing unit 10 is shown in fig5 . the alternate embodiment is very similar to the version shown in fig1 , 2 , and 3 , except that a single metering discharge port 28 is used and hose barbs 26 are placed around the circumference of main body 12 . distributing unit 10 can be installed in many ways . one example describing a system for the fresh water flushing of a marine engine &# 39 ; s cooling system is provided in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 393 , 252 to douglas brogdon and is incorporated herein by reference . in addition , a flow - diagram for a system utilizing distributing unit 10 is provided in fig6 . control valve 38 can be used to actuate the flow of fresh water from fresh water source 60 to distributing unit 10 . a control panel could be provided on the boat with a fresh water supply connector along with a handle that actuates control valve 38 . outlet hoses 48 are connected to each hose barb 26 at each axial outlet port 24 . one outlet hose 48 can be attached to and allows for the fresh water flushing of sea water pickup pump 40 . a second outlet hose 48 can be attached to and allows for the fresh water flushing of thermostat housing 42 . a third and fourth outlet hose 48 can be attached to first tuned exhaust header 44 and second tuned exhaust header 46 for flushing of the exhaust headers . other arrangements for a flushing system are possible as well , and the aforementioned flow system is meant to provide only an example of how the distributing unit can be used as part of an integrated flushing system . the optimal placement locations for outlet hoses 48 varies with the marine engine for which flushing is desired . one unique feature of the present invention is that it can be easily calibrated for optimal flushing of any marine engine cooling system . the quantity of axial outlet ports 24 , the size of metering discharge ports 28 , the dimensions of turbine assembly 18 , and the locations on the cooling system where outlet hoses 48 are attached can all be changed as required for optimal flushing of a given marine engine and cooling system . those that are skilled in the art will know that making metering discharge port 28 larger when increase the volume of water in a given pulse . different marine engines have different characteristics making it desirable to have a flushing system which can be calibrated for optimal flushing of specific engines . as an example , some marine engines have larger components to be cleaned . these engines may require larger pulses for optimal flushing than marine engines with smaller components . the preceding description contains significant detail regarding the novel aspects of the present invention . it should not be construed , however , as limiting the scope of the invention but rather as providing illustrations of the preferred embodiments of the invention . as an example , many arrangements of metering discharge ports 28 and axial outlet ports 24 are possible . such a variation would not alter the function of the invention . thus , the scope of the invention should be fixed by the following claims , rather than by the examples given . | 5 |
turning now to fig1 indicated generally at 10 is a drill bit constructed in accordance with the present invention . included therein is an integrated bit core and shank , referred to herein collectively as a shank 12 , and an outer shell 14 . shank 12 includes a threaded upper portion 16 for connecting drill bit 10 to a drill string ( not shown ). a bevel 20 separates upper portion 16 from a cylindrical portion 18 . similarly , a bevel 22 separates cylindrical portion 18 from a cylindrical disk 24 . it should be appreciated that threaded portion 16 , bevel 20 , cylindrical portion 18 , bevel 22 and cylindrical disk 24 are , in the present embodiment of the invention , integrally formed from a single piece of steel . other techniques for forming shank 12 , such as casting , are also within the scope of the present invention . a cylindrical bore 26 communicates with a lower surface of cylindrical disk 24 , as is viewable in fig1 and extends axially therefrom through the bit with an opening at the upper end of threaded upper portion 16 . thus , fluid pumped down the drill string flows downwardly out of bore 26 as will later be more fully described in connection with a description of the operation of the drill bit . a plurality of ridges or blades ;, like blades 28 , 29 , 30 extend downwardly from the underside of disk 24 and radially outwardly from a central longitudinal axis of the drill bit . shell 14 includes an external surface 34 which may have pockets ( not shown ) formed therein suitable for mounting cutting elements ( also not shown ) thereon . shell 14 is manufactured utilizing matrix powder packed into a mold body which is thereafter infiltrated in a manner which is hereinafter described . the shell can also be manufactured by infiltrating around a ductile form , as , described hereinafter with reference to fig6 or by machining . natural or artificial diamond cutters , or surface set diamonds , may be cast in to the shell during infiltration instead of or in addition to cutting elements mounted after infiltration is complete . the embodiment of fig1 provides a one - piece mandrel , unlike prior art bits as described in hereinafter in connection with fig1 - 20 . the combination of a blank , around which a prior art infiltrated bit is formed , and a shank , which is welded to the blank for providing a threaded connection to a drill string , is referred to in the art as a mandrel . a one - piece mandrel reduces manufacturing time and expense while providing a mandrel with increased integrity . also , the internal cavity defined between the mandrel and shell 14 provides for better fluid distribution than in prior art bits which improves fluid cooling of the bit and reduces fluid erosion on the bit crown interior . such a mandrel provides structural integrity with less weight than prior art mandrels and in a more open configuration . throughout this description , similar structure is identified with a corresponding number in the various embodiments of the invention . in fig2 a , shank 12 includes a substantially solid core which is received into shell 14 . shell 14 is defined by a shell wall 36 having a substantially constant thickness . the shell is connected to shank 12 via a weld 37 about the circumference of the shank and shell . braze alloys , adhesives or other suitable techniques may be used to connect the shank and shell together . to form shell 14 , a mold body is provided having a cavity therein which includes features conforming to those on the external surface of shell 14 . nozzles , like nozzle 44 , are placed inside the mold body in selected positions . this eliminates the need for interior porting extending from the nozzle to the axial cylindrical bore which communicates with the drill pipe . a bore 52 is formed in shank 12 and communicates with bore 26 . an external plenum , i . e ., one which is formed adjacent the interior surface of the shell , is formed between a radially inner surface 38 of shell 14 and shank 12 . at least one bore , like bore 52 , communicate between the plenum and bore 26 . this permits fluid to circulate within and adjacent the shell . shell internal surface 38 may include a plurality of grooves , like grooves 42 , into which a corresponding blade formed on shank 12 is received when the shank is inserted into shell 14 . these interlocking ridges and grooves accept torsion when the bit is drilling and relieve stress on weld 37 . in fig2 b , grooves 40 also receive ridges or blades formed on the shank to accomplish a similar stress relieving function in the bit of fig2 b . the bit of fig2 b has an internal plenum , i . e ., one formed internally of shank 12 . in fig2 b the internal plenum comprises the lowermost portion of bore 26 . during infiltration of the bit of fig2 b , forms are placed to provide cylindrical openings , like opening 46 , into which a nozzle 48 , is inserted after the matrix is infiltrated and cooled to provide fluid communication between bore 26 and the exterior of the bit . nozzle 48 is illustrated in fig3 . in the present embodiment of the invention nozzle 48 is made from tungsten carbide and extends into a central cavity in the bit as shown . the nozzle therefore protects mandrel 12 from wear caused by the high pressures and flow rates of drilling fluid therethrough . a threaded connection 50 is formed between nozzle 48 and a bore formed in blade 28 . nozzle 48 can be changed by unthreading if replacement is required . in using a drill bit like that shown in fig1 a or 2b , threaded connection 16 is engaged with the lower end of a drill string which is then lowered into a well bore . during drilling , drilling fluid is pumped down the drill string and into bore 26 . the fluid passes through the bores , like bore 52 , into plenum 38 and subsequently into nozzle 44 ( and other nozzles not visible ) and thereafter upwardly in the well bore in the annulus between the drill string and the radially inner surface of the well bore . similarly , fluid flows from bore 26 into nozzle 48 ( and other nozzles ) and up the annulus . turning now to fig4 indicated generally at 58 is a shank and integrated body core constructed in accordance with the present invention . shank 58 is substantially identical to shank 12 in all respects except for the geometry of the blades , like blade 28 - 30 in fig1 . shank 58 includes three blades , 60 , 62 , 64 which might be configured to be received into a shell having an interior shaped to include grooves for receiving the blades . such a shell has a construction similar to that described above in connection with shell 14 . shank 58 is welded about the circumference thereof in a manner similar to that of shank 12 in fig2 a . the shank and integrated bit core of fig4 is easy to machine and is illustrative , along with the other embodiments of the variety of shapes which can be utilized with the present invention . turning now to fig5 and 8 , indicated generally at 66 is another drill bit constructed in accordance with the present invention . included therein is a threaded upper portion 68 for connecting the drill bit to a drill string . threaded portion 68 is mounted on an integrated shank and bit core , collectively referred to as a shank 70 . shank 70 is received in a shell 72 which may be infiltrated in similar fashion to shell 14 , or through another casting process , or may be machined from steel . shank 70 is received within shell 72 and welded thereto about the circumference of each via a weld 74 which is viewable in both fig5 and 8 . shank 70 includes a concave portion or junk slot 76 formed thereon . shell 72 includes a plurality of cutters , like cutters 78 , 80 mounted thereon . the cutters are mounted adjacent an opening in shell 72 defined by opposing edges 82 , 84 . the opening communicates with an interior cavity . a similar opening ( not visible ), which also communicates with the cavity , is adjacent a row of cutters including cutters 86 , 88 . drill bit 66 is constructed generally in accordance with the design disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 883 , 132 to tibbitts , which is incorporated herein by reference , for a drag bit for drilling in plastic formation having maximum chip clearance and hydraulic for direct chip impingement except that the gauge and bottom portions of the drilling surface are formed on shell 72 which in turn is welded to shank 70 as described above . bit 66 includes a nozzle ( not visible ) formed on a lower portion of shank 70 within the cavity defined between the shell and shank . the nozzle is aimed at the cutters , like cutters 78 , 80 and flushes cuttings therefrom during drilling as described in the &# 39 ; 132 patent to tibbitts . in fig8 drill bit 66 is shown in a somewhat schematic sectional view . a torque lug 96 extends downwardly from the lower end of a center column 97 which is coaxial with the axis of bit 66 . the torque lug extends into a slot formed in shell 72 . this arrangement provides torsional stiffening to center column 97 during drilling . as can be seen , fluid passageways in shank 70 permit drill fluid to circulate down the string and into shell 72 where the fluid is forced from nozzles ( not shown in fig8 ) contained in shank 70 into the cavities , like cavity 85 , and to the top of the well in which the bit is drilling . the nozzles , cavities and flow passages for the bit of fig5 and 8 are illustrated in the above - referenced tibbitts patent . turning now to fig6 indicated generally at 90 is another drill bit constructed in accordance with the present invention which is similar in construction to the embodiments of fig1 - 4 . visible in fig6 is a facing material 92 which is packed into the mold body before the interior mold portion is positioned and the remaining matrix powders packed between the mold body and inner mold portion . nozzle 44 does not need interior porting to connect it to the fluid in bore 26 . as in fig2 a , the nozzle communicates directly with fluid inside shell 14 . this eliminates the need for integrating complicated nozzle porting into the matrix when the shell is formed . if one of the shank blades , like blade 29 , interferes with fluid distribution to nozzle 44 , a corresponding notch 93 in blade 29 immediately above nozzle 44 provides fluid circulation between the flutes formed on the shank between the blades to the nozzle inside the shell . hydraulic fitting may be used to connect the shank to the shell in lieu of or in addition to welding . with reference to fig7 a , an o - ring 93 is disposed between shank 12 and shell 14 about the circumference thereof . fluid is pumped into shell 14 via bore 26 thus expanding the shell . the expansion is sufficient to permit the shank to be pressed down a tapered portion 95 of the shell into a cylindrical collar portion 97 . once the pressure is released , the shell and shank are locked together . turning now to fig9 indicated generally at 98 is another drill bit constructed in accordance with the present invention . included therein is a shank and integrated bit body , collectively referred to as a shank 100 , and a shell 102 . in drill bit 98 there is a threaded connection 104 between a radially inner surface of shell 102 and a radially outer surface of the lower portion of shank 100 . shank 100 includes a downwardly directed shoulder 105 which seats against an internal surface of shell 102 when threads 104 are fully engaged . thereafter , a weld 106 is formed about the circumference of the shank ( or portions thereof ) and shell in order to secure the two together . drill bit 108 comprises another embodiment of the present invention in which similar structure corresponding to that illustrated in fig9 is identified with the same numeral in fig1 . the invention contemplates use of either a weld or threads or both together as illustrated in fig9 and 10 . another drill bit 110 , illustrated in fig1 - 13 , is similar to the embodiments of fig9 and 10 . drill bit 110 in fig1 - 13 , as are the bits in fig1 and 15 , is assembled using heat shrink fitting . in this process , shell 102 is heated and shank 100 , which is at room temperature , is engaged with matrix shell 102 as shown in fig1 by a buttress connection 109 . as shown in fig1 and 13 , connection 109 includes a plurality of upward facing shoulders , like shoulder 111 , on one side thereof and a plurality of downward facing shoulders , like shoulder 113 on the other side of the connection . the shoulders form continuous annular surfaces which are parallel with one another as opposed to a single helical surface as in a screw thread . with the matrix shell 102 hot and shank 100 at room temperature , connection 104 is configured as shown in fig1 . as the shell cools , it contracts in size thus drawing the shoulders together as shown in the view of fig1 . this has the effect of securely locking the shank to the shell . alternately , shell 102 may be allowed to cool after it is formed . prior to connecting the shell to the shank , the shell is heated in a known fashion to braze the cutters thereto . such heating expands the shell which may then be fitted to the shank and thereafter cooled to accomplish the heat shrink fit . the shoulders illustrated in fig1 and 13 may be inverted , i . e ., the shoulders are oriented to resist tension between the bit and drill string to which it is attached . alternatively , drill bit 110 may be assembled using the previously described hydraulic fitting technique . in fig1 drill bit 112 , also constructed in accordance with the present invention , includes a generally cylindrical opening 116 formed in shell 102 with shank 104 having a generally cylindrical lower portion . the two are sized so that matrix shell 102 can receive the lower end of shank 104 , as shown in fig1 , while the matrix shell is heated . when the same cools it contracts thus providing a firm interference fit between the shell and the shank . in drill bit 114 in fig1 , a tapered opening 118 is provided in shell 102 . the taper corresponds generally to a tapered radially outer portion of the lower end of shank 104 . shank 104 can be received in opening 118 as shown in fig1 while matrix shell 102 is heated . as the shell contracts during cooling a strong connection between shell 102 and shank 104 is formed . the bits of fig1 and 15 can also be assembled using the hydraulic fitting technique described herein or by using a threaded connection . indicated generally at 120 in fig1 is an assembly fixture for assembling a shank and a shell constructed in accordance with the present invention . included therein is a cooling jacket 122 having an input line 124 and a return line 126 through which coolant flows . the coolant circulates within jacket 122 thereby cooling a shank 128 received therein which is constructed in accordance with the present invention . a concentric clamp 130 positions a hot shell 132 , also constructed in accordance with the present invention , coaxially with shank 128 . with the shank and shell positioned as shown in fig1 , the shank is lowered into the shell . coolant in jacket 122 maintains the shank relatively cool even in the presence of the heat generated by shell 132 . this both prevents the shank from expanding and prevents the drill collar connective thread of the shank from becoming heated above the &# 34 ; knee of transformation &# 34 ; which would cause it to become brittle . after the shank is positioned within the shell , the shell is left to cool and thus contract and engage the shank as described in the embodiments of fig1 - 15 . in fig1 and 18 , a typical prior art matrix drill bit , indicated generally at 134 , is illustrated to provide a comparison between such a bit and the bit of the present invention . bit 134 includes a central longitudinal axis 138 and a coaxial bore 140 . bore 140 is also coaxial with a generally cylindrical blank 142 which includes an upper portion or shank 144 . the shank includes threads 145 at the upper portion thereof for connecting the drill bit to a string of drill pipe ( not shown ). blank 142 is comprised of a relatively ductile steel which has a coating of matrix material 146 bonded thereto . bore 140 is formed in part through the matrix material . this type of bit can utilize cutters , like cutters 147 , 149 , integrally secured to the matrix during the infiltration process or cutters which are mounted on the hardened matrix after infiltration . turning now to fig1 a conventional furnace 150 includes a chamber 152 having a furnace floor 154 . a mold 156 is supported on floor 154 . the mold supports a funnel 158 which is engaged with a connection 160 with an upper portion of mold 156 . binder material 162 is received on top of matrix powder 146 which is packed in and around blank 142 as shown . cutters can be placed in the mold body for integrating the cutters into the bit during the infiltration process . alternatively , cutters can be brazed to the matrix surface after the bit is removed from the mold . after the mold and the contents thereof are positioned as shown in fig1 , chamber 152 is heated thereby infiltrating matrix powder 146 in a known manner . after the bit is so formed the mold is removed from the furnace and after sufficient cooling the bit is removed from the mold . thereafter , a steel shank , like shank 144 in fig1 and 18 , having threads formed thereon is welded to blank 142 . turning now to fig2 , an alternative form of infiltrating the matrix powder in mold 156 is illustrated . included in fig2 is an induction coil heater 164 which heats the mold and the contents thereof thereby infiltrating matrix powder 146 . the drill bit of fig1 and 18 can be manufactured using either of the techniques illustrated in fig1 and 20 . turning now to fig2 illustrated therein is a mold constructed in accordance with the present invention . as can be seen , matrix powder 146 is formed into a shell shaped by virtue of a mold shell 166 , such being also referred to herein as an upper mold body . the mold shell includes a hollow cavity 168 . the surface of mold shell 166 which is adjacent matrix powder 146 defines the inner surface of the outer shell of the bit . the features of this mold shell surface define grooves , like grooves 40 , 42 in fig2 a and 2b , in which the blades of shank 12 are received . in an alternative embodiment of the invention , instead of mold shell 166 , a similarly shaped steel shell is positioned in the same position as mold shell 166 and forms a finished part of the shell as described in connection with the embodiment of fig6 . the steel portion can be ductile relative to the infiltrated material which forms the exterior portion of the shell . in such case , the grooves , like grooves 40 , 42 , are formed on the inner surface of the ductile steel shell . illustrated in fig2 is an alternate method of manufacturing a drill bit in accordance with the present invention . included therein are induction coil heaters 168 , 170 , 172 . heater 170 can be received within cavity 168 as shown and heater 172 within spaces on the underside of mold 156 . with all heaters operating , the matrix powder is uniformly heated which is desirable in forming the infiltrated matrix shell . induction heating in accordance with the prior art method illustrated in fig2 must be done very slowly because stresses arise between the heated portions and the unheated portions . the system of fig2 permits much more rapid infiltration of the matrix powder without the stresses which would result in the configuration of fig2 . reduced mass coupled with increased surface area and internal heat exposure provides for greatly reduced heating time and more uniform products . after the matrix powder is infiltrated responsive to heat provided by , e . g ., a box heater , a furnace as in fig2 or induction coils as in fig2 , the mold is cooled and the bit removed therefrom . in the case where the cutters are not integrated into the matrix body during infiltration , they may be brazed to the shell . brazing requires heating which can be done via a pair of induction coils similar to the configuration of coils 168 , 170 , illustrated in fig2 except that the mold is removed . when the shell is sufficiently heated , the cutters are brazed thereto in a known manner . when assembling bits of the type illustrated in fig1 - 15 , in which the shank is inserted into the shell while the shell is hot , the insertion step can be accomplished immediately after brazing the cutters while the shell is still hot from the induction heating necessary for brazing . thus , the shell can be rapidly heated as a result both of the substantially smaller mass of the matrix material relative to prior art bits and due to use of a second internal induction coil , like coil 170 in fig2 . a separate step for heating the shell in order to expand the same to fit it to the shank as described in connection with the bits of fig1 - 15 is not required . the assembly fixture illustrated in fig1 and described above can be used for a matrix shell which is heated with induction heaters to expand the shell for assembly . having illustrated and described the principles of our invention in a preferred embodiment thereof , it should be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that the invention can be modified in arrangement and detail without departing from such principles . we claim all modifications coming within the spirit and scope of the accompanying claims . | 4 |
in the scheme ( adapted from cava et al ., j . am . chem . soc ., vol . 80 , 2255 - 2257 ( 1958 )), 1 - indanone ( 1 ) is treated with a lower alkyl nitrite ( e . g ., butyl nitrite ) under acidic conditions to obtain 2 - oximino - 1 - indanone ( 2 ), which is subsequently reacted with formaldehyde under highly acidic conditions to form 1 , 2 - indanedione ( 3 ). 1 , 2 - indanedione is converted to cis -( 1s , 2r )- indanediol by addition of the indanedione to a culture medium containing the yeast strain trichosporon cutaneum my 1506 , or a mutant thereof , and fermenting the mixture for a time and under conditions effective to form the desired indanediol . a sample of the trichosporon cutaneum my 1506 was deposited under the budapest treaty at the american type culture collection ( atcc ), 12301 parklawn drive , rockville , md . 20852 on apr . 15 , 1998 . the culture access designation is atcc 74440 . this deposit will be maintained in the atcc for at least 30 years and will be made available to the public upon the grant of a patent disclosing it . the availability of a deposit does not constitute a license to practice the subject invention in derogation of patent rights granted by government action . the physical characteristics and taxonomy , including morphological , cultural , biological and physiological characteristics of my 1506 ( atcc 74440 ) are briefly described as follows : growth occurs at both 27 ° c . and 37 ° c . on yeast malt extract agar , sabouraud &# 39 ; s dextrose agar , sabouraud &# 39 ; s maltose agar , and trypticase soy agar . culture is mature in 48 hours . colonies are white to cream - colored with a rough surface , entire margin , butyrous texture , and mild fragrance . hyphae are septate and 20 - 30 μm × 2 - 3 μm . vegetative reproduction by budding and splitting was observed . cylindrical arthroconidia 2 - 3 μm × 8 - 10 μm were also observed . mutants of my 1506 suitable for use in the process of the invention can be prepared via techniques known in the art , including chemically induced mutagenesis using mutagens such as 1 - methyl - 3nitro - 1 - nitrosoguanidine , ethyl methane sulfonate , 2 - aminopurine , or the like , and radiation induced mutagenesis generated by a uv light source such as a germicidal lamp or γ - irradiation from a cobalt - 60 source . the culture medium is defined as a mixture which supports the growth of the yeast strain my 1506 ( atcc 74440 ) or a mutant thereof . the culture medium for carrying out the fermentation typically has a carbon source and a nitrogen source . preferred sources of carbon in the culture medium are carbohydrates such as glucose , xylose , galactose , glycerin , starch , dextrin , and the like . other sources which may be included are maltose , rhamnose , raffinose , arabinose , mannose , salicin , sodium succinate , and the like . the preferred sources of nitrogen are yeast extract , meat extract , peptone , gluten meal , cottonseed meal , soybean meal and other vegetable meals ( partially or totally defatted ), casein hydrolysates , soybean hydrolysates , and yeast hydrolysates , corn steep liquor , dried yeast , wheat germ , feather meal , peanut powder , distiller &# 39 ; s solubles , etc ., as well as inorganic and organic nitrogen compounds such as ammonium salts ( e . g ., ammonium nitrate , ammonium sulfate , ammonium phosphate , etc . ), urea , amino acids , and the like . the carbon and nitrogen sources , though advantageously employed in combination , need not be used in their pure form , because less pure materials which contain traces of growth factors and considerable quantities of mineral nutrients ; are also suitable for use . when desired , there may be added to the medium mineral salts such as sodium or calcium carbonate , sodium or potassium phosphate , sodium or potassium chloride , sodium or potassium iodide , magnesium salts , copper salts , cobalt salts , and the like . if necessary , especially when the culture medium foams seriously , a defoaming agent , such as liquid paraffin , fatty oil , plant oil , mineral oil or silicone may be added . a preferred culture medium is sabouraud dextrose broth ( available commercially from difco of detroit , mich ., usa ) which is an aqueous solution of glucose ( 10 grams / liter ) and neopeptone ( 20 grams / liter ). submerged aerobic cultivation conditions are preferred for the production of cells in massive amounts . a shaking culture in a flask is employed for cell production in small amounts . when the growth is carried out in large tanks , it is desirable first to produce an inoculum of the organism by inoculating a relatively small quantity of culture medium with the organism stored at about − 20 to about 70 ° c . and culturing said inoculated medium , also called the “ seed medium ”, and then to transfer the resulting inoculum aseptically to large tanks . the fermentation medium , in which the inoculum is produced , is generally autoclaved to sterilize the medium prior to inoculation . the ph of the medium is typically adjusted to about 7 . 0 prior to the autoclaving step . agitation and aeration of the culture mixture may be accomplished in a variety of ways . agitation may be provided by impeller or similar mechanical agitation equipment , shake flask bioreactor , by various pumping equipment or by the passage of sterile air through the medium . aeration may be effected by passing sterile air through the incubation mixture . the fermentation is usually conducted at a temperature of from about 25 ° c . to about 37 ° c ., preferably about 30 ° c ., for a period of from about 0 . 5 to about 5 days , preferably about 2 days , which may be varied according to cultivation conditions and scales . preferably , the production cultures are incubated for about 2 days at about 30 ° c . in a stirred bioreactor operating at an impeller speed of about 300 rpm . the product cis -( 1s , 2r )- indanediol is in the aqueous phase of the culture media , and accordingly can be recovered ( i . e ., isolated and purified ) by conventional methods such as centrifugal or gravitational clarification of the aqueous phase , concentration under reduced pressure , extraction with a conventional solvent , such as isopropyl acetate and the like , ph adjustment , treatment with a conventional resin ( e . g ., anion or cation exchange resin , non - ionic resin , etc . ), treatment with a conventional adsorbent ( e . g ., activated charcoal , silica gel , cellolose , alumina , etc . ), crystallization , recrystallization , and the like . a preferred sequence of recovery methods includes solvent extraction of the aqueous phase with a suitable organic solvent ( e . g ., ethyl or isopropyl acetate ); separation , drying , and filtration of the organic layer ; evaporative removal of the organic solvent ; and chromatographic purification . the recovered cis -( 1s , 2r )- indanediol product typically has an enantiomeric excess of at least about 99 %. while further resolution is often not required , the recovered cis -( 1s , 2r )- indanediol can be subjected to chiral specific crystallization to increase the chiral purity by rejection of the undesired 1r , 2s stereoisomer in the mother liquors . for example , a dried , filtered acetate extract obtained by solvent extraction of the aqueous phase can be vacuum concentrated to ˜ 30 g cis - indanediol / liter and then filtered through a medium porosity glass filter to remove any particulate . the filtered extract can then be further concentrated to a final concentration of about 200 g cis - indanediol / liter . the cis - indanediol begins to crystallize during the final concentration step and the crystallization is completed by cooling to about 5 - 10 ° c . and aging a minimum of about 8 hours . the crystals can either be filtered , washed with isopropyl acetate / hexane ( 1 : 1 ), then hexane , and dried under vacuum . cis - indanediol with greater than about 99 . 5 % enantiomer excess of the 1s , 2r form can thereby be obtained . cis -( 1s )- amino -( 2r )- indanol can be prepared from cis -( 1s , 2r )- indanediol via the ritter reaction . reaction of the cis -( 1s , 2r )- indanediol with acetonitrile , followed by hydrolysis in the presence of water , is carried out rapidly . about one equivalent of solid cis -( 1s , 2r )- indanediol is dissolved in excess acetonitrile , with or without organic solvent . a typical solvent is dichloromethane . the mixture of cis -( 1s , 2r )- indanediol and acetonitrile is then contacted with excess equivalents of strong acid , such as triflic acid , methanesulfonic acid or sulfuric acid . typically about two equivalents of strong add are added . since the addition of add to the diol - acetonitrile mixture is exothermic , cooling is typically carried out before contacting with strong acid . after from about one to about two hours , excess water equivalents are added . the remaining acetonitrile is removed by distillation or refluxing , to give a ritter solution . the resulting cis -( 1s )- amino -( 2r )- indanol is substantially free of the stereoisomer trans - aminoindanol . typically , resolution is not needed in subsequent steps . the ritter solution then may be subjected to various purification treatments to remove acid contaminants , such as the following : ( a ) reverse ion pair extraction : base is added to neutralize the acid , and then raise the ph to about 12 or higher , to give a basified ritter solution . this basified ritter solution is extracted with any organic solvent having a suitable solubility for cis - aminoindanol ; e . g . methylene chloride , ethyl acetate or 1 - butanol , preferably 1 - butanol . the aqueous layer ( s ) then may be discarded . to the organic layer ( s ) containing cis - aminoindanol is added a suitable acid in excess of cis - aminoindanol equivalents . suitable acids will form a salt complex with cis - aminoindanol and make the cis - aminoindanol more soluble in aqueous solution . such suitable acids include but are not limited to l - tartaric , d - tartaric , meso - tartaric , ascorbic , malonic , citric , formic acids , hcl , preferably l - tartaric acid . the resulting salt in organic solvent is then extracted with an aqueous solution , e . g ., water , to give an aqueous extract . titration of base equivalents into the aqueous extract will give crystallization beginning at about ph 8 - 9 . crystallization is typically complete before titration with base reaches ph of about 11 - 12 . the resulting ( 1s )- amino -( 2r )- indanol is substantially pure . ( b ) cation exchange chromatography : alternatively , the ritter solution may be subjected to cation exchange chromatography to remove acid contaminants . any cation exchange resin is suitable , but ; typically comprises styrene - divinylbenzene resin , with acid groups such as sulfonic acid or carboxylic acid attached thereto . the resin is mixed with the ritter solution , then washed with water or other aqueous solvent to remove unwanted acid . the bound cis - aminoindanol is eluted by the steps of adding base ( to increase ph to keep cis - aminoindanol soluble ), followed by elution with any one of a variety of solvents , e . g . methanol , acetronitrile or thf in water . the basification - elution cycle may be repeated several times to quantitatively elute cis - aminoindanol off the resin . the resulting ( 1s )- amino -( 2r )- indanol is substantially pure . the following examples serve only to illustrate the process of the invention and procedures related thereto . these examples are not to be construed as limitations on the scope of the invention . all chemicals used in the following examples were of reagent grade and were purchased commercially . 1 - indanone ( 100 g , 0 . 757 mol ) was dissolved in 2 - methoxyethanol ( 600 ml ) in a 2 l round bottom flask equipped with a overhead mechanical stirrer . the mixture was cooled over an ice bath , and concentrated aqueous hcl ( 200 ml ) was added . butyl nitrite ( 50 ml , 0 . 428 mol ) was added , and after 1 minute when precipitate began to form , more butyl nitrite ( 50 ml , 0 . 428 mol ) was added . the mixture was stirred for 15 min . more and then poured into ice water ( 8 l ). the solid was filtered on a sintered funnel and rinsed with 8 l water . the solid was dissolved in 2 . 5 l hot methanol , seeded with pure oxime , then allowed to cool to room temperature then over an ice bath . the yellow crystals were collected on a sintered funnel , rinsed with cold methanol , then dried overnight under vacuum to yield 2 - oximino - 1 - indanone ( 92 . 8 g , 76 % yield ). the finely ground oxime ( 80 g , 0 . 496 mol ) was suspended in 35 % formaldehyde solution ( 160 ml ) and concentrated hcl ( 320 ml ) in a 2 l round bottom flask equipped with an overhead mechanical stirrer . the temperature was maintained initially at 15 ° c . with an ice bath , then the bath was removed and the reaction mixture was stirred vigorously for 30 min . the mixture was poured onto 2 l ice , the solid filtered and then rinsed with water . the yellow powder was dried in a vacuum oven to yield 55 . 0 g product , which was recrystallized from ether ( 5 l , 3 crops ) to afford after oven drying pure diketone ( 37 . 3 g , 51 % yield ). the aqueous mother liquor yielded crystals of the oxime ( 9 . 5 g , 12 % recovered starting material ). a frozen suspension of trichosporon cutaneum my 1506 cells stored at − 70 ° c . in 20 % glycerol was thawed at room temperature . a 1 . 5 ml volume of the suspension was used to inoculate a 250 - ml erlenmeyer flask containing 50 ml of sabouraud dextrose broth ( 30 g / l ). the culture was aerobically incubated on an orbital shaker ( 200 rpm ) for 48 h at 25 ° c . a 250 - ml erlenmeyer flask containing 50 ml of sabouraud dextrose broth was inoculated with 1 . 5 ml of the 48 h seed and was aerobically incubated on an orbital shaker ( 200 rpm ) for 24 h at 25 ° c . a 2 - l erlenmeyer flask containing 500 ml of sabouraud dextrose broth was inoculated with 25 ml of the second - stage seed and was aerobically incubated on an orbital shaker ( 200 rpm ) at 25 ° c . after 24 h of cultivation , bioconversion was initiated by adding 10 ml of an ethanol solution containing 0 . 5 g of 1 , 2 - indanedione ( final concentration 1 . 0 g / l ) to the flask . the culture was returned to the same incubation conditions and bioconversion activity was monitored by regular sample collection . the 1 , 2 - indanedione was bioconverted to cis - —( 1s , 2r )- indanediol over a 120 h incubation period , as shown in fig1 . upon the addition of 1 , 2 - indanedione during active cell growth , bioconversion initiated immediately and proceeded linearly for 120 h , with a cis - indanediol production rate of 6 . 66 mg / l / h . hplc analysis indicated that a final cis -( 1s , 2r )- indanediol concentration of 0 . 991 g / l , representing a conversion yield of 99 . 1 %, was achieved . chiral analyses of the cis - —( 1s , 2r )- indanediol product indicated that under these bioconversion conditions , the enantiomeric excess of the cis - —( 1s , 2r )- indanediol was greater than 99 %. scale - up of the bioconversion process was performed in a 23 - l fermentor ( chemap inc ., south plainfield , n . j ., usa ). a volume of 16 - l of sabouraud dextrose broth ( 30 g / l ) and 16 ml of p2000 antifoam ( poly glycol , dow chemical co ., midland , mich ., usa ) were sterilized in situ at 121 ° c . for 25 min . a volume of 750 ml of a 24 - h old second stage seed ( prepared as described in example 2 ) was used to inoculate the bioreactor . the bioreactor was operated at 25 ° c . with an agitation set at a minimum of 400 rpm , an aeration of 6 l of air per minute , and a back pressure of 1 . 0 bar . dissolved oxygen tension was maintained at 30 % of initial saturation by computer controlled ramping of the agitation and by manually increasing the air flow . after 24 h of cultivation and once active growth was completed as indicated by both a quasi complete glucose consumption and by a drop in respiratory activity to about 1 mm / l / h , 16 g of 1 , 2 - indanedione in 320 ml of ethanol was added to the fermentor ( final concentration of 1 . 0 g / l ). see fig2 . upon addition of 1 , 2 - indanedione to the fermentor , the bioconversion initiated immediately and proceeded steadily for about 100 h , with a cis - indanediol production rate of 6 . 80 mg / l / h . over the next 90 hours , the bioconversion rate remained relatively stable , as shown in fig3 . the reactor was operated under the same conditions as described above for the duration of the bioconversion . during this time course there was a transient appearance of an intermediate , which was probably the keto - hydroxy intermediate compound , as indicated by an hplc reverse phase retention time which was similar to that of an authentic standard . hplc analysis showed that a peak cis - ( 1s , 2r )- indanediol titer of 0 . 988 g / l was achieved during this scale up . super critical fluid chromatography analyses of the purified cis -( 1s , 2r ) and trans -( 1s , 2s ) indanediol demonstrated that the enantiomeric excesses during this bioconversion scale up were 99 % and 26 %, respectively . reverse phase assay - a rainin hplc system ( rainin , woburn , mass ., usa ) equipped with a zorbax rx - c8 column ( 4 . 6 mm × 25 cm ) ( mac - mod analytical , chadds ford , pa ., usa ), was employed for the separation of 1 , 2 - indanedione and indanediol . separation was achieved by a 10 - 90 % gradient employing a mobile phase of acetonitrile and acidified water ( 0 . 1 % phosphoric acid ) at a flow rate of 1 ml / min for 30 min . detection was performed at 220 nm . chiral assay - a rainin hplc system ( rainin , woburn , mass ., usa ) was used for this assay . a normal phase chiralpak ad column ( 250 × 4 . 6 mm ) ( chiral technologies ) was employed for the separation of the two cis - indanediol enantiomers using a solvent system comprised of 90 % hexane and 10 % ethanol . the solvent was delivered isocratically at a flow rate of 0 . 9 ml / min and detection was performed at 220 nm . under these conditions , the cis -( 1r , 2s ) indanediol and the cis -( 1s , 2r )- indanediol eluted after 12 . 9 and 14 . 5 min . respectively . a super critical fluid chromatography co 2 system ( gilson , middleton , wis ., usa ) was utilized for the separation of the cis - and trans enantiomers using a solvent system comprised of methanol and carbon dioxide delivered isocratically at a flow rate of 1 . 0 ml / min at 300 bar . detection was achieved at 220 nm . under these conditions , the cis -( 1r , 2s ) indanediol and the cis -( 1s , 2r )- indanediol eluted after 55 . 21 min . and 59 . 59 min ., respectively . the trans -( 1s , 2s ) indanediol and the trans -( 1r , 2r )- indanediol eluted after 113 . 11 min . and 131 . 91 min ., respectively . biomass measurement - biomass determinations were performed on off - line samples by means of dry cell weights using 0 . 22 μm filters ( millipore corporation , bedford , mass ., usa ). glucose measurement — glucose concentrations in the supernatant were analyzed with a glucose analyzer ( mode 2 , beckman instruments ). purification of the cis -( 1s , 2r )- indanediol was achieved utilizing the following procedure : after a test run ( 500 ml aliquot ), the remaining fermentation broth ( 15 . 5 l ) was saturated with 5 . 58 kg nacl and then stirred vigorously with 15 . 5 l ethyl acetate . solka floc filtering aid was added to the mixture , which was filtered through a sintered funnel . the aqueous layer of the filtrate was extracted once with ethyl acetate , and the organic layers were combined and dried over anhydrous mgso 4 . after filtering , the ethyl acetate was removed by rotary evaporation , and the residue was purified by silica gel chromatography ( 30 - 50 % ethyl acetate - hexane ) to afford 8 . 39 g of pure indanediol . once combined with the front run purification , the total yield of cis -( 1s , 2r )- indanediol was 52 %. 0 . 92 g of the more polar trans -( 1s , 2s ) indanediol diastereomer was also recovered from the silica gel column . nmr analysis of the purified products confirmed the authenticity of the cis - and trans - indanediols . nmr analysis of cis -( 1s , 2r )- indanediol was : 1 h - nmr ( dmso - d6 ) δ 7 . 3 ( m , 1h ), 7 . 2 ( m , 3h ), 5 . 02 ( d , j = 6 . 7 hz , 1h ), 4 . 79 ( t , 1h ), 4 . 60 ( d , j = 4 . 6 hz , 1h ), 4 . 27 ( quint , 1h ), 2 . 93 ( dd , j = 5 . 5 , 15 . 8 hz , 1h ), 2 . 77 ( dd , j = 3 . 7 , 15 . 8 hz , 1h ). 13 c - nmr ( dmso - d6 ) δ 144 . 0 , 140 . 6 , 127 . 6 , 126 . 3 , 124 . 8 , 124 . 7 , 75 . 0 , 72 . 9 , 38 . 3 . nmr analysis of the trans -( 1s , 2s )- indanediol was : 1 h - nmr ( dmso - d6 ) δ 7 . 3 ( m , 1h ), 7 . 2 ( m , 3h ), 5 . 41 ( d , j = 6 . 2 hz , 1h ), 5 . 19 ( d , j = 4 . 9 hz , 1h ), 4 . 72 ( t , 1h ), 4 . 10 ( quint , 1h ), 3 . 08 ( dd , j = 7 . 0 , 15 . 5 hz , 1h ), 2 . 61 ( dd , j = 7 . 0 , 15 . 5 hz , 1h ). 13 c - nmr ( dmso - d6 ) δ 144 . 1 , 139 . 4 , 127 . 5 , 126 . 4 , 124 . 5 , 124 . 2 , 80 . 6 , 80 . 0 , 38 . 0 . cis -( 1s , 2r )- indandiol ( 100 g , 0 . 66 mole ) was added to acetonitrile ( 633 ml ) at 25 ° c . then cooled to − 25 to − 30 ° c . a solution of 20 % oleum ( 66 . 2 ml , 1 . 33 mole ) was added , while maintaining the temperature below − 10 ° c . after the addition was completed , the mixture was warmed to 200 ° c ., aged for 1 . 5 h , then water was added ( 1000 ml ). the acetonitrile solvent was distilled until the internal temperature reached approximately 100 ° c . the mixture was aged at this temperature for 4 . 5 h . the solution was concentrated to 100 g of amino - indanol / l . yield of 86 . 7 %, at & gt ; 99 % ee . b . isolation of (-) cis - aminoindanol using reverse ion pairing extractive workup of the ritter solution starting from diol into a 2 liter round - bottom flask equipped with a thermometer and over - head stirrer was placed 548 . 7 g of solution from the ritter ( 50 . 0 g cis - aminoindanol from step a ) and 167 ml of 1 - butanol . the addition of 50 % naoh was started while maintaining temperature below 40 ° c . with a water bath . this addition was continued until the ph was greater than 12 . a total of 103 ml of 50 % naoh was added . the mixture darkened during the addition . the mixture was placed in a separatory funnel , and the layers separated . the aqueous layer was then extracted with 2 × 167 ml 1 - butanol . the three organic layers were combined and extracted with a solution of 60 . 0 g l - tartaric acid ( 1 . 2 mole equivalents ) in 250 ml of water . the layers were separated and the organic layer was further extracted with 3 × 125 ml of water . the combined aqueous layer was then concentrated under vacuum to 220 ml . some solids had begun to precipitate . the concentrate was rinsed into a 500 ml round - bottom flask equipped with a thermometer and over - head stirrer with 30 ml of water . the addition of 50 % naoh was started . during the addition , the temperature was maintained below 45 ° c . with a water batch . the cis - aminoindanol started to crystallize between ph 8 and 9 . the addition was continued until the ph was greater than 12 . a total of 42 ml of 50 % naoh was added . the mixture was slowly cooled to 0 - 5 ° c ., and aged for 2 hours , filtered ( the filtration was slow ) and washed with 150 ml of 0 - 5 ° c . water . dry in a vacuum oven with a nitrogen purge at 45 ° c . for 18 hours . yield of (-) cis - anminoindanol : 45 . 74 g ( 96 . 6 wt %); 2 . 1 % trans - aminoindanol . a 500 ml dowex 50 × 8 ( 100 mesh ) resin column was set up . the column was washed , then back washed with water . the diol ritter solution ( 50 . 0 g cis - aminoindanol in 550 ml product of step a ) was loaded onto the column with a flow rate of 1 . 5 bed volumes per hour . the column was then washed with 600 ml of water . there was less than 1 % breakthrough . at first , the elution was tried using nacl but this was not efficient . a total of 12 . 3 g of cis - aminoindanol was recovered . the column was washed with 500 ml of 20 % mecn in water followed by the elution with naoh below . dissolve 20 . 3 g of 50 % naoh in 250 ml of 20 % mecn in water . pump the solution up flow onto the column . follow with a 100 ml 20 % mecn line rinse . let stand for 1 . 75 hours . start eluting the column with a 1 . 5 - 2 bed volume flow rate . when the solvent reaches the resin bed , elute with 750 ml of 20 % mecn in water . the total cis - aminoindanol eluted was 16 . 7 g . dissolve 11 . 5 g of 50 % naoh in 250 ml of 20 % mecn in water . pump the solution up flow onto the column . follow with a 100 ml 20 % mecn line rinse . let stand for 1 . 75 hours . start eluting the column with a 1 . 5 - 2 bed volume flow rate . when the solvent reaches the resin bed , elute with 750 ml of 20 % mecn in water . the total cis - aminoindanol eluted with 16 . 7 g . dissolve 2 . 7 g of 50 % naoh in 250 ml of 20 % mecn in water . pump the solution onto the column . start eluting the column with a 1 . 5 - 2 bed volume flow rate . when the solvent reaches the resin bed , elute with 500 ml of 20 % mecn in water . the total cis - aminoindanol eluted was 3 . 0 g . the ph of the combined eluents from the first two elutions was adjusted to 2 . 95 with concentrated hcl . the solution was then concentrated to 228 ml under vacuum . this solution was then used in various crystallization experiments . the total recovery of cis - aminoindanol from the nacl and naoh elutions was 48 . 7 g . | 8 |
this invention relates to ceramic articles and methods of making same , which are electric insulators useful for a variety of purposes . however , for illustration purposes , the invention will be described in connection with its use as a separator in a thermal battery . a preferred pcc film separator consists of about 10 / 90 to about 30 / 70 weight ratio of ceramic fiber / mgo coating . fiber diameter preferably is about 10 microns and fiber length preferably is about 1000 microns , a pcc film of the invention comprises or consists of resilient ceramic fibers coated with magnesium oxide and formed into a film of about 3 to 12 mil thickness . the pcc film can accommodate a loading of at least 85 volume % of electrolyte to impart high ionic conductivity . a particularly preferred separator pcc film composition is 56 % al 2 o 3 fiber , 19 % alsio 2 fiber , 25 % mgo coating , by weight . an example of useful fiber blend is 75 / 25 weight % al 2 o 3 / alsio 2 . fiber sources include altra ® al 2 o 3 from rath ( wilmington , del .) and fiberfrax ® alsio 2 from carborundum . the mgo coating material is formed on the ceramic fibers in situ by thermal decomposition of the soluble magnesium salt ( e . g ., a magnesium salt of a carboxylic acid , such as magnesium acetate ; magnesium carbonate ; and the like ). the magnesium salt coats the fibers and then is converted to magnesium oxide , which also binds the ceramic fibers together for flexibility and strength , while leaving an open porous structure with greater than 50 volume % of void space in the film . the pcc films of the invention are particularly useful as separators in thermal batteries , since the films possess durability and flexibility far beyond that of conventional mgo pressed - powder separators . preferably , the mgo coating contributes about 30 % by weight of the film . examples of additional useful fibers include boron nitride ( bn ) and aluminum nitride ( aln ). sio 2 or ceramic / glasses with higher levels of sio 2 have been found to be of insufficient chemical stability for the high li - activity li - alloy electrodes that are generally used in thermal batteries . the use of a precursor that decomposes into a mgo coating in the methods of the present invention further enhances the chemical stability of the resulting film e . g ., when used as a separator in a thermal battery . magnesium acetate is a particularly useful mgo precursor , although any other thermally decomposable magnesium salt ( e . g ., other magnesium carboxylic acid salts , magnesium carbonate , and the like ), which are well known in the art will suffice . in a preferred method embodiment , the ceramic fibers are “ dropped ” onto a fine mesh ( e . g ., a polyester mesh ) at a laydown of about 3 mg / cm 2 to provide an approximately 130 micron thick layer , a series drying and infiltration steps coat the fibers with and connect the interstices of the fiber mat with magnesium oxide . as used herein , the term “ dropping ” and grammatical variations thereof , refers to a technique used in papermaking in which fibers are collected on as fine screen by filtration of an aqueous suspension of fiber . a solution of a soluble magnesium salt ( e . g ., magnesium acetate ) is applied to the fiber mat ( e . g ., as a 0 . 6 g / cm 3 aqueous solution ). magnesium carbonate and magnesium hydroxide are two other non - limiting examples of soluble magnesium salts that could be substituted for magnesium acetate . optionally , a liquid drying agent , such as isopropyl alcohol or the like , can be applied to the mat after the magnesium salt to aid in wetting ceramic fibers and to enhance the drying . drying preferably is performed in a flowing stream of air at about 75 to about 100 ° c . after drying for about 2 hours , the resulting ceramic fiber “ paper ” can be peeled from the fine mesh . a combustible carrier can be used to facilitate the peeling step , if desired . the ceramic fiber paper is sufficiently rigid for good cutting , e . g ., with a die punch , yet it can he handled and has sufficient flexure strength that it doesn &# 39 ; t easily crack and break apart . ceramic fiber paper as thin as 100 microns can be handled in sheets as large as 250 mm diameter without significant breakage . the process is completed by heating the ceramic fiber paper to a temperature sufficient to convert the magnesium salt to mgo ( e . g ., about 600 to 650 ° c .). an exemplary method of preparing a pcc film of the invention has the following steps : ( a ) blending and dispersing fibers with water ( e . g ., in an impeller ); ( b ) introducing the fiber suspension onto a fine mesh ( e . g ., polyester vale ); ( c ) removing water ( e . g ., by filtration or by simple drainage ); ( d ) drip drying the resulting fiber mat ; ( e ) introducing an aqueous magnesium salt solution into the fiber mat to infiltrate the fiber mat with magnesium salt ; ( f ) drying the infiltrated mat in flowing hot air ; ( g ) preferably repeating the infiltration steps ( e ) and ( f ) at least once ; ( h ) peeling the resulting fiber paper from the fine mesh ; ( i ) cutting the paper to a desired size ; and ( j ) heating the cut paper at about 600 - 650 ° c . in air for about 3 to 6 hours to convert the magnesium salt to mgo . non - limiting examples of other methods useful for forming ceramic fibers into as mat for use in producing pcc films of this invention include : 1 . pulling fibers from a fluidized bath containing ceramic fibers onto a belh ( e . g . fine mesh screen or combustible carrier ) e . g ., using a vacuum roller ; 2 . spraying an aqueous suspension of ceramic fibers onto a belt ( e . g . fine mesh screen or combustible carrier ); 3 . slip casting a suspension of ceramic fibers in gelatinous medium onto a belt or other substrate ( e . g . fine mesh screen , a film , or combustible carrier ); and 4 . blowing an air dispersion of ceramic fibers onto a belt ( e . g . fine mesh screen or combustible screen ). slip casting a slurry or suspension onto a substrate such as a pet film is a preferred method for preparing a fiber mat . the present invention provides flexible pcc films at about 3 to 12 mil thickness , which is a significant improvement over the present thinnest limits of 25 mil for cell pressed wafers at 10 mm diameter or larger . because they are also supplied in the form of flexible sheets , the flexible , porous ceramic composite films of the invention offer cost saving options for thermal battery manufacture . the cost of conventional thin - cell thermal batteries is inflated by the poor handling characteristics of the wafer - thin components . a thirty percent parts - loss rate is presently typical . even at the conventional thicknesses , the thermal batteries can benefit from using the pcc films of the present invention as the separator component . the fragility of conventional water pellets has required expensive hand assembly . the durability of the films of this invention ( e . g ., the bendable nature of the films and the ability to pass a “ drop ” test ) permits automated , faster assembly . reduction of human error from the assembly process improves quality control , thereby further increasing the profitability for thin - cell thermal batteries . in addition , the pcc films of the invention can be readily wetted with molten electrolyte salts ( e . g ., alkali metal halide ), exhibit good bending strength , flexibility , small pore - size , low density , and tortuosity , which are highly desirable features or properties for an improved separator in thin - cell , high - power thermal batteries . the structural stability of pcc films in the presence of molten electrolyte salt provides the basis for a significantly improved method for thermal cell manufacture . in this method of thermal battery manufacture , the pcc film acts as a buffer to regulate the amount of molten electrolyte that is applied to a metal - sulfide , particle - bed electrode . use of too much electrolyte undesirably tends to fluidize the particle bed , thus destroying the packing - density and the physical dimensioning of the wafer - thin electrode . the pcc film of the invention can be used in at least three variations of thermal battery cell manufacture , which results provide a pcc film / metal - sulfide electrode laminate . the laminate significantly enhances the handling strength of a separator / electrode combination , and also helps to ensure proper components mating and flatness for stacking the cells . typically , the form of the metal sulfide electrode will dictate the fabrication procedure to be used a conventional metal - sulfide electrode typically is a pressed - powder bed of metal sulfides and an electrolyte salt . the process enables the electrolyte to infiltrate the metal sulfide particle - bed matrices and retain the initial desired particle - bed density of 50 volume %. in the prior art , production of metal sulfide electrode pellets with particle - bed density that approached 50 volume % required high - tonnage hydraulic presses . the salt component of the pellet was compacted between the metal sulfide particles by the elimination of void volume . the present invention infiltrates molten salt in a controlled fashion into a particle - bed , and can achieve the same particle - bed density , 50 volume %, without the high - tonnage hydraulic presses . alternatively , a simple metal sulfide particle bed contained within a cup , or a typecast layer of metal sulfide particles in an expendable hinder matrix can be used to form the electrode , in which case an electrolyte is not needed to form the laminate . the cross - sectional views in fig1 ( a )-( d ) depict the process for making a laminate of a pcc film and a pressed - powder fes 2 electrode bound together by an electrolyte salt . the laminated component 30 enables a thin , large - diameter separator and cathode combination to be assembled into a thermal battery . in fig1 a , the first step involves placing an electrolyte powder 10 onto a conveyor that passes through a tunnel furnace , in an amount necessary to infiltrate the a pcc film . the electrolyte powder can he dispensed by a shoe ( a powder filled hopper ) traveling over a cavity ( not shown ), or as a die - punched piece of tapecasted electrolyte powder . a pcc film 12 is placed onto electrolyte powder 10 . in turn , a pressed - powder fes 2 / electrolyte electrode 16 is placed onto the pcc film 12 . the stacked components then travel through the tunnel furnace at about 550 ° c . for about 2 minutes . as shown in fig1 b , the electrolyte powder 10 melts and infiltrates into pcc film 12 to form a pcc film / electrolyte salt combination 20 . the pressed - powder fes 2 / electrolyte electrode 16 remains on top . the stacked components then travel out of the tunnel furnace , and onto a chilling block 42 ( e . g ., a copper block ) as shown in fig1 c . after cooling to room temperature on block 42 over about 2 minutes , the resulting laminated pcc film / cathode 30 emerges , as shown in fig1 d . the solidified electrolyte salt binds the pcc film and electrode layers for superior handling . the laminated pcc film / cathode 30 is immediately available for assembly of a thermal battery ( e . g ., by stacking with an anode , a heat pellet and a current - collector sheet ). the cross - sectional view of fig2 a - f depict the process for making a laminate of a pcc film along with a fes 2 powder bed ( i . e ., eliminating the use of hydraulic pressing for producing the electrode ). the laminated component 30 enables thin , large diameter separator and cathode combinations to be assembled into a thermal battery . as shown in fig2 a , the process uses a conveyor belt 50 that consists of plates with shallow cups . in fig2 b , the first step involves placing an amount of metal sulfide powder 8 onto a conveyor that moves through a tunnel furnace . the powder can be dispensed by a shoe ( a powder filled hopper ) traveling over a cavity ( not shown ) or as a die punched piece of tapecasted electrode powder . in fig2 c , a pcc film 12 is placed onto the electrode powder 8 . in turn , fig2 d illustrates placing an electrolyte powder 10 onto the pcc film 12 . the amount of electrolyte powder 10 placed onto the pcc film 12 is just enough to infiltrate both the pcc film 12 and the fes 2 powder bed 8 . again , the electrolyte powder can be dispensed by a shoe ( a powder filled hopper ) traveling over a cavity ( not shown ) or as a die punched piece of tapecasted electrolyte powder . the stacked components are then conveyed through the tunnel furnace at about 550 ° c . for about 2 minutes . batch processing in a vacuum oven ( e . g ., at about 550 ° c .) can also be used to melt the electrolyte . as shown in fig2 e , the electrolyte powder 10 melts and infiltrates into pcc film ( forming electrolyte filled film 20 ) and the fes 2 cathode 16 . the resulting combination 30 of pcc film and electrode , bound by electrolyte , is then conveyed out of the tunnel furnace , where after cooling to room temperature over about 2 minutes the laminated pcc film / cathode combination 30 is ejected ( see fig2 f ) by part - ejector 40 ( a push plate ) that is at the bottom of each cup on the conveyor . the solidified electrolyte salt along with the high modulus of rupture ( mor ) of the pcc film of the invention , unitizes the separator ( pcc film ) and electrode layers for superior handling . the laminated pcc film / cathode combination 30 is immediately available for assembly of a thermal battery , as described above . examples of preferred fibers for use in the pcc films of the invention generally have a diameter of about 10 μm ( micrometers ) and a length of about 1 mm . ceramic fibers are generally manufactured to a nominal fiber diameter of between 3 - 4 μm , although a typical range of actual diameters is 0 . 2 - 8 . 0 μm . the following examples are provided to illustrate certain aspects of the present invention and are not to be interpreted as limiting the invention in any way . a pcc film is prepared by using a blender to suspend 3 . 0 grams of ceramic fiber ( composition of 75 / 25 weight % al 2 o 3 / alsio 2 comprising saffil ® al 2 o 3 fibers from ici , and fiberfrax ® alsio 2 from casborundum ) in 0 . 5 liters water . the fiber then is dispersed in 8 liters of water in a papermaking machine and dipped onto a 250 mm diameter fine polyester mesh at a 6 mg / cm 2 loading to provide a 250 micron thick fiber mat layer , which is then drip dried . the mat then is infiltrated at with magnesium acetate ( applied as a 0 . 6 g / ml aqueous solution containing 5 volume % isopropanol ) and dried . the infiltration and dying is repeated at least once to provide a ceramic fiber paper . addition of isopropanol aids in wetting the ceramic fibers and enhances the drying rate . drying is done in flowing air at about 75 - 100 ° c . after drying about 2 hours , the resulting ceramic fiber paper can be peeled from the fine polyester mesh . the pieces of ceramic fiber paper are cut to a desired size using an exacto ® knife and a precision form , such as a 2 . 05 inch diameter form . the cut paper next is processed at 600 - 650 ° c . in air for 3 - 6 hours to convert the magnesium acetate to mgo , forming a porous ceramic composite film of the invention . the film has a 70 / 30 weight ratio of al 2 o 3 fiber - to - alsio 2 fiber . electrolyte is infiltrated into the pcc film by placing a weighed amount of electrolyte powder onto the pcc film , and placing it onto a 500 ° c . hot plate just long enough to melt the electrolyte . the electrolyte - infiltrated piece is then placed onto chill - block ( e . g . a mo plate ) and cooled under a weight to solidify the electrolyte . this electrolyte - filled pcc film can be used as a separator in a thermal battery cell by stacking pressed - pellets of a li — si alloy / electrolyte wafer and a cos 2 / electrolyte wafer on either side of the pcc film to form a test cell . an important specification related to the handling strength of separators for thermal batteries is the modulus of rupture ( mor ) or bending strength before breaking . as the separator is thinned , it becomes easier to break . a three - point break apparatus is used to evaluate mor . the mor is determined by incrementally - loading the three - point fixture ( usually three rods in parallel ) until the specimen snaps . separator mor values are determined from a group of repeated tests . the mor is normalized for varying cross - section . the pcc film surprisingly has an mor of 2 , 000 up to 4 , 500 compared to only about 100 for the conventional pressed - powder mgo / electrolyte salt pellet ( i . e ., the pcc film has at least 20 times greater than that of the mgo powder separator ), as illustrated in fig3 , and this is what is meant by use of the term “ flexible ” regarding the pcc films of the present invention . since the bending moment increases for a larger diameter separator , the mor becomes more critical for larger diameter cells . the pcc films of the invention surprisingly have the same handling strength as a standard pressed - powder mgo separator at only 5 % the thickness of the mgo separator . it is therefore understandable that the cfs at 50 % thickness of the mgo separator thickness has superior handling strength . thus , the pcc film , at 50 % thickness of a standard mgo separator , exhibits far superior handling strength , and also fulfills the targeted power density of the emerging thermal battery market . additionally , the pcc films of this invention , when used as separators in a thermal battery cell , have the chemical and physical properties necessary to meet the goal of high current density at high power for future thermal battery applications ( i . e ., 85 - 95 % open volume for high electrolyte content , and the chemical stability to provide resistance to li corrosion ). unlike pressed - powder mgo separators , full - size 3 . 66 inch diameter pcc film separators pass the “ drop test ”, and display surprising physical flexibility even after electrolyte filling . the pcc films of the invention can reduce cell thickness and weight , allowing for approximately 15 % more cells per unit of height for a thermal battery utilizing pcc film separators compared to a battery using pressed - powder mgo separators . a pcc film is prepared by using a blender to suspend 1 . 5 grams of ceramic fiber ( composition of 75 / 25 weight % al 2 o 3 / alsio 2 comprising altra ® al 2 o 3 fibers from rath , wilmington , del . and z - 90 saz ® p - 15 alsio 2 from k industries , livonia , mich .) in 0 . 5 liters water . the fiber then is dispersed in 8 liters of water in a papermaking machine and dropped onto a 250 mm diameter fine polyester mesh at a 6 mg / cm 2 loading to provide a 250 micron thick fiber mat layer , which is then drip dried . the mat then is infiltrated with magnesium acetate ( applied as a 0 . 6 g / ml aqueous solution containing 5 volume % isopropanol ) and dried . the infiltration and dying is repeated at least once to provide a ceramic fiber paper . addition of 5 volume % isopropanol aids in wetting the ceramic fibers and enhances the drying rate . drying is done in flowing air at about 75 - 100 ° c . after drying about 2 hours , the resulting ceramic fiber paper can be peeled from the fine polyester mesh . the pieces of ceramic fiber paper are cut to a desired size using exacto ® knife and a precision form , such as a 2 . 05 inch diameter form . the cut paper next is processed at 600 - 650 ° c . in air for 3 - 6 hours to convert the magnesium acetate to mgo , forming a porous ceramic composite film of the invention having a 70 / 30 weight ratio of ceramic fiber to mgo . the pcc film has a thickness of less than about 12 mils ( generally 5 - 10 , preferably 4 - 6 mils ), and has far superior handling characteristics compared to a conventional mgo separator . a cut piece of the pcc film is then stacked with a cos 2 / electrolyte pressed - pellet electrode , as shown in fig1 . electrolyte is infiltrated into the pcc film by placing 1 . 28 grams of electrolyte powder ( an equimolar ( i . e ., 1 : 1 : 1 molar ) blend of licl , libr , and kbr ) onto the pcc film , and placing pcc film / electrode stack onto a 500 ° c . hot plate just long enough to melt the electrolyte into the pcc film . the electrolyte - infiltrated pcc film / electrode combination is then placed onto chill - block ( e . g . a mo plate ) and cooled under a weight to solidify the electrolyte , laminate the pcc film to the electrode via the solidified electrolyte . the resulting electrolyte - to - separator weight ratio is about 87 : 13 . this electrolyte - filled pcc film / cos 2 electrode is then stacked with a li — si alloy / electrolyte pressed pellet wafer to form a test cell . the test cell was evaluated under static thermal conditions with 10 second pulses using 0 . 9a / cm 2 current density at 500 ° c ., see fig4 . outstanding performance of greater than 1 . 6 volts for the pulse voltage for the first 75 % of cell capacity showed that pcc films of the invention ( at less than 12 mils thickness ) can meet or exceed the performance of the pressed mgo powder separators of substantially mater thickness . a cut 250 micron thick pcc film as produced in example 1 is positioned onto a cavity that has been filled with fes 2 particles , as shown in fig2 . the cavity is coated with bn to eliminate sticking to the cup . in this procedure , 2 . 3 g of the licl — libr — kbr electrolyte mixture used in example 2 was placed onto the pcc film — this amount of electrolyte is sufficient to infiltrate both the pcc film and electrode fes2 electrode powder . the arrangement of materials is then passed through a 550 ° c . tunnel furnace . after the electrolyte melts and infiltrates the two component layers , the electrolyte - to - separator weight ratio is 87 : 13 and the electrolyte - to - fes 2 cathode weight ratio is 25 : 75 . electrolyte - infiltrated pcc film becomes laminated to the fes 2 / electrolyte pellet via the infiltrated electrolyte salt . a tapecast electrode is comprised of panicles held together in 2 - 5 volume % of a polymer matrix , which is decomposed and removed during thermal processing of the electrode . a pcc film comprising a 80 : 20 weight ratio of al 2 o 3 - to - alsio 2 fiber , as formed in example 2 , is positioned onto a tapecast piece of cathode material ( i . e ., a powder bed of 50 volume % fes and cufes 2 particles in a 7 : 3 molar ratio , respectively ) of the same size and shape and the stack is placed onto a conveyor belt that runs through a tunnel furnace . the conveyor belt is coated with bn to eliminate sticking . about 2 . 3 g of the licl — libr — kbr electrolyte material used in example 2 is placed into the pcc film , which then is passed through the tunnel furnace at a 550 ° c . after the electrolyte melts and infiltrates the two component layers , the electrolyte - to - separator weight ratio is 89 : 11 and the electrolyte - to - cathode weight ratio is 22 : 78 . the electrolyte - infiltrated pcc film is laminated to the cathode / electrolyte pellet via the infiltrating electrolyte . the laminated pcc film / cathode component which possesses superior handling strength compared to conventional mgo - based separator material , is then stacked with li — si alloy / electrolyte pellet to form a thermal battery cell . a 2 . 5 inch diameter , 10 mil thick pcc film of the invention , as prepared in example 2 was tested at a third - party test facility in li — si alloy / cos 2 cells , compared to cells containing a conventional 15 mil thick mgo separator . the tests used 29 amp pulses for 10 seconds every minute ( see fig7 , in which voltage trace 1 is for the conventional mgo - based cell , and trace 2 is for the pcc - based cell of the invention ). in spite of the lower level of electrolyte present in the pcc film - based cell , the pcc cell surprisingly exhibited increased power , with a desirable 33 % decrease in cell impedance for the first half of the cell &# 39 ; s upper plateau capacity . in addition , the cell capacity significantly increased due to the use of the pcc film as a separator , as evidenced by the two additional pulses that were obtained . the lower separator weight in the pcc - based cell also allowed for the use of a lower weight heat pellet . in summary , the pcc film materials of the present invention have the following beneficial properties : mor of salt - loaded parts (& gt ; 2000 psi ); average bulk density without electrolytes ( 0 . 3 g / cm 3 ); typical open volume ( 90 - 95 %); thickness range ( 0 . 003 - 0 . 25 inches ); tensile strength (& gt ; 350 g / in ); and maximum use temperature ( about 1200 ° c .). table 1 illustrates typical values for important characteristics of a pcc film of the invention compared to those of a pressed mgo powder for use as a separator in a thermal battery cell . the pcc films of the present invention are flexible and highly porous , while exhibiting an unexpectedly high mor of 2000 to 4500 psi , making these materials an excellent replacement for conventional mgo separators in thermal battery applications , even at thicknesses of 5 to 10 mils . fig8 shows a scanning electron microscopic ( sem ) image of a pcc film of the invention , which shows the ceramic fibers coated with mgo and the mgo coating connecting the fibers together in a network . the image in fig8 also clearly illustrates the open pore structure of the pcc film , which is formed by the interstices between the interconnected fibers . all references , including publications , patent applications , and patents , cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each reference were individually and specifically indicated to be incorporated by reference and were set forth in its entirety herein . the use of the terms “ a ” and “ an ” and “ the ” and similar referents in the context of describing the invention ( especially in the context of the following claims ) are to be construed to cover both the singular and the plural , unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted by context . the terms “ comprising ,” “ having ,” “ including ,” and “ containing ” are to be construed as open - ended terms ( i . e ., meaning “ including , but not limited to ,”) unless otherwise noted . the term consisting of is to be construed as limiting the scope to specified materials or steps . the term consisting essentially of is to be construed as limiting the scope to specified materials or steps and those that do not affect the basic and novel characteristics of the claimed invention . recitation of ranges of values herein are merely intended to serve as a shorthand method of referring individually to each separate value falling within the range , unless otherwise indicated herein , and each separate value is incorporated into the specification as if it were individually recited herein . recitation of numbers values are to be interpreted as including known suitable margins of measurement error consistent with the technique exemplified as being used to determine the value . all methods described herein can he performed in any suitable order unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context . the use of any and all examples , or exemplary language ( e . g ., “ such as ”) provided herein , is intended merely to better illuminate the invention and does not pose a limitation on the scope of the invention unless otherwise claimed . no language in the specification should be construed as indicating any non - claimed element as essential to the practice of the invention . preferred embodiments of this invention are described herein , including the best mode known to the inventors for carrying out the invention . variations of those preferred embodiments may become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading the foregoing description . the inventors expect skilled artisans to employ such variations as appropriate , and the inventors intend for the invention to be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein . accordingly , this invention includes all modifications and equivalents of the subject matter recited in the claims appended hereto as permitted by applicable law . moreover , any combination of the above - described elements in all possible variations thereof is encompassed by the invention unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context . | 8 |
reference to fig1 reveals a probe assembly 1 comprising a generally l - shaped member 2 comprised of piezoelectric material such as zirconate - lead titanate ( pzt ). in accordance with a preferred embodiment , the l - shaped member was made with a thickness of approximately 20 mils , an overall height of approximately 275 mils and an overall width of approximately 550 mils . the vertical dimension of the tail of the l was approximately 150 mils , the width of the downwardly extending portion was approximately 150 mils , and the lower surface of the downwardly extending portion was inclined at an angle of about 7 ° from the horizontal . however , it should be evident to those skilled in the art , that such dimensions will vary markedly , depending upon the particular equipment with which the tip probe is used , and that other dimensions may be more optimally related to such other equipment . the probe itself is further connected to a probe card or printed circuit board along with a plurality of similar probes for testing the semiconductor slices . a z - axis signal generated by the piezoelectric material is recognized by the sensing circuits of the multiprobe system to indicate that the detector has made contact with the surface of the semiconductor slice allows the multiprobe system to move a chuck support a fixed additional distance in the z - axis direction to insure total data probe contact and proper scrub - in . in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention , the entire l - shaped member is made of piezoelectric material , and advantage is taken of the fact that when the material is normally in a quiescent state it exhibits very high electrical resistance and consequently acts as an excellent insulating mounting member itself on which other coacting portions may be affixed . on l - shaped member 2 , there are disposed three electrical conductors 3 , 4 and 5 . these are preferably deposited layers of suitable materials such as silver or electroless nickel . because of the high resistance qualities of the piezoelectric material , these metalized areas are effectively insulated from each other through the main member 2 . the probe tip 6 is conductively attached to the thin metalized region 5 which lies along the bottom surface of the downward extending portion of member 2 by any suitable means such as soldering . the needle itself is made of any suitable resilient conductive material and is conventional to those skilled in the art . also shown in fig1 is an optional reinforcing region 7 which provides additional support and connective strength between the needle 6 and the main member 2 . this additional connective material may be any suitable substance such as epoxy . as mentioned above , the entire assembly may be coated with a suitable protective coating such as epoxy . further reference to the figures reveals electrical connections 8 , 9 and 10 individually made to the metalized regions 3 , 4 and 5 . connection 10 is made to the conventional circuits of the aforementioned tester which supplies and obtains from the chip electrical quantities that are analyzed by the testing equipment to determine the operability of the integrated circuit . connections 8 and 9 are those which convey the electrical signal developed by the piezoelectric material itself to utilization circuits ( not shown ) which sense the presence of the signal and control travel of the z - axis chuck . further , the probe assembly 1 is connected to the probe card or printed circuit board of the aforementioned test equipment , along with a plurality of similar probes which are used for testing the semiconductor slice and the z - axis signal received by the utilization circuits indicating that the detector probe has made contact with the surface of the semiconductor slice conditions the multiprobe system to move the chuck support a fixed distance in the z - axis thereafter to insure total data probe contact and proper scrub - in . the test needle 6 which contacts the semiconductor slice therefore performs two functions . first of all , through the force that it imparts to the piezoelectric material directly , it results in the development of the aforementioned piezoelectric voltage which is conducted via leads 8 and 9 to the utilization circuits . thereafter , when the chuck has traveled the additional 2 to 5 mils , electrical contact is made by the tip of the needle with an appropriate location on an underlying integrated circuit and electrical quantities are conducted thereto and therefrom via the needle itself , metalization 5 and electrical conductor 10 . in accordance with the invention herein , voltages in the range of approximately 350 milivolts have been produced at output terminals 8 and 9 in response to contact of the probe tip with a semiconductor wafer . as will be recognized by those skilled in the art , such voltage is amply sufficient to permit detection thereof and utilization in conventional circuits . an alternative structure is depicted in fig3 . there it will be observed that there is included an additional metalization 11 which occurs on both sides of the member 2 in corresponding locations . in embodiments where vertical geometries are exceedingly small and where , accordingly , there might be come capacitive or other coupling between the voltages existing or imparted to metalization 5 and those developed in the principal piezoelectric detecting metalizations 3 and 4 , the guard layers 11 may be advantageously employed . when grounded , guard layers 11 tend to reduce or eliminate any coupling of electrical potentials between the aforementioned portions . it will now be evident to those skilled in the art , that although the description hereof illustrates the invention in specific embodiments , other materials and dimensions could readily be employed without departing from the scope and spirit thereof . for example , layers 3 and 4 might be both positioned on the same , rather than opposite , sides of the main member 2 . the words and expressions employed are intended as words of description and not of limitation , and there is no intention in the use thereof of excluding any equivalents , but on the contrary , it is intended to include any and all equivalents , adaptations and modifications that may be employed without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . | 8 |
the above and other novel features and effects of the present invention will be described hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings . it is to be noted that the drawings are referred to only for illustrative purposes and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention . referring to fig1 to 5 , a configuration of a focused ion beam apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described . first , referring to fig1 , an optical system of the focused ion beam apparatus according to the first embodiment will be described . fig1 is a schematic diagram explaining the optical system of the focused ion beam apparatus according to the first embodiment . the reason that high throughput processing can be realized by selecting opening diameters of apertures and lens operating conditions to be used at a step of positioning a sample to be processed , a step for rough processing , a step for intermediate processing , and a step for finishing processing , respectively in an ion - beam microfabrication processing method will be described . namely , the reason that there are optimum combinations of aperture diameters and lens operating conditions , depending on purposes of use of an ion beam will be described . fig1 shows a state in which an ion beam is produced by an ion beam irradiation apparatus . a beam spot on a sample 10 resulting from an ion beam 9 is formed by a method of projecting an image of an ion source 1 onto the sample 10 using an optical system configured to include a condenser lens 2 and an objective lens 8 . if a focusing magnification of the optical system is lower , then smaller image 20 of the ion source 1 is projected onto the sample 10 and a smaller beam spot is formed on the sample 10 . a thin ion beam for a small beam spot is suited for the step of positioning the sample 10 to be processed . on the other hand , it is necessary to use a higher - current beam so as to improve throughput for processing . due to this , an aperture 3 having a large diameter is used . however , if the diameter of the aperture 3 is larger , then a diameter of the ion beam increases due to lens aberration , and a widened beam spot 21 is formed on the sample 10 . however , a magnitude of the ion source image 20 projected onto the sample 10 remains unchanged . in the state shown in fig1 , a magnitude of the beam sport on the sample 10 depends on the lens aberration . according to the principle of the brightness conservation law of the optical system , if the focusing magnification is higher , a higher - current beam can be obtained . according to the principle , if the current amount is increased by using a larger - diameter aperture , the diameter of the ion beam is already increased by the aberration . due to this , even if the image of the ion source 1 is projected so that the projected image has a magnitude close to that of image 22 shown in fig1 at a slightly higher focusing magnification , a higher beam current should be obtained without need to greatly increase the beam diameter . if the focusing magnification is set further higher , the current amount increases , accordingly . in this case , the ion source image is excessively large relative to the aberration , with the result that the diameter of the beam spot on the sample 10 becomes excessively large . an ion beam which generates a relatively small beam spot diameter and the current of which is high is a thin ion beam having a high current density . such an ion beam is formed at an focusing magnification so that a balance is kept between the spread of the ion beam 9 by the aberration and the magnitude of the ion image . this optimum focusing magnification can be calculated based on the magnitude of the aperture and that of the ion source . further , if the optimum focusing magnification is determined , the lens operating conditions ( a voltage applied to the lenses or an excitation current therefor ) necessary to form an ion beam at the optimum magnification can be obtained by calculation . to produce an ion beam having a further large current amount , a further larger - diameter aperture is employed . in this case , the aberration becomes greater . accordingly , an optimum magnification for the optical system to this aperture is further increased . namely , the ion beam processing apparatus has an optimum combination of aperture diameter and focusing magnification for the positioning processing , the rough processing , the intermediate processing , and the finishing processing , respectively . by performing operations using the respective combinations , it is possible to process the sample 10 efficiently . namely , it is possible to perform the positioning processing with high accuracy using a thinner beam and to process the sample 10 using a beam having a high current density with a high throughput . in fig1 , reference numeral 13 denotes a baffle between the ion gun and the lens . referring next to fig2 , a configuration of the focused ion beam apparatus according to the first embodiment will be described . fig2 shows an example in which the focused ion beam apparatus is applied to an ion beam processing apparatus . fig2 is a partial cross - sectional perspective view showing the configuration of the focused ion beam apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention . the ion beam 9 irradiated from the ion source 1 is influenced by a weak focusing function of the condenser lens 2 and is irradiated on an aperture device 3 . the aperture device 3 includes four apertures at diameters of , for example , 5 μm , 40 μm , 300 μm , and 650 μm , respectively , and is moved sideways by an aperture moving device . therefore , a preferable aperture can be located on a central axis of the focused ion beam apparatus . the ion beam 9 passed through the aperture of the aperture device 3 enters the objective lens 8 via an aligner / stigma 4 , a blanker 5 , a blanking plate 6 , and a beam scanner 7 . the ion beam 9 is thinned by the objective lens 8 and irradiated onto the sample 10 mounted on a sample stage 11 . an ion beam irradiation position on the sample 10 is controlled by the beam scanner 7 . a signal generated by irradiation of the ion beam 9 on the sample 10 is detected by a detector 12 and synchronized with an operation signal transmitted from the beam scanner 7 , thereby displaying an image on a screen . the magnitude of the ion beam 9 obtained by each of the apertures of the aperture device 3 is controlled so that the beam 9 has a highest current density for each aperture . if the aperture having the diameter of 5 μm is employed , the ion beam 9 having a beam current of 1 pa and a beam diameter of 6 nmφ is obtained . if the aperture having the diameter of 40 μm is employed , the beam 9 having a beam current of 0 . 2 μa and a beam diameter of 30 nmφ is obtained . if the aperture having the diameter of 300 μm is employed , the beam 9 having a beam current of 20 na , a beam diameter of 0 . 25 μm , and a current density of 60 a / cm 2 is obtained . if the aperture having the diameter of 520 μm is employed , the beam 9 having a beam current of 60 na , a beam diameter of 1 μm , and a current density of 7 . 6 a / cm 2 is obtained . referring to fig2 , the positional relation among the constituent elements of the focused ion beam apparatus will be described . to form an ion beam of a high current density , it is necessary to arrange the extraction condenser lens 2 as close to the ion source 1 as possible . further , if the beam restricted by one of the apertures of the aperture device 3 is not deflected , deflection aberration has great effect on the beam . due to this , the aperture ( objective aperture ) of the aperture device 3 is arranged in front of a deflector . the objective lens 8 needs to be disposed away from the ion source 1 so as to get a high resolution , and an image reduction ratio needs to be set higher . the blanking plate ( faraday cup ) 6 needs to be arranged downstream of the blanker 5 ( hereinafter , an ion source side and a sample side will be referred to as “ upstream ” and “ downstream ”, respectively in the positional relation ) and downstream of the apertures of the aperture device 3 so as to measure the current of the ion beam used for processing . in this positional relation , a column valve is arranged between the apertures of the aperture device 3 and the objective lens 8 so as to keep degrees of vacuum of the respective constituent elements . in fig2 , the column valve is disposed just upstream of the blanking plate ( faraday cup ) 6 . in the focused ion beam apparatus , it is not necessary to always irradiate the sample 10 with the ion beam 9 during the observation of processing but necessary to cut off the beam 9 appropriately while no processing is performed . unless the beam 9 is cut off , the sample 10 is always irradiated on the beam 9 to excessively process the sample 10 . due to this , the beam 9 is deflected by the blanker 5 and captured by the blanking plate 6 . referring to fig3 a and 3b , a configuration of the column valve employed in the focused ion beam apparatus according to the first embodiment will be described . fig3 a and 3b are cross - sectional views of relevant parts showing the configuration of the column valve employed in the focused ion beam apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention . in fig3 a and 3b , the same reference numerals as those shown in fig1 denote the same constituent elements . a baffle 23 is arranged between an ion gun and a sample chamber . a column valve 14 is provided near the baffle 23 . as shown in fig3 a , in a state in which the column valve 14 is opened , the ion beam 9 is introduced into the sample chamber through an opening formed in the baffle 13 to perform a microfabrication processing on the sample . after finishing the processing on the sample , the column valve 14 is closed if needed as shown in fig3 b . the column valve 14 is a valve for evacuation . in a state in which the column valve 14 is closed , even if the sample chamber is in an atmospheric pressure environment , the ion gun can be kept to have a degree of vacuum of about 10 − 6 pa . when the column valve 14 is closed , the column valve 14 produces a vacuum in the form of blocking a passage of the ion beam 9 . therefore , if the column valve 14 is closed , then the beam 9 is irradiated onto the column valve 14 and sputtering particles and secondary electrons 15 are generated during emission of the ion beam 9 . the sputtering particles and secondary electrons 15 collide against a surface wall of a vacuum container in which the column valve 14 is disposed . further , absorbable molecules such as hydrocarbons on the surface wall are decomposed , solidified , and deposited on the surface wall , thereby generating contaminants on the surface wall . such contaminants accelerate a beam drift , with the result that a processing position is misaligned and the beam cannot be narrowed . besides , even in the state in which the column valve 14 is closed , the beam 9 is irradiated onto one of the apertures of the aperture device 3 . as a result , the aperture is subjected to sputtering to be consumed , and a replacement cycle of the aperture is shortened . to avoid the disadvantages , a method of turning off a high - voltage power supply in conjunction with an operation for closing the column valve 14 may be considered . with the method , it takes long time to restart the high - voltage power supply to deteriorate user - friendliness of the apparatus . in the first embodiment , the ion beam 9 is cut off without turning off the high - voltage power supply when the column valve 14 is closed . when the column valve 14 is opened , the beam 9 is irradiated as long as the high - voltage power supply is turned on . in this way , the ion beam 9 is cut off without turning off the high - voltage power supply , whereby the contaminants can be reduced . further , if the ion beam 9 changes from an emission - off state to an emission - on state , it is possible to return the ion beam 9 to an original emission state with high reproducibility . referring to fig4 and 5 , a system configuration of the focused ion beam apparatus according to the first embodiment will be described . fig4 is the system block diagram of the focused ion beam apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention . fig5 is a graph showing a control operation performed by the focused ion beam apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention . in fig4 , the same reference numerals as those shown in fig1 to 3 denote the same constituent elements . as shown in fig4 , an extraction electrode 17 extracting emission of the ion beam 9 from the ion source 1 , a control electrode 16 controlling the emission of the ion beam 9 to be constant , and a condenser electrode 19 are provided at the ion source 1 . the aperture 3 that restricts the ion beam 9 and the column valve 14 arranged on the baffle 14 are provided downstream of the ion source 1 . power is supplied from an extraction power supply ve to the extraction electrode 17 extracting the emission of the ion beam 9 from the ion source 1 . power is supplied from a control electrode power supply vs to the control electrode 16 controlling the emission of the ion beam 9 to be constant . moreover , a power supply va accelerating the emission of the ion beam 9 and a control power supply vc supplying power to the condenser electrode 19 are provided . a high - voltage power supply controller 181 controls the high - voltage power supplies vs , ve , va , and vc . a column valve controller 182 controls the column valve 14 to be opened or closed . a main controller 18 controls entirety of the focused ion beam apparatus including the high - voltage power supply controller 181 and the column valve controller 182 . the column valve controller 182 controls the column valve 14 to be closed based on a command to close the column valve 14 from the controller 18 . when the column valve 14 is closed , the controller 18 outputs a command to set the emission to 0 μa to the high - voltage power supply controller 181 . the high - voltage power supply controller 181 lowers a voltage of the extraction power supply ve to thereby cut off the ion beam 9 without turning off the high - voltage power supply . referring now to fig5 , ie / ve characteristic ( emission current change characteristic relative to voltage change ) will be described as an index of emission characteristic of a liquid metal ion source ( lmis ). the ie / ve characteristic of a ga lmis is typically about 0 . 1 μa / v ( ie / ve ≅ 0 . 1 μa / v ). accordingly , if the extraction voltage ( about 8 kv ) is changed in a range between − 50 v and 50 v , the emission changes in a range between − 5 μa and 5 μa . the emission current is assumed to be 2 . 4 μa when the extraction voltage is a . in this case , if the extraction voltage is lowered by 50 v , the emission becomes 0 μa and the ion beam is cut off . if the ion beam is to be irradiated , the extraction voltage is raised by 50 v , whereby the emission current becomes 2 . 4 μa as before cutting off the beam . the ga lmis has no change in the ie / ve characteristic while a ga surface thereof is not contaminated by oxidation , secondary electron irradiation or the like while the emission of the ion beam is stopped . the degree of vacuum of the ion gun is about 10 − 6 pa , and the sputtering particles and secondary electrons are not generated in a non - emission state . due to this , if the extraction voltage is returned to an original extraction voltage , the ion beam turns into an original emission state with high reproducibility . it is thereby possible to smoothly change the state from a dormant state to an execution state without waiting time for returning the ion beam to its original emission state , even in a case of turning on the high - voltage power supply after turning it off . it is to be noted , however , that a control voltage of ± 50 v changes according to the configuration of the lmis and that of the power supply for extracting the emission of the ion beam from the lmis . for example , it is assumed that the extraction power supply includes a resistance r of 300 mω as a bias resistance r . if the emission current ie is 3 . 2 μa at an extraction voltage vext of 8 kv , the extraction voltage ve actually applied to the lmis is vext − r × ie = 7 . 04 kv ( ve = vext − r × ie = 7 . 04 kv ). in this case , if the extraction voltage is lowered by 1 kv to set the emission to 0 , the extraction voltage ve is 7 kv ( ve = 7 kv ). therefore , an actual change in the extraction voltage is 40 v . in this sense , apparent control voltage depends on the apparatus to be used . whether the ion beam 9 is kept to be irradiated or cut off after finishing the processing can be selected on a control screen . if the apparatus is not used for a while after finishing the processing , “ close column valve ” is selected on the control screen . if the apparatus is used soon after finishing the processing , “ close column valve ” is not selected . if “ cut off beam ” is selected , the column valve 14 is closed after finishing the processing . in conjunction with the closure of the column valve 14 , the emission of the ion beam 9 from the ion source 1 is controlled . moreover , a constant voltage ( e . g ., + 50 v ) may be applied to the emission extraction - related electrode ( the extraction electrode or the emission control electrode ) to lower the extraction voltage and to set the emission to 0 μa . it is thereby possible to suppress an irradiation amount of the ion beam accumulated in the aperture , to return the extraction voltage to the original extraction voltage when the ion beam is necessary to irradiate to return the beam into the original state , and to prolong the service life of the aperture . if the service life of the aperture is concerned , the emission can be set to 0 μa without regard to conjunction with the column valve 14 . as stated so far , according to the first embodiment , the voltage of the extraction power supply ve is lowered in conjunction with the closure of the column valve 14 , and the ion beam can be cut off without turning off the high - voltage power supply . it is thereby possible to suppress the irradiation amount of the ion beam accumulated in the aperture and to prolong the service life of the aperture . referring to fig6 , a system configuration of a focused ion beam apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described . an optical system of the focused ion beam apparatus according to the second embodiment is the same as that shown in fig1 . a configuration of the focused ion beam apparatus according to the second embodiment is the same as that shown in fig2 . further , a configuration of a column valve employed in the focused ion beam apparatus according to the second embodiment is the same as that shown in fig3 . fig6 is a system block diagram of the focused ion beam apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention . in fig6 , the same reference numerals as those shown in fig5 denote the same constituent elements . the focused ion beam apparatus according to the second embodiment is configured to include a bias power supply vb and switching means sw in addition to the constituent elements shown in fig4 . the bias power supply vb is a power supply that supplies a constant voltage of , for example , − 50 v . a high - voltage power supply controller 181 a controls the switching means sw to switch over between connection of the bias power supply vb to the extraction power supply ve in series and disconnection of the bias power supply vb from the extraction power supply ve . if a column valve controller 182 controls the column valve 14 to be closed based on a command to close the column valve 14 output from the controller 18 , the controller 18 outputs a command to set the emission to 0 μa to the high - voltage power supply controller 181 a . the high - voltage power supply controller 181 a controls the switching means sw to connect the bias power supply vb to the extraction power supply ve in series to lower the voltage of the extraction power supply ve and to set the emission to 0 μa . the ion beam 9 is thereby cut off without turning off the high - voltage power supply . when the column valve 14 is opened , the high - voltage power supply controller 181 a controls the switching means sw to disconnect the bias power supply vb from the extraction power supply ve , thereby making it possible to apply an original extraction voltage to the extraction electrode 17 . it is , therefore , possible to accurately return the ion beam 9 to the original emission state . the bias voltage supplied from the bias power supply vb is set to a voltage of about − 50 v relative to an emission start voltage ( a threshold voltage of about 8 kv ) of the lmis . the bias power supply is floated on the extraction power supply ve to superimpose the bias voltage on the extraction voltage without basically changing an acceleration voltage and the extraction voltage . the resultant voltage is applied to the extraction electrode 17 , thus controlling the extraction voltage . while the bias voltage is set to a rated voltage of − 50 v , the bias voltage may be variably controlled . however , the ga lmis has no change in ie / ve characteristic as long as the ga surface is not contaminated by oxidation , secondary electron irradiation or the like while the emission of the ion beam 9 is stopped . the degree of vacuum of the ion gun is about 10 − 6 pa , and the secondary electrons are not generated in a non - emission state with the bias voltage applied to the extraction electrode 17 . due to this , if the bias voltage is set to 0 , the ion beam 9 turns into the original emission state with high reproducibility . for the reason , the bias voltage may be basically set to the rated bias voltage . according to the second embodiment , the bias voltage is applied to the extraction voltage of the extraction power supply ve in conjunction with the closure of the column valve , and the ion beam 9 can be cut off without turning off the high - voltage power supply . it is thereby possible to suppress the irradiation amount of the ion beam 9 accumulated in the aperture and to prolong the service life of the aperture . further , it is possible to accurately return the ion beam 9 to the original emission state by not applying the bias voltage . referring to fig4 , a system configuration of a focused ion beam apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described . an optical system of the focused ion beam apparatus according to the third embodiment is the same as that shown in fig1 . a configuration of the focused ion beam apparatus according to the third embodiment is the same as that shown in fig2 . further , a configuration of a column valve employed in the focused ion beam apparatus according to the third embodiment is the same as that shown in fig3 . in the first embodiment shown in fig4 , the beam is cut off without turning off the high - voltage power supply by lowering the extraction voltage ve to set the emission to 0 μa . in the third embodiment , by contrast , the high - voltage power supply controller 181 lowers the control voltage vs to set the emission to 0 μa , thereby cutting off the beam without turning off the high - voltage power supply . at this time , as described with reference to fig6 , the bias voltage from the bias power supply may be superimposed on the control voltage vs . according to the third embodiment , the ion beam 9 can be cut off without turning off the high - voltage power supply . therefore , it is possible to suppress the irradiation amount of the ion beam accumulated in the aperture and to prolong the service life of the aperture . referring to fig4 , a system configuration of a focused ion beam apparatus according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described . an optical system of the focused ion beam apparatus according to the fourth embodiment is the same as that shown in fig1 . a configuration of the focused ion beam apparatus according to the fourth embodiment is the same as that shown in fig2 . further , a configuration of a column valve employed in the focused ion beam apparatus according to the fourth embodiment is the same as that shown in fig3 . in the embodiment shown in fig4 , the ion beam 9 is cut off without turning off the high - voltage power supply by lowering the extraction voltage ve to set the emission to 0 μa . in the fourth embodiment , by contrast , the high - voltage power supply controller 181 lowers the condenser voltage vc . by lowering the condenser voltage vc , the diameter of the ion beam 9 widens and the irradiation amount of the ion beam 9 per unit area of the aperture is reduced . the service life of the aperture can be , therefore , prolonged . at this time , as described with reference to fig6 , the bias voltage from the bias power supply may be superimposed on the condenser voltage vc . according to the fourth embodiment , it is possible to suppress the irradiation amount of the ion beam 9 accumulated in the aperture and to prolong the service life of the aperture . | 7 |
the automated sprayer of the invention is generally referred to in the figures by reference number 20 . with particular reference to fig1 - 2 b , the sprayer 20 includes as main components a bottle 22 , a housing 24 with an adjustable hanger 26 , a pump 28 , a drive mechanism 30 , a spray head 32 and a control circuit 34 . the sprayer is typically suspended via the hanger from a shower spout or the like and then activated via a button 35 at the front of the sprayer to rotate a spray head and pump cleanser from the bottle out of the spray head during a spray cycle of a prescribed time period , after which dispensing is automatically terminated . the exterior of the sprayer is defined by the housing 24 , which can be molded from , for example , plastic by any suitable technique and consists primarily of two pieces , a receptacle 36 and a hanger tower 38 that easily snaps into a pocket in the receptacle . this allows the sprayer to be shipped and stored in a compact package with minimal assembly by the consumer . the hanger tower 38 is an upright member defining a cavity in which the elongated body of the hanger 26 fits through an opening 40 at its upper end . the upper end of the hanger tower 38 has two oval openings 42 vertically spaced apart . a deflectable tab 44 formed in the lower end of the hanger can snap into one of the openings to lock the hanger at either of two extended positions . the hanger is extended and locked in the lower opening by simply pulling it away from the hanger tower . in this position , the sprayer 30 will hang from standard shower spouts at an appropriate height for spraying down the shower walls . the height can be adjusted by depressing the tab inwardly and sliding the hanger up or down . the hanger itself has two ears 46 at its upper end for mounting a rubber strap 48 . the ears can be tapered to ease connection of the strap , which can have a series of holes at one end for adjustment purposes so that the strap fits tightly around a shower spout or the like . the back side of the hanger tower is closed by a back plate 50 . the hanger tower connects to the receptacle at its lower end , which fits into a pocket 52 and has two latches 54 ( one shown ) that snap into two slots in the back of the receptacle . the receptacle defines an upwardly opening bottle tray 56 above a compartment 58 ( see fig4 ) containing the pump and drive mechanism which is closed at the bottom by a cover 60 . the cover has a circular skirted opening 62 for the spray head and a wall standoff 64 extending backward the distance of the pocket to brace the lower end of the receptacle against the wall and keep it plumb . the back side of the receptacle defines a battery compartment 66 with a lid 68 and the front side has an oval switch opening 70 for the control button 35 . the tray 56 is formed to mate with a specially contoured upper end of the bottle . the bottle and tray are generally oval and have mating seating surfaces 72 and 74 and sloped shoulders 76 and 78 with complementary v - shaped features 80 and 82 , respectively . these features and the contour of the shoulders fix the orientation of the bottle in the tray and make conventional cleanser bottles incompatible with proper operation of the sprayer . referring next to fig9 - 12 , the tray defines a circular well 84 at the center of the seating surface 74 accommodating a special cap 86 screwed onto the mouth of the bottle . the well is formed with a shoulder portion 88 , a vent nipple 90 and a recess 92 with a discharge nipple 94 . the well supports a valve plate 96 ( see fig2 a ) fastened thereto by two screws 97 ( see fig3 ). the valve plate has a piercing post 98 projecting up from the valve plate . the post has a slanted top end defining a sharp point and defines a vent passageway 100 and three radial ribs 102 . the vent passageway extends into a recess 104 at the underside of the valve plate accommodating a small o - ring 106 surrounding the vent passageway and the opening in the vent nipple 94 . the valve plate also defines a valve recess 108 with a discharge passageway 110 through which a valve stem 112 extends . the upper end of the valve stem has a cross - shaped plunger 114 that is biased away from the well by a coil spring 116 fit into the valve recess . the lower end of the valve stem mounts a disc - shaped rubber gasket 118 retained by an enlarged end 120 of the valve stem . as shown in fig1 , the plunger is biased upward by the spring so that the gasket seals against the underside of the valve plate so as to close off the discharge orifice when the sprayer is not being used . the valve plate also defines arcuate stand - offs 124 spaced in slightly from its periphery . the valve plate and the well are designed to cooperate with the specially designed bottle cap ( described below ) to discourage use of unaffiliated cleanser and thereby promote proper operation of the sprayer . referring next to fig8 - 11 , the cap is generally circular with a serrated periphery 126 and a tapered sealing flange ( or web ) 128 that seals against the tray well above its shoulder . the top of the cap has an outer surface 130 with a recessed thinned area 132 at its center around which is a raised ring surface 134 extending to a plane spaced from surface 130 . the thinned area 132 is located so that as the bottle is seated in the tray the piercing post will puncture the cap in this area to permit discharge of the cleanser and venting of the bottle . the raised ring is located to contact the plunger of the valve and push the valve downward to unseat the gasket from the plate and open the discharge orifice . the flat surface 130 of the cap rests on the stand - offs 124 to space the punctured area from the floor of the well . this arrangement thus provides a no - mess means of opening and inserting the bottle , but also further inhibits uses of improper cleanser containers . it does this for several reasons . first , if a conventional bottle and cap were inserted into the tray , the piercing post would not puncture a conventional cap lacking the weakened area . even if the cap was removed so that the mouth was opened , the sprayer still would not operate because the valve is located radially inward of the place where a conventional thin - walled bottle mouth would normally extend so that the valve would not be opened . another feature that serves this purpose is the conforming sloping of the bottle shape and receiving well . a bottle not having a complementary shape would not be received sufficiently low to activate the outlet valve . also , while the cap has conventional internal threads 136 at its upper end that mate with threads 138 on the mouth of the bottle , and it also has a ring of one - way ratchet teeth 140 that engage corresponding ratchet teeth 142 on the bottle ( see fig1 ). the ratchets allow the cap to be turned in a tightening direction but resist untightening rotation to prevent non - destructive removal of the cap and thus refilling of the bottle . fig2 b - 6 show the pump , controller , and drive mechanism contained inside the receptacle compartment beneath the bottle tray . these components will now be described working from the bottle - tray interface to the spray head . a short vent tube 144 couples to the vent nipple 146 defining the vent orifice in the tray well . a small check valve 148 fits into the end of the vent tube . the check valve is normally closed so that cleanser does not leak out via that path . the valve opens by negative pressure that develops as cleanser is withdrawn from the bottle . the opened check valve aspirates the air to the bottle to allow the cleanser to flow from the bottle in a consistent manner , without introducing air in a manner that would cause foaming or gurgling . the check valve remains open until the pressure in the bottle has equalized sufficiently to alleviate the negative pressure and then it closes . from the discharge nipple defining the discharge orifice of the tray well a first tube 152 of a dispenser line 154 extends to an inlet barb 156 of the pump 28 , which snaps into a support 158 mounted to the underside of the bottle tray . the pump can be any conventional pump , such as a diaphragm pump , a piston pump , a peristaltic pump , or even a gear pump as shown . the inlet defines a passageway leading between intermeshing drive gear 160 and idler gear 162 ( see fig2 c ). the drive gear is connected to an upper shaft 164 ( surrounded by o - ring 165 ) of a direct current motor 166 mounted through an opening in a gear plate 167 mounted to the lower cover of the receptacle . operation of the motor rotates the drive gear which meshes with and turns the idler gear as conventional to draw cleanser from the bottle and through to an outlet barb 168 . a second tube 170 connects the outlet barb to a filter 172 . the filter accumulates cleanser within its housing and aids in priming the pump . a short tube 174 of the dispenser line connects the filter 172 to another check valve 176 which is connected by another short tube 178 continuing a spring 179 for support to an inlet barb 180 of a shaft junction 182 . referring to fig2 b and 5 , the stationary portion of the junction 182 is a chamber formed in part by the gear plate at a circular wall 184 having an inner shoulder 185 and covered at one end by a cap 186 . the cap includes the inlet barb 180 and a raised annular ring 188 extending downwardly within the circular wall to press an o - ring 190 against the shoulder . the o - ring seals against the upper end of a rotating spray head drive shaft 192 , which forms the rotating portion of the function . the drive shaft is an inverted y - shaped structure with a cylindrical stem 194 defining a passageway 196 and a forked end 198 extending down through an opening in the receptacle cover and defining a gap 200 accommodating a spray nozzle 202 . the forked end has lateral mounting posts 204 onto which snaps a dome - shaped cover 206 concealing the spray nozzle 202 . the spray nozzle is preferably a fluidic oscillator providing oscillating spray ( in this case up and down ), however , any other suitable nozzle could be used . see e . g . u . s . pat . no . 4 , 562 , 867 which shows examples of known fluidic oscillators . such a fluid oscillator can be any suitably sized oscillator including a housing 208 with an inlet 210 and an outlet 212 on opposite sides . a barrier member ( not shown ) in the interior of the housing defines a passage between the inlet and the outlet so that cleanser entering the inlet passes through and around the barrier member to the outlet . the fluidic oscillator operates , as known in the art , by creating areas of low pressure at alternate sides of the passage through the barrier member to convert the straight flow entering the housing to an oscillating pattern . the nozzle is coupled to an outlet barb 214 extending from the stem by another tube 216 . the nozzle is mounted so that its outlet end extends through the opening in the cover pointed downwardly at approximately a 30 degree angle . a drive gear 220 is press fit onto the stem of the drive shaft and meshes with a first reducer gear 222 which is rotated by another smaller diameter reducer gear 224 driven by a pinion 226 at the end of lower motor shaft 228 . the gear train couples to the motor to the spray head at a reduced revolution per minute rate than the motor shaft . this arrangement provides a revolving , oscillating spray pattern . also mounted to the support within the receptacle compartment is the control circuitry 34 which is electrically coupled to a direct current power supply via battery terminals 230 ( see fig2 a and 7 ) in the battery compartment and to the push - button switch 35 , which is mounted through the opening 70 in the front of the receptacle through a lighted watertight , flexible membrane 232 . the circuitry includes timing circuitry 234 and a speaker 236 that functions as described below . the electrical arrangement as well as the dispensing line and bottle venting flow paths are shown in fig7 and the sprayer is operated as follows . when a bottle is loaded into the sprayer ( that is , the bottle is inverted and set into the receptacle tray ), the thinned area of the bottle cap is punctured by the piercing post , the cap sealing flange seals against the tray well and the annular ring contacts and depresses the plunger of the discharge valve to open the valve . cleanser pours out of the bottle between and around the ribs of the piercing post and is replaced by an equal volume of air through the vent tube . because air is lighter than the cleanser , it is displaced to the top of the bottle where it is trapped . cleanser pours out of the bottle and drains through the valve plate and into the dispenser line , through the pump , past the filter until it reaches valve 176 . until the sprayer is operated , the sprayer remains in this state of equilibrium in which no cleanser flows from the bottle . when a user wishes to spray the enclosure walls with cleanser , he or she simply depresses the switch at the front of the sprayer . this signals timing circuitry to begin a countdown delaying spraying for a predetermined time , such as 20 seconds . this affords the user time to exit the shower enclosure and close the doors or curtains . it also may provide the user time to abort the spray cycle by depressing the switch a second time . initially depressing the switch may also send a pulsed tone to the speaker and flashes the lighted ring around the switch for warning the user of the impending operation of the sprayer . unless cancelled by the user , the spray cycle begins automatically at the expiration of the countdown . the motor is then energized which simultaneously rotates the drive gear of the pump and turns the gear train to rotate the drive shaft and the spray head . at the same time , the pump draws cleanser from the bottle through the dispenser line and opens valve 176 so that cleanser can flow through the junction and be expelled through the nozzle as the spray head is rotated , thereby providing a circular , oscillating spray pattern . this reduces the level of cleanser in the bottle , creating a negative pressure in the bottle , which opens the check valve in the vent tube to aspirate the bottle and allow more cleanser to be drawn from the bottle during the spray cycle . the motor continues to be energized until the expiration of a second countdown performed by the timing circuit , preferably another 20 second interval , automatically initiated by the timer . at that point the motor is deenergized which shuts down the pump causing valve 176 to close . closing the valve prevents cleanser from leaking out of the dispenser line and also keeps the cleanser in the line upstream from the valve so that the pump remains primed . the sprayer thus returns to standby mode without further intervention from the user , ready for another spray cycle at the demand of the user . the invention thus provides a device for automatically cleaning a bath and shower enclosure . a simple touch of a button initiates a spray cycle that terminates automatically on completion . consumers do not need to spend time spraying the shower themselves , and there is less risk of exposure to the cleaning solution . all that is required to replenish the cleanser is simply to remove the old bottle , turn a new bottle upside down , and load it into the tray . the sprayer automatically meters out the proper volume of cleanser for the spray cycle . the volume can be easily altered for different sized enclosures by increasing or decreasing the duration of the spray cycle . moreover , the sprayer does not tie into the water supply lines . this makes the device easy to install in existing shower and tub enclosures at any suitable location in the enclosure . it can also be removably mounted without damaging the walls . it should also be noted that the inventive aspects of the invention could be used to dispense a cleaning or disinfecting solution in applications other than a tub / shower surround . in this regard , u . s . pat . no . 4 , 183 , 105 depicts how one type of automated cleansing equipment could be installed to clean the bowl . the inventors envision an embodiment of their invention designed to mount to the underside of a toilet bowl cover with the supply cleaning fluid being delivered from a reservoir near the tank , and the chemical being sprayed in the bowl . such a structure should be considered to be an “ enclosure ” for purposes of this application . preferred embodiments of the invention have been described in considerable detail above . many modifications and variations to the preferred embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art , which will be within the spirit and scope of the invention . for example , hybrids of the disclosed embodiments could be practiced and the electronic timer , motor and user notification system could be replaced by corresponding mechanical ( wind - up ) systems known in the art . therefore , the invention should not be limited to the described embodiments . to ascertain the full scope of the invention , reference should be made to the following claims . the invention provides a sprayer for automatically spraying the walls of bath and shower enclosures and the like . | 1 |
referring now to fig1 a cluster of containers , such as bottles 10 , each have a label 12 extending approximately one - third of the way around its peripheral surface . the bottles 10 are shown positioned with a desired mutual orientation such that the labels of the two center bottles are pointing orthogonally from the side of the bottle cluster , and the labels of the end bottles are pointing at roughly 45 ° with respect to the cluster . this provides a high degree of product identification from the label information alone , whether the cluster be viewed from the end or the side , which facilitates marketing of the cluster of bottles in clear plastic wrap without any further product identification on the wrapper . however , in the embodiment of the invention described hereinafter , the ultimate positions of the labels is virtually immaterial , since each bottle is stopped at a point determined by a settable delay which defines the amount of rotation to be imparted to the bottle after the label edge is sensed . therefore , the end bottles may all be oriented with their labels pointing orthogonal to the ends of the cluster so as to permit viewing of the bottle label information when the cluster is packaged in an open - end cardboard wrap . similarly , the inherent nature of the invention makes it useful to accommodate virtually any bottle orientation configuration . further , although six bottles are described with respect to fig1 as representative of but one well - known cluster arrangement , the six - pack , the invention can readily handle two - packs , four - packs , eight - packs and the like . in fact , the embodiment of the invention described hereinafter is arranged to handle four six - packs at one time , thus providing a high production rate with but a single , relatively simple apparatus . referring now to fig2 bottles 10 are illuminated by simple light sources 14 as they are advanced along a path in a packaging machine by conveyors 16 . at some point along the path , an assembly 18 , carrying 24 spinners 20 attached by clutches 21 to vacuum pick - ups 22 , is lowered over the bottles so that the bottles may be raised just enough to provide clearance from the conveyor , so that with the clutches engaged , the spinners can rotate the bottles . at this point , the bottles are spaced in clusters of six in preparation for being wrapped in six - packs . however , the relative , rotative orientation with respect to each other is completely random . the apparatus 16 - 22 is of any suitable type well shown in the package handling art , forms no part of the present invention , and therefore is not described further herein . there are 24 optical sensing stations 26 consisting of lenses , feeding optical fiber bundles 28 , and if necessary , mirrors for altering the direction of light , which focus on points on the periphery of the bottle , across which the surface area of the bottle ( and ultimately of the label on each bottle ) will pass as the bottles are rotated by the spinners 20 . preferably , the optical stations 26 are mounted on the assembly 18 as are the light 14 , so that the assembly 18 may engage bottles and move forwardly with them along the conveyor a sufficient time to properly orient all of the bottles , after which it raises so as to disengage from those bottles , returns rapidly along the conveyor to a subsequent grouping of bottles and engages them , and again follows the bottles along the conveyor for a period of time sufficient to properly orient all of them . however , this depends upon the particular mechanical arrangements for handling the bottles , and forms no part of the invention ; it suffices that each of the 24 optical sensing stations 26 be responsive to light of the sources 14 reflecting from the bottles 10 as they are rotated so that the positions of the labels may be detected . in the present embodiment , the leading edge of the label , in the direction of the spinning of the bottle , is taken as the point of detection of the presence of the label ; therefore , in this embodiment the label edge is detected by a solid string of dark indications followed by a solid string of light indications . this implies , in part , a dark bottle having a light label thereon ; but it is also achievable , in part , by arrangement of the light with respect to the optical sensing station 26 , such that specular reflection ( mirror - light reflection ) of the light from the bottles is directed away from the optical stations 26 , whereas diffuse reflection ( which is minimal at the bottle surface and large at the rough label surface ) has significant components directed toward the optical stations 26 . as is described in a commonly owned copending application entitled optical apparatus for sensing clustered package orientation , ser . no . 645 , 590 , filed on even date herewith by j . m . gordon , this selective reflection characteristic may be achieved by locating the light sources above the label with the optical sensing stations 26 located more or less on the same vertical plane as the point being sensed on the labels , such that specular reflection is downward , below the optical sensing stations 26 , whereas the diffuse reflection ( having significant horizontal components ) will present significant light to the optical sensing stations 26 . the output of the vidicon camera is , in the usual fashion , a time varying signal of video during each of many horizontal scans contained within each frame or vertical scan . in the present embodiment , there are 240 active horizontal scans ( in addition to blanked lines ) for each frame in a non - interlaced raster which is controlled by digital clock signals provided by the timing and control circuitry 32 of fig4 which also controls the processor 34 ( as is described more fully with respect to fig3 and 4 hereinafter ) and the demultiplex delay and driver circuitry 36 of fig6 which in turn controls deactivation of the clutches 21 to permit the bottles to stop in a desired relationship to the sensing of the label edge . if desired , and particularly for purposes of initial alignment of the system , a video display 38 may be provided ; although it should be understood that the video display 38 performs no function ( other than initial alignment ) having anything to do with the bottle orientation of the present invention . the vidicon camera output is supplied on a line 40 to the processor ( as is described more fully hereinafter ), and is also supplied to a video summing junction 42 which also receives a video signal from a switch 44 which may selectively be closed so as to apply a cursor signal on a line 46 , which is generated in the timing and control circuitry 32 as is described more fully with respect to fig5 hereinafter . with the switch 44 closed , the cursor signal will generate a partial grid work , illustrated by the solid line 48 in the video display 38 , which permits mutual alignment of the optical fiber bundles 28 with the field of view of the vidicon camera 30 such that the spots 50 of lightness presented by the optical fiber bundles 28 will be more or less centered within the boxes defined by the cursor display 48 . naturally , the video display 38 is controlled in a fashion similar to the control of the vidicon camera by digital clocking signals which control its horizontal and vertical synchronization and unblanking , provided by the timing and control circuitry 32 of fig4 as is described more fully hereinafter . referring to the illustrations set forth on the video display 38 in fig2 the vidicon camera 30 scans from left to right across substantially its entire field of view . each scan is subdivided ( for convenience , as is explained hereinafter ) into 130 horizontal clock signals , of which 109 ( 0 - 108 ) represent the unblanked , active portion of the scan , although only 96 of these horizontal clock signals ( 0 - 95 ) actually represent the horizontal window within which the processor is responsive to the output of the vidicon camera ; the remainder ( above 108 ) being blanked time , at which the horizontal sweep is restored to the left side as viewed in fig2 . similarly , vertical clock signals , produced by the timing and control circuitry 32 of fig4 in response to the horizontal clock signals , causes vertical sweep to be unblanked for 240 vertical clock signals ( each of which contain the 130 horizontal clock signals ) the remainder of the vertical sweep ( 20 vertical clock signals ) being blanked time in which the vertical sweep is restored to the top of the field of view ( as viewed in fig2 ). as is shown in the illustration of the video display 38 , the digital clock signals subdivide the active portion of the vidicon camera field of view into twenty - four squares , each aligned to contain the image 50 of one of the 24 optical fiber bundles 28 which , in turn , is responsive to one of the twenty - four optical sensing stations 26 . thus each of the squares in the display corresponds to one of the bottles . however , it is not necessary that any one or any group of the squares be particularly related to any one or a group of the bottles ( such as four - packs of six bottles each ) since any bottle can be assigned to any of the 24 processing channels , the relationship between the bottle and the channel simply being that it has suitable delay from label edge detection to the desired stopping position of the bottle , which delay can readily be provided for any bottle as is described with respect to fig6 hereinafter . for purposes of illustration herein , the horizontal lines which compose one frame during a single vertical sweep are clustered in three groups of 64 and one group of 48 , and identified as rows 1 through 4 . thus row 1 contains lines 0 - 63 , and so forth . each row , and the entire frame , are also subdivided by horizontal timing bits into six columns of elements ( elements herein referring to the resolution of the processor as it responds to the continuous video presented on the line 40 by the vidicon camera 30 ). that is , during each of the horizontal clock times ( 0 - 95 ) for each horizontal scan of the vidicon camera 30 , there are 96 samplings of the vidicon camera video on the line 40 . these samplings are referred to as elements 0 - 95 , such that : column 1 consists of elements 0 - 15 ; column 2 consists of elements 16 - 31 ; and column 6 consists of elements 80 - 95 . the columns and their constituent elements and the rows and their constituent lines are used to identify signals which occur at commensurate times in response to the digital clocking signals . thus a signal identified as &# 34 ; first element &# 34 ; occurs at times commensurate with horizontal clock signals 0 , 16 , 32 , 48 , 64 , 80 and 96 . similarly , a signal identified as &# 34 ; last lines &# 34 ; means the last line in each of four rows generated by vertical clock signals 63 , 127 , 191 and 239 ; similarly &# 34 ; first lines &# 34 ; consists of vertical clock signals 64 , 128 , 192 and 240 . the general operation of the system is illustrated in the timing diagram of fig7 . synchronization between the conveyor 16 ( fig2 ) and the electronic processing circuitry of the present invention is achieved by means of a machine reset signal on a line 54 as shown in illustration ( a ) of fig7 . when the assembly 18 clears a current set of bottles , and is restored upstream along the conveyor so that it may engage another set of bottles 10 , it provides the machine reset signal on the line 54 . although many functions continue to operate in the processing circuitry of the present invention , nothing meaningful occurs as is described more fully with respect to fig3 and 4 hereinafter . because of the fact that the basic frame rate of the present embodiment is based upon the vertical scan rate and therefore on the vertical synchronization signal generated for the vidicon camera ( illustration ( b )) of fig7 which occurs approximately at 60 hz 16 . 7 milliseconds , and the time for restoring the assembly 18 may be on the order of several seconds , there are many vertical synchronization signals generated defining many vidicon camera frames during the machine reset signal on the line 54 . as the machine reset signal appears on the line 54 , the random access memory of the system is preset as shown in illustration ( d ) of fig7 . with the occurrence of the second vertical synchronization following the appearance of the machine reset signal on line 54 , a system reset signal is generated as shown in illustration ( c ) of fig7 which in turn ends the presetting of the random access memory . although the digital clock continues to run in the electronic processing apparatus , nothing happens therein until the end of the machine reset signal on line 54 ( illustration ( a ) of fig7 ); then , the very next vertical synchronization signal ( illustration ( b )) causes the end of the system reset ( illustration ( c )) at which time system operation begins . since the bottles may be in any position when the system reset signal ends , there is no way of telling how long ( how many electronic frames , determined by vertical synchronization signals ) it will take before all the bottles have their label edges sensed and their stop signals generated ; but it must take at least eight frames to acquire a sufficient history on any bottle since an 8bit pattern is utilized in the present embodiment . in any event , depending upon the arbitrary rotation of the bottle at the time the bottle is picked up and its ultimate desired position , the sensing of the label edges and generating of the stop signals occurs on a random and arbitrary basis . in the present embodiment , there is sufficient time in the movement of the bottles along the conveyor with the assembly 18 engaging them , to ensure that all bottles will rotate sufficiently ( up to a one and a half full revolutions ) to be sensed and stopped in the proper position . when the conveyor has advanced to the position at which the assembly 18 disengages from the bottles , a new machine reset signal ( illustration ( a ) of fig7 ) will be generated causing resetting of the random access memory ( illustration ( b )) and generation of the system reset ( illustration 8c )). once the assembly 18 has engaged a new set of bottles , the spinning , sensing and stopping will again be repeated . referring now to fig3 a first element signal ( illustration ( g ), fig8 ) on line 56 is generated during horizontal clock signals 0 , 16 , 32 , etc . ( as seen in fig2 and shown in illustration ( e ) of fig8 ) and presets an element counter 58 in response to switches 60 which connect suitable voltage of a source 62 to the preset inputs of the counter in a known fashion to control the count required in the counter 58 before it will generate its terminal count signal on a line 64 . with the timing involved in the embodiment shown herein , as few as two or three light spots may be seen by the vidicon camera as the result of each of the bundles of optical fibers . therefore , the counter 58 may comprise a 4 - bit open - ended binary counter preset to a count of 2 ; or it may be a 4 - bit binary counter preset to a count of 14 . as the vidicon continuously generates video , it is presented on the line 40 to a threshold detector 64 which will present a signal on its output line 66 only during periods of time in which the magnitude of the video signal on the line 40 is in excess of a threshold magnitude which is taken to be the cutoff point between black and white or dark and bright . the voltage on the line 66 is sampled by a d - type flip flop 68 in response to a master clock signal ( illustration ( p ), fig8 ) on a line 70 , which establishes the basic element resolution and bit - rate in the system . that is , it is the master clock that determines the manner in which the horizontal sweeps are broken up into individual elements ( 0 - 95 ) as shown in the video display 38 of fig2 . thus it is , that the threshold detected video is synchronized to the electronics of the system by the d - type flip flop 68 . the output of the flip flop is supplied on a line 71 to an enable input of an element counter 58 such that whenever the counter is enabled , the next master clock signal on the line 70 will advance the counter 58 by one count . if the particular column of the row being scanned in fact has a bright spot in it , then a terminal count will be achieved on the line 64 which is applied to one enable input of each of six counters 72 - 74 , the other enable input of which is connected to a respective column select line 76 - 77 such that only the one of counters 72 - 74 related to a particular column now being scanned by the vidicon camera will be enabled . if the enable signal is present on the line 64 , then the master clock signal on the line 70 will advance the count of the selected one of the counters 72 - 74 by one count . in a fashion similar to the counter 58 , each of the counters 72 - 74 is preset in response to a last lines signal on a line 86 by switches 84 connected to the source 62 so as to control the number of counts which must be received by the counter 72 - 74 in order for them to count through their terminal count and return to zero . as an example , as the horizontal scanning proceeds across all of the columns , successive lines at a time , until all the lines of the row ( and therefore all the scanning relating to the six bottles associated with the row ) have been scanned , brightness may appear in any one of the images 50 in about 10 lines . therefore , on the order of ten count in any one of the counters 71 - 74 should have caused it to advance to a terminal count and be reset to zero ( the counters 71 - 74 being closed - ring ). thus , the counters may comprise 16 - bit counters which are initially preset to a count of 6 or 7 . when any of the counters 72 - 74 have advanced from its terminal count to zero , it provides a negative transition at a corresponding output line 92 - 94 which is used at the clock input of a related d - type flip flop 96 - 98 , the d inputs of which are always enabled by connection to a suitable source of voltage 99 . the d - type flip flops are reset at the start of each row of squares ( fig2 ) by a first lines signal on a line 100 which is generated in response to vertical count 0 , 64 , 128 and so forth . the output of the d - type flip flops are supplied to an addressable multiplexer 102 which is responsive to three column count signals on a plurality of lines 104 to address the multiplexer 102 in a fashion such that each of the d - type flip flops is connected through to the output line 106 of the multiplexer 102 within the corresponding column during the last line of the current row . summarizing the upper portion of fig3 as the vidicon camera sweeps horizontallly across successively lower vertical lines , it sweeps across the vidicon camera field of view areas allocated to six bottles in each horizontal sweep , for 64 ( 48in the last row ) horizontal sweeps until completion of a row and , therefore , completion of sweeping of the areas of all six bottles . in each horizontal sweep , the threshold detector 64 and element counter 58 determine whether enough occurrences of brightness have been sensed to designate that horizontal scan through the area of the related bottle as bright or dark ; if determined to be bright , it is stored in a line counter relating to that column ; after all scans of a row ( relating to the six bottles ), each of the six line counters 72 - 74 either have or have not sensed enough bright elements , presented thereto by the element counter 58 for the related bottle , to consider that bottle to have lightness . if it has , an overflow of the counter has clocked the related d - type flip flop so as to buffer the fact of lightness in one of the d - type flip flops 96 - 98 . during last lines ( lines 63 , 127 . . . 239 ), a first cycle signal is generated once for each of the six columns , which provides the sampling rate for storing a group of bits , one for each bottle . the signal is presented on a line 108 to an or circuit 110 to provide a write enable signal on a line 112 , which enables a random access memory ( ram ) 114 to write a data bit into a bit position thereof designated by the address presented on a plurality of address lines 116 from an address counter 118 . the storable input to the ram 114 is presented on the line 120 from an or circuit 122 , which at this time is responsive to the output of the multiplexer on the line 106 . in other words , the multiplexer will present , during last lines , the manifestation of lightness ( when the same has been lodged in one of the d - type flip flops 96 - 98 ) to an addressed position in the ram 114 . as is described more fully hereinafter , operation of the ram and subsequent processing apparatus ( that is , other than that in the upper portion of fig3 and some of the counting circuits in fig4 and 5 ) is responsive to a cycle which divides each of the columns into eight portions ( rather than the 16 elements utilized in the upper portion of fig3 ). these eight portions correspond to eight complete cycles of operation ( eight frames of vertical scanning of the vidicon camera ), including the current cycle and seven previous cycles , so that after the bottles have been monitored for some time , a history of 8 bits , consisting of 4 dark bits ( which may for instance be binary zeros ) followed by 4 light bits ( which may for instance by binary ones ), will identify the edge of the label , as described hereinbefore . the cycle clock that generates the first cycle signal on the line 108 also presents seven more cycle clock signals on a line 124 for each column , for a total of 48 cycle clock signals spread across all six columns during the last lines ( lines 63 , 127 , etc .). the cycle clock signals on the line 124 advances the memory address counter 118 once for each cycle clock signal . thus , during the first cycle related to each column , the content of the d - type flip flop 96 - 98 related thereto will be stored in an address in the ram , and is also available during the second half of that same cycle , at the output 126 thereof , for presentation to an exclusive or circuit 128 , the other input to which on a line 130 is provided by an 8bit shift register 132 which is similary advanced by the cycle clock signals on the line 124 . as indicated , the shift register 132 is connected for closed - ring operation so that the content thereof continues to move therethrough in a caterpillar fashion , closing on itself from the end to the beginning every eighth cycle . the shift register is preset in response to a vertical synchronization signal on a line 134 in response to a plurality of switches 136 connected to a suitable source 138 so as to present a pattern 00011110 thereto at the beginning of each frame . because the shift register 132 is closed - ring operated , this pattern will continuously present itself every eight cycles . in response to the initial cycle clock signal on the line 124 , which coincides with the first cycle signal on the line 108 , the ram address counter 118 and the shift register 132 will both be advanced ; due to the delays inherent in the circuitry which generates the first cycle signal on the line 108 , it will not quite occur until after the edge of the cycle clock signal on the line 124 which advances the ram address counter 118 and the shift register 132 . therefore , as the first bit is written into ram 114 in response to the write enable signal on the line 112 , the ram address counter will have already incremented by one , and the shift register will have advanced by one so that it then has stored therein a pattern of 00001111 ; in the second half of the cycle , the bit which has just been stored in the ram is compared in the exclusive or circuit 128 with the bit which is now in the last stage of the shift register 132 . if they are alike , nothing happens ; but if they are different , this will enable the j input of a jk flip flop 140 so that the very next one of the cycle clock signals on the line 124 will cause the flip flop to become set , so that the not q output on a line 142 will disappear . the jk flip flop 140 is assured to be in the reset condition ( with a signal at its not q output 142 ) at the start of each column of each of the last lines by applying the write enable signal on the line 112 to a reset input thereof . thus , if there is a difference between the bit output of the ram 114 ( the history ) and the bit output of the shift register 132 ( the desired pattern ), the flip flop 140 will become set , thereby blocking the input on the line 142 to an and circuit 146 so that a stop signal on the line 148 cannot be generated in response to an eight cycle signal on a line 150 . on the other hand , if the bits on the line 126 and 130 are alike , then the exclusive or circuit 128 will have no output so that the j input to the flip flop 140 will not be enabled , and since the k input of the flip flop 140 is maintained enabled by voltage from a suitable source 52 . the clocking of the flip flop 140 causes it to remain with the not q output on the line 142 present , so that a stop signal can be generated . however , the sampling in the eighth cycle by the line 150 is only after a set of eight brightness - indicating bits relating to one bottle have been read from ram 114 and compared to the entire content of the shift register 132 . this is in response to advancing of the count in the ram address counter 118 by the cycle clock signals on the line 124 , so that just after the first bit is written into ram 114 from the multiplexer 102 , the ram address counter continues to advance and therefore reads out the next higher - addressed seven bits of ram 114 onto the line 126 , in sequence , for comparison with successive ones of the shift register outputs , which are advanced at the same time . sampling takes place only after 8 bits have been read from ram ( the first one being the bit which has just been read into ram ) for comparison with the shift register , after which the eighth cycle signal on the line 150 will sample the condition of the flip flop 140 at the and circuit 146 . if eight slignals have been read out which compare exactly with the content of the shift register , the exclusive or circuit 128 will not have presented the signal to the flip flop 140 so that it will have remained in the reset state , and the signal on the line 142 will be present during the eighth cycle . this will permit the and circuit 146 to generate the stop signal on the line 148 to indicate that the bottle should be stopped . in any other case ( which of course is the more prevalent case , since all cycles in all of the frames previous thereto would have mismatches ; it is only upon the condition of the label edge having been sensed four cycles earlier that the patterns can match ), the exclusive or circuit will provide an output to the j input of the flip flop 140 causing it to become set , which remains until the start of the next column during the same last line ( e . g ., column 2 of line 63 ). completion of the entire last line ( for instance , line 63 in fig2 ) ends the operation of the ram , the shift register and the flip flop 140 , since the cycle clock will no longer operate for the nest sixty - three lines ; during this period of time , sampling of the optical patterns in the vidicon camera by the apparatus in the upper portion of the fig3 resumes , to determine lightness or darkness for each of the columns in row 2 . the electronic clock circuitry which provides timing and control for the present embodiment consists essentially of a digital clock and decoding circuitry related thereto as shown in fig4 and 5 . in fig4 the basic timing of the entire system is derived from a 2 . 0475 mhz oscillator 160 , which provides the master clock signals on the line 70 . in addition , signals are applied to a 4 bit counter 162 which comprises the low order half of the horizontal counter 164 , and the terminal count of which is operatively connected by a line 165 to a 4 bit counter 166 which comprises a high order half of the horizontal counter 164 . the terminal count of the counter 162 appears for each 16 elements , and therefore represents the last element of each column ( see fig2 ). it is delayed by one master clock in a d - type flip flop 167 to provide the first element signal on the line 56 . the individual outputs of the horizontal counter 164 ( h0 - h6 ) are utilized to generate signals for controlling the operation as described hereinbefore . specifically , the columns ( illustration ( h ), fig8 ) are defined simply by the high order signals ( h4 - h6 ) which comprise the column count signals on the line 104 and are presented to a binary encoder 168 to generate the column signals on the line 76 - 78 . in addition , the presence of the lowest order and highest order bits ( h0 , h7 ) are sensed in an and circuit 170 to recognize a count of 129 and present a signal on a line 172 which resets both of the counter portions 162 , 166 to all zeros . this provides a counter of modulo 130 ( having counts 0 - 129 ), which is found in the present embodiment to be convenient to provide a sufficient horizontal window ( horizontal count 0 - 95 ) for scanning the vidicon camera with the desired resolution , which additionally provide the necessary control functions between each horizontal sweep . the high order horizontal bit signals on the lines 104 are applied together withe the low order horizontal bit signals on a trunk four lines 174 to a binary decode circuit 176 which generates three different signals in response to the count represented by the horizontal counter 164 . for instance , there is generated a horizontal window signal ( illustration ( i ), fig8 ) on a line 178 throughout horizontal counts 0 - 95 ; a horizontal unblank signal ( illustration ( j ), fig8 ) on a line 180 throughout counts 0 - 108 ; and a horizontal synchronization signal ( illustration ( k ), fig8 ) on a line 182 during horizontal counts 108 - 121 . the horizontal window ( as is seen in fig2 ) simply defines the portion of each horizontal line in which the electronic system is responsive to the scanning of the vidicon camera 30 . the horizontal unblank signal on the line 180 is applied to the vidicon camera 30 and to the video display 38 ( if one is used ) to control the horizontal sweep thereof , as is the horizontal synchronization signal on the line 182 which , however , is also used to operate a vertical counter 184 ( fig4 ). the vertical counter 184 comprises a nine bit binary counter which is advanced once for each horizontal synchronization signal on the line 182 ; the output of its individual stages ( v0 - v8 ) on a trunk of nine lines 186 are applied to a binary decode circuit 188 so as to generate various vertical control signals as described hereinafter . the lowest order , the second lowest order , and the highest order stages ( v0 , v1 and v8 ) of the binary counter 185 are monitored by an and circuit 190 so as to generate a signal on a line 192 whenever a count of 259 is sensed by the and circuit 190 in order to reset the counter 185 to all zeros . this provides operation modulo 260 ( 0 - 259 ) which is found to be convenient to provide the desired vertical sweep with the digital subdivision of frames as described herein . the binary decode circuit provides vertical unblanking for all of the 240 lines by generating a vertical unblank signal on a line 194 during vertical counts 0 - 240 . it also generates the first line signals on the line 100 during vertical counts 64 , 128 , 192 and 240 . on lines 196 - 199 , the binary decode 188 respectively generates article row signals 1 - 4 during vertical counts 63 , 127 , 191 and 239 , all of which are presented to an or circuit 200 along with the vertical synchronization signal on the line 134 ( generated during vertical counts 240 - 250 ), so as to generally provide the last lines signal on the line 86 during each of the last lines of each row as well as during the vertical synchronization at the end of the frame . the vertical synchronization signal ( illustration ( b ), fig7 ) on the line 134 is supplied to the clock input of a d - type flip flop 202 , the d input of which is connected to the machine reset signal ( illustration ( a ), fig7 ) on the line 54 , so that the machine reset signal will be set into the d - type flip flop 202 in response to the first vertical synchronization signal on the line 134 following the appearance of the machine reset signal on the line 154 . the output of the d - type flip flop 202 is applied to the j input of a jk flip flop 204 which is also clocked by the vertical synchronization signal on the line 134 . thus , once the flip flop 202 is set , the next vertical synch signal will clock it into the jk flip flop 204 so that it will generate the system reset signal ( illustration ( c ), fig7 ) on a line 206 two vertical synchs following the appearance of the machine reset signal on the line 54 . when the machine reset signal disappears from the line 54 , an inverter 208 provides a signal to the j input of the jk flip flop 204 so that the next vertical synch signal on the line 34 will toggle the jk flip flop 204 since it has signals at both the j and k inputs thereof . this will cause the system reset signal on the line 206 to disappear one vertical synch signal following the disappearance of the machine reset signal on the line 54 . an and circuit 210 is responsive to the absence of system reset , since it is connected to the not q output of the jk flip flop 204 , and to the presence of the machine reset signal on the line 54 to generate a reset ram signal ( illustration ( d ), fig7 ) on a line 212 at the very beginning of each machine reset signal on the line 54 . this is applied in fig3 to the two or circuits 110 , 122 to cause an all ones condition to be applied to the input line 120 of the ram 114 while concurrently generating the write enable signal on the line 112 so that the ram is preloaded with ones at the beginning of each reset period . in fig5 cycle clock signals ( illustration ( o ), fig8 ) are generated to control cycles which repetitively compare the histories stored in ram and the current bright / dark conditions of each of the bottles to the desired pattern . specifically , the master clock signal on the line 70 is utilized at the clock input of a d - type flip flop 214 , the d input of which is provided by an and circuit 216 in response to concurrent presence of the h0 signal on a line 174a , which represents the low order bit of the horizontal counter , concurrently with the presence of the last lines signal on the line 86 and the horizontal window signal on the line 178 . this means that the d - type flip flop 214 is turned on with the negative edge of the master clock ( half way through the master clock signal ) during the active vertical portion of each of the last lines ( lines 63 , 127 and so forth ), once for every other master clock signal ( due to the h0 input ). this generates the cycle clock signal on the line 124 at half the rate of the master clock and one half master clock delayed therefrom . the cycle clock , as described hereinbefore , therefore divides each of the last lines ( lines 63 , 127 , 192 and 239 ) into 48 cycle clock periods . the cycle clock signals on the line 124 are applied to a 3 bit cycle counter 218 which delineates , by its terminal count on the line 220 , the eighth cycle relating to each column , and since it is applied to an and circuit 222 , the other input of which is the complement of the cycle clock signal as presented by an inverter 223 , generates the eighth cycle signal ( illustration ( n ), fig8 ) on the line 150 only during the last half of the last cycle per bottle . the output of the cycle counter 218 is also applied on a trunk of three lines 219 to a binary decoder 24 which decodes the first of the eight cycles to present the first cycle signal on the line 108 . the terminal count on the line 220 is also applied to the d input of a d - type flip flop 226 , the clock input of which is connected to the cycle clock signal on the line 124 , to provide a signal on a line 228 one cycle clock signal following the eighth cycle for each column ; this is used to enable a modulo six counter 230 which is advanced in response to the cycle counter is order to generate article columns signals on a trunk of three lines 232 to identify the six different bottles in a row , in order to demultiplex the stop signals generated in fig3 for operation of the clutches 21 ( fig2 ), in a manner described hereinafter . the low order and the next to high order outputs ( bits 0 and 3 ) are provided to an and circuit 234 , the output of which on the line 236 designates a count of five which is passed through an or circuit 238 to reset the modulo six counter 230 to zeros , whereby the modulo six counter 230 can comprise 4 bit binary counter while counting modulus six . the counter is also reset to zero during the presence of the system reset signal on the line 206 . at the top of fig5 the cursor signal on the line 46 is developed by an or circuit 239a in response to the first element signal on line 56 , or in response to an and circuit 239b for each of the horizontal window portion of each of the last lines . this provides the cursor 48 on the display 38 ( if one is used ) and can be used to assist in aligning the fiber bundles 28 with the vidicon camera 30 . if fig6 the article columns signals on the lines 232 are applied to the address inputs of four , 8 - bit addressable latches 240 - 243 . these may be simple bistable devices arranged in clusters of eight , the inputs thereto being steered by binary logic in response to the address inputs , or they may comprise 8 - bit addressable latches which are obtainable in integrated circuit form from a number of suppliers . the latches 240 - 243 are all reset between cycles by the machine reset signal on the line 54 . thereafter , any given latch can be set whenever it is addressed and a shift appears in the signal on a related line 243 - 246 , concurrently . these signals are generated by respective and circuits 250 - 253 in dependence upon the selective presence of the article row signals on the lines 196 - 199 concurrently with the presence of the stop signal on the line 148 ( indicating that some bottle has been determined to soon be stoppable ) and the eighth cycle signal on the line 150 ( which designates the last half of the eighth cycle for each bottle ) during the last lines , as is described with respect to fig5 hereinbefore . thus , during the last lines ( lines 63 , 127 , etc . ), if a stop signal is generated indicating that there has been an eight bit pattern match to the data coming from ram at the end of the related column ( the eighth cycle ), the one of the 8 bit addressable latches relating to the particular row which has just been scanned by the vidicon camera ( see fig2 ) would be enabled , and the particular one of the 8 bit addressable latches therein designated by the modulo six count on the article columns lines 232 will have the stop manifestation on the line 148 set therein . once set , any one of the addressable latches 240 - 243 will provide , at a respective output line illustrated by output lines 260 - 267 , a signal which is applied to an adjustable monostable multivibrator 270 - 273 and a corresponding and circuit 280 - 283 so that , after a delay determined by the adjustment of the related monostable multivibrator 270 - 277 , the corresponding and circuit 280 - 287 will provide a signal to a related amplifier 290 - 293 , to generate an individual , distinct stop signal for the corresponding one of the 24 clutches 21 ( fig1 ) on a corresponding one of the 24 distinct lines 298 . once any given one of the addressable latches 240 - 243 has been set , it will continuously present a signal on a related one of the lines 260 - 267 so that the corresponding and circuit 280 - 287 , following time out of the related monostable multivibrator 270 - 277 , will continuously present the stop signal ( illustrations ( f ) and ( g ), fig7 ); however , once the related clutch has been operated so that the bottle has been stopped , the presence of the signal is immaterial . these signals will continue to be presented until the resetting of the addressable latches 240 - 243 by the machine reset signal on the line 54 , which occurs after all bottles have had an opportunity to be properly oriented . the embodiment described hereinbefore with respect to fig1 - 8 employs a vidicon camera , with the field of view thereof divided for allocation to 24 different bottles . for each bottle , light is presented to the corresponding area of the vidicon camera by a related light pipe consisting of a bundle of optical fibers ; because the vidicon camera is defocused with respect to each fiber bundle , the vidicon camera sees a general spot of light relating to the entire bundle of optical fibers , rather than individual discrete small spots relating to each individual fiber bundle . this provides the opportunity for accepting the pattern presented to the vidicon camera as either lightness or darkness in its entirety with respect to the bottle at each scanning of the vidicon camera , which in turn avoids problems which may result from flaws in the vidicon camera which could give erroneous readings over small areas of the vidicon camera field of view . in the embodiment described hereinbefore , the utilization of a single spot representing the entire bundle of optical fibers for each bottle permits redundant scanning with respect to each bottle which in turn also overcomes difficulties that might otherwise be encountered as a consequence of flaws in the vidicon camera . in this embodiment , this is achieved by successive samplings at the master clock rate during each horizontal scan through any given area and a commensurate setting of the white element counter , together with successive horizontal scans in the same spot area with the results thereof being accumulated in the line counter . this is an important aspect of the present invention . in the embodiment of fig1 through 8 described hereinbefore , the pattern is limited to sensing of a label edge wherein the bottle is assumed to show as darkness but the labeled portion of the bottle is assumed to show as brightness . obviously , this could be reversed , such as if the bottle were light and the label were dark , or if the opposite edge of the label were sensed . furthermore , although an 8 - bit pattern of 4 dark bits followed by 4 bright bits has been disclosed , the pattern could have 16 or some other number of bits , and in fact could accommodate a variable pattern of bright and dark bits relating to imprinting on the label . a second embodiment of the invention does not employ a vidicon camera , but utilizes discrete photo detectors for each bottle in place of the optical fiber bundles , and employs means facilitating recognition of a far more complex optical pattern . this second embodiment finds particular application in the case of containers having full labeling thereon ( unlike typical bottles on which the label may cover only 120 ° of the periphery ), such as beverage - containing cans for beer and soda and the like . in such a case , the detecting of the label edge is less useful since a can may be printed througout its entire periphery ( resulting in there being no label edge ), and the recognition of a unique pattern which appears only at one point throughout the label may require a far larger number of bits than for simple edge detecting . referring now to fig9 an alternative embodiment of the invention employs twenty - four photodetectors 300 , each of which relates to one of the twenty - four containers which are prearranged in clusters for cluster packaging in four six - packs , and which are to be rotated until a particular position of the label is sensed with respect to a desired position so that the containers may be stopped with their label indicia pointing in the desired directions ( in the same fashion as in the prior embodiment herein ). each photodetector provides an electric signal on a corresponding one of twenty - four lines 302 to a related amplifier 304 , the outputs of which are provided by a trunk of lines 306 to a multiplexing switch 308 . the multiplexing switch 308 must selectively connect any one of the twenty - four lines 306 to a single output line 310 ; the multiplex switch 308 may comprise a 32 : 1 multiplex switch , only two - thirds of which is utilized , or it may comprise three 8 : 1 multiplex switches together with a binary decode circuit to select the enable input of one of the three multiplex switches in response to the two highest order bits of an address provided thereto , which in this case comprises bottle count signals on a trunk of fives lines 312 ( which are developed as described with respect to fig1 hereinafter ). all of this is within the skill of the art . the selected signal on the line 310 is provided to a threshold circuit 314 which in turn will provide a data signal on a line 316 in response to a signal of sufficient magnitude to indicate that the photodetector has sensed brightness in contrast with darkness at the related bottle . thus , the line 316 presents a sequence of signals relating to successively different containers . the data is serially stored and compared with the pattern in the same fashion as is described hereinbefore , except that the serial storage is provided in a slightly different manner , and the pattern is assumed herein to be a variable pattern of 64 bits . the use of 64 bits permits sensing of a complex lightness / darkness pattern on the label of a can , defined by the actual product identification indicia printed on the can ( or any other form of container ), in contrast with the label edge sensing of the prior embodiment . as in the prior embodiment , the modulus of the serial storage is one greater than the modulus of the data so that the serial storage provides data on a last - in / first - out basis , each complete frame of data ( a 64 bit history for each of 24 bottles ) dropping off the oldest data bit with respect to each container and adding the newest data bit at the front end of the data relating to that particular container . this is achieved in fig9 by applying the serial data bits relating to all of the bottles , on the line 316 , to a 4 : 1 multiplex switch 318 which is controlled by two address bits ( in the well - known fashion ), the low order of which comprises a first bit signal on a line 320 and the high order of which comprises a reset shift register signal on a line 322 . the first bit signal being present on the line 320 ( which occurs only when the reset shift register signal is not present on the line 322 ) causes the line 316 to be selected ( with the address 01 ) to provide an output on a line 324 as the data input to a 1536 - bit shift register 326 which is only 1 bit wide . thus the shift register 326 can contain an entire frame of data consisting of 64 bits for each of 24 containers . as the shift register 326 is advanced , each bit at its output 328 is compared in an exclusive or circuit 330 in the same fashion as described with respect to fig3 hereinbefore , and as is described more fully hereinafter . the output on the line 328 is also applied to the d input of a d - type flip flop 332 which is clocked at the same rate as the shift register 326 by a bit clock signal on a line 334 . thus the flip flop 332 comprises an additional stage of shift register which , however , the exclusive or circuit 330 does not see . thus the shift register storage capability is one higher in modulus than the modulus of a complete frame of data . the output of the d - type flip flop on a line 336 is applied to the zero address input of the 4 to 1 multiplexer 318 . thus , whenever the first bit signal is not present on the line 320 and the reset shift register signal is not present on the line 322 , the 4 : 1 multiplex switch 318 will connect the output of the d - type flip flop 332 to the input 324 of the shift register 326 circulates , its output bit is returned through the d - type flip flop 332 and the multiplex switch 318 to its input , except when the multiplex switch responds to the first bit signal on the line 320 to connect the line 316 to the input 324 ; in such case , the oldest data bit ( in the d - type flip flop 332 ) is lost and a new data bit is supplied by the line 316 to the group of 64 data bits relating to any individual container . in fact , the first bit signal on the line 320 occurs once for each 64 bit - clock signals on the line 334 , as is described more fully hereinafter with respect to fig1 . the exclusive or circuit 330 compares the shift register output on the line 328 with a sequence of signals on a line 338 from the output of a pattern read - only memory ( rom ) 340 , which provides a selected one of eight possible 64 bit patterns . the low order address input of the pattern rom 340 is controlled by bit count signals on a trunk of six lines 342 , which correspond in sequence to the 64 bits of the pattern and , therefore , to the 64 bits of history circulating ( and being updated ) in the shift register 326 with respect to each of the containers . thus , as the bit count ( described more fully with respect to fig1 hereinafter ) advances from zero through 63 , cyclically , it causes successive bits of a desired pattern to be read out of the rom 340 onto the line 338 for comparison with the 64 successive bits relating to each container as applied to the output of the shift register on the line 328 . the pattern rom 340 also has a high order address input portion responsive to a trunk of three lines 344 which represent the binary equivalent , provided by a binary encoder 346 , of the current setting of a type selector switch 348 , which may be manually operated to select any one of eight patterns relating to different types of containers which may be processed by this embodiment . for example , if the apparatus is used in conjunction with machinery which is packaging different types of soft drinks in cans , the different labeling relating to the different flavors may require different patterns from the rom 340 , and these patterns can be selected by high order addresses in response to the selection switch 348 which can specify the different flavors of soft drink which may be processed . whenever the exclusive or circuit 330 has mismatched inputs , it will provide an output signal on a line 349 to an and circuit 350 which will normally pass that slignal on a line 351 to the j input of a jk flip flop 352 . however , since the registration of labels on containers and the relative sizes of various portions of a label may vary in accordance with permissible tolerances thereof , and since no synchronization between the exact placement of the container with respect to the phase of the processing circuitry herein is provided , it is possible for the actual transitions of brightness and darkness on the labels being sensed to vary anywhere up to a full clock pulse one way or the other . thus , the pattern of the history bits have one or more bad bits in it , and therefore never match the pattern in the rom 340 . to accommodate this , the present embodiment provides a don &# 39 ; t care bit on a one 353 , which is negative or logical zero when the portion of the pattern being read out from the pattern rom 340 is in the vicinity of a light - to - dark or dark - to - light transition , which blocks the and circuit 350 thereby making the flip flop 352 insensitive to any differences between the line 338 . the don &# 39 ; t care signal on the line 353 is provided by a don &# 39 ; t care rom 354 which is addressed exactly the same as the pattern rom 340 . in fact , the roms 340 , 354 obviously comprise a single 2 - bit wide rom , one bit comprising the pattern and the other bit comprising the &# 34 ; care &# 34 ; and don &# 39 ; t care information with respect to that bit of the pattern , as to all 64 bits of each pattern stored therein . obviously , in any case where there is a don &# 39 ; t care bit ( zero ) to block the and circuit 352 , the logical state ( one or zero ) of the corresponding bit of the pattern is immaterial . the flip flop 352 is reset by the last bit signal on a line 360 being passed to a line 355 by an and circit 356 in response to a not - clock signal from an inverter 357 . it is thereafter clocked by the falling edge of the bit clock signal on the line 320 . due to a source 358 connected to the k input , the flip - flop is maintained in the reset state and the not q output provides a signal on a line 364 , until the and circuit 350 provides a signal to the j input as a result of a mismatch . an and circuit 358a samples the not q output of the flip flop 352 on a line 359 in response to a last bit signal on a line 360 concurrently with a bit clock signal on the line 334 ; no signal will be provided on a stop line 370 if the flip flop 352 has been set by a mismatch . stated alternatively , in order for the jk flip flop 352 to indicate that the container should be stopped , the and circuit 350 has to have not presented any signal to the j input throughout comparison of the entire 64 bits of the pattern . if the exclusive or circuit 330 provides no output signal except when the and circuit 350 is blocked by don &# 39 ; t care bits , then the jk flip flop 352 will remain in the reset state so that the and circuit 358a can supply the stop signal on the line 148a at the end of the pattern in response to the last bit signal on the line 360 . the digital clock for the present embodiment is considerably simpler than that of the embodiment described hereinbefore . this is so because the horizontal and vertical scanning as well as the vidicon camera synchronization does not have to be accommodated . specifically , overall timing is under control of a relatively slow frame oscillator 371 which may be on the order of 3 khz . the output of the frame oscillator 371 via line 372 is functionally equivalent to the vertical synch signal on the line 134 in the embodiment of fig1 through 8 . this signal controls circuitry 202 - 210 which is also responsive to the machine reset signal 54 to generate the system reset signal on the line 206 in the same fashion as is described with respect to fig4 hereinbefore , and to generate the reset shift register signal on the line 322 ( in the same fashion as is the reset ram signal on the line 212 , hereinbefore ). it is also used to operate an and circit 374 so that , for each frame other than during system reset , a bistable device 376 will become set , thereby enabling an and circuit 378 to gate clock signals on a line 380 from a much faster bit oscillator 382 , which may be on the order of 5 . 39 mhz , to provide the bit clock signal on the line 334 . the bit clock signal on the line 334 activates a 6 - bit counter 384 , the terminal count of which comprises the last bit signal on the line 368 . this is delayed 1 bit time in a d - type flip flop 386 to generate the first bit signal on the line 320 . it is also utilized to advance a 5 - bit bottle counter 390 , the output of which comprises the bottle count signals on the lines 312 , which identify each successive one of the 24 containers which are being sensed . thus , the bottle count is advanced by one every 64th bit clock signal on the line 334 . the outputs of all stages except the next - to - highest order stage of the bottle counter 390 are applied to an and circuit 392 along with the terminal count indication on the line 368 so as to generate a bit 1535 signal on a line 394 indicating that a complete frame of data bits has occurred , which resets the bistable device 376 and blocks the output of the bit oscillator 382 from generating any further bit clock signals on the line 334 . this causes the present embodiment to assume a quiescent state in which it will remain until the next output of the frame oscillator 370 dictates the start of another frame of data signals . if the bit clock is running at the time that the machine reset signal appears on the line 54 , it is immaterial since that signal cannot appear until after a time when all possible stop signals will have been generated by the apparatus of fig9 as described wih respect to the embodiment of fig1 through 8 hereinbefore . in other words , after all stop signals are generated , signal processing may continue through many , many frames prior to the machine reset signal , which in turn causes the system reset and shift register reset , but all of this is immaterial since all the bottles will have been stopped and the bottle stopping mechanism will therefore be immune to any signals which may be generated . once the machine reset signal disappears , so that system reset signal disappears from the line 206 ( as described wih respect to fig4 hereinbefore ), the very next frame oscillator signal on the line 371 will again set the bistable device 376 so as to recommence signal processing . the difference in frequency between the frame oscillator 371 and the bit oscillator 382 is not critical . in fact , for end - to - end processing of an entire frame of 1536 bits of data contiguous with a subsequent entire frame , the frame oscillator may have a frequency 3509 . 12 hz ; however , processing is fast enough so that this is not critical . the oscillator frequencies shown herein allow a sampling rate such that 64 bits can span approximately 1 inch with roughly 15 mil resolution , which is equivalent to at least four samplings across a vertical component major letters or symbols of beverage containers , with containers spinning at about 200 revolutions per minute . the output of the bottle counter on the lines 312 is also applied to a pair of digital encode circuits so as to generate the article columns signals on the line 232 and the article rows signals on the lines 196 - 199 for application to fig6 if desired . alternatively , the addressing arrangement of the latches in fig6 may be altered to a simple binary fashion so as to be able to respond directly to the bottle count signals on the lines 312 , if desired . although the invention has been shown and described with respect to a preferred embodiment thereof , it should be understood by those skilled in the art that the foregoing and various other changes , omissions and additions therein may be employed without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . | 6 |
the xtest system aims to provide a unified framework for testing multiple & lt ; strategy instance , instrument & gt ; pairs ( tuples ) in parallel , under the umbrella of a common money management system . a ‘ strategy instance ’ refers to a single instance of an software object implementing a systematic trading strategy , with its own internal state . a money management system , as will be discussed later in more detail in this document , refers to an algorithm ultimately responsible for choosing the amount of overall capital to assign to each specific trade . both the trading strategy ( or strategies ) and the money management strategy may be user programmed . the system is currently available in a matlab embodiment ( matlab is a third - party standard technical environment for matrix processing and scientific computation ); however , the concepts and the data representation and flow presented are general and may be implemented in any general programming language . xtest provides an efficient way for users ( multi - strat system developers ) to express both trading systems and the money management rules that control those systems , in a uniform manner that may be processed without circularity . the xtest methodology starts with a representation of a portfolio as a set of accounts . each account contains information ( cashflows , ledgers , transactions and net position ; more of which shortly ) regarding a single type of instrument ( e . g . a eurodollar future ) traded by a single trading strategy instance ( e . g . a particularly parameterized version of a long - term non - anticipatory trend following strategy ; the strategies here may be completely independent algorithms , not simply differently parameterised instances of the same algorithm ). now , any particular type of instrument ( e . g . a long gilt future ) may be traded by multiple , distinct strategy instances . in this case , there will be multiple accounts for that instrument type , one per distinct strategy instance . an account is denominated in a local currency ( which is the currency of the underlying instrument ). for example , a eurodollar future account would be denominated in us dollars , whereas a uk long gilt future would require a sterling denominated account . accounts are managed as a series of accounting ledgers , which are updated according to two tenors : a timestep , and a phase . there are five phases to each time step ( of which more shortly ). during each phase , a set of cashflows is generated for the account ( arising as the result of strategy - directed trading activity , money management , or fees , interest and ancillary movements ( such as dividends )). a set of position information state is updated at each phase for each account ( including number of contracts held , average entry price , mark - to - market etc ) based upon underlying transactions . a set of pricing information for the underlying information is also maintained within the state . fig2 shows how a trading strategy instance can be associated with a single account , or with multiple accounts : it shows that strategy instances may cover multiple accounts , instruments may be traded by multiple strategy instances , and non ‘ root currency ’ accounts may be actual , or virtual ( i . e ., margined in the root currency , with a regular settlement sweep ). the nominal cash balance of the account in the ‘ root ’ currency . this is generally us dollars . the cash balance tracks cash that has been assigned to the account ( a particular strategy instance trading a particular type of instrument ), but which is not currently being used for performance bond margin ( on e . g . a futures position ) or tied up in an instrument with market value ( e . g . an equity ). nb — it is possible for the cash position to be negative ( for example , where an equity is purchased on margin ). the nominal cash balance of die account in local currency terms . for example , in the case of the long gilt future , this would be in pounds sterling . for situations where margin may be posted in the root currency ( at an appropriate exchange rate ) and all settlement flows are swept back into the root currency or paid to the root currency at end of day , these two ledgers suffice to describe the cash position ( this will generally be true for trading futures institutionally ). we refer such accounts these as ‘ virtual local ’ accounts . an actual ‘ free ’ cash balance in the ‘ root ’ currency ( e . g ., us dollars ). this records how much actual cash is held in dollars at that point . its use is optional when toot currency margining and end - of - period sweeps are used ( i . e . where virtual local accounts are used ). similarly , an actual ‘ free ’ cash balance in the local currency ( e . g ., pounds sterling ). this ledger records how much actual cash is held in sterling at that point . it is also optional where virtual local accounts are used . the amount of the cash of the account that is currently allocated as performance bond margin ( good faith deposit for futures ). this may be local or virtual local currency denominated . a ledger that contains the current market value of the instrument . ‘ off balance sheet ’ instruments such as futures and cfds do not utilise this ledger , since they are subject to daily settlement . equities , bonds and other similar instruments , however , do utilise the ledger . a derived ledger , the account equity . this is the sum of the local free cash , local performance bond margin and local market value . it essentially represents the amount of cash that the holder would have if the position were liquidated at that point . a snapshot of the main ledgers used in trading a long - term model applied to the long gilt future is shown in fig3 , below . fig3 is a spreadsheet output showing main ledgers for a virtual local currency account the xtest system operates around the notion of a timeslot . one timeslot may cover a single trading day ( as for the examples shown here ) or a shorter period , such as a minute . event - driven operation ( per tick , with a fallback minimum operation of e . g . once per day to ensure rebalancing etc . operates ) is also possible . during each timeslot ( for the subsequent discussion , without loss of generality , we shall refer to this period as referring to a single trading day ; the reader should bear in mind that the time period can be set to be arbitrarily large or small as the strategy requires ) the xtest system advances through five distinct phases . these phases are as follows : pre - processing . this is where any interest , borrow etc that is due is calculated and the account ledgers updated as a result of the cashflows thereby created . there are no position updates during this phase . open . this is where any transactions that are scheduled for the start of the period take place ( e . g . at the open for daily data ), on the basis that input data is provided in an ohlcv ( oi ) format for each period . this refers to the prices data with the opening price ( o ) at the start of the period , highest price reached during the period ( h ), the lowest price reached during the period ( l ) and the closing price for the period ( c ); the volume of contracts transacted during the period ( v ) and ( optionally ) the open interest ( oi ) outstanding at the end of the period ( if known ). as will be discussed later , pre - emptive allocations are also possible during any of these three transaction phases ( open , intraperiod or close ); however , they are omitted here for simplicity . these transactions create cashflows that cause updates to the ledgers from the pre - processing phase , and similarly position movements that change the net position information from the prior phase . as will be discussed later , pre - emptive allocations are also possible during any of these three transaction phases ( open , intraperiod or close ); however , they are omitted here for simplicity . intraperiod . this is where any transactions that occur due to the triggering of a stop mid - period take place ( e . g intraday for daily data ). the transactions create cashflows that cause updates to the ledgers from the open phase , and similarly create position movements from the prior net position information . close . this is where any transactions that occur at the end of the period take place ( e . g . at the close for daily data ). the transactions create cashflows that cause updates to the ledgers from the intraperiod phase , and also create position movements from the prior net position information . rebalancing . this is where any fees and charges are applied , and also ( importantly ) where the money management algorithm is called to move money between accounts . these transactions create cashflows that cause updates to the ledgers from the close phase . there are no position updates during this phase . as may be appreciated , what we have is a series of transactions that update the state from the previous step , as shown in fig4 . we shall return to the specific details of the cashflows contemplated in each phase shortly . next , however , we will look at the ‘ big picture ’ overview of the xtest domain model and flow . one critical aspect to the xtest framework is that it creates a distinction within money management between capital allocation and trade sizing . this is essential to allow the operation of the system in a hierarchical manner without circularity . a key difficulty that we aimed to address with this approach is the ‘ scheduling problem for trades ’; which is to say — we do not want to simply allocate all our capital amongst strategy instances that have current trade recommendations at any given timestep ( particularly if initiated trades can span a reasonable time period before being closed out )— since another strategy instance may detect a profitable trade in a subsequent timestep and be ‘ starved ’ of capital . however , given the potential costs ( particularly if the instruments are somewhat illiquid ) do we necessarily want to close out or lighten trades in progress automatically to provide capital for the new recommendation , as this might incur significant costs . and yet , we also do not want to keep full capital allocations to every strategy that might issue a trade recommendation , since some strategies may have very long periods between activity , which would result in inefficient use of capital . as may be appreciated , the trade scheduling problem is a complex one , and in general , different managers will want to tackle it in a variety of ways . therefore , what is required from a portfolio backtesting framework such as xtest , is a domain model that makes expression of solutions to the trade scheduling problem as efficient a task as possible . xtest &# 39 ; s domain model splits ‘ money management ’ into the following three distinct steps : 1 . capital allocation , in which free capital is moved between strategy instances non - preemptively based upon expectations of each strategy instance &# 39 ; s general trading performance ; 2 . ( optional ) pre - emptive allocation , in which , given each instance &# 39 ; s current suggestions for trades ( and statistical ex ante qualifications of performance thereof ), positions may be lightened for some instances to make free capital to reallocate to said new trades ; and 3 . trade sizing , in which the strategy instance &# 39 ; s ex ante trade performance estimates , relative to that strategy &# 39 ; s general performance expectation , is used to determine how much of the allocation should be utilized on a specific trade . strategy instances are polled at the commencement of the rebalancing phase ( via an api ) to generate ex ante estimates of their general trading performance . these estimates characterize the strategy instance in terms of expected return , expected trade recommendation occurrence , and expected holding period ( more detail on this follows later ). this information is fed ( during each time - step at the end of the close phase ) to an allocator routine . ( the allocator also has access to any risk analysis of the current portfolio that has been computed , such as the var analysis described later .) the job of the allocator is to decide how much capital ( free cash ) should be moved to each strategy instance . this movement may not be immediately possible due to trades in progress having capital that is ‘ tied up ’ in an existing trade : the framework operates under the presumption that such capital should not be forcibly released ( at this step of the proceedings ). xtest provides a number of standard algorithms for allocation ( including a mean variance optimizer ) but also provides an api that allows the user to add their own allocation routine . where one instance of a strategy covers multiple accounts ( as is the case when basket trading , for example ), the strategy instance must provide a sub - allocator ( again , general routines are made available by xtest , but it is more likely that the user will wish to implement their own in this circumstance , as the correct split between e . g . basket components will be a highly strategy - dependent decision in most circumstances ). the end goal is to have target allocations that apply to accounts . all allocations are subject to upper and lower constraints and relative sizing and group constraints that are set by the user . once allocations are decided ( at the portfolio and strategy instance level ( if required ), they are executed ( to the extent possible ) during the rebalancing phase ). these are noted as cashflows in the various accounts , and affect the ledgers of those accounts . we now enter the next timeslot , and the pre - computation phase commences , to calculate bookkeeping entries such as interest , borrow etc . from the previous period ( s ). when an actual trade recommendation from a strategy triggers , by default it must then operate within the boundaries of the current ( actual ) allocation . how much of that allocation to put at risk on a particular trade is termed the trade sizing problem . during trade sizing , it is possible ( given certain assumptions ) that e . g ., an infrequent but profitable strategy which has just triggered a trade recommendation should take capital from a trade that is currently running ( or from spare allocation currently assigned to other strategy instances , or a mixture of the two ). this preemptive allocation is possible ( but optional ) in the xtest framework . during the three transaction phases for a timestep ( open , intraperiod and close ), each trading strategy instance with a current or potential trade must return a pdf return time series for that current ( or potential ) trade ( the strategies are polled at the start of the phase ). this pdf series shows how the trade is expected to evolve over time . if this information is not provided explicitly , then a new trade &# 39 ; s pdf time series will be inferred by the framework anyway , from the data provided at strategy instance level . the pdf estimates may be conditional or unconditional ( more commonly , unconditional estimates will be used ). these pdf time series are then provided ( at the start of each transaction phase ) to a pre - emptive allocation routine , along with all the general strategy characterization pdfs . once again , the xtest framework provides a standard set of such routines , and an api is provided so that the user may supply their own . the pre - emptive allocator may also be disabled completely if desired . the allocations from the pre - emptive routine are mandatory ( unlike the main allocator , the recommendations for which are only followed to the extent that cash is free to move and not tied up in an existing trade ). this may cause certain existing positions to be lightened or close out completely during that transaction phase , simultaneously to the new positions being taken and the cash being reallocated between accounts . ( where pre - emptive allocation is disallowed , no rebalancing takes place during transaction phases ). once the pre - emptive allocation is decided ( if any ), each strategy instance must calculate the amount of the final allocation to utilize in the current trade . clearly , if there is no current trade for a given instance , then the sizing will be 0 , and the cash will remain unused and , ( in general , in the absence of the user specifying a more sophisticated money management rule ) will simply earn interest at the standard short term rate ( e . g . overnight libor ). a number of standard trade sizing routines are provided , or the user may supply their own to an api provided by the xtest framework . in general , the framework will ensure that the correct mean allocation to each strategy has been provided , given the general strategy characterization . trade sizing then takes place relative to this allocation ( assuming that the allocation has been conditioned to the mean strategy returns ; other conditioning assumptions are possible , but the mean is the most straightforward .). in other words , a given trade should be sized , such that a mean expectation trade relative to the strategy pdf would utilize the full capital allocated at the normal risk weighting for the strategy , and so that trades with a higher or lower than mean expectation are scaled appropriately . therefore , trades with a & gt ; mean expectation will be allocated potentially more than 100 % of the capital , requiring borrowing in the case of e . g . a long equity position , or a higher - than - usual margin - to - equity in the case of a future , and contrariwise for a & lt ; mean expectation trade . this is an important point . in the case of e . g . a future traded by a trend - following strategy , we might have on average 10 % of our allocated capital tied up as margin , and the rest fallow . a trade at the upper end of the pdf might then be sized at e . g . 25 % of allocation ; at the lower end 5 % of allocation . for equities and other instruments with actual market value , a mean expectation trade will take up 100 % of the allocation ; lower expectation trades may easily be dealt with but higher expectation trades require borrowing ( if long ). absolute position limits constraining trade sizing may be imposed by the user . a trading strategy instance must issue ( at the beginning of each transaction phase in a timestep ) a stop schedule for each instrument that it trades . this schedule provides a list of data of the form & lt ; price , number of units & gt ;, which specifies in effect the price points at which to buy or sell contracts of the underlying ( and , as we shall see , how many contracts to buy or sell ). units are a metric to express an undiversified level of risk in a standardized manner across different instruments . one unit is the number of contracts that would lose 1 % of the allocated capital on an ( unconditional ) 1 standard deviation move of the underlying instrument ( in price terms ) against the position . ( n . b ., when simulating trades the xtest framework generates a dynamic estimate of margin requirements , slippage and spread . this is discussed in more detail later in the text .) this methodology allows for dynamic trade sizing ( e . g ., scaling into and out of a trade as a function of the conditional forward expectation of return ), as each strategy instance is given a chance to vary its stop schedule at the beginning of each transaction phase . the framework then executes any trade ( s ) for that transaction phase ( open , intraperiod or close ) as determined by the current account state , the stop schedule issued by the associated strategy instance , and the trade data for the underlying for that period . ( note that when processing the ‘ intraperiod ’ phase , stops are processed pessimistically , since there will be a range of data ( the low to the high ) that the price will have passed through with an unknown transition path , whereas the open and close prices for the timeslot are known exactly ). slippage , spread and commissions are recorded for any trade that is executed ( we describe the methodology in more detail later in the document ). the xtest system also contains the capability to deal with instruments such as futures which have expiry dates but where the strategy may wish to maintain a position on the underlying . the default methodology is for the trade to be ‘ rolled ’ into the contract with the highest open interest ; this will be the general case ; however , the strategy instance may chose to ‘ lock ’ trading to a specific maturity etc . ( important when trading spreads , for example ). once the three transaction phases have been completed , the timestep is concluded by processing the rebalancing phase . this is where we came in , so the cycle has completed ; however , it is worth pointing out here one additional point that was omitted in the exposition previously for clarity : during the rebalancing phase , as a further risk control , a diversified risk estimate for the portfolio is computed . various different estimators may be utilized here ( and again , the user may specify an estimator ); the xtest system natively supports var ( value at risk ) as a metric , which is made available to the allocator routine . this can be used to impose e . g . an absolute var limitation on the system , regardless of underlying exposures . this limit is imposed by reducing the size of a unit in the trade sizing methodology , which reduces risk across the board . by default , this unit sizing will only take place when the position would resize anyway , but it may be forced to operate preemptively if desired . a summary of the xtest flow is shown in fig5 , below , which shows major data flows in the xtest framework , showing split between capital allocation and trade sizing we will now examine some aspects of the system in a little mote detail . as briefly mentioned in the overall description of the xtest flow , the framework maintains an estimate of a given & lt ; strategy instance , instrument & gt ;&# 39 ; s average future performance per unit time . this estimate is broken out as a set of pdfs ( probability distribution functions ), viz . : a pdf describing the arrival of new trade recommendations ( partitioned into long and short side ). only one ‘ side ’ need be provided in the case of a non - directional strategy ( this will often be the case where a single strategy instance spans multiple accounts ). this may be expressed unconditionally ( the most usual case ), or conditional upon certain risk factors . a pdf describing the expected length ( in terms of time ) of a trade . trade recommendations are partitioned into long and short side . again , may be expressed unconditionally or conditionally . a pdf describing the expected trade returns ( as a function of capital utilized in a trade , for example as margin on a future , or of the capital tied up in an equity position ). again , partitioned into long and short side , and again expressed conditionally or unconditionally . the xtest framework provides three ways for this data to be generated , as follows : 1 . it can be returned directly from the trading strategy instance as a result of an api ( application programming interface ) call . if the strategy does not support this ‘ alpha estimation ’, then : 2 . the strategy can simply be run in a forward monte carlo mode by the framework , in which the framework ( i . e ., xtest ) evolves a number of potential future histories based upon either a random / bootstrapped selection of historical ‘ segments ’ for the asset prices in question , or a newly generated ‘ virtual ’ forward history that utilizes evolution of the underlying risk factors , and the strategy instance provides a set of trading decisions for those future histories ( note , however , that the latter approach is unlikely to be successful for most strategies since the idiosyncratic behaviour on which the strategy depends will not be present ). the results are then processed to provide the necessary information . alternatively : 3 . the xtest framework , based upon the prior historical trading simulation of the system itself , can build its own versions of these pdfs ( using bayesian inference for continuous distributions , starting from conservative priors ). note that xtest does not simply reduce the information to a ‘ mean return per period plus covariance ’, as some of current art offerings do . this is critical because the ‘ distortion ’ of the strategy matters , both in terms of return and the frequency of trading . consider , for example , a systematic trend following strategy ; such a system will attempt to cut losing trades rapidly , whilst allowing winning trades to run . as such , it will produce ( assuming it is working correctly , and there are suitable trends to exploit present in the underlying instrument ) highly skewed , option - like return pdfs , which will be badly served under assumptions of normality . margin interest ( in terms of costs of borrowing applied to margin loans , which are collateralized by the market value of the instruments traded themselves ). this is distinct from the notion of performance bond margin applied to futures etc . borrow charges . these are fees paid on short positions on certain instruments ( e . g . equities ) in exchange for the extension of the loan of the securities by the owner . interest earned on cash . cash ( generally speaking , this will include cash pledged as performance bond margin on a futures or similar contract ) will earn interest at a short - term rate , which is recorded here . during any of the three transaction phases , the following cashflows are tracked : transaction flows . this is the capital requited to purchase a long position , or paid on adoption of a short position . generally , only instruments with a market value will have a transaction flow on opening or closing ( e . g ., futures do not ). commission flows . costs associated with a particular trade that are not ‘ bundled ’ into a spread on the underlying instrument &# 39 ; s price . period settlement flows . there are no periodic settlement flows from an equity ( other than dividends ); however , instruments such as futures are subject to daily settlement ( generally on a t + 1 basis , that is , there is a day &# 39 ; s lag in applying the flow from when it is incurred due to the profit or loss of the underlying exposure ). margin ( performance bond ) flows . exchanges stipulate a minimum amount of margin that must be posted for any given futures contract . gains add ( due to the settlement flows ) to this account ( although xtest assumes that these are automatically swept back to cash unless otherwise instructed ). similarly , losses subtract from the posted margin . when the margin falls below the maintenance margin level , additional capital must be posted to make good the shortfall . margin ( collateralized borrowing ) flows . financed positions in ( e . g .) equities , where the instrument &# 39 ; s market value is used as collateral for the loan , are subject to minimum collateralization requirements ( imposed by e . g ., government agencies ). should the price of a long equity position that is margined fall below the minimum margin requirements for example , a margin call will be issued , and the requisite movement of funds is measured by this cashflow . note that rebalancing flows due to pre - emptive rebalancing may also be generated during this phase , if permitted ( see earlier discussion ). currency flows . where an instrument is not traded in the ‘ root ’ currency , cash must be moved into the local currency to meet purchases , daily settlement outflows etc . ; similarly , excess funds in the local currency will generally be moved back into the root currency to avoid taking unintended currency risk . xtest allows users to supply currency management routines to e . g . ‘ sweep ’ excess foreign currency ( above the minimum margin requirements ) on a regular basis . management fee flows . hedge funds generally charge a fixed percentage of assets under management per year , amortized over a more frequent basis , as a management fee . xtest allows this to be customized and tracks the cash movements through this cashflow entry . performance fee flows . hedge funds generally also charge a performance fee , which is a percentage ( generally ) of new profits ( i . e ., a ‘ high watermark ’ is used ). movements due to this are recorded in this cashflow . note that xtest also manages the high watermark automatically , to ensure that the ‘ net results ’ quoted by the test are accurate ( at an average of 2 % management and 20 % of new profits performance fees , the drag imposed by a fund &# 39 ; s fee structure can be considerable ). rebalancing flows . perhaps most importantly , rebalancing flows are tracked . these always sum to 0 across all strategy instances , and represent the free cash moved between strategies under the direction of the allocator , as previously discussed . as briefly described , the system tracks for each account a number of key elements of state , which are updated as trading progresses . some of the more important of these elements are : the number of contracts currently held , long or short ( for each phase xtest also records the prior number of contracts held ). the number of contracts expressed in units ( see 21 , above , for a definition of units ). the minimum performance bond margin required , if trading futures or similar instruments . note that this must be estimated when backtesting , since the exchange &# 39 ; s historical margin requirements are not generally available . as performance margins are generally a rough proxy for volatility ( and vice versa ), xtest provides a mechanism to calibrate current margin requirements ( which are known ) against current volatility , and thereby create a transfer function , which can in turn be inverted to derive historical margin requirement estimates from historical volatility . this is a unique feature to the xtest platform and is generally a lot more accurate than simply using fixed margins ( e . g ., taking the current margin as fixed for all history ). the minimum account equity required for margin on instruments with market value ( this is the other meaning of margin , namely , a loan which is collateralized in part by the market value of the security which the loan is used to purchase ). margin requirements for short sales of instruments with market value are also tracked under this state variable . the average entry price for the current position . the trade mid - price for any trade closed during the phase . the actual trade price for any trade closed during the phase . the trade mid - price for any trade opened during the phase . the actual trade price for any trade opened during the phase . note that it is entirely possible for a single phase to contain both a previous position exit and a new position entry , if it swings through from a long to a short net position , or vice versa . the ‘ mid - point ’ equity ( used to record the equity when a long position is unwound but the short not yet taken , or vice versa ). this is also why we need to record the mid - point equity . the mark - to - market price of the current position ( this assumes full slippage and spread so that a position opened will show an immediate mark loss ). users can supply their own mark - to - market routine for less liquid instruments . the market exposure of the current position , which is the number of contracts x mark price of contract x contract value per point . all positions , even those that do not have a market value ( e . g . futures ) will generally have a market exposure . n . b ., it is generally not very useful to consider market exposure for futures , since their nominal value may be very high relative to expected volatility ; this is true for e . g ., interest rate futures . liquidity budget consumed . the xtest framework maintains the concept of a ‘ liquidity budget ’ for the underlying instruments traded . it regards 10 % of average daily volume or 1 % of average open interest in the most liquid contract , to be the ‘ 100 % liquidity quota ’ for each instrument ( whichever is the greater ). this operates as a safeguard when trading , to prevent positions being placed in simulation in historical conditions where this would have meant becoming too large a portion of the market ( the percentage limits are variable by the user ). greeks . the standard greeks ( theta , gamma , delta , vega , rho ) are tracked for positions with optionally . to ensure that results of backtesting are credible , it is important to calibrate trading costs correctly . if costs are marked too heavily marked up , valid trading strategies ( particularly short - term ones ) will be unreasonably penalized ; if not sufficiently severe ( the more insidious case ), strategy profitability will be inflated , possibly severely . the base xtest system provides a mechanism for estimating slippage and spread based upon the volatility of the underlying instrument . however , this may be further improved when the system is actually taken live , by noting the actual trading costs that are incurred as a function of price , volatility , time and volume . these are then compared with the basic model &# 39 ; s predictions ( assuming that the backtest is run in parallel with the live trading system ) through the use of a kalman filter , which allows the internal estimates of trading costs used for each instrument to ‘ lock ’ rapidly to a close approximation to the actual transfer function used . see e . g ., greg welch and robert bishop , an introduction to the kalman filter , for an overview of the kalman filtering technique . the estimate generated ( the ‘ predict ’ step of the filter ) is the slippage and spread for the next trade ; the correction is fed back with respect to the actual slippage and spread measured . a standard discrete - time ( linear stochastic ) kalman filter is used in the basic xtest methodology , but the use of a more sophisticated ( non - linear , extended kalman filter ) is also envisaged . this ‘ predict / correct ’ aspect applied when running the simulation in ‘ real time ’ against an actual trading record is novel and provides a way to ensure that the system future simulations are as accurate on costing as possible ( and indeed , once trained , the filter can be used without updates on historical data , or it is also possible to ‘ train ’ it at using historical points where the actual slippage on a particular instrument was measured and that measurement is available ). although we have now touched briefly on the main features of the xtest architecture , the following additional points are valuable to understand : each account can be explicitly exported to excel ( or other compatible spreadsheet ), providing the user with a breakdown of the cashflows , transactions , current ledgers and state for each phase and timeslot . this enables very detailed subsequent analysis to be performed . summary tables showing trade - by - trade histories , overall strategy performance , var by account and overall , currency movements , liquidity usage , desired and actual allocation , monthly returns , high - level performance statistics ( e . g . sharpe and sortino ) are all exportable to spreadsheet form . automation of testing is straightforward . as the system is implemented within a technical computing environment , parameter optimization ( should that be the user &# 39 ; s goal ) is easily accomplished . integration with various data sources is easily managed through the use of standard third - patty libraries ( for example , in the initial embodiment in matlab , a standard toolbox exists to enable data to be imported from bloomberg and other real - time datafeeds ). the system is very rapid ( even when processing a large number of instruments strategy instances / timeslots ) as the underlying implementation environment is designed for precisely the task performed , namely , large scale matrix operations . as just mentioned , data is held internally as matrices ( with timeslot and phase constituting the major dimensions , and all cashflows , transactions , ledgers and other state being stored as a structure within each cell ). this format makes the data extremely straightforward to store in commercial third - party relational databases for further retrieval or processing . the xtest framework as described here can actually form the basis for a real - time trading platform , not just a backtesting engine . this is highly important as it allows the use of ( literally ) the same strategy and money management algorithms to be used in production as were tested in simulation , avoiding the pitfalls of translation that can otherwise occur . let us now consider how the xtest system matches up to the fifteen simulation requirements of multi - strategy funds that we described at the beginning of our analysis : 1 . specify strategies programmatically . xtest provides this , and utilizes an api ( in the initial embodiment ) that operates in an existing , third - party programming environment ( matlab ). 2 . specify money management programmatically . the xtest framework specifically addresses this point . as has been described earlier , xtest splits money management into non - preemptive asset allocation , ( optional ) pre - emptive asset allocation , and trade sizing . all of these aspects can be programmed , and critically , the framework supports this complex operation in a straightforward manner for the user 3 . run multiple strategies concurrently . xtest enables strategies with very different trading patterns , frequency of trading , holding pattern and return profile to be managed concurrently . ‘ multi - instrument ’ strategy instances are supported , and dynamic strategy instance creation / deletion is also supported . 4 . deal with futures etc ., not just equities . xtest provides the ability , as we have discussed , to deal with instruments that have a market value , as well as those that are simply settled daily . 5 . handle foreign exchange , interest , sweeps , etc . as discussed , each account in xtest is associated with a local currency , and can be operated either in ‘ virtual ’ mode ( where performance bond margin is posted in the root currency ) or actual mode ( where margin etc . is genuinely held in the local currency ). the user can specify the methodology for moving cash into and out of accounts ; the standard framework supports common practices such as daily sweep . transaction costs are automatically booked at the relevant cross rate plus a configurable cost . interest rates ( at local libor minus a user - specified spread ) are tracked on all cash , according to parameters set by the user . all behaviour may be explicitly user programmed , if requited . 6 . feedback portfolio metrics of risk into money mgt . . . a full analysis of the portfolio is made available to the allocation and trade sizing algorithms . 7 . . . . including value at risk ( var ). a var calculation is performed regularly and is made available through the api to the allocator ( and also for trade sizing , if required ). a secondary control loop is built explicitly into the framework , allowing the user to set an overall var constraint ( this is independent of the main money management loops ); this can exercise control by lowering the size of a ‘ unit ’— the standard undiversified quantum of risk defined on page 21 — across all accounts . 8 . simple full export into spreadsheet format . the full timestep and phase data structure of the xtest engine may be exported into excel ( or a similar spreadsheet that supports comma separated files ). as described in the previous section , a large number of summary pages are also generated for export . the level of detail exportable is significantly in advance of what other systems provide ( given the methodical nature of the framework &# 39 ; s data model and stepwise approach ). 9 . track margin requirements over historical tests . as we discussed , xtest offers the ability to create a volatility - driven margin estimate for use in simulation , rather than simply taking the current margin as invariant . margin requirements ( performance bond margins , that is ) do change over time and can have a significant effect on a strategy &# 39 ; s backtested performance . while the approach used by xtest is not perfect ( because for example , there are periods when margins are raised significantly to quell speculation , even through volatility of the underlying has not much changed ), it does provide a quantifiable improvement in accuracy . 10 . comprehensive trading cost analysis ( inc . volatility ). xtest breaks out all costs associated with a trade , and explicitly models slippage and spread as a fraction of the single - period volatility of the underlying instrument by default ( this percentage of daily volatility to use can be set by the user , or overridden programmatically if desired ). one further point worth making here is that xtest allows the user to set a definition of ‘ fast periods ’— there are periods that exceed the averaged historical volatility by a certain margin ( the default is three standard deviations ); during a fast period , the system default behaviour allows that both slippage and spread be increased by a given factor . 11 . liquidity constraints . by default , xtest limits trading to 1 % of average open interest or 10 % of average daily volume ( whichever is the greater ); this limit may be modified by the user . it constitutes a ‘ liquidity budget ’ that is always monitored ( it is a key element of an account &# 39 ; s state ). the user may modify these liquidity limits or override them programmatically if desired . 12 . deal with hedge fund fees ( inc . high watermark ). xtest manages this process automatically , although complex fee patterns can be programmed explicitly if required ( use of esoteric forms of hurdle rate , for example ). 13 . operate in end of day and intraday nodes . as discussed , the xtest framework is based around the concept of timeslots , which are themselves broken up into phases . timeslots may correspond to a day , an hour , or any other arbitrary length of time ( alternatively , they may be tied to events ). therefore , maximum flexibility of analysis with respect to tenor is maintained . 14 . ability to calibrate by running in parallel with real trades . xtest provides a feedback loop when used in parallel with real trades , whereby the cost of trading ( in terms of slippage and spread ) is progressively modelled through the use of a feedback process ( a kalman filter ). the more accurate model derived thereby can subsequently be utilised for future historical backtesting , if desired . 15 . efficient expression of portfolio dynamics . it is here that the xtest framework brings the most significant benefit . by separating out the processes of allocation and trade sizing within an explicit domain model ( with corresponding data structures and flow ), xtest makes implementation of sophisticated portfolio - based backtesting straightforward for end users ( namely , systematic , multi - strategy hedge funds ). the table below at fig6 graphically depicts how xtest performs when compared with other portfolio backtesting products currently available : in this document , we began by considering the portfolio simulation / backtesting requirements of a modern , systematic multi - strategy hedge fund . we determined fifteen key requirements likely to be of high importance to such a user , and provided a rationale for each . we then outlined three categories of portfolio backtesting system currently available commercially , together with some examples of each category . upon analysis , it was demonstrated that the current art fails to satisfy many important requirements of the multi - strat fund user . subsequently , we then presented the xtest framework , and showed why its approach makes it a highly efficient platform within which to model and test complex , portfolio - based trading systems . key design elements discussed included the separation of money management into allocation , pre - emptive allocation and trade sizing , the timeslot / phase model for data processing , the strategy instance / instrument / account object model , and the cashflow / ledger / transaction / position state data structure . finally , we reviewed the xtest framework against the original fifteen key requirements and demonstrated that it represents a significant step forward for practitioners , providing as it does considerable advances in methodology , representation and efficiency when compared to the prior art . an integrated backtesting framework that separates allows explicit user control of the money management function as well as the trading function . while backtesting platforms that support programmed money management are known in the art , the xtest framework differs in its explicit separation of the concepts of capital allocation ( advance and pre - emptive ) and trade sizing . a backtesting dataflow with corresponding data structures wherein the backtesting process is modelled as a series of timesteps , each of which is broken up into phases . this methodology allows testing in any tenor ( daily , hourly , or even event - driven ). within this concept , the idea of trading accounts , which contain ledgers and state ( see text for details ); each phase has a set of allowed transactions that can operate on state and cashflows that can operate on ledgers . all of the data for an account is stored in matrix format for efficient storage in a relational database , and efficient processing within a matrix - based language ( such as matlab ). the ability to handle local and ‘ root ’ currencies within an account , with the option to have an explicit currency management routine provided by the user . flexibility of data - structure to enable a strategy instance to be associated with a single account or with multiple accounts ( e . g . for basket trading ); ability for an underlying instrument to be traded ( in separate accounts ) by multiple strategies . the concept of a backtesting system that requires a trading strategy not only to provide its trading decisions ( given appropriate data input and parameters ), but also estimates of its ‘ overall ’ expected trading performance ( characterised as pdfs , which may be conditional or unconditional , for trade recommendation arrival , trade holding time and return ; please see text ), and also ( when recommending a specific trade ) the return estimate pdf time - series for that particular trade . the ability for the framework to infer these distributions where the underlying strategy cannot provide them . the ability to use a monte carlo simulation to create estimates of these pdfs , using either historical data ( bootstrapped or sampled ) or random generation via risk factors . the use of an allocator routine to decide the amount of capital to assign to each strategy instance , and then a sub - allocator to assign to each account . next , the ability for the allocator ( based upon individual trade assessments at each timestep from the strategy instances ) to ( optionally ) pre - emptively allocate capital from other accounts ( including potentially shutting out running trades ), and then ( based upon the relationship between the individual trade predicted ex ante performance and the general predicted strategy performance ), to drive a trade sizing ( putting at risk a percentage of the allocated capital — may be & gt ; 100 % in some cases ). the use of a continuous var ( value at risk ) monitor on current positions , that can be made available to the various allocation and trade sizing routines , and which can also be used to run an overall risk control loop , whereby a master var target is set , and when this is exceeded then a global scaling factor is decreased according to an appropriate loop gain , to lower the size of all contracts . similarly , the ability to use the risk control in the reverse manner , where a failure to meet the target risk causes an increase in the scaling factor . the estimation of a volatility → performance bond margin transfer function that enables a more accurate simulation . the use of an historical slippage and spread for trading that is based upon volatility . the ability to conform the slippage and spread model to actual trading , by running the backtesting system in parallel with actual trading , and then using a kalman filter to create a better estimate . this better model ( with the update loop off , obviously ) can then be used for subsequent backtesting . the provision of a liquidity constraint , whereby the backtested system will not allow trading of more than a certain % ( or other function ) of volume or open interest . although the system is described as targeted at multi - strats , they are simply a case where the need is strongest ; other hedge funds , and even standard ctas ( futures traders ) should find the platform beneficial . it is also important to point out the direct financial benefit to multi - strats that flows from being able to trial strategies within such as framework . given the evolutionary nature of system design , this is very much an ongoing , not ‘ one - off ’, advantage . the backtester can also be extended to an actual trading system | 6 |
in embodiments of the invention , a base station transmits pilot configuration information configured for an r - pdcch to a relay node in high layer signaling so that the relay node can receive a pilot according to the pilot configuration information and perform channel demodulation on the r - pdcch . the pilot configuration information includes at least one of pilot type information and pilot port information and can further include other pilot - related information . the pilot type information includes common pilot type information or dedicated pilot type information . the pilot port information includes at least one of pilot port number information and information of the number of pilot ports configured for the r - pdcch . the base station transmits the high layer signaling to the relay node over a broadcast channel or a dedicated channel . for example , the high layer signaling is radio resource control ( rrc ) signaling , etc . thus , the embodiments of the invention address both the problem of failing to notify port information of a dmrs to a relay node and the problem of failing to configure the node separately with a crs . referring to fig1 , a relay system in the present embodiment includes a base station and a relay node . the base station interacts directly with the relay node and a user equipment and can further be connected directly with a core network ( cn ). the base station is configured to generate high layer signaling carrying pilot type information configured for an r - pdcch and pilot port number information and / or information of the number of pilot ports configured for the r - pdcch and transmit the high layer signaling to the relay node . the relay node is configured to forward a message between the user equipment and the base station , receive the high layer signaling transmitted from the base station , parse the high layer signaling to obtain the pilot type information configured for the r - pdcch and the pilot port number information and / or the information of the number of pilot ports configured for the r - pdcch , and receive a pilot according to the pilot type information configured for the r - pdcch and the pilot port number information and / or the information of the number of pilot ports configured for the r - pdcch . the pilot type information is embodied in a variety of forms , for example , in the form of a type identifier , where different type identifiers represent a common pilot and a dedicated pilot . alternatively , a type identifier represents a dedicated pilot , and when the high layer signaling carries the type identifier , it indicates pilot configuration information of a dedicated pilot , and if the type identifier is not carried , it indicates pilot configuration information of a common pilot . other forms are also possible and will not be enumerated here . the high layer signaling can carry pilot port number information and / or information of the number of pilot ports . for example , the high layer signaling can carry only pilot port number information , and the base station carries all of port numbers configured for the r - pdcch in the high layer signaling , and this scheme can configure the r - pdcch with inconsecutive port numbers . the high layer signaling can carry only the information of the number of pilot ports which can be a specific numeral , encoded numeral , etc ., and in this scheme , a starting pilot port number shall be notified in advance to the relay node , and can be notified in a high layer signaling or configured by an operation and maintenance entity , etc ., for the relay node , and then the base station notifies the information of the number of pilot ports to the relay node in the high layer signaling , and the relay node determines pilot port numbers according to the starting pilot port number and the information of the number of pilot ports , for example , the starting pilot port number is 7 and the information of the number of pilot ports is 2 , and then pilot port numbers configured for the r - pdcch are 7 and 8 . this scheme is primarily applicable to configuring consecutive pilot port numbers and can save a signaling length as compared with the scheme in which only pilot port number information is carried . when the high layer signaling carries pilot port number information and information of the number of pilot ports , the pilot port number information can be a starting pilot port number , and the relay node determines pilot port numbers according to the starting pilot port number and the information of the number of pilot ports , and this scheme may not configure fixedly any starting pilot port number but can specify different starting pilot port numbers upon each configuration as compared with the scheme in which only the information of the number of pilot ports is carried . and with a larger number of configured pilot port numbers , a signaling resource can be saved as compared with the scheme in which only pilot port number information is carried . if a correspondence relationship between starting pilot port numbers and pilot type information is preconfigured , for example , a starting pilot port number of a common pilot is 0 and a starting pilot port number of a dedicated pilot is 7 , the pilot type information can be omitted in the high layer signaling and represented implicitly by the pilot port number information . if the information of the number of pilot ports is configured fixedly and a correspondence relationship between starting pilot port numbers and pilot type information is preconfigured , the pilot port number information and the information of the number of pilot ports can also be represented implicitly even if the pilot type information is notified in the high layer signaling . in summary , the high layer signaling can carry only pilot type information , or carry only information of the number of pilot ports , or carry pilot type information and information of the number of pilot ports , or carry pilot port number information and information of the number of pilot ports , or carry pilot type information , pilot port number information and information of the number of pilot ports . referring to fig2 , a device for transmitting pilot configuration information in a relay system according to the present embodiment includes a configuring module 201 and an interface module 202 . particularly the base station can be an evolved node b ( enb ) in a long term evolution ( lte ) system , etc . particularly the device can be a base station . the configuring module 201 is configured to generate high layer signaling carrying pilot type information configured for an r - pdcch and pilot port number information and / or information of the number of pilot ports configured for the r - pdcch . the pilot type information includes common pilot type information or dedicated pilot type information . the interface module 202 is configured to transmit the high layer signaling to a relay node . the interface module 202 is further configured to transmit a pilot configured for the r - pdcch over the r - pdcch according to the pilot type information configured for the r - pdcch and the pilot port number information and / or the information of the number of pilot ports configured for the r - pdcch . r - pdcchs can be configured in a plurality of physical resource blocks ( prbs ). when the configuring module 201 is required to configure r - pdcchs in a plurality of physical resource blocks with a pilot , the high layer signaling can further include indicator information of the physical resource blocks . in the high layer signaling , the indicator information of the physical resource blocks corresponds to the same or different pilot port number information ; and / or the indicator information of the physical resource blocks corresponds to the same or different information of the number of pilot ports . if the r - pdcchs in a plurality of physical resource blocks are configured with the same pilot , that is , each r - pdcch corresponds to substantially the same pilot port number , the indicator information of the physical resource blocks can be omitted in the high layer signaling . the interface module 202 is further configured to transmit pilot port number information and / or information of the number of pilot ports configured for a relay - physical downlink shared channel ( r - pdsch ) over the r - pdcch . for a form in which the pilot port number information and / or the information of the number of pilot ports configured for the r - pdsch is embodied , reference can be made to the pilot port number information and / or the information of the number of pilot ports configured for the r - pdcch . the configuring module 201 can configure the same or different pilot port number information for the r - pdcch and the r - pdsch ; and / or the configuring module can configure the same or different information of the number of pilot ports for the r - pdcch and the r - pdsch . the interface module 202 is further configured to transmit a pilot configured for the r - pdsch over the r - pdsch according to pilot type information configured for the r - pdsch and the pilot port number information and / or the information of the number of pilot ports configured for the r - pdsch . referring to fig3 , a device for receiving a pilot in a relay system according to the present embodiment includes a signaling interface module 301 and a pilot interface module 302 . particularly the device can be a relay node . the signaling interface module 301 is configured to receive high layer signaling transmitted from a base station and parse the high layer signaling to obtain pilot type information configured for an r - pdcch and pilot port number information and / or information of the number of pilot ports configured for the r - pdcch . the pilot interface module 302 is configured to receive a pilot according to the pilot type information configured for the r - pdcch and the pilot port number information and / or the information of the number of pilot ports configured for the r - pdcch . the relay node further includes an estimation and demodulation module 303 configured to perform channel estimation and demodulation on the r - pdcch according to the received pilot upon reception of the pilot . the estimation and demodulation module 303 is further configured to obtain pilot port number information and / or information of the number of pilot ports configured for an r - pdsch after demodulating the r - pdcch . the pilot interface module 302 is further configured to receive a pilot according to the pilot port number information and / or the information of the number of pilot ports configured for the r - pdsch . the estimation and demodulation module 303 is further configured to perform channel estimation and demodulation on the r - pdsch according to the received pilot . since r - pdschs can be configured in a plurality of physical resource blocks , indicator information of the physical resource blocks can also be transmitted over the r - pdcch , and the indicator information of the plurality of physical resource blocks can correspond to different pilot configuration information configured for the r - pdschs . when the high layer signaling includes indicator information of physical resource blocks and the indicator information of the plurality of physical resource blocks corresponds to different pilot configuration information , the estimation and demodulation module 303 performs channel estimation and demodulation on r - pdcchs in the plurality of physical resource blocks respectively . when the indicator information of the plurality of physical resource blocks corresponds to the same pilot port , the estimation and demodulation module 303 can perform channel estimation and demodulation on r - pdcchs in the plurality of physical resource blocks concurrently according to the received pilot . the internal structures and functions of the base station and the relay node have been described above , and transmission process of pilot configuration information performed by the base station and the relay node will be introduced below . referring to fig4 , a flow of a method for transmitting pilot configuration information at the base station side according to the embodiment of the invention is as follows . step 401 : a base station generates high layer signaling carrying pilot configuration information configured for an r - pdcch . step 402 : the base station transmits the high layer signaling to a relay node . referring to fig5 , a flow of a particular method for transmitting pilot configuration information at the base station side according to the embodiment of the invention is as follows . step 501 : a base station generates high layer signaling carrying pilot type information configured for an r - pdcch and pilot port number information and / or information of the number of pilot ports configured for the r - pdcch . step 502 : the base station transmits the high layer signaling to a relay node . the base station can further transmit a pilot configured for the r - pdcch according to the pilot type information configured for the r - pdcch and the pilot port number information and / or the information of the number of pilot ports configured for the r - pdcch . step 503 : the base station generates a configuration message carrying pilot type information configured for an r - pdsch and pilot port number information and / or information of the number of pilot ports configured for the r - pdsch . step 504 : the base station transmits the configuration message to the relay node over the r - pdcch . the base station can further transmit a pilot configured for the r - pdsch according to the pilot type information configured for the r - pdsch and the pilot port number information and / or the information of the number of pilot ports configured for the r - pdsch . the steps 501 and 502 and the steps 503 and 504 are two relatively independent processes and can be performed in a reverse order . referring to fig6 , a flow of a method for transmitting pilot configuration information at the relay node side according to the present embodiment of the invention is as follows . step 601 : a relay node receives high layer signaling transmitted from a base station and parses the high layer signaling to obtain pilot configuration information configured for an r - pdcch . step 602 : the relay node receives a pilot according to the pilot configuration information configured for the r - pdcch . referring to fig7 , a flow of a particular method for transmitting pilot configuration information at the relay node side according to the present embodiment of the invention is as follows . step 701 : a relay node receives high layer signaling transmitted from a base station . step 702 : the relay node parses the high layer signaling for pilot type information configured for an r - pdcch and pilot port number information and / or information of the number of pilot ports configured for the r - pdcch . step 703 : the relay node obtains a pilot of the r - pdcch according to the pilot configuration information configured for the r - pdcch . step 704 : the relay node performs channel estimation and demodulation on the r - pdcch according to the received pilot . a configuration message including pilot type information configured for an r - pdsch and pilot port number information and / or information of the number of pilot ports configured for the r - pdcch is obtained over the r - pdcch . when the high layer signaling includes indicator information of physical resource blocks and the indicator information of the plurality of physical resource blocks corresponds to different pilot ports , the relay node performs channel estimation and demodulation on r - pdcchs in the plurality of physical resource blocks respectively . step 705 : the relay node obtains pilot port number information and / or information of the number of pilot ports configured for the r - pdsch over the r - pdcch . step 706 : the relay node obtains a pilot configured for the r - pdsch according to the pilot configuration information configured for the r - pdsch . step 707 : the relay node performs channel estimation and demodulation on the r - pdsch according to the received pilot . when the configuration message includes indicator information of physical resource blocks and the indicator information of the plurality of physical resource blocks corresponds to different pilot ports , the relay node performs channel estimation and demodulation on r - pdschs in the plurality of physical resource blocks respectively . software in which the embodiments of the invention are embodied can be stored in a storage medium , e . g ., a floppy disk , a hard disk , an optical disk , a flash memory , etc . in embodiments of the invention , a base station transmits pilot configuration information configured for an r - pdcch to a relay node in high layer signaling so that the relay node can receive a pilot according to the pilot configuration information and perform channel demodulation on the r - pdcch . the pilot configuration information includes one or more of pilot type information , pilot port number information and information of the number of pilot ports and can further include other pilot - related information . the pilot type information includes common pilot type information or dedicated pilot type information . thus , the embodiments of the invention address both the problem of failing to notify port information of a dmrs to a relay node and the problem of failing to configure the node separately with a crs . the embodiments of the invention provide a variety of schemes in which pilot type information , pilot port number information and information of the number of pilot ports are carried so as to accommodate needs of a variety of network environments . the embodiments of the invention can also configure r - pdcchs and r - pdschs in a plurality of prbs with different pilot configuration information and can configure an r - pdcch and an r - pdsch with different pilot configuration information to thereby perform flexible configuration of a pilot and thus can be applicable to a time division multiplexing system and a frequency division multiplexing system . the invention has been described in a flow chart and / or a block diagram of the method , the device ( system ) and the computer program product according to the embodiments of the invention . it shall be appreciated that respective flows and / or blocks in the flow chart and / or the block diagram and combinations of the flows and / or the blocks in the flow chart and / or the block diagram can be embodied in computer program instructions . these computer program instructions can be loaded onto a general - purpose computer , a specific - purpose computer , an embedded processor or a processor of another programmable data processing device to produce a machine so that the instructions executed on the computer or the processor of the other programmable data processing device create means for performing the functions specified in the flow ( s ) of the flow chart and / or the block ( s ) of the block diagram . these computer program instructions can also be stored into a computer readable memory capable of directing the computer or the other programmable data processing device to operate in a specific manner so that the instructions stored in the computer readable memory create an article of manufacture including instruction means which perform the functions specified in the flow ( s ) of the flow chart and / or the block ( s ) of the block diagram . these computer program instructions can also be loaded onto the computer or the other programmable data processing device so that a series of operational steps are performed on the computer or the other programmable data processing device to create a computer implemented process so that the instructions executed on the computer or the other programmable data processing device provide steps for performing the functions specified in the flow ( s ) of the flow chart and / or the block ( s ) of the block diagram . although the preferred embodiments of the invention have been described , those skilled in the art benefiting from the underlying inventive concept can make additional modifications and variations to these embodiments . therefore the appended claims are intended to be construed as encompassing the preferred embodiments and all the modifications and variations coming into the scope of the invention . evidently those skilled in the art can make various modifications and variations to the invention without departing from the scope of the invention . thus the invention is also intended to encompass these modifications and variations thereto so long as the modifications and variations come into the scope of the claims appended to the invention and their equivalents . | 7 |
as shown in fig1 , my invention uses a generic 3d shape model 101 and a lambertian or diffuse reflectance illumination model 102 for photometrically normalizing images of objects , e . g ., faces . in the illumination model 102 diffuse reflectance has a constant bi - directional reflectance distribution function ( brdf ). these models are used for object identification . the example application used to describe my invention is face identification and / or verification . there , the problem is to match an unknown face image to images in a database of known face images . a face can have some specular reflection , due to secretion of sebum oil by sebaceous glands in the skin . however , the specular reflection is not always consistent . therefore , the specular reflection is of little use in face identification . hence , my illumination model 102 includes only lambertian and ambient components . as shown in fig2 , let i ( x , y ) be the intensity at a pixel ( x , y ) in an input image 201 corresponding to a point on a surface of a convex object , e . g ., a face or the equivalent 3d shape model 101 with the lambertian surface reflectance 102 . the point is illuminated by a mixture of ambient light and a single principal light source 103 at infinity in a direction sε 3 , with intensity | s |. i designate a unit surface normal n = s /| s | as a direction from the point to the principal light source , i . e ., pointing out . this direction , e . g ., in azimuth / elevation angles , is my main estimand of interest . the magnitude of the light source is of little consequence for our method because the magnitude can be absorbed by the imaging system parameters that model gain and exposure . let ρ ( x , y ) be the albedo 221 of the skin surface , which is either known or is otherwise estimated . albedo is the fraction of incident light that is reflected by the surface , and for faces , albedo represents diffuse skin texture . therefore albedo - map and texture - map are synonymous . let n ( x , y ) 231 be the unit surface normal of the point on the facial surface that projects onto the pixel i ( x , y ) in the image , under orthography . under the lambertian model with a constant brdf , a monochrome intensity of the pixel is given by i ( x , y )= α { ρ ( x , y )[ max ( n ( x , y ) t s , 0 )+ c ]}+ β , ( 1 ) where α and β represent intrinsic camera system parameters , i . e ., lens aperture and gain . in my analysis , the parameters α and β are essentially nuisance parameters , which only effect the dynamic range or ( gain ) and offset ( exposure bias ) of pixel intensity but not the lighting direction . therefore , i can set ( α , β ) to their default values of ( 1 , 0 ) with proper normalization . the parameter c represents a relative intensity of the ambient illumination , as described below , and can be set to zero , if necessary . the term max ( n ( x , y ) t s sets negative values of the lambertian cosine factor to zero for surface points that are in a shadow . for simplicity , i assume that only the single principal light source 103 is responsible for the majority of the observed directional lighting in the image , i . e ., diffuse attenuation and / or shadowing . any other ambient light sources present in the scene , e . g ., diffuse or directional , are non - dominant . hence , the overall contribution of the other ambient light sources is represented by a global ambient component with relative intensity c in equation ( 1 ). nearly all 2d view - based face identification systems are adversely affected by directional lighting , but to a much lesser extent by subtle ambient lighting effects , see phillips et al . above . therefore , in most cases , the direction to the principal lighting source is more important than any other lighting phenomena , especially when the other light sources are non - dominant . therefore , the invention reverses the effect of the principal illumination . this improves the performance of identifying objects that are illuminated arbitrarily . the direction 251 to the principal lighting source is estimated by a least - squares formulation with simplifying assumptions based on the illumination model 102 as expressed by equation ( 1 ). more important , i solve this problem efficiently in a closed form with elementary matrix operations and dot - products . specifically , as shown in fig2 , i construct 210 a column intensity vector { right arrow over ( i )} 211 of pixel intensities by ‘ stacking ’ all the non - zero values an input image i ( x , y ) 201 . if i assume that the object is lit only by the principal light source 103 , i . e ., there is no ambient light , then zero - intensity pixels are most likely in a shadow . therefore , these pixels cannot indicate the direction to the principal light source , unless ray - casting is used locate the light source . in practical applications , there always is some amount of ambient light . therefore , i can use a predetermined non - zero threshold or a predetermined mask for selecting pixels to stack in the intensity vector { right arrow over ( i )}. similarly , i construct 220 an albedo vector { right arrow over ( ρ )} 222 to be the corresponding vectorized albedo map or diffuse texture 221 . i generate 230 a 3 - column shape matrix n 231 by row - wise stacking of the corresponding surface normals of the shape model 101 . then , i construct 240 a shape - albedo matrix aε p × 3 , where each row α in the matrix a 241 is a product of the albedo and the unit surface normal in the corresponding rows of the albedo vector { right arrow over ( ρ )} 222 and the shape matrix n 231 . this corresponds to the element - wise hadamard matrix product operator o : to determine 250 the unknown direction s * 251 to the principal light source , i use a matrix equation for least - squares minimization of an approximation error in equation ( 1 ) in the vectorized form arg min s i → - α c ρ → - as , ( 2 ) s *=( a t a ) − 1 a t ( { right arrow over ( i )}− αc { right arrow over ( ρ )}− as ), ( 3 ) note that i am only interested in the estimated unit light source vector s */| s *| for its direction and not the magnitude . the magnitude depends on specific camera gain and exposure . this estimation problem is ‘ well - behaved ’ because it is heavily over - constrained . that is , the number of non - zero elements in { right arrow over ( i )} ‘ observations ’ is on the order of o ( 10 3 ) as compared to the three unknowns in s *. in fact , because i only use the direction to the principle light source , there are only two angular estimands : azimuth and elevation . the estimate of the principal lighting direction is therefore quite stable with respect to noise and small variations in the input { right arrow over ( i )}. note that the albedo - shape matrix a 241 comes from the generic shape model 101 and albedo 221 . hence , the shape - albedo matrix a 241 represents the entire class of objects , e . g ., all frontal faces . assuming that the model 101 is adequately representative , there is no need to measure the exact shape or even exact albedo of an individual as long as all shapes and albedos are roughly equal to a first order as far as lighting direction is concerned . furthermore , the pseudo - inverse ( a t a ) − 1 in equation ( 3 ) is directly proportional to the error covariance of the least - squares estimate s * under gaussian noise . if i define a matrix p = a ( a t a ) − 1 , of dimensions p × 3 , then i see that the only on - line computation in equation ( 3 ) is the projection of the intensity vector { right arrow over ( i )} 211 on the three columns of the matrix p , which are linearly independent . in fact , the three columns are basic functions for the illumination subspace of my generic face model . moreover , i can always find an equivalent orthogonal basis for this subspace using a qr - factorization : p = qr , where the unitary matrix q has three orthonormal columns spanning the same subspace as the matrix p . the 3 × 3 upper triangular matrix r defines the quality of the estimates because r − 1 is a cholesky factor , i . e ., a matrix square root , of the error covariance . the qr - factorization aids the interpretation and analysis of the estimation in terms of pixels and bases because the input image is directly projected onto the orthonormal basis q to estimate the direction 251 to the principal light source 103 . the qr decomposition also saves computation in larger problems . because the matrices p and q are independent of the input data , the matrices can be predetermined and stored for later use . also , the computational cost of using equation ( 3 ) minimal . the computation requires only three image - sized dot - products . the subsequent relighting , described below , only requires a single dot - product . therefore , the lighting normalization according to the invention is practical for real - time implementation . as shown in fig3 , given the estimate s * 251 of the directional lighting in the input image 201 , i can approximately ‘ undo ’ the lighting ” by estimating 310 the albedo 311 or diffuse skin texture of the face , and then relight 320 this specific albedo , combined with the generic shape model 101 , under any desired illumination , e . g ., frontal or pure diffuse . whereas both generic shape and albedo were used in the inverse problem of estimating the directional lighting , only the generic shape 101 is needed in the forward problem of relighting the input image 201 , as the input image 201 itself provides the albedo information . the basic assumption here is that all objects have almost the same 3d geometry as defined by the generic shape model 101 . i find that moderate violations of this basic assumption are not critical because what is actually relighted to generate an illumination invariant template image is the texture as seen in the input image 201 . this texture carries most of the information for 2d object identification . in fact , it is not possible to drastically alter the albedo of the input image by using a slightly different 3d face shape . therefore , for faces , despite small variations in geometry for different individuals , an individual &# 39 ; s identity is substantially preserved , as long as the face texture is retained . referring back to equation ( 1 ), after i have a lighting estimate s * 251 and my ‘ plug - in ’ shape , i . e ., surface normals n 231 of the generic face model 101 , i can solve directly for albedo using ρ * = i - β α ( n t s * + c ) , ( 4 ) where for clarity the spatial indices ( x , y ) are not expressed for all 2d - arrays ( i , ρ , n ). here , it is assumed that the intensities are non - zero , and that n t s * is greater than zero . notice that the estimated albedo ρ * 311 at a point ( x , y ) depends only on the corresponding pixel intensity i ( x , y ) of the input image 201 and the surface normal n ( x , y ) 231 . thus , if a point on an object is in shadow , and there is no ambient illumination , then i is zero and n t s * is negative . in this case , the corresponding albedo cannot be estimated with equation ( 4 ), and a default average albedo is substituted in for the pixel corresponding to that point . the estimated albedo 311 is then used to generate 320 our invariant ( fixed - illumination ) image i o 322 i o = α o { ρ *[ max ( n t s o , 0 )+ c o ]}+ β o . ( 5 ) in equation ( 5 ) the variable s o 321 denotes the invariant direction to the desired source of principal illumination . the default direction is directly in front of the object and aligned with a horizontal axis through the object , i . e ., on - axis frontal lighting , and c o is the ambient component of the output image 322 . similarly α o and β o designate the format parameters of an output display device . it is also possible to model arbitrary ambient illumination as represented by the parameter c . by using a representative set of n training images , i can estimate numerically components of the ambient illumination using optimality criteria c * = arg min s ∑ i = 1 n ρ i ( c ) - 1 n ∑ i = 1 n ρ i ( c ) 2 , ( 6 ) where ρ i ( c ) denotes an albedo of the i th training image estimated with a relative ambient intensity c as defined in equation ( 3 ). the invention provides a simple and practical method for estimating a direction to a principal light source in a photometrically uncalibrated input image of an object such as a face . the exact shape and albedo ( surface texture ) of the object is unknown , yet the generic shape and albedo of the object class is known . furthermore , the method photometrically normalizes the input image for illumination - invariant template matching and object identification . the necessary computations require less than five dot - products for each pixel in the input image . the method has better performance for datasets of realistic access - control imagery , which exhibits complex real - world illumination environments . the performance enhancement is directly due to a tighter clustering of an individual &# 39 ; s images in image space , which will help sophisticated image matching and identification systems to achieve illumination invariance . results indicate that the estimation of lighting direction is relatively robust and the subsequent relighting normalization is feasible in real - time , with only a few simple dot product operations . the lighting normalization according to the invention is a viable and superior alternative to linear ramp and histogram equalization techniques of the prior art . although the invention has been described by way of examples of preferred embodiments , it is to be understood that various other adaptations and modifications may be made within the spirit and scope of the invention . therefore , it is the object of the appended claims to cover all such variations and modifications as come within the true spirit and scope of the invention . | 6 |
referring to fig1 and 2 . the machine generally includes : a plurality of wheels 1 as required to direct , support and circulate a mechanical belt 2 , where any or all of said wheels are equipped with motors and / or power take - off devices 5 for supplying power to and receiving power from the mechanical belt 2 , any attachments that might be attached to the mechanical belt 2 , control devices 4 which control the motion of the mechanical belt 2 , and any supports 3 to hold the wheels 1 and control devices 4 . the wheels 1 are arranged such that their centerlines ( fig8 ) are more or less located in a plane 6 which is more or less vertical to the ground . the said machine can be supported in any manner desired . referring more specifically to fig3 a , 4 , and 5 , the mechanical belt 2 is made up of a repeating arrangement to form a continuous train of similar components . the arrangement consists of a plurality of adjacent links 9 suitably connected 8 at each end to adjacent blocks 10 via a bearing 11 . the block 10 acts as a housing 12 for the bearing 11 . the inside of the housing 13 is shaped so that the link 9 will contact said inside 13 if tilted too far ; thus , preventing damage due to too much flexibility . pitch 141 is the distance from bearing 11 to bearing 11 down the length of the train of links ; this is consistent with the pitch of roller chains , etc . a flexible seal 14 surrounds the link 9 and is connected at each end to adjacent blocks 10 . the flexible seal 14 together with the block 10 form an enclosure that protects the bearings 11 from foreign matter . the enclosure also holds a lubricant for the bearings 11 . this type of protection and lubrication greatly lengthens the life of the bearings 11 . when detrimental conditions exist , a sacrificial sleeve 15 surrounds the seal 14 ; this sleeve 15 sacrifices itself to wear while protecting the seal 14 . the sleeve 15 is made so that it can be installed and removed without disassembly of the mechanical belt 2 . the block 10 has a slot 17 cut in it to form internal drive surfaces 83 . any type of attachments can be connected anywhere to the block 10 . said attachments would include , but not be limited to , such things as : buckets , plows , scrapers , brooms , blades , etc . attachments should be located so as not to interfere with the wheels 1 . ( a bucket 16 is shown for reference only , other attachments are not shown because of their common use by industry with chains , belts , etc .) the said arrangement is repeated until the desired length is obtained ; then the ends are connected to form an endless train . the axis 19 of the mechanical belt 2 or block 10 is defined as a line that extends through the center of adjacent mechanical belt bearings 11 when looking at the end of a block 10 . ( the axis of a roller chain or other similar device would coincide with its pin or roller axis .) the centerline of the mechanical belt is represented by the line 18 centered between the bearings 11 . while the mechanical belt bearing 11 can be of any type , use of a spherical bearing compliments the said arrangement by not only allowing pivoting about the block axis 19 , but also by allowing the mechanical belt 2 to twist , and to pivot transverse to the block axis 19 . this arrangement sets the mechanial belt 2 apart from roller chains which are generally restricted to pivoting about the axis of their pins . this said arrangement also sets the mechanical belt apart from flexible belts which are generally restricted to bending about their weak axis and / or twisting about their centerline . this said arrangement also allows the mechanical belt 2 to store energy when it is twisted ; this stored energy acts to restore the mechanical belt 2 to its untwisted position when the twisting force is removed . this said arrangement is desirable when crown support rollers 24 are used to shift the mechanical belt 2 from side to side with respect to the plane of the wheels 6 to compensate for misalignment of the mechanical belt 2 and / or to compensate for forces applied to the mechanical belt 2 as will be discussed later . this arrangement is also necessary when the mechanical belt is forced laterally from the plane of the wheels 6 as will be discussed later . the ability to twist the mechanical belt 2 also allows for having built in twist in the belt 2 from wheel to wheel 1 . referring more specifically to fig6 , 8 , 9 and 10 , the wheel 1 is comprised of two major systems , the support system and the drive system . these two said systems are generally independent of each other . the support system is made up of a plurality of members which includes a fixed support cam or cams 21 and support cam followers 22 . the support cam followers 22 have a support roller 23 attached their end that protrudes outward from the center of the said wheel . the support roller 23 can be shaped as a cylinder or it can be shaped with a curved profile , in the latter case said rollers are called crown support rollers 24 . these support rollers 23 and / or 24 contact and give radial support to the mechanical belt 2 or similar train of links which is circulated by the wheels 1 . the centerline of the crown support roller 24 or support roller 23 coincide with the centerline of the wheel 42 . the drive system is made up of a plurality of members which includes a fixed drive cam or cams 25 and drive cam followers 26 . the drive cam follower &# 39 ; s drive face 27 are faced to contact and drive or be driven by the mechanical belt 2 . in both systems , springs 28 are used to keep the cam followers 22 and 26 positively seated against the fixed cams 21 and 25 . the cam followers of both systems have a cam roller 46 attached at their ends adjacent to the fixed cams to reduce friction . the cam followers 22 and 26 of both systems may are mounted to a rotating housing 30 . the support cam followers 22 are attached to this housing 30 in such a way that they are free to move up and down radially with respect to the housing 30 . guide rollers 29 and / or plain bearings 43 maximize the efficiency of this up and down motion . the drive cam followers 26 are hinged 45 to the housing 30 . both of the cam followers 22 and 26 pass through slots cut through the interior of the housing 30 . the housing 30 is connected at one end to a hub 31 . the housing 30 is connected at the other end to a plate 32 . the housing 30 , hub 31 , and plate 32 rotate concentrically about the rotational axis of the wheel 44 . the hub 31 is attached to and receives or transmits power via a transmission , motor , brake , power take - off device , or other similar means 36 . the plate 32 is supported by a bearing 33 which is supported by a shaft 34 . this said shaft 34 is fixed in place with respect to the rotation of the housing 30 , etc . the hub 31 is supported by the motor or power take device 36 or by a bearing or bearings 35 supported by a pillow block 37 attached to or part of the system &# 39 ; s support structure 3 . the shaft 34 is supported on one end by bearings 38 which are mounted inside of the hub 31 , these bearings 38 allow the hub 31 to revolve with respect to this shaft 34 while keeping the axis of rotation of the hub 31 and the longitudinal axis of the shaft 34 in line , this arrangement allows for : the inline connection of the said motor or power take - off device &# 39 ; s output shaft to the hub 31 and a reduction in the diameter of the shaft 34 . the longitudinal axis of the shaft 34 coincides with the rotational axis of the wheel 44 . the shaft 34 is supported at the end opposite the hub 31 by a pillow block 39 attached to or port of the system &# 39 ; s support structure 3 . to keep the shaft 34 from turning , it is fastened by a torque arm 40 or other similar device to the system &# 39 ; s support structure 3 . the support cam or cams 21 and the drive cam or cams 25 are fixed to and supported by the shaft 34 . the hub 31 , housing 30 , and plate 32 are equipped with appropriate sealing devices so as to form an enclosure 47 to exclude foreign matter from and / or to hold a lubricant for the wheel &# 39 ; s internal moving members . these said members include the support cam followers 22 , drive cam followers 26 , housing 30 , guide rollers 29 , bearings 33 , 35 , 38 , 43 , etc . one type of seal 48 comprised of a flexible bellows or boot is shown at the location where the drive cam followers 26 and / or the support cam followers 22 protrude from the housing 30 . referring more specifically to fig1 , 11 and 12 , a control device 4 is used to control the motion of the mechanical belt 2 due to forces acting upon it . this motion can be in the form of vibrations and / or a moving from side to side of the mechanical belt 2 with respect to the plane of the wheels 6 , etc . the control device 4 consists of a roller 63 mounted to the end of a hinged arm 62 . the hinged arm 62 is hinged 67 to a frame 61 where said frame can be part of the support structure 3 . a spring 64 connects the hinged arm 62 and the frame 61 together . a dampener 65 also connects the arm 62 and the frame 61 together . when required , a sensing - signaling device 66 , such as a switch , is located so that it detects relative movement between the arm 62 and the frame 61 . the control device 4 is mounted anywhere adjacent to the mechanical belt 2 and / or its attachments as required . the frame 61 is mounted stationary to , or is part of , the supporting structure 3 . the roller 63 is positioned adjacent to the mechanical belt 2 and / or its attachments . whenever the mechanical belt 2 and / or its attachments contact the roller 63 , it will turn thus preventing snagging and wear of the mechanical belt 2 and / or its attachments . the roller 63 can be of any type of construction including a brush . when the roller 63 is contacted , it causes the arm 62 to swing about its hinge 67 . this causes a relative motion between the arm 62 and the frame 61 . this relative motion can be used to remove energy through the dampener 65 . the spring 64 is used to keep the roller 63 in its desired position adjacent to the mechanical belt 2 . the sensing - signalling device 66 is used to send a signal to any controls or motors that would be required for additional assistance in controlling the motion . the sensing - signaling device 66 is not necessary if additional assistance is not required . a description of the operation of the wheels 1 and the mechanial belt 2 is now put forth . the block 10 is the only part of the mechanical belt 2 assembly that comes into contact with the wheel &# 39 ; s drive or support systems . the drive cam follower &# 39 ; s exposed face 27 contacts and transmits power to and from the ends 20 of the block 10 adjacent to the flexible seals 14 or to the interior ends 83 of the slot 17 . the support cam rollers 23 and / or crown support rollers 24 contact the top and / or bottom of the block 10 to give radial support and manipulate the path of the mechanical belt &# 39 ; s 2 bearings 11 . each support cam follower 22 is assigned one specific set of bearings 11 to manipulate as the bearings 11 enter , travel around , and exit the wheel 1 . ( a set of bearings is defined as those bearings 11 adjacent and located on the same block axis 19 .) the support roller system ( fig9 ) is the key to the smooth and fast operation of the wheel 1 and the mechanical belt 2 . said system controls the above mentioned chordal action . as the mechanical belt 2 and wheel 1 rotate about the rotational axis of the wheel 44 , this system supports the mechanical belt 2 and controls its radial position by way of the support cam followers 22 . as they rotate about the wheel 1 via the rotating housing 30 , the support cam followers 22 are manipulated radially up and down by the fixed support cam or cams 21 . this manipulation is such that the mechanical belt &# 39 ; s bearings 11 more or less follow a path which is : a straight or curved line 71 into the wheel 1 , this line 71 being tangent to an arc 72 scribed by the desired path radius 73 , around the wheel 1 on the arc 72 , and exiting the wheel 1 on a more or less straight or curved line 74 which is tangent to the arc 72 . the point where the entry line 71 contacts the arc 72 is called the entry tangent point 75 . the point where the exit line 74 contacts the arc 72 is called the exit tangent point 76 . when entering a wheel 1 , belt bearings 11 must be supported when they are at least one pitch length 141 from the entry tangent point 75 . when exiting a wheel 1 , belt bearings 11 must continue to be supported until they are at least one pitch length 141 from the exit tangent point 76 . by manipulating the bearings 11 to follow said path , the support system controls chordal action by keeping the magnitude of the velocity vector of the bearings 11 more or less constant as the bearings 11 enter , travel around , and exit the wheel 1 ; and by , keeping the direction of the velocity vector of the bearings 11 : aimed in line or tangent with the path of the entry line 71 when entering the wheel 1 , tangent to the path arc 72 around the wheel from entry to exit tangent points 75 and 76 , and aimed in line or tangent with the direction of the exit line 74 when exiting the wheel . the motion described results in the smooth operation of the wheel and the mechanical belt as the wheel changes the direction of the mechanical belt . this allows for higher speeds and long life of the wheels 1 and the mechanical belt 2 . ( the above described path is the same path that a point located on the centerline of a flexible belt takes when traveling around a pulley .) the angle created by extending lines from the tangent points 75 and 76 through the center of the wheel is the angle of wrap 78 . the magnitude of the angle of wrap 78 corresponds to the amount of turn which the wheel 1 gives to the mechanical belt 2 . the angle of wrap is varied accordingly . the support roller 23 and / or 24 minimizes wear due to a slight relative motion between the support cam followers 22 and the mechanical belt block 10 . this motion is a result of the support cam followers 22 manipulating the mecahnical belt &# 39 ; s bearings 11 before they reach the entry tangent point 75 , and after they pass the exit tangent point 76 . a wheel &# 39 ; s drive system ( fig1 ) is used to transmit power to and from the mechanical belt 2 , via the drive cam followers 26 and the rotating housing 30 . when the said drive system is supplying power to the mechanical belt 2 the wheel 1 is driving . when the drive system is receiving power from the mechanical belt 2 the wheel 1 is being driven . in either case , the wheel 1 is constructed the same . however , the wheel 1 is positioned so that the drive cam follower &# 39 ; s 26 exposed face 27 faces the direction of travel 81 of the mechanical belt 2 when the wheel 1 is driving , and positioned to face away from the direction of travel 82 of the mechanical belt 2 when the wheel 1 is being driven . because of this particular positioning of the drive cam followers 26 with respect to their transmission of power , a brake 36 should be located on the wheels 1 to prevent overdriving . this brake or brakes absorbs the kinetic energy of the mechanical belt 2 and wheels 1 when decelerating . this brake is or can be part of the motor or power take - off devices 36 that are attached to the wheels 1 . the fixed drive cam or cams 25 manipulate the drive cam followers 26 as they revolve around the rotational axis of the wheel 44 so that they swing back and forth . this back and forth motion allows the position of the drive cam followers 26 to be such that the transmission of power to and from the mechanical belt 2 only takes place between entry and exit tangent points 75 and 76 of the wheel 1 , where all points of the mechanical belt 2 and the drive cam followers 26 that are in contact have the same angular and tangential velocities . this prevents relative motions between the said contact points which would result in frictional wear . this back and forth manipulation of the drive cam followers 26 also allows the transfer of driving forces from drive cam follower 26 to drive cam follower 26 to take place without acceleration and deceleration of the mecahnical belt . this is done by having the drive cams 25 swing a drive cam follower 26 up to gradually contact the mechanical belt 2 in such a way that when contact is made the drive cam follower 26 that had previously been contacting the mechanical belt is gradually swung away from the mechanical belt 2 . this back and forth manipulation of the drive cam followers 26 also allows for more than one drive cam follower 26 to transmit forces to and from the mechanical belt at one time , thus reducing the size of each individual drive cam follower 26 . both the said support system and the said drive sytem of a wheel must be kept independent of each other if the two most serious problems ( chordal action and wear due to slip ) associated with circulating a chain or other train of links are to be more or less eliminated . it would be very difficult and impractical to get the unique motions required of both systems if they were integrated together ; i . e ., if they were integrated manipulation of one would cause manipulation of the other at a time when the other requires no manipulation . for example : most of the manipulations of the drive cam followers 26 , as described above , come when the support cam followers 22 are causing the belt bearings 11 to travel around the path arc 72 , at this time any manipulation of the support cam followers 22 would cause the bearings 11 to stray from this desired path . the support system and the drive system , while independent of each other , are complimentary to each other . for example , the drive system could not transmit power to or from the mechanical belt 2 , as discussed above - where there are no relative motions between said contact points , if the support system did not cause the mechanical belt to follow the path arc 72 . referring more specifically to fig6 , and 14 , crown support rollers 24 are used to track the mechanical belt 2 with respect to a wheel &# 39 ; s centerline 42 by inducing a twist and removing it as follows . whenever the line of action of the resultant radial force imposed by the mechanical belt 2 on a wheel does not pass through the wheel &# 39 ; s centerline 42 , a couple is created in the mechanical belt 2 with respect to the said centerline 42 . since a crown support roller 24 has a curved profile , it cannot resist the said couple ; therefore , the block axis 19 will twist from its normal position ( the normal position of the block axis 19 is perpendicular to the centerline of the wheel 42 , where said centerline 42 coincides with the center of the said curved profile of the crown support roller 24 ). when this twist occurs , the crown support rollers 24 function in such a manner as to shift 92 the mechanical belt 2 over until the said line of action of the resultant radial force 98 once again passes through the centerline of the wheel 42 , or until all of the twist is removed ( reference fig1 ). this said twist can be the result of the mechanical belt 2 being off center of the wheel , and / or the result of external forces acting upon the mechanical belt 2 outside of the plane of the wheel &# 39 ; s centerline 42 . also , because of their curved profile , the crown support rollers 24 allow a twisted mechanical belt 2 to enter a wheel without detrimental pounding . the said shifting action caused by the crown support rollers 24 can best be described with reference to the diagram of fig1 . the centerline of the wheel 42 is shown . a curved surface 95 is shown which represents the curved surface of a crown support roller 24 . a line 96a is shown which represents a block &# 39 ; s axis 19 entering the wheel 1 twisted . because of this twist , the line 96a contacts the curved surface 95 at an initial contact point 97 which is outward from both the wheel &# 39 ; s centerline 42 and the initial line of action 98a of the resultant radial force 98 . the couple created by the said resultant radial force about the initial contact point 97 causes the line 96a representing the block &# 39 ; s axis to rotate to a new position 96b as the block 10 enters the wheel 1 . this rotation shifts the initial line of action of the resultant radial force 98a over an incremental amount 99 to a new position 98b , which also corresponds to a shift over of the block 10 . in this way , the mechanical belt 2 is shifted over each time a block 10 enters a wheel until the line of action of the resultant radial force 98 once again passes through the wheel &# 39 ; s centerline 42 . line control devices 4 equipped with a sensing - signaling device 66 can be placed ( reference fig1 , 11 and 12 ) adjacent to the mechanical belt 2 to monitor the amount of shift 92 . should the said shift exceed a certain amount , the sensing - signalling device 66 will send a signal to other means to aid in controlling the shift or to shut the machine down . referring more specifically to fig1 , 16 , and 17 , the following description refers to a useful arrangement of wheels 1 , where four wheels : 1a , 1b , 1c , and 1d are arranged so that they direct the mechanical belt 2 around in such a fashion as to form a loop 101 . this loop 101 is advantageous when transmitting power to attachments that dig , scrape , plow , cut , etc . this said arrangement is also useful for reacting forces acting transversly on the mechanical belt 2 and / or its attachments with respect to the plane of the wheels 6 ; thus , preventing the mechanical belt 2 from being pulled off of the wheels 1 . other advantages of this arrangement will become clear in the following paragraphs . for illustration purposes , a machine that is ideally suited for transmitting power to bucket attachments which dig and elevate is shown in fig1 . with special reference to fig1 , the wheel &# 39 ; s support structure 3 can be carried or supported in any convenient manner by an overall support structure 102 . the wheels 1 and the wheel &# 39 ; s support structure 3 can be enclosed as required to prevent noise or dust pollution , etc . to the surrounding work area . the wheel &# 39 ; s support structure 3 can be outfitted with a motor 103 and bearings 104 to rotate it and the wheels 1 with respect to the overall support structure 102 . the wheel &# 39 ; s support structure 3 can have conveyors 105 , hoppers 106 , or other means attached to aid in the work that the mechanical belt 2 and its attachments are performing . said wheels are more or less arranged as such : wheel 1a is located above wheel 1b , a plumb line 109 dropped from the exit tangent point 76a of wheel 1a will contact the entry tangent point 75b of wheel 1b , the mechanical belt 2 more or less follows said line 109 from wheel 1a to wheel 1b . wheel 1b directs the mechanical belt 2 more or less outward as shown to the entry tangent point 75c of exit wheel 1c . exit wheel 1c directs the mechanical belt 2 more or less down into said loop 101 . it is in this loop 101 that the attachments do the work that they are designed for . the mechanical belt 2 travels from the loop 101 more or less to the entry tangent point 75d of wheel 1d . wheel 1d directs the mechanical belt 2 upward . the mechanical belt more or less follows a line upward to wheel 1a that coincides with a plumb line 110 dropped from the entry tangent point 75a of wheel 1a to the exit tangent point 76d of wheel 1d . the centerlines of the wheels 42 are generally located in the same plane which is the plane of the wheels 6 . the direction of travel of the mechanical belt 2 is shown by arrow 115 . should the said loop 101 contact a surface 111 more or less vertically below it and should this surface begin to support the mechanical belt 2 , excessive slack will form in the loop 101 . to prevent damage to the mechanical belt 2 and wheels 1 due to said excessive slack in the loop 101 , wheel 1c is mounted to a vertically swingable boom 107 which is hinged 108 to the support structure 3 . a counterweight means 112 is located at the end of the boom 107 opposite of wheel 1c . should the mechanical belt contact a surface 111 as described , support of the mechanical belt 2 by the contacted surface 111 causes a decrease in the amount of support required by wheel 1c and the boom 107 to support the mechanical belt 2 . this unbalances the counterweight 112 such that it will will swing said wheel 1c vertically upward , thus lifting the mechanical belt 2 off of the contacted surface 111 eliminating unwanted slack . a sensing - signaling device 116 can be incorporated to monitor the counterweight 112 and send a signal to other means to aid in controlling the situation should the swing up not solve the problem . ( excessive slack can cause : the mechanical belt to pile up on the contacted surface 111 causing detrimental stresses to the components that make up the mechanical belt assembly 2 , the mechanical belt 2 to jump off of the wheels 1 , the mechanical belt to whip , etc .) should the wheel support structure 3 rotate and / or be moved more or less laterally 121 relative to the mss 123 that the mechanical belt &# 39 ; s attachments are working on or in , ( reference fig1 and 16 ) the mechanical belt 2 will be forced outward laterally 122 with respect to the plane of the wheels 6 in the vicinity of the loop 101 . the allow this to happen without detrimental effects , exit wheel 1c is mounted to a fairlead wheel support 127 which is hinge mounted to the boom 107 or support structure 3 in such a fashion that the hinge axis 113 more or less coincides with a line 117 tangent to the wheel 1c at its entry tangent point 75c . also , entry wheel 1d is mounted to a fairlead wheel support 128 which is hinge mounted to the wheel &# 39 ; s supporting structure 3 in such a fashion that the hinge axis 114 more or less coincides with line 110 which is tangent to wheel 1d at exit tangent point 76d . in both cases , the hinge axes 113 and 114 are located more or less in the plane of the wheels 6 . hinging of the wheels 1c and 1d as such allows the line of action of the resultant forces 124 created by the lateral movement 121 , which act through the mechanical belt on the wheels , to more or less always pass through the centerlines of wheels 1c and 1d ; thus , transverse forces 122 are reacted by the wheels 1c and 1d without detrimental results . the resulting twist in the mechanical belt due to the pivoting of wheels 1c and 1d about their hinge axis 113 and 114 is compensated for by the crown support rollers 24 and the said arrangement of the wheels . ( when the wheels 1c and 1d are pivoted , their centerlines 125 and 126 , respectively , do not lie in the plane of the wheels 6 .) to aid the pivoting of wheels 1c and 1d about their respective hinge axis 113 and 114 , line control devices 4 equipped with sensing - signaling devices 66 are mounted to the fairlead wheel supports 127 and 128 adjacent to and on both sides of the mechanical belt 2 and / or its attachments . when the mechanical belt 2 is forced laterally 122 , it bumps into these control devices 4 . the sensing - signaling device 66 detects this and sends a signal to activate steering motors 119 which work to positively pivot the wheels 1c and 1d about their hinge axis 113 and 114 . each of said wheels is pivoted independently of the other . pivoting will continue until the said bumping ceases . | 5 |
fig1 is a simplified side view of an angioplasty balloon catheter 20 of the type that may utilize various embodiments of the invention to advantage . the catheter 20 includes an elongated carrier , such as a hollow sheath 21 , a dilating balloon 26 formed about the sheath 21 in sealed relation thereto and a guide wire member 28 to which the balloon is sealed at a seal 23 . the guide wire member has a longitudinal lumen 29 through which a guide wire ( not shown ) may be received for directing the catheter 20 to a desired location within a vein or artery , for example . the sheath 21 forms with the guide wire member 28 a channel 27 through which fluid , such as saline , may be admitted into the balloon to inflate the balloon . the channel 27 further permits the balloon 26 to be provided with an electrode pair 25 including electrodes 22 and 24 within the fluid filled balloon 26 . as may be seen in fig2 , the electrodes 22 and 24 are attached to a source 40 of high voltage pulses . as may be seen in fig3 , the electrodes 22 and 24 are coaxially disposed with electrode 22 being a center electrode and electrode 24 being a ring shaped electrode about electrode 22 . the center electrode 22 is coupled to a positive terminal 44 of source 40 and the ring electrode 24 is coupled to a negative terminal 46 of the source 40 . the electrodes 22 and 24 are formed of metal , such as stainless steel , and are maintained a controlled distance apart to allow a reproducible arc to form for a given applied voltage and current . the electrical arcs between electrodes 22 and 24 in the fluid are used to generate shock waves in the fluid . each pulse of high voltage applied to the electrodes 22 and 24 forms an arc across the electrodes . the voltage pulses may have amplitudes as low as 500 volts , but preferably , the voltage amplitudes are in the range of 1000 volts to 10 , 000 volts the balloon 26 may be filled with water or saline in order to gently fix the balloon in the walls of the artery or vein , for example , in direct proximity with the calcified lesion . the fluid may also contain an x - ray contrast to permit fluoroscopic viewing of the catheter during use . once the catheter 20 is positioned with the guide wire ( not shown ), the physician or operator can start applying the high voltage pulses to the electrodes to form the shock waves that crack the calcified plaque . such shockwaves will be conducted through the fluid , through the balloon , through the blood and vessel wall to the calcified lesion where the energy will break the hardened plaque without the application of excessive pressure by the balloon on the walls of the artery . fig4 is a simplified equivalent circuit diagram of a system according to an embodiment of the invention . here it may be seen that a capacitance stores a high voltage . when a switch 60 is closed , the voltage drop across the electrodes 22 and 24 begins to quickly rise at an initially low current level . after a dwell time , when the voltage across the electrodes reaches the breakdown voltage of the fluid between the electrodes , an electrical arc occurs across the electrodes . the arc causes a steam bubble to form between the electrodes and a relatively high current to flow through the electrodes . the expansion of the bubble forms a first or leading edge shock wave . after a time , the steam bubble cools and condenses causing the bubble to collapse . the collapsing bubble has the potential for forming a second or trailing edge shock wave . as previously mentioned , the trailing edge shock wave is relatively unreliable exhibiting inconsistent intensities from shock wave to shock wave . hence , it is the leading edge shock wave that holds the most promise for reliable therapy . it has been found that effective shock wave intensity may be accomplished without holding the high voltage pulses on during the entire extent of their corresponding steam bubbles . moreover , terminating the application of the high voltage before steam bubble collapse can serve to preserve electrode material , permitting a pair of electrodes to last for an increased number of applied high voltage pulses . still further , as will be seen subsequently , early termination of the high voltage can also be used to advantage in controlling the temperature within the balloon fluid . fig5 is a graph illustrating a high voltage pulse applied to a pair of electrical arc shock wave producing electrodes and the resulting current flow through the electrodes in accordance with an embodiment of the invention . when the switch 60 ( fig4 ) is first closed , the voltage across the electrodes quickly rises to a level 70 . during this time , as shown by dashed lines 72 , the current through the electrodes is relatively low . after a dwell time ( td ), the arc occurs between the electrodes . at this time the steam bubble begins to form and a high current begins to flow through the electrodes . in accordance with embodiments of the invention , responsive to the current through the electrodes , the application of the high voltage is terminated . this conserves energy applied to the electrodes , causing the electrodes to remain useful for a greater number of pulses than otherwise would be the case if the high voltage were applied longer or sustained throughout the bubble existence . the advantages of controlling the applied energy in this manner are obtained without adversely affecting the intensity of the leading edge shock waves produced . fig6 is a schematic diagram of a power source 80 for use in an electrical arc shock wave angioplasty catheter according to an embodiment of the invention . the power source 80 has an output terminal 82 that may be coupled to electrode 22 of fig1 and an output terminal 84 that may be coupled to electrode 24 of fig1 . a switch circuit 86 selectively applies a high voltage on line 88 across the electrodes . a microprocessor 90 , or other similar control circuitry , such as a gate array , controls the overall operation of the source 80 . a field programmable gate array ( fpga ) may also be substituted for the microprocessor in a manner know in the art . the microprocessor 90 is coupled to the switch 86 by an optical driver 92 . the switch includes a current sensor 94 that includes a current sensing resistor 96 that generates a signal that is applied to an optical isolator 98 when the current flowing through the electrodes reaches a predetermined limit , such as , for example , fifty ( 50 ) amperes . in operation , the microprocessor 90 through the optical driver 92 , causes the switch 86 to apply the high voltage to the electrodes 22 and 24 . the current sensed through resister 96 is monitored by the microprocessor 90 through the optical isolator 98 . when the current flowing through the electrodes reaches a predetermined limit , as for example 50 amperes , the microprocessor 90 causes the application of the high voltage to be terminated . the forgoing occurs for each high voltage pulse applied to the electrodes 22 and 24 . each pulse creates a shock wave of consistent and useful intensity . further , because the application of the high voltage is terminated early , the electrode material is preserved to lengthen the useful life of the electrodes . fig7 is a side view of a dilating catheter with an electrical arc producing electrode structure and a temperature probe therein according to aspects of the invention . the catheter 20 of fig7 may be the same catheter as shown in fig1 . here however , the catheter 20 further includes a temperature probe or sensor 100 . the temperature sensor may be employed for sensing the temperature of the fluid within the balloon . preferably , the temperature of the fluid within the balloon 26 should not be permitted to rise more than two degrees celsius above the ambient body temperature . if this were to occur , soft tissue damage may result . fig8 is a schematic diagram of an angioplasty catheter system 110 according to further embodiments of the invention which includes the catheter 20 and temperature probe 100 . here the system also includes the microprocessor 90 , the switch 86 , optical driver 92 and optical isolator 98 . all of these elements may function as previously described . in addition , the temperature sensor 100 conveys a temperature signal through another optical isolator 120 indicative of the temperature of the fluid within the balloon 26 . if the temperature within the balloon 26 rises to more than a certain temperature , for example to more than two degrees celsius above ambient body temperature , the energy applied to the electrodes is decreased . this will decrease the size and duration of the steam bubbles produced by the electrodes to maintain the temperature of the fluid within the balloon to within safe limits . the microprocessor 90 may cause the switch 86 to decrease the pulse amplitude of the applied high voltage pulses or the pulse rate of the applied high voltage pulse . it could alternatively temporarily terminate the application of the pulses . fig9 is a simplified side view , partly in section , of a further embodiment wherein a balloon is not required . in this embodiment , a system 134 , according to further aspects of the invention , is shown treating an obstruction , more particularly , a kidney stone 131 . the system includes a catheter 133 that terminates at its distal end with an electrode pair 132 similar to electrode pair 25 of fig1 and 2 . the system further includes a power source 140 . the power source has a positive output terminal 142 and a negative output terminal 144 . the center electrode of the electrode pair 132 may be coupled to the positive terminal 142 of source 140 and the ring electrode of the electrode pair 132 may be coupled to the negative terminal 144 of the source 140 . the electrodes of the electrode pair 132 may be formed of metal , such as stainless steel , and are maintained a controlled distance apart to allow a reproducible arc to form for a given applied voltage and current . the catheter 133 of system 134 is shown in a ureter 130 . the ureter has a kidney stone 131 requiring treatment . according to this embodiment , voltage pulses are applied to the electrode pair 132 to produce leading edge shock waves as previously described . the shock waves propagate through the fluid within the ureter and impinge directly on the kidney stone 131 . in a manner as previously described , the power source may be operated to maintain the energy applied to the electrode pair within limits to assure that the steam bubbles produced by the generated arcs do not harm the ureter . to that end , the amplitude or pulse rate of the applied voltages may be controlled . hence , by controlling the energy of the current during the produced arc , such as by controlling the on time of the current , barotrauma to the ureter may be minimized even though a balloon is not employed as in previous embodiments . of course , the system of fig9 may be used in other body organs as well , such as the bile duct , for example . fig1 is a flow diagram illustrating the process of a further embodiment of the invention . the embodiment of fig1 takes into account the time it takes for a high voltage switch , such as switch 86 ( fig6 ), to turn off ( the turn off time ) and the rise time of the current flowing through the electrodes once the electrical arc starts . the current through the electrodes can eventually reach one - hundred amperes or more , at which point the maximum intensity shock wave will be formed . in order to permit the maximum current to be reached and to account for the turn off time of the switch 86 , a delay is timed extending from when the current flowing through the electrodes is at a fixed threshold known to be below the maximum current , to the turn off time of the switch before the expected current maximum . for example , the current threshold may be fifty amperes . when the current through the electrodes equals fifty amperes , the delay timing is begun by the starting of a delay timer within the microprocessor 90 . if the current is expected to be at a maximum 200 nanoseconds after the current reaches fifty amperes , and if it takes 100 nanoseconds for the high voltage switch to actually turn off after receiving a turn off signal , a delay of 100 nanoseconds should be timed from the 50 ampere sensing before a turn off signal is applied to the high voltage switch . hence , a total time of 200 nanoseconds will pass after the current reaches 50 amperes and , as a result , will reach its maximum . as the current reaches its maximum , or shortly thereafter , the voltage applied to the electrodes will be terminated . referring now to the flow diagram 200 of fig1 , and also with reference to fig6 , the process begins with activity step 202 wherein the high voltage is applied to the output terminals 82 and 84 for application to the electrodes , for example , electrodes 22 and 24 ( fig1 ). at first , the current initially flowing through the electrodes is relatively low . however , after a dwell time , the applied high voltage causes an electrical arc to begin to form between the electrodes , the current through the electrodes is sensed , and the current rapidly rises . the current through the electrodes is sensed as previously described . at decision block 204 , the microprocessor 90 determines if the sensed current has reached fifty amperes . when the current reaches fifty amperes , the process advances to activity block 206 where the timing of the aforementioned delay time ( x ) is started . next , in decision block 208 , it is determined when the delay time has been timed . in accordance with this embodiment , the delay time ( x ) may be 100 nanoseconds . when the delay time of 100 nanoseconds is timed , the process advances to activity block 210 wherein the process completes with a turn off signal being applied by the microprocessor 90 to the high voltage switch 86 . the switch 86 will actually turn of a turn of time after the turn off signal is applied to the switch 86 . since it takes 100 nanoseconds for the switch to turn off and since 100 nanoseconds are timed before the turn off signal is applied to the switch , 200 nanoseconds form the 50 ampere current sensing will pass before the applied voltage to the electrodes is actually terminated . that provides sufficient time for the current to reach its maximum to generate the maximum intensity shock wave . the voltage application will terminated as the current reaches maximum , or shortly thereafter . as a result of the foregoing , a maximum intensity shock wave is formed without wasting energy , without unduly eroding the electrodes , and without generating unnecessary heat . as may be appreciated , the delay timing may be employed to advantage in each of the embodiments disclosed herein including the embodiment of fig9 which does not require a balloon . while particular embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described , modifications may be made . it is therefore intended in the appended claims to cover all such changes and modifications which fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention as defined by those claims . | 0 |
the wind energy plant wea 1 according to the invention illustrated in fig1 a , fig1 b has , first of all , the at least two led arrays 2 , 3 which are used in a conventional manner and which are arranged at a distance from each other and obliquely offset on a roof of machine housing 4 . an array is understood in this case as being a specified arrangement of a plurality of leds . it is also possible , however , for an individual led to be provided in an led array . in this case the relative arrangement of the two led arrays 2 , 3 is selected on the basis of safety regulations in such a way that in the front view as shown in fig1 a from a point at the level of the machine housing 4 above sea level or the ground 6 to the machine housing 4 at least one of the two led arrays 2 , 3 will always be visible , despite the rotor blade 9 sweeping past or being stationary , in order to warn in a reliable manner a helicopter for example approaching at the level of the machine housing 4 of the wind energy plant 1 . the two led arrays 7 , 8 are spaced further from each other at a right angle to a longitudinal direction l of the machine housing than the diameter of the rotor blade 9 at the same level above the sea bed or the ground 6 . individual leds have a radiation intensity which is strongly dependent upon the direction . the radiation intensity is strongest in the main radiation direction of the led and decreasing in a lobar manner at an angle of approximately 20 ° around the main radiation direction . in order to equalize the direction dependency of the radiation intensity , as a rule a plurality of leds are arranged in the form of an array 2 , 3 . the radiation intensity is approximately constant along a horizontal 360 ° periphery in the led arrays 2 , 3 . in principle , the wavelength spectrum of a vis led is relatively narrow . depending upon the colour radiated , it is between λ = 610 to 750 nm in the case of red leds or between λ = 400 to 450 nm in the case of violet leds . the vis led arrays 2 , 3 illustrated in fig1 a and 1 b have a plurality of individual leds with the same radiation spectrum . the individual vis leds of the arrays 2 , 3 are arranged in such a way that each of the arrays 2 , 3 radiates substantially with the same power in all directions in the horizontal plane . in accordance with regulations applying internationally ( for example in accordance with the icao appendix 14 volume i ), “ red ” must generally be used as the light colour for obstruction lights and navigation lights . in addition , there may also be a white daytime navigation light which is used instead of or in addition to red colour markings . the white daytime marking , however , is switched off at night . according to the invention two nir led arrays 7 , 8 are arranged on the roof of the machine housing 4 in addition to the vis led arrays 2 , 3 radiating visible light . the nir led arrays 7 , 8 illustrated in fig1 a and 1 b in each case likewise radiate light in a narrowly restricted spectral range . the two nir led arrays 7 , 8 are positioned at a right angle to the longitudinal direction l at a distance from each other which is greater than the diameter of the rotor blade 9 at the level of the nir led arrays 7 , 8 . one of the two nir led arrays 7 is arranged at the end of the roof of the machine housing 4 facing the rotor blade 9 , and the other nir led array 8 is arranged at the end of the roof of the machine housing 4 facing away from the rotor blade 9 . each of the nir led arrays 7 , 8 is positioned in each case adjacent to one of the two conventional vis led arrays 2 , 3 . fig1 b shows the arrangement of the led arrays / nir led arrays 2 , 3 , 7 , 8 in the longitudinal direction l on the roof of the machine housing 4 of the wind energy plant wea 1 in a side view . the nir led arrays 7 , 8 are arranged as far apart from each other as possible in the longitudinal direction l of the machine housing 4 which corresponds to the longitudinal direction l of the drive shaft of the rotor , and are mounted at the end of the roof of the machine housing 4 facing the rotor blade . the nir led arrays 7 , 8 are arranged further apart from each other at a right angle to the longitudinal direction l than the diameter of a rotor blade at the level of the nir led arrays 7 , 8 . the nir led arrays 7 , 8 and vis led arrays 2 , 3 are arranged in each case at different levels above the roof of the machine housing 4 in order to be covered to the minimum degree . the same applies to the arrangement — according to the invention — of the nir led arrays 7 , 8 . the nir led arrays 7 , 8 used here radiate with the greatest intensity at a wavelength of λ = 850 nm . it is possible for example for the cel - li - ir850 - 230 - f nir led of contarnex europe limited to be used . it has a power of p = 4 w and an operating alternating voltage of u = 230 volts . a surge protector is connected in each case in front of the nir led arrays 7 , 8 . the nir led arrays 7 , 8 have in the horizontal direction a radiation pattern with essentially the same intensity along the 360 ° periphery . in the vertical radiation pattern the scattering angle amounts to approximately 15 °. the nir led arrays 7 , 8 require little maintenance and are also suitable for offshore use . fig2 shows the wiring — according to the invention — of the nir led arrays 7 , 8 on the led arrays 2 , 3 conventionally used . the nir led arrays 7 , 8 are connected parallel to the led arrays 2 , 3 . the led arrays 2 , 3 and the nir led arrays 7 , 8 are connected to a control voltage ur by way of a surge protector 20 . the control voltage ur regulates a current supply unit 22 by means of a regulating circuit 21 . the current supply unit 22 is designed in the form of an accumulator and is supplied with current by way of the wind energy plant 1 itself . a detection device ( not shown ) delivers the regulating pulse for switching on the nir led arrays 7 , 8 . the detection device can be designed on the one hand in the form of a dimmer switch which when an exterior light intensity is not reached emits a regulating pulse and thus automatically switches on the led arrays 2 , 3 and the nir led arrays 7 , 8 when a pre - set exterior light intensity is not reached . the detection device can at the same time or instead be designed in the form of a detection device for a signature — emitted by an aircraft — of a transponder . when the signature is detected a regulating pulse is likewise sent which switches on the led arrays 2 , 3 and the nir led arrays 7 , 8 and thus warns the approaching aircraft by switching on the flight navigation device in the visible and also in the nir range . fig3 shows a wind farm with two wind energy plants wea 1 , wea 2 which are coupled to each other by way of a synchronization unit 30 . the synchronization unit 30 generates a synchronization signal which is supplied to each of the wind energy plants wea 1 , wea 2 and which actuates and thus synchronizes the flight navigation devices . the synchronization unit 30 has additional connections for further wind energy plants of the wind farm . fig4 shows a light source 40 which has two vis led arrays and two nir led arrays . each of the arrays 2 , 3 , 7 , 8 has a row of individual leds extending around the light source 40 along a circular external periphery . the two nir led arrays 7 , 8 adjacent to the roof of the machine housing 4 have exclusively nir leds . the two led rows arranged at a greater distance from the machine housing 4 are solely vis led rows 7 , 8 . the light source 40 is an integrated component which is capable of being mounted on the roof of the machine housing 4 . it is circular in a cross - section parallel to the roof of the machine housing 4 and frustoconical in a cross - section at a right angle thereto . the flashing behaviour of the led arrays 2 , 3 , 7 , 8 is controlled by way of a synchronization unit 30 . the synchronization unit 30 is switched on and off by a dimmer switch 32 when the brightness values of the environment of the light source 40 fall below or exceed pre - set brightness threshold values . the synchronization of a plurality of wind energy plants wea 1 , wea 2 of a wind farm is carried out by means of a time signal capable of being detected by way of a receiving unit 31 . this can be a gps or even a dcf77 time signal which is received by all the light sources 40 of the wind farm by way of one respective receiving unit 32 assigned to them and which acts upon a synchronization unit 30 assigned to them in each case . in addition , the receiving unit 31 is designed for the reception of a transponder signal of an aircraft . in this case , when approaching the wind energy plant wea 1 , wea 2 , the aircraft emits a transponder signal with data on its position and signature , which is received by the receiving unit 31 and is recognized as an aircraft signature by the synchronization unit 30 . the synchronization unit 30 determines the distance of the aircraft from the wind energy plant wea 1 and when a minimum permissible distance value is not reached it switches on the light source 40 of the flight navigation devices . alternatively , the synchronization unit 30 can be connected to a plurality of light sources 40 . in this case the synchronization unit 30 can also be connected to light sources 40 of a plurality of or all the wind energy plants wea 1 , wea 2 of the wind farm by way of cable or radio and can thus synchronize the individual light sources 40 . | 8 |
in the remainder of the description , for simplicity &# 39 ; s sake , the case of a smart card will be taken as an example of the processing device . according to the invention proposed , each smart card is composed of a processing unit cpu 11 , a communications interface 10 , a random - access memory ( ram ) and / or a read - only memory ( rom ) 14 , and / or a read - only memory ( generally reprogrammable ) ( eprom or eeprom ) 15 . each card can encipher and / or decipher messages according to the procedures proposed . the cpu unit 11 and / or rom 14 of this smart card contain programs or calculation resources that allow arithmetical operations to be performed rapidly on large numbers , particularly multiplications , inverse calculations , and modular reductions . in known fashion , some of these operations can be grouped ( for example modular reduction can be integrated directly into multiplication ). in the same way as for implementation of an algorithm such as des , the ram memory contains block x on n bits of message m to be enciphered . the e ( e ) prom memory 15 contains keys k , k 1 , and k 2 . in known fashion , the cpu unit 11 controls , via address and data buses 16 , the communications interface 10 and the memory read and write operations 13 , 14 , and 15 . each smart card is protected from the outside world by physical protections 17 . these protections must be sufficient to prevent any unauthorized entity from obtaining the secret key k . the techniques in commonest use today in this field are building the chip into a security module and equipping chips with devices capable of detecting changes in temperature and light as well as abnormal voltages and clock frequencies . special ( but known ) design techniques such as scrambling the memory access are also used . as shown in fig2 there are two devices a ; and a k . a device utilizing a security module with the same functions as a smart card can carry out the enciphering and deciphering operations in the same manner . within the general framework of the proposed invention , implementation of a symmetrical enciphering algorithm employing resources normally used for public - key cryptographic operations is carried out by taking the following steps and exchanging at least the following signals between the card and the verification device which , according to the invention , can be another card : first , the device a ; enciphering a message of length l divides the message to obtain ( q + 1 ) blocks of n bits . if l =( q * n + r ) bits , with r & lt ; n , the device divides the message into q + 1 blocks , namely q blocks of length n bits and one block of r bits . it completes the ( q + 1 ) i &# 39 ; th block with zeros in order to have q + 1 blocks of n bits , then it enciphers each block x i by performing the following calculation : e ( x i )= f 4 ( x i )⊕ k mod n = y i it then sends the ( q + 1 ) y i blocks of the cipher to the deciphering device . the message deciphering device a k makes the following calculation on each block y i : d ( y i )= g 4 ( y i )⊕ k mod n = x i , to decipher block y i , it finally reconstitutes the message m = x 1 | x 2 |. . . | x i + 1 a second variant of the present invention has the objective of offering a second symmetrical enciphering embodiment calling on resources normally used for public - key cryptography , working on two registers of n bits containing the blocks of the message to be enciphered . the device enciphering a message of length l divides it as described hereinabove . for a message of length l = ( q * n + r ) bits , with r & lt ; n , it divides this message into q + 1 blocks , namely q blocks of length n bits and one block of r bits . it completes the ( q + 1 ) i &# 39 ; th block with zeros , and enciphers each block x i using the following calculation : e ( x i , x i + 1 )= f 8 ( x i , x i + 1 ) y i + 1 = x ⊕(( y i ⊕ k 2 )* k 1 mod n ) k 1 and k 2 representing the secret keys over n bits it then sends the ( q + 1 ) y i blocks of the cipher to the deciphering device . the device deciphering the message makes the following calculation on each block y i : d ( y i , y i + 1 )= g 8 ( y i , y i + 1 ) x i = y i + 1 ⊕(( x i + 1 ⊕ k 2 )* k 1 mod n )= y i + 1 ⊕(( y i ⊕ k 2 )* k 1 mod n ) finally it reconstitutes the message m = x 1 | x 2 |. . . x i + 1 as an example , for better understanding of the processing in the case where two interactions were performed on function f , one would have : f 2 ( x i , x i + 1 )= f ( x i + 1 , x i ⊕(( x i + 1 ⊕ k 2 )* k 1 mod n )= y i , y i + 1 =( x i ⊕(( x i + 1 ⊕ k 2 )* k 1 mod n ,( x i + 1 ⊕(( y i ⊕ k 2 )* k 1 mod n ) the process according to the invention also allows messages to be hashed in order for example to apply it to calculating electronic signatures or implementing secrete - key protocols as defined above . for example , the two algorithm - enciphering functions described above would be used to hash messages in the following manner : according to a first variant : e ( x i )= f 4 ( x i )⊕ k mod n ( 1 ) the cipher y 1 of the first block x 1 of the message is calculated : y 1 = e ( x 1 ) ( 2 ) for the rest of the blocks x 1 of the message , the following calculation is made : y i = e ( x i ⊕ y i − 1 )⊕ y i − 1 and the last block is taken as the hashed value of the message . according to a second variant : e ( x i , x i + 1 )= f 8 ( x i , x i + 1 ) ( 1 ) the cipher ( y 1 , y 2 ) of the first two blocks ( x 1 , x 2 ) of the message is calculated : y 1 , y 2 = e ( x 1 , x 2 ) ( 2 ) for the rest of the pairs of blocks ( x i , x i + 1 ) of the message , the following calculation is performed : | 6 |
with reference now to the figures , fig1 depicts a pictorial representation of a network of data processing systems in which the present invention may be implemented . network data processing system 100 is a network of computers in which the present invention may be implemented . network data processing system 100 contains a network 102 , which is the medium used to provide communications links between various devices and computers connected together within network data processing system 100 . network 102 may include several types of connections , such as wire , wireless communication links , or fiber optic cables . however , for the purposes of the present invention , wireless communication links will be emphasized . in the depicted example , server 104 , 106 , and 108 are connected to network 102 . in the depicted example , servers 104 and 106 are merchant servers with high speed connections to network 102 , while server 108 is a telecommunications / gateway server . in addition , clients 110 , 112 and 114 also are connected to network 102 . client 110 is a personal computer using a conventional land line communication link . clients 112 and 114 are mobile phones relying on wireless communication links . clients 110 , 112 , and 114 are clients to servers 104 , 106 , and 108 . network data processing system 100 may include additional servers , clients , and other devices not shown . in the depicted example , network data processing system 100 is the internet with network 102 representing a worldwide collection of networks and gateways that use the tcp / ip suite of protocols to communicate with one another . at the heart of the internet is a backbone of high - speed data communication lines between major nodes or host computers , consisting of thousands of commercial , government , educational and other computer systems that route data and messages . fig1 is intended as an example , and not as an architectural limitation for the present invention . referring to fig2 a block diagram of a data processing system that may be implemented as a server is depicted in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention . data processing system 200 may be a symmetric multiprocessor ( smp ) system including a plurality of processors 202 and 204 connected to system bus 206 . alternatively , a single processor system may be employed . also connected to system bus 206 is memory controller / cache 208 , which provides an interface to local memory 209 . i / o bus bridge 210 is connected to system bus 206 and provides an interface to i / o bus 212 . memory controller / cache 208 and i / o bus bridge 210 may be integrated as depicted . peripheral component interconnect ( pci ) bus bridge 214 connected to i / o bus 212 provides an interface to pci local bus 216 . a number of modems may be connected to pci bus 216 . typical pci bus implementations will support four pci expansion slots or add - in connectors . communications links to clients 110 - 114 in fig1 may be provided through modem 218 and network adapter 220 connected to pci local bus 216 through add - in boards . additional pci bus bridges 222 and 224 provide interfaces for additional pci buses 226 and 228 , from which additional modems or network adapters may be supported . in this manner , data processing system 200 allows connections to multiple network computers . a memory - mapped graphics adapter 230 and hard disk 232 may also be connected to i / o bus 212 as depicted , either directly or indirectly . those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the hardware depicted in fig2 may vary . for example , other peripheral devices , such as optical disk drives and the like , also may be used in addition to or in place of the hardware depicted . the depicted example is not meant to imply architectural limitations with respect to the present invention . the data processing system depicted in fig2 may be , for example , an eserver pseries system , a product of international business machines corporation in armonk , n . y ., running the advanced interactive executive ( aix ) or linux operating systems . with reference now to fig3 a , a diagram illustrating a mobile phone is depicted in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention . mobile phone 300 includes a display 306 for presenting textual and graphical information . display 306 may be a known display device , such as a liquid crystal display ( lcd ) device . mobile phone 300 may also include keypad 308 , speaker 314 , and microphone 316 . the keypad may be used to enter , for example , telephone numbers , user identification information , and commands for interacting with the interface . audio feedback may be presented via speaker 314 . in addition to normal voice conversation , feedback may include other information , for example , location . microphone 316 can be used not only for voice conversation , but for entering specific voice commands for voice actuated functions . mobile phone 300 also includes antenna 318 , which is necessary for establishing wireless communication links with remote transmitting towers . turning now to fig3 b , a block diagram illustrating the hardware configuration of mobile phone 300 is shown in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention . fig3 b illustrates the increasing sophistication of modern mobile phone designs . mobile phone 300 employs bus architecture . processor 322 and main memory 324 are connected to bus 330 . display adapter 326 , keypad adapter 328 , storage 332 , and audio adapter 334 are also connected to bus 330 . mobile phone 300 also includes wireless link 336 connected to bus 330 . those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the hardware in fig3 b may vary depending on the implementation . other internal hardware or peripheral devices may be used in addition to or in place of the hardware depicted in fig3 b . mobile phone 300 may rely on wireless application protocol ( wap ) for facilitating communications . wap is a standard for providing wireless phones , pagers and other handheld devices with secure access to e - mail and text - based web pages . wap provides a complete environment for wireless applications that includes a wireless counterpart of tcp / ip and a framework for telephony integration such as call control and phone book access . wap features the wireless markup language ( wml ), which was derived from phone . com &# 39 ; s handheld device markup language ( hdml ) and is a streamlined version of html for small screen displays . it also uses wmlscript , a compact javascript - like language that runs in limited memory . wap also supports handheld input methods such as a keypad and voice recognition . independent of the air interface , wap runs over all the major wireless networks in place . it is also device independent , requiring only a minimum functionality in the unit so that it can be used with a myriad of phones and handheld devices . however , it should be pointed out that wap has been described for illustrative purposes , and other wireless protocols may be used to implement the present invention . the depicted example in fig3 b and examples described above are not meant to imply architectural limitations . in addition , the use of wireless communications protocols for internet access need not be restricted to mobile phones . the present invention may be applied to other wireless devices which have similar communications protocols . mobile phones are used merely for illustrative purposes . the present invention provides a method for internet merchants to apply discounts to cellular phone purchases . while prior art approaches rely on merchants subscribing to a discount plan offered by a telecommunications supplier , the present invention allows the merchant to offer discounts directly to the customer . this direct approach not only provides greater flexibility than subscribing to a centralized discount plan , but also opens opportunities for internet merchants that might not otherwise be able to afford subscribing with the major telecommunications companies . referring to fig4 a flowchart illustrating an application of a cellular phone discount is depicted in accordance with the present invention . the customer registers with an internet merchant ( step 401 ). session identifiers may be used to track the customer ( i . e . ids embedded in cookies or universal resource locator ( url ) encoding ). first time customer who have not registered with a merchant may be alerted by the merchant server that a discount may be applied to any purchases , which will provide further incentive for first time wireless customers who may not otherwise be aware of the potential savings . an email may also be sent to customers alerting them about possible discounts . the merchant server determines that the customer &# 39 ; s client ( e . g . cell phone ) is communicating over the wap protocol ( wireless communications )( step 402 ). this may be accomplished by detecting the type of browse used by the mobile phone , the type of header , or the presence of a wap gateway . the merchant server then returns wml and also tracks the time the client spends at the web site ( step 403 ). to reduce costs to consumers , and thereby encourage more cell phone web purchases , the time spent at a merchant &# 39 ; s web site can be used to calculate discounts applied to purchases . in addition to time - based discounts , other discounting methods may be used to cover cellular phone costs . examples of alternate discounts schemes include fixed rate per call and percentage of purchase price . some merchants may wish to apply a ceiling to the discount . in addition , because different wireless communication plans may have different costs , greater discounts may be applied to higher priced plans . examples of ways to determine the particular plan used by a customer ( and hence relative costs ) include : detecting the particular wap gateway being used , the customer &# 39 ; s wireless service provider , and customer profiles . many other discount schemes are possible and should be determined according to merchant business needs . when and if the customer makes a purchase from the merchant , a discount is applied directly to the purchase price , depending on the cost determination and discount method of the merchant ( step 404 ). the system then determines if there are more requests from the same customer ( step 405 ). an example would be a “ continue shopping ” command from the customer after placing the order . if there is another request , the system returns to step 403 . if there are no more requests from the customer , the process stops and the system exits . turning to fig5 a flowchart illustrating the overall process flow of a cell phone discount by the merchant server is depicted in accordance with the present invention . customers register with a merchant database ( step 501 ). this database in maintained on the merchant server and contains different types of registered customers . the criteria for classifying customers is determined by the business requirements of the merchant . for example , merchants may classify customers as business or professional customers , or they may classify customers according to the customer &# 39 ; s wireless communication plan . merchants might also classify customers according to the types of products the customers are interested in purchasing . these kinds of details can be gathered from the customers during the registration process in step 501 , and may also be updated at a later date . in addition , the server might track repeat customers and apply greater discounts to regular customers , depending upon the customers &# 39 ; purchase histories . when a customer contacts the merchant server or places an order ( step 502 ), the merchant server maps the customer to a discount scheme table ( step 503 ), depending on the customer &# 39 ; s classification within the database . the discount scheme table may contain several discounting methods , similar to those described above . the different schemes may be applied to different customer classifications . alternatively , the server may calculate which discount scheme will produce the greatest savings for the customer for a particular transaction . after the customer / order is mapped to a particular discount scheme , the server uses the scheme to compute the discount for the transaction ( step 504 ) and then applies the discount when calculating the customer &# 39 ; s bill ( step 505 ), as illustrated below in fig6 . referring to fig6 a diagram illustrating a discount computation mechanism is depicted in accordance with the present invention . the example in fig6 illustrates a time - based discount scheme . however , as stated above , other discount schemes may be used . the computation mechanism identifies a particular customer with the session and transaction . in the present example , the session identifier is 1a36794 ( which is in the cookie ). because the present example is using a time - based discount scheme , the computation mechanism uses the total session time recorded by the server ( 45 minutes ). the session time is then multiplied by a cost conversion factor ( 10 ¢ per minute ), and the total discount ($ 4 . 50 ) is calculated and applied to the purchase price . the discount schemes used by merchants might require a minimum total purchase , in order to make the discount services more cost effective for the merchants . referring to fig7 a diagram illustrating the software structure of a merchant server is depicted in accordance with the present invention . this diagram is an example of the types of software features used to carry out the method of the present invention . the merchant server contains web server software 701 , which enables the server to communicate with other servers and client machines . incoming requests coming through the web server software 701 are compared to a database 702 of types of customers . these types might include first time customers , repeat customers with registered accounts , business customers , or any type of classification that the merchant wishes to use , based on the nature of the merchant &# 39 ; s business . the classification of customers may also be based on method of communication used by the customer in contacting the merchant . the explanation of the present invention assumes that the customer is using mobile or cellular telephone communication . however , there may also be possible sub - classifications with mobile communications . the classification of the incoming customer request is then mapped to a table of discount schemes 703 . discount computation software 704 then calculates the discount based on the appropriate discount scheme . this discount is then applied to the purchase price by billing software 705 . referring now to fig8 a pictorial diagram illustrating phone displays for discount information is depicted in accordance with the present invention . the displays illustrated in fig8 are merely possible examples of the type of discount display a customer might receive on his or her cell phone after an order is placed . display 800 is an example of a detailed display identifying the merchant , the discount parameter ( i . e . time ), and the total discount on the order . in the example illustrated by display 810 , a menu selection option is presented to the customer rather than detailed information . because wireless internet purchases may be impulse and discretionary , an internet merchant that discounts the cost of cell - phone access may find more visitors and recoup the cost of the discounts due to economies of scale from greater sales . by using the present invention , merchants will not have to pay the telecommunications carriers in order to provide free cell - phone access to the merchant web sites . this allows smaller merchants to avoid the often prohibitive costs of making special arrangements with the telecommunications firms . it is important to note that while the present invention has been described in the context of a fully functioning data processing system , those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the processes of the present invention are capable of being distributed in the form of a computer readable medium of instructions and a variety of forms and that the present invention applies equally regardless of the particular type of signal bearing media actually used to carry out the distribution . examples of computer readable media include recordable - type media , such as a floppy disk , a hard disk drive , a ram , cd - roms , dvd - roms , and transmission - type media , such as digital and analog communications links , wired or wireless communications links using transmission forms , such as , for example , radio frequency and light wave transmissions . the computer readable media may take the form of coded formats that are decoded for actual use in a particular data processing system . wap and wml are used merely for illustrative purposes . other markup languages ( e . g . hdml ) and communications protocols ( e . g . bluetooth ) may be used with the present invention . the description of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description , and is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the invention in the form disclosed . many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art . the embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention , the practical application , and to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the invention for various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated . | 7 |
“ aerodynamic diameter ” of a given particle refers to the diameter of a spherical droplet with a density of 1 g / ml ( the density of water ) that has the same settling velocity as the given particle . “ aerosol ” refers to a suspension of solid or liquid particles in a gas . “ aerosol drug mass density ” refers to the mass of antihistamine per unit volume of aerosol . “ aerosol mass density ” refers to the mass of particulate matter per unit volume of aerosol . “ aerosol particle density ” refers to the number of particles per unit volume of aerosol . “ amorphous particle ” refers to a particle that does not contain more than 50 percent by weight of a crystalline form . preferably , the particle does not contain more than 25 percent by weight of a crystalline form . more preferably , the particle does not contain more than 10 percent by weight of a crystalline form . “ antihistamine degradation product ” refers to a compound resulting from a chemical modification of an antihistamine . the modification , for example , can be the result of a thermally or photochemically induced reaction . such reactions include , without limitation , oxidation and hydrolysis . “ azatadine degradation product ” refers to a compound resulting from a chemical modification of azatadine . the modification , for example , can be the result of a thermally or photochemically induced reaction . such reactions include , without limitation , oxidation and hydrolysis . “ brompheniramine degradation product ” refers to a compound resulting from a chemical modification of brompheniramine . the modification , for example , can be the result of a thermally or photochemically induced reaction . such reactions include , without limitation , oxidation and hydrolysis . “ carbinoxamine degradation product ” refers to a compound resulting from a chemical modification of carbinoxamine . the modification , for example , can be the result of a thermally or photochemically induced reaction . such reactions include , without limitation , oxidation and hydrolysis . “ chlorpheniramine degradation product ” refers to a compound resulting from a chemical modification of chlorpheniramine . the modification , for example , can be the result of a thermally or photochemically induced reaction . such reactions include , without limitation , oxidation and hydrolysis . an example of a degradation product is a compound of molecular formula c 12 h 8 nocl . “ clemastine degradation product ” refers to a compound resulting from a chemical modification of clemastine . the modification , for example , can be the result of a thermally or photochemically induced reaction . such reactions include , without limitation , oxidation and hydrolysis . an example of a degradation product is c 14 h 13 ocl ( removal of sidechain from oxygen , yielding an alcohol ). “ condensation aerosol ” refers to an aerosol formed by vaporization of a substance followed by condensation of the substance into an aerosol . “ cyproheptadine degradation product ” refers to a compound resulting from a chemical modification of cyproheptadine . the modification , for example , can be the result of a thermally or photochemically induced reaction . such reactions include , without limitation , oxidation and hydrolysis . an example of a degradation product is the n - oxide of cyproheptadine ( c 21 h 21 no ). “ hydroxyzine degradation product ” refers to a compound resulting from a chemical modification of hydroxyzine . the modification , for example , can be the result of a thermally or photochemically induced reaction . such reactions include , without limitation , oxidation and hydrolysis . an example of a degradation product is a compound of molecular formula c 13 h 9 ocl ( a chloro benzophenone ). “ inhalable aerosol drug mass density ” refers to the aerosol drug mass density produced by an inhalation device and delivered into a typical patient tidal volume . “ inhalable aerosol mass density ” refers to the aerosol mass density produced by an inhalation device and delivered into a typical patient tidal volume . ” inhalable aerosol particle density ” refers to the aerosol particle density of particles of size between 100 nm and 5 microns produced by an inhalation device and delivered into a typical patient tidal volume . “ loratadine degradation product ” refers to a compound resulting from a chemical modification of loratadine . the modification , for example , can be the result of a thermally or photochemically induced reaction . such reactions include , without limitation , oxidation and hydrolysis . “ mass median aerodynamic diameter ” or “ mmad ” of an aerosol refers to the aerodynamic diameter for which half the particulate mass of the aerosol is contributed by particles with an aerodynamic diameter larger than the mmad and half by particles with an aerodynamic diameter smaller than the mmad . “ promethazine degradation product ” refers to a compound resulting from a chemical modification of promethazine . the modification , for example , can be the result of a thermally or photochemically induced reaction . such reactions include , without limitation , oxidation and hydrolysis . an example of a degradation product is a compound of molecular formula c 12 h 9 nos ( a sulfoxide ). “ pyrilamine degradation product ” refers to a compound resulting from a chemical modification of pyrilamine . the modification , for example , can be the result of a thermally or photochemically induced reaction . such reactions include , without limitation , oxidation and hydrolysis . an example of a degradation product is 4 - methoxy - benzaldehyde . “ rate of aerosol formation ” refers to the mass of aerosolized particulate matter produced by an inhalation device per unit time . “ rate of inhalable aerosol particle formation ” refers to the number of particles of size between 100 nm and 5 microns produced by an inhalation device per unit time . “ rate of drug aerosol formation ” refers to the mass of aerosolized antihistamine produced by an inhalation device per unit time . “ settling velocity ” refers to the terminal velocity of an aerosol particle undergoing gravitational settling in air . “ typical patient tidal volume ” refers to 1 l for an adult patient and 15 ml / kg for a pediatric patient . “ vapor ” refers to a gas , and “ vapor phase ” refers to a gas phase . the term “ thermal vapor ” refers to a vapor phase , aerosol , or mixture of aerosol - vapor phases , formed preferably by heating . any suitable method is used to form the aerosols of the present invention . a preferred method , however , involves heating a composition comprising an antihistamine to form a vapor , followed by cooling of the vapor such that it condenses to provide an antihistamine comprising aerosol ( condensation aerosol ). the composition is heated in one of four forms : as pure active compound ( e . g ., pure azatadine , brompheniramine , carbinoxamine , chlorpheniramine , clemastine , cyproheptadine , loratadine , pyrilamine , hydroxyzine , or promethazine ); as a mixture of active compound and a pharmaceutically acceptable excipient ; as a salt form of the pure active compound ; and , as a mixture of active compound salt form and a pharmaceutically acceptable excipient . salt forms of antihistamines ( e . g ., azatadine , brompheniramine , carbinoxamine , chlorpheniramine , clemastine , cyproheptadine , loratadine , pyrilamine , hydroxyzine , or promethazine ) are either commercially available or are obtained from the corresponding free base using well known methods in the art . a variety of pharmaceutically acceptable salts are suitable for aerosolization . such salts include , without limitation , the following : hydrochloric acid , hydrobromic acid , acetic acid , maleic acid , formic acid , and fumaric acid salts . pharmaceutically acceptable excipients may be volatile or nonvolatile . volatile excipients , when heated , are concurrently volatilized , aerosolized and inhaled with the antihistamine . classes of such excipients are known in the art and include , without limitation , gaseous , supercritical fluid , liquid and solid solvents . the following is a list of exemplary carriers within the classes : water ; terpenes , such as menthol ; alcohols , such as ethanol , propylene glycol , glycerol and other similar alcohols ; dimethylformamide ; dimethylacetamide ; wax ; supercritical carbon dioxide ; dry ice ; and mixtures thereof . solid supports on which the composition is heated are of a variety of shapes . examples of such shapes include , without limitation , cylinders of less than 1 . 0 mm in diameter , boxes of less than 1 . 0 mm thickness and virtually any shape permeated by small ( e . g ., less than 1 . 0 mm - sized ) pores . preferably , solid supports provide a large surface to volume ratio ( e . g ., greater than 100 per meter ) and a large surface to mass ratio ( e . g ., greater than 1 cm 2 per gram ). a solid support of one shape can also be transformed into another shape with different properties . for example , a flat sheet of 0 . 25 mm thickness has a surface to volume ratio of approximately 8 , 000 per meter . rolling the sheet into a hollow cylinder of 1 cm diameter produces a support that retains the high surface to mass ratio of the original sheet but has a lower surface to volume ratio ( about 400 per meter ). a number of different materials are used to construct the solid supports . classes of such materials include , without limitation , metals , inorganic materials , carbonaceous materials and polymers . the following are examples of the material classes : aluminum , silver , gold , stainless steel , copper and tungsten ; silica , glass , silicon and alumina ; graphite , porous carbons , carbon yarns and carbon felts ; polytetrafluoroethylene and polyethylene glycol . combinations of materials and coated variants of materials are used as well . where aluminum is used as a solid support , aluminum foil is a suitable material . examples of silica , alumina and silicon based materials include amphorous silica s - 5631 ( sigma , st . louis , mo . ), bcr 171 ( an alumina of defined surface area greater than 2 m 2 / g from aldrich , st . louis , mo .) and a silicon wafer as used in the semiconductor industry . carbon yarns and felts are available from american kynol , inc ., new york , n . y . chromatography resins such as octadecycl silane chemically bonded to porous silica are exemplary coated variants of silica . the heating of the antihistamine compositions is performed using any suitable method . examples of methods by which heat can be generated include the following : passage of current through an electrical resistance element ; absorption of electromagnetic radiation , such as microwave or laser light ; and , exothermic chemical reactions , such as exothermic solvation , hydration of pyrophoric materials and oxidation of combustible materials . antihistamine containing aerosols of the present invention are delivered to a mammal using an inhalation device . where the aerosol is a condensation aerosol , the device has at least three elements : an element for heating an antihistamine containing composition to form a vapor ; an element allowing the vapor to cool , thereby providing a condensation aerosol ; and , an element permitting the mammal to inhale the aerosol . various suitable heating methods are described above . the element that allows cooling is , in it simplest form , an inert passageway linking the heating means to the inhalation means . the element permitting inhalation is an aerosol exit portal that forms a connection between the cooling element and the mammal &# 39 ; s respiratory system . one device used to deliver an antihistamine containing aerosol is described in reference to fig1 . delivery device 100 has a proximal end 102 and a distal end 104 , a heating module 106 , a power source 108 , and a mouthpiece 110 . an antihistamine composition is deposited on a surface 112 of heating module 106 . upon activation of a user activated switch 114 , power source 108 initiates heating of heating module 106 ( e . g , through ignition of combustible fuel or passage of current through a resistive heating element ). the antihistamine composition volatilizes due to the heating of heating module 106 and condenses to form a condensation aerosol prior to reaching the mouthpiece 110 at the proximal end of the device 102 . air flow traveling from the device distal end 104 to the mouthpiece 110 carries the condensation aerosol to the mouthpiece 110 , where it is inhaled by the mammal . devices , if desired , contain a variety of components to facilitate the delivery of antihistamine containing aerosols . for instance , the device may include any component known in the art to control the timing of drug aerosolization relative to inhalation ( e . g ., breath - actuation ), to provide feedback to patients on the rate and / or volume of inhalation , to prevent excessive use ( i . e ., “ lock - out ” feature ), to prevent use by unauthorized individuals , and / or to record dosing histories . the dosage amount of antihistamine in aerosol form is generally no greater than twice the standard dose of the drug given orally . for instance , for the treatment of allergy symptoms azatadine , brompheniramine , carbinoxamine , chlorpheniramine , clemastine , cyproheptadine , loratadine , pyrilamine , hydroxyzine and promethazine are typically provided orally at the following respective strengths : 1 mg , 4 mg , 4 mg , 2 mg , 1 . 34 mg , 4 mg , 10 mg , 30 mg , 25 mg , and 25 mg . as aerosols , the compounds are generally provided in the following amounts per inspiration for the same indication : azatadine , 0 . 2 mg to 2 . 5 mg ; clemastine , 0 . 25 mg to 6 mg ; chlorpheniramine , 0 . 5 mg to 5 mg ; brompheniramine , 0 . 8 mg to 10 mg ; carbinoxamine , 0 . 8 mg to 10 mg ; cyproheptadine , 0 . 8 mg to 10 mg ; loratadine , 2 mg to 25 mg ; promethazine , 5 mg to 60 mg ; hydroxyzine , 2 mg to 100 mg ; and , pyrilamine , 6 mg to 70 mg . a typical dosage of an antihistamine aerosol is either administered as a single inhalation or as a series of inhalations taken within an hour or less ( dosage equals sum of inhaled amounts ). where the drug is administered as a series of inhalations , a different amount may be delivered in each inhalation . one can determine the appropriate dose of an antihistamine containing aerosol to treat a particular condition using methods such as animal experiments and a dose - finding ( phase i / ii ) clinical trial . one animal experiment involves measuring plasma concentrations of drug in an animal after its exposure to the aerosol . mammals such as dogs or primates are typically used in such studies , since their respiratory systems are similar to that of a human . initial dose levels for testing in humans is generally less than or equal to the dose in the mammal model that resulted in plasma drug levels associated with a therapeutic effect in humans . dose escalation in humans is then performed , until either an optimal therapeutic response is obtained or a dose - limiting toxicity is encountered . purity of an antihistamine containing aerosol is determined using a number of methods , examples of which are described in sekine et al ., journal of forensic science 32 : 1271 - 1280 ( 1987 ) and martin et al ., journal of analytic toxicology 13 : 158 - 162 ( 1989 ). one method involves forming the aerosol in a device through which a gas flow ( e . g ., air flow ) is maintained , generally at a rate between 0 . 4 and 60 l / min . the gas flow carries the aerosol into one or more traps . after isolation from the trap , the aerosol is subjected to an analytical technique , such as gas or liquid chromatography , that permits a determination of composition purity . a variety of different traps are used for aerosol collection . the following list contains examples of such traps : filters ; glass wool ; impingers ; solvent traps , such as dry ice - cooled ethanol , methanol , acetone and dichloromethane traps at various ph values ; syringes that sample the aerosol ; empty , low - pressure ( e . g ., vacuum ) containers into which the aerosol is drawn ; and , empty containers that fully surround and enclose the aerosol generating device . where a solid such as glass wool is used , it is typically extracted with a solvent such as ethanol . the solvent extract is subjected to analysis rather than the solid ( i . e ., glass wool ) itself . where a syringe or container is used , the container is similarly extracted with a solvent . the gas or liquid chromatograph discussed above contains a detection system ( i . e ., detector ). such detection systems are well known in the art and include , for example , flame ionization , photon absorption and mass spectrometry detectors . an advantage of a mass spectrometry detector is that it can be used to determine the structure of antihistamine degradation products . particle size distribution of an antihistamine containing aerosol is determined using any suitable method in the art ( e . g ., cascade impaction ). an andersen eight stage non - viable cascade impactor ( andersen instruments , smyrna , ga .) linked to a furnace tube by a mock throat ( usp throat , andersen instruments , smyrna , ga .) is one system used for cascade impaction studies . inhalable aerosol mass density is determined , for example , by delivering a drug - containing aerosol into a confined chamber via an inhalation device and measuring the mass collected in the chamber . typically , the aerosol is drawn into the chamber by having a pressure gradient between the device and the chamber , wherein the chamber is at lower pressure than the device . the volume of the chamber should approximate the tidal volume of an inhaling patient . inhalable aerosol drug mass density is determined , for example , by delivering a drug - containing aerosol into a confined chamber via an inhalation device and measuring the amount of active drug compound collected in the chamber . typically , the aerosol is drawn into the chamber by having a pressure gradient between the device and the chamber , wherein the chamber is at lower pressure than the device . the volume of the chamber should approximate the tidal volume of an inhaling patient . the amount of active drug compound collected in the chamber is determined by extracting the chamber , conducting chromatographic analysis of the extract and comparing the results of the chromatographic analysis to those of a standard containing known amounts of drug . inhalable aerosol particle density is determined , for example , by delivering aerosol phase drug into a confined chamber via an inhalation device and measuring the number of particles of given size collected in the chamber . the number of particles of a given size may be directly measured based on the light - scattering properties of the particles . alternatively , the number of particles of a given size may be determined by measuring the mass of particles within the given size range and calculating the number of particles based on the mass as follows : total number of particles = sum ( from size range 1 to size range n ) of number of particles in each size range . number of particles in a given size range = mass in the size range / mass of a typical particle in the size range . mass of a typical particle in a given size range = π * d 3 * φ / 6 , where d is a typical particle diameter in the size range ( generally , the mean boundary mmads defining the size range ) in microns , φ is the particle density ( in g / ml ) and mass is given in units of picograms ( g − 12 ). rate of inhalable aerosol particle formation is determined , for example , by delivering aerosol phase drug into a confined chamber via an inhalation device . the delivery is for a set period of time ( e . g ., 3 s ), and the number of particles of a given size collected in the chamber is determined as outlined above . the rate of particle formation is equal to the number of 100 nm to 5 micron particles collected divided by the duration of the collection time . rate of aerosol formation is determined , for example , by delivering aerosol phase drug into a confined chamber via an inhalation device . the delivery is for a set period of time ( e . g ., 3 s ), and the mass of particulate matter collected is determined by weighing the confined chamber before and after the delivery of the particulate matter . the rate of aerosol formation is equal to the increase in mass in the chamber divided by the duration of the collection time . alternatively , where a change in mass of the delivery device or component thereof can only occur through release of the aerosol phase particulate matter , the mass of particulate matter may be equated with the mass lost from the device or component during the delivery of the aerosol . in this case , the rate of aerosol formation is equal to the decrease in mass of the device or component during the delivery event divided by the duration of the delivery event . rate of drug aerosol formation is determined , for example , by delivering an antihistamine containing aerosol into a confined chamber via an inhalation device over a set period of time ( e . g ., 3 s ). where the aerosol is pure antihistamine , the amount of drug collected in the chamber is measured as described above . the rate of drug aerosol formation is equal to the amount of antihistamine collected in the chamber divided by the duration of the collection time . where the antihistamine containing aerosol comprises a pharmaceutically acceptable excipient , multiplying the rate of aerosol formation by the percentage of antihistamine in the aerosol provides the rate of drug aerosol formation . antihistamine containing aerosols are typically used for the treatment of allergy symptoms . the following examples are meant to illustrate , rather than limit , the present invention . hydroxyzine dihydrochloride , brompheniramine maleate , carbinoxamine maleate , clemastine fumarate , cyproheptadine hydrochloride , pyrilamine maleate , and promethazine hydrochloride are commercially available from sigma ( www . sigma - aldrich . com ). antihistamines can also be isolated from compositions such as rynatan ®, dimetane ®, rondec ®, sinutab ®, tavist ®, periactin ®, claritin ®, ryna - 12 ™, and phenergan ® using standard methods in the art . approximately 1 g of salt ( e . g ., mono hydrochloride ) is dissolved in deionized water (˜ 30 ml ). three equivalents of sodium hydroxide ( 1 n naoh aq ) is added dropwise to the solution , and the ph is checked to ensure it is basic . the aqueous solution is extracted four times with dichloromethane (˜ 50 ml ), and the extracts are combined , dried ( na 2 so 4 ) and filtered . the filtered organic solution is concentrated using a rotary evaporator to provide the desired free base . if necessary , purification of the free base is performed using standard methods such as chromatography or recrystallization . a solution of drug in approximately 120 μl dichloromethane is coated on a 3 cm × 8 cm piece of aluminum foil . the dichloromethane is allowed to evaporate . the coated foil is wrapped around a 300 watt halogen tube ( feit electric company , pico rivera , calif . ), which is inserted into a glass tube sealed at one end with a rubber stopper . running 60 v of alternating current ( driven by line power controlled by a variac ) through the bulb for 5 - 11 s affords thermal vapor ( including aerosol ), which is collected on the glass tube walls . reverse - phase hplc analysis with detection by absorption of 225 nm light is used to determine the purity of the aerosol . ( when desired , the system is flushed through with argon prior to volatilization .) table 1 , which follows , provides data from drugs volatilized using the above - recited general procedure . current is typically run for 5 s after an aerosol is first noticed . to obtain higher purity aerosols , one can coat a lesser amount of drug , yielding a thinner film to heat . a linear decrease in film thickness is associated with a linear decrease in impurities . a solution of 12 . 1 mg loratadine in 200 μl dichloromethane was spread out in a thin layer on the central portion of a 3 . 5 cm × 7 cm sheet of aluminum foil . the dichloromethane was allowed to evaporate . the aluminum foil was wrapped around a 300 watt halogen tube , which was inserted into a t - shaped glass tube . both of the openings of the tube were left open and the third opening was connected to a 1 liter , 3 - neck glass flask . the glass flask was further connected to a large piston capable of drawing 1 . 1 liters of air through the flask . alternating current was run through the halogen bulb by application of 90 v using a variac connected to 110 v line power . within 1 s , an aerosol appeared and was drawn into the 1 l flask by use of the piston , with collection of the aerosol terminated after 6 s . the aerosol was analyzed by connecting the 1 l flask to an eight - stage andersen non - viable cascade impactor . results are shown in table 1 . mmad of the collected aerosol was 1 . 1 microns with a geometric standard deviation of 2 . 6 . also shown in table 1 is the number of particles collected on the various stages of the cascade impactor , given by the mass collected on the stage divided by the mass of a typical particle trapped on that stage . the mass of a single particle of diameter d is given by the volume of the particle , πd 3 / 6 , multiplied by the density of the drug ( taken to be 1 g / cm 3 ). the inhalable aerosol particle density is the sum of the numbers of particles collected on impactor stages 3 to 8 divided by the collection volume of 1 l , giving an inhalable aerosol particle density of 5 . 2 × 10 7 particles / ml . the rate of inhalable aerosol particle formation is the sum of the numbers of particles collected on impactor stages 3 through 8 divided by the formation time of 6 s , giving a rate of inhalable aerosol particle formation of 8 . 7 × 10 9 particles / second . a solution of 10 . 4 mg loratadine in 200 μl dichloromethane was spread out in a thin layer on the central portion of a 3 . 5 cm × 7 cm sheet of aluminum foil . the dichloromethane was allowed to evaporate . the aluminum foil was wrapped around a 300 watt halogen tube , which was inserted into a t - shaped glass tube . both of the openings of the tube were left open and the third opening was connected to a 1 liter , 3 - neck glass flask . the glass flask was further connected to a large piston capable of drawing 1 . 1 liters of air through the flask . alternating current was run through the halogen bulb by application of 90 v using a variac connected to 110 v line power . within seconds , an aerosol appeared and was drawn into the 1 l flask by use of the piston , with formation of the aerosol terminated after 6 s . the aerosol was allowed to sediment onto the walls of the 1 l flask for approximately 30 minutes . the flask was then extracted with acetonitrile and the extract analyzed by hplc with detection by light absorption at 225 nm . comparison with standards containing known amounts of loratadine revealed that 1 . 0 mg of & gt ; 99 % pure loratadine had been collected in the flask , resulting in an aerosol drug mass density of 1 . 0 mg / l . the aluminum foil upon which the loratadine had previously been coated was weighed following the experiment . of the 10 . 4 mg originally coated on the aluminum , 3 . 8 mg of the material was found to have aerosolized in the 6 s time period , implying a rate of drug aerosol formation of 0 . 6 mg / s . | 0 |
referring first to fig1 an automatic transmission 10 for producing multiple forward speed ratios is driveably connected through shaft 12 to a planetary gearset 14 , which includes ring gear 16 , sun gear 18 and a set of planet pinions 20 meshing with the ring gear and sun gear . the planet pinions are rotatably 20 supported on a planet pinion carrier 22 , which is driveably connected to output shaft 24 and to friction discs 26 of an hydraulically actuated friction clutch 28 . the spacer plates 30 of the clutch are driveably connected to sun gear 18 and to the inner race 32 of a one - way brake 34 , whose outer race is fixed on the transmission casing 36 against rotation . brake 34 produces a one - way drive connection between the shaft 38 , which driveably connects the spacer plates 30 and sun gear 18 to the transmission case 36 . brake band 40 , applied by pressurizing the hydraulically actuated servo 48 , connects brake drum 42 to the transmission housing against rotation and releases the brake drum when the servo is vented . brake drum 42 is driveably connected to spacer plates 30 , sun gear 18 and the inner race 32 of coupling 34 . in operation , the device of fig1 is used to produce a direct drive connection for a forward gear ratio and a speed reduction during a reverse drive condition . during the forward drive condition , clutch 28 is engaged and brake band 40 is released . this action driveably connects carrier 22 and sun gear 18 and allows one - way coupling 34 to overrun . therefore , carrier 22 and output shaft 24 are driven at the speed of the input shaft 12 . during a coast condition in the forward drive ratio , pinions 20 drive the ring gear 16 , and clutch 28 driveably connects sun gear 18 to the pinions . the main gear box 10 reverses the direction of shaft 12 when reverse gear is selected and the gear / clutch mechanism of fig1 driveably connects shaft 12 to shaft 24 with a speed reduction . to produce this result , clutch 28 is disengaged and band 40 is applied . this action holds sun gear 18 against rotation on the transmission housing , coupling 34 has no differential speed or torque between its inner race 32 and the transmission housing , sun gear 18 provides the gearset reaction , and carrier 22 is driven by ring gear 16 . during a coast condition in the reverse drive range , ring gear 16 is driven by the planet pinions , which rotate on the sun gear 18 as the pinion carrier 22 rotates . referring now to hydraulic control system of fig2 a source of line pressure 46 supplies pressurized hydraulic fluid at line pressure to a circuit that controls operation of clutch 28 and the servo 48 that actuates brake 40 . line pressure is directed to solenoids 50 , 52 , piston bias areas 54 , 56 of a servo accumulator 58 and clutch accumulator 60 , respectively , orifice 62 of a servo shuttle valve 64 , and orifices 66 , 68 of a clutch shuttle valve 70 . solenoid 52 controls clutch shuttle valve 70 , solenoid 60 controls the servo shuttle valve 64 . the two solenoids provide four states which allow the clutch 28 and brake band 40 to be applied according to the state table shown in fig3 . the solenoid operated valves are three - way n . c . on - off solenoids . as shown in the table of fig3 one state is provided in which neither the clutch nor the band is applied . when solenoid 52 is on , the clutch shuttle valve 70 is stroked leftward against compression spring 72 , and clutch pressure carried in line 74 is vented through orifice 76 . when solenoid 50 is off , the servo shuttle valve 64 is stroked leftward by compression spring 78 , thereby exhausting servo pressure in line 88 through exhaust port 80 at the servo shuttle valve . a default state is provided in which only clutch 28 is applied . this state occurs when both solenoids are off . in this case , servo shuttle valve 64 is stroked to the left by spring 78 and clutch shuttle valve is stroked to the right by spring 72 . then line pressure is connected through orifice 62 to the servo shuttle valve 64 and through passage 82 to the clutch shuttle valve 70 . the ports of the clutch shuttle valve allow line pressure to be connected to the clutch through passage 74 . orifice 62 , orifice 84 and the clutch accumulator 60 control application of the clutch . because solenoid 50 is off , servo pressure is exhausted through passage 88 and the exhaust port 80 . as shown in the state table of fig3 two states are provided in which brake band 40 is applied and clutch 28 is exhausted . when solenoid 50 is on , the servo shuttle valve 64 is stroked rightward against spring 78 . this action opens a connection between line pressure source 46 through clutch shuttle valve 70 and passage 86 to servo passage 88 and servo 48 . the state of solenoid 52 then controls the clutch shuttle valve and determines whether the band is applied through orifice 66 or orifice 68 . when solenoid 52 is off , valve spool 90 moves rightward due to the effect of spring 72 and the servo accumulator 58 is filled through orifice 68 , passages 86 and 88 , and orifice 90 . when solenoid 52 is on , the clutch shuttle valve moves leftward and the servo accumulator 58 is pressurized - from line pressure source 46 , passages 92 , 94 , orifice 66 , passages 86 , 88 , orifice 90 and check valve 96 . during the two states while solenoid 50 is on and solenoid 52 is either on or off , clutch 28 is vented . the clutch is vented through passage 74 , the clutch shuttle valve 70 and orifice 76 when solenoid 52 is on . clutch 28 is vented through passages 74 , 82 and orifice 100 when solenoid 52 is off . when solenoid 50 is on , the line pressure source 46 is blocked at the servo shuttle valve 64 and passage 82 is vented through orifice 100 . when solenoid 50 is on , the state of solenoid 52 , through its controls of the state of clutch shuttle valve 70 , determines whether clutch pressure is vented through orifice 76 or orifice 100 . the state of solenoid 52 , therefore , controls selection of the orifice through which servo 48 is pressurized and the orifice through which clutch 28 is vented . the two orifices 90 and 102 and two check valves 96 , 104 that connect passage 88 to the servo accumulator 58 operate to provide additional calibration flexibility during application and exhaust of servo 48 . the two orifices 84 and 106 and two check valves 108 , 110 that connect passage 74 to clutch 28 operate to provide additional calibration flexibility during application and exhaust of clutch 28 . when clutch is applied , clutch 28 pressure forces the ball 112 of check valve 108 to seal the hole in separator plate 114 , thereby directing hydraulic fluid through orifice 84 and check valve 110 to accumulator 60 and bypassing orifice 106 . when the clutch is vented , clutch accumulator pressure at port 126 forces ball 116 to seal the hole in separator plate 118 , thereby directing hydraulic fluid from the accumulator through orifice 106 and check valve 108 and bypassing orifice 84 . when servo 48 is applied , servo pressure in passage 86 forces the ball of check valve 104 to seal the hole in the adjacent separator plate , thereby directing hydraulic fluid through orifice 90 and check valve 96 and bypassing orifice 102 . when the servo is exhausted , servo pressure forces the ball of check valve 96 to seal the hole in the separate plate , thereby directing hydraulic fluid from the accumulator 58 through orifice 102 and check valve 104 and bypassing orifice 90 . this arrangement of ball check valves and orifices of fig2 causes hydraulic fluid to flow through one orifice while hydraulic fluid flows in a first direction and through a different orifice if the flow direction is in another direction . in the arrangement of fig4 the same effect is accomplished with a ball check valve 132 having only one ball 120 . in the arrangement shown schematically in fig4 when hydraulic pressure is supplied to clutch 28 through passage 74 , ball 120 seals separator plate 118 &# 39 ; and directs hydraulic fluid through passages 122 , 124 , orifice 106 , and passage 134 to the accumulator port 126 . this forces piston 128 of accumulator 60 upward against spring 130 and the effect of line pressure supplied through passage 92 . when the direction of fluid flow is from the accumulator port 126 , ball 120 seals separator plate 114 &# 39 ; and directs hydraulic fluid through passages 134 , 124 , orifice 84 and passage 122 . refer now to the cross section shown in fig5 . a ditch plate or transfer plate 136 is a plate like a valve body for directing fluid along passages formed on one side of the plate only but having no valves . a ditch plate is generally bolted to the valve body . when the direction of fluid flow is toward the accumulator port 126 , ball 120 is forced downward to a sealing , seating position on separator plate 118 &# 39 ;. therefore , flow is forced through passage 124 and feed orifice 106 to the accumulator feed port 126 . when flow direction is reversed , ball 120 is forced upward , sealing passage 124 and directing flow through passage 140 and exhaust orifice 84 . | 5 |
the equipment is intended for use in the automatic testing of printed circuit boards carrying high speed binary signal circuits of dual - in - line package integrated circuit form . referring to fig1 the equipment is intended for use on a table top and is for the most part contained in a housing 1 . the housing has two compartments 3 and 5 , one housing the power supply units of the equipment and the other housing signal handling circuits of the equipment . power supplies for the internal circuits of the equipment are carried on circuit boards 7 housed in an upper part of the compartment 3 and a power supply 9 and associated switching 11 for an electric circuit board 13 to be tested , together with other components 15 required to be connected to the board for testing purposes , such as loads , are mounted in removable drawer 17 housed normally in the lower part of the compartment 3 , but shown withdrawn in fig1 . the circuit board 13 to be tested is placed in a test jig 19 during testing . above one half of the circuit board jig 19 there is a jig 21 which carries a number of multi test probe units ( not visible in fig1 but described below ). the probes of the probe units are adapted to be coupled with the pins of integrated circuit packages 23 carried on the circuit board 13 when the circuit board 13 is slid under the probe unit jig 21 and the probe unit jig 21 lowered into position over the board 13 . in fig1 the circuit board 13 is shown withdrawn from under the probe unit jig 21 to allow manual application of a single test probe unit 25 ( further described below ) to a selected point on the circuit board 13 . the signals picked up by the probe units are fed by way of signal conditioning circuits comprising differentiating and amplifying circuits contained in the probe unit jig 21 and comparator units 29 to signal handling circuits carried on circuit boards 31 housed in an upper part of the compartment 5 of the housing 1 , the comparator units 29 being mounted in a removable drawer 33 housed normally in the lower part of the compartment 5 , but shown withdrawn in fig1 . the signal handling circuits carried on the boards 31 essentially comprise logic circuits for carrying out appropriate tests of the conditioned probe signals supplied via the comparator units 29 . the results of these tests are passed to a computer ( not shown ) for analysis and display . each of the test probes is constructed so as to be capacitively coupled to an integrated circuit package pin or the selected point on the printed circuit board under test so as to load only very lightly the circuit under test . as a consequence of such capacitive coupling there is a high possibility that a probe will pick up an unwanted signal from an adjacent integrated circuit package pin or circuit board conductor . the purpose of the signal conditioning circuits is to suppress such unwanted signals . referring now to fig2 each probe 41 esssentially comprises an inner conductor 43 coaxially surrounded , but insulated form , a metal shield 45 . the shield 45 completely encloses the inner conductor 43 except over a small end portion of the inner conductor , which portion is placed adjacent but spaced from the pin or circuit point to be tested in use so as to be capacitively coupled thereto , as represented by capacitor c2 in fig2 . each probe is associated with a signal conditioning circuit including an amplifier 47 to whose input a wanted signal is fed via the probe capacitance c2 , the wanted signal being represented in fig2 by a generator a of internal resistance ra . an unwanted signal fed to the input of the amplifier 47 via the probe capacitance c2 is indicated by a generator b of internal resistance rb . capacitor c1 represents unavoidable circuit coupling between the pin or circuit point under test and an adjacent pin or circuit point which results in the unwanted signal being fed to the amplifier 47 via the probe 41 . it will be noted that the probe shield 45 prevents the amplitude of the unwanted signal picked up by the probe 41 from appreciably exceeding that due to capacitor c1 so that the unwanted signal is of significantly smaller amplitude than the wanted signal . capacitor c3 represents the capacitance between the inner conductor 43 and the shield 45 of the probe 41 , and the resistors r1 and r2 the leakage resistances between the pins or circuit points and ground . in operation , a wanted binary signal a ( fig3 a ), and an unwanted binary signal b ( fig3 b ) applied to the probe will be differentiated by the capacitance c2 of the probe and the leakage resistance r2 , and a proportion of the differentiated signals ( fig3 c ) determined by the relative values of capacitances c2 and c3 applied to the input of amplifier 47 . the output of amplifier 47 is applied to one input of each of two comparators 49 and 51 . threshold voltages + v and - v are of equal magnitude and opposite polarity are respectively applied to the other inputs of comparators 49 and 51 ( see fig3 d ), their magnitude lying below the difference between the values of a differentiated a signal and a differentiated b signal at the output of the amplifier , and above the value of a differentiated b signal . thus there appears at the outputs of comparators 49 and 51 respectively signals corresponding to the positive - going and negative - going differentiated a signals at the output of the amplifier 47 ( see fig3 e and 3f ). it will be understood in this connection that for satisfactory operation the amplitude of the b signals must not appreciably exceed about 40 % of the amplitude of the a signals so that if differentiated a and b signals of opposite polarity coincide , as indicated at x in fig3 c , the resultant signal ( fig3 d ) is still significantly greater in amplitude than a b signal . the outputs of comparators 49 and 51 are respectively applied via transmission lines 53 and 55 and drivers 57 and 59 to the ` set ` and ` reset ` inputs of a flip - flop 60 , the required inversion of the output of comparator 51 being indicated by a cross - over in the conductor of transmission line 55 . in response to its inputs the flip - flop 60 thus produces at its output a pulse signal ( see fig3 g ) corresponding to the signal a picked up by the probe with the unwanted b signal totally suppressed . referring now to fig4 the probe unit 25 suitably comprises a metal tubular body portion 151 to one end of which are secured two metal strips 153 , the strips extending at right angles to the axis of the body portion in parallel spaced relationship so that the axis of the gap between the strips intersects the axis of the body portion . an insulated conductor 155 extends through the body portion 151 which at the end of the body portion to which the strips are attached divides into two parts 155a , 155b the two parts lying in the gap between the strips , one on either side of the body portion 151 . the ends of the conductor 155 and body portion 151 remote from the strips 153 are respectively connected to the circuits in the probe unit jig 21 via the inner and outer of a coaxial cable ( not shown ). in use the end parts 155a and 155b of the inner conductor of the probe must be placed so as to be along the printed circuit board conductor 157 whose signal is to be monitored , the strips 153 then serving to shield the end parts 155a , 155b , from a circuit conductor 159 to either side of the conductor 157 . referring now to fig5 and 6 , the multi - test probe units attached to the probe unit jig 21 suitably comprise a moulded body portion 61 of plastics material of generally h - shaped cross - section . the lower parts 63 of the vertical limbs of the body portion constitute parallel planar spaced wall portions of the body 61 which are disposed on either side of a cavity 65 which receives a dual - in - line integrated circuit package 23 in use of the unit . a number of bores 69 extend vertically through each wall portion 63 , the bores being disposed in parallel spaced relationship in like manner to the connector pins 71 of the package 23 . each bore 69 houses a metal tube 73 which at its upper end extends beyond the horizontal limb 75 of the body 61 into a cavity 77 bounded by the upper parts 79 of the vertical limbs of the body 61 , and at its lower end has an arcuate portion cut away to provide an aperture 81 at its side adjacent the cavity 65 , the end of the tube 73 adjacent the arcuate cut - out locating on a shoulder 83 jutting into the bore 69 . apart from the aperture 81 formed by the cut - away portion , each tube 73 is closed at its lower end , the end closure 85 being embedded in the plastics material of the body portion 61 during moulding . in use the unit is lowered onto a package 23 until the free ends of the wall portions 63 contact the circuit board 13 carrying the package 23 . the inner surfaces of the wall portions 63 are recessed to receive the pins 71 of the package 23 and provide lips 89 which fit between the pins 71 and so align the apertures 81 in the tubes 73 with the pins 71 . along the inside of each tube 73 there extends the inner conductor 91 and surrounding insulation 93 of a coaxial screened cable 95 , the screen 97 of the cable having been stripped back to lie just above the upper end of the tube 73 , and the outer insulating sheath 99 of the cable being stripped back slightly further . the adjacent ends of the cable screen 97 , and tube 73 are soldered within a metal sleeve 101 which in turn fits within a further sleeve 103 of insulating material which extends upwardly beyond the end of the metal sleeve 101 to cover the solder joint between the sleeve 101 and the cable screen 99 . at their upper ends the screened cables 95 pass out of the body portion 61 of the unit and thence to the signal conditioning circuits 27 housed in the probe unit jig 21 , the cables being clamped to the body portion by suitably shaped spring loaded clamp means 104 inserted into the upper part of the cavity 77 . as best illustrated in fig6 the aperture 81 in the metal tubes 73 allow the each inner conductor 91 of each screened cable 95 to be capacitively coupled to the nearest integrated circuit package pin 71 , the tubes 73 serving to shield the inner conductors 91 from the pins 71 on either side of the nearest pin . similarly the end closure 85 of each tube 73 shields the bottom end of the associated inner conductor 91 . fig7 illustrates an alternative form of signal conditioning circuit to that illustrated in fig2 which is especially suitable for use in an equipment according to the invention with a probe unit adapted to monitor the signal on a selected one of a line of test points from a position spaced from the selected test point by a sufficiently large amount to render it difficult to avoid excessive pick - up from adjacent test points by the use of screening . such a situation may arise for example when testing signals on a so - called conformally coated printed circuit card , i . e . a printed circuit board of which the conductors and components are protected by an insulating coating , or when using the probe unit to scan along a line of test points to find a particular signal . referring to fig7 the probe unit 105 comprises three probes formed by three conductors 107 , 109 and 111 arranged in a line in parallel spaced relationship and each coaxially surrounded by , but insulated from a grounded metal shield 113 . the shield completely encloses each conductor except over a small end portion . in use the exposed end portion of the central conductor 109 is placed adjacent but spaced from a circuit lead 115 carrying thereto . the conductors 107 to 111 are spaced so that the exposed end portions of the other two conductors 107 and 111 will then be adjacent circuit leads 117 and 119 on either side of the lead 115 , the leads carrying signals b and c respectively . the signal conditioning circuit comprises a differential amplifier 121 having one input directly connected to the conductor 109 and via a resistor 123 to ground . the other input of the amplifier 121 is connected to ground via a potentiometer 125 whose variable capping point is connected to each of the conductors 107 and 111 . the leads between the amplifier 121 and the probe unit 105 are individually screened as indicated by dotted line 127 . the output of the amplifier 121 is applied to a comparator and flip - flop arrangement 49 to 61 of the same form as shown in fig2 . in operation binary signals a , b and c appearing on circuit leads 115 , 117 and 199 ( fig8 a , 8b and 8c ) will all be picked up by the central conductor 109 and differentiated as described above with reference to fig2 giving rise to a signal at one input of the amplifier 121 as shown in fig8 d , the differentiated a signals from lead 115 being larger than those from the other two leads 117 and 119 . the other two conductors 107 and 111 respectively give rise to differentiated a and b signals from leads 115 and 117 and to differentiated a and c signals from leads 115 and 119 at the other input of the amplifier 121 , as shown in fig8 e and 8f respectively . in the amplifier 121 the differentiated b and c signals tend to cancel giving rise to a signal at the output of amplifier 121 as shown in fig8 g wherein the differentiated a signals are appreciably larger compared with the b and c signals than in the signal at the input of the amplifier 121 connected to conductor 109 . the comparator and flip - flop arrangement 49 to 61 then produces at its output a pulse signal ( fig8 h ) corresponding to signal a with the unwanted signals b and c totally suppressed , as described above with reference to fig2 and 3 . it will be appreciated that the potentiometer 125 is used to balance the b and c signals picked up by conductor 109 against the b and c signals picked up by conductors 107 and 111 . it will be understood that a signal conditioning circuit as shown in fig7 is especially adapted for use with a multi - test probe unit as shown in fig5 and 6 , the conditioning circuit being arranged to utilise as inputs the signal produced by any selected adjacent three probes of the unit by means of a suitable selector circuit arrangement . it will further be understood that a signal conditioning circuit of the form shown in fig7 may also be modified so as to utilise the signals produced by two or more than three adjacent probes , where the disposition of test points in a circuit to be tested require this . it is pointed out that whilst in the embodiments of the invention described above by way of example the probes of the probe units do not physically contact the circuit to be tested , this is not necessarily the case . thus in other embodiments of the invention the probes may have built - in capacitors one electrode of which is provided with an extension adapted to physically contact the circuit to be tested . | 6 |
in the following description of the preferred embodiments , reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof , and in which is shown by way of illustration specific illustrative embodiments in which the invention may be practiced . these embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention , and it is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and that logical , mechanical and electrical changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention . the following detailed description is , therefore , not to be taken in a limiting sense . the present invention is directed to detecting the flame on / off conditions of a target burner , which the flame detector device monitors . in other words , the invention is directed to determining whether the flame of a target burner is on or off . in the exemplary embodiment , the flame detector uses photoreception of radiation wavelengths emitted from combustion in a burner to determine whether the burner is on or off . those skilled in the art will recognize , however , that the principles of the present invention can be used in various other reception devices , and related environments without departing from the scope of the present invention . fig1 is a block diagram illustrating how data from the radiation waves are recorded . fig1 includes burner 110 ( positioned in a boiler apparatus ), electromagnetic radiation in the form of radiation waves 104 , photosensor device 106 , analog / digital converter 108 , and dsp microprocessor to process on / off variables 110 . burner 102 , which burns for example gas , oil , or conventional fuels , emits radiation waves . the radiation waves 104 are detected by photosensor 106 . in one embodiment , the radiation waves detected are specifically 10 o ultraviolet and infrared radiation waves portions of the optical spectrum . the photosensor passes the detected signals in analog form to analog / digital converter 108 , which digitizes the signal . from the digitized signal , on - off conditions 110 are detected and processed by dsp microprocessor for flame conditions . fig2 a and 2b illustrated the workings of analog / digital converter 108 . fig2 a illustrates an exemplary relationship time and amplitude for an analog signal . the amplitude 204 of the signal is plotted as ordinate , the time 202 in seconds is plotted as abscissa . the analog signal is plotted to take on continuous values between time t = t 0 and t = t t . similarly , fig2 b illustrates an exemplary relationship time and amplitude for a digitized version of signal 206 , whose points are labeled 208 . in fig2 a , the time values have been symbolized discretely by t = t 0 through t = t t . whether the entire signal 206 is captured by the discretized signal sequence : x 0 , x 1 , x 2 . . . x n 208 depends upon how many intermediate values for the amplitude of the signal are taken between t = t 0 and t = t t . in the frequency domain , the frequency is equal to the inverse of the time , such that the frequency at t = t t equals 1 / t t . the analog signal is sampled at two times ( or greater ) the maximum frequency value , to meet the nyquist theory , the entire signal 206 should be captured . in an example embodiment , the intervals between time values t 0 and t 1 are 1 millisecond intervals , so that ( t 0 , t 1 = t 0 + 0 . 001 = 0 . 001 , t 2 = t 1 + 0 . 001 = 0 . 002 , . . ). in this embodiment , one thousand points are taken as x 0 , x 1 , x 2 . . . x 999 . in this embodiment , on - off conditions 110 are calculated by one or more digital signal processors ( dsps ). the on - off conditions are derived by use of high - order statistics ( hos ). the first - order and second - order cumulants work to describe a signal if the signal has a gaussian ( normal ) probability density function ( pdf ). however , many signals are not gaussian , so they do not have a gaussian pdf . this includes the emissions from a combustion , which does not follow a gaussian pdf . but in the most cases , the noises associated with the temperature and electrical environment of the burner are gaussian noises because they do follow a gaussian pdf . nor can these noises be easily removed because they are wide band ( white noise ), meaning they are not localized to particular frequencies where a low - pass , band - pass , or high - pass filter could remove them . recent advances in the theory of real - time series and in the signal processing field make the present invention possible . in part this is due to the introduction of probabilistic ideas into what was formerly treated deterministically ; in part it is attributable to the power of high - technology electronic computer which has removed the obstacles imposed by the extensive and tedious calculations involved in most real - time series researches and applications . the following is an explanation of the use of hos in the present invention , beginning with basic probability concepts . the characteristic function φ x ( ω ) of a random variable ( r . v .) x is defined as follows : φ x ( ω ) ≡ e { j ω x } = ∫ - ∞ ∞ j ω x f ( x ) x , where f ( x ) is the probability density function of x . because the kth - order derivative of φ x ( ω ) with respect to ω is φ x ( k ) ( ω ) = j k ∫ - ∞ ∞ x k j ω x f ( x ) x , and φ x ( k ) ( 0 ) = j k ∫ - ∞ ∞ x k f ( x ) x = j k e { x k } one can readily show that a taylor series expansion of φ x ( ω ) around 0 is as follows , if all absolute moments of r . v . x exist : φ x ( ω ) = ∑ k = 0 ∞ m x ( k ) ( j ω ) k k ! , where m x ( k ) = e { x k } ≡ ∫ - ∞ ∞ x k f ( x ) x , the taylor &# 39 ; s series expansion of lnφ x ( ω ) around 0 is considered below : ln φ x ( ω ) = ∑ - ∞ ∞ c x ( k ) ( j ω ) k k ! where c x ( k ) is defined as the kth - order cumulant of r . v . x . the relationship between the moments and cumulants is displayed below for k = 0 , 1 , 2 , 3 as follows for k = 2 , c x ( 2 ) = m x ( 2 ) −[ m x ( 1 ) ] 2 = σ x 2 , where e { x } is the mean of the r . v . x and σ x 2 is the variance of the r . v . x . for k = 3 , c x ( 3 ) = m x ( 3 ) − 3 m x ( 1 ) m x ( 2 ) + 2 [ m x ( 1 ) ] 3 . it is clear that the above equations present the relationship between the moments and cumulants of a r . v . for k = 0 , 1 , 2 , 3 . later , the general relationship between the joint kth - order cumulants and moments of a r . p . are considered . if x is a gaussian distribution r . v ., with mean m and variance σ x 2 , then : φ x ( ω ) = j ω m - σ 2 ω 2 2 . taking logarithms of both sides and comparing with the above equations for k = 0 , 1 , 2 , 3 shows change “ c x ( 10 ) ” with c x ( 0 ) . = 0 , c x ( 1 ) = m , c x ( 2 ) = σ x 2 , c x ( k ) = 0 for all k & gt ; 2 in the case of the gaussian distribution . therefore , dealing with higher - order statistics must be limited to the non - gaussian case . the above definition may be extended to a random vector x =( x 1 , . . . , x k ) t . assuming that all absolute moments of appropriate order exist for every x i , i = 1 , 2 , . . . , k , then the joint moments of the random vector x can be defined as follows : m x ( μ 1 , . . . , μ k ) = e { x 1 m 1 . . . x k m k }, if φ x ( ω ) denotes the joint characteristic function of x , then , its taylor series expansion about the origin takes the form φ x _ ( ω 1 , … , ω k ) = φ x _ ( ω _ ) = e { j ω _ t x _ } = ∑ μ 1 + … + μ k ≤ n j μ 1 + … + μ k μ 1 ! … μ k ! m x _ ( μ 1 , … , μ k ) ω 1 μ … ω k μ k + o ( ω n ) . where ω =( ω 1 , . . . ω k ) t is a vector and ◯(| ω | n ) denotes the higher - order part of this expansion with | ω |=| ω 1 |+ . . . +| ω k | and ∑ μ 1 + … + μ k ≤ n is taken over all non - negative μ 1 , . . . , μ k whose sum does not exceed n . the kth - dimensional function lnφ x ( ω ) may also be expanded in the taylor series about the origin as follows ln φ x _ ( w ) = ∑ m 1 + … + m k ≤ n j m 1 + … + m k m 1 ! … m k ! c x _ ( m 1 , … , m k ) w 1 m 1 … w k 1 m k + o ( w n ) , where c x _ ( μ 1 , … , μ k ) = [ ∂ μ 1 + … + μ k ∂ ω 1 μ 1 … ∂ ω k μ k ln φ x _ ( ω _ ) ] ω = 0 denotes the joint cumulant of the random vector x which is the partial derivatives of lnφ x ( ω ) with respect to vector ω . ( note that c x ( μ 1 , . . . , μ k ) are also called semi - variants .) expanding the function e lnφ x ( ω ) using the above equation , and comparing the coefficients with a former equation , it is possible to find the relationship between higher - order moments , m x ( μ 1 , . . . , μ k ) , and cumulants c x ( μ 1 , . . . , μ k k ) . similarly , expanding lnφ x ( ω ) and comparing coefficients with a former equation , an expression of c x ( μ 1 , . . . , μ k ) can be presented as a function of m x ( μ 1 , . . . , μ k ) . instead of presenting these complicated relationships , the simple case μ 1 = μ 2 = . . . = μ k = 1 which is usually denoted as the joint kth - order cumulant , c x = c ( x 1 , . . . , x k ), of the random vector x , i . e ., the r . v .&# 39 ; s x 1 , . . . , x k , is considered . it should be noted here that the kth - order means there are k random variables in the random vector x . one can derive the cumulant - to - moment formula based on the relationship described above . let it be assumed that the numbers 1 , 2 , . . . , k are partitioned in different ways and that n p represents the number of groups in a partition p . if g 1 p denotes the ith group of the pth partition , then the joint kth - order cumulant of the random vector is represented as a function of moments c ( x 1 , … , x k ) = ∑ p ( - 1 ) n p - 1 ( n p - 1 ) ! e { ∏ ieg i p x i } … e { ∏ ieg n p p x i } in this invention the real - time flame signal has been analyzed as a random process . the aim of analysis is to summarize the properties of a random signal , and to characterize its salient features . to summarize the above explanation with respect to its application in the present invention , the characteristic function φ x of a random variable x ( where x represents a signal ) is defined as here , f ( x ) is the p . d . f . if the signal is a random ( stochastic ) signal ( or process ), and is characterized as ergodic and as stationary independent identically distributed ( i . i . d . ), then the hos cumulant - to - moment formula can be derived as follows c ( x 1 , … , x k ) = ∑ p ( - 1 ) n p - 1 ( n p - 1 ) ! e { ∏ ieg i p x i } … e { ∏ ieg n p p x i } where k can be any integer number dependent upon the characters of the investigating random process and the function demands for certain specific applications . in the present invention , it is possible to set k arbitrarily large , to get more intermediate points . in the equation : ( 1 ) c ( x 1 , . . . , x k ) is the cumulant - to - moment formula for the signal represented by the random process ( vector ) x , having discrete random variables ( x 1 , . . . , x k ); ( 2 ) e { πx i } represents the expectation value of the multiplication over groups 1 through n , with partitions p ; and ( 3 ) n p is the number of groups in the specific partitions . note that x i ( where x is capitalized ) represents a particular entire random process ( vector ) x having a given group of discrete random variables ( x 1 , . . . , x k ). through investigation of flame signals produced from different kinds of fuels in the boiler , the hos cumulants have the capabilities to describe significant characteristics of the flame signals as random processes . the following explanation is provided to provide greater detail regarding the derivation of the cumulant - to - moment formula and its use for flame detection . as noted , the joint kth - order cumulant of the random process represented as a function of the moment ( hereinafter referred to as cumulant - to - moment equation ) is represented as c ( x 1 , … , x k ) = ∑ p ( - 1 ) n p - 1 ( n p - 1 ) ! e { ∏ i ∈ g i p x i } … e { ∏ i ∈ g n p x i } the cumulants are useful and meaningful measures for using random variables in flame detection . a special case occurs when x m = x ( n − m ) for m = 0 , 1 , 2 , . . . n − 1 , and x ( n ) belongs to the discrete random process { x ( n )}, which exists if e {| x ( n )| k }& lt ;∞. this condition occurs if the signal x is a random process and has a zero mean . it is satisfied by most signals encountered in real - life , such as radiation wave signals used by photosensor devices for flame detection , because it is always possible to shift the signal such that the mean value ( i . e ., the expected value ) equals zero . by way of example , the third order cumulant sequence of random process is derived below . it should be noted that for higher - orders , the same approach applies . for k = 3 , the possible partitions of ( 1 , 2 , 3 ) are {( 1 , 2 , 3 )} ( the first partition ), {( 1 ), ( 2 , 3 )} ( the second partition ), {( 2 ), ( 1 , 3 )} ( the third partition ), {( 3 ), ( 1 , 2 )} ( the fourth partition ), and {( 1 ), ( 2 ), ( 3 )} ( the fifth partition ). this means , in the above cumulant - to - moment equation : n p are n 1 = 1 , n 2 = n 3 = n 4 = 2 , n 5 = 3 for each possible partition . group theory can be applied to the partitions . the partition groups can be represented as the following groups : g 2 3 ={ x 1 , x 3 }, g 1 4 ={ x 3 }, g 2 4 ={ x 1 , x 2 } g 1 5 ={ x 1 } c ( x 1 , x 2 , x 3 )= e { x 1 x 2 x 3 }− e { x 1 } e { x 2 x 3 }− e { x 2 } e { x 1 x 3 }− e { x 3 } e { x 1 x 2 }+ 2 e { x 1 } e { x 2 } e { x 3 } it can be assumed that e { x i }= 0 for i = 1 , 2 , 3 . it is possible to make the expected value , which is the mean value , equal to zero for the present application because it is possible to shift the signal such that the mean is zero . this is done before the cumulants are processed . then the above equation is simplified as follows c ( x 1 , x 2 , x 3 )= e { x 1 x 2 x 3 } as alluded to , for a zero — mean random process , x m = x ( n − m ) for n = 1 , 2 , . . . n ; m = 0 , 1 , 2 . . . n − 1 . by substituting arbitrary variables , the following relationships can be obtained : x 1 = x ( n − m 1 ), x 2 = x ( n − m 2 ) and x 3 = x ( n − m 3 ). letting m 1 = 0 , m 2 = m 1 , and m 3 = m 2 , the above equation can be written as c 3 , x ( n , n − m 1 , n − m 2 )= e { x ( n )· x ( n − m 1 )· x ( n − m 2 )} for n = 1 , 2 , 3 , . . . n , m 1 = 0 , 1 , 2 , . . . , n − 1 , and m 2 = 0 , 1 , 2 , . . . , n − 1 . here , the subscript 3 represents the order of the cumulant , and the subscript variable x represents the random variable x . if the investigated random process { x ( n )} can be proved as a zero mean i . i . d . random process , then above equation can be simplified as follows : c ( n , n - m 1 , n - m 2 ) = ∑ n = 1 n x ( n ) x ( n - m 1 ) x ( n - m 2 ) , for m 1 = 0 , 1 , 2 , n − 1 and m 2 = 0 , 1 , 2 , . . . , n − 1 . through an analogous derivation ( which is almost the same as the above derivation ), the following equation can be obtained : c ( n , n - m 1 , n - m 2 , n - m 3 ) = ∑ n = 1 n x ( n ) x ( n - m 1 ) x ( n - m 2 ) , x ( n - m 3 ) , for m 1 = 0 , 1 , 2 , . . . , n − 1 , m 2 = 0 , 1 , 2 , . . . , n − 1 , and m 3 = 0 , 1 , 2 , . . . , n − 1 . hence , the cumulant can be obtained by shifting and multiplying individual values ( discrete components ) of random signals x , where the index represents time . if the signal is strictly stationary as well , then c ( n , n − m 1 , n − m 2 )= c ( m 1 , m 2 ). therefore , if the investigated random process { x ( n )} is a zero mean , strictly stationary , i . i . d . random process , the cumulant can be represented as c ( n , n - m 1 , n - m 2 ) = c ( m 1 , m 2 ) = ∑ n = 1 n x ( n ) x ( n - m 1 ) x ( n - m 2 ) the reason for taking the time variable n away from c ( n , n − m 1 , n − m 2 ) is as follows : if the random signal is strictly stationary , or at least second order stationary , c becomes a variable depending upon shift points m 1 and m 2 ( not origin point n ), where m 1 and m 2 shift from 0 to n − 1 for the entire data sequence of random process x . in the flame detection application , this is most often valid , because it is unlikely that the pdf of the random signal will change , or vary significantly with time . it should be noted the above equations are specific forms of the general cumulant - to - moment equation : c ( x 1 , … , x k ) = ∑ p ( - 1 ) n p - 1 ( n p - 1 ) ! e { ∏ ieg i p x i } … e { ∏ ieg n p p x i } . aside from being used to reduce noise , particularly to remove gaussian distributed noise , in the field of flame detection , the equation can also be used to boost the signal to noise ratio ( snr ) of the random signal . fig3 illustrates a self - learning algorithm used to calculate and save flame on / off condition cumulants . the algorithm of fig3 is used to detect flame on / off conditions ( i . e ., whether the flame is on or off ) and to save the cumulants at these positions . aside from removing gaussian noises , another purpose for the present invention is to reduce or remove the background signal ( noise ) effects of adjacent burners . unfortunately , the adjacent burners add background signal ( noise ) to the photosensor detecting a target burner , in the form of unwanted electromagnetic wavelengths which are superimposed on the wavelengths detected by the burner . thus , during the steps of fig3 the adjacent burners are left on , so that the cumulants stored from these steps reflect the effects of adjacent burners . the signal is detected and manipulated according to the description describing fig1 a , and 2 b , so the following explanation should be read in view of the above descriptions . in initial step 302 , it is determined whether the burner is on or off . if the burner is on , control passes to step 304 . at step 304 , control passes to step 306 , where the signal is digitized by an analog / digital converter . following this , in step 308 , the on / off conditions are detected . specifically , the above cumulant - to - moment formula is applied to the signal , and the cumulants for the flame on signal are stored . following step 308 , in step 316 , the information is added to information from step 314 to determine the flame on / off ratio , which is the ratio of time that the signal is on in comparison to the being off . if in step 302 it is determined that the burner is off , then control passes to step 310 . at step 310 , control passes to step 312 , where the signal is digitized by an analog / digital converter . following this , in step 314 , the on / off conditions are detected . again , the above cumulant - to - moment formula is applied to the signal , and the cumulants for the flame off signal are stored . following , step 314 , in step 316 , the information is added to information from step 308 to determine the flame on / off ratio . the algorithm of fig3 is a self - learning process . it can be applied multiple times to make the stored cumulants ( in steps 308 , 314 ) more and more accurate . fig4 illustrates an algorithm used to actually detect whether the flame is on or off , using the cumulants calculated and stored as shown in fig3 . after the introduction step 402 , control passes to step 404 . in step 404 , the flame signal is detected . specifically , the radiation waves emitted from the burner are sensed by a photosensor 106 , as illustrated with respect to fig1 . next , in step 406 , the signal is converted from an analog signal into a digitized signal in step 406 . this is also accomplished according to previously described methods . in step 408 , the cumulant for the detected signal are calculated using the above cumulants - to - moment equation . for uniformity , the cumulant ( s ) should be calculated the same way as the cumulants were calculated in steps 308 and 314 . those skilled in the art will recognize that the cumulants can be calculated a variety of ways , applying the above cumulant - to - moment formulas . for example , the cumulants can calculated for a third - order hos , fourth - order hos , etc ., as desired for accuracy and implementation . also , one or more cumulants can be calculated , as desired by the user . this similarly applies to the initial calculation of cumulants in steps 308 , 314 . in step 410 , the cumulant ( s ) are compared the cumulant ( s ) derived and stored in steps 308 , 314 , to determine whether the signal is on ( step 414 ) or off ( step 416 ). in one embodiment , the calculated cumulant is compared to a threshold cumulant value . in one embodiment , for example , the threshold cumulant value is derived as an intermediate value between the cumulant for the on signal ( step 308 ) and the cumulant for the off signal ( step 314 ). if the cumulant is above the threshold value , the flame is judged to be on , and control passes to step 414 , where the condition is stored and used by a flame detection control apparatus . on the other hand , if the cumulant is below the threshold value , the flame is judged to be off , and control passes to step 416 , where the condition is also stored and used by a flame detection control apparatus . the threshold value can be calculated in other ways , as recognized by those skilled in the relevant art , as by for example being weighted in an application specific manner between the cumulant of the off signal and the cumulant of the on signal . fig5 illustrates empirical results for a flame detection apparatus . column 502 lists the test cases , numbered 1 through 4 for four test cases . the target burner 10 ( the burner under observation ) actually comprises a side burner 10 b and a mid burner 10 a . in this test , burners 10 a and 10 b are oil burners . column 504 lists side burner 10 b , whether it is judged to be on or off , and the test result cumulant value . similarly , column 506 lists mid burner 10 a , whether it is judged to be on or off , and the test result cumulant value . after burners 10 a , 10 b are two adjacent gas burners , namely burners 9 b and 9 a . the order of the burners was as follows : 10 b , 10 a , 9 b , 9 a . there are also additional burners located adjacent to these burners , which are not referenced or shown . fig6 a , 6 b , 7 a and 7 b illustrate the cumulant spectrums for mid burner 10 a , with shifted time domain shown as abscissa , and the cumulant shown as ordinate . fig6 a illustrates the cumulant spectrum for mid burner 10 a on , with adjacent oil burners 9 a and 9 b on . fig6 b illustrates the cumulant spectrum for mid burner 10 a off , with adjacent oil burners 9 a and 9 b similarly on . the abscissa indicating shifted time domain is labeled 604 , and the ordinate indicating cumulant is labeled 602 . fig7 a and 7b differ from fig6 a and 6b only in that the adjacent burners 9 a and 9 b are now gas burners ( not oil burners ). hence , fig7 a illustrates the cumulant spectrum for mid burner 10 a on , with adjacent gas burners 9 a and 9 b on , and fig7 b illustrates the cumulant spectrum for mid burner 10 a off , with adjacent gas burners 9 a and 9 b similarly on . the abscissa indicating shifted time domain is labeled 704 , and the ordinate indicating cumulant is labeled 702 . while the invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to preferred embodiments thereof , it will be understood by those skilled in the relevant art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . | 5 |
referring to fig1 an illustration of the note organizer of the present invention is generally indicated by reference numeral 10 . note organizer 10 includes a plurality of note pads generally indicated by reference numeral 12 , a mounting plate 14 , and a marking pen 16 . note pads 12 may include a preprinted to do today list 18 , just a note 20 , errands 22 , quick message 24 , groceries 26 and a calendar 28 . note pads 12 may be different sizes to accommodate the desired preprinted indicia and may be different colors to readily distinguish the notes . note pads 12 are preferably releasable pressure sensitive adhesive backed paper notes typically referred to as “ sticky notes ” or post - it notes ® available from 3m corporation . note pads 12 may also be different colors to enhance the user &# 39 ; s ability to readily distinguish and select the appropriate note to use . referring to fig2 the note organizer 10 is illustrated attached to an automobile visor 30 using straps or clips 32 . straps or clips 32 may be adjustably secured to mounting plate 14 to allow note organizer 10 to be attached to various sized visors 30 . note organizer 10 is particularly well suited for use in a vehicle where the driver &# 39 ; s attention should be directed to the road and surrounding traffic conditions . the preprinted notes 12 provide a means to write down the necessary information with minimal diversion of attention from operation of the vehicle . for example , when driving home from work , a person may call his or her spouse to ask if he or she needs to stop at the grocery store . with a few checks on the groceries note pad 26 , a grocery list may be completed in a short time . similarly when scheduling an appointment , by glancing at the calendar 28 and jotting down the time and date on the quick message note pad 24 , the information may be quickly and efficiently recorded for later use . referring to fig3 the note organizer 10 is illustrated with a protective cover 34 attached to mounting plate 14 . protective cover 34 may be hinged at the top to cover and protect note pads 12 from dust or wind , for example . protective cover 34 may include a battery operated light ( not shown ) that automatically illuminates the note pads 12 when opened . referring to fig4 the note organizer 10 is shown attached to a refrigerator 36 . a magnetic strip ( not shown ) may be attached to the back of mounting plate 14 to attach not organizer 10 to a metallic object such as a refrigerator 36 in a kitchen . other mounting methods such as fasteners , adhesives or double - sided tapes , for example , may be used to attach note organizer 10 to a surface . referring to fig5 note organizer 10 is illustrated including a calculator 38 . the indicia shown on note pads 12 is for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to be limited thereto . the indicia may be tailored to a specific need or category . for example a set of note pads 12 with indicia specific to delivery vehicles or for the trucking industry may be used . it is to be understood that while certain now preferred forms of this invention have been illustrated and described , it is not limited thereto except insofar as such limitations are included in the following claims . | 1 |
fig1 is a block diagram illustrating a preferred embodiment of the invention . there are two main sections , a client site c and a server site s . the client site comprises a client terminal ct , which can be a conventional desktop computer running an internet browser . the client terminal ct is connected to the server site via a telecommunication network nw . the network can be for example the internet or a closed subnetwork , commonly called intranet or extranet . the server site s comprises a communications server cs , a business logic bl ( comprising e . g . the materials resource planning , or mrp , program ) with its associated materials data base mdb , and an advertising logic al with its advertising data base adb . in lightly - loaded systems , the logic sections bl and al and the databases mdb and adb can be installed in the same computer which acts as the communication server cs . on the other hand , a heavily - loaded system may require several computers for performing some or all of the functions at the server site . fig2 is a signalling diagram illustrating one possible set of events in a system as described above . fig2 should be studied in connection with fig3 which illustrates the various data structures used in the system . in step 2 - 2 an internet session is established between the client terminal ct and the communication server cs . ( this step comprises several substeps , such as authenticating the user of the client terminal ct and establishing a secure transport layer , but all such substeps are well known to those skilled in the art .) in step 2 - 4 the user of the client terminal ct navigates to a web page relating to that particular user &# 39 ; s business data . for example , a salesperson may be entering a sales order for a particular item , or a designer may store a construction of a new product . the communication server cs conveys the user &# 39 ; s choice to the business logic bl which sends to the materials data base mdb a request for inventory data . in step 2 - 6 the mdb returns the requested inventory data to the bl which in turn conveys it via the cs to the client ct . in step 2 - 8 the user of the client terminal ct has considered the available information and s / he places and sends , via the communication server cs instructions ( such as a filled form ) for updating the mdb . steps 2 - 4 through 2 - 8 can be varied in many ways . for example , the client site user may send an explicit pl list , or s / he may send implicit information on the basis of which a pl list can be calculated . as an example of such implicit information , let us consider a case where the client has 150 ball bearings in stock and s / he enters a sales order for 20 units , each requiring 8 ball bearings . based on this implicit information , the bl can calculate that the client will soon purchase more ball bearings , although the client site user may not be aware of the fact that more ball bearings will be needed in the near future . in other words , it is essential that after step 2 - 8 the business logic bl has access to information on the basis of which the client &# 39 ; s future behaviour can be predicted accurately ( not just assumed ). in step 2 - 10 the business logic bl analyzes the available inventory data , sales / purchase orders , etc . and creates a pl list . fig3 shows , along with some other files and databases , a list of requirements ( rl ) for a manufacturing company that makes fans . the requirements list rl can be based on sales forecasts and sales orders , but it can include other items as well . the requirement list rl is typical of lists that may be maintained by a business logic , either directly or calculated from other information of the organization . to keep the illustration compact , the rl list in fig3 comprises only one required item , and the list does not show other related information , such as date required or a source of requirement ( e . g . a sales order or a sales forecast , etc .). the rl list comprises a fan of type fan - 21 , of which 60 pieces will be needed . the corresponding item code 302 is used to retrieve data related to this fan from an inventory data table id . reference number 310 denotes an id table record which comprises data for fan - 21 . in this example , the inventory data comprises a description , the quantity in stock and the price of one fan . ( in reality , the inventory database id would comprise far more detailed information , such as a shelf code , consumption per unit of time , etc ., but such details are not relevant for understanding the present invention .) since the client needs 60 fans and the inventory data table id shows that the quantity in stock is 20 pieces , the client has to manufacture 40 pieces more in order to fulfil his / her customer &# 39 ; s requirements . by considering a table of product structures ps , it can be seen that for each fan - 21 , there is a requirement for 2 bearings of type bb 101 . record 312 of the inventory data table id shows that there are 60 pieces of bb 101 in stock , but the requirement for bb 101 in the near future is 2 times 40 pieces , or 80 pieces . this leaves a net requirement for 20 pieces . on this basis the bl will add item bb 101 to the planning list pl , and the item bb 101 can also be marked as an advertising candidate by adding it to the advertising candidate list ac . the inventory data table id also includes a bolt of type bolt 222 . the quantity in stock is 500 pieces . currently there is no entry for the bolt 222 in the planning list pl . a product designer at the client site c ( or anywhere in the client organization ) has added bolt 222 to a product structure for another fan of type fan - 22 . this addition was made through a part of the bl that controls product structures . as a result of this change , the bl adds the bolt 222 to the advertising candidate list ac , the logic being driven by past sales of fan - 22 . in practice , the business logic will be considering many more factors than are illustrated here . for instance , the time frame of purchasing , approved suppliers , minimum stock levels , etc . should be taken into account . these factors and the detailed operation of a business logic are well known those skilled in the art , and the invention is not limited to the simplistic illustration above . as a further alternative , the client may generate records in the pl list directly . for instance , if the client organization has not implemented all the features of a business logic , then the planned purchases could be recorded manually . the dashed line 2 - 12 in fig2 indicates a possible break in the sequence of events . the process may be interrupted at step 2 - 12 ( or at any time between steps 2 - 10 and 2 - 28 ). for example , the client site user who initiated the session in step 2 - 2 may terminate the session , and a second user may initiate a new session , in which case the selected advertisement ( s ) will be sent to the second operator . the advertising logic al may even consult an employee database ( not shown separately ) and determine that the current client site operator does not make purchase decisions , in which case the advertisement would , during a subsequent session , be sent to someone in charge or purchasing . next , in step 2 - 14 , the business logic bl sends the advertising candidates list ac to the advertising logic al . in step 2 - 16 the advertising logic al analyzes the list of advertising candidates ac for selecting at least one advertisement . at its simplest , the advertisement selection algorithm may be implemented by selecting one advertisement at random , although preferred selection algorithms will be described later . let us first assume that the advertising logic al decides to advertise ball bearing bb 101 . as indicated by arrow 322 , the advertising logic al makes use of a supplier data table sd which lists three possible suppliers for bb 101 , denoted by reference numeral 324 , namely companies comp_x 1 , comp_x 2 and comp_x 3 . next , as indicated by arrow 338 , the advertising logic al consults an advertising data table ad which has a record for each of the three suppliers for this particular bearing . for example , record 340 comprises an item code 352 and a supplier code 354 for bb 101 . additionally , the record 340 comprises a url ( universal resource locator ) 356 for indicating the location of the corresponding advertisement . the url field 356 of the record 340 begins with \\ adb , wherein ‘ adb ’ is the reference sign for the advertising database ( see fig1 ). this means that the advertisement for item bb 101 by company comp_x 1 is stored locally in the adb , whereas the urls for the next two suppliers comp_x 2 and comp_x 3 point to the www pages of the respective suppliers . let us next assume that the advertising logic al decides to advertise bolt 222 instead of ( or in addition to ) the bb 101 . in the example shown in fig3 , the bolt bolt 222 is such a mundane item that , although the supplier data table sd gives two possible suppliers ( comp_y 1 and comp_y 2 ), neither has a specific advertisement for a specific bolt . in other words , the advertising data table ad has no records with item code ‘ bolt 222 ’. in such a case the advertising logic al consults a category data table cd , which has a record 330 indicating that the category 332 for bolt 222 is bolt . the advertising logic al again consults the advertising data table ad and finds five records 343 - 347 for suppliers of category bolt . however , the supplier data table sd shows that only two records , namely 343 and 344 , relate to suppliers of bolt 222 . here the advertising logic al has two choices . it may select an advertisement from any supplier of category bolt ( records 343 - 347 ), or it may restrict the selection to the suppliers that actually supply the type of bolt the client is about to purchase , i . e . bolt 222 ( records 343 and 344 ). the outcome of the analyzing step 2 - 16 is a set of one or more urls , e . g . the url 356 of the advertising record 340 . in step 2 - 18 the advertising logic al uses the set of urls for retrieving advertising information ai . if the url points to the local advertising database adb ( see e . g . url 356 of record 340 ), the advertising information is retrieved locally . on the other hand , if the url points to an external location ( see e . g . the url of records 341 and 342 ), the advertising information is retrieved via an external network , most probably via the internet . in step 220 the advertising database adb or the external network returns the requested advertising information at . in step 2 - 22 the advertising logic al formats the advertising information ai . as an example , the advertising logic al may combine a logo of a supplier with some actual pricing information into one compact image in a suitable format , such as gif or jpg . in step 2 - 24 the advertising logic al sends the formatted advertising information at to the business logic bl , which combines it with a business report / web screen r in step 2 - 26 . preferably , the advertising information at and the business report / web screen r are combined into a page which can be viewed with the client site &# 39 ; s internet browser . for example , the ai + r combination may be in html ( hypertext mark - up language ) or xml ( extendible mark - up language ). in step 2 - 28 the business logic bl sends the ai + r combination to the client site c . one aspect of the invention as described above is the generation of the advertising data ad that needs to be transmitted to the client site . this ad list can be empty , or it can have one record or have a multitude of records . however , in typical use an empty ad list or one with only one record in it will rarely occur , and such cases can be handled simplistically . accordingly , there is usually a requirement to select from the multitude of records a subset of preferred advertising records to be used . according to the design of the screen that the client will view ( such as a web page ), there will be space reserved for one or more advertisements . in the following example , a case of selecting one advertisement will be described , but the same mechanism is capable of retrieving two or more advertisements , if required . a primary factor in the selection of an advertisement is timing . the closer in time that an advertisement is to the potential purchase date by a buyer at the client site , the more likely that the advertisement will be effective , i . e . that it will result in a response from the user . the above - described business logic for creating the pl list also has access to the time schedule of the planned purchases . the time schedule can be calculated by subtracting the delivery time of the item from the date that it is required in the inventory . the delivery time is either entered directly by the client for individual items or groups of items , or is available from past purchasing behaviour . because it would not be beneficial to endlessly repeat the same advertisement , it is necessary to include other criteria for advertisement selection . the system would prove most effective when combining the advertisement selection process with prior art systems of examining current user activity . for instance , if a buyer started to create a purchase order for a certain item , then it would be best to select from the advertising information an advertisement that was related to the item being purchased . an advertisement can be selected by giving each advertisement a ranking score , and then selecting the advertisement having the highest ranking score . the ranking is achieved by taking a factor such as time from last display and giving the factor a weighting which adjusts the importance of the factor among all factors . thus the ranking is the sum for all factors of the product of factor and weighting . 1 . days before a planned purchase 2 . days after a planned purchase ( i . e . planned purchase is late ) 3 . whether or not the client organization has previously purchased from this advertiser 4 . advertisement display times 5 . time since last advertisement display 6 . advertisement success index ( percentage of shows leading to user interaction or hit ) 7 . whether or not the advertisement is from a preferred ( or non - preferred ) supplier 8 . whether or not the advertisement is subject to a campaign premium from the advertiser 9 . whether or not the advertisement is related to current user activity 10 . whether or not the advertisement is related to a registered user profile . by adjusting the weighting of each factor , the server operator can set advertisement selection to his preference . in the embodiment described in connection with fig1 to 3 , the business logic bl ( the mrp software and the routines for analyzing the planning list pl and for creating the advertising candidate list ac ) is located the server site s . this arrangement , although not necessary , has several advantages over an arrangement wherein the bl is located at the client site c . for example , the server site operator can be reasonably confident that the client &# 39 ; s planning list pl contains accurate information on future purchases . also , the business logic is very well protected against illegal copying , and it easy to update the various databases because they are located in a central location . the client &# 39 ; s advantage is that s / he only needs an internet browser but no storage space for the business logic or the associated databases . although the invention has been described in connection with preferred embodiments , it is not limited to these examples , but it may be varied within the scope of the appended claims . | 6 |
a description of embodiments follows . the teachings of all patents , published applications and references cited herein are incorporated by reference in their entirety . as used herein , “ infer ” and “ inferring ” may include , but are not limited to evaluating , assessing , deriving , measuring , characterizing a value or a set of values . as used herein , “ well - defined ” may include , but are not limited to domains for which there are well - known , well - defined solutions to problems . as used herein , “ ill - defined ” may include , but are not limited to domains for there are multiple correct solutions or paths . as used herein , “ student ” may include , but are not limited to any user , learner , or person that is engaged in any form of education or learning . as used herein , an “ estimate ” may include , but is not limited to measurements based on metrics or indices obtained by the present methods and systems . inquiry skills may provide an indication of a user &# 39 ; s proficiency with a technical area . current systems do not adequately capture a user &# 39 ; s ability to inquire because of the reliance on hand - scoring of data and / or on multiple choice tests that do not represent and measure proficiencies of science inquiry skills . the inquiry tutoring system of the present invention defines a general set of skills and a specific set of skills . the inquiry tutoring system further defines , captures , and maintains a set of educational log data for collection from one or more simulation environments . based on the data collected , the inquiry tutoring system determines whether the educational log data indicates a skill having reached a level of proficiency . from the proficiency determination , the inquiry tutoring system may provide real - time feedback through a help system associated with the simulation environment , wherein real - time feedback is based on output from assessment and / or tracking engine or models . in one embodiment , the help system may be a pedagogical agent . fig1 is a block diagram illustrating an example embodiment of the present invention having a software architecture 100 . the software architecture may include an assessment engine 110 , a tracking component 170 , a help system 140 , and a user interface 160 . the assessment engine 110 may include measurable skills 112 , knowledge engineered rules and models 114 , and data mined rules and models 116 . measurable skills 112 may be culled from a more general or a specific set of inquiry skills defined in a framework , including , but not limited to , a national or state framework . for example , general inquiry skills may include , but are not limited to , generating hypotheses , collecting data to test the hypotheses , interpreting the collected data , warranting claims with data , or communicating respective findings . specific inquiry skills may include , for example , identifying an independent variable , identifying a dependent variable , defining a relationship between a variable , designing a controlled experiment , testing a stated hypothesis , warranting an interpretation , relating an interpretation to a hypothesis , and / or the like . specific inquiry skills may be referred to as sub skills . in one embodiment , the assessment engine 110 is in communication with the tracking component 170 , the help system 140 , and the user interface 160 over a network . the help system 140 may be a pedagogical agent . the assessment engine 110 may include components communicating with or among other components residing on or with other engines or agents . the assessment engine 110 may include a knowledge - engineered rule base 114 . the knowledge - engineered rule base 114 may include a hypothesis rule base , an experiment rule base , an analysis rule base , a warranting claims rule base , and / or the like . the assessment engine 110 may include data - mining - based assessment algorithms , rules , and models 116 . a data - mining based assessment algorithm may include maintaining data - mining information ( e . g ., educational log data , summary features of those log data , streaming data , data that lives in computer memory ) and assessing the data - mining information . in one embodiment , a data - mining based assessment ( at 116 ) may include a decision tree with cutoff values for specific features . the cutoff values may be used by the assessment engine 110 to infer or predict whether the educational log data indicates that a user demonstrates proficiency in one or more skills . the knowledge engineered rules and models 114 and the data - mining rules and models 116 may assess the performance of one or more well - defined science inquiry skills . the knowledge engineered rules and models 114 and the data - mining rules and models 116 may assess the performance of one or more ill - defined science inquiry skills . the help system 140 may be in communication with user interface 160 or through one or more engines or components , e . g ., the assessment engine 110 and / or tracking component 170 as illustrated in fig1 . in one embodiment , the pedagogical agent and / or help system 140 may include a computer - based character providing feedback to users in the form of messages , such as , text , graphics , and multimedia . for example , the agent may respond , through one or more messages , in real - time , as users are interacting with the user interface 160 , simulation environment , and / or the like . the messages from the help system 140 may be driven by the assessment engine 110 , through knowledge - engineered 114 and / or data - mined 116 assessment rules and models . in one embodiment , the pedagogical agent and / or help system 140 may provide feedback based on tracked user performance , user performance across different science domains , and / or user performance over time . this is accomplished through data - mining based models 151 and / or knowledge - engineered based models 153 described below . the assessment may also be real - time , where the help system 140 processes historical and / or real time educational log data with real - time input , ( e . g ., responses from a user to messages from the pedagogical agent and / or help system 140 ). as noted above , the pedagogical agent and / or help system 140 may interact with a user as the user conducts an inquiry within one or more simulation environments . as the user is working within the simulation environment , the assessment engine 110 may conduct an assessment for a given skill , e . g ., skill a . based on the assessment , the pedagogical agent and / or help system 140 determines an appropriate feedback message regarding skill a . as the student engages further with the simulation environment , the assessment engine 110 continues to evaluate / assess user proficiency for skill a and continues to conduct assessment of skill a , which may be provided to the help system 140 for determining a feedback message to provide to the student . the tracking component 170 may include measurable skills 117 , data mining based models 151 , and knowledge - engineered based models 153 . one or more of the models 151 , 153 may include one or more aggregate and / or estimate models . “ estimate ” may include , but is not limited to measurements based on metrics or indices obtained by the present methods and systems . the models 151 , 153 may be searchable by query search or graph search . for example , a query search may include formulating keywords and / or query statements , such as , select , from , where . the models 151 and 153 may also be graph searchable by skill , by topic , by student , and by grade . data mining may be accomplished by combining ( aggregating ) results from query statements with graph searches . in one embodiment , the tracking component 170 may track user progress over time using bayesian knowledge tracing . for example , tracking user progress may include storing educational log data for an individual student in a database record . tracking may also include tracking progress for a class of students , students of a grade level , a school population , a district , a state , and / or a geographical region over time . as a student or user engages in several inquiry activities , the inquiry tutoring system includes data mined - based models 151 and knowledge - engineered based models 153 that aggregate this information and provide estimates of the student &# 39 ; s proficiency within the set of inquiry subskills . this information may be syndicated to the pedagogical agent and / or help system 140 to utilize in determining one or more messages to display to the user or may be syndicated to a teacher to provide formative assessment feedback about student progress . in one embodiment , bayesian knowledge tracing models populate the database record field ( s ) indicating proficiency estimates at a skill ( s ) ( and thus inquiry skill ) per student . similarly , in response to the pedagogical agent and / or help system 140 sharing a scaffolding message to the student , the assessment engine 110 populates or otherwise indicates pertinent data in the database record of the student . this enables subsequent reporting to a teacher of the student &# 39 ; s progress per sub skill . the user interface 160 may be in communication with the assessment engine 110 , tracking component 170 and / or pedagogical agent and / or help system 140 . in one embodiment , the user interface 160 may display the simulation environment to the user with the pedagogical agent and / or help system 140 appearing when the help system decides a message should be delivered using assessments generated by the assessment engine 110 . in another embodiment , the pedagogical agent and / or help system 140 may appear based on information generated from the tracking component 170 . fig2 is a flow diagram illustrating an example embodiment of a process which occurs within the assessment engine 110 and / or the tracking component 170 of fig1 . the flow diagram 200 may include receiving educational log data 201 . educational log data 201 may include information logged from one or more simulation environments . the educational log data 201 may be received and stored in an online manner , including but not limited to , receiving online data , or real time processing of students &# 39 ; interaction data . the educational log data 201 may be received and stored in an offline manner , including but not limited to , storing data to a database or a file server . the educational log data 201 may include , but is not limited to , log files , graphical user interactions , or other types of stored data . the educational log data 201 may be aggregated ( at 202 ) through knowledge engineered rules and models 204 and be structured ( at 202 ) according to one or more data mining rules and models 203 . in one embodiment , the process 200 may include tracking or conducting an assessment 210 , using the data mining models 203 , knowledge engineered rules 204 and educational log data 201 . the process 200 , after tracking or conducting an assessment 210 may send educational log data 201 back through the process 200 to again be aggregated ( at 202 ). as illustrated in process 200 , tracking or conducting an assessment 210 may check if a skill or skills have been acquired 215 . if the process determines ( at 215 ) that a skill either has or has not been acquired , the process may provide real - time feedback 220 . at the same time , the process can send educational log data 201 back through the process to again be aggregated and / or structured ( at 202 ). the real - time feedback 220 may also send educational log data 201 back through the process to again be aggregated and / or structured ( at 202 ), thus starting the process over . in one embodiment , the skill acquisition determination process may also return to receive supplemental educational log data 201 . in another embodiment , real - time feedback 220 may be provided both when the student does not acquire the skill ( including , but not limited to a specific help message on how to perform an inquiry skill / subskill ), and when they do acquire the skill ( including , but not limited to an acknowledgement of their successful progress ). fig3 is a block diagram illustrating an example embodiment of an inquiry tutoring system according to the present invention . the inquiry tutoring system 300 may include a simulation user interface 310 , a help system 340 , a knowledge engineering based module 350 , and data mining based module 360 . the simulated user interface 310 is one embodiment of the user interface 160 represented in the software architecture 100 of fig1 . the knowledge engineering based module 350 and the data mining based module 360 may be assessment models , tracking models , or both . the help system 340 may be a pedagogical agent . data generated from the simulation ui 310 may be sent to either the knowledge - engineered module 350 and / or the data mining module 360 . the knowledge - engineered module 350 and / or the data mining module 360 may also be in communication with the help system 340 . the simulation user interface 310 may include one or more interface elements . these interface elements may include a navigation or phase bar illustrating state or stages of science inquiry . in one embodiment , a phase bar may include an explore phase 321 , a hypotheses phase 322 , an experiment phase 323 , an analyze phase 324 , a communicate findings phase 327 , and / or other phases . phases may be added or removed as needed . within this environment , a user may generate hypotheses , collect data to test hypotheses , interpret data , warrant claims with data , and communicate findings . as illustrated in fig3 , the simulation user interface 310 may also include a goal interface element 325 and a myhypothesis interface element 326 . the goal 325 and / or myhypothesis interface 326 elements may receive input from one or more users or display output regarding a status within the simulation environment . for example , the goal interface element may display a specific goal the system wants the user to reach . in one embodiment , the myhypothesis element 326 may allow a user to submit input regarding a hypothesis derived from collecting data and interpreting the data from the explore phase 321 . the simulation user - interface 310 may also include a data collection frame 312 , a model visualization frame 314 , a data visualization frame 316 , an analysis frame 318 , and a findings ( or word processing ) frame 319 . the model visualization frame 314 may include , but are not limited to , a simulation , a microworld , or an animation , including but not limited to a flash or html5 / css / javascript animation . upon determination from the pedagogical agent and / or help system 340 that the user desires or requires feedback or assistance , one or more messages 329 may be provided . the simulation user - interface 310 may include other types of frames , examples of which are seen in fig4 a - 4e . fig4 a - 4e are example screenviews of the user - interface 310 from fig3 . fig4 a is an example embodiment of the user interface in the hypothesis phase 322 . the user reads a goal from the goal interface element 325 , and may input values into the myhypothesis interface 326 regarding the possible outcomes of the simulated experiment . the user may then interact with the user interface by pressing the button 301 to continue to the next phase , the experiment phase 323 . fig4 b is an example embodiment of the user interface in experiment phase 323 ( called “ collect data ”). the goal interface element 325 remains the same as fig4 a . the values input in the myhypothesis interface 326 are present for the user to see during the experiment . the user may interact with data collection frame 312 by changing the variables in the data collection frame 312 , including , but not limited to “ heat amount ,” “ ice amount ,” and “ container size .” the user may visualize a simulation , model , animation , or microworld in the model visualization frame 314 based on the inputs from the data collection frame 312 . the data produced by the experiment is then visualized in the data visualization frame 316 . the results may be added to a results frame 317 that the user carries over to the next phase . fig4 c is an example embodiment of the user interface in the analyze phase 324 . the goal interface element 325 and myhypothesis interface 326 remain the same as the prior phase , and remain present for the user to see . the analysis frame 318 may be manipulated by the user to highlight certain data points . this allows the user to interact with the data , reach a conclusion based on the simulated experiment , select which data best serves as evidence to support their conclusion , and determine whether their initial hypothesis was supported . fig4 d is an example embodiment of the user interface in the communicate findings phase 327 . the goal interface element 325 and myhypothesis interface 326 remain the same as the prior phase , and remain present for the user to see . the analysis frame 318 , with the inputs from the previous phase , is also present for the user to see . in this example , the user may interact with a word - processing frame 319 to allow the user to create a written description of the experiments and results that the user obtained during the simulation . fig4 e is an example embodiment of the user interface displaying a message provided by the pedagogical agent and / or help system 340 . this screenview is analogous to the data collection frame 312 of fig4 b . in this example embodiment , the user may still interact with the data collection frame 312 and view the myhypothesis interface 326 established earlier . upon determination from the pedagogical agent and / or help system 340 that the user desires or requires feedback or assistance , a message 329 may be provided . referring back to fig3 , assessment for simulation - based inquiry learning may include models developed through ( 1 ) knowledge engineering and / or cognitive task analysis , and ( 2 ) models developed through data mining and / or machine learning methods . in knowledge engineering and / or cognitive task analysis approaches , rules 350 are defined a priori and encapsulate specific behaviors or differing levels of systematic experimentation and / or inquiry skill . for example , knowledge engineered rules may include a rule - based adaptive control of thought - rational ( act - r ) model of scientific inquiry based on an assessment of skill differences between experts and novices on formulating hypotheses , exploring , analyzing data , and generating conclusions . the act - r model may be used to model overt , observable human behavior ( s ). the rule base describes cognition as involving declarative knowledge ( i . e ., knowledge about things ), and procedural knowledge ( i . e ., skills that act on knowledge ); procedural knowledge is implemented in act - r models as production rules . with act - r in mind , knowledge - engineering models may be leveraged using a method called model - tracing , where student responses are matched to a knowledge - engineered cognitive model of expert and / or correct behavior that includes declarative knowledge and production rules and , in some cases , specific misconceptions , including , but not limited to bugs or defects . in one embodiment , model tracing may be used with production rules to auto - score students &# 39 ; inquiry on the use of the control - of - variables ( cvs ) strategy and more broadly on designing controlled experiments , where all but the target variable is changed across trials within a simulation , such as a science microworld . see for example , the following publications that are hereby incorporated by reference : sao pedro , m . a ., real - time assessment , prediction , and scaffolding of middle school students &# 39 ; data collection skills within physical science microworlds , social science and policy studies : learning sciences and technologies program ph . d . dissertation , worcester polytechnic institute , ( april 2013 ); gobert , j . d ., sao pedro , m . a ., baker , s . j . d ., toto , e ., and montalvo , o ., leveraging educational data mining for real time performance assessment of scientific inquiry skills within microworlds , journal of educational data mining , 4 , 1 ( 2012 ), 111 - 143 . knowledge - engineered models may also be leveraged to track student proficiency at inquiry skills over time and across science topics . for example , a rational model may average students &# 39 ; performance over time at an inquiry skill / subskill as an estimate , i . e ., a measure or evaluation of their proficiency . see for example , the following publication that is hereby incorporated by reference : sao pedro , m . a ., baker , ryan s . j . d ., gobert , j . d ., montalvo , o ., and nakama , a . leveraging machine - learned detectors of systematic inquiry behavior to estimate and predict transfer of inquiry skill . user modeling and user - adapted interaction ( 2013 ), 23 ( 1 ), 1 - 39 . with respect to data mining based models 360 , educational data mining and / or machine learning approaches may be employed and include discovering student inquiry behaviors from data . for example , a self - organizing artificial neural network may build models of novice and expert performance using transition logs within a given learning environment , for example , a high school chemistry class . these models may be leveraged to construct a hidden markov model for identifying learner trajectories through a series of activities . data mining approaches ( at 360 ) may be used to distinguish students &# 39 ; problem solving strategies within exploratory learning environments . for example , clustering techniques and class association rules may capture learner models of effective and ineffective learning strategies within an exploratory learning environment for learning about a constraint satisfaction algorithm . in one embodiment , a constraint satisfaction algorithm may include identifying a constraint , setting a threshold for satisfying the constraint and / or determining whether the constraint satisfaction has been met . in another embodiment , a decision tree with cutoff values for certain features may be used as an assessment model to evaluate whether a student has demonstrated an inquiry subskill . see for example , the following publications that are hereby incorporated by reference : sao pedro , m . a ., baker , ryan s . j . d ., gobert , j . d ., montalvo , o ., and nakama , a . leveraging machine - learned detectors of systematic inquiry behavior to estimate and predict transfer of inquiry skill . user modeling and user - adapted interaction ( 2013 ), 23 ( 1 ), 1 - 39 ; sao pedro , m . a ., real - time assessment , prediction , and scaffolding of middle school students &# 39 ; data collection skills within physical science simulations , social science and policy studies : learning sciences and technologies program ph . d . dissertation , worcester polytechnic institute , ( april 2013 ). data mining models 360 may also be used with a task - dependent and / or a task - independent machine - learned model to predict skill proficiency in computer desktop applications . data mining approaches ( at 360 ) may also be used to track student inquiry skill and sub skill proficiency development over time and across simulation topics / domains . for example , model - tracing assessments and other approaches may be , in turn , utilized within knowledge - tracing . in one embodiment , knowledge tracing may include assessing latent knowledge from correct and incorrect performance . knowledge - tracing models may be implemented as a form of bayesian networks and / or bayes nets ( bns ). for example , bns may assess procedural knowledge for physics within various learning environments . a dynamic bn may model middle school students &# 39 ; narrative , strategic , and curricular knowledge as students explore a three - dimensional ( 3 d ) immersive environment on microbiology . in one embodiment , bn &# 39 ; s may include or utilize related diagnostic measurement tools to model multivariate skill profiles for network engineering based on performance in an interactive digital learning environment . in another embodiment , data - mined assessment models may be utilized within knowledge - tracing . see for example , the following publications that are hereby incorporated by reference : sao pedro , m . a ., baker , ryan s . j . d ., gobert , j . d ., montalvo , o ., and nakama , a . leveraging machine - learned detectors of systematic inquiry behavior to estimate and predict transfer of inquiry skill . user modeling and user - adapted interaction ( 2013 ), 23 ( 1 ), 1 - 39 ; sao pedro , m . a ., baker , ryan s . j . d ., gobert , j . d ., incorporating scaffolding and tutor context into bayesian knowledge tracing to predict inquiry skill acquisition . in s . k . d &# 39 ; mello , r . a . calvo , & amp ; a . olney ( eds .) proceedings of the 6 th international conference on educational data mining , ( pp . 185 - 192 ). memphis , tenn . fig5 is a block diagram of a computer system according to one embodiment of an inquiry assessment platform 400 (“ ia platform ”). this computer system may reside either on the client side , the server side , or some combination thereof . in this embodiment , the ia platform may serve to aggregate , process , store , search , serve , identify , instruct , generate , match , and / or facilitate tutoring interactions with a computer . aggregated data may be stored for later retrieval , analysis , and manipulation , which may be facilitated through a database program 437 , or one or more computer - implemented tables 450 ( collectively , 450 a , 450 b , 450 c , 450 d , 450 e , 450 f , 450 g , and 450 h in fig5 ). in one embodiment , the ia platform 400 may be connected to and / or communicate with entities such as , but not limited to : one or more users from user input devices ( e . g ., flash / sd / ssd ); peripheral devices , e . g ., a simulation environment ; an optional cryptographic processor device ; and / or a communications network 420 . networks are commonly thought to comprise the interconnection and interoperation of clients , servers , and intermediary nodes in a graph topology . it should be noted that the term “ server ” as used throughout this application refers generally to a computer , other device , program , or combination thereof that processes and responds to the requests of remote users across a communications network . servers 439 may serve their information to requesting “ client ( s )”. the term “ client ” as used herein refers generally to a computer , program , other device , user and / or combination thereof that is capable of processing and making requests and obtaining and processing any responses from servers across a communications network . various client - server architecture and configurations are suitable , as well as other than a client - server architecture is suitable . for example , a web - based system may be utilized to implement the present invention as well as a monolithic ( running on one machine ) or semi - monolithic system ( e . g ., installed and running on a tablet that send data to a server ). the processor and / or transceivers may be connected as either internal and / or external peripheral devices ( e . g ., sensors 456 ) via the i / o ports 455 . in turn , the transceivers may be connected to antenna ( s ) 457 , thereby effectuating wireless transmission and reception of various communication and / or sensor protocols . the cpu 451 comprises at least one high - speed data processor adequate to execute program components for executing user and / or system - generated requests . embedded components may include software solutions , hardware solutions , and / or some combination of both hardware / software solutions . storage interfaces , e . g ., data store 431 , may accept , communicate , and / or connect to a number of storage devices such as , but not limited to : storage devices , removable disc devices , solid state drives ( ssd ) and / or the like . storage interfaces may employ connection protocols such as , but not limited to : ( ultra ) ( serial ) advanced technology attachment ( packet interface ) (( ultra ) ( serial ) ata ( pi )), ( enhanced ) integrated drive electronics (( e ) ide ), institute of electrical and electronics engineers ( ieee ) 1394 , fiber channel , small computer systems interface ( scsi ), universal serial bus ( usb ), and / or the like . network card ( s ) may accept , communicate , and / or connect to a communications network 420 . through a communications network 420 , the ia platform is accessible through remote clients ( e . g ., computers with web browsers ) by users . network interfaces 454 may employ connection protocols such as , but not limited to : direct connect , ethernet ( thick , thin , twisted pair 10 / 100 / 1000 base t , and / or the like ), token ring , wireless connection such as ieee 802 . 11a - x , and / or the like . a cloud service 425 may be in communication with the ia platform . the cloud service 425 may include a platform - as - a - service ( paas ) model layer 425 a , an infrastructure - as - a - service ( iaas ) model layer 425 b and a software - as - a - service ( saas ) model layer 425 c . the saas model layer 425 c generally includes software managed and updated by a central location , deployed over the internet and provided through an access portal . the paas model layer 425 a generally provides services to develop , test , deploy , host and maintain applications in an integrated development environment . the iaas layer model layer 425 b generally includes virtualization , virtual machines , e . g ., virtual servers , virtual desktops and / or the like . input output interfaces ( i / o ) 455 may accept , communicate , and / or connect to user input devices , peripheral devices , cryptographic processor devices , and / or the like . peripheral devices may be connected and / or communicate to i / o and / or other facilities of the like such as network interfaces , storage interfaces , directly to the interface bus , system bus 458 , the cpu 451 , and / or the like . peripheral devices may be external , internal , and / or part of ia platform . peripheral devices may include : eye tracking equipment , antenna 457 , audio devices ( e . g ., line - in , line - out , microphone input , speakers , etc . ), cameras ( e . g ., still , video , webcam , etc . ), dongles ( e . g ., for copy protection , ensuring secure transactions with a digital signature , and / or the like ), external processors ( for added capabilities ; e . g ., crypto devices ), force - feedback devices ( e . g ., vibrating motors ), network interfaces 454 , printers , scanners , storage devices , transceivers ( e . g ., cellular , gps , etc . ), video devices ( e . g ., goggles , monitors , etc . ), video sources , visors , and / or the like . peripheral devices often include types of input devices ( e . g ., cameras ). generally , any mechanization and / or embodiment allowing a processor to affect the storage and / or retrieval of information is regarded as memory . it is to be understood that the ia platform and / or a computer systems may employ various forms of memory . in a typical configuration , memory includes rom / ram 452 , a cache 453 , and a storage device . a storage device may be any conventional computer system storage . storage devices may include a ( fixed and / or removable ) magnetic disk drive ; a magneto - optical drive ; an optical drive ; an array of devices ( e . g ., redundant array of independent disks ( raid )); solid state memory devices ( usb memory , solid state drives ( ssd ), etc . ); other processor - readable storage mediums ; and / or other devices of the like . thus , a computer system 403 generally requires and makes use of non - transitory and / or transitory memory . a user interface component 441 is a stored program component that is executed by a cpu 451 . the user interface 441 may be a graphical user interface such as simulation user interface 310 and provided by , with , and / or atop operating systems 433 and / or operating environments . the user interface may allow for the display , execution , interaction , manipulation , and / or operation of program components and / or system facilities through textual and / or graphical facilities . the user interface 441 provides a facility through which users may affect , interact , and / or operate a computer system 403 . a user interface 441 may communicate to and / or with one or more other components 435 ( collectively , 435 a , 435 b , 435 c , and 435 d in fig4 ) in a component collection , including itself , and / or facilities of the like . the structure and / or operation of any of the ia platform engine set 405 may be combined , consolidated , and / or distributed in any number of ways to facilitate development and / or deployment . similarly , the component collection may be combined in any number of ways to facilitate deployment and / or development . to accomplish this , one may integrate the components into a common code base or in a facility that may dynamically load the components on demand in an integrated fashion . the engine set 405 components may be consolidated and / or distributed in countless variations through standard data processing and / or development techniques . multiple instances of any one of the program components in the program component collection 435 may be instantiated on a single node , and / or across numerous nodes to improve performance through load - balancing and / or data - processing techniques . furthermore , single instances may also be distributed across multiple controllers and / or storage devices ; e . g ., databases . all program component instances and controllers working in concert may do so through standard data processing communication techniques . the component collection 435 may be components for implementing system 100 or system 300 described above in fig1 and 3 , respectively . the configuration of the ia platform depends on the context of system deployment . factors such as , but not limited to , the budget , capacity , location , and / or use of the underlying hardware resources may affect deployment requirements and configuration . regardless of whether the configuration results in more consolidated and / or integrated program components , results in a more distributed series of program components , and / or results in some combination between a consolidated and distributed configuration , data may be communicated , obtained , and / or provided . instances of components consolidated into a common code base from the program component collection may communicate , obtain , and / or provide data . this may be accomplished through intra - application data processing communication techniques such as , but not limited to : data referencing ( e . g ., pointers ), internal messaging , object instance variable communication , shared memory space , variable passing , and / or the like . in certain embodiments , the procedures , devices , and processes described herein constitute a computer program product , including a computer readable medium , e . g ., a removable storage medium such as one or more dvd - rom &# 39 ; s , cd - rom &# 39 ; s , diskettes , tapes , etc ., that provides at least a portion of the software instructions for the system . such a computer program product may be installed by any suitable software installation procedure , as is well known in the art . in another embodiment , at least a portion of the software instructions may also be downloaded over a cable , communication and / or wireless connection . embodiments may also be implemented as instructions stored on a non - transitory machine - readable medium , which may be read and executed by one or more processors . a non - transient machine - readable medium may include any mechanism for storing or transmitting information in a form readable by a machine , e . g ., a computing device 403 . for example , a non - transient machine - readable medium may include read only memory ( rom ); random access memory ( ram ); magnetic disk storage media ; optical storage media ; flash memory devices ; and others . it should be understood that the example embodiments described above may be implemented in many different ways . in some instances , the various methods and machines described herein may be implemented by a physical , virtual , or hybrid general - purpose computer , or a computer network environment such as the computer network environment 420 . a general purpose computer may be transformed into the machines that execute the methods described above , for example , by loading software instructions into memory or nonvolatile storage for execution by a central processing unit . embodiments or aspects thereof may be implemented in the form of hardware , firmware , or software or any combination thereof . if implemented in software , the software may be stored on any non - transient computer readable medium that is configured to enable a processor to load the software or subsets of instructions thereof . the processor then executes the instructions and is configured to operate or cause an apparatus to operate in a manner as described herein . further , firmware , software , routines , or instructions may be described herein as performing certain actions and / or functions of data processors . however , it should be appreciated that such descriptions contained herein are merely for convenience and that such actions in fact result from computing devices , processors , controllers , or other devices executing the firmware , software , routines , instructions , etc . it also should be understood that the flow diagrams , block diagrams , and network diagrams may include more or fewer elements , be arranged differently , or be represented differently . but it further should be understood that certain implementations may dictate the block and network diagrams and the number of block and network diagrams illustrating the execution of the embodiments be implemented in a particular way . accordingly , further embodiments may also be implemented in a variety of computer architectures , physical , virtual , cloud computers , one or more servers , one or more clients , and / or some combination thereof , and , thus , the data processors described herein are intended for purposes of illustration only and not as a limitation of the embodiments . while this invention has been particularly shown and described with references to example embodiments thereof , it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention encompassed by the appended claims . for example , further details of other embodiments may be found in at least the following three publications , that are hereby incorporated by reference : ( 1 ) sao pedro , m . a ., baker , r . s . j . d ., and gobert , j . d . ( 2012 ), improving construct validity yields better models of systematic inquiry , even with less information , in proceedings of the 20th conference on user modeling , adaptation , and personalization ( montreal , qc , canada 2012 ), 249 - 260 ; ( 2 ) sao pedro , m . a ., baker , r . s . j . d ., gobert , j . d ., montalvo , o ., and nakama , a ., leveraging machine - learned detectors of systematic inquiry behavior to estimate and predict transfer of inquiry skill , user modeling and user - adapted interaction ( 2013 ), 23 ( 1 ), 1 - 39 ; ( 3 ) gobert , j . d ., sao pedro , m . a ., baker , s . j . d ., toto , e ., and montalvo , o ., leveraging educational data mining for real time performance assessment of scientific inquiry skills within microworlds , journal of educational data mining , 4 , 1 ( 2012 ), 111 - 143 ; gobert , j . d ., sao pedro , m . a ., raziuddin , j ., baker , r . s ., from log files to assessment metrics : measuring students &# 39 ; science inquiry skills using educational data mining , journal of the learning sciences , 22 : 521 - 563 ( 2013 ). | 6 |
with reference to the above figures , the device for preparing a beverage such as espresso coffee , generally designated by the reference numeral 1 , comprises a body 2 which , in a per se known manner , can be coupled to a unit 3 for feeding pressurized hot water . the body 2 internally supports a filter container 4 , provided with a perforated bottom 5 , inside which it is possible to insert a tablet or pellet 10 of coffee powder , which is interposed between the hot water inlet duct 11 , formed by the water feed unit 3 , and a dispensing duct that is generally designated by the reference numeral 12 and is formed on the bottom of the body 2 . a stopper valve 20 is provided at the dispensing duct 12 and is constituted by a stopper 21 that acts on a stopper seat 22 . the stopper 21 is movable towards and away from the seat 22 , so as to produce the opening and closure of said seat . the seat 22 is formed at the bottom of the body 2 and has a shoulder 23 , inside which a hole 24 is provided ; said shoulder and said hole are blended together by means of a tight blending radius . the stopper 21 ends with a stem 30 that has a conical shape and is long and narrow , i . e ., it has a small apex angle , and merges with the stopper 21 by means of an abutment surface 31 which is frustum - shaped in the mentioned example but can assume in practice any configuration deemed appropriate . the stopper 21 abuts against the seat 22 , and more precisely against the shoulder 23 of the seat , by means of the abutment surface 31 , whereas the conical stem 30 engages inside the hole 24 , forming a gap 40 that is small when the stopper abuts against the seat 12 and increases as the stopper 21 moves away from the seat 22 . when the gap 40 is smallest , i . e ., when the stopper is in closed position , it has the purpose of preventing the passage , through the stopper , of the first portion of extracted liquid that has passed through the coffee tablet and contains solid particles , schematically designated by the reference numeral 45 in fig2 which have been released by the coffee powder 10 and have passed through the perforated bottom 5 . the taper angle of the stem 30 , as mentioned earlier , has a sufficiently small value , so as to require a stroke having a preset large value on the part of the stopper away from the seat before the gap 40 assumes a size that allows the passage of the solid particles 45 , which in practice have formed a removable plug . the stopper valve 20 furthermore comprises elastic means , constituted by a folded elastic lamina 25 , which act on a linkage 26 pivoted between an internal point of the body 2 and said stopper . the setting of the elastic means is such that the stopper is kept engaged against the seat of the stopper up to a certain pressure level , for example five atmospheres , whereas to achieve the initial dispensing of the coffee it is necessary to reach a removal pressure , for example of ten atmospheres , to push the stopper to the end of the stroke that allows the passage of the solid particles , i . e ., of the removable plug , through the open stopper valve . after removing the removable plug , which in practice has produced an increase in pressure , downstream of the coffee tablet , which substantially produces a counterpressure that increases the pressurization of the hot water inside the tablet , when the removable plug is removed , the resulting dispensing pressure of the extracted liquid is lower than the removal pressure , so that depressurization of the hot water inside the tablet occurs , with subsequent complete extraction of the precious principles that are present inside the coffee . in order to keep the stopper 21 in the maximum spacing position that it reaches to remove the removable plug , it is possible to provide a cam - shaped wedge , designated by the reference numeral 50 , that is oscillatably mounted about an axis that is substantially parallel to the axis of the translatory motion of the stopper 21 and is pushed by a weak spring 51 . the cam - shaped wedge 50 is substantially semicircular and is pushed by the spring 51 so as to engage the linkage 26 to retain it in lowered position . in practice , therefore , when the stopper moves downwards , by virtue of the downward oscillation of the linkage 26 the cam - shaped wedge becomes interposed above the linkage 26 , retaining it in lowered position . the cam - shaped wedge 50 is provided , at its pivoting region , with a lug 52 that can be engaged by a flap 53 which allows to return the cam - shaped wedge to the initial position when it is necessary to dispense another espresso coffee . conventional coffee dispensing spouts , designated by the reference numeral 60 , are provided downstream of the region where the stopper valve 20 acts . in practical operation , first of all pressurized water is introduced through the feed channel 11 , achieving imbibition of the various granules of the tablet with water and achieving an initial production of extracted liquid that contains the solid particles which protrude from the perforated bottom of the container 4 and enter the gap 40 . the initial flow - rate is in practice reduced to zero and substantially depends on the grinding size . during this step , the imbibition of the granules continues and the pressure inside the coffee powder tablet continues to increase , since the stopper valve is closed by the removable plug constituted by the solid particles that accumulate in the gap 40 . the water then enters all the interstices of the coffee tablet , even the remotest and most labyrinthine ones ; when the removal pressure is reached , the dispenser valve opens , and espresso coffee dispensing begins , with a simultaneous reduction of the pressure in the coffee powder tablet . with a constant flow - rate value , the resulting water speed around the coffee powder granule is inversely proportional to its grinding size . if the grinding is coarse , the water finds large passages between the granules , where the water speed would be too low to be able to affect , by inertia and by turbulence , the surfaces located in dead regions that constitute the vast majority of the surface of the granules which compose a coffee tablet having a certain thickness . therefore , in order to achieve optimum utilization , the flow - rate must increase or decrease according to the size of the ground granules to allow a sufficient speed of the water flowing through . in the specific case , this is achieved because the dispensing pressure downstream of the tablet is determined by the spring acting on the stopper . therefore , as the flow - rate determined by the grinding size increases or decreases , downstream of the tablet there is a consequent increase or a relative decrease in pressure , which affects the stopper valve , tending to open or close it and allowing an increase or decrease in flow - rate that is necessary in order to maintain an adapted speed for the flow of water through the passages in the coffee tablet . the increase in flow speed can be further enhanced to the detriment of the pressure by interposing the cam - shaped wedge upon the return of the stopper valve , which has opened beyond its dynamic equilibrium position due to the expulsion of the plug of solid particles as indicated above . in practice , therefore , when the removal pressure is reached , allowing to expel the removable plug , a dispensing pressure is produced downstream of the coffee powder tablet that is lower than the removal pressure , so that inside the coffee powder tablet , after the initial step for the pressurization of the hot water , a depressurization step further occurs which facilitates the extraction of the substances contained in the coffee . after dispensing the coffee , it is sufficient to remove the used tablet and replace it with another one , resetting the cam - shaped wedge , if provided . from the above description it is thus evident that the invention achieves the intended aim and objects , and in particular the fact is stressed that this process allows to achieve extraction of most of the useful substances from the inside and from the outside of the coffee granules that constitute the powder tablet . this is achieved because the water penetrates deeply into the granules and solubilizes the desired substances , then flows out of said granules and maintains a certain flow speed around said granule to remove and convey all the substances contained internally and externally . it is evident that the penetration of the water inside the microporosities of the granule will be achieved by pressurization , whereas its outward flow will be achieved during the depressurization step and the removal of the obtained solution occurs by virtue of an adapted flow speed . with the device according to the invention it is therefore possible to obtain an espresso coffee of unusual quality , achieved by virtue of the optimum utilization of the precious substances contained in the coffee powder in their entirety . another advantage is constituted by the fact that at the end of the dispensing action , the coffee tablet remains substantially at atmospheric pressure , and therefore any residual liquid contained therein is automatically released . the invention thus conceived is susceptible of numerous modifications and variations , all of which are within the scope of the inventive concept . all the details may furthermore be replaced with other technically equivalent elements . in practice , the materials employed , as well as the contingent shapes and dimensions , may be any according to the requirements . | 0 |
the terms “ longitudinal ” and “ lateral ” are to be considered in relation to the geometrical shape of the metallic plates which determine the geometrical shape of the stacks of the heat exchanger module according to the invention . thus , in the end the four longitudinal sides of the stack of an elementary exchanger module according to the invention are those extending parallel to the longitudinal axis x of the plates , that is , along their length . the two lateral sides of the stack are those extending along the lateral axis y of the plates , orthogonally to the axis x , that is , along their width . the terms “ on top ” and “ at bottom ” should be considered in relation to the direction of the stacking of the exchanger module . thus , the plate on top , forming all or part of an anvil , is the last plate stacked on top of the others . first of all , one produces in the same manner a number of several elementary exchanger modules which may be of different dimensions . we shall describe the production by the first step a / of an elementary module 1 . 1 from metal plates 10 , such as plates of stainless steel of type 316l , with length l 1 and width l 2 ( fig3 a ). the borders and the anvils of the plates 10 are advantageously dimensioned such that the deformations are controlled during an assembly by hic diffusion bonding . step i /: in order to produce an element of a first fluid circuit c 1 , one machines in one of the principal faces 101 of a metal plate 10 grooves 20 which are straight and parallel to the length l 1 of the plate in the example illustrated ( fig3 b ). step ii /: in order to produce an element of a second fluid circuit c 2 , one machines in the other of the principal faces 102 of a metal plate 10 grooves 30 which are straight and parallel to the width of the plate in the example illustrated ( fig3 c ). the grooves 20 , 30 can be produced by any adapted means : machining , chemical etching , stamping , etc . one then produces , as usual , the necessary attached pieces for the producing of the stack of grooved plates 10 and their assembly ( tools ). this may involve , in particular , alignment pins , holding tools ( uniaxial diffusion bonding ), optionally a container if the stack of plates is assembled by hic diffusion bonding . steps i1 / and ii1 /: cleaning is carried out with the aid of solvents and detergents of the plates 10 . step iii /: after having cleaned them , one stacks the assemblage of plates 10 so as to form both the channel elements 2 of the first circuit c 1 and the channel elements 3 of the second circuit c 2 . during the stacking , all the plates 1 are aligned in relation to each other thanks to the alignment pins or centering pegs , not shown , which are inserted into blind holes . fig4 and 4a show an example of the stacking to produce an elementary exchanger module 1 . 1 with a superpositioning of channels 2 , 3 of the two fluid circuits c 2 . step iv /: the entire periphery of the stack ( block ) is rendered tight and each interface is degassed by an emerging orifice , which will be blocked up . to accomplish the sealing at the periphery of the stack , the entire stacking is done in a container . the container , made of stainless steel sheet folded and welded by the tig method , is itself cleaned , along with its cover . the cover is welded by tig to the container and then the container is placed under vacuum by pumping through a tube welded to one of its sides . the tube is then pinched off , sliced , and itself welded to prevent the introduction of air inside the container . one then subjects the container , and thus the complete stack , to a cycle of low - pressure hic involving a heating of 900 to 1100 ° c . for a period of 1 to 4 h under a pressure of 30 to 300 bar , then a cooldown for several hours and a depressurization . one carries out all of these steps i / to iv / for each of the elementary modules 1 . 1 , 1 . 2 , 1 . 3 which are going to make up the one - piece exchanger according to the invention . step b /: for each of the elementary modules 1 . 1 , 1 . 2 , 1 . 3 , one then performs their reduction involving a decreasing of the borders by milling and the opening of the channels 2 and / or 3 by trimming the ends of the stack which are blocking them . the elementary module 1 . 1 is machined so as to have a length l 4 and a width l 3 , with all the channels 2 , 3 of both the first circuit and the second circuit which have been opened , that is , all of them emerging to the outside ( fig5 ); the elementary module 1 . 2 is machined so as to have a length l 4 and a width l 5 , with all the channels 2 of the first circuit , being parallel to the length of the exchanger , which have been opened at their two ends , while the channels 3 of the second circuit parallel to the width of the exchanger have been opened at only one of their ends ( fig6 ); the elementary module 1 . 3 is machined so as to have a length l 4 and a width l 6 , with all the channels 2 of the first circuit , being parallel to the length of the exchanger , which have been opened at their two ends , while the channels 3 of the second circuit parallel to the width of the exchanger have been opened at only one of their ends ( fig7 ). step c /: at the end of the machining of all the elementary modules , they are positioned edge to edge . in the example illustrated , one places side by side the three elementary modules 1 . 1 , 1 . 2 , 1 . 3 of the same length l 4 but different width l 3 , l 5 , l 6 by their longitudinal edge at the side , in order to form a block 1 of outer dimensions l 4 ×( l 3 + l 5 + l 6 ) ( fig8 ). step d /: once the edge to edge positioning of the elementary modules 1 . 1 , 1 . 2 , 1 . 3 has been accomplished , one then performs the assembly of the interfaces of the exchanger so formed . this is advantageously done by means of hic diffusion bonding . first of all , one cleans the reduced elementary modules with the aid of solvents and detergents . next , one performs the sealing of the interfaces by tig welding , and then places under vacuum the sealed interfaces between the elementary modules and thus also those of the channels communicating with the latter , in order to ensure their continuity from one elementary module to another . fig8 a thus shows the machining 31 ( boring ) performed in advance and making it possible to interconnect the different zones of channels 3 being welded , as well as the machining 32 making it possible to weld a pip and thus perform the evacuation . finally , one applies to the block 1 of elementary modules 1 . 1 , 1 . 2 , 1 . 3 so obtained a cycle of low - pressure hic , typically at a pressure between 20 and 500 bar , preferably between 30 and 300 bar . the choice of the pressure results from a compromise between the quality of the welding to be achieved and the acceptable deformation of the channels not opened . one can subsequently perform one or more machining processes to finish the one - piece heat exchanger 1 , in particular , to open the fluid circuit which was left closed . one can then submit the exchanger to a high - pressure hic cycle , typically under a pressure between 200 and 2000 bar , preferably between 500 and 1200 bar . during this cycle , one completes the assembly of the plates making up the elementary modules and that of the modules to each other . one can also add on subsequently , by welding , fluid distribution manifolds , not shown , so as to feed and / or recuperate a fluid in each of the first c 1 and second c 2 circuits in the area of the ends of the grooves forming the channels 2 , 3 . thanks to the method according to steps a / to d /, one obtains a one - piece heat exchanger assembled by hic diffusion bonding which is compact , has large dimensions and / or a large number of channels whose geometrical shape has undergone very little deformation as regards the initial shape produced during the stacking . of course , the present invention is not limited to the variants and the embodiments described as an illustration and not a limitation . in the example illustrated , the elementary exchanger modules are placed laterally side by side . one can also contemplate positioning them edge to edge in the height direction , that is , stacking them one on another . in this case , the two fluid circuits can be opened during the assembly process of the exchanger : the hic cycle applied can then be a cycle of high pressure type as above . the positioning can also be done in the length direction , that is , placed end to end , following each other in succession , or in several directions at the same time . in the example illustrated , all the plates making up all of the elementary modules are made of the same material , preferably a stainless steel of type 316l . one can also contemplate having plates of different material within the same elementary module or plates of different material from one elementary module to another . in the example illustrated , the seals at the interfaces between elementary modules are made by welding . any other means allowing the production of a seal and maintaining its integrity during the diffusion bonding of the block can be utilized . the size of the channels for each of the fluid circuits can be different depending on the nature and the properties of the fluids being carried , the allowable head losses , and the desired flow rate . one may stack several elements of the same circuit in order to optimize a functionality of the exchanger , for example the heat transfer or the flow rate of one of the fluids . while the example illustrated involves exchangers with precisely two fluid circuits , it is quite possible to fabricate an exchanger with three or more fluid circuits , starting from two , three or more elementary exchanger modules . the two fluid manifolds can be arranged on either side of the exchanger , or alternating on the same side of the exchanger . the heat exchangers obtained by the method of the invention can be assembled with each other , for example by using flanges or by welding on fluid supply pipelines . one may thus contemplate the production of a heat exchanger system with several exchangers connected to each other , in which the transfers occur in several steps with different mean temperatures or sufficiently reduced temperature differences per module to diminish the thermal stresses in the materials . for example , in the case of a heat exchanger in which one desires to transfer the heat from a first fluid to a second , one can conceive of an exchanger system in which each exchanger enables a decreasing of the temperature of the first fluid by a given value , thus limiting the stresses in regard to a design with a single exchanger having a more elevated temperature difference . for this , the inlet temperature of the second fluid may differ from one module to another . in another example , a reactor exchanger system allows a complex chemical reaction to be carried out in steps by precisely controlling the reaction temperature during each step , for an optimal control of the chemical reaction , a minimization of risks and a maximization of yields . a system of heat exchangers with several exchangers also makes it possible to reduce the maintenance costs by allowing the individual replacement of a faulty exchanger , and the manufacturing costs by standardization of the exchangers . | 5 |
the present system and method allows clients to reach audiences of users and engage users into communication regarding details of the client &# 39 ; s message regarding its institution , products , services , and other interactions with the world . rather than just broadcasting a statement in an open loop system manner , the invention recognizes responses from users that imply cognitive feedback . this system prompts the user to visit a client &# 39 ; s internet site to find correct answers and provides a path to the correct answer and back to the system itself . this system recognizes correct answers and creates records indicative of receipt of correct answers . in this manner , a metric can be generated indicative of efficacy of a client &# 39 ; s efforts in educating its audience . the user can be instantly rewarded through points . the points may provide instant access to goods or services or to prize drawing entries . the invention allows a client to employ a campaign which may communicate to the general user audience one or a number of messages . the campaign may be divided into particular activities . an activity is a game , questionnaire , survey or other routine which can supply a stimulus to a user and respond to and record a response by a user . within each activity , missions are provided . a mission is a discrete unit of an activity such as , for example , presentation of one question and a set of multiple choice answers , along with a path , such as a hyperlink to a client &# 39 ; s website where the answer be found . the missions may be constructed such that the only way for the users to find the answers and consistently fulfill , i . e ., answer correctly , missions and gain incentive awards is by following the hyperlinks and actively navigating the client &# 39 ; s website until users find and comprehend the key marketing message . revenue is generated and justification of value may be maintained according to a pricing matter that may utilize a cost per delivery ( cpd ) payment pricing model . the invention enables the advertiser to pay only for delivered results , i . e ., evidence that the user has learned the client &# 39 ; s message . other elements of conventional pricing schemes may also be used . the invention further provides the option of automatically segmenting users into different categories . segmentation may be done by prize selections offered to users or through specific or inferred data analysis of data supplied by users in response to stimulus such as questionnaires and registration routines . through use of the present invention , a user experience may be populated with missions that relate to the defined or implied interests of users . the invention may correlate particular missions with particular user profile characteristics and in accordance with marketing module software present missions based on the user market segmentation . efficient administration is also provided as further described below . it should be noted that terms such as campaign , activity and mission are arbitrary and are used for clarity in description of operations to be performed . these descriptions in no way limit functionality of the invention . while particular hardware and software architectures are illustrated , many widely known equivalents are available to those skilled in the art . [ 0023 ] fig1 illustrates a telecommunication system 1 including a communications network which will most commonly comprise the internet 2 . a service company 10 provides an interactive experience for a user 12 at a user terminal 14 . the terminal 14 includes devices such as a keyboard 15 and a mouse 16 at a user interface 17 . many other forms of user interface devices are known . the user terminal 14 also comprises a screen 18 displaying information . the terminal 14 interfaces to the internet 2 via an internet service provider 22 . the service company 10 acts on behalf of clients 24 each having a content server 25 . the content server 25 provides connection to client websites and the full variety of content available through a telecommunication system . the service company 10 provides the clients 24 with the opportunity to educate the user 12 and provides the users 24 metrics regarding the efficacy of this education . the service company 10 can record actions of users , “ click through ” rates indicative of the number of levels of a client website 26 through which a user 12 has entered and other metrics regarding user activity . the client 24 , by virtue of having marketing efficacy metrics available , gains the ability to compensate the service company 10 based on the level of consumer education achieved rather than compensating merely based on the number of clicks . the service company 10 includes a marketing server 30 hosting a marketing website 32 . it should be noted that terms such as content server and marketing server are arbitrary . they are used to facilitate clarity and description of interactions in the system 1 . they do not indicate a particular necessity for difference in the structures of various servers . the marketing server 30 communicates with a processor 34 which may also interact with a database unit 36 . [ 0024 ] fig2 is a block diagram of one form of data processing and communication system included in a service company 10 . the same reference numerals are used to denote components corresponding to those in fig1 . the processor 34 receives communications from the server 30 . the computer 34 includes a processor 40 . the processor 40 includes appropriate modules for performing various functions described below . the modules need not correspond to individual hardware modules . the modules may be implemented through software modules or may be integrated with each other . however , their operation may be represented by individual modules . in the illustrated exemplification , the processor 40 includes a registration module 42 , an marketing module 44 and an accounting module 46 . the computer 34 may further include its own memory 50 as well as interacting with the database unit 36 . the database unit 36 may include individual databases such as a registration database 53 , an marketing database 55 and an accounting database 57 . the registration database 53 may contain , organize and manipulate data regarding information collected from users 12 . this may include intellectual property addresses , demographic information supplied by users 12 and other data customer associated with users . the marketing database 55 may include client content . however , client content will preferably be provided at content servers 25 ( fig1 ). the accounting database 57 may include billing and communication information and report forms for providing bills , reports and other services to the clients 24 . operation of the system is described with respect to fig3 which is a flow diagram indicative of interaction of the user 12 in the system 1 . the invention comprehends a machine readable medium as well as a method . a machine - readable medium includes any mechanism that provides ( i . e , stores and / or transmits ) information in a form readable by a machine ( e . g ., a computer ). for example , a machine - readable medium includes read only memory ( rom ); random access memory ( ram ); magnetic disk storage media ; optical storage media ; flash memory devices ; electrical , optical , acoustical or other form of propagated signals ( e . g ., carrier waves , infrared signals , digital signals , etc .) at block 100 , the user 12 accesses the communication system 1 . the user 12 may “ surf the net ” accessing various sites in a conventional manner too . at block 102 , the user 12 accesses website 32 at the marketing server 30 . entry may be direct or from a website 26 . at block 104 , the computer 34 accesses marketer content from the memory 50 or the marketing database 55 . at this point , the user 12 is invited to log into the marketers site 32 . logging in conventionally comprises entry of a user name and password by the user 12 at the user terminal 14 . alternatively , log - in could occur at website 26 if the user is registered , as indicated as block 106 then operation proceeds to block 110 in which the registered user page is presented . if the user is not registered , operation proceeds to block 108 at which a user can register . registration conventionally comprises selection by the user of a user name and password . the registration database 53 examines a suggested user name entered by a user 12 to require uniqueness . in this manner , information on each registered user may be maintained . at a minimum , this information will include the user 12 &# 39 ; s password so that entry of a unique user 12 may be validated . registration routines generally require entry of a valid email address . other routines may ask further demographic information of a user such as postal code , age bracket and other personal information . more specific information could also be requested . once a user has registered , operation proceeds to block 110 . in the alternative , the simplest form of registration , checking at block 106 could provide checking for a cookie which has been inserted in a conventional manner in the user terminal 14 . in the alternative to entering registration information in the registration database 53 , the computer 34 may simply generate a cookie . at block 110 , the user 12 is provided entry to a next level of the website 32 . at this point , the computer 40 checks for custom information associated with the user 12 , whether in a cookie or in the marketing database 53 , and at block 112 , a next level of the website 32 is displayed . where no stored information is associated with the user 12 , the next level comprises information and a menu of available activities . activities may include games , surveys , or other forms of interactive routine susceptible of provision of a stimulus to a user and a response perceptible by the computer 42 . a stimulus may include provision of a question to a user and a response is some action at the user interface 17 of the user terminal 12 ( fig1 ) which is perceptible by the computer 40 . in the case of information having been stored for a user 12 , the computer 40 will access that display and select a next level at the block 112 which may include identification of desired incentives selected by the user 12 , a number of points accumulated toward achievement of being entitled to request the incentive and a report on an in - progress activity which has been stored . at block 114 , the user 12 selects an activity . each activity is associated with a client 24 . the service company 10 desires to establish that the user 12 is educated with respect to the client 24 . at block 116 , a path to a client 24 is created . most commonly , this will be achieved by providing a hyperlink to a website 26 at a content server 25 . at block 118 , the path and the activity are presented to the user 12 . the user 12 then proceed to answer questions or respond to other stimuli presented by the activity . at block 120 , user actions are recorded . at block 122 , user actions are responded to . the actions user 12 may take include answering answers . a response to a user action can include evaluation of whether an answer is correct and providing a response at block 122 to the user indicative of whether the response was correct . the information supplied to the user could also include a suggestion to select the path presented at block 118 so the user can learn more . a response to a user action can include awarding of points produced in response to a correct answer . this response may further include provision of a message to a user informing of the gaining of points and informing of whether the user has reached a particular point threshold . at block 124 , user actions are recorded . recorded user actions can include entry of correct answers , entry of incorrect answers , taking of the path via hyperlink to a client 24 &# 39 ; s content server 25 and the time and depth of connection to different levels of the client website 26 . at block 126 , reports are produced . reports are produced by data reduction of data recorded in response to all users 12 or may be broken down with respect to users 12 in particular categories . the reports may include information on learning of content information , amount of traffic to websites produced in response to messages to users 12 , popularity of selected incentives and popularity of selected games . importantly , the reports may also include reports to clients 25 of the efficacy of the games in teaching consumers the content of websites 26 . significantly , for the service company 10 , the reports may also include billing to clients 25 for education results delivered . [ 0030 ] fig4 through 7 illustrate an example of performance according to fig3 . as seen in fig4 a client webpage 160 is illustrated at a client website 26 . the page 160 includes client information such as a logo 162 and options and includes a box 164 which may be selected to enter an activity . selection on the box 164 takes the user 12 to a service company webpage 170 maintained by the service company 10 on behalf of a client 24 . the page 170 includes a field 172 for identification of a client , a field 174 identifying the user in accordance with registration information and may also include a menu 176 providing an entrance for the user 12 two pages explaining answers to frequently asked questions . various prizes may be displayed at boxes 178 with links 180 to provide information about the prizes 178 . an activity menu 182 gives the user 12 an option to select various activities . a status box 186 provides a user information on points accumulated . an option box 188 is provided to give the user an option to enter a menu in which the points may be redeemed . in order to begin an activity , the user 12 may click on a “ play ” box 119 . the box 119 indicates that the user 12 will proceed . “ play is one of many ways to denote the option to proceed . taking of this action will bring the user 12 to an activity screen 200 illustrated in fig6 . at this screen , a question field 202 is provided with a question 204 and multiple choice answers 206 . the question and answer fields are derived from the marketing database 55 ( fig2 ). the marketing module 44 selects the question field 202 in accordance with identity of the client 24 and may also monitor identity of the user 12 so that particular questions 204 are not frequently repeated for the same user 12 . the question 204 challenges a user 12 to learn details about the client 24 and its facets . the question field 202 also includes a link 208 , which in the example of fig6 is labeled , “ click here to find the answer .” the field 208 provides a path to information regarding the client and particularly regarding information concerning the subject of a question 204 . selection of the path 208 will take the user 12 to the screen illustrated in fig7 . [ 0032 ] fig7 is an illustration of a webpage 220 at a content server 25 . the page 220 includes an answer to the question 202 in a field 222 . further links 224 are provided on the page 220 . the links 224 may provide links to information from a co - branding sponsor having a website on another one of the content servers 25 . another link 226 may take the user 12 to further pages within the client 24 &# 39 ; s own website . the user 12 may return to the screen 200 ( fig6 ) to answer the question and accumulate points . in fig8 an accessible screen 230 is illustrated showing the prize information field 188 after the user has accumulated a number of points . the screen 230 includes prize fields 232 demonstrating different prizes . links 234 allow user 12 to select them to get further information on the different prizes and to utilize points to redeem the prizes . in the present exemplification , the prizes are entries to a drawing . in other embodiment , prizes could include t - shirts , posters or other items . a vip code field 236 is provided . the vip code may be employed in the alternative to completing missions . alternatively , vip codes may be given in advertising or granted as incentives . this can be used to measure response to print or broadcast advertising . they would be provided under soft dink caps or by other user actions . [ 0035 ] fig9 illustrates administrative software which may be operated by the service company 10 or the client 24 . fig9 is an illustration of a form 260 for interacting with the marketing database 44 . field 262 includes an identification of the client . field 264 includes an identification of the particular activity in which a question is going to be included . field 266 through 276 are provided respectively for receiving a question , four multiple choice answers and the correct answer . the correct answer comprises a preferred response . at least one field 280 is provided for providing re - enforcement message triggered by a preferred response or another message triggered by a non - preferred response . in the present exemplification , the re - enforcement is further information , for example , regarding a discount or other consumer incentive . url fields 282 , 284 and 286 are provided to respectively a locator from which a user 12 will enter the particular activity , the home page of the client website 26 ( fig2 ) and the url to which a user is taken when requesting a correct answer . a client record must also be created which may be used by both the marketing database and accounting database 57 . in practice a separate form may be utilized for the client record , but for simplicity and illustration , the client record is included in the form 262 . client identity is provided in a field 288 , and a reference number may be associated with the client in a field 290 . by contact information such as telephone , postal address and email address is provided in field 290 . a co - brand code may be entered in field 294 . a particular client may work with other entities such as cooperating advertisers or organization sponsors . the co - brand is that of another organization . one client 24 may have many campaigns . a campaign is a cohesive advertising , marketing or teaching program . for example , the campaign may include a plurality of activities . an activity is a questionnaire , a game or other interactive endeavor presented to a user 12 . a campaign may have its own budget , its own cost per delivery or cost per click , reporting email and individual logo . a campaign can have its own report ( described with respect to fig1 below ). a set of date fields 298 may be provided for automatic enablement and disablement of presentations of particular campaigns from the marketing database 55 ( fig2 ). each activity or campaign may include any number of missions . a mission is a discreet unit to be presented to a user 12 and receiving a response . for example , a mission may be one question of a quiz or a survey . a mission may be one turn of a game . [ 0039 ] fig1 and 11 respectively illustrate software for tailoring information provided from an marketing database 55 to a particular user 12 . in fig1 , a screen 300 is illustrated in which fields 302 , 304 , 306 and 308 are provided in which a user can indicate geographic location with varying levels of specificity . in a field 310 , information regarding an activity can be provided which indicates geographic areas to which that particular activity is available . fig1 illustrates a screen 312 providing a menu 314 including a list of interests which a user may select . a user account may include a number of aspects which a user may access . these aspects need not be on screen 312 but can be on other screens . they are shown here to indicate one of the many options . a menu 316 provides links to take users to information fields where they can enter preference information regarding such things as displays , profile where personal information is entered , a ledger showing accumulation and use of points and other such user specific fields . [ 0040 ] fig1 is an example of a report which may be provided as a monthly report to a client 24 . fig1 a is a period by period report of the number of questions served to user &# 39 ; s requesting questions , the number correctly answered , a price , currently delivery and a total . in this particular exemplification , the client might be charged $ 1 . 00 per correct answer received from a user . fig1 ( b ) represents survey information which a client may embody in the activities . in this particular example , users have answered what sorts of stores they buy bath salts in . a breakdown of numbers and percentages is provided and a link to further breakdowns by demographics is provided . thus the client receives further marketing information by which to target marketing . fig1 ( a ) may be derived from the accounting database 57 ( fig2 ). [ 0041 ] fig1 is a flow diagram of another form of activity , in particular a game which may be practiced in accordance with the method of fig3 . at the starting box 400 of fig1 , it is assumed the user 12 is already signed in and has reached an entry page such as the page 170 of fig5 at which an activity may begin . at block 400 , the user 12 collects a desired prize . at block 402 a mission is selected , the mission is the information that will be accessed from the marketing database 55 ( fig2 ) in correspondence with the selection performed at block 400 . the mission may be derived as a look up table response through any other form of database management . the mission may open up a game board on the display 18 of the user terminal 14 ( fig1 ). the selection at block 400 may invoke a game reference number identification that identifies the game and what game file to call . at block 404 , the marketing database 57 may check what questions were last provided to the particular user 12 . previously used questions are assigned a low priority in the mission pool , and questions which have not been presented to a user are given a higher priority for presentation to the user 12 in the mission pool . therefore , block 404 is labeled arrange mission pool . a pool of questions for user is created . alternative methods may be used to select arranged in mission pool as well . a mission is an operation that can be performed correctly or incorrectly by a user 12 . a plurality of missions , or on occasion assembled mission comprise an activity . when the user registers a list of all current missions is created and assigned to the user , with each admission having a score of zero . when the user answers a mission correctly , that mission &# 39 ; s score is increased by one . once all of the missions on a user &# 39 ; s list have a score of one or higher , every mission has one deducted from its score . the marketing module 44 ( fig2 ) uses one of a number of ways to determine which mission it should ask a user . which method may be determined by the following criteria : ( 1 ). if the user 12 is playing a game that dictates a particular activity , then the mission will be selected from all missions in that particular activity . preference is given to missions with a scope of zero ( or the lowest score if none have a score of zero ). if the user 12 is not performing an activity that dictates missions , then the following step is proceeded to ; ( 2 ) if there are any missions in the “ top 10 ” mission list , the mission will be the highest mission with a score of zero . if no missions in this list have a score of zero ( because they have all been asked ), then the next step is proceeded to : ( 3 ) ( a ) if the user is playing for a prize , the selection of which corresponds to a setting of “ use prize theme ,” then the mission is randomly selected from all missions in a theme correlated with that prize . preference is given to missions with a score of zero . if no missions have a score of zero , then step 4 is proceeded to ; ( b ) in the alternative to 3 ( a ) if the user is playing for a prize that is said to “ use player themes ,” then the mission is randomly selected from activities that a user has selected at a particular menu as a favorite . again , preference is given to missions with a score of zero . if no missions have a score of zero , then the next step is followed . if the system has gotten to this step from step 3 ( a ) it will try to find a mission with a score of zero using the method of 3 ( b ). if no missions have a score of zero , all missions will have one deducted from their score . a mission may be pulled at random from all available missions that have a score of zero . at block 406 , the user 12 will start the game . the game may be started by clicking on a button such as “ earn more coins ” or “ answer mission .” the marketing module at block 408 sends a mission . the mission may include a question and four answers , the number of points the mission is worth , the path to the client information at block 410 , the marketing module 44 responds to the user selection . if the user answers correctly , the points are awarded and the user is returned to a next step in the game . if the user 12 answers incorrectly , points may be lost . the user may be asked another mission until one if finally answered correctly or the user may be returned to another branch in the game . this step is indicated at block 412 entitled “ call mission file .” operation may return to block 408 so that further questions are answered . fig1 is a flow chart illustrating entry of a prize in a prize inventory of the marketing database 55 . before prizes entered in a drawing , it must first be entered in a prize category . this is done under a prize function . at block 500 , the prize is entered . fields of information for the prize including prize name , descriptions , quantity , value , size , and further information , may be stored in the prize table . a prize form analogous to the question or mission form of fig1 may be provided . after the prize is placed in a prize inventory , it is entered in a drawing at block 502 . again another data field may be established for administering entry of the prize . drawings may be daily , weekly , monthly or a periodic . there may be grand prize drawings and small prize drawings . when a game drawing is created , a prize is selected from a prize inventory and associated with a particular drawing . a drawing is associated with other data including start and end dates , whether it will be shared by a charity , the number of days in which a winner must claim the prize and whether the prize will go to a charity if no winner claims it . at block 504 , the prize is displayed in a game site . when a drawing is created , it can be predetermined to be a game drawing or a grand drawing . the drawing is displayed on a selected page , for example , page 170 of fig5 . at this point , the prize is available for selection by a user . at block 506 , the user selects a prize . block 506 in fig1 corresponds to block 400 of fig1 . at block 508 , eligibility of a user is vetted . a user may be restricted to win only one game drawing within a certain number of days at block 510 , a winner is selected . the game prize winner may be drawn from users who have not won within a certain restricted time period . alternatively , the marketing module 44 may not make any distinction with respect to whether a user has won a prize recently . at block 512 , the winner is posted . the user 12 may be emailed if they have provided an email address such as at registration step 108 of fig3 . alternatively , the notice may simply be posted at a site at one of the above - described pages . the winner may complete the prize winning process at block 514 by claiming the prize . the disclosure will enable those skilled in the art to instruct many embodiments in accordance with the present invention . | 6 |
the preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings . however , the present invention is not limited to the preferred embodiments . the present invention can be modified in various forms . the preferred embodiments of the present invention are only provided to explain more clearly the present invention to the ordinarily skilled in the art of the present invention . in the accompanying drawings , like reference numerals are used to indicate like components . one aspect provides a biased sensing module for minimizing the mismatch with an enhanced response time . fig2 illustrates a circuit diagram 200 of a biased sensing circuit . the circuit 200 includes a first core block 202 a , a second core block 202 b , a first pre - charge module 204 a , a second pre - charge module 204 b , a third pre - charge module 204 c , a first multiplexer module 206 a , a second multiplexer module 206 b , a sense amplifier circuit 208 , a first pmos transistor 210 , a second pmos transistor 212 and an output module 214 . the first core block 202 a and the second core block 202 b are nand blocks , where input non - differential signals are allowed to enter . the first core block 202 a is coupled to the pre - charge module 204 a . the first pre - charge module 204 a is coupled to the first multiplexer module 206 a . the first multiplexer module 206 a is coupled to the first pmos transistor 210 through a node net a . the second core block 202 b is coupled to the second pre - charge module 204 b . the second pre - charge module 204 b is coupled to the second multiplexer module 206 b . the second multiplexer module 206 b is coupled to the second pmos transistor 212 through a node net b . the third pre - charge module 204 c is coupled to sensing branches sat and saf of the sense amplifier circuit 208 . the third pre - charge module 204 c comprises three pmos transistors 216 , 218 and 220 . a source terminal of the pmos transistor 216 is coupled to a voltage source , a drain terminal is coupled to the sensing branch sat of the sense amplifier circuit 208 , and a gate terminal is coupled to a node n 1 . a source terminal of the pmos transistor 218 is coupled to the voltage source , a drain terminal is coupled to the sensing branch saf of the sense amplifier circuit 208 and a gate terminal is coupled to the gate terminal of the pmos transistor 216 through the node n 1 . a source terminal of the pmos transistor 220 is coupled to the drain terminal of the pmos transistor 218 , a drain terminal is coupled to the drain terminal of the pmos transistor 216 , and a gate terminal is coupled to the gate of the pmos transistor 216 and the pmos transistor 218 through the node n 1 . the output module 214 comprises multiplexed output lines . an output from the true sensing branch ( sat ) of the sense amplifier circuit 208 is given to one output line . two not gates are coupled to the output line . an output from the false sensing branch ( saf ) of the sense amplifier circuit 208 is given to another output line . the two output lines are multiplexed using a pmos transistor 218 and an nmos transistor 216 to provide an output . the non - differential multiplexed signals have been split into a first core block 202 a and a second core block 202 b . before the start of the cycle nodes sat , saf , neta , netb and the input lines are pre - charged . before the arrival of a clock signal ck , selection of the core block is made by select lines , which also change the bias ( on which side , i . e ., sat or saf , the weaker pull down is to be coupled in the sense amplifier circuit 208 ). at the arrival of clock signal ck , the pre - charge modules are turned off , and selected multiplexer pass transistor is turned on irrespective of their coupling to the sat or saf branch . this is done in order to ensure similar ( miller or parasitic ) charge feeding or sinking at the differential nodes , both before and after sense pass transistors 210 and 212 . an input referred offset from the input branches has now been nullified . fig3 illustrates a circuit diagram of a sense amplifier circuit 208 . the circuit 208 includes two pmos transistors 302 and 304 and two nmos transistors 306 and 308 . the nmos transistor 306 is a weak transistor compared to the nmos transistor 308 . the transistors 302 and 306 and the transistors 304 and 308 are individually coupled to form two inverters . the two inverters are cross - coupled to form a latch circuit . a pull down transistor 310 is coupled to the latch . a drain terminal of the pull down transistor 310 is coupled to the source terminals of the nmos transistors 306 and 308 and the source terminal is coupled to a ground voltage level . the gate terminal is controlled by a control signal son 1 . two nmos transistors 312 and 314 are coupled to the latch circuit . a drain terminal of the nmos transistor 312 is coupled to a latch output node n 2 and the source terminal is coupled to a drain terminal of a pull down transistor 316 . a gate terminal of the transistor 312 is coupled to the gate terminals of the transistors 302 and 306 . the gate terminal of the transistor 312 is also coupled to the drain terminal of the pmos transistor 304 and to the drain terminal of the nmos transistor 308 . a drain terminal of the nmos transistor 314 is coupled to a latch output node n 3 and the source terminal is coupled to a drain terminal of a pull down transistor 316 . a gate terminal of the transistor 314 is coupled to the gate terminals of the transistors 304 and 308 . the gate terminal of the transistor 314 is also coupled to the drain terminal of the pmos transistor 302 and to the drain terminal of the nmos transistor 306 . the transistor 312 is a strong transistor as compared to the transistor 314 . a source terminal of the pull down transistor 316 is coupled to the ground voltage level and a gate terminal is controlled by a control signal son 2 . the two control signals son 1 and son 2 , depending on which multiplexer portion is to be selected , are used to select the bias created by the weak transistor 306 or 314 on one side and the strong transistor 308 or 312 at the other . if a control signal select 1 is applied , the first core block 202 a may be selected and the control signal son 1 may be enabled and the signal at the sat branch will be resolved . if a control signal select 2 is applied , the second core block 202 b may be selected and the control signal son 2 may be enabled and the signal at the saf branch may be resolved . the sense may be perfectly balanced in terms of the load and capacitive coupling at the two differential branches . if an input from an upper or lower portion is to be read ( depends on select signal select 1 or select 2 ) after the differential voltage development phase , control signals son 1 or son 2 goes high , so that the side being read is pulled down slower as compared to the other side . the voltage difference for a read - 0 ( bit line discharge ) may be sufficient enough to offset this difference in transistor strengths for correct read - 0 operation ( read - 1 operation is favored by the bias ). no differentiation is done at the multiplexer pass transistor level on whether a signal from the branch coupled to sat or saf is to be resolved , but the differentiation is shifted to two different levels . first , inside the sense amplifier circuit 208 , where the select signal decides whether a signal at the sat branch may be resolved or a signal at the saf branch has to be resolved . second , at the core block level , where the select signal is mixed with the clock signal ck , is decided whether the signal from the branch coupled to sat or saf should be allowed to enter . the input signals on the second core block 202 b are inverted . this has to be done if an input from the lower half is to be resolved , a low swing on that input should swing the sense in the same direction as that if a low swing on an input from upper half is to be resolved . the above method may not be possible in some applications . then another approach is to multiplex the output lines with the select signal through the output module 214 . fig4 illustrates a flow diagram of a method for sensing non - differential signals with minimized mismatch . at step 402 , input nodes , output nodes and sensing branches of the biased sensing circuit are pre - charged . at step 404 , one of a first core block and a second core block is selected through a selection line . at step 406 a clock signal is applied to turn off pre - charge modules to conduct through a selected multiplexer module for allowing input signals to enter into one of the first core block and the second core block . at step 408 , the input signals are inverted , when the input signals enter the second core block . at step 410 , the output lines are multiplexed with a select signal . these devices and methods offer many advantages . first , robustness of the system is improved as the input referred offset is very low . second , the speed is increased as a lower voltage difference has now to be ensured which is attributed to a lower input referred offset . the increase in speed is further attributed to a lower capacitance due to a split multiplexer circuit . third , there is reduction in power as the input lines reduce the swing to detect a zero . fourth , the effort in making a layout is reduced as the structure is now fully differential . fifth , a reduction in area as the reference branch has been managed . although the disclosure of system and method has been described in connection with the embodiments of the present invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings , they are not limited thereto . it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various substitutions , modifications and changes may be made thereto without departing from the scope and spirit of the disclosure . | 6 |
&# 34 ; textile &# 34 ; as used herein refers to materials composed of natural or synthetic fibers , either woven or nonwoven , which are characterized by flexibility , fineness and a high ratio of length to thickness . &# 34 ; latex &# 34 ; as used herein refers to a water - insoluble polymer which may be prepared by conventional polymerization techniques such as , for example , by emulsion polymerization . &# 34 ; glass transition temperature ,&# 34 ; or &# 34 ; t g ,&# 34 ; as used herein means the glass transition temperature of a polymer as calculated by the fox equation [ bulletin of american physics society 1 , 3 , page 123 ( 1956 )]: ## equ1 ## for a copolymer , w 1 and w 2 refer to the weight fraction of the two comonomers and t g ( 1 ) and t g ( 2 ) refer to the glass transition temperatures of the two corresponding homopolymers . the latex binder compositions of this invention are multi - staged latex particles made up of at least two mutually incompatible copolymers . these mutually incompatible copolymers may be present in the following morphological configurations , for example , core / shell , core / shell particles with shell stages incompletely encapsulating the core , core / shell particles with a multiplicity of cores , interpenetrating network particles , and the like . in all of these cases the majority of the surface area of the particle will be occupied by at least one outer stage and the interior of the particle will be occupied by at least one inner stage . the mutual incompatibility of two polymer compositions may be determined in various ways known in the art . for example , scanning electron microscopy using staining techniques to emphasize the difference between the appearance of the phases or stages is one such technique . the multi - stage latex binder compositions of this invention shall be described as containing a &# 34 ; first stage &# 34 ; and a &# 34 ; second stage .&# 34 ; the &# 34 ; second stage &# 34 ; as used herein does not mean to exclude the possibility that one or more polymers can be interposed between or formed on the first stage copolymer and before the second stage copolymer . the invention requires the first stage copolymer for its contribution to stiffness properties and one other copolymer ( referred to herein as the &# 34 ; second stage &# 34 ;) for controlled coagulation of the latex binder . the &# 34 ; first stage &# 34 ; of the latex binder contains a copolymer which is hydrophobic , stable in an acidic environment and has a glass transition temperature of greater than about 80 ° c . in the dry state . a wide variety of first monomers or mixture of monomers can be used to make the copolymers of this stage such as , for example , methyl methacrylate , cyclohexyl methacrylate , benzyl methacrylate , phenyl methacrylate , isobornyl methacrylate , styrene , 3 - methyl styrene , 4 - methyl styrene , 4 - t - butyl styrene , 2 - chlorostyrene , 2 , 4 - dichlorostyrene , 2 , 5 - dichlorostyrene , 2 , 6 - dichlorostyrene , 4 - chloro - 2 - methyl styrene , 4 - chloro - 3 - fluorostyrene , and the like . in addition to at least one of these monomers , the copolymer must be formed from at least one polyfunctional monomer ( as hereinafter defined ). the copolymer is formed from about 95 % to about 99 . 9 % of at least one of the first monomers , more preferably from about 97 % to about 99 %, and most preferably about 98 . 5 %, and from about 0 . 1 % to about 5 % of the polyfunctional monomer , more preferably from about 1 % to about 3 %, and most preferably about 1 . 5 %. &# 34 ; polyfunctional monomers &# 34 ; as used herein are monomers having at least two functional groups where at least one functional group copolymerizes with the other monomers which are used to form either stage of the polymer and at least one other functional group remains after the polymerization for reacting with the same or similar functional group on other monomer units to crosslink the polymer . these polyfunctional monomers include , for example , amides or n - alkylolamides of α , β - ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acids having 4 - 10 carbons , such as acrylamide , methacrylamide , n - methylol acrylamide , n - ethanol acrylamide , n - propanol acrylamide , n - methylol methacrylamide , n - ethanol methacrylamide , n - methylol maleimide , n - methylol maleamide , n - methylol maleamic acid , n - methylol maleamic acid esters , the n - alkyl amides of the vinyl aromatic acids such as n - methylol - p - vinyl benzamide and the like . the preferred polyfunctional monomers of the n - alkylol amide type are the n - alkylol amides of the α , β - monoolefinically unsaturated monocarboxylic acids , such as n - methylol acrylamide and n - methylol methacrylamide . other preferred polyfunctional monomer systems are mixtures of approximately equimolar mixtures of acrylamide and n - methylol acrylamide or of methacrylamide and n - methylol methacrylamide . the polyfunctional monomers impart self - curing characteristics to the compositions containing them . the cure may be enhanced by reaction with an active hydrogen containing resin added to formulations containing the two - stage monomer mixtures or resulting polymers , such as the triazine - formaldehyde and urea - formaldehyde resins . in either case , full cure occurs upon complete drying of the compositions on the textile materials treated therewith . the high t g of the first stage imparts stiffness to the textile material when the binder is applied thereto and the resulting crosslinked character of this stage imparts chemical resistance , reduces thermoplasticity at elevated temperatures and binds the fibers of the textile material when the binder is applied thereto and heated . the &# 34 ; second stage &# 34 ; of the latex binder is a copolymer which is stable in an acidic environment and is selected so as to coagulate in the presence of a counterion to the stabilizing surfactant of the emulsion and a nonionic surfactant upon heating within a narrow temperature range . in addition , the &# 34 ; second stage &# 34 ; copolymer may also contain a polyfunctional monomer . the weight of the &# 34 ; second stage &# 34 ; copolymer without the polyfunctional monomer , based on the total weight of this stage , is from about 95 % to about 100 %, more preferably from about 97 % to about 99 %, and most preferably about 98 . 5 %. the weight of the polyfunctional monomer , based on the total weight of this stage , is from about 0 % to about 5 %, more preferably from about 1 % to about 3 %, and most preferably about 1 . 5 %. the weight of the first stage , based on the total weight of the latex particle comprising at least two mutually incompatible copolymers , is from about 1 % to about 85 %. it is preferred that the weight of this stage , based on the total weight of the latex particle , is from about 70 % to about 80 %. the weight of the second stage , based on the total weight of the latex particle comprising at least two mutually incompatible copolymers , is from about 15 % to about 99 %. it is preferred that the weight of the second stage , based of the total weight of the latex particle , is from about 20 % to about 30 %. the latex polymers can be prepared by conventional emulsion polymerization techniques well known in the art , such as , for example , sequential emulsion polymerization processes as in u . s . pat . nos . 4 , 325 , 856 , 4 , 654 , 397 , and 4 , 814 , 373 which are hereby incorporated herein by reference . chain transfer agents such as , for example , mercaptans , polymercaptans and halogen compounds , are sometimes desirable in the polymerization mixture of either stage to moderate the molecular weight of the latex polymer . generally , from about 0 . 1 % to about 3 %, by weight of the chain transfer agent , based on the weight of the total monomer mixture , may be used . the weight - average molecular weight of the first stage is from about 400 , 000 to about 2 , 000 , 000 . the weight - average molecular weight of the second stage is also from about 400 , 000 to about 2 , 000 , 000 . the latex polymer particle size should be relatively small , between about 80 nanometers ( nm ) to about 225 nm , preferably from about 160 nm to about 190 nm . as is well - known , given the same polymer backbone , particle size is controlled primarily by the type and level of the emulsifier used in each stage of the sequential emulsion polymerization . an anionic or cationic surfactant is employed during emulsion polymerization to emulsify the reactants and during subsequent storage to stabilize the emulsion , hereinafter referred to as the &# 34 ; stabilizing surfactant .&# 34 ; a nonionic surfactant and a counterion to the stabilizing surfactant are post - added to the stabilized emulsion . for an anionically - stabilized emulsion , a multivalent metal salt , such as for example , magnesium sulfate , interferes with the stabilizing action of the anionic surfactant , but the nonionic surfactant continues to stabilize the emulsion . however , upon heating the mixture , through the cloud point of the post - added nonionic surfactant , but still not in excess of the t g of the binder , the latex emulsion is destabilized causing coagulation . thus , a careful selection of surfactants , counterion to the stabilizing surfactant and temperature are made to insure that the latex binder will coagulate in a controlled manner . anionic stabilization of the emulsion is preferred . suitable anionic stabilizing surfactants include , for example , the higher fatty alcohol sulfates , such as sodium lauryl sulfate , and the like ; alkylaryl sulfonates such as sodium or potassium isopropylbenzene sulfonates or isopropyl naphththalene sulfonates , and the like ; alkali metal higher alkyl sulfosuccinates , such as sodium octyl sulfosuccinate , sodium n - methyl - n - palmitoyltaurate , sodium oleyl isothionate , and the like ; and alkali metal salts of alkylarylpolyethoxyethanol sulfates or sulfonates , such as sodium tert - octylphenoxypolyethoxyethyl sulfate having 1 to 5 oxyethylene units , and the like . suitable cationic stabilizing surfactants include , for example , alkylamine salts , quaternary ammonium salts , polyoxyethylene alkylamines and the like . suitable nonionic post - added surfactants include alkylphenoxypoly ethoxyethanols having alkyl groups of from about 7 to 18 carbons atoms and from about 6 to about 60 oxyethylene units , such as heptylphenoxypolyethoxyethanols , methyloctylphenoxypolyethoxy ethanols , and the like ; polyethoxyethanol derivatives of methylene - linked alkyl phenol ; sulfur - containing agents such as those made by condensing from about 6 to about 60 moles of ethylene oxide with nonyl mercaptan , dodecyl mercaptan , and the like , or with alkylthiophenols wherein the alkyl groups contain from 6 to 16 carbons atoms ; ethylene oxide derivatives of long - chained carboxylic acids , such as lauric acid , myristic acid , palmitic acid , oleic acid , and the like , or mixtures of acids such as those found in tall oil containing from 6 to 60 oxyethylene units per molecule ; analogous ethylene condensates of long - chained alcohols such as octyl , decyl , lauryl , or cetyl alcohols , ethylene oxide derivatives of etherified or esterified polyhydroxy compounds having a hydrophobic hydrocarbon chain , such as sorbitan monostearate containing from 6 to 60 oxyethylene units ; also , ethylene oxide sections combined with one or more hydrophobic propylene oxide sections . mixtures of alkyl benzenesulfonates and ethoxylated alkylphenols may be employed . counterions to the stabilizing surfactant include multivalent metal ions if the emulsion is anionically - stabilized and halogens and other anions if the emulsion is cationically - stabilized . suitable multivalent metal ions such as calcium , magnesium , zinc , barium , strontium , and the like may be used in the coagulation process . complexes of multivalent metal ions , such as zinc hexammonia and the like , and salts of multivalent metal ions with counterions , such as chloride , acetate , bicarbonate and the like , may be used . magnesium sulfate is the preferred multivalent metal ion salt for binders used on battery separators . the specific type and level of multivalent metal ions used will depend upon the specified anionic surfactant and , in practice , is limited to those which do not have any adverse effect on battery performance or battery life . suitable anions such as chloride , acetate , bicarbonate , sulfate , phosphate and the like , may be used . the specific type and level of multivalent metal ions used will depend upon the specified anionic surfactant and , in practice , is limited to those which do not have any adverse effect on battery performance or battery life . a preferred multi - stage emulsion polymer used in the present invention is a two - stage emulsion polymer stabilized with a suitable anionic surfactant , such as for example sodium lauryl sulfate , wherein a second stage is a copolymer of 98 . 5 % by weight methyl methacrylate and 1 . 5 % by weight methylol acrylamide which coagulates between 40 ° c .- 50 ° c . when magnesium ( ii ) multivalent metal ion and branched mono ( octylphenyl ) ether nonionic surfactant are added . the two - stage latices of this invention may be applied to any textile to obtain a wide variety of useful articles . these two - stage latices are particularly well - suited for binders for use in applications which require a stiffened textile fiber at elevated temperature and higher relative humidity conditions and within an acid environment such as , for example , laminate structures used in the manufacture of printed circuit boards and battery separators . the latex binder may contain additives useful for improving various properties of the textile materials such as , for example , colorants , surfactants , coalescents , wetting agents , drying retarders , antifoaming agents , preservatives , heat stabilizers , ultraviolet light stabilizers , and the like . techniques for applying the latex binder to the textile material include direct coating , transfer film application , lamination , saturation , spraying , and the like . the following examples are intended to illustrate the invention ; they are not intended to limit the invention as other applications of the invention will be obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art . comparative binders a , b , c are conventional , one - stage polymers which were prepared by a thermal gradual - addition emulsion polymerization process . the quantity of each ingredient which was added is shown in table 1 . 1 . a monomer emulsion was prepared by mixing the appropriate monomers with water and a 28 % solution of sodium lauryl sulfate according to table 1 . 1 . water and ammonium persulfate were charged to the reaction kettle and heated to 85 ° c . a catalyst cofeed was prepared and 80 - 90 % of it was charged into the reaction kettle . a 4 % portion of the monomer emulsion was added and immediately polymerized or a polymer seed was added . the remaining monomer emulsion and catalyst cofeed were separately fed into the reaction kettle over 3 hours , maintaining the temperature at 85 ° c . after the feeds were completed , the reaction kettle was held at 80 °- 85 ° c . for 30 minutes and then cooled to 60 ° c . a 0 . 1 % solution of feso 4 . 7h 2 o was added . a mixture of t - butyl hydroperoxide , sodium sulfoxylate and water was then added and repeated two additional times . the reaction was cooled to room temperature and neutralized , if necessary , to a final ph of 6 - 7 . 5 . the latex binder was then filtered through 100 - mesh and 325 - mesh screens . the compositions and final properties of the binders are shown in table 1 . 2 . table 1______________________________________ compar - compar - compar - sample preparation ative a ative b rative c______________________________________kettle chargewater ( g ): 775 795 720aps ( g ): 6 . 0 6 . 0 6 . 0monomer emulsion ( me ) water ( g ): 767 767 735sls ( g ): 87 . 4 93 . 4 90 . 0moa ( g ): 55 57 54 . 9mma ( g ): 1625 1248 -- iboma ( g ): -- 425 -- pms ( g ): -- -- 800 . 3vt ( g ): -- -- 825total monomer ( g ): 1649 . 75 1698 . 65 1650 . 0g me added to kettle : 101 95 -- g ea / mma / maa -- -- 90polymer preform :( 33 wt . % aqueous ) catalyst cofeedaps ( g ): 1 . 1 1 . 1 1 . 1ammonia [ conc .] ( g ): 2 . 6 2 . 6 2 . 6water ( g ): 156 156 156feso . sub . 4 . 7 h . sub . 2 o 15 15 15 [ 0 . 1 %] ( g ): mixture ( 3x additions ) 70 % t - butyl 1 . 4 1 . 4 1 . 4hydroperoxide ( g ): water ( g ): 10 10 10sodium sulfoxylate 0 . 7 0 . 7 0 . 7formaldehyde ( g ): water ( g ): 19 19 20neutralizer mix1 g ammonia [ conc . ]/+ 3 . 0 -- -- 19 g water ( g ): ______________________________________ note : aps : ammonium persulfate sls : sodium lauryl sulfate ( 26 wt . % aqueous ) moa : 1 / 1 wt . % methyloacrylamide / acrylamide ( 45 wt . % aqueous ) mma : methyl methacrylate g : grams iboma : isobornyl methacrylate vt : 66 % metamethyl styrene 33 % pms trace orthomethyl styrene pms : paramethyl styrene table 1 . 2______________________________________ % total particle viscosity tgsample solids ph size ( nm ) ( cps ) (° c . ) ______________________________________comparative a 46 . 4 7 . 0 160 30 118comparative b 47 . 0 6 . 8 144 170 * 132comparative c 46 . 4 6 . 8 121 138 114______________________________________ notes : comparative a : 98 . 5 mma / 1 . 5 moa comparative b : 73 . 5 mma / 25 iboma / 1 . 5 moa comparative c : 75 ( 65 . 2 mma / 33 . 3 pms / 1 . 5 moa )/ 25 ( 98 . 5 mma / 1 . 5 moa ) particle size measured via sedimentation field flow fractionation and thermal field flow fractionation . viscosity measured via brookfield viscometer (# 2 spindle at 60 rpm ). tg measured via differential scanning calorimetry . *# 3 spindle . binders 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 are two - stage polymers which were prepared by a conventional two - stage thermal gradual - addition emulsion polymerization process . the quantity of each ingredient which was added is shown in table 2 . 1 . to prepare stage i , monomer emulsion i was prepared by mixing the appropriate monomers with water and a 28 % solution of sodium lauryl sulfate according to table 2 . 1 . water and ammonium persulfate were charged to the reaction kettle and heated to 85 ° c . a catalyst cofeed was prepared and 80 - 90 % of it was charged into the reaction kettle . a 4 % portion of monomer emulsion i was added and immediately polymerized or a polymer seed was added . the remaining monomer emulsion i was fed into the reaction kettle over 1 . 5 hours , maintaining the temperature at 85 ° c . after completion of stage i , the reaction kettle was held at 80 °- 85 ° c . for 30 minutes . to prepare stage ii , monomer emulsion ii was prepared by mixing the appropriate monomers with water and a 28 % solution of sodium lauryl sulfate according to table 2 . 1 . monomer emulsion ii was fed into the reaction kettle over 1 . 5 hours , maintaining the temperature at 85 ° c . the remaining catalyst cofeed was uniformly fed as a separate steam concurrently with the additions of monomer emulsions i and ii . after the feeds were completed , the reaction kettle was held at 80 °- 85 ° c . for 30 minutes and then cooled to 60 ° c . a 0 . 1 % solution of feso 4 . 7h 2 o was added . a mixture of t - butyl hydroperoxide , sodium sulfoxylate and water was then added . in 15 - minute intervals , two additional mixtures were added . the reaction was cooled to room temperature and neutralized , if necessary , to a final ph of 6 - 7 . 5 . the latex binder was then filtered through 100 - mesh and 325 - mesh screens . the compositions and final properties of the binders are shown in table 2 . 2 . table 2 . 1__________________________________________________________________________sample preparation binder 1 binder 2 binder 3 binder 4 binder 5__________________________________________________________________________kettle charge 765 765 765 750 765water ( g ): 6 . 0 6 . 0 6 . 0 1 . 5 6 . 0monomer emulsion i ( me - i ) water ( g ): 550 550 550 550 550sls ( g ): 67 . 5 67 . 5 67 . 5 67 . 5 67 . 5moa ( g ): 41 . 3 41 . 3 41 . 3 41 . 1 41 . 3mma ( g ): 806 600 806 -- 806styrene ( g ): -- -- -- 600 . 2 -- vt ( g ): 413 619 -- 618 . 8 -- iboma ( g ): -- -- 413 -- -- pms ( g ): -- -- -- -- -- g me - i added to kettle : 95 -- -- -- 95g ea / mma / maapolymer preform : -- 90 90 90 --( 33 wt . % aqueous ) monomer emulsion iiwater ( g ): 220 220 220 220 550sls [ 28 %] ( g ): 22 . 5 22 . 5 22 . 5 22 . 5 22 . 5moa [ 45 %] ( g ): 14 14 14 13 . 8 14mma ( g ): 406 406 406 406 406total monomer ( g ) 1650 . 0 1650 . 0 1650 . 0 1650 . 0 1650 . 0catalyst cofeed ( 3 hrs ) aps ( g ): 1 . 1 1 . 1 1 . 1 n / a 1 . 1ammonia [ conc .] ( g ): 2 . 6 2 . 6 2 . 6 n / a 2 . 6water ( g ) 156 156 156 n / a 156catalyst cofeed # 1 ( 10 minutes ) aps ( g ): 4 . 5water ( g ): 60catalyst cofeed # 2 ( 100 minutes ) aps ( g ): 1 . 1ammonia [ conc .] ( g ): 2 . 6water ( g ): 146feso . sub . 4 . 7 h . sub . 2 o [ 0 . 1 %] ( g ): 15 15 15 15 15mixture ( 3x additions ) 70 % t - butyl 1 . 4 1 . 4 1 . 4 1 . 4 1 . 4hydroperoxide ( g ): water ( g ): 10 10 10 10 10sodium sulfoxylate 0 . 7 0 . 7 0 . 7 0 . 7 0 . 7formaldehyde ( g ): water ( g ): 19 19 19 19 19nuetralizer mix1 g ammonia [ conc . ]/+ -- 0 . 3 -- -- -- 19 g water ( g ): __________________________________________________________________________ note : aps : ammonium persulfate sls : sodium lauryl sulfate ( 26 wt . % aqueous ) moa : 1 / 1 wt . % methylolacrylamide / acrylamide ( 45 wt . % aqueous ) mma : methyl methacrylate g : grams iboma : isobornyl methacrylate vt : 66 % metamethyl styrene 33 % pms pms : para methyl styrene table 2 . 2__________________________________________________________________________ particle % total size viscosity tgsamplecomposition solids ph ( nm ) ( cps ) (° c . ) __________________________________________________________________________binder 175 ( 65 . 2 mma / 33 . 3 vt / 1 . 5 46 . 6 6 . 6 127 130 118moa )/ 25 ( 98 . 5 mma / 1 . 5 moa ) binder 275 ( 48 . 5 mma / 50 vt / 1 . 5 moa )// 46 . 1 7 . 4 203 20 99 . 525 ( 98 . 5 mma / 1 . 5 moa ) binder 375 ( 65 . 2 mma / 33 . 3 iboma / 1 . 5 46 . 1 6 . 6 203 19 131moa )// 25 ( 98 . 5 mma / 12 . 5 moa ) binder 475 ( 48 . 5 st / 50 vt / 1 . 5 moa )// 46 . 5 6 . 7 1 . 07 50 -- 25 ( 98 . 5 mma / 1 . 5 moa ) binder 548 . 5 st / 50 vt / 1 . 5 moa 46 . 3 6 . 6 173 56 -- __________________________________________________________________________ notes : particle size measured via sedimentation field flow fractionation and thermal field flow fractionation . viscosity measured via brookfield viscometer (# 2 spindle at 60 rpm ). tg measured via differential scanning calorimetry . the battery separators were prepared for testing by applying the comparative binders a , b , c and binders 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ( approximately 45 % solids by weight ) to a sheet of prebonded microglass fiberglass . the sheet was soaked in the binder until it was completely covered . excess binder was removed by either passing it through low pressure nip rolls or by placing it between several layers of blotter paper and rolling gently with a 20 - pound couch roll . the sheet was attached to a pin frame to prevent distortion upon heating . the sheet was then heated in a forced draft oven for 3 - 5 minutes at 200 ° c . the battery separator components must be resistant to acid and other attacks by oxidative and reductive chemical reactions , conditions typical in a highly acidic , electrolytic , battery medium . the stability of the latex binder is determined by its ability to resist delamination from a fiberglass battery separator . the conditions of the test simulate those that the battery separator would encounter during the life of a lead - acid battery cell . to prepare the sulfuric acid reagent , 800 ml of concentrated sulfuric acid was added to 3200 ml of water . the mixture was stirred , cooling to room temperature , and then adjusted to a specific gravity of 1 . 213 . to prepare the oxidizing solution , 98 g of solid potassium dichromate was dissolved in 4 , 000 ml of the sulfuric acid reagent . note : extreme care , including using the proper protective equipment , was taken to store , handle and dispose of these dangerous reagents safely . each test specimen was prepared by cutting a section of the prepared battery separator of example 3 2 . 75 inches long by 1 . 5 inches wide . a 0 . 25 inch hole was punched midway between the two ribs , approximately 0 . 375 inches from one end of the test specimen . the oxidizing solution was added to a 2 - liter boiling flask using 275 ml of solution per gram of test specimen . a reflux condenser was connected to the flask and the assembly was placed on a hot plate within a fume hood . the water flow was turned on to cool the condenser and then the hot plate was turned on . the solution was brought to a boil and the heat was adjusted to yield a reflux rate of 15 - 20 drops of condensed liquid per minute . the test specimen was first threaded onto a lead wire and then soaked in the cool test solution . the sample was placed carefully into the boiling flask and the condenser was reconnected . the contents of the flask were boiled for 5 hours at the 15 - 20 drop per minute reflux rate . after the 5 hour boil , the reflux condenser was disconnected and the flask was transferred to a waste sink where a water tube was inserted . the contents of the flask were rinsed with cool tap water until the overflow was cool and colorless . each test specimen was examined visually for blisters before draining the flask . the flask was then drained and the test specimen was carefully removed . each test specimen was inspected visually for blisters and other signs of delamination . each was also checked manually to determine if the latex binder could easily be peeled from the fibers of the battery separator . if the test specimen was free of blisters and other signs of delamination , it passed the test . if the specimen had blisters and other signs of delamination , including weak resistance to peeling , it failed the test . the results are shown in table 4 . 1 . table 4 . 1______________________________________acid resistance test results______________________________________ comparative a pass comparative b pass comparative c fail binder 1 pass binder 2 pass binder 3 pass binder 4 pass binder 5 pass______________________________________ the stiffness of each battery separator was measured with a teledyne ® taber stiffness tester model 150 . the prepared battery separator was cut into pieces of 1 . 5 inches by 2 . 75 inches . the test specimen was inserted between the clamp jaws and equilibrated at 95 ° f . and 95 % relative humidity for at least 10 minutes prior to testing . the stiffness was measured at 95 ° f . and 95 % relative humidity on a scale of 0 to 100 with no weights added to the apparatus . higher values indicate greater stiffness . a battery separator with a stiffness values less than 65 experience problems when it is inserted between the metal electrode plates during manufacture of battery cells . a battery separator with a stiffness value between 80 and 90 is preferred . the results are shown in table 5 . 1 . table 5 . 1______________________________________stiffness test results______________________________________ comparative a 62 comparative b 79 comparative c 86 binder 1 84 binder 2 83 binder 3 84 binder 4 73 binder 5 85______________________________________ the coagulation test is used to determine the temperature at which the latex binder will coagulate . to a 1000 - ml beaker , the following ingredients were added and stirred for 5 minutes : ______________________________________water 386 . 0 gsilane coupling agent 0 . 38 gwetting agent ( aerosol ® ma - 80 ) 15 . 3 gnonionic surfactant ( triton ® cf - 21 ) 3 . 44 g______________________________________ then 170 g of the latex binder ( approximately 45 weight % solids ) was added and stirred for an additional 5 minutes . this mixture is the &# 34 ; latex master batch &# 34 ;. to a 400 - ml beaker , the following ingredients were added and stirred for 5 minutes : ______________________________________water 12 . 8 glatex master batch 191 . 6 gmultivalent metal ion salt solution 95 . 6 g ( 2 % by weight aqueous mgso . sub . 4 . 7 h . sub . 2 o ) ______________________________________ into a 200 - ml tall form beaker equipped with a thermometer (- 1 ° c . to 512 ° c .) and a magnetic stirring bar , 100 ml of the formulated latex binder was dispensed . this apparatus was then placed into a 55 ° c . water bath equipped with a programmable hot plate / stirrer with a stirring rate of 350 rpm . the formulated latex binder was sampled every 1 ° c . from 40 ° c . to several degrees above the gelation point with a clean 50 - ml pipet for each sampling . each 50 - ml sample was ejected on a separate spot of brown blotting paper ( brown james river blotting paper -- rockwell barnes company ) marked with the corresponding temperature at which the sample was taken . after allowing the water to be absorbed into the paper for 2 minutes , the samples were examined for gelation . the gelation temperature was the temperature at which the first full spot of latex coagulum persisted on the surface of the brown blotting paper . the spot corresponding to the coagulation temperature was closer in appearance to all subsequent 1 ° c . interval spots than those made before gelation . the results are shown in table 6 . 1 . temperatures above 50 ° c . are unacceptable to battery separator manufacturers . table 6 . 1______________________________________coagulation test results______________________________________comparative a 44 ° c . comparative b & gt ; 50 ° c . ; ( 47 ° c **) comparative c & gt ; 50 ° c . binder 1 47 ° c . binder 2 46 ° c . binder 3 45 ° c . binder 4 39 ° c . binder 5 41 ° c . ______________________________________ ** required three times the multivalent metal ion salt solution to force the coagulation at 47 ° c . | 3 |
referring to fig5 and 6 , the latch mechanism of the invention includes a strike or catch 10 , a pin 12 , a pair of rollers 14 and 16 mounted on pins 18 , and an actuator such as a solenoid 20 , all supported on a housing or support 22 . the solenoid is controlled by a schematically illustrated pressure sensor 24 and a control circuit 25 . the latch mechanism is normally positioned vertically on a door frame aligned to allow a door bolt or latch to engage the catch 10 when a door is swung into a closed position . as seen in fig5 and 6 , the catch 10 is pivotally mounted on a pin 30 mounted on the support 22 and held in a normally door closed position by the urging of a biasing element such as a spring 32 . the catch 10 is shown in fig9 engaging a door latch or bolt 40 to hold a door 42 in a closed position . if , however , a force is applied against the door that exceeds the spring force , the catch 10 is rotated about the pin 30 to an unlatched position allowing the door to swing open . a door knob may be provided on the pilot compartment side to retract the latch 40 to open the door in conventional fashion . referring to fig6 - 10 , the latch mechanism is reinforced with the pin 12 , which is connected to the solenoid 20 to prevent unintended individuals , who exert a load on the door , from entering the cockpit . if such an individual tries to force the door open by overcoming the biasing spring 32 , the catch 10 is maintained in the normal position by the pin 12 which is restrained by the roller 14 which is supported by the housing 22 . unlike the spring 32 , the pin 12 backed by the support 22 can withstand a load greater than that which an intruder could manually produce . as important as it is in preventing individuals from compromising the security of the occupants in the cockpit , the pin 12 would prevent the door from swinging open during a decompression event . thus , the pin 12 must be quickly removed during such a catastrophic event . this is achieved by the cooperation of the pin 12 , the solenoid 20 , and the pressure sensor 24 , and control circuit 25 . the pressure sensor detects a significant change or rate of change in air pressure in the cockpit . when a dramatic change in air pressure occurs , the sensor deactivates the solenoid 20 which retracts the pin 12 away from its extended position , as shown in fig7 to a retracted position shown in fig8 . when the pin 12 is fully retracted , the only force holding the door in the closed position is the biasing spring 32 . however , because the pressure sensor will only send a signal to the solenoid 20 when the change in the cockpit air pressure is significant , the large load on the door will overcome the spring force and swing the door away from its closed position to equalize the air pressure between the cockpit and passenger cabin . to aid with the retraction of the pin 12 , the solenoid 20 , which is commercially available , has two opposing springs for quick response . one spring urges the solenoid rod into its normal position in which the solenoid coil is not energized and the other spring provides force to assist the electrical force on the rod when the solenoid is energized . one suitable solenoid of this type is available from moog , inc ., in salt lake city , utah . in addition , the hole 44 for the pin in the support 22 is oversized so that friction is reduced or eliminated between the pin 12 and the hole when the pin extends into and retracts from the support . preferably , the hole is sized so that the pin 12 does not come in contact with the support . rather , the pin 12 floats through the hole 44 in the support 22 and is guided only by the rollers 14 and 16 . the pin 18 for the roller 14 is mounted in the support 22 while the pin for the other roller 16 is mounted to the catch 10 . while the rollers 14 and 16 help maintain the proper position of the pin 12 even when a load , roughly perpendicular to the pin 12 , is applied , they also provide the added advantage of reducing drag on the pin 12 when it rapidly retracts from its extended position . when the pin 12 is caused to retract , the rollers 14 and 16 , by riding along the tapered tip of the pin 12 , work to push the pin 12 away . in addition , when the tip of the pin passes the centerline 13 of the rollers , the roller 16 will push the pin away from the swing path of the catch 10 . the angle a of the slope on the tip of the pin 12 is preferably between 4 to 6 degrees for the purpose of assisting with the decompression event . however , one of ordinary skill in the art can appreciate that the angle a can be modified . the angle α is dependent on the size of the rollers 14 and 16 and their respective pivot pins 18 , as well as the friction coefficient and holding force of the solenoid 20 . based on decompression testing using the preferred embodiment , having a pin 12 design with sloped sides of 4 to 6 degrees , the door should be fully free to move within 4 to 12 milliseconds . the response time is dependent on the type of door and bolt . five separate tests were conducted on the preferred embodiment . as shown in table 1 , each test varied based on the amount of pressure applied , the mylar pattern employed , and the type of door and bolt used . to obtain a decompression event , mylar was burned enough to create a “ full aperture .” at that moment , the solenoid was caused to move triggering the pin to retract from supporting the catch . table 2 provides the test results from the experiment . the results track the amount of time , in milliseconds , it took for : ( 1 ) the mylar to burn enough to create a “ full aperture ” ( t fa ); ( 2 ) the solenoid to begin moving after full aperture ( t ss ); ( 3 ) the pin to begin moving after the solenoid began moving ( t lsm ); ( 4 ) the solenoid to reach full travel after the pin began to move ( t ft ); and ( 5 ) the door to be free of the pin after the solenoid reached full travel ( t df ). based on the results of the testing , the average time it took after a decompression event for the solenoid to begin moving and triggering the pin was approximately 0 . 4 milliseconds . from that point , it took approximately 2 . 0 milliseconds for the pin to begin moving and 3 . 4 milliseconds for the solenoid to reach full travel . the average time it took for the door to be free of the strike after decompression was approximately 7 . 4 milliseconds . as one of ordinary skill in the art can appreciate , the preferred embodiment is designed in such a way to respond with sufficient speed to deal with a decompression event . in addition , it is designed to provide the necessary support to maintain a cockpit door in a closed position even when an attempt is made to force the door open by an uninvited individual . although the foregoing invention has been described in terms of a preferred embodiment , other embodiments will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art , in view of the disclosure herein . accordingly , the present invention is not intended to be limited by the recitation of the preferred embodiment , but is instead intended to be defined by reference to the appended claims . | 8 |
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