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in the following detailed 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 embodiments in which the invention may be practiced . it is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention . for the purpose of this description , it is assumed that the lcd flat panel display surface is related to the video signal such that one input line will be displayed over two rows of the lcd flat panel display . however , it will be recognized that the present invention is not limited to the preferred embodiment described below and may be readily adapted to other display resolutions , either greater than or less than the video signal , without loss of generality . fig1 shows a preferred simplified electronic video interface . an incoming video signal 101 typically conforms to a standard rs - 170 video signal , having 525 lines , a 60 hz field rate , a 2 : 1 interlace , and a bandwidth of 4 . 5 mhz . the incoming video signal could take - on many forms including an intensity signal or a color video signal having red , green , and blue components . the incoming video signal is preferably bandwidth limited by a low pass filter ( lpf ) 103 of substantially 4 mhz in order to reduce noise and to assure that known image characteristics are provided . the filtered signal is then typically sent to a line splitter 129 where the signal is sampled by a line delay module , which is preferably of the form of a charge coupled device ( ccd ) array 105 . the ccd array 105 might take and output , for example , 455 samples from an input signal horizontal scan line , corresponding to a horizontal resolution of 455 for the input signal scan line . the sampled output from the ccd array 105 is sent through a second lpf 107 to remove any sampling artifacts and provide a smoothly varying analog signal . the smoothly varying sampled analog signal is then preferably applied to a weighting module 131 , having summing amplifiers 109 through 115 . the summing amplifiers are supplied with weighting resistors in order to provide for an interpolation of the inputs provided to each amplifier . the value of the weighting resistors depends on how the incoming video signal must be interpolated for the lcd flat panel display . for example , assuming that one input signal horizontal scan line will be displayed over two rows of the lcd flat panel display , summing amplifier 109 has resistors which provide a weighting factor of 1 : 1 for the sampled video signal . therefore , the output of summing amplifier 109 is equal to the input . summing amplifier 111 has a weighting factor of 1 : 2 such that the sampled video signal is divided in half , which is equivalent to averaging the field scan line with the zero of the alternate field scan line . summing amplifier 113 does not use the sampled video signal and instead outputs a zero to the display , representing a missing line of the scan . summing amplifier 115 provides a signal which is the average of the missing line ( zero ) and the next input line from the original filtered input video source . it will be recognized that both the number of summing amplifiers and the values for the corresponding weighting resistors may be changed to accommodate alternative scan line conversion ratios without loss of generality . the output from the summing amplifiers 109 through 115 is typically applied to a series of row delay modules 117 through 123 , with each row delay module preferably implemented by a ccd . the delay modules 117 through 123 serve to provide the necessary conversion of horizontal scanning standards . for example , the ccd row delay modules might take 968 samples per line such that the sampling is done in a 1 - to - 1 fashion with a lcd flat panel horizontal pixel count of 968 . the row delay modules 117 through 123 typically receive the weighted interpolated video signals in parallel from the summing amplifiers 109 through 115 , and each subsequently outputs a single horizontal scan line to the lcd flat panel in a sequential manner . the sequential read - out of the row delay modules 117 through 123 is preferably accomplished by a 4 : 1 multiplexer 125 . this corresponds to the present example where the lcd flat panel horizontal scan rate is four times the incoming video horizontal scan rate . the preferable use of a separate line delay module , followed by low pass filtering and row delay modules permits the number of samples per line to be altered between the input and output stages , as in the present example of converting from 455 samples per input line of 968 samples per output row . as a practical matter it may be desirable , in terms of clock generation and parts commonality , to provide the line delay module with the same sampling structure as the row delay modules , although this is not essential to the inventive aspect of the present invention . one horizontal scan line time later from the first input scan line being used , the display interpolation cycle is repeated with the next scan line of the input video signal . thus , lines 1 and 3 of the incoming video signal are used to create rows 1 through 4 on the lcd flat panel , as described by fig4 a . one horizontal scan line time later , incoming video lines 3 and 5 are used to create rows 5 through 8 on the lcd flat panel , as illustrated by fig4 a . the signal from the row delay modules 109 through 115 is delayed two line intervals , and therefore the lcd flat panel display exhibits minimal latency , typically two video lines plus any delays encountered in a lcd flat panel display driver system . in the alternate field from the first incoming video refresh field , the same sampling and reconstruction technique is applied , but the output from the row delay modules 109 through 115 is shifted down by two rows on the lcd flat panel , as shown by fig4 b . the first scan line ( line 0 ) is directed to a &# 34 ; null &# 34 ; state corresponding to non - existent rows above the panel , while row 1 receives a zero and row 2 receives the average of a zero and line 2 data , as illustrated by fig4 b . video lines 2 and 4 are then directed to lcd flat panel rows 3 through 6 , and so on . fig2 reveals an alternative method of interpolation in which the actual lines of incoming data are summed together , but with some weighting factors which are very small . this simulates the case in which the incoming video display beam width provides some overlap of the information within a single horizontal scan line . there are no artificially introduced zero intensities , but the weighting factor ( beam overlap ) is set to be quite small for some areas of the lcd flat panel display . summing amplifier 133 has resistors which provide a weighting factor of 1 : 1 for the sampled video signal . summing amplifier 135 has a weighting factor of 1 : 2 for the sampled video signal , and 1 : 10 for the incoming video signal . summing amplifier 137 weights the sampled video signal by a factor of 1 : 5 , and also the incoming video signal by a factor of 1 : 5 . summing amplifier 139 provides a signal which weights the sampled video signal by a factor of 1 : 10 , and the incoming video signal by a factor of 1 : 2 . by weighting the incoming video signal instead of using zero intensities , better output resolution is achieved by the device . it will be recognized that number of summing amplifiers and the values for the corresponding weighting resistors may be changed to accommodate alternative scan line conversion ratios without loss of generality . fig3 describes a generalized version of the video interface . a line splitter 141 incorporating one or more delay modules takes the incoming video signal 101 and sends it to one or more weighting functions 143 . by selecting the appropriate number of delay modules within the line splitter 141 , any number of corresponding desired output scan lines can be generated by the weighting functions 143 . fig4 a through 4c illustrate a typical mapping of input video horizontal scan lines onto the lcd flat panel rows corresponding to the simplified circuit of fig1 . in fig4 a through 4c , hypothetical input lines are shown with example values . it will be noticed that row 3 alternates in intensity between a zero ( fig4 a ) and a value equal to the input line 2 intensity ( fig4 b ), while row 2 alternates between one - half of line 1 intensity and one - half of line 2 intensity . the net effect is that the lcd flat panel exhibits a time average intensity which is the same as what would be calculated by averaging all the fields together and with a zero ( fig4 c ). thus , the lcd flat panel intensity is one - half of what would be obtained with a full - frame memory version of the same lcd flat panel display . while the brightness of the display is reduced , the present invention eliminates the need for a full - frame memory , which , for an rs - 170 input of the preferred embodiment described herein , requires 256k words of memory operating at approximately 9 mhz , plus all the associated analog to digital conversion and digital image reconstruction circuitry . the present invention thus provides for a low - cost , minimal parts count design . in the case of the first embodiment shown by fig1 scan lines 2 , 4 , etc . are zero during the odd field time , and scan lines 1 , 3 , etc . are zero during the even field time . this results in a reduction of brightness of 2 : 1 compared with the case of having all lines present in numerical sequence . that is , in the case of a non - interlaced input there is twice the luminance than is observed with an interlaced input . fig5 illustrates how scan lines are mapped onto the flat panel ( a scan line being a theoretical construct of infinitesimal width ). the first scan line shown lies roughly on the center of physical panel row l r1 . the second scan line lies somewhat below the center of panel row l r5 . this pattern repeats , with the spacing between panel rows and scan lines dependent on the relative geometries . in a particular instance of interest to the assignee of the present invention , honeywell , inc ., the lcd flat panel consists of 1024 rows and the scanning standard is 480 lines . this represents a ratio of 32 rows to 15 scan lines , or 2 . 133 : 1 . this invention has been described herein in considerable detail in order to comply with the patent statutes and to provide those skilled in the art with the information needed to apply the novel principles and to construct and use such specialized components as are required . however , it is to be understood that the invention can be carried out by specifically different equipment and devices , and that various modifications , both as to the equipment details and operating procedures , can be accomplished without departing from the scope of the invention itself . the present invention is to be limited only in accordance with the scope of the appended claims , since others skilled in the art may devise other embodiments still within the limits of the claims . | 6 |
the invention relates to the newly isolated virus as a source of the above said antigen which will be defined later . the newly isolated virus , which will hereafter be termed as lav 1 , will however be described first . the virus is transmissible to cultures of t lymphocytes obtained from healthy donors . particularly virus transmission was attempted with the use of a culture of t lymphocytes established from an adult healthy donor of the blood transfusion center at the pasteur institute . on day 3 , half of the culture was co - cultivate with lymphocytes from the biopsy after centrifugation of the mixed cell suspensions . reverse transcriptase activity could be detected in the supernatant on day 15 of the coculture but was not detectable on days 5 and 10 . the reverse transcriptase had the same characteristics as that released by the patient &# 39 ; s cells and the amount released remained stable for 15 to 20 days . cells of the uninfected culture of the donor lymphocytes did not release reverse transcriptase activity during this period or up to 6 weeks when the culture was discontinued . the cell - free supernatant of the infected coculture was used to infect 3 - day - old cultures of t lymphocytes from two umbilical cords , lc1 and lc5 , in the presence of polybrene ( 2 μg / ml ). after a lag period of 7 days , a relatively high titer of reverse transcriptase activity was detected in the supernatant of both cord lymphocyte cultures . identical cultured , which had not been infected , remained negative . these two successive infections clearly show that the virus could be propagated on normal lymphocytes from either new - borns or adults . in the above co - cultures one used either the cells of patient 1 as such ( they declined and no longer grew ) or cells which had been pre - x - rayed or mitomycin c - treated . the lav 1 virus , or lav 1 virus suspensions , which can be obtained from infected cultures of lymphocytes have characteristics which distinguish them completely from other htlv . these characteristics will be referred to hereafter and , when appropriate , in relation to the drawing . it shows curves representative of variation of reverse transcriptase activity and [ 3 h ] uridine activity respectively versus successive fractions of the lav 1 virus in the sucrose gradient , after ultracentrifugation therein of the virus contents of a cell - free supernatant obtained from a culture of infected lymphocytes . the analysis of lav 1 virus by resorting to reverse transcriptase activity can be carried out according to the procedure which was used in relation to virus from patient 1 , on fig1 . the results of the analysis are illustrated on fig1 . cord blood t lymphocytes infected with virus from patient 1 were labelled for 18 hours with [ 3 h ] uridine ( 28 ci / mmol , amersham ; 20 μci / ml ). cell - free supernatant was ultracentrifuged for 1 hour at 50 , 000 rev / min . the pellet was resuspended in 200 μl of nte buffer ( 10 mm tris , ph 7 . 4 , 100 mm nacl , and 1 mm edta ) and was centrifuged over a 3 - ml linear sucrose gradient ( 10 to 60 percent ) at 55 , 000 rev / min for 90 minutes in an iec type sb 498 rotor . fractions ( 200 μl ) were collected , and 30 μl samples of each fraction were assayed for dna rna dependant polymerase activity with 5 mm mg 2 + and poly ( a )- oligo -( dt ) 12 - 18 as template primer ; a 20 - μl portion of each fraction was precipitated with 10 percent trichloroacetic acid and then filtered on a 0 . 45 - μm millipore filter . the 3 h - labelled acid precipitable material was measured in a packard β counter . that the new virus isolate was a retrovirus was further indicated by its density in the above sucrose gradient , which was 1 . 16 , and by its labelling with [ 3 h ] uridine ( fig1 ). a fast sedimenting rna appears to be associated with the lav 1 virus . virus - infected cells from the original biopsy as well as infected lymphocytes from the first and second viral passages were used to determine the optimal requirements for reverse transcriptase activity and the template specificity of the enzyme . the results were the same in all instances . the reverse transcriptase activity displayed a strong affinity for poly ( adenylate - oligodeoxythymidylate ) [ poly ( a )- oligo ( dt ) 12 - 18 ], and required mg 2 + with an optimal concentration ( 5 mm ) and an optimal ph of 7 . 8 . the reaction was not inhibited by actinomycin d . this character , as well as the preferential specificity for ribosendenylate - deoxythymidylate over deoxyadenylatedeoxythymidylate , distinguish the viral enzyme from dna - dependent polymerases . electron microscopy of ultrathin sections of virus - producing cells shows two types of particles , presumably corresponding to the immature and mature forms of the virus : immature particles are budding at the cell surface , with a dense crescent in close contact with the plasma membrane . occasionally , some particles remain in this state , while being freed from the cell surface . mature particles have a quite different morphology with a small , dense , eccentric core ( mean diameter : 41 nm ). most of virions are round ( mean diameter : 139 nm ) or ovoid , but in some pictures , especially in the particles seen in the original culture from which the virus was isolated , a tailed morphology can also be observed . the latter form can also be observed in cytoplasmic vesicles which were released in the medium . such particles are also formed by budding from vesicle membranes . morphology of mature particles is clearly distinct from htlv , whose large core has a mean diameter of 92 nm . helper t - lymphocytes ( leu3 cells ) form the main target of the virus . in other words the lav 1 virus has particular tropism for these cells . leu 3 cells are recognizable by the monoclonal antibodies commercialized by ortho under the trademark okt4 . in contrast enriched cultures of leu 2 cells , which are mainly suppressor or cytotoxic cells and which are recognized by the monoclonal antibodies commercialized by ortho under the trademark okt8 did not produce , when infected under the same conditions , any detectable rt activity even 6 weeks after virus infection . in most cases of aids , the ratio of okt4 + over okt8 + cells which is normally over 1 , is depressed to values as low of 0 . 1 or less . the lav 1 virus is also immunologically distinct from previously known htlv - 1 isolates from cultured t lymphocytes of patients with t lymphomas and t leukemias . the antibodies used were specific for the p19 and p24 core proteins of htlv - 1 . a monoclonal antibody of p19 ( m . robert - guroff et al . “ j . exp . med .” 154 , 1957 ( 1981 )) and a polyclonal goat antibody to p24 ( v . s . kalyanaraman et al . “ j . virol .”, 328 , 906 ( 1981 )) were used in an indirect fluorescence assay against infected cells from the biopsy of patient 1 and lymphocytes obtained from a healthy donor and infected with the same virus . the lav 1 virus - producing cells did not react with either type of antibody , whereas two lines of cord lymphocytes chronically infected with htvl 1 ( m . popovic , p . s . sarin , m . robert - guroff , v . s . kalyanaraman , d . mann , j . minowada , r . c . gallo , “ science ” 219 , 856 ( 1983 )) and used as controls showed strong surface fluorescence . in order to determine which viral antigen was recognized by antibodies present in the patient &# 39 ; s sera , several immunoprecipitation experiments were carried out . cord lymphocytes infected with virus from patient 1 and uninfected controls were labelled with [ 35 s ] methionine for 20 hours . cells were lysed with detergents , and a cytoplasmic s10 extract was made . labelled virus released in the supernatant was banded in a sucrose gradient . both materials were immunoprecipitated by antiserum to htvl - 1 ′ p24 , by serum from patient 1 , and by serum samples from healthy donors . immunocomplexes were analyzed by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis under cenaturing conditions . a p25 protein present in the virus - infected cells from patient 1 and in lc1 cells infected with this virus , was specifically recognized by serum from patient 1 but not by antiserum to htlv - 1 p24 obtained under similar conditions or serum of normal donors . conversely the p24 present in control htlv - infected cell extracts was recognized by antibodies to htlv but not by serum from patient 1 . the main protein ( p25 ) detected after purification of 35 s - methionine - labelled virus has a molecular weight of about 25 , 000 ( or 25k ). this is the only protein recognized by the serum of patient 1 . by analogy with other retroviruses , this major protein was considered to be located in the viral core . this can be confirmed in immuno - electron microscopy experiments , which show that the patient &# 39 ; s serum can agglutinate the viral cores . conversely , an antiserum raised in rabbit against an ether treated virus did not precipitate the p25 protein . the viral origin of other proteins seen in polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of purified virus is more difficult to assess . a p15 protein could be seen after silver staining , but was much weaker after 35 s - methionine perhaps due to the paucity of this amino - acid in the protein . in the higher mw range , a contamination of the virus by cellular proteins , either inside or outside the viral envelope , is likely . a 36k and a 42k protein and a 80k protein were constantly found to be associated with the purified virus and may represent the major envelope proteins . ndp19 ( or having a molecular weight of about 19 , 000 was isolated from lav 1 extracts . the invention concerns more particularly the extracts of said virus as soon as they can be recognized immunologically by sera of patients afflicted with las or aids . needless say any type of immunological assay may be brought into play . by way of example immunofluorescence or immunoenzymatic assays or radio - immunoprecipitation tests are particularly suitable . as a matter of fact and except under exceptional circumstances , sera of diseased patients do not recognize the intact lav 1 virus , or viruses having similar phenotypical or immunological properties . the envelope proteins of the virus appeared as not detectable immunologically by the patients &# 39 ; sera . however as soon as the core proteins become exposed to said sera , the immunological detection becomes possible . therefore the invention concerns all extracts of the virus , whether it be the crudest ones — particularly mere virus lyzates — or the more purified ones , particularly extracts enriched in the p25 protein or even the purified p25 protein or in protein immunologically related therewith . any purification procedure may be resorted to . by way of example only , one may use purification procedures such as disclosed by b . c . montelero et al , j . of virology , june 1982 , pp . 1029 - 1038 . the invention concerns more generally extracts of any virus having similar phenotype and immunologically related to that obtained from lav 1 . sources of viruses of the lav type consist of t - lymphocyte cultures isolatable from las - and aids — patients or from haemophiliacs . in that respect other preferred extracts are those obtained from two retroviruses obtained by propagation on normal lymphocytes of the retroviruses isolated from : 1 ) lymph node lymphocytes of a caucasian homosexual with multiple partners , having extensive kaposi sarcoma lesions and severe lymphopenia with practically no okt4 + lymphocytes in his blood ; 2 ) blood lymphocytes of a young b haemophillac presenting neurotoxoplasmosis and okt4 + / okt8 + ratio of 0 . 1 . these two retroviruses have been named idav1 and idav2 respectively ( for immune deficiency associated virus ). results of partial characterization obtained so far indicate similarity — if not identity — of idav1 and idav2 to lav1 : antigenically related p25 proteins : serum of lav1 patient immunoprecipitates p25 from idav1 and idav2 ; conversely , serum from idav2 patient immunoprecipitates lav1 p25 . idav1 patient serum seemed to have a lower antibodies titer and gave a weak precipitation band for lav1 and idav1 p25 proteins . the p25 protein of idav1 and idav2 was not recognized by htlv p24 antiserum . these similarities suggest that all these three isolates belong to the same group of viruses . the invention further relates to a method of in vitro diagnosis of las or aids , which comprises contacting a serum or other biological medium from a patient to be diagnosed . . . with a virus extract as above defined and detecting the immunological reaction . preferred methods brig into play immunoenzymatic or immunofluorescent assays , particularly according to the elisa technique . assays may be either direct or indirect immunoenzymatic or immunofluorescent assays . thus the invention also relates to labelled virus extracts whatever the type of labelling : enzymatic , fluorescent , radioactive , etc .. depositing determined amounts of the extract according to the invention in the wells of titration microplate ; introducing in said wells increasing dilutions of the serum to be diagnosed ; introducing in the wells of the microplate labelled antibodies directed against blood immunoglobulines , and labelling being by an enzyme selected among those which are capable of hydrolysing a substrate , whereby the latter then undergoes a modification of its absorption of radiations , at least in a determined wavelength band and detecting , preferably in a comparative manner with respect to a control , the amount of substrate hydrolysis as a measure of the protential risks or effective presence of the disease . the invention also relates to kits for the abovesaid diagnosis which comprise : an extract or more purified fraction of the abovesaid types of viruses , said extract or fraction being labelled , such as by a radioactive , enzymatic or immunofluorescent label ; human anti - immunoglobulins or protein a ( advantageously fixed on a water - insoluble support such as agarose beads ); other features of the invention will further appear as the description proceeds of preferred isolation and culturing procedures of the relevant virus , of preferred extraction methods of an extract suitable as diagnostic means , of a preferred diagnosis technique and of the results that can be achieved . cultured t - lymphocytes from either umbilical cord or blood , or also bone marrow cells from healthy , virus negative , adult donors are suitable for virus propagation . there is however some variation from individual to individual in the capacity of lymphocytes to grow the virus . therefore , it is preferable to select an adult healthy donor , which had no antibodies against the virus and whose lymphocytes repeatly did not release spontaneously virus , as detected by reverse transcriptase activity ( rt ) nor expressed viral proteins . lymphocytes of the donor were obtained and separated by cytophoresis and stored frozen at − 180 ° c . in liquid nitrogen , in rpmi 1640 medium , supplemented with 50 % decomplemented human serum and 10 % dmso until used . for viral infection , lymphocytes were put in culture ( rpmi 1640 medium ) with phytohaemogglutinin ( pha ) at the concentration of 5 × 10 6 cells / ml for 3 days . then , the medium was removed and cells resuspended in viral suspension ( crude supernatant of virus - producing lymphocytes , stored at − 80 ° c .). optimal conditions of cell / virus concentrations were 2 × 10 6 cells for 5 to 10 , 000 cpm of rt activity , the latter determined as previously described . after 24 hours , cells were centrifuged to remove the unadsorbed virus and resuspended in culture pha - free medium and supplemented with pha - free tcgf ( interleukin 2 ): ( 0 . 5 - 1 u / ml , final concentrations ), polybren ( sigma ) 2 μg / ml and anti - interferon a sheep serum , inactivated at 56 ° c . for 30 minutes ( 0 . 1 % of a serum which is able to neutralize 7u of a leucocyte interferon at a { fraction ( 1 / 100 , 000 )} dilution ). virus production was tested every 3 days by rt activity determination on 1 ml samples . the presence of anti - interferon serum is important in virus production : when lymphocytes were infected in the absence of anti - human - α - interferon serum , virus production , as assayed by rt activity , was very low or delayed . since the sheep antiserum used was raised against partly purified a leucocyte interferon , made according to the cantell technique , the role of components other than interferon cannot be excluded . virus production starts usually from day 9 to 15 after infection , and lasts for 10 - 15 days . in no cases , the emergence of a continuous permanent line was observed . for its use in elisa , the virus was concentrated by 10 % polyethylenglycol ( peg 6000 ) precipitation and banded twice to equilibrium in a 20 - 60 % sucrose gradient . the viral band at density 1 . 16 is then recovered and usable as such for elisa assays . for use in ripa radio - immune precipitation assay , purification in isotonic gradients of metrizamide ( sold under the trademark hycodenz by nyegaard , oslo ) were found to be preferable . viral density in such gradients was very low ( 1 : 10 - 1 . 11 ). metabolic labelling with 35 s - methionine of cells and virus ( ripa ) followed by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis were performed as above described , except the following modifications for ripa : virus purified in hycodenz who lysed in 4 volumes of ripa containing 500 u / ml of aprotinin . incubation with 5 μl of serum to be tested was made for 1 hour at 37 ° c . and then 18 hours at + 4 ° c . further incubation of the immunocomplexes with protein a sepharose beads was for 3 hours at + 4 ° c . virus purified in sucrose gradient as above described , is lysed in ripa buffer ( 0 . 5 % sds ) and coated on wells of microtest plates ( nunc ). after addition to duplicate wells of serial dilutions of each serum to be tested , the specifically fixed iggs are revealed by goat anti - human igg coupled with peroxydase . the enzymatic reaction is carried out on ortho - phenylene - diamine as substrate and read with an automatic spectrophotometer at 492 nm . on the same plate each serum is tested on a control antigen ( a crude cytoplasmic lysate of uninfected t - lymphocytes from the same donor ) is used in order to eliminate unspecific binding , which can be high with some sera . sera are considered as positive ( antibodies against the virus ) when the difference between o . d . against the viral antigen and o . d . against control cellular antigen was at least 0 . 30 . hereafter there is disclosed a specific test for assaying the above mentioned disease or exposure to disease risks . this elisa test is for detecting and titration of seric anti - retrovirus type lav antibodies . it comprises carrying out a competition test between a viral antigen ( cultivated on t lymphocytes ) and a control antigen constituted by a lysate of the same through non - infected lymphocytes . the binding of the antibodies on the two antigens is revealed by the use of a human antiglobulin labelled with an enzyme which itself is revealed by the addition of a corresponding substrate . the cellular cultures which are used are t lymphocytes of human origin which come from : after infection of the cells by the virus , the supernatant of the infected cell culture is used . it is concentrated by precipitating with 10 % peg , then purified ( two or three times ) on a ( 20 - 60 %) sucrose gradient by ultracentrifugation to equilibrium . the viral fractions are gathered and concentrated by centrifugation at 50 000 rotations per minute for 60 minutes . the sedimented virus is taken in a minimum volume of buffer hte at ph 7 . 4 ( tris 0 . 01m , nacl 0 . 1m , edta 0 . 001m ). the virus is then lysed by a ( ripa + sds ) buffer ( 0 . 5 % final ) for 15 minutes at 37 ° c . the non - infected lymphocytes are cultured according to the preceeding conditions for from 5 to 10 days . they are centrifuged at low speed and lysed in the ripa buffer in the presence of 5 % of the product commercialized under the name of zymofren ( special ( 500 μ / ml ). after a stay of 15 minutes at 4 ° c . with frequent stirrings with vortex , the lysate is centrifuged at 10 000 rotations per minute . the supernatant constitutes the control antigen . its concentration in protein is measured by the lowry method . 5 — non foetal calf serum : which is stored in frozen state ( biopro ). 7 — human anti igg ( h + l ) labelled with peroxydase pasteur , in tubes of 1 ml preserved at 4 ° c . dilution of the conjugate is carried out at the dilution indicated in pbs buffer + tween 20 ( 0 . 05 %)+ bovine albumine 0 . 5 g per 100 ml 9 — dilution buffer of sera = pbs buffer + 0 . 05 % tween 20 − 0 . 5 g bsa bovine serum albumine per 100 ml citrate buffer ph = 5 . 6 trisodic citrate ( c 6 h 5 na 4 o 3 , 2h 2 o ), 0 . 05m ; citric acid ( c 6 h 8 o 7 , 1h 2 o ), 0 . 05m . hydrogen peroxyde = at 30 % ( 110 volumes )− used at 0 . 03 % when using citrate buffer . 75 mg per 25 ml of buffer — which is diluted in buffer extemporaneously . the plates which are used have 96u - shaped wells ( nunc = elisa ). they include 12 rows of 8 wells each , numbered from 1 to 12 . 100 μl of the viral antigen , diluted in carbonate buffer at ph 9 . 6 , are deposited in each of the wells of rows ( marked θ ) 100 μl of the control antigen , diluted in carbonate buffer at ph 9 . 6 , are deposited in each of the wells of rows ( marked θ ) the dilution of the viral antigen is titrated at each viral production . several dilutions of viral antigen are tested and compared to positive and negative known controls ( at several dilutions ) and to human anti - igg labelled with peroxydase , the latter being also tested at several dilutions . as a rule , the proteic concentration of the preparation is of 5 to 2 . 5 μg / ml . the plates are closed with a plastic lid and are incubated overnight at 4 ° c . then they are put once in distilled water and centrifuged . the wells are then filled with 300 μl of non foetal calf serum at 20 % in pbs buffer . the plates are washed 3 times in pbs buffer with tween 20 , 0 . 05 % ( pbs - tw buffer ): the plates are carefully dried and sealed with an adhesive plastic film . they can be stored at − 80 ° c . after defreezing , the plates are washed 3 times in pbs - tween . they are carefully dried . the positive and negative control sera as well as the tested sera are diluted first in the tube , with pbs - tween containing 0 . 5 % bovine albumine . 100 μl of each serum are deposited in duplicate on the viral antigen and in duplicate on the control antigen . the same is carried out for the positive and negative diluted sera . 100 μl of pbs + tween + bovine serum albumine are introduced in two wells θ and in two wells θ to form the conjugated controls . the plates equipped with their lids are incubated for 1 . 5 h at 37 ° c . they are washed 4 times in pbs + tween 0 . 05 %. − 100 μl of human anti - igg ( labelled with peroxydase ) at the chosen dilution are deposited in each well and incubated at 37 ° c . the plates are again washed 5 times with the ( pbs + tween ) buffer . they are carefully dried . revealing the enzymatic reaction is carried out by means of a orthophenylene - diamine substrate ( 0 . 05 % in citrate buffer ph 5 . 6 containing 0 . 03 % of h 2 o 2 ). the plates are left in a dark room 20 minutes at the laboratory temperature . reading is carried out on a spectrophotometer ( for microplates ) at 492 nm . sera deemed as containing antibodies against the virus are those which give a odd ( optical density difference = optical density of viral antigen less optical density of control antigen ) equal or higher to 0 . 30 . this technique enables a qualitative titration as well as a quantitative one . for this purpose , it is possible either to use several dilutions of the serum to be assayed , or to compare a dilution of the serum with a range of controls tested under the same conditions . the table hereafter provides first results of serological investigations for lav antibodies , carried out by using the above exemplified elisa assay . ** the number of positive sera is probably overestimated in this test , since no control of unspecific binding could be done . *** out of the 5 las htlv1 positive , 3 were born in haiti , 1 had stayed for a long time in haiti and 1 had made several travels to usa . all of them had also antibodies against lav . the table shows clearly high prevalence of lav antibodies in the homosexual patients with las , the very low incidence in the normal population and also a moderate spread of virus infection in still healthy homosexuals . in the latter group , all the positive individuals had a high number of partners (& gt ; 50 per year ). the incidence of htlv antibodies was very low in all three groups ( determined by using a commercial elisa test ( biotech )). the groups of aids patients gave less interpretable results : approximatively 20 % had lav antibodies , but some of the sera were taken at a very late stage of the disease , with a possible negativation of the humoral response . it should further be mentioned that lymphocytes of all las patients do not produce detectable amounts of lav - type virus . particularly cells of lymph nodes from 6 more las patients were put in culture and tested for virus production , as described for patient 1 . no virus release could be detected by rt activity . however , a p25 protein recognized by the serum of the first patient could be detected in cytoplasmic extracts of the t - cells labelled with 35 s - methionine in 3 other cases . this suggests partial expression of a similar virus in such cases . moreover , all ( 6 / 6 ) of these patients had antibodies against lav p25 proteins , indicating that they all had been infected with a similar or identical virus . interestingly , in lymphocytes of one of the patients ( patient 2 ), there was a weak but definite immunoprecipitation of a band of similar size ( p24 - p25 ) with goat antiserum raised against htlv1 . similarly , the patient &# 39 ; s serum had antibodies against both htlv and lav , suggesting a double infection by both viruses . such cases seem rather infrequent . the invention finally also relates to the biological reagents that can be formed by the lav extracts containing the p25 protein or by the purified p25 protein , particularly for the production of antibodies directed against p25 in animals or of monoclonal antibodies . these antibodies are liable of forming useful tools in the further study of antigenic determinants of lav viruses or lav - related viruses . it is acknowledged that the okt designations which have been used with respect to the designation of some sub - sets of lymphocytes or related monoclonal antibodies by way of ease of language , should in no way be opposed to the validity of any corresponding trademark , whether registered or not by its owner . it should further be mentioned that the viral extracts , particularly viral lysates or enriched fractions can also be defined by reference to their immunological relationship or similitude with the extracts or enriched fractions containing a p25 protein as obtainable from the strain lav1 , idav1 or idav2 . thus any protein fraction which is capable of giving similar patterns of immunological reaction as do the protein extracts of lav1 , idav1 or idav2 with the same sera , must be considered as equivalent thereof and , accordingly , be deemed as encompassed by the scope of the claims which follow . a similar conclusion extends of course to the diagnostic means ( process and kits ) which may make use of such equivalent protein extracts . the lav1 virus has been deposited at the “ collection nationale des cultures de micro - organismes ” ( c . n . c . m .) under n ° i - 232 on jul . 14 , 1983 and idav1 and idav 2 viruses have been deposited at the c . n . c . m ., institut pasteur , 28 rue de docteur roux , 75724 paris cedex 15 , france , on sep . 15 , 1983 under n ° i - 240 and i - 241 , respectively . the invention encompasses as well the extracts of mutants of variants of the above deposited strains as long as they possess substantially the same immunological properties . | 2 |
the present invention now will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings . in the drawings , the thickness of layers and regions are exaggerated for clarity , and like reference numbers refer to like elements throughout . it will also be understood that when an element such as a layer , region or substrate is referred to as being &# 34 ; on &# 34 ; another element , it can be directly on the other element or intervening elements may also be present . on the other hand , when an element is referred to as being &# 34 ; directly on &# 34 ; another element , there are no intervening elements present . referring now to fig1 a chemical vapor deposition ( cvd ) apparatus used for carrying out the wafer stripping method of the present invention includes a cvd chamber 101 and a boat 104 . the boat 104 on which wafers 105 are mounted is loaded into the chamber 101 to grow a desired film on the wafers 105 . the chamber 101 comprises an inner tubular member 102 and an outer tubular member 103 . the boat 104 and the chamber 101 are formed of quartz . a heater 106 surrounds the chamber 101 . the cvd apparatus also includes a plurality of gas inlet tubes 108a and 108b for injecting into the chamber 101 various gases depending on the types of films to be grown , and a gas outlet tube 131 for exhausting the gas from the chamber 101 . the boat 104 is installed on an adiabatic sleeve 129 and is transported into or out of the chamber 101 by a boat drive unit 130 . fig2 shows a test wafer having a lower film 210 and an upper film 220 which were sequentially formed on the substrate 200 of the wafer . a method of stripping the upper film 220 from the wafer will now be described . a plurality of the test wafers 200 are mounted on the boat 104 . the boat 104 is loaded into the chamber 101 , and then a gas is injected into the tube 101 through the gas inlet tube 108a to strip the upper film 220 from each of the test wafers 200 . the gas may be selected according to the type of upper film 220 to be stripped . when the upper film 220 is polysilicon , cif 3 is used at a flow rate of 500 ˜ 1 , 000 sccm , preferably , 700 sccm . for example , a polysilicon film having a thickness of 16 , 000 å can be completely stripped from the wafer by injecting the cif 3 into the chamber 101 at the above - mentioned flow rate for 85 ˜ 100 min . while the upper film 220 formed on the substrate 200 is being stripped , the temperature in the chamber 101 is preferably maintained at 350 ˜ 450 ° c ., and more preferably , at 400 ° c . also , while the upper film 220 is being stripped , the pressure in the chamber 101 is preferably maintained at 1 . 0 ˜ 2 . 0 torr , and more preferably , at 1 . 5 torr . to this end , ambient gas is injected through the gas inlet tube 108b to maintain the pressure in the chamber 101 constant . n 2 or ar is preferably used as the ambient gas , and is preferably injected into the tube at a rate of 2 , 500 ˜ 3 , 000 sccm , and more preferably , at 2 , 800 sccm . furthermore , as the stripping gas is being injected into the chamber 101 , the boat 104 on which the wafers are mounted is rotated . this action assists in the removal of the upper film 220 from the wafers . after the upper film 220 has been stripped according to the present invention , only a lower film 210 &# 39 ; remains on the substrate 200 of the test wafer , as shown in fig3 . the effect of the present invention on the lower film was checked as follows . with reference to fig2 an oxide film 210 having a thickness of 5 , 000å , and a polysilicon film 220 having a thickness of 16 , 000å were formed on a substrate of the test wafer . then , the test wafer was loaded into the cvd chamber 101 shown in fig1 and cif 3 was injected into the chamber 101 at a rate of 700 sccm for 90 min , to strip the upper film 220 . subsequently , a txrf ( total reflection x - ray fluorescence ) analysis was performed on the test wafer for examining the amounts of elements existing on the lower film 210 &# 39 ; after the upper film 220 was stripped therefrom . the result of the txrf analysis is shown in table 1 and in fig4 . txrf analysis is employed to analyze inorganic elements existing on the surface of a sample by detecting the fluorescence of a surface of a sample radiated with x - rays . however , it should be noted that only elements of atomic number 10 or higher can be detected using txrf analysis . meanwhile , a comparison wafer was analyzed to allow the effects of the present invention on the lower film 210 to be fully evaluated . in the comparison wafer , a lower film ( i . e ., oxide film ) was formed on a substrate under the same conditions and at the same thickness as the lower film 210 of the sample wafer , but no upper film was formed thereon . then , the amounts of elements existing on the oxide film were determined by txrf analysis . the results are also shown in table 1 and in fig4 . in table 1 , comparison 1 refers to the txrf analysis of the oxide film of the comparison wafer , and samples 1 through 4 refer to the txrf analysis of the oxide film of four test wafers after the upper film was stripped from the test wafers according to the present invention . moreover , in table 1 , the units are 10 10 atoms / cm 2 , and each value listed is each actually the mean of four values obtained from points distributed evenly about the wafer . table 1______________________________________txrf ( total reflection x - ray fluorescence ) analysis com - parison sample sample sample sampleelement 1 1 2 3 4______________________________________s 187 255 171 699 860cl 154 208 110 119 140k 1 . 27 1 . 03 0 . 32 1 . 31sn 2 . 13 1 . 66 3 . 3 1 . 94 1 . 46ca 1 . 96 2 3 . 15 2 . 46 2 . 39i 0 . 66 0 . 81 0 . 67 0 . 46ti 0 . 79 0 . 74 0 . 44 0 . 5 0 . 57cr 0 . 53 0 . 45 0 . 4 0 . 38 0 . 27mn 0 . 81 0 . 85 0 . 93 0 . 56 0 . 53fe 1 . 07 1 . 11 1 . 76 0 . 71 0 . 64ni 1 . 05 1 . 03 1 . 09 0 . 69 0 . 75cu 0 . 39 0 . 79 0 . 48 0 . 47 0 . 43zn 0 . 09 0 . 1 0 . 13 0 . 08 0 . 09______________________________________ fig4 is a log graph of the values listed in table 1 . that is , in fig4 the elements are distributed along the x - axis , and the amounts of each element found in the lower film are distributed in a logarithm along the y - axis . referring to table 1 and fig4 it is apparent that there is no difference in quality between the oxide film formed on the comparison wafer and the oxide film on the test wafer from which an upper film had stripped according to the present invention . accordingly , it can be inferred that stripping the polysilicon film ( i . e ., the upper film ) according to the present invention does not affect the oxide film ( i . e ., the lower film ). in fig4 there was a small difference in the amount of s ( sulfur ) between the comparison wafer and the sample wafers . however , considering that the units of measurement are 10 10 atoms / cm 2 , the difference is not considered to be appreciable . an hpic ( high performance ion chromatography ) analysis was also performed for determining what effect , if any , the present invention has on the lower film 210 . the sample wafers and a comparison wafer analyzed by the hpic process were equivalent to those prepared for the txrf analysis . hpic analysis is employed to analyze a sample by separating the components , or solutes , of a mixture on the basis of the relative amounts of each solute distributed between a moving fluid stream , called the mobile phase , and a contiguous stationary phase . table 2 shows the results of the hpic analysis . in table 2 , comparison 1 refers to the hpic analysis of the lower film 210 of the comparison wafer , and samples 1 through 4 refer to the hpic analysis of the lower film 210 &# 39 ; of samples from which the upper film 220 had been stripped according to the method of the present invention . in table 2 , the units are 10 - 13 atoms / cm 2 . table 2______________________________________hpic ( high performance ion chromatography ) analysis com - parison sample sample sample sampleelement 1 1 2 3 4______________________________________li 0 . 19 0 . 19 0 . 19 0 . 19 0 . 19na 0 . 09 0 . 22 0 . 06 0 . 07 0 . 24nh . sub . 4 4 . 16 5 . 10 3 . 53 5 . 67 5 . 86k 0 . 05 0 . 13 0 . 09 0 . 32 0 . 36f 3 . 19 5 . 16 16 . 73 1 . 50 2 . 87cl 0 . 08 0 . 09 0 . 07 0 . 12 0 . 09no . sub . 2 0 . 08 0 . 06 0 . 09 0 . 13 0 . 11br 0 . 02 0 . 02 0 . 02 0 . 02 0 . 02no . sub . 3 0 . 03 0 . 09 0 . 11 0 . 08 0 . 06hpo . sub . 4 0 . 01 0 . 01 0 . 01 0 . 22 0 . 18so . sub . 4 0 . 08 0 . 09 0 . 01 0 . 84 0 . 98______________________________________ fig5 is a graph of the values listed in table 2 . in fig5 the elements are distributed along the x - axis , and the amounts of the elements existing on the lower film are distributed along the y - axis in units of 10 - 13 atoms / cm 2 . table 2 and fig5 show that there is little difference in the qualities of the oxide films of the comparison wafer and the sample wafers . although fig5 shows some difference in the case of fluorine ( f ), this difference is negligible considering that the units are on the order of 10 - 13 atoms / cm 2 . accordingly , it is clear that stripping the polysilicon film ( i . e ., the upper film ) according to the present invention does not affect the oxide film ( i . e ., the lower film ). because the upper film can be stripped according to the present invention without affecting the lower film , there is no need to reform the lower film when reusing the wafer as a test wafer . therefore , the present invention saves time and costs . also , because the present invention makes use of a cvd apparatus , a plurality of wafers can be simultaneously stripped , whereby the present invention is efficient . although the present invention has been described through the use of preferred embodiments thereof , it should be clear that various changes and modifications can be made thereto without departing from the true spirit of the present invention . for example , the lower film need not be an oxide layer but can be other layers , such as a nitride layer . accordingly , all such changes and modifications are seen to be within the scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims . | 8 |
in fig1 a , a well 11 is shown in the process of being drilled through a formation 10 . a drill string 12 is suspended from the surface by means of a drilling rig 13 . a drill bit 12 - 1 is attached to the bottom of the drill string 12 . while drilling , a drilling fluid is circulated through the drill string 12 and the drill bit 12 - 1 to return to the surface via the annulus between the wall of the well 11 and the drill string 12 . during this process , part of the drilling fluid invades a shallow zone 15 around the borehole 11 thus contaminating the formation fluid . after completing the drilling through a hydrocarbon bearing formation , a wireline tool 16 as shown in fig1 b is lowered into the well 11 using a wireline cable 17 . in the example as illustrated , the wireline tool includes a formation testing device 16 - 1 to be used for generating a flow in the formation and an nmr - based tool 16 - 2 with a combination of permanent magnets and antennas ( not shown ) to generate a magnetic field within the volume of the formation affected by the flow . such tools have been described in the prior art , including the co - owned u . s . pat . no . 7 , 180 , 288 to scheven , the co - owned u . s . pat . no . 6 , 642 , 715 to speier et al ., and the u . s . pat . no . 6 , 856 , 132 to appel et al . a further variant of such a tool is illustrated in fig2 a and 2b showing a frontal and cross - sectional view , respectively , of the schematics of a combined sampling and nmr tool . the body 20 of the downhole logging tool includes a sampling probe taking the shape of a pad 21 . the pad 21 includes an outer zone 211 of magnetic material behind a sealing layer of elastic material . the magnetic material of this example is permanently magnetic and can hence generate a magnetic field in those parts of the formation which face the probe . an inner zone of the pad 21 includes an antenna area 212 and the flowline 213 . a feed circuit 22 to power and control the antenna is located behind the pad 21 . the flowline includes a flowmeter q similar to the known devices . the antenna is designed to deliver nmr pulses 23 into the formation . the tool as illustrated is in a state of injecting fluid from the tool body 20 into the formation 10 . in other states , fluid may flow in reverse direction , i . e ., from the formation 10 into the flowline 213 . the tool shown is distinguishable from known designs of combined sampling and nmr tools by having the antenna 212 in a recessed area of the pad 21 . it is seen as a novel aspect of such designs to have the recessed area act effectively like a funnel , thus drawing in or injecting flow from a bigger effective area and in turn enlarging the measuring volume where flow and magnetic field overlap . the recessed area serves further to protect the antenna from the impact and sealing forces acting when the pad makes contact with the formation . for an electromagnetic or resistivity - based measurement , the combination of an nmr tool and formation testing tool as shown above can be replaced by a combination of resistivity array tool and formation testing tool . such a tool is described for example in the co - owned u . s . pat . no . 5 , 335 , 542 to ramakrishnan et al . other sensing fields require a corresponding change of the type of source and receivers in the tool body . however for most of the known sensing fields whether acoustic , sonic or electromagnetic , corresponding logging tool designs exists and can be thus adapted to methods and tools described herein . integrated into the flowline of the sampling tool are typically further measuring devices ( not shown ), such as optical , nmr , or resistivity based sensors etc ., to measure composition - related parameters of the sampled or ejected flow inside the tool . these devices include also flowmeters q to determine the total flow qw + qo and the water flow qw and the hydrocarbon flow qo . the flowline 213 is further connected to a flow generator or pump ( not shown ) located within the body of the logging tool . the flow generator is designed to move fluids from the formation into the body of the tool or from a storage tank ( not shown ) within the body of the tool into the formation . a wireline suspended dual packer tool suitable for performing measurements in accordance with another example of the invention is shown in fig3 . the tool 31 of fig3 is suspended from a wireline 32 into an open hole . it has a pair of packers 33 with integrated arrays of sensors 34 . the sensors can be designed as an array of electrodes , antennas gamma - ray receivers or emitters etc . depending on the measurement to be performed . the pair of packers isolates a zone 30 of the formation . the tool further comprises a fluid reservoir chamber 35 connected to the fluid ports 361 via a flow line 36 . the flow through the flow line 35 is driven by a pumping module 37 . the pumping module can be designed to support flow from the formation into the reservoir chamber or from the chamber into the formation . depending on the type of experiment to be performed , the chamber may contain sample fluids such as water or oil , or solutions of active chemicals to modify the formation , the formation fluids , or the response of the formation or formation fluid to the sensing field . the lines 38 and 39 provide an electrical connection and a hydraulic connection , respectively , to the packer 33 and the sensors 34 . it is important to note that the measurement as proposed in the present invention will result in a response signal from the fluid as located inside the measuring volume and hence inside the formation . previous efforts of combining nmr and a sampling tool have mostly focused on measuring the properties of the sampled fluid or its velocity after it leaves the formation and moves through the flow line of the tool . in the present invention , the sampling tool is employed as a means to generate a flow in the formation . this flow changes the values of parameters associated with the formation whilst leaving others unchanged . it has been observed that by recording such changes , parameters of great importance for the characterization of the formation can be determined with potentially much higher accuracy , revealing even previously unknown aspects . in a first example of an embodiment of the invention , the oil and water saturations of the formation fluids are determined as a function of the flow rate . the saturations can be determined for example by evaluating measured t 1 or t 2 distribution curves . to illustrate the principle of the evaluation , a simplified example of such curves is shown in fig4 a . the water signal is shown as a solid line 41 and oil as a dashed line 42 . saturations can be determined from such a measurement by calculating the ratio of the relative areas under the curves to the total area . the response of the formation to many measurements , including the nmr type measurement above , can be modified through injection of a suitable chemical . using for example either mncl2 or nicl as part of any injected fluid reduces the water response signal or , at the very least , shifts it to very short t 2 values . this effect results in a clear separation between the water and oil signals in the t 2 domain and the residual oil saturation estimation becomes a simple volumetric determination based on the measured t 2 distribution . whilst the example as illustrated is simplified in order to make important aspects more transparent , it is expected that real measurements are based on more advanced methods of evaluating nmr data such as mrf methods or other any known method to acquire and interpret three dimensional ( 3d ) nmr data . for details of the theory and implementation of the mrf method , reference can be made to freedman , r ., sezginer , a ., flaum , m ., matteson , a ., lo , s ., and hirasaki , g . j . : “ a new nmr method of fluid characterization in reservoir rocks : experimental confirmation and simulation results ,” spe 63214 , transactions of the 2000 spe annual technical conference and exhibition , dallas , tex ., usa , 1 - 4 oct . 2000 . with the saturation values determined using either the nmr based methods as described in the above example or measurements based on other sensing fields , the flowmeter q can be used to measure the water cut or flow qw and / or the hydrocarbon cut or flow qo of the sampling tool . the term “ cut ” is used to indicated the amount of a single phase in what is typically a multiphase flow produced from the borehole . if required , the time lag between the flow measurements and the saturation measurements can be compensated for by for example calculating the average flow velocity between the location of the saturation measurement and the flowmeter location inside the tool body . another way of performing such compensation may include using correlations between the nmr measurements and the flowmeter and selecting the time lag which maximizes such correlations . the compensation ensures that the measurement as performed by the flowmeter reflects the composition of the flow as it passes through the measuring volume of the nmr tool for evaluation . in a preferred embodiment of the invention the measured saturations and flow rates are matched to fit a relations or model which includes the relative permeabilities k ( ro ) or k ( rw ). in principle all measured points lie on curves such as shown in fig5 a . in fig5 a , there are shown the relative permeability kro of hydrocarbon as a function of saturation and the relative permeability krw of water as a function of saturation . the endpoints of both curves are defined by the residual water saturation swr and the residual hydrocarbon saturation ros . based on the current knowledge of the theory of this relation , it is in many cases not required to determine more than two points to derive a useful estimate of a relative permeability curve . these two points could be the permeability at the residual water saturation swr and the residual hydrocarbon saturation ros . however the accuracy of such an estimate or model is increased by determining more measurements points on the curves . a further , more detailed example of a model based approach for evaluating saturation measurements to derive relative permeabilities is described in : “ water - cut and fractional - flow logs from array - induction measurements ” by t . s . ramakrishnan and d . j . wilkinson , 1999 spe reservoir evaluation and engineering 2 ( 1 ), pp . 85 - 94 . once the relative permeabilities krw ( sw ) and kro ( sw ) are established as functions of the saturation , it is possible to derive the fractional flow using for example equation [ 1 ] below with μw being the μw and fw ( sw )=( krw ( sw )/ μ w )/( krw ( sw )/ μ w + kro ( sw )/ μ o ) [ 1 ] resulting in curves for the fractional flowrates as a function of the saturation as shown for the flowrate fw ( sw ) of the water phase in fig4 b . once established , this function can be used to determine important parameters . for example , a measure of the recoverable oil in the formation can be derived by measuring the actual saturations and their respective distance to the endpoints of the saturation curves indicating the residual oil or water saturations . in another example of the invention , the t 1 or t 2 distributions as shown in fig4 a can be recorded as a function of time and hence as a function of the flow which passed through the monitored formation volume . the benefit of such a measurement can be demonstrated by comparing the schematic fig4 a and 4b . the latter figure shows the same measuring volume but after an injection of water . the measured distribution gives an indication of the residual oil saturation ros by evaluating the area of the “ oil peak ”, which is reduced after the injection of water from the tool as described above . however apart from the determination of saturations , the distribution can further be evaluated to make determinations as to the composition of the hydrocarbon . it is generally known that the absolute value of t 1 or t 2 can be linked to fluid related parameters such as viscosity . hence each value of t 1 ( or t 2 ) is taken in this example as a value representative of viscosity . in fig4 a and 4b , which together illustrates the case of a composition change in the formation fluid due to a water injection , the oil peak is not only reduced in amplitude , but the amplitude reduction in fig4 b relative to the original amplitudes of fig4 a differs for different values of t 1 . in the illustrated example , the composition of the formation oil has changed , with the low viscosity fractions of the oil ( at higher t 1 values ) being apparently flushed more effectively from the formation than the higher viscosity fractions . the higher viscosity portion of the formation oil remains in place and forms a relatively larger fraction of the residual oil which cannot be produced by water injection or flush alone . to observe compositional changes such as described in the example above provides important information to assist in decisions concerning the methods chosen at various stages in the life of the reservoir to recover its hydrocarbon content . it can also be used in determining the most efficient form of eor treatment . if , for example , the recoverable oil left in the formation is more viscous than the produced oil , eor treatments will need to be planned differently taking into account the change in the viscosity of the remaining oil . apart from drawing conclusions on the efficacy of types of eor treatments , it is further possible to measure the effects of such a treatment on a very small scale but within a very short time period . repeating the injection measurements as described above with an eor treatment fluid rather than water , it is possible to monitor directly the changes in the formation , in particular the residual oil saturation without and with the eor treatment tested . when testing a chemical based method , the relevant chemical components can be mixed to the internal fluid flow inside the tool . if a heat treatment is contemplated for testing , the fluid injected can be heated inside the tool body prior to injection into the formation . thus the invention can provide a very fast screening method for a wide variety of existing and future eor treatments which would otherwise take months or even years to test . | 4 |
fig1 shows a light sensing device 10 in the form of a wrist - worn device for sensing the ambient light intensity in the environment of a user ( not shown ) wearing this device 10 . generally the light sensing device 10 comprises an operation module 12 in the shape of a flat rectangular box , and a flexible wrist band 14 that is attached with its ends to opposite sides of the operation module 12 such that the operation module 12 and the wrist band 14 form a ring . the inner diameter of the wristband 14 is dimensioned such that the wrist - worn device 10 can comfortably be worn on the wrist of a user . for putting on the device 10 , the wristband 14 may have a certain elasticity to be widened , or an opening and closing mechanism ( not shown in the figures ) may be provided for connecting one end of the wristband 14 to the operation module 12 . generally the operation module 12 and the wristband 14 are formed similar to a common wristwatch . the operation module 12 is formed as a housing that receives integrated electronic circuits for processing and storing electric signals and for performing the operation of sensing ambient light intensity . on the top surface 16 of the operation module 12 , there is a display 18 for displaying a status information of the device 10 or any other information , like , for example , the daytime . further provided on the top surface 16 of the operation module 12 there is an ambient light sensor 20 for measuring the ambient light intensity . this ambient light sensor 20 is provided to measure the intensity of light within the visible light spectrum and to generate electric signals representing the measured light intensity within this spectrum . these signals can be interpreted as data concerning the present ambient light intensity . in this embodiment , only one light sensor 20 is provided with one spectral range within the visible light . however , as will be further explained below , it is also possible to provide the light sensing device 10 with a plurality of light sensors 20 for different spectral ranges to be measured . the light sensor 20 provides an electric output intensity signal that corresponds to the measured light intensity . for example , this output intensity signal is proportional to the light intensity . the original light intensity signal is multiplied by a gain factor of this light sensor 20 , which is a constant parameter , to result in the output intensity signal . to provide an accurate and reliable measurement result that represents the real intensity exposition , the light sensing device 10 shown in fig1 is to be calibrated by a calibration device 30 shown in fig2 . the light sensing device 10 and the calibration device 30 represent different elements of a light sensing system 100 . the calibration device 30 is formed as stand alone unit , which is a docking station 32 for supporting the light sensing device 10 in a non - use situation . the docking station 32 comprises a flat base plate 34 , a flat column 36 rising vertically from one end of the base plate 34 , and an upper support portion 38 for supporting the operation module 12 of the light sensing device . the support portion 38 comprises a lower flat portion 40 and an upper flat portion 42 that stand horizontal and parallel to each other with a gap 44 formed therebetween . this gap 44 is for receiving the operation module 12 , as shown in fig2 . in the support situation the operation module 12 rests flat on the upper surface of the lower portion 40 . within the upper portion 42 , one light source ( not shown in the figs .) is arranged in a position that faces the light sensor 20 in the supported state of the light sensing device 10 . by this arrangement the light sensor 20 can be illuminated directly by the light source . upon this illumination , the light sensor 20 generates an output intensity signal corresponding to the measured light intensity . the present light sensing system 100 is provided for performing a calibration operation to calibrate the light sensor 20 . to perform this calibration , the light source is provided to emit light with a standard intensity which is defined by system parameters and environmental parameters . this standard intensity can also be controlled by a control means , like an electronic circuit , within the light sensing system 100 . the control means can be provided , for example , within the calibration device 30 . it is possible to provide a light source that it emits light of a polychromatic spectrum within a broad range . the output intensity signal of the light sensor 20 is compared with an expected signal , which corresponds to the standard intensity , and the output intensity signal is matched to the expected signal . for example , if the output intensity signal of the light sensor 20 is lower than expected , the gain factor of this light sensor 20 is increased to meet the expected signal . for this calibration process , communication means can be provided within the light sensing system 100 for communicating between the calibration device 30 and the light sensing device 10 . these communication means can be wireless communication means , or wire - bound communication means that operate when the light sensing device 10 and the calibration device 30 are in contact with each other . the light sensing system 100 , especially the calibration device 30 may also comprise a temperature sensor for sensing the temperature of the light source . this temperature sensor may provide an information that contributes to the accuracy of calibration , because the intensity of the light source may vary with temperature . for example , if the light source is a semiconductor light emitting device ( led ), the output intensity may depend inversely on the temperature . this can be balanced by adapting the gain parameter of the light sensor 20 accordingly . in case there is more than one light sensor 20 provided , these light sensors can cover different spectral ranges , while they are illuminated with light of one single light source of a spectral range that covers all spectral ranges of the light sensors 20 , i . e ., from a polychromatic light source . for example , the light source is a white light source , while the light sensors 20 are colour specific sensors , like , for example , a red light sensor , a green light sensor and a blue light sensor . in this case the gain parameters of the light sensors 20 are adjusted based on the known energy level emitted in each respective colour band to match the expected signal accordingly . in a common model , the resulting general output intensity signal can be described by the following formula . where red_irradiance , green_irradiance and blue_irradiance are the original intensity signals produced by the sensors in their respective colour bands , and α , β , χ are the gain parameters of each respective red , green and blue colour channel . different values for α , β , χ correspond to the different contributions of the sensors in their respective colour band to the overall intensity . by adjusting the gain parameters α , β , χ , the different light sensors can be calibrated to adjust them to match their contribution to the general resulting output intensity signal illum ( 1x ). the new gain parameters can be stored in a memory of the light sensing system 100 . according to a different embodiment , there is also the possibility to provide a plurality of different light sources , namely one light source for each sensor with a spectral range that corresponds to the spectral range of its allocated sensor . in this case the calibration can be performed for each sensor separately , taking the standard intensity of each single light source as the calibration parameter . the gain parameter of each light sensor is adjusted to match its output intensity signal to the expected signal that corresponds to the standard intensity of the respective light source . for example , there are three light sensors , namely a red light sensor , a green light sensor and a blue light sensor , as described in the example above , while there are also three light sources , namely a red light source , a green light source and a blue light source . each of these light sources is operated with a known standard intensity . the gain parameter of the red light sensor is adjusted so that the output intensity signal of this red light sensor matches the expected signal corresponding to the standard intensity of the red light source , and so on . by this operation mode it is possible to adjust the gain parameter of each light sensor to match the light energy emitted in each respective color band and to store the new gain values in the memory . optionally , the spectrum of each light sensor can be adapted , for example , to a light temperature or to correspond to a specific light source ( halogen , incandescent light , outdoor sunlight , etc .) within the expected intensity range . the above described calibration methods can be performed by a computer software that it stored within a calibration device 30 , that can be operated by the end user . the calibration process can be performed automatically each time the light sensing device 10 is placed within the calibration device 30 , as shown in fig2 . the calibration device 30 may than automatically detect the presence of the light sensing device 10 within the support portion 38 , and start the calibration process , i . e . starting to perform a respective computer program . in this arrangement the calibration process can be performed each time the light sensing device 10 is not in use , between two subsequent measuring epochs . consequently the light sensing device 10 is calibrated each time a new measurement epoch is started . this is a large advantage over known light sensing devices 10 which are calibrated once by the manufacturer and do not provide a possibility for the user to calibrate the light sensing device 10 afterwards , to keep the reliability of the measurement results . while the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and foregoing description , such illustration and description are to be considered illustrative or exemplary and not restrictive ; the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments . other variations to the disclosed embodiments can be understood and effected by those skilled in the art in practicing the claimed invention , from a study of the drawings , the disclosure , and the appended claims . in the claims , the word “ comprising ” does not exclude other elements or steps , and the indefinite article “ a ” or “ an ” does not exclude a plurality . the mere fact that certain measures are recited in mutually different dependent claims does not indicate that a combination of these measures cannot be used to advantage . any reference signs in the claims should not be construed as limiting the scope . | 6 |
fig1 and 1a show bags for carrying trash and the draw tape for them . they include two panels which are formed from an extruded tube of polyethylene . the sides of the panels are heat sealed and cut from the tube at 11 , 12 and 13 in a perpendicular direction . the tube is slit along one side to form open tops in the bag for reception of trash and the like . hem portions of each panel are folded over adjacent the top . draw tapes 14 and 15 are secured by the heat seal at the sides of the panels . a cut - out in each panel and hem portion at the middle of the bag , exposes the draw tapes so they can be grasped . when the bag is loaded with trash , the bag is grasped by the draw tape , thereby closing the bag . the draw tapes can thereafter be tied forming a neat bundle . the draw tape has a relatively thin and narrow central portion 16 of stretched , oriented , polyethylene and end portions 17 at the extremities . the relatively thick and wide end portions are unstretched , unoriented , polyethylene tape . the heat seal which secures the draw tape to the sides of the panels is through the relatively thick and wide end portions . referring to fig2 and 3 , the present invention includes a rotating disk 20 , about six feet in diameter in the exemplary embodiment . six radial tracks , which are the slots 21 - 26 , guide clips 27 - 32 radially along the tracks . a stationary cam , having a groove 33 which extends in a spiral , is positioned adjacent to the rotating disk . the groove 33 positions the clips radially . as the disk rotates , the clips move further from each other as determined by the radius at which the cam positions them . unoriented tape 34 ( fig3 ) from the oven 35 is fed to the clip 27 which is closest to the center of rotating disk 20 . the tape 34 is heated in oven 35 in order to avoid line drawing and to obtain smooth stretching and orientation of the tape . as the disk rotates , the clips 27 - 32 move farther from each other , stretching the tape between the clips , while the segments of the tape held by the clips remains unoriented . in an exemplary embodiment , a tape for a thirty inch wide bag has a two inch unstretched end portion in every thirty inches . a six foot diameter disk with six radial tracks produces a stretch ratio for the 28 &# 34 ; portions of stretched tape of 5 : 1 . more or less than six tracks may be used but the stretching diameter must be proportionally more or less than six feet . fig4 shows the apparatus of the present invention with bag making machine . polyethylene tape from the roll 36 is stretched by the rotating disk 20 of the present invention after it has passed through the oven 35 . the stretched tape is fed to the tape inserter 37 where it is inserted into the hem of a continuously moving line of bags . in order to operate the tape stretching apparatus of the present invention in line with this bag making machinery , it is necessary to synchronize the tape stretcher with the bag machine in two respects : 1 . cyclic register : there must be exactly one interruption for every cycle of the bag machine . this can be accomplished by driving the disk relative to the crank in the bag machine which advances the bags so the disk makes one revolution for every six rotations of the bag machine crank , and therefore every six bags . 2 . linear speed match : the linear speed of the exiting oriented tape must be the same as the speed of the film entering the bag machine , in order to match tensions . this can be accomplished by moving the cam laterally relative to the disk , so that when the clips are at their farthest spacing they are farther from or closer to the center . this has the effect of stretching the tape a bit more or less , so that there is more or less tape length between interruptions , and the tape is moving faster or slower . the remainder of the line for producing draw tape bags shown in fig5 is more fully described in the aforementioned applications . briefly , a roll 38 feeds a continuous , extruded tube of polyethylene which has been slit and folded along a median longitudinal line . the material is drawn from the roll 38 by pinch rollers 39 . these draw the folded film , forming the two opposing panels , through a hemmer 40 and through a punch 41 which forms the cut - outs in each panel . the continuous line of bags passes through the tape inserter 37 where the draw tape from the stretching apparatus of the present invention is inserted into each hem of the bag . the continuous length of film with the draw tapes inserted in the hem thereof is advanced from the pinch rollers 39 , through rollers 42 and a hem sealer 43 , by means of a second pair of pinch rollers 44 . as the length of continuous hem sealed film exits the hem sealer 43 , it passes through a set of dancer rolls 45 , to the seal cutter assembly 46 . the reciprocating heat seal bar carries a knife edge into contact with the moving web in an intermittent action timed to form a heat seal down the sides of each bag at regular intervals along its length . after bonding , the seal bar also severs the continuous length of film through the center of the heat seal , thereby separating individual bags from the continuous length of film . while a particular embodiment of the invention has been shown and described , various modifications are within the true spirit and scope of the invention . the appended claims are , therefore , intended to cover all such modifications . | 1 |
fig1 shows a receptacle - treatment machine 1 for treatment of receptacles 2 made of glass or a similar non - metallic material . the receptacle - treatment machine 1 is configured as a rotating machine having receptacle - treatment positions 3 that are provided at the circumference of a rotor 4 that rotates about a vertical machine axis ma . with the rotor 4 circulating in a rotor direction a , receptacles 2 that are to be treated are conducted to the receptacle - treatment positions 3 by way of a receptacle inlet 1 . 1 . the treatment of receptacles 2 is carried out within an angular region of the rotor &# 39 ; s movement . this angular region extends between the receptacle inlet 1 . 1 and a receptacle outlet 1 . 2 , at which the treated receptacles 2 are taken from the treatment positions 3 . in some embodiments , the receptacle - treatment machine 1 is a filling machine for pressure - filling receptacles 2 with a filling product . in pressure - filling , the receptacles 2 , which stand on their bases on a horizontal level n , are pre - tensioned to a filling pressure with a pressurized inert gas . this occurs while the receptacles are in a tension zone , before actually filling the receptacles with the liquid filling - product . in the region of this tension zone , there is a risk of a receptacle 2 bursting . this may arise , for example , from previous damage to the receptacle 2 as a result of thermal loads during a previous cleaning procedure . when a receptacle 2 bursts , the resulting shards or receptacle fragments 2 . 1 move at high speed , and therefore with high kinetic energy from the receptacle - treatment position 3 in uncontrollably different directions b , as shown in fig2 . these shards move in all directions . to avoid injury to personnel and damage to machines located adjacent to the receptacle - treatment machine 1 , it is useful to provide a shielding system in the tension zone . in some cases , the shielding system comprises rigid and fixed wall elements . although such shielding systems prevent the receptacle fragments 2 . 1 from being hurled outwards , shards that impact them often ricochet and undergo further breakage . in many cases , the ricochet directs the shards back toward the receptacle - treatment machine 1 . this can contaminate components of the receptacle - treatment machine 1 with receptacle fragments 2 . 1 . the contamination hinders cleaning of the receptacle - treatment machine 1 . fig2 - 6 show an alternative shielding system 5 a that avoids these difficulties . this shielding system 5 a includes cladding segments 6 a , each of which is configured in the form of lamellae and comprises a rectangular structural element . in the normal state of the shielding system 5 a , these cladding segments 6 a are arranged with longitudinal sides 6 . 1 of this shape arranged in the vertical direction . a carrier element 7 on a guide 8 holds each cladding segment 6 a at its upper end , i . e . at the narrow side at that point of the structure . as a result , the cladding segment 6 a hangs freely like a pendulum . the guide 8 , as shown in fig1 extends in from an arc of a circle about the rotor 4 , along the tension zone . in the embodiment represented , the lower ends of the cladding segments 6 a are located below the level n . the carrier elements 7 move the cladding segments 6 a along the guide 8 , while at the same time enabling them to pivot about their vertical middle axes . as a result , the cladding segments 6 a corresponding to fig3 and 5 can be arranged in an effective state , in which the cladding segments 6 a are connected to one another and form a continuous vertical protection wall 9 of the shielding system 5 a . this can be opened , wholly or partially , by pivoting the cladding segments 6 a about their vertical middle axis , in order , for example , to provide access to the treatment positions 3 , as represented in fig6 . fig7 shows the cladding segments 6 a after having adopted a state in which they are pushed together and with their planes radial or essentially radial to the machine axis ma . this permits unimpeded access through the shielding system 5 a to the receptacle - treatment machine 1 , and in particular also to the treatment positions 3 and the function elements located therein . fig4 shows the shielding system 5 a and its cladding segments 6 a in operation . in particular , diagram ( a ) of fig4 shows a broken fragment 2 . 1 of a receptacle flying into a cladding segment 6 a . upon being impacted by this receptacle fragment 2 . 1 , this cladding segment 6 a deflects sideways . simultaneously , the cladding segment 6 a assumes an elastic concave camber on the side facing towards the receptacle fragment 2 . 1 , as shown in diagram ( b ). in its further course , the cladding segment 6 a , with the receptacle fragment 2 . 1 in contact or coming in contact , deflects outwards until the point at which the kinetic energy of the receptacle fragment 2 . 1 has at least for the most part been converted into potential energy of the cladding segment 6 a . as a result , the cladding segment 6 a decelerates and catches the receptacle fragment 2 . 1 . an upper protection wall 10 , shown in fig2 and 3 , catches receptacle fragments 2 . 1 that are projected upwards from the treatment position 3 . the upper protection wall 10 is formed from upper cladding segments 11 that are produced with a rectangular cross - section and that connect with one another along the shielding system 5 a when it is in its effective state . the upper cladding segments 11 are suspended so that they hang freely at the holding elements 11 . 1 . this means that they too can deflect outwards sorb kinetic energy upon being hit by receptacle fragments 2 . 1 . due to the elastic deformation and / or deflection of the cladding segments 6 a upon being hit by receptacle fragments 2 . 1 , a large part of the kinetic energy of these fragments 2 . 1 is converted into potential energy of the cladding segments 6 a . this also discourages further fragmentation of the receptacle fragments 2 . 1 and , in particular , ricocheting of these receptacle fragments 2 . 1 in the direction of the treatment machine 1 . the cladding elements 6 a convert their potential energy back into kinetic energy by reverting to their respective initial positions . as they do so , they give up this energy to internal and external friction and air resistance . these combine to dampen the movement of the cladding elements 6 a so that the potential energy can be dispersed without any undesirable consequences . because the cladding elements 6 a in the pushed together position , shown in fig7 , are still spaced apart from one another , this position is also particularly well - suited for the cleaning and / or disinfection of the cladding segments 6 a , and specifically by spraying them with a suitable cleaning and / or disinfection medium . fig8 and 9 show the cladding segments 6 b of the vertical protection wall 9 of a shielding system 5 b in the effective state ( fig8 ) and in the completely opened state of this shielding system , i . e . with the cladding segments 6 b pushed together ( fig9 ). this alternative shielding system 5 b differs from the shielding system 5 a essential only in that the lamellar - type cladding segments 6 b , at least in the starting position , are slightly cambered about at least one axis parallel to their vertical longitudinal extensions , and specifically in such a way that the convex cambered side , in the effective state of the shielding system 5 b , faces towards the receptacle - treatment machine 1 . furthermore , the cladding segments 6 b , which in turn are held freely hanging at their upper end only in pendulum fashion and are entirely free at the lower end , are set obliquely in the effective state of the shielding system 5 b ( fig8 ) and arranged in such a way that , with two adjacent cladding segments 6 b , the longitudinal edge 6 . 1 of the one cladding segment 6 b of the receptacle - treatment machine 1 lies closer than the longitudinal edge 6 . 1 , adjacent to this longitudinal edge 6 . 1 of the other cladding segment 6 b . as a result of this , a gap 12 forms between the adjacent cladding segments 6 b , oriented obliquely to the circumference of the rotor 4 , for example for the passage of an air flow produced by the circulating rotor 4 , but nevertheless the cladding segments 6 b following one another still overlap in an axial direction radially or essentially radially to the machine axis ma sufficiently far for the receptacle fragments 2 . 1 moved or thrown outwards from the treatment machine 1 or from the treatment positions 3 respectively will be reliably caught by the shielding system 5 b in the manner described heretofore . fig1 shows a further embodiment in which a shielding system 5 c with a plurality of lamellar cladding segments 6 c forms the vertical protection wall of this cladding , which in each case are provided on one of their longitudinal sides 6 . 1 with an angle arrangement 6 . 1 . 1 . for the pendulum - type suspension of the cladding segments 6 , two guides 8 are provided . the two guides 8 are offset radially to the machine axis by an amount that is equal to or essentially equal to the length of the angle arrangements 6 . 1 . 1 . in the effective state represented in fig1 of the shielding system 5 c , the angle arrangement 6 . 1 . 1 of a cladding segment 6 c lies against the adjacent cladding segment 6 c or is adjacent to this , and specifically on the longitudinal side 6 . 1 that does not comprise the angle arrangement 6 . 1 . 1 . fig1 shows a representation similar to that in fig1 and in the effective state of a shielding system 5 d with a plurality of cladding segments 6 d . these cladding segments 6 d are not configured in lamellar manner . instead , they are formed from tubular elements that are held at their upper ends on two guides so as to hang freely as pendulums , and specifically in such a way that the cladding segments 6 d , at least in the effective state of the shielding system 5 d , form two rows and from row to row are set forward with a gap . fig1 and 13 show representations corresponding to fig2 and 3 of a shielding system 5 e that differs from the shielding system 5 a - 5 c only in that the upper cladding segments 11 are not held hanging at the respective suspension point 11 . 1 , but are tensioned at the guide 8 . these cladding segments 11 , upon being hit by receptacle fragments 2 . 1 , deflect elastically in order to absorb and eliminate the kinetic energy . widely differing materials are suitable for producing the cladding segments 6 a - 6 d and 11 , but plastics are preferred . in a particularly advantageous embodiment , at least the cladding segments 6 a - 6 d are made of a transparent material , for example of polycarbonate . as a result , even with the shielding system 5 a in the effective state , it is possible to see the treatment of the receptacles at the treatment positions 3 . by suitably selecting a cladding segment &# 39 ; s size and the material from which it is made , it is possible to ensure that its mass is at least equal to or preferably greater than the mass of the largest receptacle fragment 2 . 1 to be anticipated . in certain embodiments , the mass of each cladding segment 6 a - 6 d amounts to less than 50 % of the mass of the receptacles 2 . in particular when the cladding segments 6 a - 6 d and 11 consist of a non - metallic material , they are provided , at least on that surface side which in the effective state of the shielding system 5 a - 5 e faces towards the treatment machine 1 and its rotor 4 respectively , with a flexible and / or elastic coating . this coating prevents damage to this surface side that might otherwise result from impact by receptacle fragments 2 . 1 and / or the penetration of receptacle fragments 2 . 1 . a suitable coating is one with a higher hardness value than that of the cladding segments 6 a - 6 d and 11 . this coating is then arranged so as to be either continuous or formed from a plurality of adjacent coating regions or particles . suitable materials include glass , or also particles of a hard material , such as particles of glass or particles of metal . it is understood that this coating is applied sufficiently thinly onto the cladding segments 6 a - 6 d and 11 so that the flexibility and elasticity of these segments is retained . in addition to the configuration described of the cladding segments 6 a - 6 d , there is also the possibility of providing lengths of chain as cladding segments . these hang at the guide 8 and are otherwise free . each cladding segment then comprises at least one length of chain with a plurality of chain links . the latter consist in turn of a metallic material or of plastic . it has been assumed that the shielding system 5 a - 5 e at the receptacle - treatment machine 1 is used in a filling machine . it is of course possible for the shielding system to be used also with other receptacle - treatment machines in critical zones or regions in which there is a risk of receptacle breakage with receptacle fragments being moved or hurled away from the machine , for example by centrifugal force . it has also been assumed heretofore that the cladding segments 6 a - 6 d are arranged at the receptacle - treatment machine 1 for the formation of the protection wall 9 following on from one another , and in each case are held hanging freely in pendulum fashion , by their upper ends only . this is not essential , however . in some embodiments , the cladding elements 6 a - 6 d are accommodated elastically at least at one of their ends . it is to be understood by this that the cladding elements are connected via a working connection to an elastically deformable element , to its mounting , and / or to the receptacle - treatment machine . if , with this embodiment , a glass splinter or a glass shard now impacts a cladding element 6 a - 6 d , it is capable of undergoing further elastic deformation . in addition , however , the elastic mounting element is also elastically deformed . when the effect of the glass splinter or glass shard has ended , the elastically deformable element reverts to its original overall arrangement , wherein , however , a part of the energy stored by the elastic deformation is converted by inner or outer friction processes into heat . this reduces the effects of shattering glass bottles or similar receptacles made of glass . the invention has been described heretofore on the basis of exemplary embodiments . it is understood that numerous modifications and divergences are possible without thereby leaving the inventive concept on which the invention is based . | 5 |
having discussed the problems associated with post - operative partial discectomy with respect to fig1 a - 1c , reference will now be made to fig2 , which illustrates a preferred embodiment of the invention , wherein a device in the form of a stent 202 is used to occlude a detect 204 in a human disc , as shown . in this preferred embodiment , the device is composed of a flexible material , which may be cloth , polymeric or metallic . for reasons discussed below , a titanium mesh screen is preferred with respect to this embodiment of the invention . a flexible device is also preferred because the surgeon is presented with a very small working area . the incision through the skin is typically on the order of 1 to 1 . 5 inches in length , and the space at the disc level is approximately 1 centimeter on the side . as a consequence , the inventive device and the tools associated with insertion and fixation described below must be sufficiently narrow to fit within these confines . as shown in fig3 a - 3c , a flexible screen enables the device to be collapsed into an elongated form 302 , which , in turn , facilitates introduction into a sheath 304 associated with insertion . a push rod 306 may then be introduced into the other end of the sheath 304 , and either the sheath pulled backwardly or the push rod pushed forwardly , or both , resulting in the shape shown in fig3 c , now suitable for implantation . to further assist in fixation with respect to the surrounding physiology , anchors 402 may be provided around a peripheral edge of the device , as shown in fig4 a . fig4 b shows an end view of the device of fig4 a , and fig5 illustrates the device with anchors generally at 500 , being fixed relative to a defective disc 504 bounded by upper and lower vertebrae at 502 . it will be apparent to those of skill that each of the devices disclosed herein may be made in different sizes , having varying peripheral dimensions , for example , to match differently sized defects . fig6 a and 6b illustrate how a distracting tool 602 may be used to force the anchors into the vertebrae . that is , having introduced the device into the approximate area , the tool 602 , having a forward shape corresponding to that of the expanded mesh shape , may be introduced therein , as shown in fig6 b . with force being applied to the tool 602 , the anchors may be permanently set into the surrounding bone / tissue . fig7 a illustrates an alternative approach to fixation , wherein one or more notches 700 may be made into the upper and lower vertebra , preferably through the use of an air - operated drill 704 shown in fig7 b , having a cutting wheel 702 adapted for such a purpose . fig7 c illustrates the way in which a flexible body 708 may be retained by the notches 700 described with respect to fig7 a and 7b . fig8 illustrates an alternative orientation of a flexible body having a convex surface facing outwardly with respect to the wall of the disc being repaired . fig9 a illustrates a further alternative associated with fixation wherein anchors 902 which penetrate the outer wall of the disc 905 are used to hold a flexible repair device 900 in place as shown . fig9 b shows yet a further alternative fixation modality , wherein disc anchors 906 , which do not penetrate the outer wall of the disc , but , rather remain there within , are used to hold the device 904 in place . fig9 c illustrates yet a further alternative mode of fixation , wherein anchors 908 are used to hold the device to upper and lower vertebra , as opposed to the anchors of fig9 a and 9b , which are used with respect to the disc . regardless of whether fixation takes place within the vertebra or within the disc , it will be noted that according to the preferred embodiment of the invention , both the device used to occlude the defect and the fixation means are sufficiently flexible that the defect remains occluded with movement of the spine , that is , with the patient leaning forwardly and backwardly which will tend to change the spacing between the upper and lower vertebra . fig1 illustrates yet a different embodiment of the invention wherein , as opposed to a piece of flexible material or mesh , a resilient plug 1002 is instead utilized to occlude the disc defect . as in the case of the flexible sheath - like embodiments described above , such plugs are preferably offered in different sizes to correlate with differently sized defects . in terms of a preferred material , a device according to the invention will therefore remain sufficiently flexible during movement while being capable of exerting continuous outward forces and withstanding repetitive compression and distraction of millions of cycles . the device would , therefore , preferably be made of a material that has these characteristics , while , additionally being radio - opaque for x - ray imaging , without producing too many unwanted artifacts in magnetic resonance imaging . a wire mesh of titanium is therefore preferable , since this has the proper x - ray / mri characteristics while exhibiting the requisite flexibility for the cyclic flexion and extension . with respect to the embodiment of fig1 , a resilient , rubber - like material may be used to occlude the defect as shown in the drawing from a side - view perspective . the invention is not limited in the sense that any conformable device may be used with a first shape permitting the device to be introduced into the defective area and a second shape wherein the device includes a defect . as shown in fig1 a - 11c , for example , a wire 1102 having a “ memory effect ” may be used , preferably having a final diameter which is larger than void 1104 . fig1 b shows the coil 1102 in cross - section between upper and lower vertebra . preferably , this embodiment would use a metal wire that may be straightened , but retain the memory of its coiled shape . as such , the apparatus of fig1 c may be used to introduce the wire in straightened form 1108 with a plunger 1110 , such that as the wire exits at 1106 , it returns to its memorized state of a coil ( or alternative second shape operative to include the defect ). as yet a different alternative mode of introduction , a material may be injected into the disc in liquid form , then allowed to hardened into a size sufficient to occlude the annular hole . as shown in fig1 , material 1202 may be injected into the void of the disc space using a plunger 1204 inserted into a tube 1206 . upon introduction in this manner , the liquid would then solidify , forming a resilient plug . various materials may be utilized for this purpose , including various polymers which are caused to solidify by various means , including thermal or optical activation , or chemical reaction as part of multi - part compounds . a preferred material with respect to this embodiment would be a hydrogel . hydrogels may be placed into the disc in a dehydrated state , and , once inside the disc , they imbibe water . after hydration , hydrogels have the same biomechanical properties as a natural nucleus and , in addition , as the hydrogels swell , they become too large to extrude back through the annular window . u . s . pat . nos . 5 , 047 , 055 and 5 , 192 , 326 provide a listing of hydrogels , certain of which are applicable to this invention . an elastomer may be used as an alternative to a hydrogel or other material . a number of elastomers may be suited to the invention , including a silicon elastomer , which comprises a cured dimethylsiloxane polymer and hexsyn , having a composition of one - hexane with three to five percent methylhexaiene . a preformed elastomer may be inserted into the inclusion upon curing or , alternatively , as discussed with reference to fig1 , may be injected into the disc space and liquid form . chemicals may be added to accelerate curing , as discussed above , or , a hot or cold probe , or uv light may be introduced to facilitate or accelerate the curing process . preferably , such materials would include a radio - opaque additive which would enable the physician to verify the position of the implant with an x - ray . ideally , the radio - opaque additive would not change the mechanical properties of the gel or elastomer , and would ideally incorporate contrast throughout to enhance detail . now making to fig1 and 14 , fig1 a and 13b illustrate an alternative type of stent having leaves or other appendages that may be folded into a compact state for insertion , fig1 a , and which expand , through memory affect , for example , to a state such as that shown in fig1 b . a stent such as this , as well as other devices disclosed herein such as the coil form of fig1 , may be used in conjunction with a gel or other void - filling material as described above . as shown in fig1 a , a stent 1402 of the type shown with respect to fig1 , may be introduced into the void , after which the remaining volume of the void may be filled with a material 1404 which solidifies into a resilient material . fig1 b is a side - view drawing of the embodiment of fig1 a . an expandable stent of this kind may be incorporated into the elastomer or other resilient material to help prevent migration of the prosthesis through the annular hole . in contrast to embodiments of the invention wherein a stent is used independently , in this particular embodiment , the stent would preferably not touch vertebra , since it would be surrounded entirely by the elastomer or other gel material . fig1 a - 15e illustrate various alternative embodiments according to the invention wherein a patch material is used inside , outside , or partially inside and outside of a defect to be blocked . fig1 a illustrates a fiat patch attached onto the outside of the disc . fig1 b illustrates a patch attached on the outside but wherein a central portion extends inwardly into the void . fig1 c illustrates a patch disposed within the disc to block the defect . fig1 d illustrates how a patch may be anchored to the bone above and below the disc , and fig1 e illustrates how the patch may be anchored to the disc itself . the patch material be a fiber , including natural materials , whether human , non - human or synthetic ; an elastomer ; plastic ; or metal . if a fiber material is used , it may be selected so as to promote tissue in - growth . growth of a patient &# 39 ; s tissue into the material would assure a more permanent closure of the annular window . the patch may be attached within appropriate means , including stitches , staples , glue , screws or other special anchors . in addition to the use of patches attached with sutures , staples or other materials , the annular defect may be closed with staples or other devices which attach to the annulus without the need for patch material . for example , as shown in fig1 a , darts 1602 may be inserted through the wall of the annulus 1604 , then linked with sutures 1606 , preferably in woven or criss - crossed fashion , as shown in fig1 b . as an alternative , appropriately shaped darts 1702 may be criss - crossed or otherwise interlocked to the close the annular hole , as shown in the top - view cross - section drawing of fig1 a or a side - view of fig1 b . the use of flexible stents as described elsewhere herein may take on other forms , as shown in fig1 a - 18d . the device of fig1 a , for example , preferably includes a body 1802 , preferably including a blunt anterior end to prevent penetration of the anterior annulus , and outer spikes 1806 , preferably having different lengths , as best seen in the on - axis view of fig1 b . such a stent configuration may provide more areas of contact with the vertebral end plates , thereby decreasing the chances of stent extrusion . as shown in fig1 c , the longer spikes 1806 are configured to bend during insertion , thereby preventing posterior extrusion . the shorter spikes , 1806 ′, are sized so as not to engage the vertebrae , and therefore may be made thicker to prevent deflection by disc material . as an option , the shorter spikes 1806 ′ may also be angled in the opposite direction as compared to the longer spikes 1806 to resist migration of the disc material . as yet a further option , the longer spikes may vary in length on the same stent so as to be conformal to the vertebral end plate concavity . as shown in fig1 d , multiple spike stents of this kind may be inserted so as to interlock with one another , thereby preventing migration of the group . as shown in fig1 a - 19c , shapes other than spiked stents may be used in interlocking fashion . in fig1 a , a first piece 1902 is inserted having a removable handle 1904 , after which pieces 1902 ′ and 1902 ″ are inserted , each having their own removable handles , as shown . in fig1 b , the handles are pulled , so as to bring the pieces together , and in fig1 c , the handles are removed , and the pieces are either snapped together or , through the use of suitable material , sutured into place . fig2 a - 20e illustrate a different configuration of this kind , wherein a body 2002 having anchor or wire - receiving apertures 2004 is inserted into the annular hole , as shown in fig2 b , at which time a wire 2006 is inserted through the body 2002 as shown in fig2 c . as shown in fig2 d , the wire is installed sufficient to lock one portion of the body into place , and this is followed with a wire on the opposite side , thereby holding the body 2002 in a stabilized manner . it will be appreciated that although multiple wires or anchors are used in this configuration , bodies configured to receive more or fewer wires or anchors are also anticipated by this basic idea . fig2 a - 21c illustrate a different alternative , wherein wires 2102 each having a stop 2104 are first inserted through the annular window , after which blocking beads having snap - in side configurations are journaled onto the wire across the annular hole , as shown in fig2 b . fig2 c illustrates how , having locked multiple beads onto the wire , the defect is affectively occluded . fig2 a and 22b illustrate the use of a removable dam component . as shown in fig2 a , bodies 2202 , each having removable handles 2204 , are first inserted on the side portions of the defect , each member 2202 including slots , grooves or apertures 2206 , configured to receive a dam 2210 , which may be made of a rigid or pliable material , depending upon vertebral position , the size of the defect , and other factors . fig2 b illustrates the dam 2210 locked in position . certain of the following embodiments illustrate how the invention permits the use of a flexible device which allows movement between the vertebrae yet blocks extrusion of nucleus through an annular hole or defect . in fig2 a , for example , a flexible element 2302 is tacked into position on the upper vertebrae , as perhaps best seen in fig2 d , though it should be apparent that a fixation to the lower vertebrae may also be used . fig2 b illustrates how , once the member 2302 is fastened in place , it may flex under compression , but return to a more elongated shape in distraction , as shown in fig2 c . the blocking element 2302 may be made from various materials , including shape - memory materials , so long as it performs the function as described herein . fig2 a illustrates a different configuration , which is tacked to both the upper and lower vertebrae , and fig2 b and 24c show how the device performs in compression and distraction , respectively . since devices attached to both the upper and lower vertebrae need not automatically assume a memorized shape , alternative materials may preferably be used , including biocompatible rubbers and other pliable membranes . it is important that the flexible member not be too redundant or stretched so as to compress the nerve , as shown in fig2 . fig2 illustrates an alternative z - shaped installation configuration . as an alternative to inherently flexible materials which occlude a defect while accommodating compression and distraction , interleaving members may alternatively be used , as shown in fig2 - 28 . fig2 a is a view from an oblique perspective , showing how upper and lower plate 2702 and 2704 of any suitable shape , may be held together with springs 2706 , or other resilient material , between which there is supported interleaving tines 2708 . as better seen in fig2 b , the springs 2706 allow the upper and lower plates 2702 and 2704 to move toward and away from one another , but at all times , tines 2708 remain interleaving , thereby serving to block a defect . fig2 a and 28b illustrate the way in which interleaving members or tines are preferably inserted directly to vertebrae . since each member overlaps with the next , such tines are preferably installed from front to back ( or back to front , as the case may be ), utilizing a tool such as 2810 , as shown in fig2 b . the instrument 2810 forces each tack into one vertebrae at a time by distracting against the other vertebrae , thereby applying pressure as the jaws are forced apart , driving the tack into the appropriate vertebrae . the tack may be held into place on the instrument by a friction fit , and may include a barbed end so as not to pull out following insertion . as a further alternative configuration , a collapsed bag may be placed into the disc space , then filled with a gas , liquid or gel once in position . the bag may be empty , or may contain a stent or expanding shape to assist with formation . in the case of a gel , silicon may be introduced so as to polymerized or solidify . as shown in fig2 a and 29b , the use of a non - contained silicon vessel may be used , but , under distraction , may remain in contact with the vertebrae , thereby increasing the likelihood of a reaction to silicone . the invention therefore preferably utilizes a contain structure in the case of a silicon filler , as shown in fig3 a , such that , upon distraction , the vessel remains essentially the same shape , thereby minimizing vertebral contact . it is noted that , depending upon the configuration , that the invention may make use of a bioabsorbable materials , that is , materials which dissolve in the body after a predetermined period of time . for example , if darts such as those shown in fig1 and 17 are used , they may bioabsorb following sufficient time for the in - growth of recipient tissue sufficient to occlude the defect independently . any of the other configurations described herein which might not require certain components in time may also take advantage of bioabsorbable materials . furthermore , although the invention has been described in relation to preventing the release of natural disc materials , the invention may also be used to retain bone graft for fusion ; therapeutic materials including cultured disc cells , glycosaminoglycans , and so forth ; and artificial disc replacement materials . disc fusions are generally performed for degenerative disc disease , spondylolysis ( a stress fracture through the vertebra ), spondylolisthesis ( slippage of one vertebra on another ), arthritis of the facet joints , spinal fractures , spinal tumors , recurrent disc herniations , and spinal instability . the procedure attempts to eliminate motion between vertebra to decrease a patient &# 39 ; s pain and / or prevent future problems at the intervertebral level . devices such as spinal cages are generally used in conjunction with such procedures to maintain the separation between the vertebrae until fusion occurs . some surgeons believe that cages are not necessary to maintain the separation , and instead use pedicle screws or hooks and rods to perform this function . whether or not a cage is used , bone graft is generally introduced through a hole formed in the disc space to achieve an interbody fusion . unfortunately , bone material placed into the disc space can extrude through the hole used for insertion . bone graft extruded through a hole in the posterior portion of the disc may cause nerve root impingement . the procedure to fuse vertebra across the disc space from a posterior approach is known as a plif ( posterior lumbar interbody fusion ). bone can also be placed into the disc space from an anterior approach alif ( anterior lumbar interbody fusion ). extruded bone from an anterior approach would not lead to nerve impingement but could decrease the likelihood of a successful fusion by decreasing the volume of bone graft . the present invention may be used to prevent the loss of the bone graft material associated with fusion techniques , whether or not a cage is used . in this particular regard , however , some of the devices disclosed herein may be more suitable than others . generally speaking , since the goal is not to preserve disc function and motion , the stent , plug , and patch embodiments may be more appropriate . although the plug embodiment would be a good choice when there is ample room in the spinal canal to allow insertion , the expandable stent design would be beneficial when plug insertion risks nerve injury . conversely , since the goal is to maximize the amount of bone inserted into the disc space , the embodiments using hydrogels and elastomers might not be optimum , since such materials may occupy too much space in some circumstances . the preferred choice of materials may also be changed since motion is not being maintained . materials and designs with shape memory may be beneficial . as another example , the polymer plug embodiment may changed to a metal such as titanium . a metal plug may be fabricated with threads and screwed into place , as shown in fig3 a , or the device may feature ridges and be impacted into place ( fig3 b ). as shown in fig3 c , the ridges may also be asymmetric to resist posterior migration . in all cases , the teeth , screw threads or ridges would extent at least partially into the adjacent vertebra for secure purchase , as depicted in fig3 d . such plugs may also be positioned bilaterally , that is , with two per level , as shown in fig3 . | 0 |
the automated tactical datalink translator ( atdt ) proposes a process that would provide an automated method of generating code configured to facilitate the translating between two computer system protocols . the first step in the atdt process , illustrated in fig6 , is to load the each protocol of interest 602 into a database 604 . loading each protocol into a database requires that the respective protocols be dissected into their most fundamental building blocks . most protocols are comprised of one or more messages 606 that are made up of one or more fields 610 , 612 , 614 . the simplistic nature of the depiction of the messaging format shown in fig6 is for illustration purposes . the atdt tool is capable of handling protocols consisting of far greater complexity than that illustrated in fig6 , requiring further grouping and nesting of fields . during the process of dissecting the protocol , each message and field will be tagged with a standardized metadata tag 620 , 622 , 624 . the purpose of these metadata tags is to establish the common constructs between protocols so that one protocol can be mapped to another through automation . accordingly , fig6 shows the beginnings of the dissection of a basic message that has at least three fields 610 , 612 , 614 . each field has an associated field type 620 , 622 , 624 . this field type represents metadata that can be used during code generation to determine how to translate from one protocol to the next . only two pieces of metadata , type 620 , 622 , 624 and enumerations 630 , 632 , 634 are shown in fig6 in an effort to simply the illustration . however , there can be numerous pieces of metadata on any given component ( message , field , or abstract grouping ). such metadata includes but is not limited to , field size , maximum and minimum values , purpose , description , starting bit location , ending bit location , transmission rates , associated messages , message sequences , enumerations ( valid field values ), transmit / receive rules , revision , update rates , applicable standards , starting delimiter , ending delimiter , encryption or encoding , minimum and maximum number of occurrences , validity checking rules , and usage of the same field within other messages within the protocol . while the majority of the process description for the present invention has focused on the message and field level of the computer protocols , it is to be understood that the atdt process allows for higher abstraction of messages and would therefore be supported by an ontology . for example , some protocols group messages into a common category . examples may include concepts such as network control , air surveillance , distributed routing and the like . these higher - level abstractions typically represent groups of two or more messages . it is contemplated that a respective ontology developed for the atdt process would include the ability to group messages and allow the operator to quickly identify several messages at once simply by selecting a higher level function as opposed to having to determine each individual message ( although the process allows the operator to determine each individual message ). many protocols require a sequence of messages . this is often referred to as ‘ handshaking ’ or ‘ transactions ’ in the trade whereby a successful message exchange is comprised of the ordered sequence of one or more messages . it is contemplated that the atdt process shall support the identification of related handshaking messages . this would allow the operator to selected the highest level message ( or the core message in the sequence ) and rely on the atdt tool to incorporate the rest of the related messages . this information would be stored in the protocol database and would also be tagged with metadata so as to allow the atdt process to identify those common constructs , or in this case , message sequences . in the present embodiment , once the protocol is loaded into a protocol database 604 , the process does not need to be repeated unless the protocol changes or if a new protocol needs to be added that has not been added to the database previously . additionally , the atdt process does not imply that all protocols need to reside in a single database . it is to be understood that a given database may contain as few as one protocol or as many as the underlying database can contain . the most important factor in the loading of a protocol into a database is the mapping of the individual building blocks to a common metadata representation . as illustrated in fig7 , the second step in the atdt process is prefaced by some operator interaction , whereby the operator is provided with a method of selecting which protocols the operator would like to have translated 640 . in particular , the operator would be given the option to selectively choose which individual messages or fields they desire to have translated . the selection process provides the operator with considerable control over the scalability of the process and thereby control over the amount of information that is translated . the list of available messages and protocols is retrieved from the database 604 . once the operator finishes a selection of the messages 642 that they would like to have translated , the selections made are passed to a second process ( which in some embodiments shall be automated ) that maps the common constructs from a first protocol to a second protocol 644 . this process is accomplished by retrieving the protocol definitions and metadata from each of the respective protocol databases 604 and mapping the two protocols based on the protocol definitions . as an example , suppose two protocols contained a message for reporting the location of some entity , e . g . an airplane . this part of the process would search for the corresponding position reporting message in the desired output protocol , which is chosen by the operator . next this automated process would look for common constructs such as latitude , longitude , altitude , air speed , etc . depending on what fields are available from the source protocol message , if there are any required translation ( e . g . feet to meters , degrees to radians , et al ), this process would also identify the required translations . in addition to identifying messages that may be translated , the mapping process also identifies constructs , which could not be translated . constructs cannot be translated if there are no custom conversion routines 646 . if there are custom translation routines , the routines are retrieved from data storage 648 , 650 . if there are no custom conversion routines , the operator is provided both the successful and unsuccessful mappings 652 . at this point , the operator may either ignore these discrepancies caused by the unsuccessful mappings or provide custom conversion routines if the mapping process failed to adequately identify a method for translating this information from one protocol to the next 654 , 656 . since the operator would most likely want to repeat this entire process multiple times , any corrections that the operator is required to make at this point in the process could be saved to persistent storage ( e . g . a file or database ) for retrieval later . thus if the operator had to provide custom conversion routines for ten of the translations , these could be retrieved automatically the next time the operator runs the process , thereby streamlining the entire operation on successive iterations . the final steps of the atdt process is to convert the required mappings and translations into code 658 . like the construct mapping process , this is an automated process working off of the information gathered from the previous processes . the final piece of information required from the operator would be the software language 662 , 664 to use for the translation . the software language determines the output format of the translation code 668 . one of the distinguishing factors of the atdt process is its ability to support multiple software languages . this is accomplished by defining the translations in a language agnostic form . thus the process of converting the mappings and translations to code 660 involves the cross referencing of the language agnostic translation instructions into language specific constructs . these software language specific constructs are retrieved from a separate database . this would allow new software languages to be added in the future without the need to completely revamp the atdt process . further it would allow the operator to choose the output language that best fits their specific needs based on the host platform on which they are trying to run . thus , instead of forcing the operator to adapt to the output of the atdt process , the atdt process adapts its output to the needs of the operator by constructing the code in a format that best matches the needs of the operator . one of the keystones to the atdt process is the development of an ontology , which allows the operator to define their protocols in an agnostic format . this ontology would be the basis for the metadata that would allow the operator to categorize each of the messages , fields , or any other construct that can be used to represent a protocol . this would include things such as enumerations . for example , one protocol may represent an f / a - 18 as a string while another protocol may represent an f / a - 18 as the number ten in binary . the ontology would provide a common means of representing these two formats so that the atdt process could identify these clearly different representations as the same item . in addition to enumerations , the ontology would define common types as well . in the computing industry these are relatively finite and include such things as integers , floating point numbers , fixed point numbers , and strings . there are variants of each of these and it is contemplated that the atdt process would enumerate each of these . these basic types are the foundation for determining how to generate the code that would translate a field value from one protocol to the next . reference has been made throughout this specification to “ one embodiment ,” “ an embodiment ,” or “ an example embodiment ” meaning that a particular described feature , structure , or characteristic is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention . thus , usage of such phrases may refer to more than just one embodiment . furthermore , the described features , structures , or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments . one skilled in the relevant art may recognize , however , that the invention may be practiced without one or more of the specific details , or with other methods , resources , materials , etc . in other instances , well known structures , resources , or operations have not been shown or described in detail merely to avoid obscuring aspects of the invention . while example embodiments and applications of the present invention have been illustrated and described , it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the precise configuration and resources described above . various modifications , changes , and variations apparent to those skilled in the art may be made in the arrangement , operation , and details of the methods and systems of the present invention disclosed herein without departing from the scope of the claimed invention . | 7 |
in the text below , unless otherwise stated , the terms “ inner ” and “ outer ” relate to the location of various components in relation to a rim mounted on a vehicle axle , marked x . the terms “ axial ” and “ radial ” consequently relate to a location or extent in relation to the central axis of the rim . fig1 a shows a vehicle wheel according to the invention , in this case a front wheel for a heavy truck or a bus . the wheel 1 comprises a tire 2 , mounted on a rim 3 , the rim being provided with a number of openings 4 and a central section having a number of holes ( not shown ) for wheel bolts 5 for mounting the wheel 1 on a wheel hub ( not shown ) with an axis of rotation x on the vehicle . when mounting the wheel 1 , a holder 6 is placed against the rim 3 and is securely bolted by means of the wheel bolts 5 . the holder 6 comprises attachments 7 having a pair of first contact surfaces 7 ′, for resting against the rim 3 , and a second contact surface 8 , for resting against the wheel cap and located at an axial distance from the first contact surface 7 ′. the first contact surface 7 is designed as a bent plate having a cross section in the shape of a hat - shaped profile , ends 7 ″ ( see fig2 ) of the profile being fastened to the second contact surface 8 . the location and the design shape of the attachment 7 are illustrated by means of a section through the holder 6 . the second contact surface is designed as an annular disc 8 having an outer peripheral edge 9 , which is angled axially inwards in relation to the wheel axis x in order to provide further protection for the wheel bolts . for the same reasons the disc 8 may also be provided with a corresponding or somewhat smaller inner peripheral edge . the first contact surfaces 7 ′ are each provided with a first hole 10 , preferably corresponding in diameter to the wheel bolts 5 , for fastening the holder 6 to the rim 3 . the annular disc 8 is provided with a number of second holes 11 , of which two holes are located concentrically with the first hole 10 . the number of second holes 11 corresponds to the number of wheel bolts 5 , but the holes have a larger diameter in order to allow access to the wheel bolts 5 with a box spanner or similar tool . the holder 6 constitutes a fastening for a wheel cap 12 , which has been endowed with a suitable design shape to match the diameter of the rim 3 and the axial extent thereof . on its inner surface the wheel cap 12 is provided with at least two , preferably five clips 13 for detachable mounting of the wheel cap 12 on the annular disc 8 of the holder 6 . the clips 13 are fitted to the wheel cap 12 in order to permit interaction with a corresponding number of second holes 11 in the disc 8 . the location of the clips is illustrated by means of a section through the wheel cap . the number of clips can be varied having regard to the adhesive force that is exerted on the holder by different types of clips . the clips can be fastened to the wheel cap by screwing , riveting , adhesive bonding or spot - welding , depending on the material of the clips and the wheel cap . the clips can also be molded into the material if a plastic material is used in the wheel cap . the number of clips may vary from two up to a number corresponding to the number of wheel bolts , depending on the type of clip and the forces to which the wheel cap is likely to be exposed . the figure shows the wheel cap with openings to reveal the clips , but it is naturally possible to make the wheel cap entirely plane . the latter design results in improved aerodynamic characteristics and / or less accumulation of dirt and the like in the holder and around the wheel bolts . the embodiment according to fig1 a shows wheel bolts , but fasteners in the form of wheel nuts are naturally also possible . the holder is preferably made from sheet metal of a suitable metal and a suitable thickness and also provides the wheel bolts with protection against external influences . fig1 b shows an alternative embodiment of the wheel cap , in which a wheel cap 12 has been given a diameter only slightly larger than the diameter of the holder 6 . otherwise the holder 6 and the wheel cap 12 ′ are mounted in the same way as described in connection with fig1 a . this embodiment means that a driver can use the wheel cap 12 ′ as a foothold for climbing up into the cab , for example on a ferry when the door cannot be fully opened . the outer peripheral edge of the wheel cap will thereby come to rest against the outer peripheral edge 9 of the holder , which carries the load when the driver stands on the wheel cap 12 ′. fig2 shows a view of the holder 6 according to fig1 , with the wheel cap 12 fitted . as will be seen from the figure , the attachments 7 are fitted to the inner surface 8 ′ of the annular disc 8 by spot - welding . the attachments can naturally be fitted by means of rivets , screws , or the like . the figure also shows how the wheel cap 12 is held fast to the holder 6 by means of five clips 13 , which have been inserted through holes in the annular disc 8 in order to be locked against the inner surface 8 ′ of the disc facing the rim . according to the embodiment shown each clip 13 is mounted radially in its longitudinal direction , in order to interact with the corresponding radially inner and outer edges of the respective hole 11 ( see fig3 b ). in addition the wheel cap 12 is provided with a number of guides 14 for interaction with the holes 11 in the annular disc 8 that have not been used by the clips 13 . these guides 14 are preferably located in a tangential direction relative to each hole , in order to interact with the corresponding edges of the holes . the guides help to guide the clip correctly in toward the respective hole when mounting the wheel cap . the guides preferably comprise bent plates having a first end fixed to the wheel cap and a second end arranged at right angles to the plane of the annular disc 8 adjoining the respective hole . the guides can be fastened in the same way as the clips . it is naturally possible to orient the respective guides in other directions , for example at right - angles to the placement shown in fig2 . alternatively , the guides may be replaced entirely by clips , these being suitably oriented radially and tangentially by turns , as a substitute for the locating function of the guide when mounting the wheel cap . fig3 a shows an alternative embodiment of the holder 6 , as described in connection with fig1 . the holder 6 consists of a first contact surface in the form of a first annular disc 7 ″, for resting against the rim 3 , a second annular disc 8 , located at an axial distance from the first annular disc 7 ″, and a cylindrical section 15 , which joins the respective first and second annular discs 7 ″, 8 together along the radially outer periphery of the respective disc . the first annular disc 7 ″ is provided with a number of first holes 10 , preferably corresponding to the wheel bolts 5 in number and diameter , for fastening the holder 6 to the rim 3 . the second annular disc 8 is provided with a number of second holes 11 , located concentrically with the first holes 10 . the number of second holes 1 1 corresponds to the number of wheel bolts 5 , but the holes have a larger diameter in order to allow access to the wheel bolts 5 with a box spanner or similar tool . the inner peripheral edge 16 of the second annular disc 8 has been angled axially inwards in relation to the wheel axis x in order to afford further protection for the wheel bolts . fig3 b shows a section a - a through the holder in fig3 a . in fig3 b a wheel bolt 5 has been indicated by dashed lines , the diameter d of a first hole 10 in the first annular disc 7 ″ being somewhat greater than the diameter of the threaded section of the wheel bolt 5 . the second annular disc 8 has a second hole 11 of a diameter d that allows a box spanner or the like to be inserted for fitting / removal of the wheel bolt . the hole 11 also forms an attachment for a clip 13 on the wheel cap 12 , which is indicated by a dot - and - dash line . according to this embodiment the clip comprises a sheet metal plate that is fastened to the wheel cap along its central section , the two outer sections thereof being bent out from the wheel cap . these outer sections are bent so that the largest distance between the ends is greater than the diameter d of the second holes 11 in the holder . when the wheel cap 12 is mounted a pair of angled ends of the clip 13 will come into contact with a second hole 11 in the holder 6 , the ends in a first step being pressed toward one another before snapping back a short distance and locking the wheel cap 12 against the holder 6 . fig4 a shows an alternative embodiment of the holder shown in fig3 a . the holder 6 comprises a first contact surface in the form of a first annular disc 7 ″, for resting against the rim 3 , a second annular disc 8 , located at an axial distance from the first annular disc 7 ″, and a cylindrical section 17 which joins the respective first and second annular discs 7 ″, 8 together along the radially inner periphery of the respective disc . the outer peripheral edge 18 of the second annular disc 8 has been angled axially inwards in relation to the wheel axis x in order to afford further protection for the wheel bolts . fig4 b shows a section b - b through the holder 6 in fig4 a . in fig4 b a wheel bolt 5 has been indicated by dashed lines , the diameter d of a first hole 10 in the first annular disc 7 ″ being somewhat greater than the diameter of the threaded section of the wheel bolt 5 . the second annular disc 8 has a second hole 11 of a diameter d that allows a box spanner or the like to be inserted for fitting / removal of the wheel bolt . the hole 11 also forms an attachment for a clip 13 on the wheel cap 12 , as described above . in fig3 a and 4a the holder has been described as a component manufactured in one piece , but it is naturally possible to manufacture each holder in two or more parts which are suitably joined in order to form one component . the reason for this may be that an assembled holder is easier and / or less expensive to manufacture for production engineering reasons . the examples above describe only one type of clip , the two tongues of which are designed to interact with diametrically opposing edges in a preferably circular opening . alternative embodiments may comprise clips having only one tongue , which snaps around a radially inner or outer edge of two or more openings , or around a radially inner or outer peripheral edge of the second contact surface of the holder . the exemplary embodiments above are primarily intended for heavier vehicles , such as trucks and buses , but can also be applied to light trucks , automobiles and other types of vehicle with exposed wheel bolts or wheel nuts . in the present application , the use of terms such as “ including ” is open - ended and is intended to have the same meaning as terms such as “ comprising ” and not preclude the presence of other structure , material , or acts . similarly , though the use of terms such as “ can ” or “ may ” is intended to be open - ended and to reflect that structure , material , or acts are not necessary , the failure to use such terms is not intended to reflect that structure , material , or acts are essential . to the extent that structure , material , or acts are presently considered to be essential , they are identified as such . the invention must therefore not be regarded as being limited to the exemplary embodiments described above , a number of further variants and modifications being feasible without departing from the scope of the following claims . | 1 |
fig1 depicts a block diagram of a location system 100 . the system 100 illustratively uses a global positioning system ( gps ) 101 ( or other similar satellite position location system ) having a plurality of satellites 102 orbiting the earth . the system 100 comprises a reference station network 115 comprising a plurality of geographically dispersed reference stations where each reference station comprises fixed site gps receivers 1101 through 110 ( collectively fixed site gps receiver 110 ), an aiding server 120 with software that executes gps signal processing algorithms 142 , and at least one mobile device 130 . the mobile device 130 is coupled to , or otherwise associated with , an object that is to be located , e . g ., mobile object 131 including personal assets , equipment , persons and the like . the mobile device 130 communicates with the aiding server 120 via a wireless carrier 114 ( e . g ., a cellular telephone network ). each reference station 110 further comprises a conventional gps receiver 112 1 through 112 n ( collectively conventional gps receivers 112 ). for example , for a global network , the network may comprise just a few stations to observe all satellites at all times . each of the conventional gps receivers 112 is coupled to the aiding server 120 via a network communications link 103 . the aiding server 120 receives the satellite information from reference station network 115 and processes the information . the processed information generally contains ephemeris , long term satellite orbit data , or other satellite tracking data . some or all of the processed information , known as aiding information , is coupled to the wireless carrier 114 for transmission to the mobile device 130 . the aiding server 120 provides the mobile device 130 with the aiding information such that the mobile device can compute its position . the mobile device 130 contains a wireless communications transceiver 140 that enables the receiver to communicate with the aiding server 120 through the wireless carrier 114 . the wireless carrier communicates with the server through a conventional communication network 111 . as discussed below , the device 130 comprises a wireless transceiver 140 , a gps receiver front end 134 , and a gps signal processor 138 . in one embodiment , the gps signal processor 138 includes a parallel gps signal correlator and associated software to perform various algorithms described below . one embodiment of such a correlator is described in co - pending u . s . patent application ser . no . 09 / 861 , 086 , filed may 18 , 2001 , which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety . in one embodiment , the mobile device 130 receives aiding information ( e . g ., aiding data that provides one or more of satellite ephemeris , the coefficients of a pseudorange model , doppler information , and estimated position of the device 130 ) from the aiding server 120 through the wireless link 109 , determines a position estimate for the mobile device 130 , receives gps satellite signals , and processes the gps signals . the mobile device 130 uses the processed gps signals and the aiding information to compute its location . in an alternative embodiment , the device 130 provides the processed gps signals to the wireless carrier 114 which transmits the processed signals to the aiding server 120 . the aiding server 120 uses an optional position processor 142 to further process the gps signals from the device 130 to determine the device &# 39 ; s location . a location requestor 122 can then request the receiver &# 39 ; s location through a number of communications paths 105 , e . g ., dial up access , internet access , wired land line and the like . the location requester can also be the user of the mobile device 130 . in various embodiments described herein , the location can be displayed at the mobile device 130 and / or communicated through the wireless carrier 114 to the server 120 . fig2 depicts a block diagram of a global positioning system ( gps ) receiver 200 incorporating the present invention . the use of a gps receiver 200 as the platform within which the invention is incorporated forms one application of the invention . other platforms that require signal correlation may find use for the present invention . the receiver 200 comprises a gps front end 134 and a gps baseband processor 138 . the gps front end 134 comprises a radio - frequency to intermediate frequency ( rf / if ) converter 204 and an analog - to - digital converter ( a / d ) 206 . the front end 134 is coupled to an antenna 202 that is adapted to receive gps signals from gps satellites . the radio - frequency - to - intermediate - frequency converter ( rf / if converter ) 204 filters , amplifies , and frequency shifts the signal for digitization by the analog - to - digital converter ( a / d ) 206 . the elements 202 , 204 and 206 are substantially similar to those elements used in conventional gps or assisted gps receivers . the gps baseband processor 138 comprises a plurality of processing channels 208 and a microcontroller 222 . each processing channel 208 comprises a tuner 210 , a carrier numerically controlled oscillator ( nco ) 212 , a decimation circuit 214 , a code nco 216 , a plurality of correlators 218 , a clock 250 , and a summer 220 . the output of the a / d 206 is coupled to each of the processing channels 208 1 , 208 2 , . . . 208 n ( where n is an integer ) implemented in digital logic . each processing channel 208 n may be used to process the signal from a particular gps satellite . the signal in a particular channel is tuned digitally by the tuner 210 , driven by the carrier nco 212 . the tuner 210 serves two purposes . first , the if frequency component remaining after rf / if conversion is removed to produce a baseband or near - baseband signal . second , the satellite doppler frequency shift resulting from satellite motion , user motion , and reference frequency errors is removed . the output from the tuner is a baseband ( or near baseband ) signal consisting of an in - phase component ( i ) and a quadrature component ( q ). a decimation circuit 214 processes the output of the tuner 210 . the output of the decimation circuit 214 is a series of complex signal samples with i and q components , output at a rate precisely timed to match the timing of the input signal . in one embodiment of the invention , the decimation operation is a simple pre - summer that sums all the incoming signal samples over the period of an output sample . a numerically controlled oscillator ( nco ) 216 is used to time the sampling process . for example , if two samples per chip of the c / a code is desired , the code nco 216 is set to generate a frequency of ( 2 × f s ), where f s is f o ( the gps signal &# 39 ; s c / a code chipping rate ), adjusted for doppler shift . the nco 216 adjusts for doppler shift based on external input from firmware commands . because the doppler shift is different for each satellite , a separate code nco 216 and decimation circuit 214 is required for each channel 208 n . it should be noted that there is no requirement that the incoming sample rate be an integer multiple of the f s , as the code nco 108 is capable of generating an arbitrary frequency . if the decimation circuit 214 is a pre - summer , the number of samples summed will typically toggle between two values , so that over the long term , the correct sample timing is maintained . for example , if the incoming sample rate is 10 mhz , and the desired sample rate is 2 . 046 mhz , the pre - summer will add either 4 or 5 samples , so that the desired sample rate is maintained on average . the decimation circuit 214 may also include a quantizer ( not shown ) at its output to reduce the number of bits in the signal components before further processing . in one embodiment of the invention , 2 - bit quantization is used . the signal samples from decimation circuit 214 are coupled to correlators 218 1 - 218 n ( hereinafter “ correlators 218 ”). each of correlators 218 is designed to produce a correlation between the input signal and a reference code ( the prn code ). the reference code supplied to each of correlators 218 is shifted by one one - half “ chip ” of the gps prn code . as is well known in the art , the correlator 218 having the input signal and prn code aligned will have a high correlation output , all the other correlators will have no output signal . the summer 220 sums all the outputs together such that if a high correlation occurs in any one of the correlators , an output signal will result from the summer 220 . the output of the summer 220 is coupled to a microcontroller 222 . the timing of the correlators 218 is controlled by a clock 250 . the local clock timing adjustment is known as a local clock bias . the prn code used to faun the gps signal repeats every 1023 chips i . e ., one epoch . in one embodiment , to accurately correlate the signal , the correlation is performed in ½ chip intervals , i . e ., requiring 2046 delays . as such , if the entire code were to be correlated at once , 2046 correlators 218 would be required for each of the i and q signals . however , power consumption and circuit size restrictions presently make a processor having 4092 correlators impractical . as such , the gps baseband processor comprises less that 4092 correlators , e . g ., 2046 correlators with 1023 correlators used for i signal processing and 1023 correlators used for q signal processing . these 1023 correlators for each i and q signal are operated in accordance with the invention to facilitate finding a high correlation result as described below . the output of each processing channel 208 is coupled to the microprocessor 222 for processing the parallel correlation results of the 2046 correlators of each processing channel . the microprocessor 222 comprises a central processing unit ( cpu ) 224 , support circuits 226 , and a memory 228 . the cpu 224 may be any form of microprocessor or microcontroller integrated circuit that is known in the art . the support circuits 226 are well known circuits for facilitating the operation of the cpu 224 . the support circuits 226 include , for example , one or more of the following : a cache , power supplies , clock circuits , input / output circuits , and the like . the memory 228 may be one or more of random access memory , read only memory , flash memory , and the like . the memory 228 may be used for storing correlation results as well as for storing executable software such as the correlation software 230 . the correlation software 230 processes the correlation results , controls the timing of the code nco 216 , as well as the timing of the clock 250 that controls prn code delay within the correlators 218 . to facilitate full convolution of an epoch of gps signal using less than the number of correlators available to perform the full convolution , the correlation software must repeatedly utilize the correlators in a sequential manner to compute a full convolution . however , a full convolution may not be necessary since a partial correlation result may be used for timing synchronization . for example , if enough correlators are available to correlate signals in a half of an epoch , then the correlation software 230 will delay the prn code for 0 through 1023 half chips and perform a correlation . if no signal is found then the prn code will be delayed 1024 through 2046 half chips and the correlation will be processed a second time . the correlation will result in either the first half of an epoch , the second half of an epoch , or not at all in some instances when no gps signal is available . once the delay is found that results in the correlation occurring either in the first half epoch or the second half epoch , the timing of the prn code can be adjusted thereafter such that a correlation peak occurs for each epoch of gps signal received . once a correlation peak is found in channel 208 , then the timing parameters ( e . g ., which half epoch resulted in the correlation peak ) can be used to determine a timing parameter estimate ( e . g ., an estimate of clock bias within the clock 250 ) for the other channels 208 2 . . . 208 n . as such , the aiding information is used in combination with the timing parameters of channel 208 1 to reduce the search range for the other satellite signals . using this method of deriving the timing synchronization for the gps receiver allows for timing synchronization without computing an accurate pseudorange to the satellite . in one embodiment of the invention , the correlators 218 during the signal acquisition process used by channel 208 ; may accumulate correlation results for multiple epochs of the gps signal , which repeats at nominal 1 millisecond intervals . for example , if 10 milliseconds of the signal are processed , the output values are the sum of 10 correlation results each generated over one epoch . all the individual correlations should have a similar characteristic , since the timing of the decimation operation ensures that samples are taken at the same relative moment within each epoch . accumulating similar results from individual correlations improves the signal to noise ratio , enhancing the ability of the receiver to detect weak signals . this processing may be referred to as coherent integration and can be combined with magnitude integration to yield correlation results averaged over a time period of up to several seconds . fig3 depicts a flow diagram of software for implementing a correlation method 300 of the present invention . the method 300 begins at step 302 , and proceeds to step 303 wherein the method 300 selects a first gps satellite signal for processing , e . g ., channel 208 1 is tuned to receive signals from a first satellite . at step 304 , the method 300 defines a period of correlation (“ window ”) equal to a range of delays within a predefined time period ( i . e ., a range of relative delays between the received satellite signal and the corresponding pseudorandom reference code ). for a gps signal , the predefined time period is one epoch of 1023 chips in length and the window is a portion of the epoch . for other digital signals , the predefined time period may other lengths of digital code . in one embodiment , the window is selected to be one - half of an epoch . at step 306 , the parallel correlators are used to correlate the received satellite signal across the window defined at step 304 , wherein a prn reference code is delayed by a half a chip in each correlator . as described above , there are 1023 correlators that correlate on half chip increments of the 1023 chips within the prn code of the gps signal . at step 308 , the method 300 queries whether a correlation peak was found within the half epoch that was processed . if a high correlation peak was found , the method 300 proceeds to step 312 , knowing that the prn code needs to be delayed to a time within the half epoch . if the correlation peak is not found in step 308 , then the method 300 proceeds to step 310 , where another window within the predefined time period is selected ( i . e ., another range of delays ). for example , the window selected at step 310 may be the second half of the epoch . the method 300 then proceeds to step 306 , where the correlation is repeated for the newly selected window . in this manner , the prn code phase delay or timing can be determined to within a half epoch without computing an accurate pseudorange to the first satellite . at step 312 , timing parameters are determined and used to correlate other gps satellite signals . notably , each processing channel 208 2 through 208 n will perform a correlation using the timing parameters of the first channel in combination with the aiding information . more specifically , the result of the first channel is used to bound the clock 250 in the gps receiver , e . g ., a delay range is known to be in the half epoch . the method 300 ends at step 314 . although the above embodiment has been described with respect to a window equal to one half of an epoch , those skilled in the art will realize that other windows or range of delays may be used to perform correlation of a digital signal . for example , with a gps epoch being 1023 chips long , if the correlation period were one fourth of an epoch , where 512 correlators were used in the correlation method of fig3 , then 512 correlations would be performed at most four times to identify which one fourth of an epoch the correlation occurs . as such the timing parameter , e . g ., the local clock bias , would be found to an accuracy of within one fourth of an epoch . other alternative techniques may be used to perform the timing estimation . such procedures include using a half epoch correlation period that is staggered by one third of an epoch , using a period of one third of an epoch , and so on . fig4 a - 4d graphically depict an exemplary process for performing signal correlation in accordance with the invention . fig4 a depicts a predefined period 402 having 2046 samples of 1023 pn code chips . fig4 b depicts two correlation periods 406 and 408 used to correlate in half epoch increments . in the present example , a correlation performed within the period 406 produces noise ( i . e ., a correlation is not present within the first half epoch ). a shown in fig4 c , a correlation is then performed within the period 408 to produce a high correlation output ( i . e ., a correlation is present within the second half epoch ). for example , a plurality of high correlation peaks 410 resulting from repeated correlations during the second half epoch of the signal are shown . generally , the software as described above will integrate a number of correlation results to achieve an accurate correlation peak 412 , as depicted in fig4 d . the peak 412 clearly shows that the prn code phase is estimated to be within the second half epoch . as such , a timing parameter may be derived and used in combination with the aiding information to receive other gps signals from other satellites . as such , signal acquisition may be performed without determining an accurate pseudorange to the satellite . although various embodiments , which incorporate the teachings of the present invention have been shown and described in detail herein , those skilled in the art can readily devise many other varied embodiments that still incorporate these teachings . | 7 |
embodiments are described more fully below with reference to the accompanying figures , which form a part hereof and show , by way of illustration , specific exemplary embodiments . these embodiments are disclosed in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention . however , embodiments may be implemented in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments set forth herein . the following detailed description is , therefore , not to be taken in a limiting sense in that the scope of the present invention is defined only by the appended claims . the numeral 10 refers to a livestock squeeze chute having a tail end 12 , a head end 14 , a first side 16 and a second side 18 . squeeze chute 10 includes a lower frame means 20 which extends between the tail end 12 and the head end 14 of the squeeze chute 10 . squeeze chute 10 also includes an upper frame means 22 which extends between the tail end 12 and the head end 14 of the squeeze chute 10 . the lower frame means 20 and the upper frame means 22 are interconnected by various frame members generally collectively referred to by the reference numeral 24 . the squeeze chute 10 includes spaced - apart side panels 26 and 28 which are laterally movable in conventional fashion to aid in restraining the animal being handled . the numeral 30 refers generally to a conventional tail gate assembly consisting of two movable tail gates 32 and 34 which are selectively movable between open and closed positions in a transverse manner with respect to the longitudinal axis of the squeeze chute 10 . the tail gates 32 and 34 are pivotally movable by hydraulic cylinders attached thereto in conventional fashion . the numeral 36 refers to a horizontally disposed lower head gate support including a first support member 38 and a second support member 40 which are joined together at their inner forward ends to define a v - shape . as seen , support member 38 extends inwardly and forwardly from side 16 at approximately 30 degrees to the longitudinal axis of the chute 10 at the head end 14 of squeeze chute 10 . support member 38 has a rearward end 42 which is positioned outwardly of the squeeze chute 10 . as seen , support member 40 extends forwardly and inwardly from side 18 of squeeze chute 10 at approximately a 30 - degree angle with respect to the longitudinal axis of the chute 10 . support member 40 has a rearward end 44 which is positioned outwardly of the squeeze chute 10 . the numeral 46 refers to a first head gate member while the numeral 48 refers to a second head gate member . head gate member 46 includes an upper end 50 , a lower end 52 , an outer side 54 and an inner side 56 . inner side 56 of head gate member 46 has an outwardly extending angular or arcuate portion 58 to provide a space for the animal &# 39 ; s neck . the lower end 52 of head gate member 40 is pivotally secured to support member 38 at 60 . the upper inner end of head gate member 46 has an upwardly extending protrusion or contact point 62 , the purpose of which will be described hereinafter . the lower end of a hydraulic cylinder 64 is pivotally connected to the rearward end 42 of support member 38 at 66 . the rod end of hydraulic cylinder 64 is pivotally secured to head gate member 46 at 68 . head gate member 48 includes an upper end 70 , a lower end 72 , an outer side 74 and an inner side 76 . inner side 76 of head gate member 48 has an outwardly extending angular or arcuate portion 78 to provide a space for the animal &# 39 ; s neck . the lower end 72 of head gate member 48 is pivotally secured to support member 40 at 80 . the upper inner end of head gate member 48 has an upwardly extending protrusion or contact point 82 , the purpose of which will be described hereinafter . the lower end of a hydraulic cylinder 84 is pivotally connected to the rearward end 44 of support member 40 at 86 . the rod end of hydraulic cylinder 84 is pivotally secured to head gate member 48 at 88 . the numeral 90 refers to a horizontally disposed upper head gate support including a first support member 92 and a second support member 94 which are joined together to define a v - shape which is the same as the v - shaped support 36 . as seen , support member 92 extends inwardly and forwardly from side 16 at the head end 14 of squeeze chute 10 . support member 92 has a rearward end 96 which is positioned outwardly of the squeeze chute 10 . as also seen , support member 94 extends forwardly and inwardly from side 18 of the squeeze chute 10 . support member 94 has a rearward end 98 which is positioned outwardly of the squeeze chute 10 . support member 92 has an elongated slot 100 formed therein and support member 94 has an elongated slot 102 formed therein . the forward ends of the slots 100 and 102 communicate with each other . protrusion 62 of head gate member 46 extends upwardly through slot 100 in support member 92 with protrusion 82 of head gate member 48 extending upwardly through slot 102 in support member 94 . the squeeze chute 10 is operated as follows when it is desired to perform a procedure on an animal . the head gate members 46 and 48 will initially be completely closed in the position of fig1 - 3 . tail gate assembly 30 will be moved to its open position to allow the animal to enter the chute 10 . as soon as the animal has entered the chute 10 , the tail gate assembly 30 will be closed . hydraulic cylinders 64 and 84 will be retracted somewhat so that the animal may extend the animal &# 39 ; s head and neck through the opening defined by the angular or arcuate portions 58 and 78 in head gate members 46 and 48 respectively . when the animal &# 39 ; s head has been captured between the head gate members 46 and 48 , the head gate members 46 and 48 may be partially closed to keep the animal still and safe . the head gate members 46 and 48 , when in their closed positions , extend forwardly and inwardly to conform to the configuration of the animal captured by the head gate members . the angular configuration of the head gate members 46 and 48 substantially reduces the pressure on the animal &# 39 ; s front quarters which would be exerted on the animal by transversely extending head gate members . the angular configuration of the head gate members 46 and 48 keeps the safety of the animal at a top priority for humane handling , as well as producing top quality meats . when the procedure has been performed on the animal , the head gate members 46 and 48 are moved to their open positions of fig4 to allow the animal to exit the chute 10 . thus it can be seen that the invention accomplishes at least all of its stated objectives . although the invention has been described in language that is specific to certain structures and methodological steps , it is to be understood that the invention defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific structures and / or steps described . rather , the specific aspects and steps are described as forms of implementing the claimed invention . since many embodiments of the invention can be practiced without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention , the invention resides in the claims hereinafter appended . | 0 |
the present invention provides a novel method in which a subject &# 39 ; s eeg is evaluated to either find a valid intrinsic alpha frequency ( viaf ) or to require an additional recording . a subject &# 39 ; s eeg is quantitatively analyzed with an algorithm by reviewing discreet epochs of an eeg , analyzing epoch iafs of each epoch ( m i ), successively pruning the values of these epoch iafs until the remaining epoch - iafs values are within a specific range of the mean . the final iaf estimate for that eeg is equal to the mean value of the remaining epochs &# 39 ; iafs . this final iaf ( fiaf ) is utilized as a primary setting for neuro - eeg synchronization therapy ( nest ) using low frequency magnetic stimulation with a nest device . the nest device is specifically tailored to deliver low amplitude stimulation at the patient &# 39 ; s intrinsic alpha frequency ( iaf ). the present invention describes an eeg algorithm to determine a valid iaf ( viaf ). it is different , but , in part , derived from the iaf algorithm from u . s . pat . no . 8 , 585 , 568 — systems and methods for neuro - eeg - synchronization therapy . a recent published paper by leuchter , et al . ( 2013 ) states that an effect on the symptoms of major depressive disorder ( mdd ) will be obtained when the treatment frequency is delivered at the subject &# 39 ; s iaf . in addition , a paper by arns , et al . ( 2010 ) shows that using an rtms pulse rate 1 . 0 hz away from the subject &# 39 ; s iaf does not result in significant benefit to the patient . therefore , it is imperative that a stable , repeatable iaf value be obtained . thus in a clinical trial setting , subjects having an eeg of sufficient duration and quality that can be processed for quantitative analysis should be of primary interest for inclusion , and that a valid iaf can be obtained for each patient . described herein are methods and devices for utilizing an algorithm by which a valid intrinsic alpha frequency ( viaf ) is determined by quantitatively analyzing eeg recordings one at a time to determine whether or not they are valid , and if necessary , requiring additional recordings until a valid eeg is found . provided herein is a method of determining a final intrinsic alpha frequency of a subject comprising : applying an eeg discrimination routine comprising : obtaining a first eeg recording in a time domain ; dividing the first eeg recording into a plurality of epochs , each comprising a segment of data , wherein a total number of epochs is n ; filtering the segment of data of each epoch using a high - pass filter ; converting each epoch into a frequency domain epoch ( i ); filtering each frequency domain epoch ( i ) using a smoothing filter ; calculating an epoch intrinsic alpha frequency ( m i ) of each frequency domain epoch ( i ); calculating a mean ( m ) intrinsic alpha frequency ( iaf ) of all intrinsic alpha frequencies ( m i - n ), wherein determining a farthest frequency domain epoch ( m i ) from the mean m , if | m i − m |& gt ; 0 . 5 hz , removing the farthest frequency domain epoch ( m i ), decrementing n , and returning to step g ), or if | m i − m |≦ 0 . 5 hz , continuing to next step ; setting a final intrinsic alpha frequency ( fiaf ) equal to m ; and outputting the final intrinsic alpha frequency ( fiaf ) to a user or to a device . disclosed herein , in various embodiments , are methods of determining a final intrinsic alpha frequency of a subject in a neuro - eeg synchronization therapy comprising : applying an eeg discrimination routine comprising : receiving a first eeg recording obtained from an eeg sensor in a time domain ; segmenting the first eeg recording into a plurality of epochs , each comprising a segment of data , wherein a total number of epochs is n ; filtering the segment of data of each epoch using a high - pass filter ; converting each epoch into a frequency domain epoch ( i ); filtering each frequency domain epoch ( i ) using a smoothing filter ; calculating an epoch intrinsic alpha frequency ( m i ) of each frequency domain epoch ( i ); calculating a mean ( m ) intrinsic alpha frequency ( iaf ) of all intrinsic alpha frequencies ( m i - n ), wherein determining a farthest frequency domain epoch ( m i ) from the mean m , if | m i − m |& gt ; 0 . 5 hz , removing the farthest frequency domain epoch ( m i ), decrementing n , and returning to step g ), or if | m i − m |≦ 0 . 5 hz , continuing to next step ; setting a final intrinsic alpha frequency ( fiaf ) equal to m ; and outputting the final intrinsic alpha frequency ( fiaf ) to a user or to a neuro - eeg synchronization therapy device ; utilizing the final intrinsic alpha frequency ( fiaf ) in the neuro - eeg synchronization therapy . in some embodiments , the first eeg recording length is 128 seconds . in some embodiments , the first eeg recording is a single - channel recording . in some embodiments , the first eeg recording is a multi - channel recording , wherein an iaf estimate is made for each channel in an epoch and averaged together , or wherein each channel is treated separately , generating an iaf estimate for each channel for the full eeg recording , and wherein valid iaf estimates from each channel , as determined by step h ), are averaged together to generate a final iaf . in some embodiments , a channel of the first eeg recording initially comprises 16 epochs . in some embodiments , the epoch intrinsic alpha frequency ( m i ) of each frequency domain epoch ( i ) is calculated from 7 . 0 hz to 14 . 0 hz . in some embodiments , the final intrinsic alpha frequency ( fiaf ) is from 8 . 0 hz to 13 . 0 hz . in some embodiments , the first eeg recording comprises a sample rate of 128 samples / sec . in some embodiments , the high - pass filter comprises a 4 th order butterworth iir filter with the 3 db cutoff set to 5 . 0 hz . in some embodiments , the epoch intrinsic alpha frequency of each epoch ( m i ) is determined using a fast fourier transform ( fft ). in some embodiments , the fast fourier transform ( fft ) uses a resolution of 1024 points , which results in a 0 . 125 hz resolution per bin from 0 hz to 64 hz . in some embodiments , the fast fourier transform ( fft ) is smoothed with an averaging filter that averages the 5 points ± 2 from the target . in some embodiments , if a standard deviation ( sd ) of the n epoch iaf values ≧ 0 . 75 hz , a second eeg recording is obtained and the method of claim 1 is repeated using the second eeg recording in place of the first eeg recording . in some embodiments , if a second standard deviation ( sd ) of the n epoch iaf values ≧ 0 . 75 hz obtained using the second eeg recording , a third eeg recording is obtained and the method of claim 1 is repeated using the third eeg recording in place of the first eeg recording . in some embodiments , if a third standard deviation ( sd ) of the n epoch iaf values ≧ 0 . 75 hz obtained using the third eeg recording , a range of fiaf intrinsic alpha frequencies ( fiafs ) of the first eeg recording , the second eeg recording and the third eeg recording is calculated , wherein if the range is & lt ; 2 . 0 hz , then the mean value of the final intrinsic alpha frequencies ( fiafs ) of the first eeg recording , the second eeg recording and the third eeg recording is determined to be the valid intrinsic alpha frequency ( viaf ). in some embodiments , if the final intrinsic alpha frequency ( fiaf ) is & lt ; 8 . 0 hz or & gt ; 13 . 0 hz , a second eeg recording is obtained and the method of claim 1 is repeated using the second eeg recording in place of the first eeg recording . in some embodiments , if the final intrinsic alpha frequency ( fiaf ) calculated using the second eeg recording is & lt ; 8 . 0 hz or & gt ; 13 . 0 hz , a third eeg recording is obtained and the method of claim 1 is repeated using the third eeg recording in place of the first eeg recording . in some embodiments , if the final intrinsic alpha frequency ( fiaf ) calculated using the third eeg recording is & lt ; 8 . 0 hz or & gt ; 13 . 0 hz , a range of fiaf intrinsic alpha frequencies ( fiafs ) of the first eeg recording , the second eeg recording and the third eeg recording is calculated , wherein if the range is & lt ; 2 . 0 hz , then the mean value of the final intrinsic alpha frequencies ( fiafs ) of the first eeg recording , the second eeg recording and the third eeg recording is determined to be the valid intrinsic alpha frequency ( viaf ). in some embodiments , if the final intrinsic alpha frequency ( fiaf ) of the eeg is from 8 . 0 hz to 13 . 0 hz and the standard deviation ( sd ) of the n epoch iaf values is & lt ; 0 . 75 hz , the final intrinsic alpha frequency ( fiaf ) is determined to be a valid intrinsic alpha frequency ( viaf ). in some embodiments , if a standard deviation ( sd ) of the n epoch iaf values ≧ 0 . 75 hz , or if the final intrinsic alpha frequency ( fiaf ) is & lt ; 8 . 0 hz or & gt ; 13 . 0 hz , then a second eeg recording is obtained and the method of claim 1 is repeated using the second eeg recording in place of the first eeg recording . in some embodiments , if a standard deviation ( sd ) of the n epoch iaf values calculated using the second eeg reading ≧ 0 . 75 hz , or if the final intrinsic alpha frequency ( fiaf ) calculated using the second eeg reading is & lt ; 8 . 0 hz or & gt ; 13 . 0 hz , then a third eeg recording is obtained and the method of claim 1 is repeated using the third eeg recording in place of the first eeg recording . in some embodiments , if a standard deviation ( sd ) of the n epoch iaf values calculated using the third eeg reading ≧ 0 . 75 hz , or if the final intrinsic alpha frequency ( fiaf ) calculated using the third eeg reading is & lt ; 8 . 0 hz or & gt ; 13 . 0 hz , then a fourth eeg recording is obtained and the method of claim 1 is repeated using the fourth eeg recording in place of the first eeg recording . in some embodiments , if a standard deviation ( sd ) of the n epoch iaf values calculated using the fourth eeg reading ≧ 0 . 75 hz , or if the final intrinsic alpha frequency ( fiaf ) calculated using the fourth eeg reading is & lt ; 8 . 0 hz or & gt ; 13 . 0 hz , then a fifth eeg recording is obtained and the method of claim 1 is repeated using the fifth eeg recording in place of the first eeg recording . in some embodiments , if a standard deviation ( sd ) of the n epoch iaf values calculated using the fifth eeg reading ≧ 0 . 75 hz , or if the final intrinsic alpha frequency ( fiaf ) calculated using the fifth eeg reading is & lt ; 8 . 0 hz or & gt ; 13 . 0 hz , then a sixth eeg recording is obtained and the method of claim 1 is repeated using the sixth eeg recording in place of the first eeg recording . in some embodiments , if a standard deviation ( sd ) of the n epoch iaf values calculated using the sixth eeg reading ≧ 0 . 75 hz , or if the final intrinsic alpha frequency ( fiaf ) calculated using the sixth eeg reading is & lt ; 8 . 0 hz or & gt ; 13 . 0 hz , then a seventh eeg recording is obtained and the method of claim 1 is repeated using the seventh eeg recording in place of the first eeg recording . in some embodiments , if a standard deviation ( sd ) of the n epoch iaf values calculated using the seventh eeg reading ≧ 0 . 75 hz , or if the final intrinsic alpha frequency ( fiaf ) calculated using the seventh eeg reading is & lt ; 8 . 0 hz or & gt ; 13 . 0 hz , then a eighth eeg recording is obtained and the method of claim 1 is repeated using the eighth eeg recording in place of the first eeg recording . in some embodiments , if the final intrinsic alpha frequency ( fiaf ) calculated using the third eeg recording is & lt ; 8 . 0 hz or & gt ; 13 . 0 hz or if the standard deviation ( sd ) of the n epoch iaf values calculated using the third eeg reading ≧ 0 . 75 hz , a range of fiaf intrinsic alpha frequencies ( fiafs ) of the first eeg recording , the second eeg recording and the third eeg recording is calculated , wherein if the range is & lt ; 2 . 0 hz , then the mean value of the final intrinsic alpha frequencies ( fiafs ) of the first eeg recording , the second eeg recording and the third eeg recording is determined to be the valid intrinsic alpha frequency ( viaf ). in some embodiments , if the final intrinsic alpha frequency ( fiaf ) calculated using the eighth eeg recording is & lt ; 8 . 0 hz or & gt ; 13 . 0 hz or if the standard deviation ( sd ) of the n epoch iaf values calculated using the eighth eeg reading ≧ 0 . 75 hz , a range of fiaf intrinsic alpha frequencies ( fiafs ) of the at least three of the first eeg recording , the second eeg recording , the third eeg recording , the fourth eeg recording , the fifth eeg recording , the sixth eeg recording , the seventh eeg recording , the eighth eeg recording is calculated , wherein if the range is & lt ; 2 . 0 hz , then the mean value of the final intrinsic alpha frequencies ( fiafs ) of at least three of the first eeg recording , the second eeg recording , the third eeg recording , the fourth eeg recording , the fifth eeg recording , the sixth eeg recording , the seventh eeg recording , the eighth eeg recording is determined to be the valid intrinsic alpha frequency ( viaf ). in some embodiments , a channel intrinsic alpha frequency is determined for each channel in the frequency domain epoch ( i ), and are averaged to generate the epoch intrinsic alpha frequency ( m i ). disclosed herein , in various embodiments are methods of determining a final intrinsic alpha frequency of a subject in a neuro - eeg synchronization therapy comprising : applying an eeg discrimination routine comprising : obtaining a multi - channel eeg recording in a time domain ; dividing the multi - channel eeg recording into a plurality of epochs , each epoch comprising a corresponding data segment from each channel , and averaging the data segments in each epoch together , wherein a total number of epochs is n ; filtering the data segments of each epoch using a high - pass filter ; converting each epoch into a frequency domain epoch ( i ); filtering each frequency domain epoch ( i ) using a smoothing filter ; calculating an epoch intrinsic alpha frequency ( m i ) of each frequency domain epoch ( i ); calculating a mean ( m ) intrinsic alpha frequency ( iaf ) of all intrinsic alpha frequencies ( m i - n ), wherein determining a farthest frequency domain epoch ( m i ) from the mean m , if | m i − m |& gt ; 0 . 5 hz , removing the farthest frequency domain epoch ( m i ), decrementing n , and returning to step g ), or if | m i − m |≦ 0 . 5 hz , continuing to next step ; setting a final intrinsic alpha frequency ( fiaf ) equal to m ; and outputting the final intrinsic alpha frequency ( fiaf ) to a user or to a device , wherein the device is configured to conduct the neuro - eeg synchronization therapy . in some embodiments , the epoch intrinsic alpha frequency ( m i ) is generated by averaging channel intrinsic alpha frequencies generated from the channels meeting inclusion criteria and averaged together , wherein the inclusion criteria comprise : a greatest alpha power as compared to all other channels of the eeg recording ; a lowest variance as compared to all other channels of the eeg recording ; or a highest q - factor as compared to all other channels of the eeg recording . disclosed herein , in various embodiments are methods of determining a final intrinsic alpha frequency of a subject in a neuro - eeg synchronization therapy comprising : applying an eeg discrimination routine comprising : obtaining a multi - channel eeg recording from an eeg sensor in a time domain ; treating each channel separately , dividing each channel of the multi - channel eeg recording into a plurality of epochs , each epoch comprising a data segment from each channel , wherein a total number of epochs for each channel is n ; filtering the data segments of each epoch , of each channel , using a high - pass filter ; converting each epoch , of each channel , into a frequency domain epoch ( i ); filtering each frequency domain epoch ( i ), of each channel , using a smoothing filter ; calculating an epoch intrinsic alpha frequency ( m i ) of each frequency domain epoch ( i ) for each channel ; calculating a mean ( m ) channel intrinsic alpha frequency ( ciaf ) of all intrinsic alpha frequencies ( m i - n ) for each channel , wherein determining a farthest frequency domain epoch ( m i ) from the mean m for each channel , if | m i − m |≧ 0 . 5 hz , removing the farthest frequency domain epoch ( m i ), decrementing n , and returning to step g ), or if | m i − m |≦ 0 . 5 hz , continuing to next step ; averaging the mean ( m ) channel intrinsic alpha frequency ( ciaf ) of all channels to determine a final intrinsic alpha frequency ( fiaf ); setting a final intrinsic alpha frequency ( fiaf ) equal to m for the entire multi - channel eeg recording ; and outputting the final intrinsic alpha frequency ( fiaf ) to a user or to a device , wherein the device is configured to conduct the neuro - eeg synchronization therapy . in some embodiments , a single channel intrinsic alpha frequency ( ciaf ) of the multi - channel eeg recording comprises ; a frequency band between 8 . 0 hz - 13 . 0 hz ; a standard deviation ( sd ) below 0 . 75 hz ; the lowest ( sd ) of all the channel intrinsic alpha frequencies ( ciafs ) of the multi - channel eeg recording ; and the single channel intrinsic alpha frequency ( ciaf ) is selected as a representative intrinsic alpha frequency ( iaf ) for the multi - channel eeg recording . in some embodiments , the intrinsic channel alpha frequencies ( ciafs ) of all channels of the multi - channel eeg recording that are within a band between 8 . 0 hz - 13 . 0 hz and have a standard deviation ( sd ) below 0 . 75 hz , are averaged together to obtain a representative intrinsic alpha frequency ( iaf ) of the multi - channel time domain eeg recording . disclosed herein , in various embodiments are methods of determining a valid intrinsic frequency of an eeg band of a subject in neuro - eeg synchronization therapy comprising : applying an eeg discrimination routine comprising : obtaining a first eeg recording in a time domain ; dividing the first eeg recording into a plurality of epochs , wherein a total number of epochs is n ; filtering the data using a high - pass filter ; converting each epoch into a frequency domain epoch ( i ); filtering each frequency domain epoch ( i ) using a smoothing filter ; calculating an epoch intrinsic frequency ( m i ) in an eeg band of each frequency domain epoch ( i ); calculating a mean ( m ) intrinsic frequency ( if ) in the eeg band of all epoch intrinsic frequencies ( m i - n ), wherein determining a farthest frequency domain epoch ( m i ) from the mean , if | m i − m |& gt ; 0 . 5 hz , removing the farthest frequency domain epoch ( m i ), decrementing n , and returning to step g ), or if | m i − m |≦ 0 . 5 hz , continuing to next step ; setting a final intrinsic frequency ( fif ) in the eeg band equal to m ; and outputting the final intrinsic frequency ( fif ) in the eeg band to a user or device , wherein the device is configured to conduct the neuro - eeg synchronization therapy . in some embodiments , the eeg band comprises one or more selected from : an alpha band ; a theta band ; a beta band ; a gamma band ; and a delta band . in some embodiments , the eeg recording length is 128 seconds . in some embodiments , the eeg recording is a single - channel recording . in some embodiments , the eeg recording is a multi - channel recording , wherein a channel intrinsic frequency ( cif ) estimate is made for each channel in an epoch and averaged together , or wherein each channel is treated separately , generating a final intrinsic frequency ( fif ) estimate for each channel for the full eeg recording , and wherein final intrinsic frequency estimates from each channel , as determined by step h ), are averaged together to generate a final intrinsic frequency ( fif ). in some embodiments , a channel of the eeg recording comprises 16 epochs . in some embodiments , the calculated epoch intrinsic frequency ( m i ) of the eeg comprises a range that is at least : ± 0 . 5 hz outside a range of the eeg band ; ± 1 . 0 hz outside the range of the eeg band ; ± 1 . 5 hz outside the range of the eeg band ; and ± 2 . 0 hz outside the range of the eeg band . in some embodiments , the eeg recording comprises a sample rate of 128 samples / sec . in some embodiments , the high - pass filter uses a 4 th order butterworth iir filter with the 3 db cutoff set to 5 . 0 hz . in some embodiments , the epoch intrinsic alpha frequency of each epoch ( m i ) is determined using a fast fourier transform ( fft ). in some embodiments , the fast fourier transform ( fft ) uses a resolution of 1024 points , which results in a 0 . 125 hz resolution per bin from 0 hz to 64 hz . in some embodiments , the fast fourier transform ( fft ) is smoothed with an averaging filter that averages 5 points ± 2 from the target . in some embodiments , if the standard deviation ( sd ) of the n epoch if values ≧ 0 . 75 hz , a second eeg recording is obtained and the method of claim 35 is repeated using the second eeg recording in place of the first eeg recording . in some embodiments , if the standard deviation ( sd ) of the n epoch if values calculated using the second eeg recording is ≧ 0 . 75 hz , a third eeg recording is obtained and the method of claim 35 is repeated using the third eeg recording in place of the first eeg recording . in some embodiments , if the standard deviation ( sd ) of the n epoch if values calculated using the third eeg recording is ≧ 0 . 75 hz , a fourth eeg recording is obtained and the method of claim 35 is repeated using the fourth eeg recording in place of the first eeg recording . in some embodiments , if the standard deviation ( sd ) of the n epoch if values calculated using the fourth eeg recording is ≧ 0 . 75 hz , a fifth eeg recording is obtained and the method of claim 35 is repeated using the fifth eeg recording in place of the first eeg recording . in some embodiments , if the standard deviation ( sd ) of the n epoch if values calculated using the fifth eeg recording is ≧ 0 . 75 hz , a sixth eeg recording is obtained and the method of claim 35 is repeated using the sixth eeg recording in place of the first eeg recording . in some embodiments , if the standard deviation ( sd ) of the n epoch if values calculated using the sixth eeg recording is ≧ 0 . 75 hz , a seventh eeg recording is obtained and the method of claim 35 is repeated using the seventh eeg recording in place of the first eeg recording . in some embodiments , if the standard deviation ( sd ) of the n epoch if values calculated using the seventh eeg recording is ≧ 0 . 75 hz , an eighth eeg recording is obtained and the method of claim 35 is repeated using the eighth eeg recording in place of the first eeg recording . in some embodiments , if an eighth standard deviation ( sd ) of the n epoch if values ≧ 0 . 75 hz obtained using the eighth eeg recording , a range of fif intrinsic frequencies ( fifs ) of at least three of the first eeg recording , the second eeg recording , the third eeg recording , the fourth eeg recording , the fifth eeg recording , the sixth eeg recording , the seventh eeg recording , and the eighth eeg recording is calculated , wherein if the range is & lt ; 2 . 0 hz , then the mean value of the final intrinsic frequencies ( fifs ) of at least three of the first eeg recording , the second eeg recording , the third eeg recording , the fourth eeg recording , the fifth eeg recording , the sixth eeg recording , the seventh eeg recording , and the eighth eeg recording is determined to be the valid intrinsic frequency ( vif ). in some embodiments , if a third standard deviation ( sd ) of the n epoch if values ≧ 0 . 75 hz obtained using the third eeg recording , a range of fif intrinsic frequencies ( fifs ) of the first eeg recording , the second eeg recording and the third eeg recording is calculated , wherein if the range is & lt ; 2 . 0 hz , then the mean value of the final intrinsic frequencies ( fifs ) of the first eeg recording , the second eeg recording and the third eeg recording is determined to be the valid intrinsic frequency ( vif ). in some embodiments , if the final intrinsic frequency ( fif ) of the eeg recording is & gt ; a predetermined amount outside the eeg band , a second eeg recording is obtained and the method of claim 35 is repeated using the second eeg recording in place of the first eeg recording . in some embodiments , the predetermined amount is : ± 0 . 5 hz ; ± 1 . 0 hz ; ± 1 . 5 hz ; or ± 2 . 0 hz . in some embodiments , if the final intrinsic frequency ( fif ) of the eeg recording obtained using the second eeg recording is & gt ; the predetermined amount outside the eeg band , a third eeg recording is obtained and the method of claim 35 is repeated using the third eeg recording in place of the first eeg recording . in some embodiments , if the final intrinsic frequency ( fif ) of the eeg recording obtained using the third eeg recording is & gt ; the predetermined amount outside the eeg band , a fourth eeg recording is obtained and the method of claim 35 is repeated using the fourth eeg recording in place of the first eeg recording . in some embodiments , if the final intrinsic frequency ( fif ) of the eeg recording obtained using the fourth eeg recording is & gt ; the predetermined amount outside the eeg band , a fifth eeg recording is obtained and the method of claim 35 is repeated using the fifth eeg recording in place of the first eeg recording . in some embodiments , if the final intrinsic frequency ( fif ) of the eeg recording obtained using the fifth eeg recording is & gt ; the predetermined amount outside the eeg band , a sixth eeg recording is obtained and the method of claim 35 is repeated using the sixth eeg recording in place of the first eeg recording . in some embodiments , if the final intrinsic frequency ( fif ) of the eeg recording obtained using the sixth eeg recording is & gt ; the predetermined amount outside the eeg band , a seventh eeg recording is obtained and the method of claim 35 is repeated using the seventh eeg recording in place of the first eeg recording . in some embodiments , if the final intrinsic frequency ( fif ) of the eeg recording obtained using the seventh eeg recording is & gt ; the predetermined amount outside the eeg band , an eighth eeg recording is obtained and the method of claim 35 is repeated using the eighth eeg recording in place of the first eeg recording . in some embodiments , if the final intrinsic frequency ( fif ) calculated using the third eeg recording is & gt ; the predetermined amount outside the eeg band , a range of fif intrinsic frequencies ( fifs ) of the first eeg recording , the second eeg recording and the third eeg recording is calculated , wherein if the range is & lt ; 2 . 0 hz , then the mean value of the final intrinsic frequencies ( fifs ) of the first eeg recording , the second eeg recording and the third eeg recording is determined to be the valid intrinsic frequency ( vif ). in some embodiments , if the final intrinsic frequency ( fif ) calculated using the third eeg recording is & gt ; the predetermined amount outside the eeg band , a range of fif intrinsic frequencies ( fifs ) of three or more of the first eeg recording , the second eeg recording , the third eeg recording , the fourth eeg recording , the fifth eeg recording , the sixth eeg recording , the seventh eeg recording , and the eighth eeg recording is calculated , wherein if the range is & lt ; 2 . 0 hz , then the mean value of the final intrinsic frequencies ( fifs ) of three of the first eeg recording , the second eeg recording , the third eeg recording , the fourth eeg recording , the fifth eeg recording , the sixth eeg recording , the seventh eeg recording , and the eighth eeg recording is determined to be the valid intrinsic frequency ( vif ). in some embodiments , if a standard deviation ( sd ) of the n epoch if values ≧ 0 . 75 hz , or if the final intrinsic frequency ( fif ) is & gt ; a predetermined amount outside the eeg band , wherein the predetermined amount is ± 0 . 5 hz , ± 1 . 0 hz , ± 1 . 5 hz , or ± 2 . 0 hz ; then a second eeg recording is obtained and the method of claim 35 is repeated using the second eeg recording in place of the first eeg recording . in some embodiments , if a standard deviation ( sd ) of the n epoch if values calculated using the second eeg reading ≧ 0 . 75 hz , or if the final intrinsic frequency ( fif ) calculated using the second eeg reading is & gt ; the predetermined amount outside the eeg band , then a third eeg recording is obtained and the method of claim 35 is repeated using the third eeg recording in place of the first eeg recording . in some embodiments , if a standard deviation ( sd ) of the n epoch if values calculated using the third eeg reading ≧ 0 . 75 hz , or if the final intrinsic frequency ( fif ) calculated using the third eeg reading is & gt ; the predetermined amount outside the eeg band , then a fourth eeg recording is obtained and the method of claim 35 is repeated using the fourth eeg recording in place of the first eeg recording . in some embodiments , if a standard deviation ( sd ) of the n epoch if values calculated using the fourth eeg reading ≧ 0 . 75 hz , or if the final intrinsic frequency ( fif ) calculated using the fourth eeg reading is & gt ; the predetermined amount outside the eeg band , then a fifth eeg recording is obtained and the method of claim 35 is repeated using the fifth eeg recording in place of the first eeg recording . in some embodiments , if a standard deviation ( sd ) of the n epoch if values calculated using the fifth eeg reading ≧ 0 . 75 hz , or if the final intrinsic frequency ( fif ) calculated using the fifth eeg reading is & gt ; the predetermined amount outside the eeg band , then a sixth eeg recording is obtained and the method of claim 35 is repeated using the sixth eeg recording in place of the first eeg recording . in some embodiments , if a standard deviation ( sd ) of the n epoch if values calculated using the sixth eeg reading ≧ 0 . 75 hz , or if the final intrinsic frequency ( fif ) calculated using the sixth eeg reading is & gt ; the predetermined amount outside the eeg band , then a seventh eeg recording is obtained and the method of claim 35 is repeated using the seventh eeg recording in place of the first eeg recording . in some embodiments , if a standard deviation ( sd ) of the n epoch if values calculated using the seventh eeg reading ≧ 0 . 75 hz , or if the final intrinsic frequency ( fif ) calculated using the seventh eeg reading is & gt ; the predetermined amount outside the eeg band , then a eighth eeg recording is obtained and the method of claim 35 is repeated using the eighth eeg recording in place of the first eeg recording . in some embodiments , if the final intrinsic frequency ( fif ) calculated using the third eeg recording is & gt ; the predetermined amount outside the eeg band , or if the standard deviation ( sd ) of the n epoch if values calculated using the third eeg reading ≧ 0 . 75 hz , a range of fif intrinsic frequencies ( fifs ) of the first eeg recording , the second eeg recording and the third eeg recording is calculated , wherein if the range is & lt ; 2 . 0 hz , then the mean value of the final intrinsic frequencies ( fifs ) of the first eeg recording , the second eeg recording and the third eeg recording is determined to be the valid intrinsic frequency ( vif ). in some embodiments , if the final intrinsic frequency ( fif ) calculated using the eighth eeg recording is & gt ; the predetermined amount outside the eeg band or if the standard deviation ( sd ) of the n epoch if values calculated using the eighth eeg reading ≧ 0 . 75 hz , a range of fif intrinsic frequencies ( fifs ) of the at least three of the first eeg recording , the second eeg recording , the third eeg recording , the fourth eeg recording , the fifth eeg recording , the sixth eeg recording , the seventh eeg recording , the eighth eeg recording is calculated , wherein if the range is & lt ; 2 . 0 hz , then the mean value of the final intrinsic frequencies ( fifs ) of at least three of the first eeg recording , the second eeg recording , the third eeg recording , the fourth eeg recording , the fifth eeg recording , the sixth eeg recording , the seventh eeg recording , the eighth eeg recording is determined to be the valid intrinsic frequency ( vif ). in some embodiments , if the final intrinsic frequency ( fif ) is within the eeg band and the standard deviation ( sd ) of the n epoch if values is & lt ; 0 . 75 hz , the final intrinsic frequency ( fif ) is determined to be a valid intrinsic frequency ( vif ). in some embodiments , a channel intrinsic frequency is determined for each channel in the frequency domain epoch ( i ), and are averaged to generate the epoch intrinsic frequency ( m i ). in some embodiments , an epoch intrinsic frequency ( m i ) is generated by averaging channel intrinsic frequencies generated from the channels meeting inclusion criteria and averaged together , wherein the inclusion criteria comprise : a greatest power in the eeg band as compared to all other channels of the eeg recording ; a lowest variance as compared to all other channels of the eeg recording ; or a highest q - factor as compared to all other channels of the eeg recording . in some embodiments , each channel from a multi - channel time domain eeg recording is treated separately and generates a channel intrinsic frequency ( cif ) for each channel of the multi - channel time domain eeg recording , wherein a number of channel intrinsic frequencies ( cifs ) is equal to the number of channels . in some embodiments , all channel intrinsic frequencies ( cifs ) from a multi - channel time domain eeg recording are averaged together to obtain a representative intrinsic frequency ( if ) of the multi - channel time domain eeg recording . in some embodiments , a single channel intrinsic frequency ( cif ) of a multi - channel time domain eeg recording comprises : a standard deviation ( sd ) below 0 . 75 hz ; the lowest ( sd ) of all the channel intrinsic frequencies ( cifs ) of the multi - channel time domain eeg recording ; and the single channel intrinsic frequency ( cif ) is selected as a representative intrinsic frequency ( if ) for the multi - channel time domain eeg recording . in some embodiments , the channel intrinsic frequency ( cif ) of all channels of a multi - channel time domain eeg recording that have a standard deviation ( sd ) below 0 . 75 hz ; are averaged together to obtain a representative intrinsic frequency ( if ) of the multi - channel time domain eeg recording . disclosed herein , in various embodiments , are computer - implemented systems for determining an intrinsic alpha frequency of a subject comprising : an input device configured to receive a first time domain eeg recording of a subject , wherein the eeg recording is obtained from an eeg sensor external to the computer - implemented system ; a digital processing device comprising an operating system configured to perform executable instructions and a memory ; a computer program including instructions executable by the digital processing device configured to discriminate a valid intrinsic alpha frequency of at least one time domain eeg recording of a subject comprising a software module configured to : determine if the time domain eeg recording has a stable intrinsic alpha frequency ( m i ) throughout a plurality of epochs , wherein a valid intrinsic alpha frequency comprises : a standard deviation between the epochs & lt ; 0 . 75 hz , and a mean ( m ) of epoch intrinsic alpha frequencies ( m i ) between 8 . 0 hz to 13 . 0 hz , set a final intrinsic alpha frequency ( fiaf ) equal to m ; output the final intrinsic alpha frequency ( fiaf ) to a device , or , label the first time domain eeg recording suspect , and continue to sequentially evaluate a plurality of subsequent time domain eeg recordings until a valid intrinsic alpha frequency is be obtained from a subsequent time domain eeg recording , wherein the plurality of subsequent time domain eeg recording are obtained from an eeg sensor external to the computer - implemented system . in some cases , a total number of time domain eeg recordings is eight . in some cases , if the software module routine cannot obtain a valid intrinsic alpha frequency within the first time domain eeg recording , a second time domain eeg recording or a third time domain eeg recording , a range of epoch intrinsic alpha frequencies ( m i ) of the first time domain eeg recording , the second time domain eeg recording and the third time domain eeg recording is calculated , wherein if the range is & lt ; 2 . 0 hz , the mean ( m ) of the first time domain eeg recording , the second time domain eeg recording and the third time domain eeg recording is calculated and is set equal to the final intrinsic alpha frequency ( fiaf ). in some cases , if the software module routine cannot obtain a valid intrinsic alpha frequency within eight time domain eeg recordings , the software module routine ends and outputs a message to a user that a valid intrinsic alpha frequency cannot be found . in some cases , the device is a neuro - eeg synchronization therapy ( nest ) device . in some cases , the device is configured to deliver low amplitude stimulation at an intrinsic alpha frequency that is the same as a patient &# 39 ; s intrinsic alpha frequency . disclosed herein , in various embodiments are methods of quantitatively analyzing eeg recordings to obtain a valid intrinsic alpha frequency of a subject using a neuro - eeg synchronization therapy ( nest ) device comprising : obtaining a single 128 - second time domain eeg recording from an eeg sensor external to the device ; dividing the 128 - second eeg recording into sixteen eight - second epochs ; converting each epoch into a frequency domain epoch ( i ); calculating an epoch intrinsic alpha frequency ( m i ) for each frequency domain epoch ( i ); and successively eliminating the epoch intrinsic alpha frequencies ( m i ) that are farthest from a mean , until the remaining epoch intrinsic alpha frequencies ( m i ) are all within 0 . 5 hz of the mean ; and outputting a final intrinsic alpha frequency ( fiaf ) for the eeg recording that is equal to the mean value of the remaining epochs &# 39 ; epoch intrinsic alpha frequencies . in some cases , the final intrinsic alpha frequency ( fiaf ) is determined to be valid if a standard deviation of the epoch intrinsic alpha frequencies ( m i ) from the epochs is & lt ; 0 . 75 hz and the final intrinsic alpha frequency ( fiaf ) within the band of 8 . 0 - 13 . 0 hz . in some cases , the final intrinsic alpha frequency ( fiaf ) is determined to be suspect if a standard deviation of the epoch intrinsic alpha frequencies ( m i ) from the epochs is ≧ 0 . 75 hz or the final intrinsic alpha frequency ( fiaf ) is outside the band of 8 . 0 - 13 . 0 hz , and wherein a second eeg recording is obtained to determine if a valid intrinsic alpha frequency ( viaf ) can be determined by repeating the steps of claim 88 replacing the single 128 - second time domain eeg recording with the second eeg recording . in some cases , the final intrinsic alpha frequency ( fiaf ) using the second eeg recording is determined to be suspect if a standard deviation of the epoch intrinsic alpha frequencies ( m i ) from the epochs is ≧ 0 . 75 hz or the final intrinsic alpha frequency ( fiaf ) is outside the band of 8 . 0 - 13 . 0 hz , and wherein a third eeg recording is obtained to determine if the valid intrinsic alpha frequency ( viaf ) can be determined by repeating the steps of claim 88 replacing the single 128 - second time domain eeg recording with the third eeg recording . in some cases , if the valid intrinsic alpha frequency ( viaf ) cannot be obtained using the third eeg recording , a range of the final intrinsic alpha frequency ( fiaf ) values of the three previous eeg recordings is calculated , and if the range of the previous three final intrinsic alpha frequency ( fiaf ) values is & lt ; 2 . 0 hz , then the valid intrinsic alpha frequency ( viaf ) is set to the mean of the three previous final intrinsic alpha frequencies ( fiafs ). in some cases , determining the farthest frequency domain epoch ( m i ) from the mean m comprises calculating an index ( i ) of the frequency domain epoch that is farthest from the mean ( m ), wherein i = index ( max i | m i − m |). in some cases , determining the farthest frequency domain epoch ( m i ) from the mean m comprises calculating an index ( i ) of the frequency domain epoch that is farthest from the mean ( m ), wherein i = index ( max i | m i − m |). in some embodiments , wherein determining a farthest frequency domain epoch ( m i ) from the mean m comprises calculating an index ( i ) of the frequency domain epoch that is farthest from the mean ( m ), wherein i = index ( max i | m i − m |). as described above , an iaf estimate is created based on a frequency analysis of the eeg . the eeg recording is divided into 8 - second epochs . an iaf estimate is made for each epoch , resulting in a number of discreet epoch - iaf values . a routine performs successive pruning of these values by eliminating the farthest from the mean , until the remaining epoch - iaf values were all within 0 . 5 hz of the mean . the final iaf estimate for that eeg is equal to the mean value of the remaining epochs &# 39 ; iafs . in some embodiments , the first eeg recording length is 128 seconds . in some embodiments , the first eeg recording is a single - channel recording . in some embodiments , the first eeg recording is a multi - channel recording , wherein an iaf estimate is made for each channel in an epoch and averaged together , or wherein each channel is treated separately , generating an iaf estimate for each channel for the full eeg recording , and wherein valid iaf estimates from each channel , as determined by the step ; determining a farthest frequency domain epoch ( m i ) from the mean m , if | m i − m |& gt ; 0 . 5 hz , removing the farthest frequency domain epoch ( m i ), decrementing n , and returning to step g ), or if | m i − m |≦ 0 . 5 hz , are averaged together to generate a final iaf . in some embodiments , a channel of the first eeg recording initially comprises 16 epochs . in some embodiments , the epoch intrinsic alpha frequency ( m i ) of each frequency domain epoch ( i ) is calculated from 7 . 0 hz to 14 . 0 hz . in some embodiments , the final intrinsic alpha frequency ( fiaf ) is from 8 . 0 hz to 13 . 0 hz . in some embodiments , the first eeg recording comprises a sample rate of 128 samples / sec . in some embodiments , the high - pass filter comprises a 4 th order butterworth iir filter with the 3 db cutoff set to 5 . 0 hz . in some embodiments , the epoch intrinsic alpha frequency of each epoch ( m i ) is determined using a fast fourier transform ( fft ). in some embodiments , the fast fourier transform ( fft ) uses a resolution of 1024 points , which results in a 0 . 125 hz resolution per bin from 0 hz to 64 hz . in some embodiments , the fast fourier transform ( fft ) is smoothed with an averaging filter that averages the 5 points ± 2 from the target . as described above , a final iaf estimate for an eeg recording is equal to the mean value of the remaining epoch &# 39 ; s iafs ( following successive pruning ) in order to accomplish this , an iaf estimate of each epoch must be calculated . in the following example , a typical eeg is 128 seconds and is divided in 16 8 - second epochs , and each single recorded eeg epoch input data is analyzed as follows . a filter is applied to the data of the epoch . the sample rate is 128 samples / sec . the filtering uses a 4 th order butterworth iir filter with the 3 db cutoff set to 5 . 0 hz . next the data is run through a fast fourier transform ( fft ) to convert the data from a sequence to frequency . the fft uses 1024 points , which results in a 0 . 125 hz resolution per bin over the range of 0 - 64 hz . a single smoothing filter is used on the fft to remove spurious peaks . this is a simple averaging filter that averages the 5 points +/− 2 from the target . the data is analyzed to determine the peak location of the fft between 7 . 0 hz and 14 . 0 hz . the peak iaf estimate of the epoch is equal to the frequency of that peak . it should be noted , the peak iaf estimates are found in the range from 7 . 0 - 14 . 0 hz . however , the alpha band is 8 . 0 - 13 . 0 hz . the eeg discrimination algorithm will label an iaf estimate as “ suspect ” if it is out of band . to determine if an estimate is out of band , the range to find peak iaf estimates must be wider than the alpha band . for this example of the algorithm a window 1 . 0 hz outside the alpha band was chosen . however , depending on the band being analyzed , a different window may be chosen . as noted previously , outliers are identified and discarded in order to determine a final iaf estimate . alpha waves tend to be bursty in an eeg , with large sections showing little to no alpha activity , followed by a rhythmic section with significant alpha peaks . after sixteen 8 - second epochs have been processed to obtain 16 iaf estimates , the algorithm removes outliers , which are most likely due to noise . a routine performs successive pruning of these values by eliminating the farthest from the mean , until the remaining epoch - iaf values are all within 0 . 5 hz of the mean . the sequence below gives the specifics of the routine . in this , n is the total number of remaining epochs after pruning . m is the mean of the iafs for all remaining epochs . m i is the iaf estimate for epoch i . the routine is described as follows : set n to 16 ; the mean of the iafs for all remaining epochs is calculated using the following formula : next , the index , i , of the farthest epoch from the mean is calculated , wherein i = index ( max i | m i − m |); and if | m i − m |& gt ; 0 . 5 hz , then the farthest epoch is removed , the value n is decreased by 1 , and the process is repeated by recalculating the mean of the iafs for all remaining epochs , again using the formula : this routine is repeated until the remaining epoch - iaf values are all within 0 . 5 hz of the mean . once this condition is met , the iaf estimate for the eeg is set equal to m . as described herein , the index ( i ) is the frequency domain epoch number ( 1 . . . n ) in any iteration of the time domain eeg . during pruning , the algorithm finds the index ( i ) of the epoch ( 1 . . . n ) where the epoch iaf is farthest from the mean m . if this difference is greater than 0 . 5 hz , the epoch is discarded and n is decreased . for example , if one begins with the following 16 epochs : ( 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 ); and then find that epoch # 6 is farthest from the mean ( i . e ., i = 6 ), and is also greater than 0 . 5 hz , epoch # 6 would be discarded , so the new list will be : ( 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , ______ 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 ), and n is decreased by 1 . the remaining epochs are then renumbered , resulting in ( 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 ). the routine performs successive pruning of these values until the remaining epoch - iaf values were all within 0 . 5 hz of the mean . quite conceivably , one could wind up removing the same index in two iterations of the pruning routine . for example , utilizing the previous result : the 6 th epoch ( index = 6 ) is again found to be farthest from the mean . it is again removed : ( 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , ______ 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 ); and the remaining epochs are again renumbered : 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 ). this process would continue until the remaining epoch - iaf values were all within 0 . 5 hz of the mean . the purpose of the discrimination routine is to find a stable , repeatable iaf . such an iaf is referred to as a “ valid ” iaf . if an eeg recording results in a final iaf ( fiaf ) that is either highly variable throughout the 16 epochs ( standard deviation of the n epoch iafs is greater than or equal to 0 . 75 hz ), or the fiaf is out of band ( 8 . 0 - 13 . 0 hz ), it is labeled as “ suspect ”, and another eeg may be required . if the first eeg results in a valid iaf , the routine ends and the treatment frequency is set to that value . if not , a second eeg recording is performed to see if that one results in a valid iaf . if that iaf is suspect , a 3 rd eeg is recorded . in some embodiments , if a standard deviation ( sd ) of the n epoch iaf values ≧ 0 . 75 hz , a second eeg recording is obtained and the previously described method of determining a final intrinsic alpha frequency of a subject ( using a first eeg recording ) is repeated using the second eeg recording in place of the first eeg recording . in some embodiments , if a second standard deviation ( sd ) of the n epoch iaf values ≧ 0 . 75 hz obtained using the second eeg recording , a third eeg recording is obtained and the previously described method of determining a final intrinsic alpha frequency of a subject ( using a first eeg recording ) is repeated using the third eeg recording in place of the first eeg recording . after the 3 rd eeg , an additional option is available to find a valid iaf . it has been found that , even if the iafs are highly variable ( standard deviation of the 16 epochs is greater than or equal to 0 . 75 hz ), many times the final iafs of consecutive eeg recordings are still close to the same value . therefore , after the 3 rd eeg , the range of fiaf values of the previous 3 eegs is calculated , and if that range is less than 2 . 0 hz , then the valid iaf is set to the mean of the 3 suspect fiafs . in some embodiments , if a third standard deviation ( sd ) of the n epoch iaf values ≧ 0 . 75 hz obtained using the third eeg recording , a range of fiaf intrinsic alpha frequencies ( fiafs ) of the first eeg recording , the second eeg recording and the third eeg recording is calculated , wherein if the range is & lt ; 2 . 0 hz , then the mean value of the final intrinsic alpha frequencies ( fiafs ) of the first eeg recording , the second eeg recording and the third eeg recording is determined to be the valid intrinsic alpha frequency ( viaf ). in still other embodiments , if the final intrinsic alpha frequency ( fiaf ) is & lt ; 8 . 0 hz or & gt ; 13 . 0 hz , a second eeg recording is obtained and the previously described method of determining a final intrinsic alpha frequency of a subject ( using a first eeg recording ) is repeated using the second eeg recording in place of the first eeg recording . in still other embodiments , if the final intrinsic alpha frequency ( fiaf ) calculated using the second eeg recording is & lt ; 8 . 0 hz or & gt ; 13 . 0 hz , a third eeg recording is obtained and the previously described method of determining a final intrinsic alpha frequency of a subject ( using a first eeg recording ) is repeated using the third eeg recording in place of the first eeg recording . in still other embodiments , if the final intrinsic alpha frequency ( fiaf ) calculated using the third eeg recording is & lt ; 8 . 0 hz or & gt ; 13 . 0 hz , a range of fiaf intrinsic alpha frequencies ( fiafs ) of the first eeg recording , the second eeg recording and the third eeg recording is calculated , wherein if the range is & lt ; 2 . 0 hz , then the mean value of the final intrinsic alpha frequencies ( fiafs ) of the first eeg recording , the second eeg recording and the third eeg recording is determined to be the valid intrinsic alpha frequency ( viaf ). still further , in other embodiments , if the final intrinsic alpha frequency ( fiaf ) of the eeg is from 8 . 0 hz - 13 . 0 hz and the standard deviation ( sd ) of the n epoch iaf values is & lt ; 0 . 75 hz , the final intrinsic alpha frequency ( fiaf ) is determined to be a valid intrinsic alpha frequency ( viaf ). in some embodiments of the method of determining a final intrinsic alpha frequency of a subject ; if a standard deviation ( sd ) of the n epoch iaf values ≧ 0 . 75 hz , or if the final intrinsic alpha frequency ( fiaf ) is & lt ; 8 . 0 hz or & gt ; 13 . 0 hz , then a second eeg recording is obtained and the previously described method of determining a final intrinsic alpha frequency of a subject ( using a first eeg recording ) is repeated using the second eeg recording in place of the first eeg recording . in some embodiments , if a standard deviation ( sd ) of the n epoch iaf values calculated using the second eeg reading ≧ 0 . 75 hz , or if the final intrinsic alpha frequency ( fiaf ) calculated using the second eeg reading is & lt ; 8 . 0 hz or & gt ; 13 . 0 hz , then a third eeg recording is obtained and the previously described method of determining a final intrinsic alpha frequency of a subject ( using a first eeg recording ) is repeated using the third eeg recording in place of the first eeg recording . in some embodiments , if a standard deviation ( sd ) of the n epoch iaf values calculated using the third eeg reading ≧ 0 . 75 hz , or if the final intrinsic alpha frequency ( fiaf ) calculated using the third eeg reading is & lt ; 8 . 0 hz or & gt ; 13 . 0 hz , then a fourth eeg recording is obtained and the previously described method of determining a final intrinsic alpha frequency of a subject ( using a first eeg recording ) is repeated using the fourth eeg recording in place of the first eeg recording . in some embodiments , if a standard deviation ( sd ) of the n epoch iaf values calculated using the fourth eeg reading ≧ 0 . 75 hz , or if the final intrinsic alpha frequency ( fiaf ) calculated using the fourth eeg reading is & lt ; 8 . 0 hz or & gt ; 13 . 0 hz , then a fifth eeg recording is obtained and the previously described method of determining a final intrinsic alpha frequency of a subject ( using a first eeg recording ) is repeated using the fifth eeg recording in place of the first eeg recording . in some embodiments , if a standard deviation ( sd ) of the n epoch iaf values calculated using the fifth eeg reading ≧ 0 . 75 hz , or if the final intrinsic alpha frequency ( fiaf ) calculated using the fifth eeg reading is & lt ; 8 . 0 hz or & gt ; 13 . 0 hz , then a sixth eeg recording is obtained and the previously described method of determining a final intrinsic alpha frequency of a subject ( using a first eeg recording ) is repeated using the sixth eeg recording in place of the first eeg recording . in some embodiments , if a standard deviation ( sd ) of the n epoch iaf values calculated using the sixth eeg reading ≧ 0 . 75 hz , or if the final intrinsic alpha frequency ( fiaf ) calculated using the sixth eeg reading is & lt ; 8 . 0 hz or & gt ; 13 . 0 hz , then a seventh eeg recording is obtained and the previously described method of determining a final intrinsic alpha frequency of a subject ( using a first eeg recording ) is repeated using the seventh eeg recording in place of the first eeg recording . in some embodiments , if a standard deviation ( sd ) of the n epoch iaf values calculated using the seventh eeg reading ≧ 0 . 75 hz , or if the final intrinsic alpha frequency ( fiaf ) calculated using the seventh eeg reading is & lt ; 8 . 0 hz or & gt ; 13 . 0 hz , then a eighth eeg recording is obtained and the previously described method of determining a final intrinsic alpha frequency of a subject ( using a first eeg recording ) is repeated using the eighth eeg recording in place of the first eeg recording . in some embodiments , if the final intrinsic alpha frequency ( fiaf ) calculated using the third eeg recording is & lt ; 8 . 0 hz or & gt ; 13 . 0 hz or if the standard deviation ( sd ) of the n epoch iaf values calculated using the third eeg reading ≧ 0 . 75 hz , a range of fiaf intrinsic alpha frequencies ( fiafs ) of the first eeg recording , the second eeg recording and the third eeg recording is calculated , wherein if the range is & lt ; 2 . 0 hz , then the mean value of the final intrinsic alpha frequencies ( fiafs ) of the first eeg recording , the second eeg recording and the third eeg recording is determined to be the valid intrinsic alpha frequency ( viaf ). in still other embodiments , if the final intrinsic alpha frequency ( fiaf ) calculated using the eighth eeg recording is & lt ; 8 . 0 hz or & gt ; 13 . 0 hz or if the standard deviation ( sd ) of the n epoch iaf values calculated using the eighth eeg reading ≧ 0 . 75 hz , a range of fiaf intrinsic alpha frequencies ( fiafs ) of the at least three of the first eeg recording , the second eeg recording , the third eeg recording , the fourth eeg recording , the fifth eeg recording , the sixth eeg recording , the seventh eeg recording , the eighth eeg recording is calculated , wherein if the range is & lt ; 2 . 0 hz , then the mean value of the final intrinsic alpha frequencies ( fiafs ) of at least three of the first eeg recording , the second eeg recording , the third eeg recording , the fourth eeg recording , the fifth eeg recording , the sixth eeg recording , the seventh eeg recording , the eighth eeg recording is determined to be the valid intrinsic alpha frequency ( viaf ). in still other embodiments , if an 8 th eeg recording is performed and does not result in a valid iaf , then the routine ends , and informs the user that a valid iaf cannot be found . due to the previously noted “ bursty ” nature of alpha waves in an eeg , it should be noted that the clinician should replace electrodes between each eeg and check electrode placement and electrode impedance . also , the clinician must speak to the subject before each eeg , reminding the subject to relax , keep still , not move or open their eyes , clench their jaw , or shift around as these activities may exacerbate the problem . the flowchart in fig1 provides an illustrative example of this discrimination routine . also as noted earlier , it has been shown that a magnetic field frequency within 1 . 0 hz of the patient &# 39 ; s iaf is required to obtain a benefit from nest therapy . therefore , the discrimination algorithm should be applied in order to find a valid iaf for each subject , and then exclude from the analysis those whose valid iaf is more than 1 . 0 hz from the treatment frequency . in a trial , the baseline eeg can be used to determine the magnetic field frequency . however , weekly single - channel eegs may also be recorded for each subject in a trial . a subject &# 39 ; s natural iaf does not change significantly over time , and no evidence has been found from eeg evaluation that iaf values would change week to week during a treatment protocol . the flowchart in fig2 is a representative description of a process of using the eeg discrimination algorithm from fig1 as an inclusion / exclusion criterion for the clinical trial . in a trial , weekly eegs are recorded for each subject . the magnetic field frequency is based on each subject &# 39 ; s baseline eeg . the eeg discrimination algorithm determines a valid iaf for the subject , using subsequent eegs if necessary . if a valid iaf cannot be found , the subject is excluded . if a valid iaf is found which is not within 1 . 0 hz of the treatment frequency ( tx freq ), then the subject is excluded as well . otherwise , the subject is included in the analysis . the methodology that was used to compare the treatment frequency ( tx freq ), equal to the baseline eeg iaf value , with all recorded eegs ( up to 8 ) to determine if a subject had a valid baseline iaf , and includes the subject if the valid iaf is within 1 . 0 hz of the tx freq . final determination of a valid iaf resulted in a subject &# 39 ; s inclusion or exclusion from eligibility for a clinical trial . provided herein is a method of determining a final intrinsic alpha frequency of a subject comprising applying an eeg discrimination routine comprising : obtaining a multi - channel eeg recording in a time domain ; dividing the multi - channel eeg recording into a plurality of epochs , each epoch comprising a corresponding data segment from each channel , and averaging the data segments in each epoch together , wherein a total number of epochs is n ; filtering the data segments of each epoch using a high - pass filter ; converting each epoch into a frequency domain epoch ( i ); filtering each frequency domain epoch ( i ) using a smoothing filter ; calculating an epoch intrinsic alpha frequency ( m i ) of each frequency domain epoch ( i ); calculating a mean ( m ) intrinsic alpha frequency ( iaf ) of all intrinsic alpha frequencies ( m i - n ), wherein determining a farthest frequency domain epoch ( m i ) from the mean m , wherein , i ) if | m i − m |& gt ; 0 . 5 hz , removing the farthest frequency domain epoch ( m i ), decrementing n , and returning to step g ), or , ii ) if | m i − m |≦ 0 . 5 hz , continuing to next step ; setting a final intrinsic alpha frequency ( fiaf ) equal to m ; and outputting the final intrinsic alpha frequency ( fiaf ) to a user or to a device . in some embodiments , a channel intrinsic alpha frequency ( ciaf ) is determined for each channel in the frequency domain epoch ( i ) of a multi - channel eeg recording , and they are averaged together to generate the epoch intrinsic alpha frequency ( m i ). in some embodiments , the epoch intrinsic alpha frequency ( m i ) is generated by averaging channel intrinsic alpha frequencies generated from the channels meeting inclusion criteria and averaged together , wherein the inclusion criteria comprise : i ) a greatest alpha power as compared to all other channels of the eeg recording ; ii ) a lowest variance as compared to all other channels of the eeg recording ; or iii ) a highest q - factor as compared to all other channels of the eeg recording provided herein is a method of determining a final intrinsic alpha frequency of a subject comprising applying an eeg discrimination routine comprising : obtaining a multi - channel eeg recording in a time domain ; treating each channel separately , dividing each channel of multi - channel eeg recording into a plurality of epochs , each epoch comprising a segment data , from each channel , wherein a total number of epochs for each channel is n ; filtering the data segments of each epoch , of each channel , using a high - pass filter ; converting each epoch , of each channel , into a frequency domain epoch ( i ); filtering each frequency domain epoch ( i ), of each channel , using a smoothing filter ; calculating an epoch intrinsic alpha frequency ( m i ) of each frequency domain epoch ( i ) for each channel ; calculating a mean ( m ) channel intrinsic alpha frequency ( ciaf ) of all intrinsic alpha frequencies ( m i - n ) for each channel , wherein determining a farthest frequency domain epoch ( m i ) from the mean m for each channel , wherein , i ) if | m i − m |& gt ; 0 . 5 hz , removing the farthest frequency domain epoch ( m i ), decrementing n , and returning to step g ), or ii ) if | m i − m |≦ 0 . 5 hz , continuing to next step ; averaging the mean ( m ) channel intrinsic alpha frequency ( ciaf ) of all channels to determine a final intrinsic alpha frequency ( fiaf ); setting a final intrinsic alpha frequency ( fiaf ) equal to m for the entire multi - channel eeg recording ; and outputting the final intrinsic alpha frequency ( fiaf ) to a user or to a device . in some embodiments , a single channel intrinsic alpha frequency ( ciaf ) of the multi - channel eeg recording comprises ; a frequency band between 8 . 0 hz - 13 . 0 hz ; a standard deviation ( sd ) below 0 . 75 hz ; the lowest ( sd ) of all the channel intrinsic alpha frequencies ( ciafs ) of the multi - channel eeg recording ; and the single channel intrinsic alpha frequency ( ciaf ) is selected as a representative intrinsic alpha frequency ( iaf ) for the multi - channel eeg recording . in some embodiments , the intrinsic channel alpha frequencies ( ciafs ) of all channels of the multi - channel eeg recording that are within a band between 8 . 0 hz - 13 . 0 hz and have a standard deviation ( sd ) below 0 . 75 hz ; are averaged together to obtain a representative intrinsic alpha frequency ( iaf ) of the multi - channel time domain eeg recording . in some embodiments , a multiple - channel time domain eeg recording may be used , wherein different options exist for determining the intrinsic alpha frequency ( iaf ). in one embodiment , each channel from the first multi - channel time domain eeg recording is treated separately and generates a channel intrinsic alpha frequency ( ciaf ) for each channel of the full multi - channel time domain eeg recording , wherein a number of channel intrinsic alpha frequencies ( ciafs ) is equal to the number of channels from the first multi - channel time domain eeg recording . in some embodiments , all channel intrinsic alpha frequencies ( ciafs ) from the first multi - channel time domain eeg recording are averaged together to obtain a representative intrinsic alpha frequency ( iaf ) of the multi - channel time domain eeg recording . in some embodiments a single channel alpha frequency ( ciaf ) of the first multi - channel time domain eeg recording is within a band between 8 . 0 hz - 13 . 0 hz ; has a standard deviation ( sd ) below 0 . 75 hz ; has the lowest ( sd ) of all the channel intrinsic alpha frequencies ( ciafs ) of the multi - channel time domain eeg recording ; and is selected as a representative intrinsic alpha frequency ( iaf ) of the multi - channel time domain eeg recording . still further , the channel intrinsic alpha frequency ( ciaf ) of all channels of the first multi - channel time domain eeg recording that are within a band between 8 . 0 hz - 13 . 0 hz ; and have a standard deviation ( sd ) below 0 . 75 hz ; are averaged together to obtain a representative intrinsic alpha frequency ( iaf ) of the multi - channel time domain eeg recording . provided herein is a method of determining a valid intrinsic frequency ( vif ) of an eeg band of a subject comprising : applying an eeg discrimination routine comprising : obtaining a first eeg recording in a time domain ; dividing the first eeg recording into a plurality of epochs , wherein a total number of epochs is n ; filtering the data using a high - pass filter ( to reduce the influence of heartbeat and low frequency noise ); converting each epoch into a frequency domain epoch ( i ); filtering each frequency domain epoch ( i ) using a smoothing filter ; calculating an epoch intrinsic frequency ( m i ) in an eeg band of each frequency domain epoch ( i ); calculating a mean ( m ) intrinsic frequency ( if ) in the eeg band of all epoch intrinsic frequencies ( m i - n ), wherein determining the farthest frequency domain epoch ( m i ) from the mean , wherein if | m i − m |& gt ; 0 . 5 hz , removing the farthest frequency domain epoch ( m i ) decrementing n , and returning to the step for calculating a mean ( m ) intrinsic frequency ( if ) in the band of all epoch intrinsic frequencies , or if | m i − m |≦ 0 . 5 hz , then ; continue to the next step for setting a final intrinsic frequency ( fif ) equal to m ; and outputting the final intrinsic frequency ( fif ) in the eeg band equal to m ; and outputting the final intrinsic frequency ( fif ) in the eeg band to a user or device . in some embodiments , wherein determining a farthest frequency domain epoch ( m i ) from the mean m comprises determining an index ( i ) of the frequency domain epoch that is farthest from the mean ( m ), wherein i = index ( max i | m i − m |). in some embodiments , the eeg band comprises : an alpha band ; a theta band ; a beta band ; a gamma band ; and a delta band . in some embodiments , the eeg recording length is 128 seconds . in some embodiments , the eeg recording is a single - channel recording . in some embodiments , the eeg recording is a multi - channel recording . in some embodiments the eeg is a multi - channel recording , wherein a channel intrinsic frequency ( cif ) estimate may be made for each channel in an epoch and averaged together , or wherein each channel is treated separately , generating a final intrinsic frequency ( fif ) estimate for each channel for the full eeg recording , and wherein final intrinsic frequency estimates from each channel , as determined by step h ), are averaged together to generate a final intrinsic frequency ( fif ). in some embodiments , a channel of the eeg comprises 16 epochs . in some embodiments , the calculated epoch intrinsic frequency ( m i ) of the eeg comprises a range that is at least : ± 0 . 5 hz outside the range of the eeg band ; ± 1 . 0 hz outside the range of the eeg band ; ± 1 . 5 hz outside the range of the eeg band ; and ± 2 . 0 hz outside the range of the eeg band . in some embodiments , the eeg recording comprises a sample rate of 128 samples / sec . in some embodiments , the high - pass filter uses a 4 th order butterworth iir filter with the 3 db cutoff set to 5 . 0 hz . in some embodiments , the epoch intrinsic frequency of each epoch ( m i ) is determined using a fast fourier transform ( fft ). in some embodiments , the fast fourier transform ( fft ) uses a resolution of 1024 points , which results in a 0 . 125 hz resolution per bin from 0 hz to 64 hz . in some embodiments , the fast fourier transform ( fft ) is smoothed with an averaging filter that averages 5 points ± 2 from the target . in some embodiments , if the standard deviation ( sd ) of the n epoch if value is ≧ 0 . 75 hz , a second eeg recording is obtained and the previously described method of determining a valid intrinsic frequency ( vif ) of an eeg band of a subject ( using a first eeg recording ) is repeated using the second eeg recording in place of the first recording . in some embodiments , if the standard deviation ( sd ) of the n epoch if values calculated using the second eeg recording is ≧ 0 . 75 hz , a third eeg recording is obtained and the previously described method of determining a valid intrinsic frequency ( vif ) of an eeg band of a subject ( using a first eeg recording ) is repeated using the third eeg recording in place of the first recording . in some embodiments , if the standard deviation ( sd ) of the n epoch if values calculated using the third eeg recording is ≧ 0 . 75 hz , a fourth eeg recording is obtained and the previously described method of determining a valid intrinsic frequency ( vif ) of an eeg band of a subject ( using a first eeg recording ) is repeated using the fourth eeg recording in place of the first recording . in some embodiments , if the standard deviation ( sd ) of the n epoch if values calculated using the fourth eeg recording is ≧ 0 . 75 hz , a fifth eeg recording is obtained and the previously described method of determining a valid intrinsic frequency ( vif ) of an eeg band of a subject ( using a first eeg recording ) is repeated using the fifth eeg recording in place of the first recording . in some embodiments , if the standard deviation ( sd ) of the n epoch if values calculated using the fifth eeg recording is ≧ 0 . 75 hz , a sixth eeg recording is obtained and the previously described method of determining a valid intrinsic frequency ( vif ) of an eeg band of a subject ( using a first eeg recording ) is repeated using the sixth eeg recording in place of the first recording . in some embodiments , if the standard deviation ( sd ) of the n epoch if values calculated using the sixth eeg recording is ≧ 0 . 75 hz , a seventh eeg recording is obtained and the previously described method of determining a valid intrinsic frequency ( vif ) of an eeg band of a subject ( using a first eeg recording ) is repeated using the seventh eeg recording in place of the first recording . in some embodiments , if the standard deviation ( sd ) of the n epoch if values calculated using the seventh eeg recording is ≧ 0 . 75 hz , an eighth eeg recording is obtained and the previously described method of determining a valid intrinsic frequency ( vif ) of an eeg band of a subject ( using a first eeg recording ) is repeated using the eighth eeg recording in place of the first recording . in still other embodiments , if the eighth standard deviation ( sd ) of the n epoch if values is ≧ 0 . 75 hz obtained using the eighth eeg recording , a range of final intrinsic frequencies ( fifs ) of at least three of the first eeg recording , the second eeg recording , the third eeg recording , the fourth eeg recording , the fifth eeg recording , the sixth eeg recording , the seventh eeg recording , and the eighth eeg recording is calculated , wherein if the range is & lt ; 2 . 0 hz , then the mean value of the final intrinsic frequencies ( fifs ) of at least three of the first eeg recording , the second eeg recording , the third eeg recording , the fourth eeg recording , the fifth eeg recording , the sixth eeg recording , the seventh eeg recording , and the eighth eeg recording is determined to be the valid intrinsic frequency ( vif ). in some embodiments , if a third standard deviation ( sd ) of the n epoch if values ≧ 0 . 75 hz obtained using the third eeg recording , a range of final intrinsic frequencies ( fifs ) of the first eeg recording , the second eeg recording and the third eeg recording is calculated , wherein if the range is & lt ; 2 . 0 hz , then the mean value of the final intrinsic frequencies ( fifs ) of the first eeg recording , the second eeg recording and the third eeg recording is determined to be the valid intrinsic frequency ( vif ). in some embodiments of the method of determining a valid intrinsic frequency ( vif ) of an eeg band of a subject , if the final intrinsic frequency ( fif ) of the eeg recording is & gt ; a predetermined amount outside the eeg band , a second eeg recording is obtained and the method of determining a valid intrinsic frequency ( vif ) of an eeg band of a subject is repeated using the second eeg recording in place of the first eeg recording . in some embodiments , the predetermined amount is : ± 0 . 5 hz ; ± 1 . 0 hz ; ± 1 . 5 hz ; or ± 2 . 0 hz . in some embodiments , if the final intrinsic frequency ( fif ) of the eeg recording obtained using the second eeg recording is & gt ; the predetermined amount outside the eeg band , a third eeg recording is obtained and the previously described method of determining a valid intrinsic frequency ( vif ) of an eeg band of a subject ( using a first eeg recording ) is repeated using the third eeg recording in place of the first recording . in some embodiments , if the final intrinsic frequency ( fif ) of the eeg recording obtained using the third eeg recording is & gt ; the predetermined amount outside the eeg band , a fourth eeg recording is obtained and the previously described method of determining a valid intrinsic frequency ( vif ) of an eeg band of a subject ( using a first eeg recording ) is repeated using the fourth eeg recording in place of the first recording . in some embodiments , if the final intrinsic frequency ( fif ) of the eeg recording obtained using the fourth eeg recording is & gt ; the predetermined amount outside the eeg band , a fifth eeg recording is obtained and the previously described method of determining a valid intrinsic frequency ( vif ) of an eeg band of a subject ( using a first eeg recording ) is repeated using the fifth eeg recording in place of the first recording . in some embodiments , if the final intrinsic frequency ( fif ) of the eeg recording obtained using the fifth eeg recording is & gt ; the predetermined amount outside the eeg band , a sixth eeg recording is obtained and the previously described method of determining a valid intrinsic frequency ( vif ) of an eeg band of a subject ( using a first eeg recording ) is repeated using the sixth eeg recording in place of the first recording . in some embodiments , if the final intrinsic frequency ( fif ) of the eeg recording obtained using the sixth eeg recording is & gt ; the predetermined amount outside the eeg band , a seventh eeg recording is obtained and the previously described method of determining a valid intrinsic frequency ( vif ) of an eeg band of a subject ( using a first eeg recording ) is repeated using the seventh eeg recording in place of the first recording . in some embodiments , if the final intrinsic frequency ( fif ) of the eeg recording obtained using the seventh eeg recording is & gt ; the predetermined amount outside the eeg band , an eighth eeg recording is obtained and the previously described method of determining a valid intrinsic frequency ( vif ) of an eeg band of a subject ( using a first eeg recording ) is repeated using the eighth eeg recording in place of the first recording . in some embodiments , if the final intrinsic frequency ( fif ) calculated using the third eeg recording is & gt ; the predetermined amount outside the eeg band , a range of final intrinsic frequencies ( fifs ) of the first eeg recording , the second eeg recording and the third eeg recording is calculated , wherein if the range is & lt ; 2 . 0 hz , then the mean value of the final intrinsic frequencies ( fifs ) of the first eeg recording , the second eeg recording and the third eeg recording is determined to be the valid intrinsic frequency ( vif ). in some embodiments , if the final intrinsic frequency ( fif ) calculated using the third eeg recording is & gt ; the predetermined amount outside the eeg band , a range of final intrinsic frequencies ( fifs ) of three or more of the first eeg recording , the second eeg recording , the third eeg recording , the fourth eeg recording , the fifth eeg recording , the sixth eeg recording , the seventh eeg recording , and the eighth eeg recording is calculated , wherein if the range is & lt ; 2 . 0 hz , then the mean value of the final intrinsic frequencies ( fifs ) of the three or more of the first eeg recording , the second eeg recording , the third eeg recording , the fourth eeg recording , the fifth eeg recording , the sixth eeg recording , the seventh eeg recording , and the eighth eeg recording is determined to be the valid intrinsic frequency ( vif ). in some embodiments of the method of determining a valid intrinsic frequency ( vif ) of an eeg band of a subject , if a standard deviation ( sd ) of the n epoch if values ≧ 0 . 75 hz , or if the final intrinsic frequency ( fif ) is & gt ; a predetermined amount outside the eeg band , wherein the predetermined amount is ± 0 . 5 hz , ± 1 . 0 hz , ± 1 . 5 hz , or ± 2 . 0 hz ; then a second eeg recording is obtained and the previously described method of determining a valid intrinsic frequency ( vif ) of an eeg band of a subject ( using a first eeg recording ) is repeated using the second eeg recording in place of the first eeg recording . in some embodiments , if a standard deviation ( sd ) of the n epoch if values calculated using the second eeg reading ≧ 0 . 75 hz , or if the final intrinsic frequency ( fif ) calculated using the second eeg reading is & gt ; the predetermined amount outside the eeg band , then a third eeg recording is obtained and the previously described method of determining a valid intrinsic frequency ( vif ) of an eeg band of a subject ( using a first eeg recording ) is repeated using the third eeg recording in place of the first eeg recording . in some embodiments , if a standard deviation ( sd ) of the n epoch if values calculated using the third eeg reading ≧ 0 . 75 hz , or if the final intrinsic frequency ( fif ) calculated using the third eeg reading is & gt ; the predetermined amount outside the eeg band , then a fourth eeg recording is obtained and the previously described method of determining a valid intrinsic frequency ( vif ) of an eeg band of a subject ( using a first eeg recording ) is repeated using the fourth eeg recording in place of the first eeg recording . in some embodiments , if a standard deviation ( sd ) of the n epoch if values calculated using the fourth eeg reading ≧ 0 . 75 hz , or if the final intrinsic frequency ( fif ) calculated using the fourth eeg reading is & gt ; the predetermined amount outside the eeg band , then a fifth eeg recording is obtained and the previously described method of determining a valid intrinsic frequency ( vif ) of an eeg band of a subject ( using a first eeg recording ) is repeated using the fifth eeg recording in place of the first eeg recording . in some embodiments , if a standard deviation ( sd ) of the n epoch if values calculated using the fifth eeg reading ≧ 0 . 75 hz , or if the final intrinsic frequency ( fif ) calculated using the fifth eeg reading is & gt ; the predetermined amount outside the eeg band , then a sixth eeg recording is obtained and the method of claim 35 is repeated using the sixth eeg recording in place of the first eeg recording . in some embodiments , if a standard deviation ( sd ) of the n epoch if values calculated using the sixth eeg reading ≧ 0 . 75 hz , or if the final intrinsic frequency ( fif ) calculated using the sixth eeg reading is & gt ; the predetermined amount outside the eeg band , then a seventh eeg recording is obtained and the previously described method of determining a valid intrinsic frequency ( vif ) of an eeg band of a subject ( using a first eeg recording ) is repeated using the seventh eeg recording in place of the first eeg recording . in some embodiments , if a standard deviation ( sd ) of the n epoch if values calculated using the seventh eeg reading ≧ 0 . 75 hz , or if the final intrinsic frequency ( fif ) calculated using the seventh eeg reading is & gt ; the predetermined amount outside the eeg band , then a eighth eeg recording is obtained and the previously described method of determining a valid intrinsic frequency ( vif ) of an eeg band of a subject ( using a first eeg recording ) is repeated using the eighth eeg recording in place of the first eeg recording . in still further embodiments , if the final intrinsic frequency ( fif ) calculated using the third eeg recording is & gt ; the predetermined amount outside the eeg band , or if the standard deviation ( sd ) of the n epoch if values calculated using the third eeg reading ≧ 0 . 75 hz , a range of final intrinsic frequencies ( fifs ) of the first eeg recording , the second eeg recording and the third eeg recording is calculated , wherein if the range is & lt ; 2 . 0 hz , then the mean value of the final intrinsic frequencies ( fifs ) of the first eeg recording , the second eeg recording and the third eeg recording is determined to be the valid intrinsic frequency ( vif ). further still , in some embodiments , if the final intrinsic frequency ( fif ) calculated using the eighth eeg recording is & gt ; the predetermined amount outside the eeg band or if the standard deviation ( sd ) of the n epoch if values calculated using the eighth eeg reading ≧ 0 . 75 hz , a range of final intrinsic frequencies ( fifs ) of the at least three of the first eeg recording , the second eeg recording , the third eeg recording , the fourth eeg recording , the fifth eeg recording , the sixth eeg recording , the seventh eeg recording , the eighth eeg recording is calculated , wherein if the range is & lt ; 2 . 0 hz , then the mean value of the final intrinsic frequencies ( fifs ) of the at least three of the first eeg recording , the second eeg recording , the third eeg recording , the fourth eeg recording , the fifth eeg recording , the sixth eeg recording , the seventh eeg recording , the eighth eeg recording is determined to be the valid intrinsic frequency ( vif ). in some embodiments of the method of determining a valid intrinsic frequency ( vif ) of an eeg band of a subject , if the final intrinsic frequency ( fif ) is within the eeg band and the standard deviation ( sd ) of the n epoch if value is & lt ; 0 . 75 hz , the final intrinsic frequency ( fif ) is determined to be a valid intrinsic frequency ( vif ). in some embodiments , a channel intrinsic frequency ( cif ) is determined for each channel in the frequency domain epoch ( i ), and they are averaged to generate the epoch intrinsic frequency ( m i ). in some embodiments , an epoch intrinsic frequency ( m i ) is generated by averaging channel intrinsic frequencies ( cifs ) generated from the channels meeting inclusion criteria and averaged together , wherein the inclusion criteria comprise : a greatest power in the eeg band as compared to all other channels of the eeg recording ; a lowest variance as compared to all other channels of the eeg recording ; or a highest q - factor as compared to all other channels of the eeg recording . further still , in some embodiments , each channel from a multi - channel time domain eeg recording is treated separately and generates a channel intrinsic frequency ( cif ) for each channel of the full multi - channel time domain eeg recording , wherein a number of channel intrinsic frequencies ( cifs ) is equal to the number of channels from the multi - channel time domain eeg recording . in other embodiments , all channel intrinsic frequencies ( cifs ) from a multi - channel time domain eeg recording are averaged together to obtain a representative intrinsic frequency ( if ) of the multi - channel time domain eeg recording . in some embodiments , the channel intrinsic frequency ( cif ) of a single channel of a multi - channel time domain eeg recording comprises : a standard deviation ( sd ) below 0 . 75 hz ; the lowest ( sd ) of all the channel intrinsic frequencies ( cifs ) of the multi - channel time domain eeg recording ; and is selected as a representative intrinsic frequency ( if ) of the multi - channel time domain eeg recording . in still other embodiments , all channel intrinsic frequencies ( cifs ) of channels of a multi - channel time domain eeg recording that have a standard deviation ( sd ) below 0 . 75 hz ; are averaged together to obtain a representative intrinsic frequency ( if ) of the multi - channel time domain eeg recording . to use the invention , an eeg is recorded from the patient . the algorithm will generate an iaf estimate for the patient and label it as either “ valid ” or “ suspect ”, depending on whether or not it is in band and stable . if the iaf is valid , then the procedure ends . if the iaf is suspect , then another eeg may need to be recorded . this process continues until either a valid iaf is generated or 8 eeg recordings have been completed . if the subject reaches 8 eegs without a valid iaf , the subject is informed that he or she does not have an eeg that contains a detectable alpha frequency . a single - channel eeg or multiple - channel eeg may be used . for a multiple - channel eeg , different options exist for determining the iaf of an eeg recording . in one aspect , an iaf estimate may be made for each channel in an epoch and then averaged together . iaf estimates from all channels for a single epoch could be averaged together . alternately , iaf estimates only from channels whose eegs meet a specific criteria could be averaged , such as : greatest alpha power ; lowest variance ; or highest q factor . in one aspect , each channel is treated separately , generating its own iaf estimate for the full recording . in the end , a number of iaf estimates exist equal to the number of channels . afterward , valid iaf estimates from the channels can be averaged together for a final iaf estimate for the eeg recording . alternately , the channel that is in band with the lowest standard deviation could be used as the representative channel for the eeg recording . alternately , all channels which are in band with a standard deviation below 0 . 75 hz could be averaged together to get an iaf estimate for the full recording . in a preferred aspect , the intrinsic frequency of the alpha band is calculated . alternately , the intrinsic frequency of other eeg bands could be calculated . these include : the theta band ; the beta band ; the gamma band ; and the delta band . in the part of the routine to find peak iaf of a single epoch , the window to find the peak is 1 . 0 hz outside the eeg band of interest . the decision of the window width may be different depending on the eeg band , the patient , or the therapy being provided . in one aspect , the window is 0 . 5 hz outside the eeg band of interest . in one aspect , the window is 1 . 5 hz outside the eeg band of interest . in one aspect , the window is 2 . 0 hz outside the eeg band of interest . there were several variables that can be chosen for the algorithm , which may change based on the eeg band , the patient , or the therapy . some of these include : eeg recording length ( preferred : 128 seconds ); sample rate ( preferred : 128 hz ); filtering settings ( filter type , order , cutoff frequency ), wherein a preferred filtering includes : butterworth , 4 th order , 5 . 0 hz . ; fft resolution ( preferred : 1024 point ), ( with an example of the output illustrated by fig4 ); averaging filter settings ( preferred : +/− 2 samples ); number of epochs , ( preferred = 16 , as illustrated in fig3 ); number of channels ( preferred : 1 ); distance from the mean threshold to remove epochs ( preferred : 0 . 5 hz ); standard deviation threshold to label an iaf as suspect ( preferred : 0 . 75 hz ); the number of eeg recordings before the additional option to average a number of previous eegs in finding a valid iaf ( preferred : 3 ); the number of eeg recordings averaged to find a valid iaf ( preferred : 3 ); and , the number of eeg recordings without a valid iaf before the algorithm informs the user that none can be found ( preferred : 8 ). the eeg recordings from a clinical trial database formed the test set for a validation of the algorithm ( see clinicaltrials . gov registration # nct01370733 ). the validation was performed to ensure that at least 90 % of subjects in the test set were found to have a recalculated iaf estimate that is within 1 . 0 hz away from the treatment frequency used in a clinical trial . in addition , an expert qualitative analysis was performed on those subjects whose recalculated iaf estimates were more than 1 . 0 hz away from the baseline estimate . 229 subjects were evaluated out of the total of 231 . two subjects had no eegs available due to an error made when downloading the eegs . five of the subjects did not have a stable eeg to get a valid iaf . of the 229 subjects , 22 either had a recalculated iaf that was greater than 1 . 0 hz from the baseline iaf or were unable to determine a valid iaf . it was noted that these were the same subjects that were previously excluded from the “ per protocol ” analysis of a clinical trial . in the majority of the remaining subjects , the new algorithm produced an iaf value that was exactly the same as original treatment frequency used in the clinical study . result : ( 22 inaccurate iafs )/( 229 subjects )= 9 . 6 %, which is less than 10 . 0 %. pass . provided herein is a device comprising a computer - implemented system configured to discriminate a valid intrinsic alpha frequency of at least one time domain eeg recording of a subject comprising a software module with a routine configured to : evaluate a first time domain eeg recording of a subject ; determine if the time domain eeg recording has a stable intrinsic alpha frequency ( m i ) throughout a plurality of epochs wherein a valid intrinsic alpha frequency comprises ; a standard deviation between the epochs is & lt ; 0 . 75 hz , and a mean ( m ) of epoch intrinsic alpha frequencies ( m i ) between 8 . 0 hz to 13 . 0 hz ; set a final intrinsic alpha frequency ( fiaf ) equal to m ; and output the final intrinsic alpha frequency ( fiaf ) to the device ; or , label the first time domain eeg recording suspect ; and continue to sequentially evaluate a plurality of subsequent time domain eeg recordings until a valid intrinsic alpha frequency can be obtained from a subsequent time domain eeg recording . in some embodiments of the computer implemented system , a total number of time domain eeg recordings is eight . in some embodiments of the computer implemented system , if the software module routine cannot obtain a valid intrinsic alpha frequency within the first time domain eeg recording , a second time domain eeg recording or a third time domain eeg recording , a range of epoch intrinsic alpha frequencies ( m i ) of the first time domain eeg recording , the second time domain eeg recording and the third time domain eeg recording is calculated , wherein if the range is & lt ; 2 . 0 hz , the mean ( m ) of the first time domain eeg recording , the second time domain eeg recording and the third time domain eeg recording is calculated and is set equal to the final intrinsic alpha frequency ( fiaf ). in some embodiments of the computer implemented system , if the software module routine cannot obtain a valid intrinsic alpha frequency within eight time domain eeg recordings , the software module routine ends and outputs a message to a user that a valid intrinsic alpha frequency cannot be found . in some embodiments , the device comprises a neuro - eeg synchronization therapy ( nest ) device . in some embodiments , the device is configured to deliver low amplitude stimulation at an intrinsic alpha frequency that is the same as a patient &# 39 ; s intrinsic alpha frequency . provided herein is a method of quantitatively analyzing eeg recordings to obtain a valid intrinsic alpha frequency of a subject using a neuro - eeg synchronization therapy ( nest ) device comprising : obtaining a single 128 - second time domain eeg recording ; dividing the 128 - second eeg recording into sixteen eight - second epochs ; converting each epoch into a frequency domain epoch ( i ); calculating an epoch intrinsic alpha frequency ( m i ) for each frequency domain epoch ( i ); successively eliminating the epoch intrinsic alpha frequencies ( m i ) that are farthest from a mean , until the remaining epoch intrinsic alpha frequencies ( m i ) are all within 0 . 5 hz of the mean ; and outputting a final intrinsic alpha frequency ( fiaf ) for the eeg recording that is equal to the mean value of the remaining epochs &# 39 ; epoch intrinsic alpha frequencies . in some embodiments , the final intrinsic alpha frequency ( fiaf ) is determined to be valid if the standard deviation of the epoch intrinsic alpha frequencies ( m i ) from the epochs is & lt ; 0 . 75 hz and the final intrinsic alpha frequency ( fiaf ) is within the band of 8 . 0 - 13 . 0 hz . in some embodiments , the final intrinsic alpha frequency ( fiaf ) is determined to be suspect if a standard deviation of the epoch intrinsic alpha frequencies ( m i ) from the epochs is ≧ 0 . 75 hz or the final intrinsic alpha frequency ( fiaf ) is outside the band of 8 . 0 - 13 . 0 hz , and wherein a second eeg is recorded is obtained to determine if a valid intrinsic alpha frequency ( viaf ) can be determined as defined previously , by replacing the single 128 - second time domain eeg recording with the second eeg recording . in some embodiments , the final intrinsic alpha frequency ( fiaf ) using the second eeg recording is determined to be suspect if a standard deviation of the epoch intrinsic alpha frequencies ( m i ) from the epochs is ≧ 0 . 75 hz or the final intrinsic alpha frequency ( fiaf ) is outside the band of 8 . 0 - 13 . 0 hz , and wherein a third eeg recording is obtained to determine if the valid intrinsic alpha frequency ( viaf ) can be determined as defined previously , by replacing the single 128 - second time domain eeg recording with the third eeg recording . in some embodiments , if the valid intrinsic alpha frequency ( viaf ) cannot be obtained using the third eeg recording , a range of the final intrinsic alpha frequency ( fiaf ) values of the three previous eeg recordings is calculated , and if the range of the previous three final intrinsic alpha frequency ( fiaf ) values is & lt ; 2 . 0 hz , then the valid intrinsic alpha frequency ( viaf ) is set to the mean of the three previous final intrinsic alpha frequencies ( fiafs ). in some embodiments of the method of determining a final intrinsic alpha frequency of a subject , wherein determining the farthest frequency domain epoch ( m i ) from the mean m comprises calculating an index ( i ) of the frequency domain epoch that is farthest from the mean ( m ), wherein i = index ( max i | m i − m |). in some embodiments of the method of determining a valid intrinsic frequency of an eeg band of a subject , wherein determining the farthest frequency domain epoch ( m i ) from the mean m comprises calculating an index ( i ) of the frequency domain epoch that is farthest from the mean ( m ), wherein i = index ( max i | m i − m |). in some embodiments , up to eight eeg recordings are performed in an attempt to obtain a valid intrinsic alpha frequency ( viaf ) if a valid intrinsic alpha frequency is not obtained as previously defined . in some embodiments , the quantitative analysis ends if a valid intrinsic alpha frequency cannot be determined after eight recordings . in some embodiments , the platforms , systems , media , and methods described herein include a digital processing device , or use of the same . in further embodiments , the digital processing device includes one or more hardware central processing units ( cpu ) that carry out the device &# 39 ; s functions . in still further embodiments , the digital processing device further comprises an operating system configured to perform executable instructions . in some embodiments , the digital processing device is optionally connected a computer network . in further embodiments , the digital processing device is optionally connected to the internet such that it accesses the world wide web . in still further embodiments , the digital processing device is optionally connected to a cloud computing infrastructure . in other embodiments , the digital processing device is optionally connected to an intranet . in other embodiments , the digital processing device is optionally connected to a data storage device . in accordance with the description herein , suitable digital processing devices include , by way of non - limiting examples , server computers , desktop computers , laptop computers , notebook computers , sub - notebook computers , netbook computers , netpad computers , set - top computers , media streaming devices , handheld computers , internet appliances , mobile smartphones , tablet computers , personal digital assistants , video game consoles , vehicles , and wearable computing devices . those of skill in the art will recognize that many smartphones are suitable for use in the system described herein . those of skill in the art will also recognize that select televisions , video players , and digital music players with optional computer network connectivity are suitable for use in the system described herein . suitable tablet computers include those with booklet , slate , and convertible configurations , known to those of skill in the art . those of skill in the art will recognize wearable computing devices suitable to work with the platforms , systems , media , and methods described herein comprise a smart watch , smart glasses ( e . g ., google glass ®, microsoft hololens ®), clothing comprising computing devices , and any other computing device that can be attached to or worn by a person and / or animal . in some embodiments , the digital processing device includes an operating system configured to perform executable instructions . the operating system is , for example , software , including programs and data , which manages the device &# 39 ; s hardware and provides services for execution of applications . those of skill in the art will recognize that suitable server operating systems include , by way of non - limiting examples , freebsd , openbsd , netbsd ®, linux , apple ® mac os x server ®, oracle ® solaris ®, windows server ®, and novell ® netware ®. those of skill in the art will recognize that suitable personal computer operating systems include , by way of non - limiting examples , microsoft ® windows ®, apple ® mac os x ®, unix ®, and unix - like operating systems such as gnu / linux ®. in some embodiments , the operating system is provided by cloud computing . those of skill in the art will also recognize that suitable mobile smart phone operating systems include , by way of non - limiting examples , nokia ® symbian ® os , apple ® ios ®, research in motion ® blackberry os ®, google ® android ®, microsoft ® windows phone ® os , microsoft ® windows mobile ® os , linux ®, and palm ® webos ®. those of skill in the art will also recognize that suitable media streaming device operating systems include , by way of non - limiting examples , apple tv ®, roku ®, boxee ®, google tv ®, google chromecast ®, amazon fire ®, and samsung ® homesync ®. those of skill in the art will also recognize that suitable video game console operating systems include , by way of non - limiting examples , sony ® ps3 ®, sony ® ps4 ®, microsoft ® xbox 360 ®, microsoft xbox one , nintendo ® wii ®, nintendo ® wii u ®, and ouya ®. in some embodiments , the device includes a storage and / or memory device . the storage and / or memory device is one or more physical apparatuses used to store data or programs on a temporary or permanent basis . in some embodiments , the device is volatile memory and requires power to maintain stored information . in some embodiments , the device is non - volatile memory and retains stored information when the digital processing device is not powered . in further embodiments , the non - volatile memory comprises flash memory . in some embodiments , the non - volatile memory comprises dynamic random - access memory ( dram ). in some embodiments , the non - volatile memory comprises ferroelectric random access memory ( fram ). in some embodiments , the non - volatile memory comprises phase - change random access memory ( pram ). in other embodiments , the device is a storage device including , by way of non - limiting examples , cd - roms , dvds , flash memory devices , magnetic disk drives , magnetic tapes drives , optical disk drives , and cloud computing based storage . in further embodiments , the storage and / or memory device is a combination of devices such as those disclosed herein . in some embodiments , the digital processing device includes a display to send visual information to a user . in some embodiments , the display is a cathode ray tube ( crt ). in some embodiments , the display is a liquid crystal display ( lcd ). in further embodiments , the display is a thin film transistor liquid crystal display ( tft - lcd ). in some embodiments , the display is an organic light emitting diode ( oled ) display . in various further embodiments , on oled display is a passive - matrix oled ( pmoled ) or active - matrix oled ( amoled ) display . in some embodiments , the display is a plasma display . in other embodiments , the display is a video projector . in still further embodiments , the display is a combination of devices such as those disclosed herein . in some embodiments , the digital processing device includes an input device to receive information from a user . in some embodiments , the input device is a keyboard . in some embodiments , the input device is a pointing device including , by way of non - limiting examples , a mouse , trackball , track pad , joystick , game controller , or stylus . in some embodiments , the input device is a touch screen or a multi - touch screen . in other embodiments , the input device is a microphone to capture voice or other sound input . in other embodiments , the input device is a video camera or other sensor to capture motion or visual input . in various embodiments , the input device is a device capable of recognizing one or more physical gestures and / or motions . in further embodiments , the input device is a microsoft kinect ®, leap motion ®, or the like . in still further embodiments , the input device is a combination of devices such as those disclosed herein . in some embodiments , a suitable server configuration includes about 1 , about 2 , about 3 , about 4 , about 5 , about 6 , about 7 , about 8 , about 9 , about 10 , about 20 , about 30 , about 40 , about 50 , about 60 , about 70 , about 80 , about 90 , about 100 , about 200 , about 500 , about 1000 , more than about 1000 servers , one or more server farms , and cloud - based server resource allocation systems . in some embodiments , the servers are co - located . in some embodiments , the servers are located in different geographical locations . in some embodiments the servers are housed in the same rack . in some embodiments , the servers are housed in multiple racks . in some embodiments , the multiple racks are in the same geographic region . in some embodiments the racks are in different geographic regions . in some embodiments , the server is or a plurality of servers employ a software framework such as hadoop , google mapreduce , hbase , and / or hive , for storage and large - scale processing of data - sets on clusters of hardware . in some embodiments , the platforms , systems , media , and methods disclosed herein include one or more non - transitory computer readable storage media encoded with a program including instructions executable by the operating system of an optionally networked digital processing device . in further embodiments , a computer readable storage medium is a tangible component of a digital processing device . in still further embodiments , a computer readable storage medium is optionally removable from a digital processing device . in some embodiments , a computer readable storage medium includes , by way of non - limiting examples , cd - roms , dvds , flash memory devices , solid state memory , magnetic disk drives , magnetic tape drives , optical disk drives , cloud computing systems and services , and the like . in some cases , the program and instructions are permanently , substantially permanently , semi - permanently , or non - transitorily encoded on the media . in some embodiments , the platforms , systems , media , and methods disclosed herein include at least one computer program , or use of the same . a computer program includes a sequence of instructions , executable in the digital processing device &# 39 ; s cpu , written to perform a specified task . computer readable instructions may be implemented as program modules , such as functions , objects , application programming interfaces ( apis ), data structures , and the like , that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types . in light of the disclosure provided herein , those of skill in the art will recognize that a computer program may be written in various versions of various languages . the functionality of the computer readable instructions may be combined or distributed as desired in various environments . in some embodiments , a computer program comprises one sequence of instructions . in some embodiments , a computer program comprises a plurality of sequences of instructions . in some embodiments , a computer program is provided from one location . in other embodiments , a computer program is provided from a plurality of locations . in various embodiments , a computer program includes one or more software modules . in various embodiments , a computer program includes , in part or in whole , one or more web applications , one or more mobile applications , one or more standalone applications , one or more web browser plug - ins , extensions , add - ins , or add - ons , or combinations thereof . in some embodiments , a computer program includes a web application . in light of the disclosure provided herein , those of skill in the art will recognize that a web application , in various embodiments , utilizes one or more software frameworks and one or more database systems . in some embodiments , a web application is created upon a software framework such as microsoft ® . net or ruby on rails ( ror ). in some embodiments , a web application utilizes one or more database systems including , by way of non - limiting examples , relational , non - relational , object oriented , associative , and xml database systems . in further embodiments , suitable relational database systems include , by way of non - limiting examples , microsoft ® sql server , mysql ™, and oracle ®. those of skill in the art will also recognize that a web application , in various embodiments , is written in one or more versions of one or more languages . a web application may be written in one or more markup languages , presentation definition languages , client - side scripting languages , server - side coding languages , database query languages , or combinations thereof . in some embodiments , a web application is written to some extent in a markup language such as hypertext markup language ( html ), extensible hypertext markup language ( xhtml ), or extensible markup language ( xml ). in some embodiments , a web application is written to some extent in a presentation definition language such as cascading style sheets ( css ). in some embodiments , a web application is written to some extent in a client - side scripting language such as asynchronous javascript and xml ( ajax ), flash ® actionscript , javascript , or silverlight ®. in some embodiments , a web application is written to some extent in a server - side coding language such as active server pages ( asp ), coldfusion ®, perl , java ™, javaserver pages ( jsp ), hypertext preprocessor ( php ), python ™, ruby , tcl , smalltalk , webdna ®, or groovy . in some embodiments , a web application is written to some extent in a database query language such as structured query language ( sql ). in some embodiments , a web application integrates enterprise server products such as ibm ® lotus domino ®. in some embodiments , a web application includes a media player element . in various further embodiments , a media player element utilizes one or more of many suitable multimedia technologies including , by way of non - limiting examples , adobe ® flash ®, html 5 , apple ® quicktime ®, microsoft ® silverlight ®, java ™, and unity ®. in some embodiments , a computer program includes a mobile application provided to a mobile digital processing device . in some embodiments , the mobile application is provided to a mobile digital processing device at the time it is manufactured . in other embodiments , the mobile application is provided to a mobile digital processing device via the computer network described herein . in view of the disclosure provided herein , a mobile application is created by techniques known to those of skill in the art using hardware , languages , and development environments known to the art . those of skill in the art will recognize that mobile applications are written in several languages . suitable programming languages include , by way of non - limiting examples , c , c ++, c #, objective - c , java ™, javascript , pascal , object pascal , python ™, ruby , vb . net , wml , and xhtml / html with or without css , or combinations thereof . suitable mobile application development environments are available from several sources . commercially available development environments include , by way of non - limiting examples , airplaysdk , alchemo , appcelerator ®, celsius , bedrock , flash lite , . net compact framework , rhomobile , and worklight mobile platform . other development environments are available without cost including , by way of non - limiting examples , lazarus , mobiflex , mosync , and phonegap . also , mobile device manufacturers distribute software developer kits including , by way of non - limiting examples , iphone and ipad ( ios ) sdk , android ™ sdk , blackberry ® sdk , brew sdk , palm ® os sdk , symbian sdk , webos sdk , and windows ® mobile sdk . those of skill in the art will recognize that several commercial forums are available for distribution of mobile applications including , by way of non - limiting examples , apple ® app store , android ™ market , blackberry ® app world , app store for palm devices , app catalog for webos , windows ® marketplace for mobile , ovi store for nokia ® devices , samsung ® apps , and nintendo ® dsi shop . in some embodiments , a computer program includes a standalone application , which is a program that is run as an independent computer process , not an add - on to an existing process , e . g ., not a plug - in . those of skill in the art will recognize that standalone applications are often compiled . a compiler is a computer program ( s ) that transforms source code written in a programming language into binary object code such as assembly language or machine code . suitable compiled programming languages include , by way of non - limiting examples , c , c ++, objective - c , cobol , delphi , eiffel , java ™, lisp , python ™, visual basic , and vb . net , or combinations thereof . compilation is often performed , at least in part , to create an executable program . in some embodiments , a computer program includes one or more executable complied applications . in some embodiments , the computer program includes a web browser plug - in . in computing , a plug - in is one or more software components that add specific functionality to a larger software application . makers of software applications support plug - ins to enable third - party developers to create abilities which extend an application , to support easily adding new features , and to reduce the size of an application . when supported , plug - ins enable customizing the functionality of a software application . as a non - limiting example , plug - ins are commonly used in web browsers to play video , generate interactivity , scan for viruses , and display particular file types . those of skill in the art will be familiar with several web browser plug - ins including , adobe ® flash ® player , microsoft ® silverlight ®, and apple ® quicktime ®. in some embodiments , the toolbar comprises one or more web browser extensions , add - ins , or add - ons . in some embodiments , the toolbar comprises one or more explorer bars , tool bands , or desk bands . in view of the disclosure provided herein , those of skill in the art will recognize that several plug - in frameworks are available that enable development of plug - ins in various programming languages , including , by way of non - limiting examples , c ++, delphi , java ™, php , python ™, and vb . net , or combinations thereof . web browsers ( also called internet browsers ) are software applications , designed for use with network - connected digital processing devices , for retrieving , presenting , and traversing information resources on the world wide web . suitable web browsers include , by way of non - limiting examples , microsoft ® internet explorer ®, mozilla ® firefox ®, google ® chrome , apple ® safari ®, opera software ® opera ®, and kde konqueror . in some embodiments , the web browser is a mobile web browser . mobile web browsers ( also called mircrobrowsers , mini - browsers , and wireless browsers ) are designed for use on mobile digital processing devices including , by way of non - limiting examples , handheld computers , tablet computers , netbook computers , subnotebook computers , smartphones , music players , personal digital assistants ( pdas ), and handheld video game systems . suitable mobile web browsers include , by way of non - limiting examples , google ® android ® browser , rim blackberry ® browser , apple ® safari ®, palm ® blazer , palm ® webos ® browser , mozilla ® firefox ® for mobile , microsoft ® internet explorer ® mobile , amazon ® kindle ® basic web , nokia ® browser , opera software ® opera ® mobile , and sony ® psp ™ browser . in some embodiments , the platforms , systems , media , and methods disclosed herein include software , server , and / or database modules , or use of the same . in view of the disclosure provided herein , software modules are created by techniques known to those of skill in the art using machines , software , and languages known to the art . the software modules disclosed herein are implemented in a multitude of ways . in various embodiments , a software module comprises a file , a section of code , a programming object , a programming structure , or combinations thereof . in further various embodiments , a software module comprises a plurality of files , a plurality of sections of code , a plurality of programming objects , a plurality of programming structures , or combinations thereof . in various embodiments , the one or more software modules comprise , by way of non - limiting examples , a web application , a mobile application , and a standalone application . in some embodiments , software modules are in one computer program or application . in other embodiments , software modules are in more than one computer program or application . in some embodiments , software modules are hosted on one machine . in other embodiments , software modules are hosted on more than one machine . in further embodiments , software modules are hosted on cloud computing platforms . in some embodiments , software modules are hosted on one or more machines in one location . in other embodiments , software modules are hosted on one or more machines in more than one location . in some embodiments , the platforms , systems , media , and methods disclosed herein include one or more databases , or use of the same . in view of the disclosure provided herein , those of skill in the art will recognize that many databases are suitable for storage and retrieval of item , buyer , and seller information . in various embodiments , suitable databases include , by way of non - limiting examples , relational databases , non - relational databases , object oriented databases , object databases , entity - relationship model databases , associative databases , and xml databases . in some embodiments , a database is internet - based . in further embodiments , a database is web - based . in still further embodiments , a database is cloud computing - based . in other embodiments , a database is based on one or more local computer storage devices . in some embodiments , the platforms , systems , media , and methods disclosed herein include one or more input devices or output devices , or use of the same . in view of the disclosure provided herein , those of skill in the art will recognize that many devices are suitable for inputting and / or outputting information eeg data and / or frequency information of a subject . in various embodiments , suitable devices includes : a digital display , a keyboard , a touch - screen , computer readable medium , a eeg sensor , a eeg recording device , an auxiliary connection , a usb connection , an electrode , an interactive interface , a user interface , a mouse , a microphone , a joy stick , light pen , a scanner , a graphic tablet , a magnetic ink card reader ( micr ), optical character reader ( ocr ), a computer readable medium reader , optical mark reader ( omr ), or the like . 30 subjects ( 14 male , 16 female , 33 . 8 ± 11 . 5 yrs old ) participated in the validation study ( see clinicaltrials . gov registration # nct01370733 ). the subjects had a varied ethnic mix ( 16 white , 5 asian , 4 hispanic , 1 pacific islander , and 4 mixed races ). 15 of the subjects underwent eeg recording in the morning , and 15 in the afternoon . each subject underwent three different phases : phase 1 : eyes closed , relaxed ; phase 2 : eyes open ; and phase 3 : eyes closed , with muscle artifact . three disposable patch ag — agcl snap - type electrodes are affixed to the subject &# 39 ; s head , one in the center of the forehead ( fpz ) approximately 1 ″ ( two fingers ) above the nasal bridge between the eyebrows ; one on the subject &# 39 ; s forehead right of center ( fp1 ); and one ( oz ) approximately 1 ″ ( two fingers ) above the protuberance of the occipital bone ( inion ). eeg recording is done automatically at the push of the start button on the neosync nest device . preferred embodiments of the neosync nest device are described in the related u . s . patent application ser . no . 12 / 237 , 319 , u . s . application ser . no . 12 / 237 , 328 , and u . s . application ser . no . 12 / 237 , 304 , u . s . application ser . no . 12 / 850 , 547 , u . s . application ser . no . 12 / 944 , 591 , u . s . application ser . no . 13 / 681 , 964 , all of the above identified applications previously mentioned are incorporated herein by reference . in this validation study , the test device is not used to deliver therapy to subject but instead to acquire and interpret eeg signal . the hardware and / or software module specific to acquiring and interpreting an eeg signal is internal to the neosync nest device and is the component evaluated during this study . iaf stands for individual alpha frequency ; stms stands for synchronized transcranial magnetic stimulation ; nvc , mja , djb , sc are initials of technicians performing the eeg recording ; cvs is the initial for an outside consultant who performed an independent analysis of the eeg recordings . there were 4 technicians who recorded eegs . two of the technicians ( nvc and mja ) were experienced , having performed numerous eeg recordings during the nnd - 3001 nest clinical trial . the other two technicians ( djb and sc ) were inexperienced , having never recorded an eeg with the nest device or otherwise . all four technicians underwent training on electrode application , device connectivity and use , and eeg acquisition as part of the study . to determine the effect of technician experience , we evaluated the average number of recordings to obtain a valid eeg during phase 1 . the experienced technicians recorded eegs for 14 subjects , with an average of 2 . 57 ± 2 . 44 recordings for a valid iaf . the inexperienced technicians recorded eegs for 16 subjects , with an average of 2 . 31 ± 2 . 47 recordings . using a 2 - tailed t - test , the p value of the number of recording to obtain a valid iaf equals 0 . 77 and thus , there is no statistical significance between the experienced and inexperienced technicians . therefore , experience level of the technician is not considered a factor in obtaining a valid iaf . among all of the 30 test subjects , average number of eeg recording attempts to obtain a valid iaf during phase 1 was 1 . 57 , and number of subjects excluded , due to 8 invalid iaf recordings during phase was 4 out of 30 , which is 13 %. iaf consistency between phase 1 and phase 2 , phase 1 and phase 3 was tested . 0 . 0 % of the test subject had more than 1 . 0 hz difference . iaf estimation was also compared to blinded independent calculation of iaf . the average difference identified across all subjects was 0 . 175 hz . only 1 of the subject , 3 . 33 % of the total number of subjects , had more than 1 . 0 hz difference when compared to blinded independent calculation of iaf . average difference between iaf from first recording segment phase 1 and the final valid iaf was 0 . 141 hz . only 1 subject , 3 . 33 % of the total number of subjects , had more than 1 . 0 hz difference between the iaf measured from the first recording segment and the final valid iaf . the average absolute difference in iafs between phase 1 and phase 2 or 3 was 0 . 33 hz , which indicates that the measurement is consistent and not greatly affected by noise artifact . there were no subjects that had a difference in iafs between phases that is greater than 1 . 0 hz . there were 5 subjects with absolute difference in iafs of greater than 0 . 5 hz between phase 1 and phase 2 / 3 . the eegs of these individuals were generally very noisy or had certain characteristics , such as a double - hump , which led to the difference . the highest absolute difference was 0 . 865 hz . noise artifact , obtained from jaw clenching , eye rolling behind closed lids , frowning , etc . did not appear to be a factor in obtaining a valid iaf . based on these results , the discrimination routine has been shown to be very effective at finding a consistent , stable , valid iaf and rejecting noisy eegs . interestingly , 14 / 30 subjects obtained a valid iaf during phase 2 ( eyes open ). although this is not the preferred method of recording an eeg , it is encouraging that even if subjects are not fully compliant during eeg recording , a valid iaf may still be found . one of the technicians , mja , recorded a disproportionally large number of noisy eegs where a valid iaf was unable to be obtained . in order to better understand this relationship , a follow - up meeting was scheduled where the technician repeated the recording procedure ( skin prep , electrode placement , etc .) on an additional subject . issues identified in the recording technique were that an alcohol wipe was not used before applying the abrasive gel , and the rear electrode was placed approximately 1 ″ too low , situated almost directly over the inion bone . neither of these resulted in any excessive noise artifact in an analysis of the eeg recording . the eeg data from phase 1 was analyzed independently by cvs , who is experienced in eeg analysis and algorithm development . his estimates differed on average − 0 . 076 hz from the iaf produced by the eeg discrimination algorithm . the average absolute difference was 0 . 175 hz . this independent analysis confirms that the eeg system generates repeatable , reliable iaf estimates that correlate well with independent qualitative analysis . there were specific subjects in the study who had eegs that were very noisy or had unique characteristics ( e . g ., double - hump , out - of - band peaks ), which gave the algorithm problems in finding a valid iaf . fig5 shows non - limiting exemplary waveforms from eegs recorded in one of the test subject the study is shown . one image is shown per phase . the images were selected as a “ typical ” 8 - second epoch from the entire recording . the top waveform in each image of a phase is the raw eeg . the bottom waveform in each image of a phase is a1028 point ( 128 hz sample rate ) fft for the raw eeg waveform , showing the frequency of the dominant peak . some of the subjects have two images shown for one phase , in order to exemplify variations in alpha activity throughout the recording ( not shown ). while preferred embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described herein , it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that such embodiments are provided by way of example only . numerous variations , changes , and substitutions will now occur to those skilled in the art without departing from the invention . it should be understood that various alternatives to the embodiments of the invention described herein may be employed in practicing the invention . it is intended that the following claims define the scope of the invention and that methods and structures within the scope of these claims and their equivalents be covered thereby . | 0 |
with reference to the figures , a tool changing device for a cutting head of a machine for cutting flat glass sheets is generally designated by the reference numeral 10 . the device 10 comprises , so that they can slide in a parallel arrangement with sliding means on a bridge 11 that supports a cutting head 12 , a carriage 13 for supporting the cutting head 12 , provided with motorization means 14 for translational motion on the bridge 11 , and a tool supporting slider 15 , which is normally coupled , by way of reversible fixing means 16 for detachably fixing the tool supporting slider 15 to the carriage 13 , to the carriage 13 during the work of the cutting head 12 and which can be uncoupled , for tool changing operations , in order to allow the movement of the carriage with respect to the slider , which is stationary , to select a tool to be used . the bridge 11 is understood to be laterally supported by abutments 17 which are associated with a worktable 18 . the means for the sliding of the carriage 13 on the bridge 11 are constituted by an electric motor 19 , which is supported by a bracket 23 that is jointly connected to the carriage 13 , with a pinion 20 engaged with a rack 21 which is fixed to the bridge 11 . the carriage 13 for supporting the head 12 is constituted by a supporting plate 22 , which is substantially perpendicular with respect to the worktable 18 , which is normally horizontal , the cutting head 12 with the respective means for moving the tool being fixed to the plate 22 at one end , i . e . an actuator 24 for the vertical translational movement of the end 30 a to which the tool is fixed , and a motor 25 for the rotation of such end , and at the opposite side , on the bridge side , at least four sliders 26 for sliding on corresponding rails 27 and 28 associated with the bridge 11 , as well as stroke limiting means 29 for the vertical actuator 24 , which are designed to measure the lowering of the end 30 a of the stem 30 of the cutting head for tool changing operations , described in more detail hereinbelow . the tool supporting slider 15 is constituted by a bracket 31 which is l - shaped , the vertical section of which has two second sliders 32 , which are arranged so as to slide on the rails 27 and 28 , each interposed between two first sliders 26 of the carriage 13 which can slide on the same rail . the horizontal portion 33 of the l - shaped bracket 31 carries a rack 34 for supporting tools 35 , which is moved in a sliding fashion by means of an actuator 36 which is fixed below the horizontal portion 33 . the tool supporting rack 34 is moved by a stem 36 a of the actuator 36 , and is supported by means of a frame 37 to which it is fixed , the frame 37 being provided with sliding wheels 38 which are associated with corresponding guides 39 which are fixed to the actuator 36 and are therefore jointly connected to the bracket 31 . the reversible fixing means 16 for detachably fixing the tool supporting slider 15 to the carriage 13 , are constituted by an actuator which is fixed to the vertical portion of the bracket 31 , with a tip 40 which can be extracted and retracted for engagement or disengagement with respect to a hole 41 chosen among a series of holes formed in the face of the supporting plate 22 that is directed toward the bridge 11 . there are at least as many holes 41 as the number of tools carried by the tool supporting rack 34 . the tools 35 , which are understood to be known per se , with clip bodies for quick and reversible engagement in a corresponding seat formed in the end 30 a of the cutting head 12 , and since they are known they are not shown for simplicity , have two lateral symmetric hollows 44 , which are extended at right angles with respect to the vertical direction of movement of the stem 30 of the cutting head and are designed to slide on complementary shaped protrusions 45 which protrude laterally from teeth 47 in compartments 46 of the rack 34 . the stroke limit means 29 for the vertical actuator 24 , which are designed to measure the lowering of the end 30 a of the stem 30 of the cutting head for tool changing operations , are constituted by a fluid - operated actuator designed to produce the translational motion of a piston 19 a . when the stem 30 needs to be lowered for the tool to be changed , the fluid - operated actuator is commanded to extract the piston 19 a to protrude from the plate 22 until it affects the downward stroke of the motor 25 , to which the stem 30 is fixed . when the stem 30 needs to be lowered until the tool is brought to the worktable 18 , then the fluid - operated actuator is actuated to retract , so freeing the vertical motion of the motor 25 to which the stem 30 is fixed . the operation of the tool changing device 10 according to the invention is as follows , and is illustrated in the figures from 5 to 14 . a first step of the tool changing operations is shown in fig5 and 6 . in this first , illustrative , step , the slider 15 is jointly connected to the carriage 13 , and therefore the tip 40 , which is jointly connected to the slider 15 , is inserted into a first hole 41 a formed in the plate 22 of the carriage 13 . the slider 15 is fixed in a first relative position with respect to the carriage 13 . it is assumed that the cutting head 12 has a first tool 35 a in use and that it needs to uncouple it . in fig7 the piston 29 a can be seen extracted so as to interfere with the downward stroke of the motor 25 . the position of the piston 29 a on the plate 22 determines a stroke of the motor 25 which is such as to lower the tool 35 a to the height of the tool supporting rack 34 . fig8 shows the sliding movement of the tool supporting rack 34 , and this sliding movement ensures that the corresponding prearranged compartment , which is designated by the reference numeral 46 a in order to identify it by way of example with respect to the other similar compartments 46 of the rack 34 shifts until the protrusions 45 protruding on it couple with the corresponding hollows 44 of the tool 35 a , the compartment 46 a , the protrusions 45 and the hollows 44 being shown in fig3 and 4 . the subsequent operation of lifting the stem 30 determines the rapid detachment of the first tool 35 a from the end 30 a , as in fig9 . also in fig9 the tip 40 is shown retracted from the hole 41 . this configuration of the tip frees the slider 15 from the carriage 13 , allowing the latter to move with respect to the slider itself as shown in fig1 . with the slider 15 stationary , the carriage 13 , now freed from the slider , moves to a second position , for example to load the second tool 35 b , which is arranged at the other end of the rack 34 with respect to the first tool 35 a , as shown in fig1 , the first tool 35 a and the rack 34 being shown for example in fig7 and 8 , and the second tool 35 b being shown by way of example in fig1 to 14 . the end 30 a remains lifted and the piston 29 a remains extracted , as shown in fig1 . fig1 shows the end 30 a lowered to engage the second tool 35 b , with the motor 25 , shown for example in fig7 , which is in abutment at its stroke limit against the piston 29 a , already shown in fig1 . fig1 shows the rack 34 which retracts , the stem 30 with the new tool 35 b which raises and the piston 29 a which retracts in order to permit the lowering to the level of the worktable 18 , such situation being shown in fig1 . in practice it has been found that the invention fully achieves the intended aim and objects . in particular , with the invention a tool changing device has been developed which makes it possible to eliminate fruitless idle excursions to arrive at the tool changing region , since the slider 15 with the tool supporting rack 34 travels with the carriage 13 that carries the cutting head 12 , and long excursions are not necessary for the cutting head to reach magazines which are fixed at the edges of the worktable . this improves the production rates of the cutting machine of which the device is a part . moreover , with the invention a tool changing device has been developed in which the translational movement of the slider with the tool supporting rack with respect to the cutting head supporting carriage to change the tool is executed by the same motor that moves the cutting head with respect to the bridge , without the addition of other motors . further , the tip 40 of the reversible fixing means 16 is controlled by position sensors which enable a correct mechanical alignment between the tool supporting rack and the cutting head before and during every tool change . the device according to the invention makes it possible to resolve all the above - mentioned problems concerning current , fixed - position tool changing systems . the tool change is thus extremely simple , precise , i . e . always mechanically aligned , and extremely rapid . the invention thus conceived is susceptible of numerous modifications and variations , all of which are within the scope of the appended claims . moreover , all the details may be substituted by other , technically equivalent elements . in practice the materials employed , as well as the dimensions and the contingent shapes , may be any according to requirements and to the state of the art . the disclosures in italian patent application no . pd2009a000315 from which this application claims priority are incorporated herein by reference . | 8 |
the present invention is an active lighting system that analyzes a subject ( by measuring a range of properties of a subject , inclusive of nature , dimensions , shape , texture , contrast , reflectivity , transparence , temperature , etc . ), analyzes the environment ( by measuring properties such as existing illumination ), incorporates a knowledge of the eye characteristics of the user , understands the task the user is performing , and provides the most appropriate lighting conditions for any given environment and situation by automatic control of a range of variables ( spectrum , intensity , color , contrast , temperature , angle , focus , data ). since the user is human , properties specifically include the user eye characteristics , relative position of the subject with respect to the source of light , etc . not only does the system provide lighting best suited to environment and task , but also provides dynamic lighting that is adjusted over time to adapt to changing environmental and task requirements . fig1 is a perspective view , and fig2 is a block diagram of the primary components of the semantic lighting system 2 according to the present invention . the system 2 generally includes a programmable light unit 40 ( plu ), sensor pod 50 ( sp ) and control unit 30 ( cu ), all of which are available for sensing and controlling the appropriate lighting conditions in a given area for a given subject . in addition , the system 2 includes a processing unit 60 ( pu ) and network unit 70 ( nu ). the subject 80 is the target of illumination such as a magazine or a book . the sensor pod ( sp ) 50 incorporates a variety of sensors including , but not limited to , a visual spectrum camera 52 , infrared spectrum camera 54 , range sensors 56 , a sensor for tracking eye movement 58 , and other possible sensors . the programmable light unit 40 ( plu ) preferably includes one or more digital programmable light sources such as a conventional dlp or lcd projectors , one or more high intensity programmable led clusters , one or more conventional incandescent or fluorescent light sources including halogen , or any combination of the foregoing . plu 40 also contains conventional means of focusing and directing light to a particular area of the subject . the control unit 30 ( cu ) includes a user interface with controls for controlling the pu 60 , and may be configured as a conventional ir remote controller . the control unit 30 ( cu ) is used for user - input of a task requirement and personalization depending on the particular task or environment that the user desires lighting for . the task requirement may be a categorical choice of task such as user reading lighting , user writing lighting , surgery lighting , working , etc . the network unit ( nu ) 70 may be any conventional network interface for wired or wireless connection to other remote - programmed devices , including but not limited to other semantic lighting systems , the internet , or any other programmable devices and wireless devices . network unit 70 ( nu ) provides networking capability with other remote systems or accessories having a like networking capability . the processing unit 60 ( pu ) includes an on - board ( one or more ) processors with memory and peripheral communications interfaces for receiving inputs from the sensor pod 50 ( sp ), control unit 30 ( cu ) and network unit 70 ( nu ), and for delivering appropriate outputs to the programmable light unit 40 ( plu ), control unit 30 ( cu ) and network unit 70 ( nu ). thus , the processing unit 60 ( pu ) also includes one or more outputs as appropriate for coupling to the programmable light unit 40 ( plu ), including , for example , a standard data output ( usb , serial , parallel , etc .). there is software resident on the processing unit 60 ( pu ) that creates an array of models inclusive of a user eye model , task model , and subject model . the user eye model is constructed using specific user physiological eye parameters such as , light perception , color perception , age , eye injury , and lens prescription . the data necessary to construct the user eye model may be pre - programmed or input by the user via control unit 30 ( cu ). the task model is built using a specific categorical task description such as reading , writing or a specific manufacturing task . the data necessary to construct the task model is typically an input by the user via control unit ( cu ). the subject task model is a 2d / 3d model of the subject including existing illumination , the shape of the subject , contrast , temperature , color , transparency , reflection and texture . given the three completed models , the software resident in the processing unit 60 ( pu ) executes a suite of algorithms that analyze data inputs from the sensor pod 50 ( sp ) ( and , optionally , control unit 30 ( cu ) data and network unit 70 ( nu ) data ) in accordance with the user eye model , the task model , and subject model , to create a subject illumination profile comprising a set of instructions to control the programmable lighting unit 40 ( plu ) in order to produce at any given time light with specified spectrum , intensity , focus , color , contrast , temperature and angle . in addition , if the task model so requires , the plu 40 will project text and images for aesthetic value or task oriented value . in addition , the processing unit 60 ( pu ) may deliver outputs to the control unit 30 ( cu ) for user - feedback , and to the network unit 70 ( nu ) for remote control of other networked systems or accessories . fig3 is a flow diagram illustrating the general operation of the semantic lighting system 2 according to the present invention . in operation , generally designated by input 100 in fig3 , the processing unit 60 ( pu ) receives programming inputs from the control unit 30 ( cu ), plus sensor inputs from the sensor pod 50 ( sp ) which may comprise spectral analyses from the visual spectrum camera 52 , infrared spectral analyses from spectrum camera 54 , subject range data from range sensors 56 , eye tracking information from the tracking device 58 , etc . the processor processing unit 60 ( pu ) may additionally receive sensor inputs from the network unit 70 ( nu ), and deliver appropriate outputs to the foregoing devices . the processing unit 60 ( pu ) will execute its internal algorithms as appropriate on the data from the sensor pod 50 ( sp ), and will determine the most appropriate lighting conditions and or text to display based on the user eye model 110 , the task requirement 120 ( which may be programmed at control unit 30 ( cu )), and the subject model 80 / 130 ( including visual spectrum , infrared spectrum , range , etc .). additionally , network unit 70 ( nu ) data may be considered . the processing unit 60 ( pu ) algorithms analyze the combined data , generally designated by the subject illumination model 140 in fig3 , generate the most appropriate lighting profile , and outputs control signals to the programmable light unit 40 ( plu ) as necessary to control the stated lighting variables ( spectrum , intensity , color , contrast , temperature , angle , etc . ), generally designated by outputs 150 . in addition , it is envisioned that use of dlp projector ( s ) will allow text projecting capabilities such as projection of recipes in a kitchen , directions for repair , etc . like outputs may be delivered to the control unit 30 ( cu ) for visual confirmation , and to the network unit ( nu ) 70 for remote control of networked systems and accessories . to further understand the various embodiments of the present invention the following are examples of certain application , though the list is not exhaustive : in this application the semantic lighting system 2 delivers light that has the most comfortable color , spectrum intensity and temperature for a user that is reading / writing and / or manipulating objects related to a task all collocated on a desk . the subject 80 is a collection of reading / writing materials and objects that are on a work desk . the user is the person that is using the desk . the semantic lighting system 2 takes into consideration the particular user eye performance parameters , the subject position , angle , contrast , texture , color , reflection and the distribution of objects on the desk . based on the above considerations the processing unit 60 ( pu ) analyzes the data , builds models for the subject and the user , and instructs the programmable light unit 40 ( plu ) to deliver appropriate light to each part of the subject . since in one implementation the programmable light unit 40 ( plu ) uses a data projector , in this case the semantic light is a projected image over the subject that could include text that possibly will be used to communicate with the user . since , the sensor pod 50 ( sp ) is continuously analyzing the subject , user movements , change of lighting condition , change of subject and some user gestures ( such as writing , hands movement , moving of objects on the desk , pointing to different part of the subject ) are registered and employed as inputs to adjust the programmable light unit ( plu ) image . in this application the semantic lighting system delivers light that has the most comfortable color , spectrum intensity and temperature for a reading user . the subject is an instance of a reading material ( book , magazine , etc .). the semantic lighting system 2 will take in consideration particular user eye performance parameters , the subject position , angle , contrast , texture , color , reflection , the distribution of text / pictures , and the character set . based on the above considerations the processing unit 60 ( pu ) analyzes the data , builds models for the subject and the user , and instructs the programmable light unit 40 ( plu ) to deliver appropriate light to each part of the subject . since in one implementation the programmable light unit 40 ( plu ) uses a data projector unit , in this case , the semantic light is a projected image over the subject that could also include the text to be read , or any other text for communicating with the user . the present system continuously analyzes the subject , user movements , change of lighting condition , change of subject and some user gestures ( such as pointing to different part of the subject ), and all these are registered and used as input to adjust the plu image . in this application the semantic lighting system 2 delivers light that has the most comfortable color , spectrum intensity and temperature for users that are collocated around a dining table . the subject 80 is a collection of objects that are on a dining table . the users are the people that are using dining table . the semantic lighting system 2 takes into consideration the subject position , angle , contrast , texture , color , reflection and the distribution of objects on the dining table . based on the above considerations the processing unit 60 ( pu ) analyzes the data , builds models for the subject , and instructs the programmable light unit 40 ( plu ) to deliver appropriate light to each part of the subject . since in one implementation programmable light unit 40 ( plu ) uses a data projector unit , in this case the semantic light is a projected image over the subject that may also include text . since , the semantic lighting system is continuously analyzing the subject , user movements , change of lighting condition , changes of subject are registered and employed as inputs to adjust the programmable light unit ( plu ) image . in this application semantic lighting system 2 delivers light that has the most comfortable color , spectrum intensity and temperature for a room . the subject 80 is a collection of objects that are in a room . the users are the people that are using the room . the semantic lighting system 2 takes into consideration the subject position , angle , contrast , texture , color , reflection and the distribution of objects in a room . based on the above considerations the processing unit 60 ( pu ) analyzes the data , builds processing unit 60 ( pu ) models for the subject , build models for the expected user task in the room and instruct the programmable light unit 40 ( plu ) to deliver appropriate light to each part of the subject . since in one implementation programmable light unit 40 ( plu ) uses a collection of clusters of led high intensity lights that could be programmed in terms of color , temperature , spectrum and color , the semantic light is differentiated for each part of the subject . since , sp is continuously analyzing the subject , user movements , change of lighting condition , change of subject are registered and employed as inputs to adjust the plu image . in this application the semantic lighting system 2 delivers light that has the most effective color , spectrum intensity and temperature for a physician that is performing a surgery in a surgery room . the subject 80 is the human body that is under the medical procedure . the semantic lighting system 2 takes into consideration particular user eye performance parameters , the particular body part or organ position , range , angle , contrast , texture , color , reflection and other visual properties that are related to the task . based on the above considerations the processing unit 60 ( pu ) analyzes the data , builds models for the subject and the user , and instructs the programmable light unit 40 ( plu ) to deliver appropriate light to each part of the subject . since in one implementation programmable light unit 40 ( plu ) uses a data projector unit , in this case the semantic light is a projected image over the subject that could also include text that could be used to communicate with the user by projecting physiological data directly on the subject . since the semantic lighting system 2 continuously analyzes the subject , user movements , change of lighting condition , change of subject and some user gestures ( such as pointing to different part of the subject ) are registered and used as input to adjust the programmable light unit 40 ( plu ) light . in addition a wearable semantic light unit may be mounted on the forehead of the user to direct the programmable light unit 40 ( plu ) to deliver appropriate light that is controlled by user head movement . in addition to the foregoing , the semantic lighting system lends itself to specific medical procedures . using the same principles as in the surgery theater illumination , semantic lighting system may be adapted for specific medical procedures . the same is true for specific manufacturing jobs . this application is similar to that of task lighting ( above ) but may also include a manufacturing task model . for example , the algorithms may employ additional models for a lathe , for the manufactured part , the manufacturing process , etc . moreover , the programmable light unit ( plu ) may project text on the manufacturing part to indicate current dimensions or the like . employing semantic lighting in the work place is likely to have a substantial impact in the worker comfort and productivity . in this application the semantic lighting system will deliver light that has the most effective and comfortable color , spectrum , intensity , focus , range and temperature for night driving . the subject 80 is the road ahead of the driver and any object that is in the path of the vehicle movement . the semantic lighting system 2 will take in consideration a particular driver night eye performance parameters , the subject temperature , infrared image , position , range , angle , contrast , texture , v color , reflection and other visual properties that are related to driving . based on the above considerations the processing unit 60 ( pu ) will analyze the data , build models for the subject and the user , and instruct the programmable light unit 40 ( plu ) to deliver appropriate light to each part of the subject , while taking in consideration the current regulation for headlight range , color and intensity . since in one implementation programmable light unit 40 ( plu ) uses a combination of halogen , high intensity led and data projection engines , the semantic light is obtained by a real time programmed combination of all three light sources . programmable light unit 40 ( plu ) also have the capability to project data directly on the subject . since the sensor pod 30 ( sp ) continuously analyzes ( both in visual and infrared spectrum ) the change in lighting condition and the change of subject ( such as new object in the path ) the programmable light unit 40 ( plu ) light could change to focus light on an object of relevance ( such as a deer in the path of the vehicle ). it should now be apparent that the foregoing semantic lighting system provides a dynamic , full customized , and automatic lighting profile to a subject by controlling that is optimized in spectrum , intensity , color , contrast , temperature , angle , focus , etc ., for any given environment , subject and task . moreover , the invention disclosed herein provides dynamic light that changes over time to adapt to changing environments and changing requirements of the task requiring illumination . having now fully set forth the preferred embodiments and certain modifications of the concept underlying the present invention , various other embodiments as well as certain variations and modifications thereto may obviously occur to those skilled in the art upon becoming familiar with the underlying concept . it is to be understood , therefore , that the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically set forth herein . | 0 |
while the invention will be described in connection with exemplary embodiments , it is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention to those embodiments . referring to fig1 as an example , there is illustrated a melodic artificial flower 10 . the melodic flower contains an electronic circuit assembly 20 , which is illustrated further in fig2 . the electronic circuit assembly 20 contains an integrated circuit unit ( icu ) 22 , a power source 24 , a switch mechanism 26 and a sound production mechanism , e . g ., a speaker , 28 . the circuits of the electronic circuit assembly 20 are complete and closed except for the switch mechanism 26 . the icu 22 contains a memory stage 30 . the memory stage 30 contains preprogrammed electronic signal sequences that are converted to audible tones or messages through the speaker 28 when the switch mechanism 26 is closed and activates the icu 22 . the icu 22 contains programs that play one or more of complete cycles of preprogrammed electronic signals of audible tones or messages once the switch mechanism 26 is closed to activate the icu . the program in the icu preferably is a program that completes the preprogrammed cycle or cycles even when the switch mechanism is opened before the completion of the programmed cycle . however , different needs for different party - favors may require that the playing duration of the electronic signals that are programmed in the icu needs to correspond to the closing sequence and duration of the switch mechanism . additionally , if there is a specific requirement to have the electronic signals from the icu and , correspondingly , the auditory message therefrom to respond to the closing sequence and duration of the switch mechanism , it may be desirable to program the icu to reset itself to the initial stage of its programmed cycle when the switch mechanism is opened after each use . as is well known in the art , icus suitable for the present invention may be programmed with various musical tones and / or voice messages , and they are commercially available . an illustrative example of such icus is melody ic erso 3830 ser . such suitable integrated circuit units are conventional and within the current state of the relevant art ; consequently , no further description is disclosed herein . the icu 22 may also contain an amplifier 32 that amplifies the electronic signals from the icu , if a louder audible response is desired . the power source 24 , e . g ., a battery , is selected to properly accommodate the requirements of the electronic circuit assembly 20 , especially the icu 22 . in accordance with the convention of the relevant electronic circuit art , the preferred icu has 1 . 5 volt circuitries and , correspondingly , the preferred power source potential is 1 . 5 volt . the switch mechanism 26 contains a resistor 34 , a bipolar transistor 35 and a physical interruption 36 . the resistor 34 is connected between the power source 24 and the memory stage 30 , and the bipolar transistor 35 is placed in series with the resistor 34 with respect to the power source 24 . the bipolar transistor 35 contains a collector terminal , a base terminal and a emitter terminal . the collector terminal is connected to the positive polarity of the power source 24 ; the base terminal is connected to the physical interruption 36 ; and the emitter terminal is connected to the memory stage 30 . as mentioned above , the electronic circuit assembly 20 is a closed circuit except for the switch mechanism , more particularly the physical interruption 36 . the interruption 36 is a break in the circuit , creating a first conductive terminal 38 and a second conductive terminal 39 . the first and second terminals 38 , 39 are fabricated from an insulated conductive material , e . g ., insulated wire . the first terminal 38 is connected to the positive potential of the power source 24 , and the second terminal 39 is connected to the transistor 35 , more particularly the base terminal of the transistor . the first and second terminals 38 , 39 are extended away from the electronic circuit assembly 20 and are connected to a first electrically conductive end 42 and a second electrically conductive end 44 , respectively . in order to facilitate an easy activation of the icu , the first and second conductive ends 42 , 44 can be fitted with a conductive material having a large surface area . the conductive ends 42 , 44 can be strips or wires fabricated from an electrically conductive material , for example , metal , e . g ., copper and aluminum ; an electrically conductive polymer , e . g ., polyaniline ; or a conductively modified polymer , e . g , a carbon or metal particle filled rubber . the conductive ends 42 , 44 are exposed to the exterior surface of the flower stem 12 and are placed and affixed closed to each other , but they must not touch each other . when the conductive ends 42 , 44 are simultaneously contacted with an electrically conductive material , the electrical current is conveyed to the bipolar transistor 35 and then the transistor 35 amplifies the current to a level that activates the icu . the activated icu causes the preprogrammed tone or message to be audibly played through the speaker 28 . although any conductive material may be employed to activate the icu , the more desired method of activating the icu in accordance with the present invention is simultaneously contacting the two conductive ends 42 , 44 with the human skin . in accordance with the present invention , the sensitivity of the switch mechanism can be controlled by varying the resistance level of the resistor 34 , thereby making the switch mechanism sensitive enough to activate the icu even when a relatively low conductive material such as the human skin is employed to close the switch mechanism and thus activate the icu . however , the sensitivity of the switch mechanism should not be too high as to activate the icu when contacted by a materials that is less conductive than the human skin , thereby preventing unexpected or unwanted activation of the icu . for example , when the method of activation is a human skin contact , the suitable resistance is between about 10 megohms and about 100 megohms , preferably between about 25 megohms and about 90 megohms , more preferably between about 50 megohms and about 80 megohms , and most preferably between about 60 megohms and about 75 megohms . referring back to fig1 the melodic flower 10 houses the electronic circuit assembly 20 inside its flower petals 14 , and the electronic circuit is firmly affixed to the flower base 16 . the conductive ends 42 , 44 are placed at the end of the flower stem 12 . however , the placement of the conductive ends 42 , 44 is not critical as long as the position of the exposed conductive ends are easily accessible to the user . as stated above , the electronic circuit assembly 20 is activated to produce audible tones or messages when the conductive ends 42 , 44 are simultaneously contacted by a conductive material or simultaneously touched . now referring to fig3 a wand 50 is equipped with the electronic circuit assembly 20 . the electronic circuit assembly is the same assembly described above in connection with the melodic flower . one or both ends of the wand 50 may be equipped with a multitude of regularly placed strips 52 of a conductive material that are separated by a small gap and are firmly affixed to the peripheral surface of the ends , forming conductive ends . the conductive strips 52 are alternatively connected to the first terminal 38 and the second terminal 39 of the electronic circuit assembly 20 . consequently , when at least one end of the wand 50 is touched or contacted with a conductive material , thereby simultaneously contacting the first and second terminals , the switch mechanism is closed , activating the icu 20 and playing the preprogrammed audible tone or message . it is to be noted that as the width of the conductive strips 52 decreases , consequently increasing the number of the conductive strips on the wand , the likelihood of simultaneously connecting the two terminals 38 , 39 and thus activating the icu increases . alternatively , each of the two ends of the wand may be fitted with a conductive material that completely wraps the outer periphery of the end , forming two fitted ends 56 , 58 , as illustrated in fig4 . one of the fitted ends 56 is connected to the first terminal 38 of the switch mechanism , and the other end 58 is connected to the second terminal 39 . a melodic wand equipped with this switch arrangement can be activated by one person simultaneously touching both ends of the wand . if desired , the wand can be made highly sensitive enough such that two persons physically separated by a short distance can be able to activate the icu when each person simultaneously touches each end of the wand . yet other exemplary uses of the present electronic circuit assembly are illustrated in fig5 and 6 . fig5 illustrates a knife 60 , more particularly a cake knife , and fig6 illustrates a cake server 62 . the electronic circuit assembly is placed inside of the handles of the knife and server , and both of the switch mechanism described above in connection with the wand 50 are equipped on the handles . although fig5 and 6 disclose party - favor articles having two types of switch mechanisms , only one of the two switch mechanisms is necessary to activate the electronic circuit assembly provided that the switch mechanism is placed in an easily accessible location on the handles for easy activation of the icu . as another embodiment of the present invention , the switch mechanism may additionally contain a resilient , conductive member that surrounds or covers both of the conductive terminals of the physical interruption , 36 of fig2 of the switch mechanism but do not make contact with one or both of the terminals , 38 and 39 of fig2 . the resilient , conductive member is placed over the two terminals so that when the conductive member is depressed , e . g ., by a finger , the conductive member contacts both of the terminals to complete the circuit , activating the circuit and the icu . in addition , the conductive member is resilient such that it substantially returns to its original position , deactivating the circuit , when the pressure is removed . suitable conductive member can be produced from a wide variety of elastomers or elastomeric materials , including natural rubber , neoprene , polyurethane , styrene - butadiene rubbers , butadiene rubbers , ethylene - propylene rubbers , silicone elastomers and fluoro elastomers , provided that the elastomeric materials are modified to be electrically conductive . the modification of the elastomeric material can be accomplished by any known means such as dispersing or filling fine carbon or metal particles while the elastomeric material is in a fluid or molten state , or laminating a conductive metal foil on the inside surface of the conductive member which is fabricated from an elastomeric material . fig7 illustrates an example of the conductive member that is fitted at the end of the stem 12 of the above illustrated melodic flower 10 . for example , the suction - cup - shaped resilient conductive member 70 is molded from a silicone rubber composition that is filled with fine metal particles . the small opening of the conductive member 70 is tightly and permanently fitted over the end of the stem 12 , and the first and second electrically conductive ends , 42 and 44 , are enclosed within the conductive member 70 but do not make contact with the conductive member . when the resilient conductive member 70 is squeezed to make a contact with both of the electrically conductive ends , 42 and 44 , the circuit is completed and the icu is activated to play the programed audible sound . the use of the resilient conductive member may be advantageous in that the sensitivity of the switch mechanism can be retarded to prevent false activations of the icu , e . g , activation by ambient static conditions or accidental contacting of the conductive ends . in addition , the use of the resilient conductive member allows simplification of the electronic circuit assembly 20 . when the resilient conductive member is utilized , the bipolar transistor can be eliminated from the electronic circuit assembly , as shown in fig8 . since the conductive member allows a sufficient level of electrical flow that is high enough to activate the icu , the need for the amplification which is provided by the bipolar transistor is eliminated . consequently , when the resilient conductive member is utilized , the sensitivity of the switch mechanism can be reduced . the resistor 34 of the switching mechanism should be have a resistance between about 1 megohms and about 20 megohms , preferably between about 5 megohms and about 15 megohms , more preferably between about 8 megohms and about 12 megohms . the present electronic circuit assembly can be placed in many different novelty articles that are used to enhance festive mood of special occasions , e . g ., birthdays , holidays , various anniversaries and the like , and such novelty articles include flowers , batons , candles , hats , cake - serving utensils and the like . | 6 |
embodiments of the present invention are described hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings . fig1 ( a )- 1 ( c ) show the main part ( i . e ., the part related to an image combining process ) of an image processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the invention . as shown in fig1 ( a ), a first color conversion circuit 1 converts color - decomposed signals of b , g and r , that have been produced by an image reading means using , for instance , a ccd line sensor and represent a reflectivity distribution , into system values l *, a * and b * of the equivalent color space . the l *- axis represents lightness , and saturation and hue are expressed in the two - dimensional plane defined by the a *- and b *- axes that are perpendicular to the l *- axis . an image processing circuit 2 performs editing operations such as a combining operation according to the invention , an image data input / output operation with external systems , and other image processing operations using the signals l *, a * and b * of the equivalent color space . a second color conversion circuit 3 converts the signals l *, a * and b * of the equivalent color space into colorant signals y , m and c to be used in an image output means . fig1 ( b ) shows an example of a configuration of a perspective combining circuit included in the image processing circuit 2 . a multiplier 4 multiplies image data b by a combining factor &# 34 ; f &# 34 ;. a subtracter 5 subtracts the combining factor &# 34 ; f &# 34 ; from &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ;, and a multiplier 6 multiplies an image signal a by a resultant difference &# 34 ; 1 - f &# 34 ;. an adder 7 adds the outputs of the multiplier 4 and the multiplier 6 together to produce combined image data . the perspective combining operation having the proportion of f :( 1 - f ) is performed by using the circuit of fig1 ( b ) for each of the signals l *, a * and b * of the equivalent color space to combine the image data a and b . fig1 ( c ) shows another example in which the subtracter 5 of fig1 ( b ) is omitted and multiplication factors &# 34 ; f &# 34 ; and &# 34 ; g &# 34 ; for the respective image signals b and a can be set independently . with this configuration , for instance , even an image having high densities or low densities as a whole can properly be subjected to the combining operation by adjusting the multiplication factors &# 34 ; f &# 34 ; and &# 34 ; g &# 34 ;. next , the whole image processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the invention is described . fig2 ( a ) shows an example of a configuration of a signal processing system of the image processing apparatus , and fig2 ( b ) shows details of an editing section 400 of fig2 ( a ). fig3 shows an example of the image processing apparatus . in fig2 ( a ), an image input terminal ( iit ) 100 has , for instance , a reduction - type image sensor consisting of three ccd line sensors of b , g and r arranged perpendicularly to the sub - scanning direction . the image sensor performs a scanning operation in the main scanning direction in synchronism with a timing signal - sent from a timing generation circuit 12 to read a document image while moving in the sub - scanning direction at a speed in accordance with a reduction / enlargement factor . analog image data is converted into , e . g ., 8 - bit digital image data having gradations . the digital image data is subjected to shading correction in a shading correction circuit 11 to correct for variations among pixels due to various factors , and to gap correction in a gap correction circuit 13 to correct for a gap between the respective line sensors . in the gap correction , the image data , that has been obtained by reading the document image , is delayed by fif0 14 by a time corresponding to the gap between the ccd line sensors so that the image data of b , g and r of the same position are obtained at the same time point . an enl ( equivalent neutral lightness ) conversion circuit 15 performs gray balancing of the image data using parameters that are in accordance with the type of document . further , the enl conversion circuit 15 performs negative / positive inversion by reversing , on a pixel - by - pixel basis , the manner of taking a gray level based on a negative / positive inversion signal from an editing section 400 ( described later ) so that , for instance , the negative / positive inversion is effected only in a specified area . the image data of b , g and r that has been subjected to the process of the enl conversion circuit 15 is converted , for instance , into signals l *, a * and b * of the equivalent color space by a matrix conversion circuit 16a . the l *-, a *- and b *- axes of the equivalent color space are orthogonal axes , and the l *- axis represents lightness , and the a *- and b *- axes form the chromaticity plane ( hue and saturation ). the conversion into the signals l *, a * and b * of the equivalent color space provides such advantages that the interface with external systems such as a computer can be facilitated via a memory system 200 , and that the color conversion , editing operation and image signal detection can also be made easier . a selector 17 selects between the output image data of the matrix conversion circuit 16a and the image data from the memory system 200 as the interface with external systems , or takes both image data at the same time , to perform texture combining operation or perspective combining operation . therefore , the selector 17 has the functions of setting the combining factors and performing computations and the combining operation . an ucr ( under color removal ) circuit 18 is intended to improve the copying quality of foggy original documents such as newspapers , for example , by detecting the under color density by producing a histogram of the document density during the pre - scanning operation , and skipping pixels having a density lower than the under color density . a document detection circuit 19 detects the size of the document by determining a circumscribed rectangular by detecting a boundary between a black back surface of the platen and the document , and stores the detected size . the ucr circuit 18 and the document size detection circuit 19 utilize the lightness signal l * among the signals of the equivalent color space . the editing section 400 sets an area command to be used for changing over the editing process , parameters , etc . for each area , and generates an area control signal based on the area command . the editing section 400 further performs , on the image data , operations such as color editing , color conversion and marker color detection . the image data subjected to such processes is input to the matrix conversion circuit 16a and to a picture / character separation circuit ( tis circuit ) 20 . the matrix conversion circuit 16a processes the image data that has been subjected to the editing processes to convert the signals of l *, a * and b * into the toner color signals of y , m and c . the picture / character separation circuit 20 discriminates among areas of color characters , black characters , pictures ( characters / halftone ) while forming a block of a plurality of pixels . the ucr circuit 21 generates data of black ( k ) and removes equivalent amounts of y , m and c based on the image data of y , m and c provided from the matrix conversion circuit 16a in accordance with a mono - color / full - color signal , and produces image data of the process color . the ucr circuit 21 further performs hue judgment to generate a hue signal . in the discrimination process of the picture / character separation circuit 20 , an area discrimination signal is delayed , e . g ., by 12 lines because of the formations of blocks . fifos 22a and 22b times the hue signal and the image data to this delayed area discrimination signal . a reduction / enlargement circuit 23b performs a reduction / enlargement operation on the image data in accordance with a specified reduction / enlargement factor . since reduction / enlargement in the sub - scanning direction is performed in the iit 100 by changing the sub - scanning speed in accordance with the reduction / enlargement factor , the reduction / enlargement circuit 23b thins or interpolates the image data only in the main scanning direction . a reduction / enlargement circuit 23a reduces or enlarges the area command so that areas in which the area control information is to be executed are not deviated in the manner corresponding to the reduction / enlargement operation . the area control information subjected to the reduction / enlargement operation is decoded by an area decoder 24 , and then subjected to the operations of the respective processing blocks . the area decoder 24 generates changeover signals for parameters of a filter 25 , coefficients of a multiplier 26 and parameters of a trc circuit 27 from the area command , the area discrimination signal and the hue signal , and distributes such changeover signals to the respective processing blocks . the filter 25 performs , on the image data that has been reduced or enlarged by the reduction / enlargement circuit 23b , the operations of halftone moire removal and character edge emphasis . the trc circuit 27 performs density adjustment using a conversion table in accordance with characteristics of the iot . pal 29 is a decoder for changing over parameters of the conversion table of the trc circuit 27 based on the development process and the area discrimination signal . the multiplier 26 performs a calculation of ( ax + b ) on the image data x using coefficients a and b , which are changed over such that the multiplier 26 is just passed for halftone images and coefficients of a high - γ characteristic are provided for characters . by using the multiplier 26 in combination with the trc circuit 27 and by properly selecting the coefficients and conversion table for the respective colors , color and density adjustments for color characters , black characters and pictures are performed . the character edge emphasis can be adjusted by means of the coefficients a and b by standardizing the parameters of the filter 25 . the image data thus adjusted is stored in the memory system 200 , or dot - developed and output as a dot image by a screen generator 28 of a ros interface 300 . referring to fig2 ( b ), a configuration of the editing section 400 is described below in detail . receiving the image data l *, a * and b * from the selector 17 , the editing section 400 performs such operations as the color conversion , color editing and generation of the area control signal . lut 415a converts the chromatic information in the form of orthogonal coordinates a * and b * into that in the form of polar coordinates c * ( chromatics ) and h * ( hue ) to facilitate the color detection of a marker color etc ., color editing , color conversion , etc . having , for instance , 32 kinds of pallets for colors to be used in the color conversion and color editing , a color conversion and pallets 413 performs , on the image data l *, c * and h *, operations such as the marker color detection , color editing and color conversion in accordance with the area command sent via a delay circuit 411a . only the image data of the selected area to be subjected to the operations such as the color conversion is processed in the color conversion and pallets 413 , inverse - converted from the data c and h into data of a * and b *, and then provided to a selector 416 . the image data of the remaining areas is directly sent to the selector 416 . the image data are provided from the selector 416 to the matrix conversion circuit 16b described above . a 4 - bit signal representing a marker color ( 3 colors ) and a closed area , that has been detected in the color conversion and pallets 413 from the image data , is sent to a density conversion and area generation circuit 405 , which performs density conversion from 400 spi to 100 spi by a binarizing operation with 4 × 4 windows using fifos 410a - 410c , in which operation a value &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; is established when there exist not less than a predetermined number of black pixels in 16 pixels . the marker signal ( e . g ., a closed loop and a marker dot ) thus generated is provided from the density conversion and area generation circuit 405 to plane memories 403 via a dram controller 402 . to avoid erroneously detecting small dust etc . as a marker , fifos 408 delay the marker dot signal by three lines to produce 3 × 3 windows , which is then subjected to marker dot detection and a coordinates generation in the coordinates generation circuit 407 , and finally stored into a ram 406 . this process is performed to prevent the erroneous detection although the marker dot is also stored into the plane memories 403 . the plane memories 403 are memories for storing the area commands to be used for the color conversion , color editing and other area editing operations . for example , a particular area can be specified from an editing pad , and an area command for that area can be written into the plane memories 403 . more specifically , the area command for that specified area , which has been specified using the editing pad , is transferred via a cpu bus to a graphic controller 401 , and then written into the plane memories 403 via the dram controller 402 . the plane memories 403 consist of four planes , in which 16 area commands ( i . e ., 0 - 15 ) can be set . the 4 - bit area command stored in the plane memories 403 is read out in synchronism with the output of the image data , to be used for the editing operation in the color conversion and pallets 413 , as well as for changing over the parameters , etc . of the image data processing blocks of fig2 ( a ), i . e ., the enl conversion circuit 15 , matrix conversion circuit 16 , selector 17 and ucr circuit 21 , and further the filter 25 , multiplier 26 , trc circuit 27 , screen generator 28 , etc . ( via the area decoder 24 ). when the area command is read from the plane memories 403 to be used for the editing operation in the color conversion and pallet 413 and the changing over of the parameters in the image data processing blocks , the density conversion from 100 spi to 400 spi is required . this is done by the density conversion and area generation circuit 405 . the density conversion and area generation circuit 405 performs such density conversion by producing blocks of 3 × 3 using fifos 409a and 409b and performing data interpolation using that pattern , to prevent a problem that the boundary of a closed - loop curve or editing area is zigzagged . delay circuits 411a and 411b , 1m fifo 412 , etc . are for the timing adjustment between the area command and the image data . in the above signal processing system , the image combining operation of the invention can also be performed in the color conversion and pallet 413 by fetching the image data from each of the iit 100 and the memory system 200 by properly controlling the selector 17 . fig3 shows a color copier to which the invention is applied . a base machine 30 includes a platen glass 31 on which an original document is to be placed , an image input terminal ( iit ) 32 , an electrical system control unit 33 , an image output terminal ( iot ) 34 , paper trays 35 , a user interface ( i / f ) 36 . following parts can be provided optionally : an editing pad 61 , an automatic document feeder ( adf ) 62 , a sorter 63 and a film image reading device consisting of a film projector ( f / p ) 64 and a mirror unit ( m / u ) 65 . having an imaging unit 37 , a wire 38 for driving it , a drive pulley 39 , etc ., the iit 32 , actually the imaging unit 37 reads image information of a color document by a ccd line sensor while decomposing the reflection light into components of the primary colors b , g and r of light by color filters . further , the iit 32 converts the signals thus obtained into digital image data bgr , which is input to an image processing system ( ips ). placed in the electrical system control unit 33 , the ips receives the image data of bgr , and performs various converting and correcting operations for improving the color , gradations , resolution and other image quality characteristics , and reproduction performance , as well as various operations such as an editing operation . the ips produces image data of y , m , c and k ( primary colors of toners ), and further converts a gradation toner signal of the process color into a binary ( i . e ., on / off ) toner signal that is to be sent to the iot 34 . having a scanner 40 and a photoreceptor belt 41 , the iot 34 converts the image data into an optical signal in its laser output section 40a , forms a latent image that corresponds to the document image onto the photoreceptor belt 41 via a polygon mirror 40b , an f / θ - lens 40c and a mirror 40d , and transfers the image onto a sheet fed from one of the paper trays 35 to output a color copy . in the iot 34 , the photoreceptor belt 41 is driven by a drive pulley 41a , and a cleaner 41b , a charging device 41c , developers 41d of y , m , c and k , and a transfer device 41e are disposed around the photoreceptor belt 41 . a transfer unit 42 , that is opposed to the transfer device 41e , holds a sheet provided from the paper tray 35 via a sheet feeding path 35a . in the case of 4 - full - color copying , the four rotations are performed in the transfer unit 42 to transfer the respective images of y , m , c and k onto the sheet , and the sheet is sent to a fuser 45 via a vacuum conveyer 43 . then , the sheet is finally output from the iot . 34 . a single sheet inserter ( ssi ) 35b enables a user to manually insert a selected kind of sheet into the sheet feeding path 35a . the u / i 36 is used by a user to select his desired function and input conditions for executing that function , and includes a color display 51 and a hard control panel 52 . further , an infrared touchboard 53 is employed to enable a user to directly input his instructions through soft buttons formed on the screen . the electrical system control unit 33 includes a plurality of controls circuit boards which are separated for the individual process units of the iit 32 , iot 34 , u / i 36 , ips , f / p 64 , etc . the electrical system control unit 33 further includes a machine control board ( mcb ) for controlling the operations of the mechanisms of the iot 34 , adf 62 , sorter 63 , etc ., and a sys circuit board for controlling all the above circuit boards . fig4 ( a )- 6 ( c ) show the main part ( i . e ., the part related to an image combining process ) of image processing apparatuses according to other embodiments of the invention . fig4 ( a )- 4 ( c ) show an embodiment which enables combining of a black - and - white image and a color image . the same circuit as fig1 ( b ) is employed for processing the lightness information l * ( see fig4 ( a )), and selectors 11 &# 39 ; and 11 &# 34 ; are provided for the chromaticity information a * and b * to use the information of the color image itself . if image data a and b represent a black - and - while image and a color image , respectively , the selectors 11 &# 39 ; and 11 &# 34 ; select the image data b in accordance with a selection signal sel . if both image data a and b represent a color image , the selectors 11 &# 39 ; and 11 &# 34 ; select the image signal a in accordance with the selection signal sel . that is , if the image signal a represents a black - and - white image , the selectors 11 &# 39 ; and 11 &# 34 ; are controlled so that the image data b itself is employed as representing the chromaticity information a * and b * and is output from adders 7 &# 39 ; and 7 &# 34 ;. therefore , the selectors 11 &# 39 ; and 11 &# 34 ; may be provided downstream of the adders 7 &# 39 ; and 7 &# 34 ; so as to receive the outputs of the adders 7 &# 39 ; and 7 &# 34 ; and the image data b to select one of these data . it is apparent that the image data a of a color image can be processed in the same manner as a black - and - white image in the above process , to combine its lightness information and another color image . in an embodiment of fig5 ( a )- 5 ( c ), multiplication factors for the image data a and b can be set independently for each of the lightness information and the chromaticity information , and further the multiplication factors can be set independently for the lightness information and the chromaticity information . with these circuits , two black - and - white images can be combined by setting both factors f2 and g2 for the chromaticity information at &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ;. further , the same combining operation as performed by the circuits of fig4 ( a )- 4 ( c ) can be performed by setting the factor g1 at &# 34 ; 1 - f1 &# 34 ;, f2 at &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ;, and g2 at &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ;. in an embodiment of fig6 ( a )- 6 ( c ), selectors 12 &# 39 ; and 12 &# 34 ; are provided downstream of the adders 7 and 7 &# 34 ; for the chromaticity information in the circuits of fig5 ( a )- 5 ( c ), to select and output an arbitrary chromaticity pattern . with these circuits , for instance , a chromaticity pattern of constant values is preliminarily registered as the chromaticity information , so that a mono - color - like combined image can be obtained in which the hue and saturation are fixed and only the lightness is a one as obtained by combining the image data a and b . the present invention should not be construed as being limited to the above embodiments , but various modifications are possible . for example , in the above embodiments , the respective image data are multiplied by the multiplication factors to obtain the combined image data : in the case of this modification , one multiplier can be omitted from the circuit of fig1 ( b ). this modification can similarly be applied to the circuits of fig5 ( a )- 5 ( c ) and to the cases of the data of b , g and r , the data of y , m and c , or the like . further , the combined image data may be subjected to a pixel - by - pixel selection as to whether or not the data have been subjected to the perspective combining operation , in accordance with an area signal provided externally . as described in the foregoing , according to the invention , the combining proportion can be adjusted freely such that the multiplication factor f is set at 0 . 5 to produce a combined image of two images with identical contribution , or that the factor f is set at 0 . 9 or 0 . 1 to produce a combined image of two images with unequal contribution . further , the combined image data can be output after subjected to the pixel - by - pixel selection as to whether or not the data have been subjected to the perspective combining operation . therefore , not only images having a rectangular editing area but images having an arbitrarily shaped area can be processed without causing any problems . further , the combining operation can deal with not only the signals l *, a * and b * of the equivalent color space but the signals of b , g and r , signals of y , m and c , or the like . therefore , two television images , two images displayed on a crt of a workstation etc ., two output data of a color copier , and other kinds of two images can be combined according to the invention . | 7 |
as detailed hereinbelow with reference to fig1 through 11c , the description is a reiteration of the method and system described and claimed in parent patent application ser . no . 09 / 429 , 990 . referring to fig1 input parameters 100 are received and input to code module 102 running in a main frame or pc using rexx language and / or windows type interfaces . the output of code module 102 includes script file 118 and graphical file 106 , centroid file 108 , and wireability files 110 , including summary file 112 , crossing file 114 , wireable text file 116 , and ( slc ) or buildup layer count file , as described hereinbelow in specific detail . graphical file 106 includes and when printed or displayed provides , as is illustrated in fig2 an annotated graphical drawing of the module design , including graphical layout display 133 showing the point to point connections between die or chip pads 120 to ball grid array ( bga ) pads 122 . the annotations include alpha numeric pad row and column identifiers 124 , 126 , bga pad designations 128 , chip pad designations 130 , chip input parameters 132 , and chip carrier , substrate or parameters 134 . these are shown enlarged in fig3 and 4 . centroid file 108 includes die pad number , chip pad name , x - y position of chip pad center , quadrant , bga alpha - numeric designation ( when applicable ), x - y position of bga pad center , and chip pad to bga pad line slope . ( an example of centroid file 108 is shown in table 2 .) the slope column indicates the slope of the line described by the direct line from chip pad to bga pad , and is tracked for closest slope routing . also , in the north and south quadrants the slope is defined as x / y whereas in the east and west quadrants it is the traditional y / x . this is done inasmuch as direct north y / x explodes into the undefined value 1 / 0 . the crossing column indicates how many lines cross a particular line . [ 0030 ] fig9 and 10 illustrate the interconnect configuration for flip chip , and fig7 and 8 illustrate the interconnect configuration for wire bond . flip chip interconnection includes chip attach pad 190 , wire 192 , top via land 194 , via 196 , bottom via land 198 , dogbone 200 , and bga pad 202 , on substrate 204 . [ 0031 ] fig8 illustrates a wiring configuration with wire bond fingers . interconnection is from die pad 206 , to wirebond 208 , to wire bond finger 210 , to wire 212 , to top via land 194 . referring to fig1 in connection with table 1 , the processes executed by code 102 are set forth pseudo code . referring to tables 2 and 3 , a “ rat ” is a colloquial term meaning an unedited straight line that emanates from the center of a die pad to a ball grid array ( bga ) pad , or analogous connections on a mother board . it is then manipulated by moving within a layer and / or placing part of the path on other layers of the package . in the examples of tables 2 and 3 , the centroid data of a die has been created and routed out to the center of a bga pad , either by a customer definition ( case c ) or by creation within the program ( case a ). in tables 2 and 3 , the numbering ( no .) convention is counterclockwise . identifier ( id ) represents the name assigned . typically , but not in the examples of tables 1 and 2 , signals are given unique names , such as signal 1 , signal 2 , etc . chipx is the x dimension to the center of die with reference to the center of the package ( 0 , 0 ). chipy is the y dimension to the center of die with reference to the center of the package ( 0 , 0 ). side is the quadrant ( north , south , east or west ) to which the die belongs . alpha is the alphanumeric position of the ball grid array ( bga ) pad as defined by the jedec standard . bgax is the x dimension to the center of the bga pad with reference to the center of the package ( 0 , 0 ). bgay is the y dimension to the center of the bga pad with reference to the center of the package ( 0 , 0 ). table 3 is the centroid file 108 for the example illustrated in fig2 a . ( 1 ) table 4 : chip statistics ( die size , die pitch , die pad siize , and die matrix size ), chip input / output total and per quadrant , number of signals total and per quadrant , ground and voltage pads on the chip total and per quadrant . ( 2 ) table 5 : module statistics , including module input / output input parameter , number of signal pads , voltage and ground pads , percent number of signal bga pads per total bga pads , percent number of ground and voltage bga pads per total ground and voltage bga pads ; module laminate size ; bga pad pitch ; bga matrix size ( rows by columns ); full matrix or depopulated matrix identifier ; die facing parameter ( whether die pads are facing toward or away from carrier ); enumerate the number of voltage rings ; wire bond length , space for fingers plus fan out wiring , space for fan out wiring ; ( 3 ) table 6 : truth table for testing that five required parameters ( table 7 ) evaluate true , as follows : first , wiring distance between wire bond fingers and either ( a ) the edge of via lands on an upper facing die , or ( b ) either the procoat opening or copper diameter of bga pads on a downward facing die ; third , enough wiring channel capacity to match total die signal count ( referring to fig3 wiring channel 123 represents the spacing between adjacent procoat openings for downward facing die , and wiring channel 125 represents the spacing between via pad 136 and closest via pad 138 ) for , based on the amount of depopulation , the number of channels is calculated and multiplied by three lines per channel and four lines per channel ; forth , calculated wire line width compared with minimum manufacturing line width capability ( which is an input requirement ); fifth , calculated wire line space compared with minimum manufacturing line space capability ( which is an input requirement ); first , calculated choke factor ( choke = channel space divided by ( line space plus the line width )), back door vias ( vias located in the space between the inner most edge of bond finger on the laminate and the outer most edge of the most outer voltage ring ); second , chip escape factor ( die area divided by number of chip signal pads ); third , chip density factor ( die area divided by number of chip i / o pads ); and fourth , bga escape factor (( laminate area minus die area )/ number of chip signals ), for giving an estimate of density of wiring in the global area of the laminate for chip escape . ( 5 ) tables 10 and 11 : gold area , including boa pads , cavity wall ( for wire bond ), via areas , wiring surface front and back , wire bonding surfaces , gold stiffener ( if included ), including total area and cost , and minimum total thermal resistance required based on ambient temperature , chip power , and junction temperature . [ 0052 ] table 5 module statistics module i / o signal ratio / signal count g / v ratio / g / v count 48 . 6 %/ 204 51 . 4 %/ 216 420 module size = 35 mm bga pitch = 1 . 27 mm matrix size = 26 × 26 this is a 5 outer row configuration this is run is for a cavity part . this is run is for a 2s0p part . there are 1 voltage ring ( s ) in addition to the ground ring [ 0053 ] table 6 truth table # outer i / o signals signals wiring multiples deficit deficit works works rows count @ 3 1 pc @ 4 1 pc fanout of pitch @ 3 @ 4 @ 3 @ 4 1 100 97 / 388 121 / 484 9 . 06 77 . 251 − 44 − 68 n . ynyyy n . ynyyy 2 192 89 / 356 111 / 444 7 . 79 66 . 424 − 36 − 58 n . ynyyy n . ynyyy 3 276 81 / 324 101 / 404 6 . 52 55 . 597 − 28 − 48 y . yyyyy y . yyyyy 4 352 73 / 292 91 / 364 5 . 25 44 . 770 − 20 − 38 y . yyyyy y . yyyyy 5 420 65 / 260 81 / 324 3 . 98 33 . 943 − 12 − 28 y . yyyyy y . yyyyy 6 480 57 / 228 71 / 284 2 . 71 23 . 116 − 4 − 18 y . yyyyy y . yyyyy 7 532 49 / 196 61 / 244 1 . 44 12 . 289 4 − 8 n . yynyy y . yyyyy 8 576 41 / 164 51 / 204 0 . 17 1 . 462 12 2 n . nynyy n . nynyy 9 612 33 / 132 41 / 164 − 1 . 10 − 9 . 365 20 12 n . nynyy n . nynyy 10 640 25 / 100 31 / 124 − 2 . 37 − 20 . 192 28 22 n . nynyy n . nynyy 11 660 17 / 68 21 / 84 − 3 . 64 − 31 . 019 36 32 n . nynyy n . nynyy 12 672 9 / 36 11 / 44 − 4 . 91 − 41 . 846 44 42 n . nynyy n . nynyy 13 676 1 / 4 1 / 4 − 6 . 18 − 52 . 673 52 52 n . nynyy n . nynyy [ 0054 ] table 7 parameters test output first position = enough wiring room after fingers ( non - choked ) second position = enough bga balls for chip signals third position = enough channel capacity to match signal count fourth position = wire width above minimum fifth position = wire to wire space above minimum [ 0055 ] table 8 wire dimension and pitch nominal wire bond length is 2 . 4 mm . space for fingers plus fanout wiring 6 . 05 mm space for fanout wiring is 3 . 98 mm multiples of pitch ( lower is more choked ) 33 . 9 back door vias selected ( per quadrant ) is 10 lines per channel selected is 4 corresponding line width , space , and pitch is 51 . 0 , 66 . 3 , and 117 . 3 microns . procoat registration is 25 microns . lines / wire wire wire channel width space pitch 1 148 . 6 193 . 2 341 . 8 2 90 . 7 117 . 9 208 . 6 3 65 . 2 84 . 8 150 . 0 4 51 . 0 66 . 3 117 . 3 5 41 . 8 54 . 3 96 . 1 6 35 . 4 46 . 0 81 . 4 [ 0056 ] table 9 escape factors chip escape factor ( die area / chipsigs ) is 0 . 31 sq mm / chipsig chip density factor ( die area / chipio ) is 0 . 27 sq mm / chipio bga escape factor ( laminate area - die 5 . 7 sq shadow / chipsig ) is mm / chipsig [ 0057 ] table 10 die up total gold area on a die up 0 . 36 sq . inches cost of gold area on a die up 0 . 03 dollars flower area is 0 . 08 sq . inches bonding surface ( fingers , voltage ring , ground ring ) 0 . 055 via land area on s2 side 0 . 001 ground buss on s2 side 0 . 019 bga area is 0 . 202 gold runner area is 0 . 008 wiring gold on a die up part is assumed to be masked via count for die - up part is 206 [ 0058 ] table 11 cavity part total gold area on a cavity part ( minus stiffener ) 1 . 00 sq . inches gold stiffener area is 1 . 90 sq . inches total gold area cost on a cavity part ( with stiffener ) 0 . 28 dollars bonding surface ( fingers , 0 . 055 voltage ring , ground ring ) wiring front and back ( from 0 . 668 fingers out ) boa pads 0 . 202 cavity wall 0 . 022 via area 0 . 054 via count for cavity part is 77 [ 0059 ] table 12 miscellaneous flatness per inch 2 . 07 cavity size is 9 . 00 mm [ 0060 ] table 13 thermals ambient temperature is 40 c . chip power is 10 watts . assumed maximum junction 125 temperature is minimum total resistance 8 . 5 c ./ watt needed is ( 4 ) number of lines that have crossed the die pad to bga pad line . code 102 analyzes each connection line for the number of times any other connection line crosses it . the more crosses , the tougher the design . this file is sorted in descending order of number of crossings , so that the top of the file identifies the lines ( or , nets ) that are not well placed . table 14 is an example of the top part of a crossing file 114 . an optional output is illustrated , in part , in table 15 . holes . txt is a file that gives the x , y coordinates of where vias are positioned next to bgas . these are calculated by code 102 from input parameters 100 . wireable text file 116 ( tables 16 and 17 ) is multi - purpose . it provides a code 102 generated count of consecutive ( that is , runs ) signals or grounds or voltages — the larger the run of signals , the more difficult it is to wire . code 102 scans the netlist which has either been generated or received as input , identifies the power and ground names and quadrant , and determines the number of wirebond finger positions needed . ( 1 ) table 16 : runs analysis , in which for each of the four quadrants runs are defined by the number of consecutive signals or consecutive power and ground lines , number of wirebond fingers needed per side , and a total number of die pads , signal pads , and ground / voltage pads . ( 2 ) table 17 : net list scan , whether fabricated by program or provided as input , that enumerates the different voltage levels per quadrant . table 17 is a pseudo code representation of the process implemented by code 102 for generating script file 118 . this is the script file that is “ played ” when in the autocad environment to generate graphical representation 106 , a display of which is shown in fig2 . in a preferred embodiment , script file 118 is an autocad script file , but equivalent computer automated design ( cad ) environments may also be used . this table 17 sets forth editing friendly code within code 102 for the “ rats ”. rats is a term referring to a straight line that emanates from the center of a die pad 178 to a bga ball 180 . it is then manipulated by moving within a layer and / or placing part of the path on other layers of the package 144 . in this case , the centroid data of the die has been created and routed out to the center of the bga pad ; either by customer definition ( case “ c ”) or by creation within the program 102 ( case “ a ”). as is set forth in table 17 , code 102 creates a line or rat from ( chipx , chipy ) to ( bgax , bgay ). this line is multiverticed . each rat has a width that is first zero and then increments to a final value with steps in the middle . it is stepped larger and larger as processing and graphical display moves counter clockwise ( ccw ) around the die . after code 102 creates the rats , autocad displays graphical file 106 which shows where rats come from relative to the die sequence without having to window out and over to the die or having to select the wire to have a dialog box displayed . at the end of processing , all the wires are then converted to one width . alternatively to using different line widths , the graphic display may use different colors . depopulation refers to removal of a center most matrix of bga balls to leave some number of outside rows . this is done to remove balls immediately under the chip site . referring to fig2 an example output of graphical file 106 is illustrated for a wire bond constructed module . this shows an annotated plan view of a module 140 including chip 142 , laminate 144 which includes wires 146 interconnecting chip pads 142 with bga site 150 and associated via . this is further illustrated in fig7 and 8 where bga site 150 includes bga 156 , procoat opening 154 , procoat layer 152 , substrate layers 164 , top side 160 of plated through via 158 , dogbone 162 ( a dogbone is a connector between bga pad 156 and via 160 ). voltage ring 166 is a continuous surface of constant width , generally , that is offset from and encompasses or surrounds chip 142 site . some wires ( the power and ground wires ) from chip pads 148 connect to voltage rings 166 . the innermost voltage ring 166 is usually the ground level . ( for a flip chip constructed module , voltage rings 166 are not required .) wire bond fingers 210 , shown in fig9 are not shown in fig2 . these are oblong shaped copper features that are placed between rings 166 and bga procoat opening 154 in a die down configuration or between rings 166 and via lands 160 in a die up configuration . as shown in fig2 and enlarged in fig5 which is an enlargement of the north west corner of fig2 on the west side there are circuit lines 172 which run between die pads 174 and bga sites 176 ( which only appear in fig2 ) without crossover . on the north side , extensive cross over 170 occurs for lines interconnecting die pads 178 and bga sites 180 . [ 0080 ] fig1 sets forth method steps executed within code module 102 , and these are further described in the pseudo code representation of table 1 . set analysis step 210 controls the files 106 - 116 to be output , and the run mode . the user may specify the pitch of the die or the number of die i / o desired . also , the user may specify the number of outer rows ( matrix size minus ( the depopulation divided by 2 )) or the number of bga i / o pads desired . set variables step 212 defines cases a , b and c . for case a , the user tells the program 102 that the die and net list are to be calculated by code 102 ( that is , the program creates its own ). for case b , the user specifies the die in terms of a die centroid file input without defining the net list . a net list is a listing of die pad connections giving pad number and / or die pad names to bga connections in terms of alpha numeric coordinate . for case c , the user defines both the die centroid file and the net list . the assembly technology is set as flip chip or wirebond . chip parameters are received as input , including such parameters as chip size , chip width , chip length , chip pitch , chip i / o , die pad size , die pad shape , and percent ground and voltage ( defined above ). package parameters are defined , including such parameters as die up or cavity configuration , substrate size , module i / o count , number of outer rows , bga pitch , number of vertex points defined for a line , number of rings , width and spacing of voltage and ground rings , size of via features ( pad , dogbone , vias ), increment of variable width , wire bond length , and wiring rules ( minimum wire space and width ). full matrix determination step 214 , based on module size and pitch of bga , calculates whether the number of columns is odd or even . quadrant dividing slope is calculated , which is the slope of an imaginary line from the center of the package to the corner of the die , and an adjacent pair of these defines a quadrant . if the desired number of module i / o pads , or the number of outer rows , is provided by the user , the amount of depopulation is calculated . the jedec alpha designation is entered for each row . for case a , create die step 216 creates centroid data for flip chip or wire bond configuration . table 17 sets forth the code 102 for step 216 generation of die . there are two cases of generation of a die : 1 ) wirebond single row peripheral , and 2 ) flip chip area array ( which assumes square die ). for case b , create centroid data step 218 , responsive to user provided centroid data , assigns each pad to a quadrant . this list is reordered , if needed , to a clockwise order while calculating the minimum chip pitch for output to graphical file 106 ( minimum spacing between wire pads on a wirebound ) and the curve ( distance between edge of die and center line of outermost wire bond pad ). code 102 then calculates composition ratios . for case c , create centroid step 220 , assigns quadrants and calculates compositions ( less work than case b ). create bga matrix step 222 for all cases a , b and c , starting with a full bga matrix , creates a line of data with its x position , y position , slope from center of package , and quadrant . an alphanumeric matrix specifies the alpha / numeric location of the ball . punch out depops data for balls that are not supposed to be there ( from input ). the resulting data set is separated into four separate quadrants . this step randomly assigns a type for each bga pad in a quadrant to a signal , ground or voltage . for case a and b , chip to bga routing 224 separates chip centroid data into four matrices based on quadrant . the closest slope search routine starts on east side , takes the quadrant dividing slope ( step 214 ) for this die pad position , determines the slope to all bgas in the quadrant , and then finds the slope that is the closest to the quadrant dividing slope , and that slope defines the routing for this chip pad . signal , but not ground and voltage , lines are thus routed . the selected bga pad is then designated “ used ”, and not available for subsequent pad selection . this process is repeated for die pads in order in this quadrant . the new maximum slope is that defined by the routing of the previous pad . step 226 calculates the runs , the power levels , wire bond fingers needed , and outputs to a file . step 228 uses cramer &# 39 ; s rule to solve for the intersection of all possible line combinations within the quadrant to see if the intersection falls within the space between a die pad and its connected bga pad . if so , the count of crossings is incremented . step 230 generates summary file 112 , and is more fully described in tables 19 - 21 . [ 0092 ] table 20 calculation of gold area /* gold area for ground ring , voltage ring ( s ) and */ /* bond fingers */ /* unit of area used is in square microns */ /* set width to voltage ring width established at the */ /* beginning of the overall program */ width = voltagewidth /* ring area accumulator */ ringarea = 0 /* create a routine that sums up the ring areas */ /* starting at the inner ground area and working out */ /* j stands for the ring number ; j = 1 is the ground */ /* ring , j = 2 is the first voltage ring , j = 3 is the */ /* second voltage ring , etc . */ do j = 1 to ( numberrings + 1 ) select when j = 1 then do width = groundwidth end otherwise width = voltagewidth end select when j = 2 then do voltageringpitch = groundwidth / 2 + ringspace + voltagewideth / 2 end otherwise voltageringpitch = voltagewidth + ringspace end ring1length = chiplength * 1000 + diespace +( j − 1 ) * voltageringpitch ring2length = chipwidth * 1000 + diespace +( j − 1 ) * voltageringpitch ringarea =( ring1length + ring2length ) * width * 2 + ringarea end /* end of summation of ring areas */ /* calculate the total area of all the wire */ /* bond fingers */ finger = chipsig * wbfingerlgth * wbfingerwdth /* gold area for vias on full gold for cavity */ /* via area is the addition of the lands ( top and */ /* bottom ; which are disks ) and the inner vertical */ /* surface */ finishedvia = viasize - 2cuthk /* estimate via count for cavity , 16 vias added in */ viacnc =. 3 * chipsig + 4 * 4 * numberrings /* calculate lands */ vialandsc = 2 * 3 . 1416 *( viapadf ** 2 - finishedvia ** 2 )/ 4 * viacnc /* inside vertical surface of pth */ viainnerc = finishedvia * 3 . 1416 * lamthick * viacnc /* lands + inner surface */ viagdc = vialandsc + viainnerc /* flower pad */ /* estimate the diameter of the solid part of the */ /* flower pad */ diaf =. 5 * cz * 1000 /* add the petals of the flower plus the circular */ /* area */ flower = 6 * cz * 1000 * petalwidth + 3 . 1416 * diaf * diaf / 4 /* gold area of vias for selective die up flower */ /* and ring regions */ /* estimate 2 vias per . 25 ″× . 25 ″ area for diaup */ /* flower area */ viacndflower = flower /( 6 . 35 ** 2 * 1000 ** 2 )* 2 /* total number of drilled vias in a diaup */ viacnd = viacndflower + chipsig /* total number of backside ( s2 ) land area */ viagdd = viacndflower * 3 . 1416 *( viapadb ** 2 = finishedvia ** 2 )/ 4 /* estimate of ground bussing typically found on */ /* s2 under the die */ groundbussd = 3 . 1416 * diaf * diaf / 4 /* adjust flower area for vias and inner surface */ flower = flower - 3 . 1416 *( viasize - 2 * cuthk )** 2 / 4 * viacondflower + 3 . 1416 *( viasize = 2 * cuthk )* viacndflower /* gold area bga pads */ bgarea =) bgapadsize ** 2 * 3 . 1416 / 4 ) + dogwidth *( bgaprocoat = bgadia )/ 2 /* number of bga pads on a cavity */ bgac = modio * bgarea /* number of bga pads on a dia up */ bgad = bgac + thermal * bgarea /* stiffener area */ /* stiffener is a piece of copper , the size of the */ /* substrate , on cavity parts */ stiff = size * size * 1000 * 1000 /* cavity wall area */ /* this is the area , on a cavity only , where the */ /* ground ring wraps around the corner and downward */ /* to the s2 */ cav =(( chipwidth * 1000 + diespace )* 2 +( chiplength * 1000 + diespace ))*( lamthick + 2 * cuthk ) /* cavity wiring area front and back */ /* figure out the area remaining that is available for */ /* wiring and then apply a percentage of that area */ /* that is wiring distance in one dimension */ /* encompassing the fingers , die , etc . */ innerside =( outeractual / 1000 - spacefnactual ) /* area of this innerside */ innerarea = innerside * innerside /* area of part , minus inner area , lands , bga */ wiringarea = stiff - innerarea - vialandsc - bgac /* estimate wiring covers 30 % front 10 % back */ wdensc =( 0 . 3 + 0 . 1 )* wiring area /* circuit wiring gold summation */ /* add fingers and bonding rings ; these are the */ /* surface that are bonded to */ bondinggold = finger + ringarea /* gold runner */ /* gold runner is a small area used during the molding */ /* process for die up */ goldrun = goldrunwdth * goldrunhgt /* total gold for cavity */ /* add the bonding surfaces , vias , wiring , cavity */ /* wall , and bga */ togold = bondinggold -+- viagdc + bgac + cav /* multiply by gold thickness to get volume and */ /* multiply by density */ cost = goldcost *( tcgold + stiff )* goldthk * water * gdens /* total gold for die up selective */ /* add the bonding surfaces , flower pads , vias , bga , */ /* and ground buss */ tdgold = bondinggold + flower + viagdd + bgad + groundbussd /* multiply by gold thickness to get volume and */ /* multiply by density */ dcst = goldcost * tdgold * goldthk * water * gdens table 21 is a pseudo code representation of choke factor determination . choke factor is a measure of the amount of room left between the bond fingers and either the array of via lands ( in a die up ) or bga pads ( in a cavity ). it is not a linear dimension but is unitless . it is unitless because the linear space is divided by the wiring pitch . this by definition is then the number of wiring pitches that can fit into the allotted space . lower numbers are more choked , higher numbers are less choked . negative numbers mean that there is no fanout room . dividing by the pitch gives a relative measure of the distance verses the ‘ fineness ’ of the wiring technology . a choke clip level is used to determine whether the module can be wired . basically , the buildup technology ( slc ) which is employed in providing the chip carrier layer count calculating method and system comprises a subroutine as follows : this program keys in one the number of signals required to be fanned out per quadrant and calculates the number of sequential layers that would be required . layer count is a critical cost intensive parameter since each layer added to the laminate has a compounding effect on yield . 1 layer = 80 %, 1 layers = 80 % 80 %= 64 %, etc . this routine is part of the foregoing described larger program . the inputs to this subroutine are from this program . the recommended subroutine below indicates these inputs . extracted and contracted commented aspects are derived from this program that serves as a general flow chart : cz was defined above ; it is the size of the physical chip expressed in mm ; cp was defined above as minimum chip bump to chip bumppitch ; it can be an input or calculated ; c4pad is an input ; it is the size of the pad on the substrate that the chip bump sits on ; c4line this is an input ; it is the minimum line width capable by mfg process ; c4space this is an input ; it is the minimum space line to line capable by mfg process ; “ customer ” is an input by the user , tags the file with the company name ; figure out if the copper pad edge or procoat opening edge will define the wiring channel ; calculate the maximum number of wiring pitches ( spaces + width ) that fit into the wiring channel ; calculate the number of rows and corresponding number of chip pads on a quadrant basis ; take a quadrant slide of the die along the diagonals padsrow . o is a matrix that will define the number of pads that are left as you proceed towards the middle of the die , row by row , starting from edge and decremented by the two flanking diagonals . pads a variable that has been calculated either by pitch / die size inputs or total chipio input . this variable is the number of pads across one side of the chip . calculates the number of wires per layer and stores in a matrix . calculates the total number of pads rows until center is reached . calculate number of slc layers to handle required chip signal count . this value is stored in a variable called max layers . the signal needs per quadrant , the layer number , the number of wires on this layer , the resulting un - wired of the total signals per quadrant , the number need divided by the wires per this layer . . . this is important on the last layer because it gives you an idea if you needed every bit of the last layer or you needed a very small pct . this either effects your confidence ( the former ), or ( the latter ) tells you might be able to go one layer less if you could just find a way to wire out just several . pursuant to a more specific application , and wherein the particular layouts of the wiring lines or rats are illustrated in fig1 a through 12d , the tabular representation of the foregoing is indicated in table 22 referring to slc output . * * * * * * * * * * * * * * beginning of code * * * * * * * * * * * * * * /* begin slc sizing section */ if c4pad & gt ; c4procoat then c4definintion =‘ smd ’ if c4procoat & gt ; c4pad then c4definition =‘ nsmd ’ select when c4definition =‘ smc ’ then do c4wirespace = cp − c4pad end otherwise c4wirespace = cp − c4procoat end c4wiringpitches − c4wirespace /( c4line + c4space )- c4space /( c4line4 + c4space ) c41pc = c4wiringpitches % 1 spread_rule = c4wirespace /( 2 * crlpc + 1 )/* optimized spread */ spread_rule = format ( spread_rule , 3 , 0 ) padsrow . 1 = pads do 0 = 2 to 1000 p + 0 − 1 padsrow . 0 = padsrow . p − 3 /* note it is not minus 2 ; have to account for quad neighbor */ if padsrow . 0 & lt ; 0 then do ttlrows = o − 1 leave end end start = 1 ; finish = start + c41pc do layer = 1 to 30 wires = 0 do 0 = start to finish wires = padsrow . 0 + wires if ttlrows = 0 then leave end numberwires . layer = wires start = finish + 1 ; finish = startn + c41pc if start & gt ; ttlrows then keave end maxlayers = layer chipsigneed = chipsig / 4 out =‘ signals needed ” layer ” number of wires ” deficit ” needed / wires in layer ’ out_file ˜ lineout ( out ) out =‘ per quadrant ” number ” per layer ’ out_file ˜ lijeout ( out ) do layer = 1 to maxlayers if numberwires . layer & lt ;= 0 then do leave end delta = chipsigneed - numberwires . layer pct = chipsigneed / numberwires . layer pct = format ( pct , 2 , 2 ) out = chipsigneed ’ layer ’ ‘ numberwires . layer ’ ‘ delta ’ ‘ pct out_file ˜ lineout ( out ) chipsigneed = chipsigneed - numberwires . layer if chipsigneed & lt ;= 0 then leave end slccount = layer ’ ‘ pct ’ *************** end of code *************** furthermore , there is provided a tabulation of two outputs as follows : under chart . txt . file : which is a routine that looks at all the possible combinations of a chip carrier given a set of input structure . portion layer lw / space case size rows io pitch pwr / gnd size pitch sigs pwr / gnd layers used full = 1 c4lpc 1 17 3 156 1000 40 % 5 250 94 77 % 1 + 1 0 . 64 42 2 17 4 192 1000 51 % 5 250 94 77 % 1 + 1 0 . 64 42 3 17 5 220 1000 57 % 5 250 94 77 % 1 + 1 0 . 64 42 4 17 6 240 1000 61 % 5 250 94 77 % 1 + 1 0 . 64 42 under slc . txt file : this focuses in on one particular point and gives more detail on how the signals are being signals needed layer number of wires needed / per quadrant number per layer deficit wires in layer 112 . 25 1 45 67 . 25 2 . 49 67 . 25 2 33 3 . 25 2 . 04 34 . 25 3 21 13 . 25 1 . 63 13 . 25 4 9 4 . 25 1 . 47 the foregoing , by way of an example , is in connection with a 5 + 5 slc structure , although other variations are readily implementable through intermediary of the present invention , which essentially is a further improvement on the parent patent application . it will be appreciated that , although specific embodiments of the invention have been described herein for purposes of illustration , various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . in particular , it is within the scope of the invention to provide a computer program product or program element , or a program storage or memory device such as a solid or fluid transmission medium , magnetic or optical wire , tape or disc , or the like , for storing signals readable by a machine , for controlling the operation of a computer according to the method of the invention and / or to structure its components in accordance with the system of the invention . further , each step of the method may be executed on any general computer , such as an ibm system 390 , as / 400 , pc or the like and pursuant to one or more , or a part of one or more , program elements , modules or objects generated from any programming language , such as c ++, java , pl / 1 , fortran or the like . and still further , each said step , or a file or object or the like implementing each said step , may be executed by special purpose hardware or a circuit module designed for that purpose . while the invention has been particularly shown and described with respect to preferred embodiments thereof , it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the foregoing and other changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . | 6 |
in order to clarify the inventions , some examples of its use will now be described in connection with fig1 to 7 fig1 shows a view of a linear actuator unit 100 according to the invention . the linear actuator 100 comprises an electrical motor 114 which is coupled to a transmission 112 , which in turn is coupled to a spindle and spindle nut arrangement to thereby linearly drive an actuation rod / element 111 . the spindle and spindle nut arrangement , in this illustration covered by the spindle outer tube 110 , will convert a rotary motion of the electrical motor 114 and transmission 112 to a linear motion of the actuation rod / element 111 . either the spindle or the spindle nut is driven by / coupled to the transmission depending on the type of linear actuator . the linear actuator 100 according to the invention further comprises an absolute rotary position sensor 150 , control electronics 116 and a power / control connector 118 . the power / control connector ( s ) 118 are to provide the linear actuator 100 with power and a control connection to either discrete control switches , a bus system , serial or parallel , according to an industry standard or a proprietary one , or a connection to a network , industry standard or proprietary , for controlling and possibly also monitoring the linear actuator . in some embodiments , a control connection is not needed as these linear actuators are directly controlled by connection and reversing of the power . in some embodiments the control electronics 116 will comprise circuitry for conversion of the value output of the absolute rotary position sensor , into a linear position of the actuation rod / element 111 . often it is not necessary to know a numerical value of the position , but only for example when an end stop is being reached . fig2 shows a part of the linear actuator unit according to the invention with a cover of the control electronics removed thus displaying a circuit board 217 comprising circuitry 256 to determine the rotary position of an absolute rotary position sensor 252 , 254 . the absolute rotary position sensor 252 , 254 will suitably be of a full turn or partial turn type and preferably not of a multi - turn type as these are more expensive and not necessary according to the invention . as the rotating part to which the absolute rotary position sensor 252 , 254 is coupled 213 will be of a multi - turn nature , then the circuitry 256 further comprises a counter to count the number of over / under flows of the absolute rotary position sensor 252 , 254 . the absolute rotary position sensor 252 , 254 can be mechanically coupled 213 to a rotating part such as a rotor of the electrical motor , an axle or gear of the transmission 212 , or directly coupled 213 to the spindle or spindle nut of the linear actuator . it is preferable to couple the absolute rotary position sensor to the spindle / screw instead of the motor or another part of the transmission as the measurement then does not get subjected to any play in the gear train . it even makes it possible to correct for gear train play . the absolute rotary position sensor 252 , 254 suitably comprises two parts , one rotating 252 and one stationary . the rotating part 252 of the absolute rotational position sensor , is suitably a magnet or magnet ring , mounted directly or indirectly , i . e . coupled to , a rotating part of the linear actuator , such as a spindle or spindle nut . the non - rotating part 254 of the absolute position sensor , suitably a hall effect sensor , mounted in proximity to the rotating part 252 of the absolute position sensor , suitably on or coupled to the circuit board . the circuitry 256 suitably also comprises non - volatile memory for storage of the count at the time of power shutdown . to properly enable the function of saving the count and optionally the value of the absolute rotational position sensor at or during shutdown , there are embodiments comprising a power storage unit 258 , such as a capacitor / battery to ensure that there is enough power to store the count and possibly the value , when the linear actuator is shut down . finally there is provided means to pass the electrical power 219 through to the electrical motor . fig3 illustrates a functional block diagram of the controller 360 , absolute rotary position sensor 350 and surrounding circuitry according to the invention . there will be electrical power supply line ( s ) 340 that are regulated and controlled 348 before being fed as power 349 to an electrical motor ( not shown ). control signals 364 from the controller 360 determine how the control circuitry 348 for the electrical motor will regulate the power supply 340 . the electrical motor can be controlled to determine end stops , be given a lower power close to the end stops , determine direction of operation and also be provided with safety functions such as overload protection . end stop determination and overload protection are according to the invention done in conjunction with the absolute rotary position sensor 350 . if a rate of movement according to the absolute rotary position sensor 350 changes for a given amount of power , this could be an indication of approaching an end stop during end stop calibration ; or , during ordinary operation if the linear actuator is not close to an end stop , could be an indication of increasing load . it is also possible to detect any drift in the mechanical system when the actuator is not driven . if movement is detected , either a warning / error message can be generated and sent and / or the motor can be activated to counter this undesired movement , i . e . act as an active stop . the electronic circuitry is supplied with regulated power through a power supply regulator 343 . the regulator 343 suitably has reserve power 358 comprising for example a capacitor or a battery . the reserve power 358 is used to ensure that the controller 360 , non - volatile memory 370 and absolute rotary position sensor 350 have sufficient power to fulfill shutdown sequences even though the main power 340 has gone . shutdown sequences will typically comprise saving a shutdown count and possibly a shutdown value into the non - volatile memory 370 . preferably the controller 360 , such as a micro controller or asic , is connected to a control bus or network through one or more control lines 362 . such a control network can then suitably control more than one linear actuator . fig4 a , 4 b , and 4 c show different types of absolute rotary position sensors and their output over a full turn of a rotating element that the absolute rotary position sensor is connected to . the figures illustrate the absolute rotary position sensor output 405 in relation to rotational angle 407 , where one full turn 409 is indicated . fig4 a illustrates an absolute rotary position sensor with a full turn 470 unambiguous output . fig4 b illustrates an absolute rotary position sensor with a third of a full turn 473 , 474 , 475 of unambiguous output . and finally fig4 c illustrates an absolute rotary position sensor with less than a full turn 478 , 479 of unambiguous output . since the linear actuator according to the invention also uses an under - flow / over - flow count , it does not matter if the absolute rotary position sensor has a full turn or a partial turn unambiguous output . in fig4 b , there is illustrated an overflow 481 when the output value 405 goes from a maximum angle representation to a minimum angle representation and also illustrated an underflow 483 when the output value goes from a minimum angle representation to a maximum angle representation . it would be ideal to have a multi - turn absolute rotary position sensor with more turns than a measured rotating member will rotate during a full stroke of the actuation element . however , with the current invention of having a limited absolute rotary position sensor in combination with an over -/ under - flow counter , a cheap and robust solution is given . the linear actuator according to the invention is able to determine if there has been movement of the actuation element during shutdown . the value of the absolute rotary position sensor has to be saved and the allowable / detectable movement during shutdown is limited by the range of the absolute rotary position sensor . detectable , thus allowable movement during shutdown is plus / minus half the range of the absolute rotary position sensor . the solution according to the invention does not rely on any power being supplied when the linear actuator is shut off . it is only required during a shutdown phase to be able to get a higher accuracy of where the actuation element really is when stopped . fig5 shows a flow chart of a basic functionality of the absolute position sensor according to the invention . in a first step 510 it is determined if there is a rotation or not . in a second step 520 , if there is rotation , it is determined if we are still within the absolute rotational position sensor range , or if there is an under or overflow of the sensor output . in a third step 530 , if it is determined that there is an under - or over - flow , then the counter is adjusted accordingly by counting up one if there has been an overflow and by counting down one if there has been an underflow . in a fourth step 540 it is determined if there is a power loss / shutdown or not . in a fifth step 550 if it is determined that there is a power loss / shutdown , then the count is stored in a non - volatile memory . optionally in a sixth step 560 , if there is a power loss / shutdown , then the absolute rotary position sensor value is also stored in a non - volatile memory . fig6 shows a flow chart of an optional check of a linear actuator with an absolute position sensor according to the invention . in a first step 600 it is determined if there is a power - up or not , if there is , then this routine / process is executed . in a second step 610 a stored count in the non - volatile memory is retrieved and the counter is updated with this count . in a third step 620 a stored value of the absolute rotary position sensor in the non - volatile memory is retrieved . in a fourth step 630 a current value of the absolute rotary position sensor is acquired / determined . in a fifth step 640 the retrieved stored value is compared with the determined current value of the absolute rotary position sensor , to determine if there has been an underflow / overflow during shutdown or not . in a sixth step 650 , if it determined that there has been an overflow / underflow , then the counter is updated accordingly by counting up one if there has been an overflow and by counting down one if there has been an underflow . in a seventh step 660 the retrieved stored value is compared with the determined current value , and if the difference is less than a first predetermined amount , then the routine / process is terminated without further action with an eleventh step 699 . if the difference is equal or greater than the first predetermined amount , then the process continues with an eighth step 670 where the retrieved stored value is compared with the determined current value in relation to a second predetermined amount . if it is determined that the difference is less than the second predetermined amount then in a ninth step 680 a warning action is performed . if it is determined that the difference is equal or greater than the second predetermined amount then in a tenth step 690 an error action is performed . the error action can include a recalibration . in the eleventh step 699 further processing after power - up is done . fig7 shows a flow chart of an optional virtual end stop determination of a linear actuator with an absolute position sensor according to the invention . in a first step 705 it is determined if it is the first power - up or a recalibration , if so then this routine / process is executed . in a second step 710 the electrical motor power is set to a low / calibration value . in a third step 715 the electrical motor / linear actuator is set to run in a first direction . in a fourth step 720 it is determined if the absolute rotary position sensor registers a movement or not . in a fifth step 725 , when it is determined that the movement has stopped , then the electrical motor is stopped . in a sixth step 730 a count of the counter and a value of the absolute rotary position sensor is determined in a seventh step 735 the first end stop is set to the position determined by the absolute rotary position sensor value and the count of the counter minus a predetermined amount . in an eighth step 740 the electrical motor / linear actuator is set to run in a second direction . in a ninth step 745 it is determined if the absolute rotary position sensor registers a movement or not . in a tenth step 750 , if it is determined that the movement has stopped , then the electrical motor is stopped . in an eleventh step 755 the count of the counter is read and the value of the absolute rotary position sensor is read . in a twelfth step 760 a second end stop is set to the position determined by the absolute rotary position sensor and counter , minus a predetermined amount . in a thirteenth step 765 the electrical motor power is set to a normal / nominal value . the fourteenth step 770 exits the routine / process . the invention is not restricted to the above - described embodiments , but may be varied within the scope of the following claims . fig1 shows a view of a linear actuator unit according to the invention , 100 a linear actuator unit according to the invention 110 spindle outer tube 111 actuation rod , inner tube , 112 transmission , 114 electrical motor , 116 control electronics , 118 connector , power / control , 150 absolute rotary position sensor . fig2 shows a cross section of a part of the linear actuator unit according to the invention , 212 transmission , 213 coupling to absolute position sensor , 217 circuit board , 218 power / control connector , 219 connector to electrical motor , 252 first part of absolute position sensor , suitably a magnet or magnet ring , mounted directly or indirectly , i . e . coupled to , a rotating part of the linear actuator , such as a spindle or nut 254 second part of absolute position sensor , suitably a hall effect sensor , mounted in proximity to the first part of the absolute position sensor , suitably on or coupled to the circuit board , 256 circuitry to determine the rotary position , comprising a counter to count the number of over / under flows of the absolute rotary position sensor , and a memory for storage of the count at the time of power shutdown , 258 power storage , such as a capacitor / battery to ensure that there is enough power to store the count when the linear actuator is shut down . fig3 shows a functional block diagram of the controller and absolute position sensor according to the invention , 340 electrical power supply line ( s ), 343 power supply regulator for electronic circuitry , 345 regulated power supply to electronic circuitry , 348 control circuitry for electrical motor power , 349 power to electrical motor , 350 absolute rotary position sensor , 358 electrical power storage , such as a capacitor or battery , for supplying power to electronic circuitry during linear actuator shutdown , 360 controller , such as a micro controller or asic ( application specific integrated circuit ), 362 optional control signal lines , 364 control signals from controller to control circuitry for electrical motor , 370 memory for storage during shut down of a count of over / under flow of absolute rotary position sensor . fig4 a , 4 b , and 4 c show different types of absolute rotary position sensors and their output over a full turn . 405 absolute rotary position sensor output , 407 rotational position of spindle / nut / motor rotor / gear in transmission , 409 one full turn of spindle / nut / motor rotor / gear in transmission to which absolute rotary position sensor is coupled , 470 one full turn output of a one full turn absolute rotary position sensor , 473 first full range output of a one third partial turn absolute rotary position sensor , 474 second full range output of a one third partial turn absolute rotary position sensor , 475 third full range output of a one third partial turn absolute rotary position sensor , 478 first full range output of a partial turn absolute rotary position sensor , 479 start of second full range output of a partial turn absolute rotary position sensor fig5 shows a flow chart of a basic functionality of the absolute position sensor according to the invention , 510 is there rotation ?, 520 if there is rotation , are we still within absolute rotational position sensor range , or is there an under or overflow , 530 if there is an under or overflow , then adjust counter accordingly , 540 is there a power loss / shutdown ? 550 if there is a power loss / shutdown , then store count in non - volatile memory , 560 optionally , if there is a power loss / shutdown , then also store the absolute rotary position sensor value . fig6 shows a flow chart of an optional check of a linear actuator with an absolute position sensor according to the invention , 600 if there is a power - up then do this routine / process , 610 retrieve count stored in the non - volatile memory and update counter with this count , 620 retrieve absolute rotary position sensor value stored in the non - volatile memory , 630 acquire / determine current value of absolute rotary position sensor , 640 compare retrieved value with current value , and if the difference shows that there has been an under or overflow during shutdown , then continue with step 650 , otherwise continue with step 660 , 650 if there has been determined that there has been an overflow or underflow during shutdown , then adjust counter accordingly , 660 compare retrieved value with current value , and if the difference is less than a first amount , then exit routine / process without further action , otherwise continue with step 670 670 compare retrieved value with current value in relation to a second amount , 680 if the difference is less than the second amount then do a warning action , can be a message sent back to a controller via communication network , 690 if the difference is equal or greater than the second amount then do an error action , such as a recalibration , 699 further processing after power - up . fig7 shows a flow chart of an optional virtual end stop determination of a linear actuator with an absolute position sensor according to the invention , 705 if it is the first power - up or a recalibration , then do this routine / process , 710 set electrical motor power to low / calibration value , 715 set electrical motor / linear actuator to run in a first direction , 720 check that the absolute rotary position sensor registers a movement , 725 when movement has stopped , then stop electrical motor , 730 read count of counter , read value of absolute rotary position sensor , 735 set first end stop to position determined by absolute rotary position sensor and counter minus a predetermined value , 740 set electrical motor / linear actuator to run in a second direction , 745 check that the absolute rotary position sensor registers a movement , 750 when movement has stopped , then stop electrical motor , 755 read count of counter , read value of absolute rotary position sensor , 760 set second end stop to position determined by absolute rotary position sensor and counter minus a predetermined value , 765 set electrical motor power to normal value , 770 exit routine / process . | 7 |
hereinafter , exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings . hereinafter , a first exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described . the same reference numerals are given to the same portions as those of fig1 and fig1 described above , and the detailed description thereof will be omitted . fig1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of a semiconductor storage device 10 . as shown in fig1 , the semiconductor storage device 10 includes a memory cell array 12 in which plural memory cells including a mos transistor or the like are arranged . namely , in the memory cell array 12 , plural word lines wl disposed in a column direction are arranged to intersect plural bit lines bl disposed in a row direction perpendicular to the column direction . in the memory cell array 12 , memory cells ( not shown ) are disposed at the intersecting portion of the word lines wl and the bit lines bl , respectively . a gate of each memory cell is connected to the word line wl . a source and a drain of each memory cell are connected to the bit line bl . the word lines wl are connected to a row decoder 14 , and the bit lines bl are connected to a column decoder 16 . the row decoder 14 and the column decoder 16 are connected to a controller 18 . the controller 18 controls an operation such as writing , reading , or erasing of data to / or / from the memory cell array 12 . when receiving operation for any one of writing , reading , and erasing of data from the outside , the controller 18 outputs voltages or signals to the row decoder 14 or the column decoder 16 , to select the word lines wl or the bit lines bl depending on the details of the received operation . fig2 is a circuit diagram illustrating the row decoder 14 . according to this exemplary embodiment . as shown in fig2 , the row decoder 14 includes an lv_slct signal output circuit 20 , a level shift circuit 22 , and a word line selection circuit 24 . the lv_slct output circuit 20 includes an inverter 26 and an nand circuit 28 . a signal hvxb from the controller 18 is input to one input terminal of the nand circuit 28 . an output signal of the inverter 26 is input to the other input terminal of the nand circuit 28 . the nand circuit 28 outputs a signal lv_slct , which is a negative logic signal of the inputted signals , to the level shift circuit 22 . the level shift circuit 22 includes a pmos transistor p 1 , dmos transistors d 1 and d 2 , and nmos transistors n 1 and n 2 . signals lv_slct , slct , vwlx , hvxd , and vwlxd are input from the controller 18 to the level shift circuit 22 , and a signal hv_slctb is output to the word line selection circuit 24 , depending on the input status of the above signals . the word line selection circuit 24 includes a pmos transistor p 2 ; pmos transistors p 30 , p 31 , . . . , p 3 n disposed for each hvxpb [ n : 0 ] signals ; pmos transistors p 30 a , p 31 a , . . . , p 3 na to which a signal vwlxp is input and which are disposed in accordance with the number lines of word lines wl ; and nmos transistors n 30 , n 31 , . . . , n 3 n , n 40 , n 41 , . . . , n 4 n , and n 50 , n 51 , . . . , n 5 n disposed for each xpb [ n : 0 ] signals . fig3 is a chart illustrating the voltage values of the signals in normal operation ( normal ) that uses a normal voltage when reading data , and in high voltage operation ( hv ) that uses a high voltage , for example , when writing or erasing data , in selection and non - selection of the word lines . fig4 a is a diagram illustrating a timing chart of the respective signals in the normal operation . fig4 b is a diagram illustrating a timing chart of the respective signals in the high voltage operation . vpp shown in fig3 is a high voltage supplied from an external power supply ( not shown ). an example of vpp is 10 . 0 [ v ]. vcc is a voltage supplied from the external power supply ( not shown ). examples of vcc are 3 . 0 to 4 . 0 [ v ]. vnn is a ground potential and an example of vnn is 0 . 0 [ v ]. irrespective to the normal operation or the high voltage operation , slct becomes “ h ” when any one of the word lines wl [ n : 0 ] is selected . further , irrespective to the normal operation or the high voltage operation , the slct becomes “ l ” when none of the word lines are selected . here , “ h ” is vcc = 3 . 0 [ v ] and “ l ” is 0 . 0 [ v ]. when the slct becomes “ h ”, hvxpb [ n : 0 ] corresponding to the selected word line becomes 3 . 0 [ v ] in the normal operation , and becomes 10 . 0 [ v ] in the high voltage operation . accordingly , in the normal operation , 3 . 0 [ v ] is supplied to the selected word line wl , and in the high voltage operation , 10 . 0 [ v ] is supplied to the selected word line wl . hvxb becomes “ h ” in the normal operation and becomes “ l ” in the high voltage operation , irrespective to the selection or the non - selection of a word line . vwlx becomes 3 . 0 [ v ] in the normal operation and becomes 10 . 0 [ v ] in the high voltage operation , irrespective to the selection or the non - selection of a word line . hvxd becomes 0 . 0 [ v ] in the normal operation and becomes 10 . 0 [ v ] in the high voltage operation , irrespective to the selection or the non - selection of a word line . vwlxd becomes 0 . 0 [ v ] in the normal operation and becomes 3 . 0 [ v ] in the high voltage operation , irrespective to the selection or the non - selection of a word line . xpb becomes “ l ” in the selection of a word line and becomes “ h ” in the non - selection of a word line , irrespective to the normal operation or the high voltage operation . vnn is 0 . 0 [ v ] irrespective to the selection of a word line , the non - selection of a word line , the normal operation , and the high voltage operation . first , an operation for selecting a word line in the normal operation will be described . when selecting a word line wl , the controller 18 outputs the signal hvxb =“ h ” to the lv_slct output circuit 20 . further , the controller 18 outputs hvxd = 0 . 0 [ v ], vwlxd = 0 . 0 [ v ], and the vwlx = vcc = 3 . 0 [ v ] to the level shift circuit 22 . furthermore , the controller 18 outputs vwlxp = 0 . 0 [ v ] and vnn = 0 . 0 [ v ] to the word line selection circuit 24 . hereinafter , an operation for selecting the word line wl 0 and supplying the signal vcc to the word line wl 0 , will be described as an example for selecting a word line in the normal operation . note that , “ h ”= vcc = 3 . 0 [ v ] and “ l ”= 0 . 0 [ v ]. in this case , the controller 18 outputs slct =“ h ”, hvxpb [ 0 ]= 0 . 0 [ v ], xpb [ 0 ]=“ l ”, hvxpb [ n : 1 ]= vcc = 3 . 0 [ v ], and xpb [ n : 1 ]=“ h ” to each circuit . note that , n is a positive integer , and hvxpb [ n : 0 ] and xpb [ n : 0 ] correspond to n + 1 lines of the word lines wl . an operation of the lv_slct output circuit 20 will be described . the lv_slct output circuit 20 operates as lv_slct = slct based on hvxb =“ h ”. accordingly , lv_slct becomes “ h ” because of slct =“ h ”. next , an operation of the level shift circuit 22 will be described . dmos transistors d 1 and d 2 are in a conductive state based on hvxd = 0 . 0 [ v ], vwlxd = 0 . 0 [ v ], and vwlx = vcc = 3 . 0 [ v ], irrespective to the logical value of slct and lv_slct . therefore , the level shift circuit 22 operates as an inverter circuit configured by the pmos transistor p 1 and the nmos transistor n 1 . accordingly , the level shift circuit 22 outputs the lv_slct =“ h ” input from the lv_slct output circuit 20 , as hv_slctb =“ l ” to the word line selection circuit 24 . hereinafter , an operation of the word line selection circuit 24 will be described . all the nmos transistors n 50 , n 51 , . . . , n 5 n in which the inverse logic of slct is input to the gates become a non - conductive state based on slct =“ h ”. here , to select the word line wl 0 , hvxpb [ 0 ] is 0 . 0 [ v ], xpb [ 0 ] is “ l ”, hvxpb [ n : 1 ] are vcc = 3 . 0 [ v ], and xpb [ n : 1 ] are “ h ”. the pmos transistors p 2 , p 30 , and p 30 a become a conductive state based on hv_slctb =“ l ”, hvxpb [ 0 ]= 0 . 0 [ v ], and vwlxp = 0 . 0 [ v ]. the nmos transistor n 30 becomes a non - conductive state based on xpb [ 0 ]=“ l ”. due thereto , the word line wl 0 is connected to vwlx = vcc = 3 . 0 [ v ] and is disconnected from vnn = 0 . 0 [ v ]. accordingly , word line wl 0 becomes vcc = 3 . 0 [ v ]. further , the other word lines wl are disconnected from vwlx and are connected to vnn based on hvxpb [ n : 1 ]= 3 . 0 [ v ] and xpb [ n : 1 ]=“ h ”. accordingly , wl [ n : 1 ] become 0 . 0 [ v ]. note that when slct =“ h ”, hvxpb [ n : 0 ]= 0 . 0 [ v ], and xpb [ n : 0 ]=“ l ”, all the word lines wl [ n : 0 ] may be selected , as in the above - described case of the selection of the word line wl 0 . accordingly , wl [ n : 0 ] become vcc = 3 . 0 [ v ]. next , an operation for selecting none of the word lines wl [ n : 0 ] will be described . in this case , the controller 18 outputs slct =“ l ” to the lv_slct output circuit 20 . for hvxpb [ n : 0 ], an in put of vcc = 3 . 0 [ v ] may be input , and for xpb [ n : 0 ] an arbitrary input value of “ h ” or “ l ” may be input . by inputting slct =“ l ”, lv_slct = 0 . 0 [ v ] becomes hv_slctb = 3 . 0 [ v ]. therefore , the pmos transistor p 2 becomes a non - conductive state . on the other hand , all the nmos transistors n 50 , n 51 , . . . , n 5 n , into which the inverse logic of the signal slct is input , become a conductive state . due thereto , the word lines wl [ n : 0 ] are disconnected from the signal vwlx and are connected to the signal vnn . accordingly , wl [ n : 0 ] become 0 . 0 [ v ]. next , an operation for selecting a word line while in the high voltage operation will be described . the controller 18 outputs slct =“ h ” and hvxb =“ l ” to the lv_slct output circuit 20 . the controller 18 outputs hvxd = vpp = 10 . 0 [ v ], vwlxd = 3 . 0 [ v ], and vwlx = vpp = 10 . 0 [ v ] to the level shift circuit 22 . the controller 18 outputs vwlxp = 3 . 0 [ v ] and vnn = 0 . 0 [ v ] to the word line selection circuit 24 . note that , “ h ”= vcc = 3 . 0 [ v ] and “ l ”= 0 . 0 [ v ]. in the voltage value , slct of the level shift circuit 22 , hv_slctb of the level shift circuit 22 , and hvxpb [ n : 0 ] and xpb [ n : 0 ] of the word line selection circuit 24 are different from each other , depending on the selection of a word line wl . hereinafter , an operation for selecting the word line wl 0 and supplying wl 0 = vpp = 10 . 0 [ v ] will be described , as an example for the selecting a word line . in this case , the controller 18 outputs slct =“ h ”, hvxpb [ 0 ]= vcc = 3 . 0 [ v ], xpb [ 0 ]=“ l ”, hvxpb [ n : 1 ]= vpp = 10 . 0 [ v ], and xpb [ n : 1 ]=“ h ” to each circuit . note that , n is a positive integer , and hvxpb [ n : 0 ] and xpb [ n : 0 ] correspond to n + 1 lines of word lines wl . an operation of the lv_slct output circuit 20 will be described . the signal lv_slct output from the lv_slct output circuit 20 is fixed to lv_slct = vcc = 3 . 0 [ v ] based on slct =“ h ” and hvxb =“ l ”. next , an operation of the level shift circuit 22 will be described . irrespective to the logical value of the signal slct , the pmos transistor p 1 and the nmos transistor n 2 are in a conductive state based on lv_slct = 3 . 0 [ v ], hvxd = vpp = 10 . 0 [ v ], vwlxd = 3 . 0 [ v ], and vwlx = vpp = 10 . 0 [ v ]. when the gate voltage of the dmos transistor d 2 is equal to “ h ”= 3 . 0 [ v ] based on slct =“ h ”, the dmos transistor d 2 is connected to the signal vwlxd , so that the voltage of the signal hv_slctb is lowered . when the voltage of the signal hv_slctb is lowered , the driving force of the dmos transistor d 1 connected to the signal hv_slctb is further lowered . at this time , in order to lower the voltage of the signal hv_slctb to near vwlxd = 3 . 0 [ v ], the driving force of the dmos transistor dl is adjusted to be considerably lower than the driving force of the dmos transistor d 2 . on the contrary , when no word line is selected , slct =“ l ” is input to the level shift circuit 22 . when the gate voltage of the dmos transistor d 2 is “ l ”= 0 . 0 [ v ], the dmos transistor d 2 becomes a non - conductive state based on a source voltage = vwlxd = 3 . 0 [ v ]. on the other hand , the dmos transistor d 1 maintains the conductive state . therefore , the signal hv_slctb increases up to vwlx = 10 . 0 [ v ]. thus , the level shift circuit 22 operates as a level shifter , configured by the dmos transistors d 1 and d 2 , that shifts the voltage range of vcc = 3 . 0 [ v ]/ 0 . 0 [ v ] to the voltage range of vpp = 10 . 0 [ v ]/ vcc = 3 . 0 [ v ], and as an inverter circuit . note that , a relation of hv_slctb becomes 3 . 0 [ v ] from slct =“ h ”= 3 . 0 [ v ]. an operation of the word line selection circuit 24 will be described . all the nmos transistors n 50 , n 51 , . . . , n 5 n , in which the inverse logic of the signal slct is input to the gate terminal , become a conductive state based on slct =“ h ”. note that , since the word line wl 0 is selected , hvxpb [ 0 ] becomes 3 . 0 [ v ], xpb [ 0 ] becomes “ l ”, hvxpb [ n : 1 ] become vpp = 10 . 0 [ v ], and xpb [ n : 1 ] become “ h ”. the pmos transistors p 2 , p 30 , and p 30 a become a conductive state based on relations of hv_slctb = 3 . 0 [ v ], hvxpb [ 0 ]= 3 . 0 [ v ], and vwlxp = 3 . 0 [ v ]. the nmos transistor n 30 becomes a non - conductive state based on xpb [ 0 ]=“ l ”. thus , the word line wl 0 is connected to vwlx = vpp = 10 . 0 [ v ] and is disconnected from vnn = 0 . 0 [ v ]. therefore , wl 0 becomes vpp = 10 . 0 [ v ]. further , the other word lines wl 1 to wln are disconnected from vwlx , and are connected to the signal vnn based on hvxpb [ n : 1 ]= vpp = 10 . 0 [ v ] and xpb [ n : 1 ]=“ h ”. therefore , wl [ n : 1 ] become 0 . 0 [ v ]. when slct =“ h ”, hvxpb [ n : 0 ]= 3 . 0 [ v ], and xpb [ n : 0 ]=“ l ”, all the word lines wl [ n : 0 ] may be selected , as in the above - described case of the selection of the word line wl 0 . accordingly , wl [ n : 0 ] become vpp = 10 . 0 [ v ]. next , an operation for selecting none of the word lines wl [ n : 0 ] will be described . in this case , the controller 18 outputs slct =“ l ”. for hvxpb [ n : 0 ], vpp = 10 . 0 [ v ] or vcc = 3 . 0 [ v ] may be input , and for xpb [ n : 0 ] an arbitrary input value of “ h ” or “ l ” may be input . by inputting slct =“ l ”, hv_slctb becomes 10 . 0 [ v ]. therefore , the pmos transistor p 2 becomes a non - conductive state . on the other hand , all the nmos transistors n 50 , n 51 , . . . , n 5 n , into which the inverse logic of slct is input , become a conductive state . thus , the word line wl [ n : 0 ] are disconnected from the signal vwlx and are connected to the signal vnn . accordingly , wl [ n : 0 ] becomes 0 . 0 [ v ]. the row decoder 14 according to the first exemplary embodiment includes the level shift circuit 22 that shifts the voltage range so that the voltage applied to the electrodes of the pmos transistor p 30 and the like of the word line selection circuit 24 is in the range from 0 . 0 [ v ] to vcc in the normal operation , and is not in the range from 0 . 0 [ v ] to vpp but in the range from vcc to vpp in the high voltage operation . thus , it is not necessary for the row decoder 14 according to the first exemplary embodiment to use a high - voltage pmos transistor for the pmos transistor p 30 and the like , in the word line selection circuit 24 . accordingly , in the row decoder 14 according to the first exemplary embodiment may prevent an increase in the area of a circuit , and may maintain high operation speed . next , a second exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described . fig5 is a circuit diagram illustrating a row decoder 14 a according to the second exemplary embodiment of the present invention . the row decoder 14 a according to the second exemplary embodiment is different from the row decoder 14 , described with reference to fig2 according to the first exemplary embodiment , in that a level shift circuit 30 is disposed instead of the lv_slct output circuit 20 . a level shift circuit 22 and a word line selection circuit 24 are the same of those of the row decoder 14 . in the level shift circuit 30 , pmos transistors p 4 and p 5 and nmos transistors n 6 , n 7 , and n 8 are connected , as shown in fig5 . in fig6 , the voltage values of the respective signals in normal operation ( normal ) that uses a normal voltage when reading data , and in high voltage operation ( hv ) that uses a high voltage , for example , when writing or erasing data , in selection and non - selection of the word lines , are shown . in fig7 a , a timing chart of the respective signals in the normal operation is shown . in fig7 b , a timing chart of the respective signals in the high voltage operation is shown . first , an operation for selecting a word line in the normal operation will be described . the controller 18 outputs hvx =“ l ”, hvxb =“ h ”, and vcwx = vcw = 3 . 6 [ v ] to the level shift circuit 30 . a signal vcw is a voltage which is supplied from an internal power supply ( not shown ). the controller 18 outputs hvxd = 0 . 0 [ v ], vwlxd = 0 . 0 [ v ], and vwlx = vcw = 3 . 6 [ v ] to the level shift circuit 22 . the controller 18 outputs the vwlxp = 0 . 0 [ v ] and the vnn = 0 . 0 [ v ] to the word line selection circuit 24 . note that , “ h ”= vcc = 3 . 0 [ v ] and “ l ”= 0 . 0 [ v ]. the signals slct and lv_slct of the level shift circuit 30 , the hv_slctb of the level shift circuit 22 , and the signals hvxpb [ n : 0 ] and xpb [ n : 0 ] of the word line selection circuit 24 , are different from each other in a voltage value , depending on the selection of a word line wl . hereinafter , as an example for the selecting a word line , an operation for selecting the word line wl 0 and supplying wl 0 = vcw = 3 . 6 [ v ] will be described . in this case , the controller 18 outputs slct =“ h ”, hvxpb [ 0 ]= 0 . 0 [ v ], xpb [ 0 ]=“ l ”, hvxpb [ n : 1 ]= vcw = 3 . 6 [ v ], and xpb [ n : 1 ]=“ h ” to each circuit . note that , n is a positive integer , and hvxpb [ n : 0 ] and xpb [ n : 0 ] correspond to n + 1 lines of word lines wl . next , an operation of the level shift circuit 30 will be described . the level shift circuit 30 operates as a level shift circuit which shifts the signal from vcc = 3 . 0 [ v ] to vcw = 3 . 6 [ v ] based on hvx =“ l ” and hvxb =“ h ”. accordingly , the level shift circuit 30 shifts slct =“ h ”= vcc to lv_slct = vcw = 3 . 6 [ v ] and outputs the shifted signal to the level shift circuit 22 at the rear stage thereof . the same description of the other operations as those of the first exemplary embodiment will be omitted in fig8 , the voltage states at the portions are shown when a word line is selected in the high voltage operation . in fig9 , the voltage states at the portions are shown when no word line is selected in the high voltage operation . the row decoder 14 according to the second exemplary embodiment includes the level shift circuit 22 that shifts the voltage range , so that the voltage applied to the electrodes of the pmos transistor p 30 and the like of the word line selection circuit 24 is in the range from 0 . 0 [ v ] to vcc , in the normal operation , and is not in the range from 0 . 0 [ v ] to vpp but in the range from vcc to vpp , in the high voltage operation . accordingly , the row decoder 14 according to the second exemplary embodiment of the present invention is not necessary to use a high - voltage pmos transistor for the pmos transistor p 30 and the like of the word line selection circuit 24 . accordingly , in the row decoder 14 according to this exemplary embodiment may prevent an increase in the area of a circuit , and may maintain a high operation speed . next , a third exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described . fig1 is a circuit diagram illustrating a row decoder 14 b according to the third exemplary embodiment of the present invention . the row decoder 14 b according to the third exemplary embodiment is different from the row decoder 14 a , described with reference to fig5 according to the second exemplary embodiment , in that the pmos transistors p 2 of the word line selection circuit 24 are not used , and hv_slctb and hvxp are input to the gates and the sources of the pmos transistors p 30 , p 31 , . . . , p 3 n , respectively . note that the level shift circuits 30 and 22 are the same of those of the row decoder 14 a according to the second exemplary embodiment . in fig1 , the voltage values of the respective signals in normal operation ( normal ) that uses a normal voltage when reading data , and in high voltage operation ( hv ) that uses a high voltage , for example , when writing or erasing data , in selection and non - selection of the word lines , are shown . first , an operation for selecting a word line in the normal operation will be described . in the selection operation in the normal operation , the controller 18 outputs hvx =“ l ”, hvxb =“ h ”, vcwx = vcw = 3 . 6 [ v ] to the level shift circuit 30 . further , the controller 18 outputs hvxd = 0 . 0 [ v ], vwlxd = 0 . 0 [ v ] and vwlx = vcw = 3 . 6 [ v ] to the level shift circuit 22 . the controller 18 outputs vwlxp = 0 . 0 [ v ] and vnn = 0 . 0 [ v ] to the word line selection circuit 24 . note that , “ h ”= vcc = 3 . 0 [ v ] and “ l ”= 0 . 0 [ v ]. the voltage value of slct and lv_slct of the level shift circuit 30 , the hv_slctb of the level shift circuit 22 , and the signals hvxp [ n : 0 ] and xpb [ n : 0 ] of the word line selection circuit 24 are different from each other due to the selection of a word line wl . hereinafter , an operation for selecting the word line wl 0 and supplying wl 0 = vcw = 3 . 6 [ v ] will be described , as an example for selecting of a word line . in this case , the controller 18 outputs slct =“ h ”, hvxp [ 0 ]= vcw = 3 . 6 [ v ], xpb [ 0 ]=“ l ”, hvxp [ n : 1 ]= 0 . 0 [ v ], and xpb [ n : 1 ]=“ h ” to each circuit . note that , n is a positive integer , and hvxp [ n : 0 ] and xpb [ n : 0 ] correspond to n + 1 lines of word lines wl . an operation of the level shift circuit 30 will be described . the level shift circuit 30 operates as a level shift circuit which shifts the signal from vcc = 3 . 0 [ v ] to vcw = 3 . 6 [ v ] based on hvx =“ l ” and hvxb =“ h ”. accordingly , the level shift circuit 30 outputs the input slct =“ h ”= vcc as lv_slct = vcw = 3 . 6 [ v ] to the level shift circuit 22 at the rear stage thereof . next , an operation of the level shift circuit 22 will be described . the dmos transistors d 1 and d 2 are always in a conductive state based on hvxd = 0 . 0 [ v ], vwlxd = 0 . 0 [ v ], and vwlx = vcw = 3 . 6 [ v ], irrespective to the logical value of the signals slct and lv_slct . therefore , the level shift circuit 22 operates as an inverter circuit configured by the pmos transistor p 1 and the nmos transistor n 1 . accordingly , the level shift circuit 22 outputs the input lv_slct = 3 . 6 [ v ] as hv_slctb = 0 . 0 [ v ] to the word line selection circuit 24 . next , an operation of the word line selection circuit 24 will be described . all the nmos transistors n 50 , n 51 , . . . , n 5 n in which the inverse logic of slct is input to the gate terminals become a non - conductive state based on slct =“ h ”. here , since the word line wl 0 is selected , hvxp [ 0 ] becomes vcw = 3 . 6 [ v ], xpb [ 0 ] becomes “ l ”, hvxp [ n : 1 ] become 0 . 0 [ v ], and xpb [ n : 1 ] become “ h ”. the pmos transistors p 30 and p 30 a become a conductive state based on hv_slctb = 0 . 0 [ v ], hvxp [ 0 ]= 3 . 6 [ v ], and vwlxp = 0 . 0 [ v ]. the nmos transistors n 30 , n 31 , . . . , n 3 n become a non - conductive state based on xpb [ 0 ]=“ l ”. thus , the word line wl 0 is connected to hvxp [ 0 ]= vcw = 3 . 6 [ v ] and is disconnected from vnn = 0 . 0 [ v ]. accordingly , wl 0 becomes vcw = 3 . 6 [ v ]. the other word lines wl are disconnected from hvxp [ n : 1 ] and are connected to vnn based on hvxp [ n : 1 ]= 0 . 0 [ v ], vwlxp = 0 . 0 [ v ], and xpb [ n : 1 ]=“ h ”. accordingly , wl [ n : 1 ] become 0 . 0 [ v ]. when slct =“ h ”, hvxp [ n : 0 ]= vcw = 3 . 6 [ v ], and xpb [ n : 0 ]=“ l ”, all the word lines wl [ n : 0 ] may be selected , as in the above - described case of the selection of the word line wl 0 . accordingly , wl [ n : 0 ] become vcw = 3 . 6 [ v ]. next , an operation for selecting none of the word lines wl [ n : 0 ] will be described . in this case , the controller 18 outputs slct =“ l ”. for hvxp [ n : 0 ], vcw = 3 . 6 [ v ] or vcw = 0 . 0 [ v ] may be input , and for xpb [ n : 0 ] an arbitrary input value of “ h ” or “ l ” may be input . by inputting slct =“ l ”, lv_slct = 0 . 0 [ v ] becomes hv_slctb = 3 . 6 [ v ]. therefore , the pmos transistors p 30 , p 31 , . . . , p 3 n become a non - conductive state . on the other hand , all the nmos transistors n 50 , n 51 , . . . , n 5 n , into which the inverse logic of the signal slct is input , become a conductive state . thus , since the word lines wl [ n : 0 ] are disconnected from the signal hvxp [ n : 0 ] and are connected to the vnn , wl [ n : 0 ] become 0 . 0 [ v ]. next , an operation for selecting a word line in the high voltage operation will be described . in this operation , the controller 18 outputs hvx =“ h ”, hvxb =“ l ”, and vcwx = vcc = 3 . 0 [ v ] to the level shift circuit 30 . further , the controller 18 outputs hvxd = vpp = 10 . 0 [ v ], vwlxd = 3 . 0 [ v ], and vwlx = vpp = 10 . 0 [ v ] to the level shift circuit 22 . furthermore , the controller 18 outputs vwlxp = 3 . 0 [ v ] and vnn = 0 . 0 [ v ] to the word line selection circuit 24 . note that , “ h ”= vcc = 3 . 0 [ v ] and “ l ”= 0 . 0 [ v ]. further , in the voltage value , slct of the level shift circuit 30 , the signal hv_slctb of the level shift circuit 22 , and the signals hvxp [ n : 0 ] and xpb [ n : 0 ] of the word line selection circuit 24 are different from each other , depending on the selection of a word line wl . hereinafter , an operation for selecting the word line wl 0 and supplying wl 0 = vpp = 10 . 0 [ v ] will be described as an example for selecting a word line . in this case , the controller 18 outputs slct =“ h ”, hvxp [ 0 ]= vpp = 10 . 0 [ v ], xpb [ 0 ]=“ l ”, hvxp [ n : 1 ]= vcc = 3 . 0 [ v ], and xpb [ n : 1 ]=“ h ” to each circuit . note that , n is a positive integer , and hvxp [ n : 0 ] and xpb [ n : 0 ] correspond to n + 1 lines of word lines wl . an operation of the level shift circuit 30 will be described . lv_slct output from the level shift circuit 22 is fixed to lv_slct = vcc = 3 . 0 [ v ] based on hvx =“ h ” and hvxb =“ l ”. next , an operation of the level shift circuit 22 will be described . irrespective to the logical value of slct , the pmos transistor p 1 and the nmos transistor n 2 are always in a conductive state , based on lv_slct = 3 . 0 [ v ], hvxd = vpp = 10 . 0 [ v ], vwlxd = 3 . 0 [ v ], and vwlx = vpp = 10 . 0 [ v ]. when the gate voltage of the dmos transistor d 2 is equal to “ h ”= 3 . 0 [ v ] based on slct =“ h ”, the dmos transistor d 2 is connected to the signal vwlxd , and the voltage of the signal hv_slctb is lowered . when the voltage of the signal hv_slctb is lowered , the driving force of the dmos transistor d 1 connected to the signal hv_slctb is further lowered . at this time , in order to lower the voltage of the signal hv_slctb to near vwlxd = 3 . 0 [ v ], the driving force of the dmos transistor d 1 is adjusted to be considerably lower than the driving force of the dmos transistor d 2 . on the contrary , when no word line is selected , slct =“ l ” is input . when the gate voltage of the dmos transistor d 2 is “ l ”= 0 . 0 [ v ], the dmos transistor d 2 becomes a non - conductive state based on a source voltage = vwlxd = 3 . 0 [ v ]. on the other hand , since the dmos transistor d 1 maintains the conductive state , the signal hv_slctb increases up to vwlx = 10 . 0 [ v ]. thus , the level shift circuit 22 operates as a level shifter , configured by the dmos transistors d 1 and d 2 , that shifts the voltage range of vcc = 3 . 0 [ v ]/ 0 . 0 [ v ] to the voltage range of vpp = 10 . 0 [ v ]/ vcc = 3 . 0 [ v ], and as an inverter circuit . here , slct =“ h ”= 3 . 0 [ v ] is output as hv_slctb = 3 . 0 [ v ] to the word line selection circuit 24 . next , an operation of the word line selection circuit 24 will be described . all the nmos transistors n 50 , n 51 , . . . , n 5 n , in which the inverse logic of the signal slct is input to the gate terminal , become a non - conductive state based on slct =“ h ”. here , since the word line wl 0 is selected , the controller 18 outputs hvxp [ 0 ]= vpp = 10 . 0 [ v ], xpb [ 0 ]=“ l ”, hvxp [ n : 1 ]= vcc = 3 . 0 [ v ], and xpb [ n : 1 ]=“ h ” to the word line selection circuit 24 . the pmos transistors p 30 and p 30 a become a conductive state based on relations of hv_slctb = 3 . 0 [ v ], hvxp [ 0 ]= 10 . 0 [ v ], and vwlxp = 3 . 0 [ v ]. the nmos transistors n 30 , n 31 , . . . , and n 3 n become a non - conductive state based on xpb [ 0 ]=“ l ”. thus , the word line wl 0 is connected to hvxp [ 0 ]= vpp = 10 . 0 [ v ] and is disconnected from vnn = 0 . 0 [ v ]. therefore , wl 0 becomes vpp = 10 . 0 [ v ]. the other word lines wl 1 to wln are disconnected from hvxp [ n : 1 ] based on hvxp [ n : 1 ]= vcc = 3 . 0 [ v ], vwlxp = 3 . 0 [ v ], and xpb [ n : 1 ]=“ h ” and are connected to the signal vnn . therefore , wl [ n : 1 ] become 0 . 0 [ v ]. when slct =“ h ”, hvxp [ n : 0 ]= vpp = 10 . 0 [ v ], and xpb [ n : 0 ]=“ l ”, all the word lines wl [ n : 0 ] may be selected , as in the above - described case of the selection of the word line wl 0 . accordingly , wl [ n : 0 ] become vpp = 10 . 0 [ v ]. next , an operation for selecting none of the word lines wl [ n : 0 ] will be described . in this case , the controller 18 outputs slct =“ l ”. for hvxp [ n : 0 ], vpp = 10 . 0 [ v ] or vcc = 3 . 0 [ v ] may be input , and for xpb [ n : 0 ] an arbitrary input value of “ h ” or “ l ” may be input . by inputting slct =“ l ”, hv_slctb becomes 10 . 0 [ v ]. therefore , the pmos transistors p 30 , p 31 , . . . , p 3 n become a non - conductive state . on the other hand , all the nmos transistors n 50 , n 51 , . . . , n 5 n , into which the inverse logic of slct is input , become a conductive state . thus , the word lines wl [ n : 0 ] are disconnected from hvxp [ n : 0 ] and are connected to the signal . vnn . accordingly , wl [ n : 0 ] become 0 . 0 [ v ]. in the third exemplary embodiment , the pmos transistor p 2 of the row decoder 14 a shown in fig5 is not used . accordingly , in the row decoder 14 b according to the third exemplary embodiment , the number of transistors may be reduced and a circuit operation may be performed at a high speed . next , a fourth exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described . fig1 is a circuit diagram illustrating a row decoder 14 c according to the fourth exemplary embodiment of the present invention . the row decoder 14 c according to the fourth exemplary embodiment is different from the row decoder 14 a , described with reference to fig5 according to the second exemplary embodiment , in that the dmos transistor d 3 is connected to the dmos transistor d 1 in parallel in the level shift circuit 22 . a level shift circuit 30 and a word line selection circuit 24 are the same as those of the row decoder 14 a . first , an operation when slct changes from “ h ” to “ l ” while in the normal operation , will be described . when in an equilibrium state , the voltage of hv_slctb becomes hv_slctb = 0 . 0 [ v ] when slct is “ h ”, and becomes hv_slctb = vcw = 3 . 6 [ v ] when slct is “ l ”. accordingly , when slct changes from “ h ” to “ l ”, the voltage of the hv_slctb increases from 0 . 0 [ v ] to 3 . 6 [ v ] with a time constant . when slct changes from “ h ” to “ l ” in the row decoder 14 a described in the second exemplary embodiment , the dmos transistor d 1 becomes a conductive state , and therefore , the voltage of the signal hv_slctb increases . however , in the fourth exemplary embodiment , since the gate terminal and the source terminal are connected to each other in the dmos transistor d 1 , the voltage between the gate and source is always set to vgs = 0 . 0 [ v ]. when slct is “ h ” in the selection operation of the word line while in the high voltage operation , the voltage of the signal hv_slctb is lowered to near vwlxd = 3 . 0 [ v ]. therefore , in the dmos transistor d 1 , the driving force is adjusted to be considerably lowered when compared to the dmos transistor d 2 . due thereto , in the row decoder 14 a according to the second exemplary embodiment , the time constant of the signal hv_slctb becomes larger relatively , when the voltage increases from 0 . 0 [ v ] to 3 . 6 [ v ]. on the other hand , in the row decoder 14 c according to the fourth exemplary embodiment , the dmos transistor d 3 is added to the row decoder 14 a and is connected to the dmos transistor d 1 in parallel : therefore , when slct is “ l ”, the gate terminal of the dmos transistor d 3 becomes “ h ”. accordingly , when the signal slct changes from “ h ” to “ l ” in the row decoder 14 c , not only the dmos transistor d 1 but also the dmos transistor d 3 becomes a conductive state of vgs = 3 . 0 [ v ]. when slct is “ h ” in the selection operation of a word line while in the high voltage operation , the dmos transistor . d 3 becomes a non - conductive state of vgs & lt ;− 3 . 0 [ v ]. therefore , in the fourth exemplary embodiment , the driving force of the dmos transistor d 3 is not required to be lowered than the driving force of the dmos transistor d 2 . thus , in the row decoder 14 c according to the fourth exemplary embodiment , the transition of hv_slctb ( from 0 . 0 [ v ] to 3 . 6 [ v ]) may be performed at a high speed in the selection operation of a word line in the normal operation . | 6 |
fig1 shows a longitudinal path slide designated as a whole as 10 . the longitudinal path slide 10 comprises a housing 12 which constitutes an inner space 14 . the inner space 14 is configured symetrically to a longitudinal axis 16 . an inner wall 18 of the inner space 14 is provided with a slideway 20 which is preferably produced by a casting method in a known way . when we consider the housing 12 in cross section , it is formed for example cylindrically , in particular however as a right parallelepiped . correspondingly , the inner space 14 , considered in cross section , has a round or preferably a rectangular cross - sectional area . an outer face 22 of the housing 12 preferably forms a mounting surface and possesses a groove 24 for receiving a feather key or the like which serves for positioning and for absorbing the shifting forces . a slide 26 which is guided completely free from backlash in the slideway is placed inside the housing 12 , thus in the inner space 14 . considered in cross section , the slide 26 possesses a contour which is adapted to the inner space 14 , is thus preferably configured as a right parallelepiped . the slide 26 forms a prismatic slide . the slide 26 possesses a section 28 , protruding lengthwise over the housing 12 , which constitutes an actuation surface 30 . the actuation surface 30 serves for example for receiving tools which are not represented in detail , for example cutting tools or the like , or as a pressure or as a pressing surface which is brought into a bearing contact with a subject to be machined . the forces which the slide 26 must apply in axial direction and resulting transverse forces are within the range of 10 kn to 150 kn , in individual cases also up to 250 kn . because of an off - center load of the slide 26 during the working process , in particular for cutting tools placed on the slide 26 , transverse forces which act onto the slide 26 can be a multiple of the nominal longitudinal force . the housing 12 is closed at its end opposite the section 28 of the slide 26 by a sealing flange 32 . the sealing flange 32 is connected with the housing 12 by intercalating an intermediate plate 34 over connecting means 36 . thus , the inner space 14 becomes a blind opening so that a motion stopper is constituted for the slide 26 by the sealing flange 32 or the intermediate plate 34 . the slide 26 forms for its own part a blind opening 38 which is open in direction of the intermediate plate 34 . the blind opening 38 serves for receiving a hydraulic driving gear designated as a whole as 40 . the hydraulic driving gear 40 is thus integrated into the slide 26 . the blind opening 38 of the slide 26 forms the cylinder of the hydraulic driving gear which receives a working piston . the working piston comprises a piston rod 42 which engages with an ring shoulder 44 into a ring groove 46 constituted correspondingly by the sealing flange 32 and the intermediate plate 34 . the piston rod 42 is thus positioned aligned with the longitudinal axis 16 . the piston rod 42 is thus placed fixed , i . e . not movable lengthwise . the piston rod 42 is coaxially encompassed by a guiding element 48 which constitutes a first section 50 forming a cylinder tube 50 ′ and a second section 52 . the sections 50 and 52 have a circumferential backlash of approximately 0 . 5 mm to the inner wall 54 of the blind opening 38 of the slide 26 . a guiding without any backlash is also possible . it comes to the formation of an ring space 56 between the guiding element 48 and the piston rod 42 . the section 50 of the guiding element 48 is closed pressure sealed by a plug 58 at its front side turned to the section 28 of the slide 26 . the plug 58 is screwed into the cylinder tube 50 ′, i . e . it is screwed by means of an external thread 60 into an internal thread of the cylinder tube 50 ′. a gasket 62 which is outlined here is additionally provided . the sections 50 and 52 of the guiding element 48 are non - positively connected with each other , for example over a thread connection 64 . for this purpose , the sections 50 and 52 are provided with respective corresponding recesses at their ends which are turned to each other . the piston rod 42 possesses a first section 66 with a smaller diameter and a second section 68 with a bigger diameter . a transition piece 70 is placed on the section 66 , this transition piece being placed tightly to the piston rod 42 with a gasket 72 and to the guiding element 48 with gaskets 84 . thus , there comes to the constitution of a first inner space 74 and of a second inner space 76 of the ring space 56 . the transition piece 70 thus forms a bulkhead wall between the inner spaces 74 and 76 . the transition piece 70 engages with a ring shoulder 78 into a corresponding ring recess 80 between the sections 50 and 52 of the guiding element 48 . thus , the guiding element 48 and the transition piece 70 are placed in such a way that they are not movable in relation to each other . the piston rod 42 carries a first piston 82 fixedly placed thereon which is placed opposite the plug 58 . the piston 82 is guided by gaskets 84 on the section 50 of the guiding element 48 so that it comes to the constitution of a hydraulic working space 86 between the piston 82 and the plug 58 . due to the arrangement of the piston 82 and of the transition piece 70 , the inner space 74 also simultaneously forms a hydraulic working space 75 . the piston rod 42 carries a second piston 88 which is also fixedly placed on the piston rod 42 . the piston 88 is guided by means of gaskets 90 on the section 52 of the guiding element 48 . thus , there comes to the constitution of a hydraulic working space 92 between the piston 88 and the transition piece 70 . furthermore , the piston rod 42 is encompassed by a screwed connection 94 which is tightly placed on the piston rod 42 by means of gaskets 96 . the screwed connection 94 simultaneously forms a front side seal for the guiding element 48 and the slide 26 . due to the arrangement of the screwed connection 94 , the inner space 76 simultaneously also forms a hydraulic working space 77 . the piston rod 42 possesses a first axial bore hole 100 and a second axial bore hole 102 . the axial bore hole 100 runs on the one side into the hydraulic working space 86 and over a radial bore hole 104 into the hydraulic working space 92 . the axial bore hole 102 runs over a radial bore hole 106 into the hydraulic working space 74 and over a radial bore hole 108 into the hydraulic working space 76 . the axial bore holes 100 or 102 are respectively connected with a hydraulic oil connecting flange 110 or 112 . the connecting flanges 110 or 112 are connected with not represented hydraulic oil sources . the linear path slide 10 represented in fig1 shows the following functions . for drawing out the slide 26 , hydraulic oil is set under pressure at the connecting flange 110 . due to the pressure connection over the axial bore hole 100 , the pressure builds up in the hydraulic working space 86 and over the radial bore hole 104 additionally in the hydraulic working space 92 . thus , a force of pressure orientated to the left — according to the representation of fig1 — is exerted onto the plug 58 and the transition piece 70 . an actuation force resulting herefrom depends on the pressure head and on the pressure loaded surface . thus , there results the surface of the plug 58 which is turned to the hydraulic working space 86 as pressure loaded surface and the surface of the transition piece 70 which is turned to the hydraulic working space 92 as pressure loaded surface . these pressure loaded surfaces add up to a whole pressure loaded surface so that , compared with the known linear path slides , a higher actuation force can be applied . however , the surface of the transition piece 70 is not completely integrated into the increase of force but must be reduced by the cross section of the section 66 of the piston rod 42 . the force which is building up is transferred over the plug 58 and the guiding element 48 to the slide 26 so that the slide is submitted to a corresponding axial adjusting movement along the longitudinal axis 16 . the maximal stroke of the slide 26 is predetermined here by the axial distance of the piston 82 to the transition piece 70 or of the piston 88 to the screwed connection 94 . a reset movement of the slide 26 is possible in that hydraulic oil under pressure is applied to the connecting flange 112 . this pressure builds up over the axial bore hole 102 and the radial bore holes 106 and 108 in the hydraulic working spaces 75 and 77 . a restoring force orientated to the right — according to the representation in fig1 — builds up according to the pressure loaded surface of the transition piece 70 which is turned to the hydraulic working space 75 and to the pressure loaded surface of the screwed connection 94 which is turned to the hydraulic working space 77 , whereby this restoring force moves the slide 26 into the housing 12 . the screwed connection 94 constitutes simultaneously with the ring shoulder 44 of the piston rod 42 a reset stopper . it is clear that , due to the arrangement of two pistons 82 or 88 on the piston rod 42 — by intercalating a transition piece 70 — the hydraulic driving gear 40 is configured with two stages so that there results an increase of the pressure loaded surface and thus an increase of the actuation force . the piston 82 constitutes in connection with the hydraulic working space 86 and with the section 50 of the guiding element 48 a first partial hydraulic driving gear 40 ′, while the piston 88 in connection with the transition piece 70 and the guiding element 48 constitutes a second partial hydraulic driving gear 40 ″. with respect to the further advantages of the linear path slide 10 , in particular with respect to its compact construction and to the fundamental advantages of a hydraulic driving gear 40 integrated into the housing 12 , we refer to the ep 1 050 685 a2 , the content of which is made herewith to the content of disclosure of this invention . the invention self - evidently is not limited to the represented embodiment . so , multiple stage constructions ( with more than two stages ) are also conceivable . it comes then either to a reduction of the maximal stroke of the linear path slide , or to a bigger axial extension of the linear path slide . | 5 |
referring initially to fig1 and 2 , the present invention involves the use of a slim , longitudinal tunnel hook 2 , which includes a shaft having a distal end and a proximal end . the distal end of tunnel hook 2 is provided with a hook 4 , having a capture slot 6 . various features of tunnel hook 2 are provided for ease of use in the inventive procedure of the present invention . the purpose of the following features will become more clear in light of the method described below . angled opening 8 allows escape of a graft - passing wire from capture slot 6 . channels 10 on either side of hook 4 accommodate portions of the graft - passing wire as it forms a loop through a femoral tunnel . the proximal end of tunnel hook 2 features a mounting flange 11 for engagement with a drill guide . referring to fig3 , and 5 , the invention also involves the use of a drill pin 12 , which includes an elongated , narrow shaft having a pointed distal end and a proximal end . the distal end of drill pin 12 is provided with a sharp , trocar tip 14 and a fluted drilling region 16 disposed adjacent to and proximal the faces of trocar tip 14 . the proximal end of drill pin 12 includes a hook 18 having an angled opening into its capture slot for engaging the graft - passing wire , as described more fully below . referring to fig6 a tunnel dilator 20 is shown . tunnel dilator 20 has a tapered distal end and a proximal end . dilator 20 is cannulated to be received over drill pin 12 . the dilator has an initial taper 22 at the distal end for insertion into the bone where the drill pin enters . a cylindrical portion 24 forms a channel in the femur for receiving an implant shaft . an interim fluted portion 26 can be provided alternatively to form a hole for receiving threads of the implant , as described below . a depth stop 28 is formed proximally . referring to fig7 a nitinol graft - passing wire 30 is shown . passing wire 30 includes a flexible portion 32 having a loop 34 formed on the distal end and a rounded proximal end 36 . [ 0047 ] fig8 and 9 illustrate a transverse implant 40 . implant 40 has a threaded proximal end and a threaded distal ends . the implant is cannulated to be received over graft - passing wire 30 . the implant has a taper 42 formed toward the distal end . the proximal end includes back - biting , helical threads 44 and a drive socket 46 . as shown in detail in fig9 threads 44 have a sloping distal face 48 and a proximal face 50 meeting at a radiused edge 52 . distal face 48 forms an angle a of about 72 ° with a perpendicular to the central axis of the implant . proximal face 50 forms an angle b of about 18 ° with the perpendicular . the implant can be driven by impaction into bone , and then , if necessary , can be subsequently removed by screw rotation as discussed below . the method of the present invention is described with reference to fig1 through 16 . a longitudinal tibial tunnel 56 is formed using known techniques of drilling up through the tibia 58 . reproducible tunnel placement is achieved using instruments that reference intra - articular anatomical constants . a cannulated drill , received over a guide , is used to drill the tibial tunnel . depending on the size of the graft , tunnel diameters of 7 , 8 , 9 , and 10 mm are can be used . once the tibial tunnel is formed , a cannulated headed reamer is used to form a closed - ended socket 60 in the femur 62 . the socket is formed to a minimum depth of about 40 mm to accommodate the insertion depth of tunnel hook 2 . the knee should be placed in 90 ° of flexion when forming the tibial tunnel and femoral socket . the tunnel and socket can be modified in various ways using tunnel taps . for example , crenulations formed in the tibial tunnel provide additional friction and helps eliminate unwanted graft rotation during interference screw insertion . a spiral groove formed in the tunnel wall provides additional interference friction of the graft collagen against the compressed cancellous bone in the tunnel . a rasp may be used to create an oval - shaped tunnel and femoral socket to accommodate insertion of four tendon strands . after the tibial tunnel and femoral socket are complete , tunnel hook 2 , fitted onto a c - ring cross - pin drill guide 64 , is inserted through tibial tunnel 56 and into femoral socket 60 . tunnel hook 2 will capture within slot 6 the graft - passing wire 12 used in loading the graft tendons into the femoral socket , as described below with respect to fig1 and 13 . referring again to fig1 , with tunnel hook 2 and drill guide 64 in place , a 2 mm drill pin sleeve 66 is advanced in the direction of arrow a up to the skin proximal to the femoral condyle to indicate an incision site . the drill guide is positioned to allow the pin to pass parallel to the coronal plane , without excessive posterior or anterior divergence . a 2 - cm incision is made transversely at this site through the skin and fascia lata , and soft tissue is cleared down to the condyle . drill pin sleeve 66 is advanced until it contacts bone . over - tightening of the drill pin sleeve against the femoral cortex is avoided to prevent the drill pin from deviating and missing capture slot 6 of tunnel hook 2 . a depth indicator on the sleeve is used to gauge the length of implant 40 that will be required . with the sleeve in position against the cortical bone , drill pin 12 , 2 mm . in diameter , is chucked into a power drill 68 , and advanced with rotation through the femur until it exits the skin on the medial side 70 . to ensure that the drill pin passes within the capture slot 6 of tunnel hook 2 , torque on the drill guide and changes in knee flexion are avoided during drilling . referring to fig1 , a cannulated drill is placed over the guide pin to drill a hole 71 to accommodate threaded section 44 of implant 40 . the drill is replaced with tunnel dilator 20 , which is used to form a channel in the femur for the remainder of implant 40 . tunnel dilator 20 is mounted onto a driver / extractor 72 and driven with a mallet in the direction of arrow b up to the depth stop 28 . referring to fig1 , once the channel has been formed , loop 34 of nitinol graft - passing wire 30 is hooked onto hook 18 on the proximal end of drill pin 12 . by pulling on the drill pin , the graft - passing wire is drawn through the femur until it is positioned with equal lengths at either end protruding from the medial and lateral sides of the femoral shaft . hemostats 74 are clipped onto the ends of the wire to prevent them from being pulled into the transverse femoral tunnel 70 , as shown in fig1 . referring to fig1 and 14 , once the graft - passing wire has been drawn through the femur , tunnel hook 2 is retracted from femoral socket 60 and tibial tunnel 56 , pulling graft - passing wire 30 with it to form a loop that protrudes from the entrance of tibial tunnel 56 on the anterior tibial cortex . the semitendinosus and gracilis tendons 76 are placed evenly over the wire loop , and the loop containing the tendons is retracted in the direction of arrow c back through the tibial tunnel and into the femoral socket by pulling evenly on the medial and lateral ends of the graft - passing wire , as shown by arrows d and e , respectively . twisting of the graft during insertion is avoided . referring to fig1 , once the tendons 76 have been drawn completely into femoral socket 60 , implant 40 is inserted over the guide wire and advanced by hand until the threaded section 44 contacts the femur . an implant impactor 78 is chucked into driver / extractor 72 and placed over the wire 30 . the head of the implant 40 is engaged and a mallet is used to drive the implant into the femur until a depth stop 82 on the driver 78 contacts the cortical bone . pulling on the tendons 76 is avoided during impaction of the implant 40 . the implant is advanced along the wire in the direction of arrow f . the implant passes under the loop formed in tendons 76 , toward the medial side of the femur , to provide cross - pin support of tendons 76 . if removal of the implant should become necessary , reverse cutting threads 44 facilitate removal by unscrewing the implant with a 3 . 5 mm hex head screwdriver . referring to fig1 , the repair is completed by interference screw 84 fixation of graft 76 in tibial tunnel 56 . the femoral tunnel is narrow so that tendons 76 fit snugly within tibial tunnel 56 and femoral socket 60 , thus avoiding wiping of the tendons along the implant . although the present invention has been described in relation to particular embodiments thereof , many other variations and modifications and other uses will become apparent to those skilled in the art . therefore , the present invention is to be limited not by the specific disclosure herein , but only by the appended claims . | 8 |
as shown in fig1 and 2 , semiconductor and other electronic chips 2 ( ic and capacitors ) which are 30 μm in thickness were attached to a surface of a circuit board 1 having a circuit 4 printed thereon , by using an electroconductive paste 3 ( fa - 320 , tradename , made by kk asahi kagaku kenkyusho ). it is also possible to form the printed circuit 4 by selectively etching a layer of copper foil . a spacer sheet 7 having cut - outs 8 was placed over the surface of the circuit board 1 . fig3 shows the spacer 7 in a plan view . the cut - outs 8 were dimensioned so as to define a gap of 50 to 2 , 000 μm around each of the chips . in this embodiment , the spacer sheet 7 comprises 25 μm thick polyethylene terephthalate film 72 coated with a 25 μm thick bonding agent layer 71 , and a 1 μm thick primer layer which is not shown in the drawing . additionally , a casing consisting of 125 μm thick polyethylene terephthalate film 52 coated with a 20 μm thick bonding agent layer 51 and serving as an upper cover , was laminated over the spacer 7 by using a laminator . once this lamination process was completed , the chips were placed in the neutral plane of the ic card which is 326 μm in thickness . in other words , the semiconductor chips 2 were placed substantially in a middle part of the thickness of the ic card . because the compressive and tensile stress due to the bending deformation of the ic card increases linearly with in proportion to the distance from the neutral plane , the semiconductor chips 2 are substantially free from compressive and tensile stresses . the neutral plane as defined here may be a geometrical neutral plane when the ic card assembly is substantially uniform , but may be offset from the geometrical neutral plane if there is any asymmetricity about the geometrical neutral plane in the structure of the ic card as well known in the field of mechanics . as shown in fig4 an additional layer of 75 μm thick polyethylene terephthalate film 52 coated with a 20 μm thick bonding agent layer 51 was laminated over the upper and lower surfaces of the ic card of embodiment 1 to produce an ic card which was 516 μm in thickness . thus , the casing 5 , in this case , comprises a pair of upper layers 52 and a single lower layer 52 . similarly to embodiment 2 , an additional layer of 188 μm thick polyethylene terephthalate film 52 coated with a 20 μm thick bonding agent layer 51 was laminated over the upper and lower surfaces of the ic card of embodiment 1 to produce an ic card which was 742 μm in thickness . 30 μm thick chips 2 were used in place of the 50 μm thick chips of embodiment 1 , and a 50 μm thick spacer 7 made of polyethylene terephthalate was used to produce an ic card which was 346 μm in thickness . an additional layer of 75 μm thick polyethylene terephthalate film 52 coated with a 20 μm thick bonding agent layer 51 , was laminated over the upper and lower surfaces of the ic card of embodiment 4 to produce an ic card which was 536 μm in thickness as shown in fig4 similarly to embodiment 5 , a cover film , an additional layer of 188 μm thick polyethylene terephthalate film 52 coated with a 20 μm thick bonding agent layer 51 was laminated over the upper and lower surfaces of the ic card of embodiment 4 to produce an ic card which was 762 μm in thickness . 100 μm thick semiconductor chips 2 were used in place of the chips of embodiment 1 , and a 100 μm thick spacer 7 made of polyethylene terephthalate film 72 was used to produce an ic card which was 346 μm in thickness . the cut - outs 8 were provided such that a gap of 50 to 1 , 000 μm was defined around each of the chips 2 which may consist of ics and other electronic components . an additional layer of 75 μm thick polyethylene terephthalate film 52 coated with a 20 μm thick bonding agent layer 51 was laminated over the upper and lower surfaces of the ic card of embodiment 7 to produce an ic card which was 586 μm in thickness as shown in fig4 . similarly to embodiment 8 , an additional layer of 188 μm thick polyethylene terephthalate film 52 coated with a 20 μm thick bonding agent layer 51 was laminated over the upper and lower surfaces of the ic card of embodiment 7 to produce an ic card which was 812 μm in thickness . 200 μm thick chips 2 were used in place of the chip of embodiment 1 , and a 188 μm thick spacer 7 made of polyethylene terephthalate film 72 was used to produce an ic card which was 496 μm in thickness . the cut - outs 8 were provided such that a gap of 50 to 500 μm was defined around each of the chips 2 . an additional layer of 75 μm thick polyethylene terephthalate film 52 coated with a 20 μm thick bonding agent layer 51 , was laminated over the upper and lower surfaces of the ic card of embodiment 10 to produce an ic card which was 686 μm in thickness as shown in fig4 . similarly to embodiment 11 , an additional layer of 188 μm thick polyethylene terephthalate film 52 coated with a 20 μm thick bonding agent layer 51 was laminated over the upper and lower surfaces of the ic card of embodiment 10 to produce an ic card which was 912 μm in thickness . 500 μm thick chips 2 were used in place of the chips of embodiment 1 , and a 500 μm thick spacer 7 made of polyethylene terephthalate film 72 was used to produce an ic card which was 796 μm in thickness . an additional layer of 75 μm thick polyethylene terephthalate film 52 coated with a 20 μm thick bonding agent layer 51 was laminated over the upper and lower surfaces of the ic card of embodiment 13 to produce an ic card which was 986 μm in thickness as shown in fig4 . similarly to embodiment 14 , an additional layer of 188 μm thick polyethylene terephthalate film 52 coated with a 20 μm thick bonding agent layer 51 was laminated over the upper and lower surfaces of the ic card of embodiment 10 to produce an ic card which was 1 , 212 μm in thickness . referring to fig5 to 7 in which the parts corresponding to the previous embodiments are denoted with like numerals , a printed circuit board 1 was formed by placing an antenna circuit 41 , consisting of a 18 μm thick electroconductive layer , over the both surfaces of a 75 μm thick polyethylene terephthalate film layer , and semiconductor chips and capacitor chips 4a and 4b which are 50 μm in thickness were mounted on this printed circuit board 1 by using an anisotropic electroconductive film 31 marketed under the trade name of anisolm so as to form a functional part of an ic card . an antenna coil 41 and 42 was formed on each side of the 75 μm thick polyethylene terephthalate film , and the two coils on the upper and lower surfaces of the film were connected with each other via through holes 43 and 44 provided in prescribed parts of the circuit board 1 in advance . three layers of spacer film 71 were placed over this functional part , and a pair of cover film layers 52 , consisting of 188 μm and 75 μm thick polyethylene terephthalate coated with a 24 μm thick bonding agent , were laminated over the upper and lower surfaces of the assembly , respectively , by using a laminator so as to form an ic card which was 474 μm in thickness after the lamination process . a pair of cover film layers 51 , consisting of 250 μm and 125 μm thick polyethylene terephthalate film , were used in place of the 188 μm thick upper cover film and the 75 μm thick lower cover film of embodiment 16 , respectively , so as to obtain an ic card which was 574 μm in thickness . 125 μm thick polyethylene terephthalate film was used for the printed circuit board 1 instead of the 75 μm thick film of embodiment 16 to thereby improve the printing precision . additionally , two layers 51 of cover film , measuring 188 μm and 100 μm , respectively , in thickness , were used for the upper cover film , and 125 μm thick film was used in place of the 75 μm thick lower cover film so as to obtain an ic card which was 720 μm in thickness . in embodiments 10 and 13 , surface irregularities exceeding 100 μm were produced on the surfaces of the ic cards under the condition of l - k & gt ; 500 μm where k is the dimension of the chip , and l is the dimension of the cut - out 8 in the spacer . these irregularities may be attributed to the excessive size of the internal gaps , and were reduced to 80 μm or less by adjusting so that l - k & lt ; 500 μm . in embodiment 7 , surface irregularities exceeding 100 μm were produced on the surfaces of the ic cards under the condition of l - k & gt ; 1 , 000 μm . these irregularities may be attributed to the excessive size of the internal gaps , and were reduced to 80 μm or less by adjusting so that l - k & lt ; 1 , 000 μm . in embodiment 4 , surface irregularities exceeding 100 μm were produced on the surfaces of the ic cards under the condition of l - k & gt ; 2 , 000 μm . these irregularities may be attributed to the excessive size of the internal gaps , and were reduced to 80 μm or less by adjusting so that l - k & lt ; 2 , 000 μm . the reliability of electric connection in the thus prepared ic cards when subjected to bending deformation was tested . physical damages have been observed in some cases , but no electric disconnection occurred for the 50 μm thick ic chips when the radius of curvature is from 2 . 5 to 5 mm , for the 100 μm thick ic chips when the radius of curvature is from 10 to 15 mm , and for the 200 μm thick ic chips when the radius of curvature is from 25 to 30 mm . fig1 is a graph showing the relationship between minimum tolerable radius of curvature and the thickness of the semiconductor chip which was experimentally obtained by using the arrangement of embodiment 1 . for comparison , ic cards were prepared according to the teaching of japanese patent laid - open publication no . 7 - 99267 by mounting a semiconductor chip on a circuit base board with the connecting terminals of the semiconductor chip and the connecting terminals of the circuit base board exposed on a common plane , and connecting these connecting terminals with each other by using electroconductive paste . the materials were identical to those used in embodiment 1 , and the final thickness was matched with those according to the present invention . according to these ic cards for comparison , electric disconnections occurred in 20 to 40 % of the cases for the same range of bending deformation , which proves a high level of reliability of electric connection in the ic cards prepared according to the present invention . thus , the device of the present invention is highly reliable with regard to electric connection , and economical to manufacture . although the present invention has been described in terms of specific embodiments thereof , it is possible to modify and alter details thereof without departing from the spirit of the present invention . | 7 |
fig1 shows the configuration of a receiver for receiving broadcasts transmitted using an fm / am hiboc system according to one embodiment of the present invention . an fm radio wave or an am radio wave received by an antenna 10 is first converted by a receiving section 12 or 14 , respectively , into an if signal , and then converted by an a / d converter 16 into a digital signal . of the if signal converted into the digital signal , an analog broadcast portion is demodulated by an analog demodulator 18 into a monaural signal ( l + r ). on the other hand , a digital broadcast portion is demodulated by a digital demodulator 20 , and pac ( perceptual audio coder ) decoding is performed in an iboc decoder 23 to recover the stereo signal ( l , r ). a blend processing section 21 , under control of an output selector 24 , selects the monaural signal output from the analog demodulator 18 or the stereo signal output from the iboc decoder 23 . the selected monaural signal or stereo signal is converted by a da converter 26 into an analog signal , which is subjected to audio processing in an audio processor 28 to drive a speaker 30 . a reception condition detector 22 detects the reception condition , that is , whether the signal strength is weak or not , based on the cn ratio or the digital error rate or on a combination thereof . when it is determined by the reception condition detector 22 that the signal strength is weak , the output selector 24 causes the blend processing section 21 to switch the selection from the stereo signal reproduced from the digital broadcast to the monaural signal reproduced from the analog broadcast in accordance with the method to be described later . the analog demodulator 18 , the digital demodulator 20 , the reception condition detector 22 , the iboc decoder 23 , the blend processing section 21 , and the output selector 24 are implemented , for example , by a dsp ( digital signal processor ) and a software program that describes the operations of the dsp . fig2 shows the detailed configuration of the blend processing section 21 . the l and r signals from the iboc decoder 23 are respectively amplified by amplifiers 40 and 44 with an amplification factor a ( 0 ≦ α ≦ 1 ), and each amplifier output is supplied to one input of a corresponding one of adders 48 and 50 . the l + r signal from the analog demodulator 18 is amplified by amplifiers 42 and 46 with an amplification factor 1 − α , and each amplifier output is supplied to the other input of a corresponding one of the adders 48 and 50 . the output of the adder 48 and the output of the adder 50 are supplied to the da converter 26 ( fig1 ) as the r signal and the l signal , respectively . accordingly , when α is 0 , the monaural signal output from the analog demodulator 18 is selected , and when α is 1 , the stereo signal output from the digital demodulator 20 is selected ; on the other hand , when 0 & lt ; α & lt ; 1 , the two signals are blended together in a ratio proportional to the value of α . fig3 shows one example illustrating how the blend processing section 21 is controlled in accordance with the value of α . in the illustrated example , the value of α is determined by the analog signal level , cn value , or bit error rate ber or by a combination thereof ; for example , when the analog signal level is sufficiently high , the value is set to 1 , and when the analog signal level drops below a predetermined value , the value of α decreases smoothly with decreasing analog signal level and reaches 0 , as shown by a curve in fig3 . when the reception condition recovers , the process is reversed ; that is , the value of α increases with increasing signal level and reaches 1 . fig4 shows another example illustrating how the blend processing section 21 is controlled in accordance with the value of α . when it is decided to switch to the analog reception based on the analog signal level , cn value , or bit error rate ber or on a combination thereof , the value of α decreases smoothly with time and reaches 0 , as shown by a curve in fig4 . if , thereafter , it is decided to switch to the digital reception , the value of α increases smoothly with time and reaches 1 , as shown by the curve . here , during the switching process where 0 & lt ; α & lt ; 1 , if the monaural signal ( l + r ) output from the digital demodulator 20 is used instead of the monaural signal ( l + r ) output from the analog demodulator 18 , the same effect , as described above , can be obtained . fig5 shows one example of a configuration for correcting the time difference occurring between an analog broadcast and a digital broadcast . a timestamp is inserted in each of the analog and digital broadcasts . the timestamp for the analog broadcast can be inserted , for example , as a 76 - khz l - msk modulated signal in the modulation spectrum in the same manner as when multiplexing digital data such as a weather forecast , traffic information , etc . in an fm teletext broadcast . the timestamp for the digital broadcast can be inserted , for example , as mps ( main program service ) data . a timestamp extractor 60 extracts these timestamps , based on which the amount of delay , of each of delay elements 62 and 64 , is controlled so as to eliminate the time difference between the analog and digital broadcasts . fig6 shows one example of a configuration for correcting the difference in sound level between an analog broadcast and a digital broadcast . sound level data is inserted in each of the analog and digital broadcasts in the same manner as when inserting the timestamps . a sound level extractor 66 extracts the sound level data , based on which sound level adjusters 68 and 70 are controlled so as to eliminate the difference in sound level between the analog and digital broadcasts . in one method of sound level adjustment , the sound levels of the respective broadcasts are measured at the same timing ( for a predetermined length of time ) by utilizing the timestamps , and the sound levels are adjusted based on the measurement results . | 7 |
in a first aspect , the invention provides a compound for use as a medicament to affect the pathophysiology of pregnancy to prevent pregnancy associated disease in humans ( women ) such as but not limited to preeclampsia and / or eclampsia , characterized in that the compound is related to placental protein 13 ( pp - 13 ). the compound is preferably human pp - 13 , most preferably the native full - length protein ( as expressed in human tissue ) but can also be an active subunit , fragment or derivative thereof . in another aspect , the invention provides a method of preventing or treating pregnancy associated disease in a female person comprising administering to said person a compound related to pp - 13 . the pathophysiology affected by the invention can in some embodiments be the physiology of the disease related but not limited to any of the cardiovascular system , renal system , immune system and / or psychology of the disease . preferably , the compound affects physiology associated with uterine vascularization . pp - 13 to be used according to the invention can be derived from a suitable source , such as human placenta tissue , or over expressed in human or animal cell culture or transgenic organisms or cells expressing human pp - 13 . burger et al . [ 9 ], the teachings of which are hereby incorporated in full , disclose the full sequence of human pp - 13 protein and its encoding nucleotide sequence , and teach how the protein can be overexpressed in bacterial cell culture , and isolated and purified . in useful embodiments of the invention other cell cultures are used for the overexpression of pp - 13 , such as but not limited to cells of human origin , animal cells , fungal cells , or plant cells , or in transgenic organisms such as transgenic animals including mice , pigs , cows , or transgenic plants . in one embodiment the protein is expressed and isolated from bewo cells , which are regularly used as a cell culture model to mimic in vivo syncytialisation of placental villous trophoblast . the protein comprises 139 amino acids and has a molecular weight of about 16 kda ( calculated 15 . 6 kda ). the protein sequence is depicted in the enclosed sequence listing as seq id no : 1 and its encoding cdna sequence as seq id no : 2 ( starting codon at position 15 ). the pp - 13 protein is found in the body as a 32 kda dimer protein , secreted to the extracellular fluid of the placenta and reaching the maternal blood circulation the amniotic fluid and urine . both the monomer and dimer as well as oligomers can be used in accordance with the present invention . the protein is expressed in and may be isolated from the placenta and its various layers , from syncytiotrophoblasts , extravillous trophoblasts and chorionic villus from the placenta . the protein as found in the human body is glycosylated and in preferred embodiments , glycosylated forms are used in the present invention , i . e . glycosylated monomer , dimer or fragment ; however non - glycosylated forms are also useful and within the scope of this invention , such as those forms that are expressed in expression systems not capable of protein glycolysation . in some of the accompanying examples , non - glycosylated pp - 13 is used , expressed in bacterial expression systems , and these forms exhibit activity in accordance with the invention . in useful embodiments of the invention , derivatives of pp - 13 are used , such as but not limited to pegylated derivatives that may include pegylated native protein , or pegylated subunits or fragments . pegylation refers to the covalent attachment of polyethylene glycol polymer chains to the protein . methods for pegylating proteins are well known to the skilled person , see e . g . fee [ 10 ]. the compound and methods of the present invention provide for various routes of administration in accordance with the present invention . these include but are not limited to injections ( intravenous , intradermal , subcutaneous , or uterine injections ), infusions , nasal , pulmonal , rectal , vaginal delivery or administered via cervix or any transdermal or under - dermal device . administration of pp - 13 will , according to the invention , provide a preconditioning of arteries and angiogenesis as well as an endothelial effect and / or neuronal effect on the uterine vascularization , arteries and / or veins , causing them to dilate and provide and prepare the uterus for the need of receiving increased flow of blood to support , among others , the rapid fetal growth after week 20 in pregnancy . administration of pp - 13 will , according to the invention , provide a preconditioning of arteries and angiogenesis , an endothelial effect and / or neuronal effect on the systemic vascularization , arteries and / or veins , causing them to dilate , resulting in lower vascular resistance and lower the systemic blood pressure , both systolic as well as diastolic blood pressure , to provide the optimal blood pressure for the placenta , kidneys as well as other organs to function properly during pregnancy . the vasodilation in the kidney and other nonreproductive organs is one of the earliest maternal adaptation &# 39 ; s to occur during pregnancy . the administration of pp - 13 , according to the invention , provides an endothelial effect and / or neuronal effect on the kidney vascularization , arteries and / or veins , causing them to dilate , which is very important to occur before the end of the first trimester . the low level or lack of pp - 13 , according to the invention , cannot provide the necessary changes in glomerular filtration rate or in the tubular re - absorption before the week 20 after conception unless the maternal body is provided with external administration of pp - 13 to prepare the kidneys for the necessary changes . according to the invention , administration of pp - 13 affects the stress level of the mother , by causing central nervous system ( cns ) effect and / or affecting the adrenal gland that produces glucocorticoids making the pregnant women more relaxed and prepared for the remaining pregnancy time . administration of pp - 13 should occur as often as necessary , such as once or more often , and up to unlimited times . preferably regularly , in a regimen range from a daily dose to a weekly basis , to provide the maternal body with the necessary amount of the protein . the dose should preferably be calculated according , but not limited to following formula : d =( c desired − c actual )· v d · w where d is the dose ; c desired is the desired pp13 plasma concentration ; c actual is the actual pp - 13 plasma concentration ; v d is the volume of distribution and w is the body weight . calculations may need to be adjusted based on serum creatinin , renal clearance , albumin and / or other biological parameters . in certain embodiments , the compound of the invention is administered in doses that provide a serum concentration of pp - 13 in the range of 100 - 600 pg / ml , preferably in the range of about 150 - 300 pg / ml and more preferably a concentration in the range of about 175 - 260 pg / ml . preferably the compound is administered in a dose that provides equivalent serum concentrations of pp - 13 in the range of about 100 - 600 pg / ml , preferably in the range of about 150 - 300 pg / ml placental protein 13 . administration of pp - 13according to the invention may be carried out alone or in combination with other biologically active compounds such as , but not limited to , relaxin , 17β - estradiol , and / or progesterone . such concentrations can be suitably obtained with dose concentrations in injection solutions in the range of about 1 - 10 μg / ml , such as in the range 2 - 6 μg / ml , such as about 2 , 3 , or 5 μg / ml . suitable injection doses of such injection formulations would be in the range of 200 μl - 2 ml , such as in the range 0 . 5 - 1 ml . in embodiments using nasal spray devices , doses in the range of 50 - 200 μl , such as about 100 μl can be suitable delivered in one or two puffs , as illustrated in the accompanying examples . in embodiments using vaginal pasery , doses in the range of 5 - 200 μl , such as about 50 μl can be mixed with a vaginal gel to be suitable for being delivered in one , two or daily use , similar to the way progesterone is used to prevent preterm delivery . furthermore , administration of pp - 13 may be used in accordance with this invention to preconditioning of arteries in general , especially arteries such as in the heart in both males and female as well as to use pp13 or its derivatives to induce angiogenesis in specific regions of the body such as the brain or the heart in both males and females . pp - 13 used in each experiments was a purified human pp - 13 , expressed in cell culture and / or bacterial culture ( e . coli ), produced ( isolated and purified ) by hy - labs , ltd . rehovot , israel ( www . hylabs . co . il ). a group of rabbits received 15 ng / kg pp - 13 diluted in saline . the administration occurred into the marginal ear vein , slowly over 30 seconds . the animals were observed and sampled for blood samples over the following hours . results : the volume of distribution was found to be 221 . 9 ml / kg and the half - life was found to be 10 . 6 hours . within 5 minutes from the beginning of the intravenous drug administration the behavior of the animals changed from being very alert to being relaxed , calm and did not run away when approached for the next blood sample . discussion : pp - 13 affects the stress levels and makes the animals relaxed and peaceful , which is an important function of pp - 13 during pregnancy . formulations of pp - 13 are produced using purified pp - 13 ( 3 . 0 ug / ml ) and pegylatedpp - 13 ( equivalent to 3 . 0 μg / ml of pure pp - 13 ) in saline . about 1 ml of these solutions was administered slowly intravenously to pregnant women in week 11 , having the pp - 13 levels around 20 pg / ml . subsequent blood sampling showed that the final serum concentration , 1 hour after the administration is about 200 pg / ml . the women having purified pp - 13 require additional doses daily until week 20 from conception , whereas the women receiving pegylatedpp - 13 required additional doses on weekly intervals . a formulation of pp - 13 is produced using purified pp - 13 ( 60 μg / ml ) and pegylatedpp - 13 ( equivalent to 60 μg / ml of pure pp - 13 ) in saline containing 2 % methoxypolyethyleneglycole ( mpeg 350 ). the formulation is placed into a multidose nasal spray bottle . twice daily , the pregnant women who has low serum pp - 13 or carry at least one major risk factors to preeclampsia ( or two mild ones , stratified according to the who ) use one puff ( about 0 . 1 ml or 6 μg ) of these solutions in week 11 , having the pp - 13 levels around 20 pg / ml . subsequent blood sampling showed that the final serum concentration , 1 hour after the administration is about 200 pg / ml . the women having pegylatedpp - 13 needed only one puff per day until week 20 from conception , pregnancy age predefined by last menstrual period or ultrasound dating of pregnancy . samples are collected from pregnant women . the pregnant woman may be an individual who has been determined to have a high risk of preeclampsia based on her personal or family history or other risk factors as defined by the who and / or after determination of the woman &# 39 ; s low level pp - 13 . a formulation of pp - 13 is produced and administered to cervix using pharmaceutically acceptable techniques and formulations in such a way that pp - 13 is absorbed through cervix into the uterus . a 244 g rat was anaesthetized with brietal ( 50 mg / kg ) followed by inactin ( 110 mg / kg ). after anesthesia the rat was prepared and equipped with blood pressure meter ( intra - arterial ) on a temperature controlled plate to keep her temperature around 37 ° c . when the blood pressure was stable ( about 45 - 60 min ) the rat received iv dose of 0 . 1 ml of pp - 13 solution ( dose = 15 ng ). the results obtained are shown in fig1 , illustrating a blood pressure lowering effects of pp - 13according to the invention , where the top line shows the blood pressure , the middle line show the pulse and the lowest ( dotted ) line shows the mean arterial pressure . pp - 13 was placed into an alzet osmotic pump system releasing about 0 . 14 ng / min . the pumps were placed surgically into gravid female 15 week old sprague - dawley rats where the controls received the pumps with saline . blood pp - 13 periodically determined on blood samples and urine collection . the pp - 13 group had significantly lower systolic and diastolic blood pressure than the control animals . at the same time the heart rate increased significantly in the pp - 13 group indicating that a general vasodilatation had occurred , reducing the peripheral resistance by about 35 %. the placenta also showed angiogenesis . 1 . acog practical bulletin . clinical management guidelines for obstetrician - gynecologists : diagnosis and management of preeclampsia and eclampsia , number 33 , january 2002 p . 159 - 167 . 2 . zhou y , fisher s j , janatpour m , genbacev o , dejana e , wheelock m et al . human cytotrophoblasts adopt a vascular phenotype as they differentiate : a strategy for successful endovascular invasion ? j clin invest 1997 ; 99 : 2139 - 2151 . 3 . fox h . the placenta in pregancy hypertension . in : rubin pc ed handgook of hypertension , volume 10 : hypertension in pregnancy . new york : elsevier 1988 : 16 - 37 . 4 . madazli r , budak e , calay z , aksu m f . correlation between placental bed biopsy findings , vascular cell adhesion molecule and fibronectin levels in pre - eclampsia . bjog 2000 , 107 , 514 - 518 . 6 . than n g , sumegi b , than g n , berente z , bohn h . isolation and sequence analysis of a cdna encoding human placental tissue protein 13 ( pp13 ), a new lysophospholipase , homologue of human eosinophil charcot - leyden crystal protein . placenta 1999 ; 20 , 703 - 710 . 7 . huppertz b , sammar m , chefetz i , neumaier - wagner p , bartz c , meiri h . longitudinal determination of serum placental protein 13 during development of preeclampsia . fetal diagn ther 2008 ; 24 , 230 - 236 . 8 . than n g , romero r , goodman m , weckle a , xing j , dong z et al . a primate subfamily of galectins expresssed at the maternal - fetal interface that promote immune cell death . proc natl acad sci usa 2009 ; 106 , 9731 - 9736 . 9 . burger o , pick e , zwickel j , klayman , m , meiri h , slotky r , mandle s , rabinovitch l , paltieli y , admon a , gonen , r . placental proten 13 ( pp - 13 ): effects on cultured trophoblasts , and its detection in human bodu fluids in normal and pathological pregnancies . placenta 2004 , 25 , 608 - 622 . 10 . fee , c . j . ( 2009 ), “ protein conjugates purification and characterization ”, pegylated protein drugs : basic science and clinical applications , veronese , f . m ., ed . birkhauser publishing : basel , 113 - 125 . | 2 |
with reference to fig1 , a prosthetic device in the form of a prosthetic hip joint 100 is shown in a disassembled configuration . the prosthetic hip joint 100 includes an acetabular cup 102 and a femoral component 104 . the femoral component 104 includes a femoral head 106 ( or “ ball ”), and a femoral stem 108 . the femoral head 106 is configured for attachment to the femoral stem 108 . the femoral head 106 is also configured to slideably engage the acetabular cup 102 . the acetabular cup 102 is the part of the prosthetic hip joint 100 that forms the socket of a ball - and - socket structure . the acetabular cup 102 includes a convex outer surface 110 configured for engagement with a patient &# 39 ; s acetabulum and a concave interior surface 112 configured to engage the femoral head 106 . the cup 102 includes a lip 114 which defines a rim in a peripheral region and which extends between the convex outer surface 110 and the concave interior surface 112 . the convex outer surface 110 of the acetabular cup 102 may be provided as part of a shell including a biocompatible material . in at least one embodiment , the shell is comprised of a relatively rigid material , such as a biocompatible metal or ceramic . for example , the shell may be comprised of titanium or cobalt chrome . the concave interior surface 112 of the cup 102 may be in the form of a liner that provides a bearing surface for the acetabular cup 102 . the liner may be comprised of a biocompatible material that offers a low coefficient of friction , such as polyethylene . alternatively , the liner may be comprised of a metal or ceramic . while exemplary materials for the acetabular cup 102 have been offered herein , one of skill in the art will recognize that numerous other biocompatible materials may be used as are known in the art . the femoral component 104 is used to replace the natural head of a femur . to this end , the femoral head 106 includes a generally ball - shaped outer surface 116 designed and dimensioned to be received at least partially within the cavity defined by the concave interior surface 112 of the acetabular cup 102 . the femoral head 106 includes a generally conical bore 118 which is used to fix femoral head 106 to a morse taper 120 on the neck 122 which extends from the femoral stem 108 . the femoral component 104 is comprised of a relatively rigid biocompatible material such as a ceramic or metal . for example , the ball 106 may be comprised of cobalt chrome or stainless steel . while exemplary materials for the femoral component 104 have been offered herein , one of skill in the art will recognize that numerous other biocompatible materials may be used as are known in the art . as shown in fig2 , the prosthetic hip joint 100 may be implanted in a patient by securing the acetabular cup 102 in the acetabulum 124 of the pelvis 126 . also , the femoral component 104 is secured to the femur 128 by inserting the femoral stem 108 within the intramedullary cavity 130 of the femur 128 . the femoral head 106 which extends from the neck 122 is brought into slideable contact with the acetabular cup 102 such that the femoral head 106 is allowed to articulate within the acetabular cup 102 . this slideable relationship provides for a ball and socket type joint . an enlarged cutaway view of the acetabular cup 102 showing the femoral head 106 , with the head 106 slightly removed from engagement with the cup 102 is shown in fig3 . the configuration of the head 106 defines different zones or regions for the prosthesis , including a primary contact zone a and a toroidal zone t . the term “ primary contact zone ” refers to a region of the head 106 which provides the main contact area between the head 106 and the cup 102 for most joint movements once implanted in a patient . accordingly , with reference to fig3 , the convex bearing surface 116 of the head 106 primarily articulates with the concave bearing surface 112 of the cup 102 within the primary contact zone a . some contact , however , occurs between the head 106 and the cup 102 within the toroidal zone t , particularly with certain extra - ordinary movements by the patient . the primary contact zone a is shown as lying within the region subtended by the angle a having a vertex at an origin 140 of the spherical cap portion . this means that the primary contact zone a is provided within a perimeter defined by the intersection of a cone 142 with the convex outer surface 116 of the head 106 , the cone 142 having an apex 144 at the origin 140 and an aperture ( or “ opening angle ”) of α . as shown in fig3 , the cone 142 is symmetric about an axis 146 extending through the origin 140 . the toroidal zone t extends from the primary contact zone a to the conical bore 118 . studies such as bergmann , et al ., “ hip contact forces and gait patterns from routine activities ,” j . biomech ., 2001 , 34 ( 7 ), 859 - 871 , have shown that contact predominantly occurs in an area defined by opening angles between 85 and 145 degrees . accordingly , while the α in this embodiment is 95 degrees other opening angles between 85 and 145 degrees may be used . selection of opening angles between 95 and 125 degrees provide for good radial clearance which is discussed below . the acetabular cup 102 is shown in fig3 centered upon and symmetric with respect to an apex 148 , which is the deepest portion of the cup 102 , in the coronal plane . in particular , the apex 148 of the concave bearing surface 112 of the cup 102 is shown in fig3 aligned with the axis 146 . when the cup 102 is in this position relative to the head 106 , it is considered to be in a centered position . in practice , the cup 102 and head 106 are generally aligned in the implanted position such that the apex 148 of the cup 102 is about thirty degrees off the axis 146 of the head 106 in the coronal plane and about fifteen degrees off the axis 146 of the head 106 in the sagittal plane . for a spherical cup geometry , the articulation area on the head is independent of the cup orientation . with continued reference to fig3 , the outer surface 116 of the head 106 at any given point is defined by a radius of curvature ( r h ). the head 106 does not form a perfect sphere , however , and the radius of curvature r h is different at different points on the surface 116 of the head 106 as shown in fig4 . the radius of curvature in the primary contact zone ( r p ) in the embodiment of fig3 is 18 . 035 mm , while the radius of curvature in the toroidal zone ( r t ) is 18 . 0120 mm . moreover , as shown in fig4 , the origin of the r p is located at the origin 140 . the origin of the r t , however , is defined by a circle 150 shown in fig5 . fig5 depicts a slice of the femoral head 106 taken along the plane defined by the axis 146 and an axis 152 which is perpendicular to the axis 146 and which intersects the origin 140 . the portion of the circle 150 which is behind the slice of the ball 106 as depicted in fig5 is shown as a dashed line . the circle 150 has a radius of 0 . 0155 mm and lies within a plane that is located 0 . 0510 mm above the origin 140 and positioned perpendicular to the axis 152 . any given point on the outer surface 116 in the toroidal zone t is defined by an r t having an origin located on the point of the circle 150 farthest away from the point being defined . for example , the arc 154 of the surface 116 shown in fig5 is defined by sweeping r t from the position shown as r t1 to the position of r t1 ′ while maintaining the origin of the r t at the point 156 . similarly , the arc 158 of the surface 116 of fig5 is defined by sweeping r t from the position shown as r t2 to the position of r t2 ′ while maintaining the origin of the r t at the point 160 . thus , the origin of the r t shown in fig4 is located at a point 0 . 0510 mm above the axis 152 and 0 . 0155 to the left of the axis 146 . from a mathematical construct , the toroidal zone t is thus formed as the lemon of a spindle torus . a spindle torus is formed by the revolution of a circle about an axis coplanar with the circle . a cross sectional view of a torus 162 is shown in fig6 while fig7 is a three - dimensional representation of the bottom half of the torus 162 . the torus 162 in cross - section presents two overlapping circles 164 and 166 . the centers 168 and 170 of the circles 164 and 166 are points on a circle 172 . the circle 172 is thus the circular origin of the torus 162 having a radius of curvature 174 which is the radius of the circles 164 and 166 . the outer surface 178 of the torus is referred to as the “ apple ” shape while the inner surface 180 is referred to as the “ lemon ” shape . as shown in fig8 , the lemon 180 and a circle 182 having a center 184 located below the axis 186 defined by the centers 168 and 170 of the circles 164 and 166 , respectively can be used to define a cap 192 . fig9 is identical to fig8 with the exception that the origin 184 of the circle 182 has been positioned closer to the axis 186 defined by the circular origin of the outer surface 178 . as is apparent from comparing fig9 with fig8 , as the origin 184 of the circle 182 approaches the axis 186 , the cap portion 192 becomes smaller . the shape can be further modified by moving the origin 184 closer to one or the other of the centers 168 and 170 . consequently , the location and extent of the discontinuity between the cap portion 192 and the outer surface 180 can be modified . thus , by moving the origin or center 184 closer to the axis defined by the circular origin , the spherical cap portion 192 becomes smaller . for example , given a circular origin diameter of 0 . 031 millimeters , an r p of 18 . 035 millimeters and an r t of 18 . 0120 millimeters , a cap portion with a 95 degree opening angle is obtained by positioning the origin of the spherical cap portion 0 . 051 millimeters below the plane of the circular origin . in the event a cap portion with a 125 degree opening angle is desired using the same radii , one need only position the origin of the spherical cap portion at about 0 . 08 millimeters below the plane of the circular origin . fig1 is identical to fig8 with the exception that the diameter of the circular origin 172 of the outer surface 178 is reduced . thus , two centers 168 and 170 of the circles 164 and 166 are positioned more closely together . as is apparent from comparing fig1 with fig8 , as the two centers 168 and 170 of the circles 164 and 166 converge , that is , as the diameter of the circular origin 172 is shortened , the shape of the inner surface 180 becomes more circular , thereby increasing the size of the cap portion 192 . consequently , the location and extent of the discontinuity between the cap portion 192 and the outer surface 180 can be modified . moreover , while the circles 164 , 166 and 182 are shown with identical radii , the radius of the circle 182 may be shorter or longer than the radii of the circles 164 and 166 in certain embodiments . similarly , the radius of the circle 182 may be the same , shorter or longer than the radius or radii of a particular cup . returning to fig3 , the acetabular cup 102 is defined by a radius of curvature ( r c ). the r c extends from the virtual center of the cup 102 , which as depicted in fig3 is coincident with the origin 140 , to the concave inner surface 112 of the acetabular cup 102 . the r c is constant for all points on the concave inner surface 112 such that the concave inner surface 112 of the cup forms a hemisphere . the r c in this embodiment is 18 . 050 mm . the radial clearance ( r cl ) or difference between r c and r h at a given point on the head 106 and the opposing point on the cup 102 ( i . e ., on a given ray extending from the origin 140 of the head 106 to the concave surface 112 of the cup 102 ) does not necessarily translate directly into a spatial clearance between the head 106 and the cup 102 . for example , when the prosthesis 100 is implanted and the head 106 is in a centered position , the head 106 is in contact with the cup 102 , even though the r cl is 0 . 015 mm ( r c ( 18 . 050 mm )− r p ( 18 . 035 mm )). the value of r cl , however , is useful in quantifying the conformity between the surface of the ball 106 and the cup 102 which are in contact . for example , a small r cl for a given contact area , i . e . less than 0 . 05 mm , generally provides lower wear rates . accordingly , the prosthetic hip joint 100 maintains an r cl less than 0 . 050 mm throughout the primary contact zone a . additionally , the toroidal zone t provides increased clearance between the ball 106 and the cup 102 at the lip 114 . with reference to the embodiment of fig3 , the acetabular cup 102 is exactly hemispherical . thus , the width of the cup 102 at the plane defined by the lip 114 is the widest portion of the cup 102 . accordingly , when the ball 106 is centered within the cup 102 and in contact with the cup 102 along the axis 146 , the origin 140 is located 0 . 015 mm above the plane defined by the lip 114 . thus , the widest diameter defined by the toroidal zone t will be located on a plane positioned 0 . 066 mm above the plane defined by the lip 114 . at this location , the width of the toroidal zone is 35 . 993 mm . the width of the cup 102 on a plane located 0 . 066 mm above the plane defined by the lip 114 is 36 . 0998 mm . thus , the clearance is 0 . 1068 mm . at the plane defined by the lip 114 , however , the width of the toroidal zone t decreases to 35 . 9927 mm while the width of the cup increases to 36 . 1 mm resulting in a clearance of 0 . 1073 mm . in contrast , a precisely circular ball with a radius of 18 . 035 mm would result in a clearance at the plane defined by the lip 114 of 0 . 0300 mm . referring to fig1 , the femoral ball 106 is rotated within the acetabular cup 102 to the maximum amount possible before dislocation would occur in an implanted device . the contact area between the ball 106 and the cup 102 for purposes of this example is centered at location 196 . this configuration , which is not a normally occurring configuration , provides insight into the smallest expected clearance for the embodiment of fig3 . that is , as the contact area is located more fully within the cup 102 with the ball 106 rotated as shown in fig6 , the origin 140 of the spherical cap portion moves off of the plane defined by the lip 114 , thereby increasing the clearance at the lip 114 . the width of the ball 106 in the plane defined by the lip 114 in the configuration of fig6 is 36 . 04699 mm resulting in a clearance of 0 . 0530 mm . in contrast , a precisely circular ball with a radius of 18 . 035 mm in the configuration of fig6 would result in a clearance at the plane defined by the lip 114 of 0 . 0300 mm . thus , while the configuration of the prosthetic hip joint 100 provides the desired conformity between the ball 106 and the cup 102 regardless of the orientation of the ball 106 within the cup 102 , the conformity is achieved while providing increased clearance on the plane defined by the lip 114 . an alternative embodiment of an acetabular cup 200 is shown in fig1 . the acetabular cup 200 includes an outer surface 202 and an inner surface 204 . the inner surface 204 includes a cap portion 206 formed on a circle 208 with a center 210 and a toroidal portion 212 . the toroidal portion 212 is shown in cross - section as formed on two circles 214 and 216 having centers 218 and 220 , respectively . the center 208 is located above the axis 222 defined by the centers 218 and 220 . in this embodiment , the toroidal portion 212 is formed on the apple or outer surface of the torus defined by the rotation of the circles 214 and 216 . accordingly , even if each of the circles 208 , 214 and 216 have the same diameter , the diameter of the cup 200 in the toroidal portion 212 will be greater than the diameter in the cap portion 206 . as noted above , a cup and head are generally aligned in the implanted position such that the apex of the cup is about thirty degrees off the axis of the head in the coronal plane and about fifteen degrees off the axis of the head in the sagittal plane . accordingly , it may be desired to modify the location of the cap portion of a cup . for example , fig1 shows an acetabular cup 230 includes an outer surface 232 and an inner surface 234 . the inner surface 234 includes a cap portion 236 formed on a circle 238 with a center 240 and a toroidal portion 242 . the toroidal portion 242 is shown in cross - section as formed on two circles 244 and 246 having centers 248 and 250 , respectively . the center 238 is located above the axis 252 defined by the centers 248 and 250 . in this embodiment , the toroidal portion 242 is formed on the apple or outer surface of the torus defined by the rotation of the circles 244 and 246 . accordingly , even if each of the circles 238 , 244 and 246 have the same diameter , the diameter of the cup 230 in the toroidal portion 242 will be greater than the diameter in the cap portion 236 . additionally , the cap portion 236 is centered at a location 254 which is offset from the apex 256 or deepest portion of the cup 230 . thus , the cap portion 236 is centered on the normal contact area between a ball and the cup 230 when the ball and cup 230 are implanted . accordingly , most of the contact between a ball and the cup 236 when implanted will occur within the cap portion 236 . although the present invention has been described with respect to certain preferred embodiments , it will be appreciated by those of skill in the art that other implementations and adaptations are possible . moreover , there are advantages to individual advancements described herein that may be obtained without incorporating other aspects described above . therefore , the spirit and scope of the appended claims should not be limited to the description of the preferred embodiments contained herein . | 0 |
exemplary embodiments for illustration of the invention are described with reference to fig1 through 6 as follows . this invention is intended , for example , to utilize a smart battery charger as a current source to keep the vehicle memory alive , and power a device to measure the current draw with a low current sensor , and send it via a serial link to an interface on a host device . the link does not have to be a serial link but can be another type of link . the invention can also be used to accommodate a current probe which is used to measure vehicle starter current during a test . the invention can also be expanded to measure point to point voltage . the invention will provide more information about the vehicle &# 39 ; s current , then the existing products by automatically monitoring and recording the current at intervals for later review or analysis . the unit can also be used with a standard 10 amp ( amperes ) bench battery charger and interfaced to a diagnostic tool or a pc ( personal computer ). as shown below , in one aspect an apparatus is provided that in some embodiments provide more information of the vehicle current and avoid depleting internal batteries . referring to fig1 - 3 , a battery charger adapter for vehicle memory saving drain testing and starter current testing includes a parasitic drain tester ( pdt ) 100 , which is a device used in conjunction with the battery service center ( bsc ) or analyzer 60 for the purpose of measuring vehicle parasitic battery drain and measuring the high current used by the vehicle starter motor . the parasitic drain tester 100 can also be used in conjunction with a diagnostic tool 80 . the pdt 100 could be used with any battery tester with communication interface ( e . g ., molded cf connector 48 ), and processing capability to add software algorithms to operate the pdt 100 . the bsc 60 does not have a connection for the high current measuring clamp ( e . g ., high amp clamp ( for starter tests ) 42 ), or a serial communication device . therefore , the pdt 100 connects to the bsc 60 for communication ( receiving commands and sending measurement data ). the pdt 100 receives its power from the bsc 60 , by connecting the battery charging leads from the bsc to the positive ( positive connector terminal 12 ) and negative ( negative connector terminal 14 ) battery clamp connections on the pdt 100 . to use the pdt 100 with bsc 60 to measure vehicle parasitic battery drain and save vehicle system memory , a cigarette lighter plug 40 ( for memory saver and battery drain tests ), is connected to the pdt 100 at test connection member 24 , and to the vehicle &# 39 ; s cigarette lighter socket . with the memory saver and drain measurement mode selected on the bsc 60 , the vehicle battery cable can be disconnected from the vehicle . vehicle system memory is preserved , by the voltage and current supplied to the vehicle through the pdt 100 , via the cigarette plug 40 . the pdt 100 can measure the current required by the vehicle &# 39 ; s systems with the vehicle ignition turned off , known as parasitic current . the user can monitor changes in the parasitic current on the bsc 60 ( which receives the measurement data from the pdt 100 ) while removing fuses or disconnecting vehicle accessories . many battery chargers do not have a communication connection for devices like the pdt 100 . however , many battery chargers have a memory card port for memory expansion or software updating . the pdt 100 can connect to the bsc 60 or similar device through this connection , using the molded cf connector 48 . the connector is molded for ease of use and durability . other connection means could also be made optional to enable the pdt 100 to connect to other types of communication interfaces . to use the pdt 100 with the bsc 60 to measure the high current used by the vehicle starter motor , the bsc 60 is connected to the pdt 100 as described above ( battery clamps to the battery posts and the molded cf connector 48 to the bsc 60 memory connection ). the current measuring clamp (“ high amp clamp ”, 42 ), is connected to the pdt 100 via connection 24 . the clamp part 42 d is placed around the positive or negative battery cable of the vehicle and connect with the contact portion 42 e of the high amp clamp 42 with a body portion 42 a . with the bsc 60 in the starter current measurement mode , the vehicle can be started and the pdt 100 will measure the current ( usually between 100 to 300 amperes , for example ) and send the measurement data to the bsc 60 for recording and in relaying to the user . this current can be used to determine a condition of the starter motor . referring back to fig1 , in a current measuring circuit 10 of the pdt 100 , the positive battery camp connection 12 and the negative battery clamp connection 14 are connectors , similar to a battery post , connected to the respective positive and negative cables from a battery charging device , such as from the battery service center 60 so as to provide a voltage source , such as a 12 volt source to the current measuring circuit 10 . the current measuring circuit 10 can include a capacitor 17 , such as a 10 , 000 μf ( micro farads ) capacitor , to smooth out the power . also , a parasitic load current sensor 30 , such as a current shunt , is connected in series with the power connector 18 or power connection member and the analog to digital converter ( adc ) 34 , so that the adc 34 can measure the current and the voltage and provide the information to a flash microprocessor 36 , or other suitable processor . the flash microprocessor determines if the current , or voltage measured is within a predetermined range or ranges . if the measured current is not within the predetermined range , such as when the current exceeds the maximum current value , evidences that a problem is present due to the additional current drawn . by selectively connecting or disconnecting various circuits or systems of the vehicle , or apparatus , such as by selectively connecting or disconnecting one or more fuses for the corresponding circuits or systems . also , according to aspects of the invention , the current measuring device 10 in the parasitic drain tester 100 can record and determine the amount of current drawn by the vehicle 200 over time , such as measuring and recording the current drawn periodically or at predetermined times or intervals through the use of the microprocessor 36 . for example , in some vehicles 200 , an evaporative emissions test is typically performed after the engine has stopped running and the ignition key has been removed from the vehicle . according to aspects of the invention , the amount of current drawn by such emission test , or other post - shut - down functions of the vehicle , can be measured and recorded by the current measuring device 10 to determine if the test is conducted properly , as well as in the proper time frame . therefore , the current measuring device 10 and methods of measuring current , according to aspects of the invention , can monitor what is occurring in the vehicle 200 by monitoring the current drain or current draw of the vehicle 200 over time . determinations or analysis as to the current drain measured by the current measuring circuit 10 , can be performed by the flash microprocessor 36 , or other suitable processor , or can be communicated through the connector 24 to either the bsc 60 or the diagnostic tool 80 for storage or analysis . the molded cf ( compact flash ) connector 48 , such as a compact flash type interface , can provide a memory for storing information provided from the current measuring circuit 10 . the connector 48 can also provide an input / output device or connector , such as to provide information on the measurements or analysis to the battery service center 60 or a diagnostic tool 80 . additionally , the connector 48 can provide information on the measurements or analysis to a central computer or center , such as by communicating over a phone connection , an aerial transmitter or over the internet . the connection from the cf connector 48 can provide both power and ground signals along with a data signal . other types of i / o interfaces can be used such as sd ( secure digital ) i / o ( with input and output capabilities ), or a universal serial bus that can be connected either directly to a memory source or used an interface for additional connection . the interface can also be a wireless connection such as bluetooth or ieee ( institute of electrical and electronic engineers ) 802 . 11x , but can include an additional line for power and ground . the flash microprocessor 36 communicates with the cf connector 48 , such as through a serial communication or communication interface , the interface providing a signal connection or communication path , such as to provide for power , ground and signal communication with , to or from cf connector 48 . the connection from the flash microprocessor 36 to the battery service center 60 or diagnostic tool 80 can also be done through a parallel communication link . communicating with the flash microprocessor 36 , or other suitable processing device , is a converting device , such as an analog to digital converter ( adc ) 34 , which can be part of the microprocessor 36 , that converts received analog signals , such as analog voltage signals from current measurement , to a digital signal or digital data . the digital signal or digital data is then provided from the adc 34 to the processing device , such as the flash microprocessor 36 , which can perform further analysis , calculations or formatting of the data , or can also forward the digital signal or digital data from the serial connection interface to the cf connector 48 . the flash microprocessor 36 is a reprogrammable microprocessor that allows the software to be upgraded or “ flashed ,” thus allowing for expandability and avoiding future obsolescence . the flash microprocessor 36 can also include a separate internal memory or memory cache area to make the processing of repetitive functions more efficient and to hold certain data and programs for more efficient processing of the data . the cf connector 48 can then store or provide the digital signals or digital data to the battery service center 60 , diagnostic tool 80 , central computer , or the unit suitable for storage or analysis . referring to fig2 and 3 , in the current measuring circuit 10 , a connector or connection member 24 is provided for connection with a power connector 40 , such as a cigarette lighter receptacle of vehicle 200 . where the current measuring circuit 10 functions as a measuring device for measuring parasitic current drain , the cigarette lighter plug 40 has a connector or connection member 40 c at one end to engage with the connection member 24 of the current measuring circuit 10 and has a connection member 40 a at the other end to engage with a cigarette lighter receptacle or a power source connection member , such as a clip 123 , with the power source receptacle 124 of vehicle 200 . with the current measuring circuit 10 engaged with the vehicle through the connector 24 , via the cable to the cigarette lighter receptacle or power source receptacle 124 , power can be provided from a power source , such as from the battery service center 60 or other suitable power source , through the current measuring circuit 10 to the vehicle 200 . by providing power to the vehicle 200 from the power source through the current measuring circuit 10 , it saves the device memory and minimizes or reduces drain on the internal power source or internal battery that would have typically been used to maintain power to the memories of the devices , such as radio settings for a vehicle radio , where the vehicle apparatus main power source , such as where a vehicle battery 120 is disconnected . the power current source for the current measuring circuit can be provided through the power / current source 52 of the battery service center 60 or a separate unit in conjunction with a diagnostic tool 80 . the battery service center 60 can include a memory 112 for processing and storing of the information . an embodiment of the battery service center 60 used with the current measuring circuit 10 is illustrated in fig4 . the battery service center 60 includes a control panel 62 for controlling the battery service center 60 , a bar code scanner 64 for input of additional information , an auxiliary battery area 66 for storage of an optional battery , a storage tray 68 for placement of miscellaneous tools , outer housing 65 for protection of the internal components and wheels and support legs 63 for mobility of the battery service center 60 . an embodiment of the diagnostic tool 80 used with the current measuring circuit 10 is illustrated in fig5 . in particular , fig5 is a front view illustrating a diagnostic tool 80 according to an embodiment of the invention . the diagnostic tool 80 can be any computing device , for example , the nemisys diagnostic tool from service solutions ( part of the spx corporation ). the diagnostic tool 80 includes a housing 82 to encase the various components of the diagnostic tool 80 , such as a display 84 , a user interface 86 , a power button 88 , a memory card reader 90 and a connector interface 92 . the display 84 can be any type display , including for example but not limited to , a liquid crystal display ( lcd ), organic light emitting diode ( oled ), field emission display ( fed ), electroluminescent display ( eld ), etc . in addition , the lcd , for example , can be touch screen that both displays and performs the additional task of interfacing between the user and the diagnostic tool 80 . the user interface 86 allows the user to interact with the diagnostic tool 80 , in order to operate the diagnostic tool as the user prefers . the user interface 86 can include function keys , arrow keys or any other type of keys that can manipulate the diagnostic tool 80 in order to operate the diagnostic tool through the software . the user interface or input device 86 can also be a mouse or any other suitable input device for the user interface 86 , including a keypad , touchpad , etc . the user interface 86 can also include keys correlating to numbers or alphanumeric characters . moreover , as mentioned above , when the display 84 is touch sensitive , the display 84 can supplement or even substitute for the user interface 86 . the power key or button 88 allows the user to turn the power to the diagnostic tool 80 on and off , as required . a memory card reader 90 can be a single type card reader , such as , but not limited to , a compact flash card , floppy disk , memory stick , secure digital , flash memory or other type of memory . the memory card reader 90 can be a reader that reads more than one of the aforementioned memory such as a combination memory card reader . additionally , the card reader 90 can also read any other computer readable medium , such as cd ( compact disc ), dvd ( digital video or versatile disc ), etc . the connector interface 92 allows the diagnostic tool 80 to connect to an external device , such as , but not limited to , an ecu ( electronic control unit ) of a vehicle , a computing device , an external communication device ( such as a modem ), a network , etc . through a wired or wireless connection . connector interface 92 can also include connections such as a usb ( universal serial bus ), firewire ( institute of electrical and electronics engineers ( ieee ) 1394 ) modem , rs232 , rs48j , and other connections to communicate with external devices , such as a hard drive , usb drive , cd player , dvd player , or other computer readable medium devices . fig6 is a block diagram of the components of the diagnostic tool 80 . in fig6 , the diagnostic tool 80 , includes a processor 94 , a field programmable gate array ( fpga ) 96 , a first system bus 98 , the display 84 , a complex programmable logic device ( cpld ) 110 , the user interface 86 in the form of a keypad , a memory subsystem 112 , an internal non - volatile memory ( nvm ) 114 , a card reader 116 , a second system bus 118 , the connector interface 92 , and a selectable signal translator 122 . a vehicle communication interface 120 is in communication with the diagnostic tool 80 through connector interface 92 via an external cable . the connection between the vehicle communication interface 120 and the connector interface 92 can also be a wireless connection such as bluetooth , infrared device , wireless fidelity ( wifi , e . g . 802 . 11 ), etc . the selectable signal translator 122 communicates with the vehicle communication interface 120 through the connector interface 92 . the signal translator 122 conditions signals received from a motor vehicle control unit through the vehicle communication interface 120 to a conditioned signal compatible with the diagnostic tool 60 , 80 . the translator 122 can communicate with , for example , the communication protocols of j1850 signal , iso 9141 - 2 signal , communication collision detection ( ccd ) ( e . g ., chrysler collision detection ), data communication links ( dcl ), serial communication interface ( sci ), s / f codes , a solenoid drive , j1708 , rs232 , controller area network ( can ), or other communication protocols that are implemented in a vehicle . the circuitry to translate a particular communication protocol can be selected by the fpga 96 ( e . g ., by tri - stating unused transceivers ) or by providing a keying device that plugs into the connector interface 92 that is provided by diagnostic tool 80 to connect the diagnostic tool 80 to vehicle communication interface 120 . [ 0043 ] translator 122 is also coupled to fpga 96 and the card reader 116 via the first system bus 98 . fpga 96 transmits to and receives signals ( i . e ., messages ) from the motor vehicle control unit through the translator 122 . fpga 96 is coupled to the processor 94 through various address , data and control lines by the second system bus 118 . fpga 96 is also coupled to the card reader 116 through the first system bus 98 . processor 94 is also coupled to the display 84 in order to output the desired information to the user . the processor 94 communicates with the cpld 110 through the second system bus 118 . additionally , the processor 94 is programmed to receive input from the user through the user interface 86 via the cpld 110 . the cpld 110 provides logic for decoding various inputs from the user of diagnostic tool 80 and also provides the glue - logic for various other interfacing tasks . memory subsystem 112 and internal non - volatile memory 114 are coupled to the second system bus 118 , which allows for communication with the processor 94 and fpga 96 . memory subsystem 112 can include an application dependent amount of dynamic random access memory ( dram ), a hard drive , and / or read only memory ( rom ). software to run the diagnostic tool 80 can be stored in the memory subsystem 112 . the internal non - volatile memory 114 can be , but not limited to , an electrically erasable programmable read - only memory ( eeprom ), flash rom , or other similar memory . the internal non - volatile memory 114 can provide , for example , storage for boot code , self - diagnostics , various drivers and space for fpga images , if desired . if less than all of the modules are implemented in fpga 96 , the non - volatile memory 114 can contain downloadable images so that fpga 96 can be reconfigured for a different group of communication protocols . the present invention can be realized as computer - executable instructions in computer - readable media . the computer - readable media includes all possible kinds of media in which computer - readable data is stored or included or can include any type of data that can be read by a computer or a processing unit . the computer - readable media include for example and not limited to storing media , such as magnetic storing media ( e . g ., roms , floppy disks , hard disk , and the like ), optical reading media ( e . g ., cd - roms ( compact disc - read - only memory ), dvds ( digital versatile discs ), re - writable versions of the optical discs , and the like ), hybrid magnetic optical disks , organic disks , system memory ( read - only memory , random access memory ), non - volatile memory such as flash memory or any other volatile or non - volatile memory , other semiconductor media , electronic media , electromagnetic media , infrared , and other communication media such as carrier waves ( e . g ., transmission via the internet or another computer ). communication media generally embodies computer - readable instructions , data structures , program modules or other data in a modulated signal such as the carrier waves or other transportable mechanism including any information delivery media . computer - readable media such as communication media may include wireless media such as radio frequency , infrared microwaves , and wired media such as a wired network . also , the computer - readable media can store and execute computer - readable codes that are distributed in computers connected via a network . the computer readable medium also includes cooperating or interconnected computer readable media that are in the processing system or are distributed among multiple processing systems that may be local or remote to the processing system . the present invention can include the computer - readable medium having stored thereon a data structure including a plurality of fields containing data representing the techniques of the present invention . an example of a computer , but not limited to this example of the computer , that can read computer readable media that include computer - executable instructions of the present invention includes a processor that controls the computer . the processor uses the system memory and a computer readable memory device that includes certain computer readable recording media . a system bus connects the processor to a network interface , modem or other interface that accommodates a connection to another computer or network such as the internet . the system bus may also include an input and output interface that accommodates connection to a variety of other devices . although an example of the apparatus for monitoring battery drain and starter current with the above components and connected to vehicle as shown above , it will be appreciated that other techniques for monitoring battery drain and starter current can be made . also , although the apparatus for monitoring battery drain and starter current can be used with a diagnostic tool , other configurations and device can also be used including a personal computer or other device . the many features and advantages of the invention are apparent from the detailed specification , and thus , it is intended by the appended claims to cover all such features and advantages of the invention which fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention . further , since numerous modifications and variations will readily occur to those skilled in the art , it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation illustrated and described , and accordingly , all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to , falling within the scope of the invention . | 6 |
a presently preferred embodiment 21 of the inventive heart valve prosthesis is shown in fig1 - 14 . the prosthesis 21 incorporates an annular ( or ring ) structure 22 which has a generally cylindrical side wall portion 23 , a longitudinal axis 24 ( see fig4 ) and a longitudinal passageway 25 extending about the axis 24 . respective opposite end portions 26 and 27 of the side wall portion 23 extend circumferentially in longitudinally spaced , parallel relationship relative to each other . each end portion 26 and 27 is provided with an outwardly and circumferentially extending integral rim flange portion 28 and 29 , respectively . the rim flanges 28 and 29 extend in spaced , parallel relationship relative to each other . the annular structure 22 has defined therein a pair of bearing block windows 31 and 32 . each window 31 and 32 is medially positioned in and extends radially through the annular structure 22 and each window 31 and 32 is located so as to be generally diametrically opposed to the other across the passageway 25 . the prosthesis 21 also incorporates a pair of bearing blocks 33 and 34 . each block 33 and 34 is adapted and configured to seat in , and engage with , a different one of the windows 31 and 32 . while it is preferred that the pair of windows 31 and 32 , and the pair of bearing blocks 33 and 34 , each be similarly sized and configured , those skilled in the art will appreciate that different configurations can be utilized provided that the size and configuration relationship is such that one bearing block fits into one window . each block 33 and 34 has a substantially flat interior face 36 and 37 , respectively , and each face 36 and 37 has defined therein a pair of bearing recesses 38 and 39 , respectively , that are circumferentially ( relative to the annular structure 22 ) spaced from one another . all bearing recesses 38 and 39 are preferably similarly sized . the exterior face 41 and 42 of each bearing block 33 and 34 can have various configurations , but it is presently preferred to provide each of the exterior faces 41 and 42 with a curvature that generally corresponds with the curvature of the exterior surface of the sidewall portion 23 . the perimeter edge region 43 and 44 of each block 33 and 34 , respectively , is configured to engage interlockingly with , and be adjacent to , the corresponding adjacent perimeter edge portions 46 and 47 of the windows 31 and 32 , respectively . the manner of achieving such engagement is explained below . preferably the edge regions 43 and 44 and the windows 31 and 32 each have a similarly sized rectangular configuration , as shown . the prosthesis 21 further incorporates a pair of leaflets 48 and 49 . in the prosthesis 21 , the leaflets 48 and 49 are disposed adjacently relative to each other and transversely relative to the passageway 25 . each leaflet 48 and 49 has a generally flat body and has approximately the same size and thickness . as shown , for example , in fig2 and 9 , each leaflet 48 and 49 has a perimeter that includes an arcuately extending outside edge region 50 , a straight inside edge region 51 , and a pair of straight , transversely spaced ( relative to each other ) edge regions 53 that extend parallel ( relative to each other ). each edge region 53 extends between and interconnects a different adjacent pair of the opposite end regions of each of the outside edge region 52 and the inside edge region 53 . as shown , for example , in fig9 , the outside edge regions 50 are beveled to better enable the achievement of a close , abutting , preferably matching engagement thereof in the assembled prosthesis 21 with adjacent surface portions of the side wall portion 23 when the leaflets 48 , 49 are each in a fully valve closed position . similarly , the inside edge region 51 of each leaflet 48 , 49 is beveled to enable the achievement of a close fitting , preferably matching , abutting engagement therebetween along a diameter of the annular structure 22 ( see , for example , fig2 ) when the leaflets 48 , 49 are each in a fully valve closed position . further , the interconnecting edge regions 53 of each leaflet 48 , 49 extend perpendicularly to enable the achievement of a close fitting , minute gap or spacing , between each edge region 53 and adjacent surface portions of a bearing block 33 or 34 , as the case may be , in the prosthesis 21 during pivoting movements of the leaflets 48 and 49 . as seen , for example , in fig3 and 9 , each of the leaflets 48 and 49 has a pair of outwardly extending , integral , peripherally rounded , ear - like projections 88 and 89 . each projection 88 and 89 is flattened and preferably is about as thick as the associated leaflet 48 or 49 . all projections 88 and 89 are preferably similarly sized . each ear - like projection 88 and 89 is located medially along a different one of each of the interconnecting edge regions 53 . the outside perimeter curvature of each ear - like projection 88 and 89 corresponds to a spherical segment . the interrelationship between the leaflets 48 and 49 and their respective ear - like projections 88 and 89 and the bearing blocks 33 and 34 with their respective bearing recesses 38 and 39 in the prosthesis 21 is such that each of the ear - like projections 88 and 89 is , with close spacing tolerances , receivable in , and pivotably associated with , a different one of the bearing recess pairs 38 and 39 in each of the faces 36 and 37 of the blocks 33 and 34 , respectively , in the prosthesis 21 . thus , each leaflet 48 , 49 is pivotable about its own pivot axis 59 ( see , for example , fig2 ) which extends between mid - regions of the ear - like projections on each of the leaflets 48 , 49 . the recesses 38 , 39 of each flat interior face 36 of bearing block 33 and flat interior face 37 of bearing block 34 is centered along the predetermined hinging axis 59 that is in aligned relationship with the associated ear - like projection 88 or 89 in the prosthesis 21 . the hinging axis 59 of each leaflet 48 , 49 is parallel to a diameter of the annular structure 22 and each hinging axis 59 is equally spaced from such diameter by a distance y ( see , for example , fig2 ) but is located on a different side thereof . in the prosthesis 21 , the flat faces 36 and 37 are in spaced , parallel relationship relative to each other . when each of the leaflets 48 and 49 has its respective ear - like projections 88 and 89 associated with a cooperating respective recess 38 and 39 , a small , uniform clearance preferably exists between each recess 38 and 39 and adjacent portions of the associated ear - like projection 88 and 89 . preferably , a fluid tight , pivotable joint exists between each bearing block 33 and 34 and its associated leaflets 48 and 49 . preferably the interrelationship between the bearing blocks 33 , 34 and the leaflets 48 , 49 in the prosthesis 21 is such that , when the leaflets 48 , 49 are in their valve fully closed respective positions , a seal is achieved against the flow of blood through the annular structure 22 . the edge configurations of the leaflets 48 , 49 prevents leakage in the valve fully closed position , yet jamming of the leaflets 48 , 49 against adjacent surfaces as a result of back pressure is prevented . also , the relationship between bearing blocks 33 , 34 is such that the leaflets 48 , 49 cannot slip in the prosthesis 21 . each recess 38 and 39 is further configured to provide a bearing surface upon which and relative to which an associated ear - like projection 88 and 89 is self - aligning . each leaflet 48 and 49 with its ear - like projections 88 and 89 in the prosthesis 21 is allowed to swing pivotally and independently with restricted rotary oscillatory movements between a fully open and a fully closed position inclusive , and these oscillatory movements occur along the pivot axis of each leaflet 48 and 48 between its respective pair of ear - like projections 88 and 89 . as those skilled in the art will readily appreciate , varying pivot excursional movements can occur during leaflet oscillations responsive to applied differential fluid ( blood ) pressure in a surgically implanted prosthesis 21 with the direction of blood flow being shown by illustrative arrow 70 in fig1 . it will be appreciated that the bearing blocks 33 , 34 and the cooperatively associated leaflets 48 , 49 make use of the well - established principle of “ self - aligning spherical bearing .” the flattened ear - like projections 87 , 89 reduce frictional losses relative to adjacent surface portions of the recesses 38 , 39 . smooth pivotal movements are achieved with least effort , and with minimal loss of energy during leaflet 48 , 49 oscillations . close tolerances are achieved and are much preferred . the bell - type mouth associated with the annular structure 22 for inlet and outlet achieves smooth entry and exit for blood passage . each recess 38 and 39 has a region of internal surface curvature that corresponds to a spherical segment and these recesses 38 and 39 cooperate with each other and with the ear - like projections 88 and 89 for free and smooth pivotal movement of each leaflet 48 and 48 in the prosthesis 21 . each recess 38 and 39 ( as illustrated , for example , in fig6 ) has opposed side portions 98 and 99 which define side regions that act as stop means for limiting pivotal travel of the ear - like projections 88 and 89 , thereby providing for the leaflets 48 and 49 desired end positions for maximum opening and closing movements . also , inside surface portions of the annular structure 22 in the passageway 25 that are adjacent to outside regions 50 of each leaflet 48 and 49 serve as additional stop means when the leaflets 48 and 49 are in their respective fully valve closed positions . the edge regions 53 of each leaflet 48 , 49 extend generally perpendicularly to the hinging axis of the associated leaflet 48 and 49 . these chordal edge regions 53 function to clean blood on the adjacent flat facial regions 36 and 37 of the bearing blocks 33 and 34 during oscillations of the leaflets 48 and 49 . the spherically curved edge regions of each ear - like projection 88 and 89 sweep adjacent internal spherical surfaces of each bearing recess 38 and 39 . the opposed side portions 98 and 99 also serve to avoid potential stagnation of blood which might otherwise occur in what would otherwise be unused portions of the cavities of the bearing recesses 38 and 39 due to restricted pivotal movements of the leaflets 48 and 49 . the bearing blocks 33 and 34 and the leaflets 48 and 49 are comprised of pyrolytic carbon which is characteristically a hard , physiologically acceptable , non - biodegradable , implantable material . various methods known to the prior art can be used to fabricate components comprised of pyrolytic carbon for employment in the present invention . typically , a component with a carbon surface is heated to beyond 1 , 000 ° c . to achieve a hard and naturally polished surface . higher temperatures give greater hardness depth relative to the surface . see , for example , bokros u . s . pat . nos . 3 , 298 , 921 ; 3 , 399 , 969 ; 3 , 526 , 005 ; 3 , 547 , 676 ; and 3 , 676 , 179 . for example , in one process , carbon black powder is pressed under high pressure to make bearing block and leaflet shapes . the shapes are machined and articles ( components ) are produced . in the present situation , the leaflets 48 and 49 and the bearing blocks 48 and 49 , for example , are produced . these articles are then heated in a controlled atmosphere to 1 , 200 ° c . or above , the temperature selected being influenced by the desired structure . thus , the resulting pyrolytic carbon components of an inventive prosthesis embodiment , such as the leaflets 48 and 49 , for example , are characteristically heat treated and hardened but not coated using conventional technology . typically , pyrolytic carbon components are inert and relatively light in weight and density . the annular member 22 is comprised of a moldable , physiologically acceptable , non - biodegradable , implantable plastic . various such plastics are known and can be used , as those skilled in the art will appreciate . examples include polymethylmethacrylate and other acrylate polymers that incorporate acrylic acid or methacrylic acid ; polyethylene and polypropylene including ultra high molecular weight polyethylene ; polyvinylchloride ( usually with stabilizers and plasticisers ); polytetrafluoroethylene ( ptfe or teflon ); polyesters , especially polyethylene terephthalate ( pet ); polyamides ( including nylon and kelvar , especially as a reinforcing fiber in composites ); polycarbonates ; polyurethanes , particularly as elastomeric additives or components ; certain polyaromatic semicrystalline polymers ( such as “ peek optima ” and the like ); silicone polymers developed for medical usage , certain ceramics , and the like . to assemble and fabricate the prosthesis 21 , the bearing blocks 33 and 34 are positioned with their respective bearing recess pairs 38 and 39 of blocks 33 and 34 engaged with the respective ear - like projection pairs 88 and 89 of the leaflets 48 and 49 . the projections 88 and 89 are pivotably associated with the recesses 38 and 39 . close tolerances between adjacent surfaces are desired and preferably selected . an initial desired connected relationship between blocks 33 , 34 and leaflets 48 , 49 is maintained with an assembly that clamps , holds , and positions the pyrolytic carbon components ( bearing blocks 33 and 34 and the leaflets 48 and 49 ), but that does not appreciably bend , flex , distort , or otherwise affect or mark them . with these components so held , the annular structure 22 is molded in situ by any convenient means or procedure and so is thereby formed with the edge portions 43 , 44 of the bearing blocks 33 , 34 , respectively , being seated in the windows 31 and 32 and as now explained and illustrated . as formed , the annular structure 22 holds , positions , retains , and is in fluid tight association with , the bearing blocks 33 and 34 . the annular structure 22 is unitarily molded as a single piece component around perimeter edge portions of the bearing blocks 33 , 34 with the windows 31 , 32 of the annular structure 22 being formed about and defined by the perimeter edge portions 43 , 44 of the bearing blocks 33 , 34 respectively . the perimeter edge portions 46 , 47 of each window 31 , 32 are interlockingly engaged with , and effectively bonded to , the perimeter edge portions 43 , 44 of the bearing blocks 33 , 34 , and the bearing blocks 33 , 34 are held in engaged relationship with the leaflets 48 , 49 , respectively . as those skilled in the art will readily appreciate , any suitable and convenient holding and molding assembly can be utilized in the practice of this invention . for present illustration and disclosure purposes , one illustrative clamping assembly 52 is shown in fig1 - 14 . also , as those skilled in the art will also readily appreciate , any suitable and convenient mold assembly and molding procedure can be employed . for present illustration and disclosure purposes , one illustrative mold assembly 54 is also shown in fig1 - 14 . a present preference , as shown in fig1 - 14 , is for the mold assembly 54 to be in combination with the clamp assembly 52 . the mold assembly 54 is here shown in a simplified form . the formation and usage of molds for plastics is well known to those skilled in the art . the mold assembly 54 includes a lower mold portion 55 which cooperatively associates with an upper mold portion 56 along a transversely ( relative to the mold assembly 54 ) extending joint or parting line 57 . located between inner peripheral edge portions of the upper portion 56 and the lower portion 55 is a split ring structure 60 that is provided with upper and lower ridge ribs 69 a and 69 b that cooperatively engage receiving pockets defined in each of the inner peripheral edge portions of the upper portion 56 and the lower portion 55 . the upper portion 56 and the lower portion 56 together with the split ring structure 60 define a mold cavity 58 for the annular structure 22 . the split ring structure 60 is divided into a half 60 a and a half 60 b . as seen , for example , in fig1 , a medial opposed outside edge region of each half 60 a and 60 b of the split ring structure 60 is fixed by welding ( preferred ) or the like to a different retaining arm 100 a and 100 b ( four separate arms in all ). the arms 100 a and 100 b are each preferably hemi - cylindrical and are adapted abut against one another lengthwise along a diameter to define a combined cylindrical configuration when abutting . when the arms 100 a and 100 b in the assembled mold assembly 54 are clamped together in such an abutting relationship , the split ring 60 is locked ( held ) in a fixed relationship as is needed to complete the definition of the cavity 58 . conventional holding and clamping means ( not shown ) are employed to hold in assembled combination the lower portion 55 , the upper portion 56 , and the split ring structure 60 . for present illustration and disclosure purposes , the cavity 58 is assumed to be completely defined and is shown holding ( after being fully charged and filled with a fluid moldable plastic ) a molded annular structure 22 in fig1 - 14 . thus , the annular structure 22 is formed in the cavity 58 of the assembled mold assembly 54 around perimeter edge portions 43 and 44 of each of the bearing blocks 33 and 34 . for simplicity , the conventional location ( s ) are not shown in the mold assembly 54 where a moldable plastic in a fluid , usually melted , state is introduced during molding into the cavity 58 of the assembled and operable mold assembly 54 using a convenient , selected , conventional casting or injection molding procedure . also , for simplicity , conventional means that may be employed for removing air and avoiding air pockets or heat sinks in the molded annular structure 22 molded in the mold assembly 54 are not shown . after the molding of an annular structure 22 in the cavity 58 , the clamping assembly 52 is separated from the bearing blocks 33 and 34 and the leaflets 48 and 49 , and in the mold assembly 54 then the upper portion 56 and the lower portion 55 of the mold assembly 54 are separated and the split ring 60 is separated into halves 60 a and 60 b , thereby to enable separation and removal of the molded annular ring structure 22 from the cavity 58 together the components now associated with the annular structure 22 including the blocks 33 and 34 and the leaflets 48 and 49 . the annular structure 22 as thus formed ( molded ) is associated and connected with the bearing blocks 33 and 34 and the leaflets 48 and 49 , thereby to obtain a completed prosthesis 21 . the lower portion 55 of the mold assembly 54 is associated with the clamping assembly which is generally designated as 52 . the clamping assembly 52 includes a pair of c - clamp - type structures 61 ( see fig1 and 14 , for example ). each c - clamp structure 61 includes a base leg 62 that has arms 63 and 64 at each opposite end thereof . the arms 63 and 64 here are integrally formed with the base leg 62 and the arms 63 , 64 upstand relative to base leg 62 with arms 63 , 64 being in an aligned planar relationship ( relative to each other ). each arm 63 , 64 has a terminal outer end region . the arm 63 is provided at its outer terminal end region with a terminally generally flat faced foot 65 whose flat face is oriented so as to be generally opposed to the outer terminal end region of the arm 64 . arm 64 is engaged at its outer terminal end region with a transversely extending , threadably engaged , elongated , adjustable screw 66 . screw 66 has at its forward end a loosely journaled and affixed , self - angle - adjusting , flat faced foot 67 that , taken with screw 66 , is orientable so as to be generally opposed to the outer terminal region and the flat face of foot 65 of the arm 63 . at its rearward end , the screw 66 is affixed to a finger engageable , wing - like head 68 for enabling the screw 66 to be manually turned , thereby to enable adjustment of the spatial position of the foot 67 relative to and between the outer terminal end regions of the arms 64 and 63 . the base 62 of each c - clamp 61 ( pair ) is positioned to extend along a bottom region 76 of the lower portion 55 adjacent to an outer edge region thereof . the position of the base 62 for each c - clamp 61 is such that , when viewed in plan from along the axis 24 ( which in fig1 is a center point , not shown , but which is seen , for example , in the fig1 view ), the base 62 is generally aligned with and lies in a hypothetical , vertically oriented ( relative to prosthesis 21 ) plain that passes generally through the axis 24 of the annular structure 22 that is being formed ( molded ) in the cavity 58 of the mold assembly 54 . each base 62 is preferably fastened by conventional disengageable mechanical fastening means , such as machine screws ( not shown ), to the bottom region 76 . as shown in fig1 , for example , the outer ( relative to lower portion 55 ) arm 64 projects perpendicularly upward along and in radially outwardly spaced relationship from lower portion 55 . the inner ( relative to lower portion 55 ) arm 63 projects upwardly through a hole in the bottom region 76 of the lower portion 55 and extends adjacent to an inside surface region of the lower portion 55 . preferably ( as shown in , for example , fig1 ), the inner arm 63 projects upwardly at a slight inclination angle to adapt the arm 63 to the local contour of the adjacent inside surface region of lower portion 55 . the spacing between , and the orientation of , the arms 63 and 64 is preferably such that the foot 65 , the axis of the screw 66 and the foot 67 ( that is associated with the screw 66 ) lie approximately in and along along the above indicated transverse diameter hypothetical plain . thus , each of the bearing blocks 33 , 34 , as the case may be , can be positioned by a different c - clamp structure 61 between the foot 65 on arm 63 and the foot 67 on screw 66 with the flat face if foot 67 being medially adjacent to a different exterior face 41 , 42 and each foot 65 being adjacent to a different interior face 36 , 37 . each bearing block 33 , 34 is thus locatable at , and positionable in , a window 31 , 32 , respectively , of the annular structure 22 defined by the cavity 58 . auxiliary mechanical positioning and measuring means ( not shown ) may be employed , if desired , as those skilled in the art will readily appreciate , to achieve precise positioning and spacing of the pyrolytic carbon components , within selected tolerances , preferably before these components are clamped by clamping assembly 52 components in desired positions prior to molding of the annular ring structure 22 . thus , by adjustment of the position of the foot 67 of an associated clamp 61 , each of the bearing blocks 33 and 34 is positioned , held and clamped in a desired position between the outer terminal end portions of each arm 63 and 64 of a c - clamp structure 61 with the exterior face 41 and 42 adjacent the foot 67 and the interior face 36 and 36 adjacent foot 65 , respectively . the cavity 71 provided in upper portion 56 and the cavity 72 provided in lower portion 55 become abuttingly aligned in the assembled mold assembly 54 and cooperate to define windows in cavity 58 in the mold assembly 54 that correspond to each of the respective opposed bearing block windows 31 and 32 in the cylindrical side wall portion 23 of the annular structure 22 . the interrelationship between each pair of windows 31 , 32 thus defined by the combined cavities 71 and 72 for each bearing block 33 , 34 is such that each of the bearing blocks 33 , 34 , as held by one of the c - clamps 61 , is seated in a different one of the windows 31 , 32 . the respective perimeter edge regions 43 , 44 of each bearing block 33 , 34 forms portions of the wall surfaces defining the cavity 58 in the mold assembly 54 . thus , the relationship between each bearing block 33 , 34 as held by a c - clamp structure 61 , taken with the lower portion 55 , the upper portion 56 , and the split ring 60 , is such that , when the upper portion 56 is assembled with the lower portion 55 , the walls of the mold cavity 58 are fully defined except for the windows in cavity 58 , as above explained . the configuration and position of each of the perimeter edge regions 43 and 44 of the bearing blocks 33 and 34 , respectively , is such that the bearing blocks 33 and 34 are held and fixed in place by the annular structure 22 after molding . various configurations for the perimeter edge regions 43 and 44 can be employed . a present preference is for each block 33 and 34 to have a generally rectangular perimeter configuration ( see , for example , fig3 ). preferably ( as shown ) there is defined in each lateral opposed short end of each edge 43 , 44 of each block 33 , 34 a groove 85 ( see , for example , fig3 ) which , as illustrated in , for example , fig2 and 11 , is sized to fit within the thickness of the cylindrical sidewall portion 23 of annular structure 22 . thus , during the molding of annular structure 22 , the grooves 85 ( four ) each become filled with the plastic comprising the annular structure 22 to achieve a rib - like structure 86 in windows 31 , 32 of sidewall portion 23 ( see , for example , fig3 ). the windows 31 and 32 are , as shown , for example , in fig1 and 3 , so that each is preferably so located in the sidewall 23 as to have an upper side thereof located adjacent to the upper flange 28 of the annular structure 22 . the top side surface of the edge 43 , 44 of each block 33 , 34 is as shown preferably flattened and configured to extend beneath and adjacent to the contiguous lower surface portions of the upper flange 28 of the annular structure 22 . thus , the upper portion each edge 43 , 44 of each window 31 , 32 is defined by the plastic that comprises the annular structure 22 and comprises a relatively broad expanse that radially extends ( relative to the annular structure 22 ) from the upper edge of the flat interior face 36 , 37 of each block 33 , 34 to the contiguous adjacent outer arcuate edge portion of the upper flange 28 of the annular structure 22 . such broad expanse , in addition to improving the fixed association desired between each block 33 , 34 and the annular structure 22 , is believed to strengthen the association and also to provide each block 33 , 34 with the capacity to resist possible tilting movement of blocks 33 , 34 relative to the axis 24 that might otherwise weaken or even dislodge the desired fixed association between the annular structure 22 and each block 33 , 34 . optionally , the flattened top surface of each block 33 , 34 can be roughened or otherwise shaped , if desired ( not shown ), to achieve a desired surface for formation of an annular structure 22 . the back exterior face 41 , 42 and adjacent surface portions of the perimeter edge 43 , 44 of each block 33 , 34 is as shown ( see for example fig3 ) preferably formed with an outwardly projecting flange portion 91 and whose outside face extends arcuately and parallel to the adjacent face 41 , 42 . owing to the cooperative association between the respective blocks 33 , 34 and the lower portion 55 of mold assembly 54 , the cavity 58 is configured so that , along the bottom edge of the perimeter 46 , 47 of each window 31 , 32 , a mating upstanding shoulder 93 is provided which has a terminal outwardly extending flange 95 ( relative to each window 31 , 32 , as shown in fig5 a and 14 , for example ). thus , when the annular structure 22 is molded in the cavity 58 , the annular structure 22 includes this shoulder 93 and flange 95 at the backside edge region of each block 33 , 34 . this interrelationship between the bottom edge and adjacent backside regions of each block 33 , 34 and each window 31 , 32 in annular structure 22 is believed to provide a desirable locking inter - engagement between adjacent respective portions of each block 33 , 34 and the annular structure 22 . other arrangements and configurations for the edge surfaces 43 , 44 of the blocks 33 , 34 and of the windows 31 , 32 , respectively , can be employed , if desired . as part of the clamping assembly 52 , the upper surface of the central bottom region of the lower portion 55 of mold assembly 54 is provided with a raised ( vertically thickened ) platform region 73 . a pair of diametrically ( relative to the annular structure 22 ) spaced channels 74 , 75 is defined in platform 73 so that each channel 74 , 75 extends straight lengthwise , transversely relative to a hypothetical cord structure extending across portions of the annular structure 22 , and downwardly into platform 73 from the upper central surface thereof so that , with increasing channel depths , the channel 74 slightly diverges from , and is somewhat inclined relative to , the channel 75 ( see , for example , fig1 ). cross - sectionally , each channel 74 , 75 extends in a generally spaced , parallel relationship relative to the other , and each channel 74 , 75 is generally equally spaced from the longitudinal axis 24 ( see fig1 ) of the annular structure 22 as defined by the cavity 58 . each channel 74 , 75 is adapted to receive therein a medial region along an edge 50 of each leaflet 48 , 49 with the ear like projections 88 , 89 of each leaflet 48 , 49 being concurrently positioned for pivotal movement in bearing recesses 38 , 39 of each bearing block 33 , 34 ( as such is held by a c - clamp 61 as above described ; see , for example , fig1 ) to hold each of the leaflets 48 , 48 in a fixed position so as to achieve a desired close tolerance between the adjacent respective surface portions of the bearing blocks 33 , 34 and the bearing recesses 38 , 39 , the leaflets 48 , 49 , as associated with the projections 88 , 89 , are clamped in a desired position by respective ones of a pair of relatively small c - clamp assemblies 77 that are each associated with the platform 73 . each c - clamp assembly 77 includes a foot member 78 that is mounted on the platform 73 so as to be adjacent to , but equally spaced from , the longitudinal axis 24 of annular structure 22 as defined by the cavity 58 . each foot member 78 is parallel to the other . each foot member 78 is also adjacent to a different channel 74 , 75 ( see fig1 ). each foot member 78 has an upstanding leg 79 , each leg 79 being slightly inclined to conform to the slope established by the adjacent channel 74 , 75 . along opposed outside edge portions of the platform region 73 a post 83 upstands . through an upper end region of each post 83 an elongated screw 80 threadably extends generally horizontally . each screw 80 has its forward end loosely journaled and affixed to a self - angle - adjusting , flat faced foot 81 that , taken with screw 80 , is oriented so as to be generally opposed to an upper end region of the each leg 79 . at its rearward end , the screw 80 is affixed to a finger engageable , wing - like head 82 for enabling the screw 80 to be manually turned , thereby to adjust the spatial position of the foot 81 relative to and between the outer terminal end regions of the leg 79 and the post 83 . the spacing between , and the orientation of , the terminal end regions of the leg 79 and the bracket 85 is such that each one of the leaflets 48 and 49 can be positioned , oriented and held by a different leg 79 and an adjacent foot 81 , the foot 81 being adjustable by screw 80 . thus , by adjustment of the position of the foot 81 , each of the leaflets 48 , 49 , with their respective projections 88 , 89 engaged with the bearing recesses 38 , 39 , can be positioned and held in a desired position between the bearing blocks 33 , 34 , as desired , by a different c - clamp assembly 77 . another suitable holding and molding assembly embodiment 101 is illustrated in fig1 - 17 . in assembly 101 , the components coact to provide both the cavity 102 in which the plastic annular structure 22 is molded and the holding , retaining and positioning function for the pyrolytic carbon components blocks 33 , 34 and leaflets 48 , 49 . the assembly 101 incorporates upper and lower cap plates 103 a and 103 b each with interior peripheral surface portions that abuttingly engage an adjacent side edge region of each of an upper and lower forming ring 104 and 105 , respectively . the medial region of each ring 104 and 105 is fitted with an upper and lower circular forming plate 107 and 108 . the middle peripheral region of the assembly 101 is provided with a split ring 109 that defines outside wall portions of the cavity 102 and that is located radially in , and fitted between , the upper and lower forming rings 104 and 105 . the lower forming plate 108 includes an integral , upstanding , central , plateau - like region 110 which is provided with a relatively large central aperture 111 that longitudinally extends therethrough and downwardly into forming plate 108 . in combination with lower portions of the forming plate 107 , the outside circumferential wall portions of the region 110 define inside wall portions of the cavity 102 . the split ring 109 is comprises of half 109 a and half 109 b . a medial , outside , opposed region of each half 109 a and 109 b is attached , preferably by welding , to a clamping arm 113 a and 113 b ( four separate arms in all ) which are comparable to the arms 100 a and 100 b ( above ) and which function similarly so that the split ring can be held in a closed position as needed to define the cavity 102 yet permit separation of a molded annular structure 22 from the apparatus 101 , as those skilled in the art will readily appreciate . to retain the components in association , allen bolts 112 , preferably four , extend vertically through each plate 102 and 103 into threaded engagement with the adjacent ring 104 and 105 , respectively . inside facial portions of the ring 109 and outside facial portions of the region 110 cooperate to define at opposed locations the bearing block windows 31 and 32 provided in the cylindrical side wall portion 23 of the annular structure 22 that is defined by the cavity 102 . each bearing block 33 and 34 is positioned in a window 31 and 32 , respectively . edge portions of each of the ring 109 and the region 110 that are adjacent to the apertures defined by ring 109 and region 110 that provide each window 31 and 32 are sized so as to slightly overlie edge portions of each of the bearing blocks 33 and 34 . thus , in the assembled assembly 101 , each bearing block 33 and 34 is held in position at each window 31 and 32 defined by the ring 109 and region 110 . prior to positioning of the bearing blocks 33 and 34 in the assembly 101 , the leaflets 48 and 49 are associated with the bearing blocks 33 and 34 with each projection 88 and 89 being located in a different bearing recess 38 and 39 as above explained . the lower surface region of the forming plate 107 and the upper central surface region of the lower forming plate 108 are each provided with a cavity 114 and 115 , respectively , as shown . thus , when the assembly 101 is assembled with the bearing blocks 33 and 34 , and edge portions of the bearing blocks 33 and 34 are held by portions of the region 110 and the ring 109 , as above explained , and the leaflets 48 and 49 are associated with the bearing blocks 33 and 34 , the leaflets 48 and 49 extend unimpeded but inclined through the aperture 111 and into the respective cavities 114 and 115 defined in the forming plates 107 and 108 . the annular structure 22 can then be molded after which a completed prosthesis 21 is separated from the assembly 101 by disassembly of assembly 101 . the assembly 101 is here shown in a simplified form . the formation and usage of molds for plastics is well known to those skilled in the art . the assembly 101 , if desired , like the mold assembly 54 , may include additional portions and features . for present illustration and disclosure purposes , the cavity 102 is assumed to be completely defined by the assembly 101 and is shown holding ( after being fully charged and filled with a fluid moldable plastic ) a molded annular structure 22 . thus , the annular structure 22 is formed in the cavity 102 of the assembly 101 around perimeter edge portions 43 and 44 of each of the bearing blocks 33 and 34 . for simplicity , the conventional location ( s ) are not shown in the assembly 101 where a moldable plastic in a fluid , usually melted , state is introduced during molding into the cavity 102 of the assembly 101 using a convenient , selected , conventional casting or injection molding procedure . also , for simplicity , conventional means that may be employed for removing air and avoiding air pockets or heat sinks in the molded annular structure 22 molded in the mold assembly 54 are not shown . the assembly 101 illustrates an alternative arrangement for the annular structure 22 in the vicinity of the bearing blocks 33 , 34 . after molding of an annular structure 22 in an assembly 101 , the assembly is disassembled by removing the alien bolts 112 and separating the split ring 109 , as those skilled in the art will appreciate . if desired , for example , the bottom outside region of each block 33 , 34 may be provided with a different configuration from that shown , for example , in fig3 a , 14 and 17 and also the radial thickness of the sidewall portion 23 of the annular structure 22 may be provided with a different thickness . because the inside surface portions of the sidewall 23 are cylindrical while the respective interior faces 36 , 37 of the blocks 33 , 34 are flat , as described above , the configuration of the sidewall 23 in the vicinity of the blocks 33 , 34 can be adjusted so as to have , for example , a maximum thickness that corresponds to the medial thickness of a bearing block 33 , 34 or a minimum thickness that corresponds to the average radial thickness of the sidewall 23 . in the latter situation , the mid - region of each bearing block 33 , 34 projects radially into the passageway 25 as those skilled in the art will readily appreciate . various relationships between the bearing blocks 33 , 34 and the sidewall 23 can be utilized without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . various other and further embodiment applications , structures and the like will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the teachings herein provided and no undue limitations are to be drawn therefrom . | 0 |
in fig1 the bleachers 10 include longitudinally extending seats 11 , risers 12 and foot rests 13 , all in this case of wood as is typical and all supported from telescoping rails 14 and uprights 15 ( only a few of which are shown ). each cushion assembly 20 includes a relatively wide cushion 21 and a relatively narrow cushion 22 of substantially equal lengths and thicknesses , the overall width of the two cushions 21 and 22 being substantially equal to that of the seats 11 . the cushions 21 and 22 each consist of a compressible urethane core 23 enclosed by vinyl impregnated nylon sheet material 24 sewn together about the urethane cores 23 . the two cushions 21 and 22 longitudinally abut each other and are hinged together at 25 by stitching 25a along one pair of their abutting corners , as shown in fig4 . the longitudinally diagonally opposite corner of the cushion 22 from the hinge 25 is formed with a depending , longitudinally extending envelope flap 26 of the nylon material , equal in length to the cushions 21 and 22 and hinged thereto at 27 by stitching 27a . the envelope flap 26 contains seat attachment means which may take the form of a strip of metal 28 , the envelope flap 26 and the strip 28 having a series of horizontal keyhole - shaped slots 29 therethrough regularly spaced along their length . the stitching 27a also secures a cover flap 30 , formed as shown in fig4 by a depending extension of the nylon material of the cushion 22 , which flap 30 overlies the envelope flap 26 when the cushion assemblies 20 are installed . installation involves imply a series of headed pins or screws 31 into the front faces 11a of the seats 11 , the screws 31 being spaced equally with the slots 29 . each cushion assembly 20 is then engaged with the screws 31 and slid sideways so the screws 31 enter the necked - down portions of the slots 29 . the screws 31 may then be tightened if desired . when the cushion assemblies 20 are positioned as shown in fig2 and 4 they provide comfortable , decorative seats for spectators on the bleachers when extended . when flipped - down about their hinges 25 and 27 to the position shown on the upper four tiers of fig1 and in fig3 and the bleachers are afterwards retracted , the two cushions 21 and 22 of each assembly 20 hand down over the seat faces 11a and the risers 12 . an upright wall of cascading tiers of decorative , protective padding is thus formed offering substantially greater safety than typical gymnasium wall padding , owing especially to the spaces between the risers 12 and cushions 21 . removal , in case that should be desired , involves simply loosening the screws 31 , sliding each cushion assembly 20 sideways to disengage its slots 29 . in practice the assemblies 20 are normally manufactured in convenient three - foot lengths , long enough for two persons sitting side - by - side , and in shorter lengths where needed to fill out a row of seats . note that in the case of retractable bleachers the cushions 20 must be flipped - down to their protective position before the bleachers can be retracted . hence the overall width of each cushion assembly 20 normally cannot be greater than the combined heights of a seat 11 and a riser 12 in order not to interfere with the rearward movement of the seat 11 immediately below when the bleachers are retracted since typically there is then little clearance between a seat 11 and riser 12 , as will be evidence from fig1 and 3 . when made in alternate or school colors a variety of pleasing patterns can be arranged to ornament the bleachers in both their retracted and extended positions . when the bleachers are extended the cushions 20 are left flipped - down . this allows spectators to run along the bare seats 11 , as they are wont to do , without trodding on the cushions 20 which are then flipped - up as needed for seating . indeed , if the bleachers are not crowded on occasion , it has been found that spectators sitting on one row of cushions 20 often use the flipped - down cushions 20 immediately behind them as back rests . when fitted to fixed bleachers indoors or out - of - doors the cushions 20 are also normally left flipped - down for the same reasons . even on fixed bleachers the flipped - down cushions 20 provide some protection to players in the gym or on the field . note that when out - of - doors the flipped - down cushions 20 shield their seat faces from the elements so that when flipped - up spectators have dry seating . though the present invention has been described in terms of a particular embodiment , being the best mode known of carrying out the invention , it is not limited to that embodiment alone . instead the following claims are to be read as encompassing all adaptations and modifications of the invention falling within its spirit and scope . | 0 |
leukocyte depletion filters can be used to filter blood products from whole blood . information about leukocyte depletion filters may be found in the following : u . s . pat . no . 5 , 676 , 849 ; u . s . pat . no . 5 , 662 , 813 ; u . s . pat . no . 6 , 544 , 751 ; u . s . pat . no . 4 , 923 , 620 ; u . s . pat . no . 4 , 925 , 572 ; comparison of five different filters for removal of leukocytes from red cell concentrates ; vox sang 1992 / 62 : 76 - 81 ; recovery of human leukocytes from a leukodepletion filter ; chang et al ; j . transfusion 1992 / 32 ( 85 ); recovery of functional human lymphocytes from leukotrap filters ; longley et al . ; j . immunological methods ; 1999 / 121 : 33 - 38 ; biotechniques 31 : 464 - 466 ( 2001 ); s . ebner et al . ; j . immunological methods ; 2001 ( 252 ): 93 - 104 . in one aspect of the invention , such filters can be used to separate nucleated blood cells from non - nucleated blood cells . according to one embodiment , a first step of the method is filtration . the incoming blood sample is filtered ( e . g ., within 24 hours of draw , preferably within 12 hours of draw ) using a leukocyte depletion filter . a suitable leukocyte depletion filter is the purecell ™ select system from pall corporation . custom chemistry may be used for cell suspension during the filtration process . the chemistry may include trehalose , maltose , dextran , pseudoephedrine , fluoride , phosphate and / or sulfate . the chemistry may address issues related to the degradation of cells during processing using the manufacturer &# 39 ; s recommended process ; improve the cell morphology in the final sample and may enable the unique dapi + 420 nm imaging process ; reduce cell clumping and sphering which improves the ability to spread the cells evenly in a large area monolayer ; stabilize the cells and provide more margin in terms of the time between the start of the filtration process and the creation of the monolayer ; and reduce cell destruction and release of dna into the suspension . the chemistry may also be used to increase the allowable time between blood draw and processing which will expand the population of candidate patients by opening the test to doctors in areas that are not near metropolitan centers . fig1 - 2 show a process and device for enriching for fetal nucleated cells from a blood sample using a filter system according to one embodiment of the invention . a maternal blood sample 6 containing various components of red blood including nucleated maternal and fetal nucleated cells 7 such as fetal nucleated red blood cells , is contained in bag 4 . valve 28 connecting tubing 8 to collection bag 30 and valve 24 connecting tubing 20 to tubing for elution 26 are closed . valve 10 connecting tubing 8 to filter 12 is opened and blood sample 6 is passed through filter 12 . cells for collection 14 , including nucleated fetal cells 7 , remain behind on filter 12 , while unwanted blood products 18 , including mature reticulocytes , pass through filter 12 and are collected in waste collection bag 16 . after all of the unwanted blood products 18 ( e . g ., non - nucleated cells ) have passed through the filter , the nucleated cell population remaining on the filter contains the cells of interest , nrbc &# 39 ; s , as a subpopulation . as shown in fig2 , valves 10 and 22 are closed . a syringe 36 containing elution solution 40 is attached to tubing 26 . valves 24 and 28 are opened . a syringe 36 containing elution solution 40 is attached to tubing 26 . valves 24 and 28 are opened . elution fluid 40 is forced backward through the filter and causes the nucleated cells 7 to be released from the filter . an elution fluid such as one recommended by the manufacturer of the filter may be used . alternatively , one aspect of the invention includes use of an elution fluid containing one or more of sodium or potassium fluoride ( e . g ., 0 . 01 to 100 mg / ml ), pseudoephedrine ( e . g ., 0 . 1 to 100 mg / l ), edta ( e . g ., 1 to 10 mm ), acd - a ( e . g ., 0 . 01 to 10 %) trehalose ( e . g ., 0 . 01 to 10 gm / l ), maltose ( e . g ., 0 . 01 to 10 gm / l ), dextran ( e . g ., 0 . 01 to 3 . 0 %, 100 - 500 mw ), f - 68 ( e . g ., 0 . 001 to 10 mg / ml ), sodium or potassium sulfate ( e . g ., 1 to 100 mm ), or sodium or potassium phosphate ( e . g ., 1 to 100 mm ). in one embodiment , the elution solution includes about 25 ug maltose and about 75 ug trehalose in about 25 ml phosphate buffered solution ( pbs ). elution fluid 40 and cells 7 are collected in collection bag 30 to yield an enriched fetal nucleated cell population 42 . these released cells and the elution fluid are collected into vials . machinery may be provided to automate the filtration and cell release process . the machinery may control either or both of the flow rate and amount of fluid that moves through the filter system . fig3 shows controller 70 according to an embodiment of the invention configured to control flow rates of sample , waste , elution fluid , and / or elution fluid containing fetal nucleated cells through valves 10 , 28 , 22 , and / or 24 . a flow rate equal to 0 . 2 - 50 ml / second may be used . the volume of fluid that moves through the filter system may be from 5 ml to 500 ml . controlling flow rates can have a significant impact on the cell population that is recovered : if the flow rate is too high , cells of interest may be driven deeply into the filter making them harder to recover . also , if the flow rate is too high , cells may be damaged by hydrodynamic forces . if the flow rate is too low on the release backflush , cells of interest may not be recovered ; they will remain trapped by the filter . machinery for automation of filtration and cell release process may include a computer controlled valve and pump system whereby the fluid flow paths through the filtration device can be controlled by a series of valves and manifolds . one type of valve particularly well suited is the pinch tube valve since it can control fluid flow without coming in contact with the fluids . this is advantageous for avoiding cross - contamination between samples and making for a fully disposable filtration system where expensive components such as valves do not need to be discarded or cleaned . the flow through the filtration device can be accomplished by a combination of gravity and mechanical pump systems such that both rate of flow and flow velocity profiles can be set and controlled by computer hardware and software . the machinery may also improve the repeatability of the process and reduce cycle time . for example , the automation may enable high speed processing while maintaining standardization of sample handling . also , the filtration process requires control of valves , volumes , and flow rates during the process . the automation will minimize operator / technique dependent variability . the next step may be concentration by centrifugation . the cells may be stained and counted ( e . g ., using the optical density of the suspension as a measure of cell count ) before centrifugation . alternatively , or additionally , cells may be stained after centrifugation . after the cells have been collected in a centrifuge tube ( having , e . g ., total volume of approximately 50 ml dilute cell suspension ), the tube is spun in a centrifuge ( e . g ., for 15 minutes at 500 × g at room temperature ) to concentrate the cells into a pellet at the bottom of the tube . the resulting pellet volume is approximately 100 μl to 300 μl . it is possible to stain the cells before centrifugation as well as count the number of cells in the pre - centrifuge suspension . measuring the cell count in the pre - centrifuge suspension using the optical density of the suspension allows the automation of the removal of supernatant and the automation of the addition of stabilizers and stain ( e . g ., 0 . 01 - 10 % acd - a , 0 . 01 to 3 % of 10 k - 400 k mw dextran , 1 - 10 mm edta , 0 . 01 to 10 g / l maltose , 0 . 1 to 100 mg / ml pseudoephedrine , 0 . 01 to 10 g / l trehalose , 0 . 01 to 100 mg / ml sodium or potassium fluoride , 1 to 100 mm sodium or potassium phosphate , and / or 1 to 100 mm sodium or potassium sulfate . in one embodiment , stabilization fluid may contain sodium sulfate ( less than about 20 grams per l ), sodium chloride ( less than about 2 grams per l ), imidazole ( less than about 3 grams per l ), sodium fluoride ( about 2 grams per l ), and pseudoephedrine ( less than about 0 . 1 grams per l ). in some cases , measuring the cell count after centrifugation may lead to large errors in cell counts because the volume is so small and the optical density is very high ( opaque ). automating the volume of stain and stabilizer that is added to the suspension prior to centrifugation allows the stain and stabilizer to reach and affect all cells in a more homogeneous manner . adding stain and stabilizer after centrifugation in some cases may lead to non - homogeneous staining and stabilization because the cells have already started to clump and the large solid to liquid ratio in the pellet may inhibit the even distribution of the additives . adding a nuclear stain prior to the creation of the monolayer reduces the number of processing steps required to enable scanning . in some cases , staining after the monolayer has been created requires a fixation step that adds complexity , handling , and cost to the sample processing and may modify the cell morphology , reducing the effectiveness of the automated digital microscopy . automating the amount of supernatant that is removed after centrifugation may improve the repeatability of the final cell suspension that is used to create the monolayer . standardizing the solid to liquid ratio of the monolayer suspension generates more uniform distribution of cells on each substrate and also improves the variability between individual smears on slides . maximizing the cell distribution uniformity enables the extrapolation of one slide &# 39 ; s results to all slides in a single patient set . this ability to accurately extrapolate results means that a smaller number of slides must be put through the imaging system and reduces the necessary cycle time per patient . in addition , tight control of the suspension density minimizes or eliminates the need for a trial and error approach to creating a monolayer with an appropriate cell density for automated digital microscopy . after concentration in the centrifuge , the cells are resuspended . using the cell count as a guide for the final required liquid volume , all unwanted suspension fluid is removed from the centrifuge vial until only the desired total volume remains in the vial . the remaining supernatant and cells are then gently mixed ( e . g ., by agitation or by repeated aspiration and dispense cycles using a pipette ). automated removal of the supernatant based on the pre - centrifugation cell count enables the creation of a monolayer that is optimized for automated digital microscopy and rare cell identification . next , a monolayer is created . the resuspended pellet is then dispensed onto a substrate , such as clear glass of standard microscope slide thickness . using an automated smear tool , this droplet is spread evenly across the substrate surface in a manner that minimizes clustering and overlap of cells while maximizing the number of cells per unit area . fig4 shows a cell smear tool 50 according to one embodiment of the invention . a sample of enriched fetal nucleated cells 52 is placed on surface 54 . cell smear blade 56 is moved by cell smear tool controller 60 across sample of enriched fetal nucleated cells 52 to create a layer of cells 66 on surface 54 . prior automated smearing tools merely recreated the human motion that has historically been used to create blood smears by moving only with a single action linear speed motion in one axis ( e . g ., along the long y axis of the slide ). in one aspect of the invention , the automated smear tool moves in both x and y while making essentially a monolayer smear . the motion patterns of a stage ( e . g ., an xy motorized stage ) controlled by the computer software are unique . in some embodiments , the motion goes across the short x axis of the slide . the use of the short x axis motion can be helpful in creating a suspension along the smear slide before actual forward motion of the smear begins . in some embodiments , the software runs open loop ( without monitoring cell density ). in other embodiments , cell density is monitored . in fig4 light 62 illuminates layer of cells 66 and images are captured by detector 64 and used to determine cell density . in one embodiment , feedback from detector 64 is used to guide controller 60 to change parameters of cell smear blade 56 to control the density of cells 66 on surface 54 . the smear density could be monitored , e . g ., by using blue light ( which will be absorbed by the hemoglobin ) or red light ( which will measure all cells ). higher attenuation of the light indicates a denser cell layer ; lower attenuation indicates a less dense cell layer . in some embodiments , the system is configured to vary parameters such as angle of smear and / or speed of smear in real time to assure that the uniformity of the monolayer is maintained . the automated smear tool varies its speed during the monolayer smearing process to control the density of cells that are applied per unit area to the substrate . the software speed may vary , for example , from 0 . 1 mm / sec to 500 mm / sec . the software may have a starting speed and ending speed for the smear tool which are the same , or they may differ from each other . in the case where the starting speed and ending speeds differ , the smear tool may change speed automatically in real time during the smear process . the rate of change may be linear or exponential . it could also vary sinusoidally or be varied using any other continuous function during the smear . the automated smear tool optimizes the initial droplet pickup and spread more or less normal to the main direction of smear . this may improve the overall uniformity of the smear normal to the main direction of smear . the automated smear tool may move in a zigzag pattern during the smearing process to improve the homogeneity of the suspended cell population and the homogeneity of the cell population distributions per unit area . the automated smear tool can create smears in any size , such as 1 ″× 2 ″ or 5 ″× 5 ″ ( 125 mm × 125 mm ). the smear tool may have any motion that aids in distributing the cells . the smear tool may move in both the x and y directions during both the pickup of the initial cell droplet and during the actual smearing process itself . the motion ( s ) of the smear tool may be circular , zigzag , forward , backward , side to side with no forward or backward motion , diagonal , serpentine ( move in + x , move in + y , move in − x , move in + y , repeat ). these motions are useful for two reasons : they make the height of the meniscus even across the face of the smearing tool and improve the uniformity of the cell density in the direction normal to the main axis of the smear . second , the starting and stopping motion helps to move cells up into suspension and improve the homogeneity of the cell populations distribution within the meniscus behind the smearing tool . the automated smear tool may be controlled by a gui that allows the user to set parameters such as smear speed , velocity profile , cross motion y axis suspension parameters and motion distance . the parameters may be set up and stored based on an initial test smear . the smear tool may have notched edges or polished edges , or it may be uncharged or have varying surface charge . the smear tools and / or smear slides may be made of glass or material other than glass . the monolayer is then imaged using an automated microscopy platform . in general any microscopy platform may be used with the requirement that the microscopy platform has the capability to provide transmitted illumination ( e . g ., 380 nm - 800 nm range ) and coaxial illumination ( e . g ., in the 350 nm - 364 nm range to excite the nuclear stain ). fig5 shows an automated microscope system to identify fetal nucleated cells according to one aspect of the invention . light 86 or light 94 is delivered to surface 82 containing fetal nucleated cells 84 and other cells . light from the cells on surface 82 is detected through microscope 90 . microscope 90 is moved across surface 82 by controller 92 . a pair of images is acquired for each xy location on the substrate . for example , one image uses 420 nm illumination , and one image uses the fluorescent illumination . the xy locations are selected in such a way that the entire area of the substrate is imaged . for each location , the image pair is used to determine locations where the 420 nm light is absorbed which indicates the presence of hemoglobin . the fluorescent image is used to determine the location of nuclear material in the field of view . where the characteristics of shape and brightness of the nucleus match the known characteristics of an nrbc and hemoglobin is also present , an nrbc candidate has been found and this candidate is added to a list of candidate cells . note that red light in the range of 620 nm or higher may also be used since this red light will not be absorbed by either nuclear material or by hemoglobin . the red image will thus only contain the actual physical structure of the cells : cell edges , texture or background artifacts from the suspension medium , and non - cell particles on the slide . this true structure information may be used when determining the amount of hemoglobin signal that is coincident with nucleus locations in order to reduce false positives . ( it is not possible to separate signal generated by structural edges from signal generated due to 420 nm absorbance using the 420 nm / fluorescent image pair only .) the initial imaging may be done at a low magnification ( e . g ., 10 ×) to improve system speed and the highest scoring . nrbc candidates are revisited at higher magnification to verify the status as true nrbcs . a high speed automated digital microscopy platform may be used to collect the images . any set of image pairs ( e . g ., 420 nm / fluorescent ) or triads ( e . g ., 420 nm , 630 nm , fluorescent ) can be used to sort the cells into subpopulations of white cells , non - nucleated red cells , and nucleated red cells . the cell identification and subpopulation grouping algorithm does not interrogate cells that are known to be outside the population of interest . the combination of the 420 nm and fluorescent imaging is made possible due to the sample preparation steps that preserve the morphology of the cells and maintain the hemoglobin intact through the creation of the monolayer . a unique algorithm can be used to determine the nrbc character of any cell . the heart of the algorithm is the ability to determine the coincidence of 420 nm absorption and nuclear fluorescence ( completely dark nrbcs ) in addition to the adjacency of 420 nm absorption to nuclear fluorescence . the steps of the algorithm may include : flatten the illumination ( make the image brightness even across the complete image to correct for dimness in the image corners which may arise due to optical system aberration ). apply the image flattening to both fluorescent and 420 nm transmission images . segment the images to determine which pixels belong to foreground ( nuclei and hemoglobin ) and which pixels belong in the background . image segmentation removes noise from the images and may reduce the number of pixels that must be processed in the remaining steps . enumerate ( count and number sequentially ) the individual nuclei in the fluorescent image . calculate their complexity and average brightness (# edge pixels 2 )/(# interior pixels ) tends to 4π or 12 . 56 for perfectly round nuclei . nrbc nuclei tend to be round ( low complexity ) and bright . for the subpopulation of the nuclei with the lowest complexity , determine the hemoglobin absorbance coincident to the nuclei and the hemoglobin absorbance around the perimeter of the nuclei . for example , the 50 %, 25 %, or 10 % least complex are examined . ( the higher nuclei do not need to be examined .) any parameters of the nuclei may be examined . in some embodiments , the brightness , complexity , and / or hemoglobin absorbance of the nuclei are measured . the cells that cluster in the 3 - space region of high hemoglobin absorbance , low complexity , and high brightness have a high likelihood of being nrbcs and are graded as very likely candidates to be nrbcs . in a similar manner the white cells may be binned into their subpopulations ( e . g ., segmented neutrophils have high complexity and large whites ), and every wbc that is put into a specific bin removes another cell from the nrbc candidate pool . both hemoglobin absorbance and nuclear fluorescence signals may be calculated relative to the average brightness of the foreground and the average brightness of the background . in this manner it is possible to make comparisons intra - site . ( one pair of 420 nm / fluorescent images can be compared to another pair of 420 nm / fluorescent images .) if relative measures are not used then variations larger than a single field of view will impact the ability to correctly detect the cells of interest across the entire slide . examples of large scale variations include : variations in fluorescent staining , variations in rbc hemoglobin lysing , and illumination changes ( lamp warming up or failing ). the storage of the nrbc candidate xy locations enables the use of less fish reagent which reduces cost . the fish reagents may be applied only to the sites where nrbcs have been located . after fish is complete , these xy locations are used again to revisit the nrbcs and interrogate the final genetic testing result . the xy locations of the candidate nrbcs may also be used to control a microdissection system . microdissection may be used to pick up the nrbcs and physically segregate them away from the non - nrbc cell population . this microdissection enrichment process may be used to provide high purity dna samples for use in microarray applications , pcr , or other dna analysis methods . the image can then be analyzed . the use of the 420 nm and fluorescent image pairs ( or a 420 nm , 630 nm , and fluorescent image trio ) to find nrbc candidates depends on the following characteristics of nrbcs : ( 1 ) nrbcs are associated with hemoglobin absorbance ( dark pixels in the 420 nm image ). sometimes the hemoglobin absorbance area covers the same set of pixels as the nuclear fluorescence . in other cases the hemoglobin absorbance is adjacent to the fluorescent signature of the nuclear material . ( 2 ) nrbc nuclei tend to be single nuclei and tend to be round ( low complexity ) ( 3 ) nrbc nuclei tend to have a brighter fluorescent signal that other cell nuclei in the same image ( 4 ) nrbc nuclei tend to be smaller than most other nuclei because they are in the process of condensing and being forced out of the cell ( e . g ., by apoptosis ) next is the fixation step . the cells are treated with a non - crosslinking fixation in preparation for fish . this fixation is performed in the presence of stabilizers which improve the fish results , maintain rbc morphology and hemoglobin signal for later relocation / revisit of the fetal nrbcs using the previously stored xy locations . fixation may include etoh ( 40 to 90 %), glyoxal ( 0 . 1 to 25 %), methanol ( 0 . 1 to 10 %) and or isopropanol ( 0 . 1 to 10 %) for ( 15 sec to 10 min ) preceded by a − 20 degree centigrade methanol dip for 30 seconds to 2 days . stabilizers may include sodium or potassium fluoride ( 0 . 01 to 100 mg / ml ), pseudoephedrine ( 0 . 1 to 100 . 0 mg / l ), edta ( 1 to 10 mm ), acd - a ( 0 . 01 to 10 . 0 %) trehalose ( 0 . 01 to 10 gm / l ), maltose ( 0 . 01 to 10 . 0 gm / l , dextran ( 0 . 01 to 3 . 0 %, 100 - 500 mw ), f - 68 ( 0 . 001 to 10 mg / ml ), sodium or potassium sulfate ( 1 to 100 mm ), sodium or potassium phosphate ( 1 to 100 mm ). one suitable fixation process includes the following steps : freeze substitution prefix in − 20 ° c . meoh for 10 minutes ; and postfix treatment in etoh , glyoxal , meoh , and isopropanol . this process is beneficial in that it avoids the use of formaldehyde and glutaraldehyde . waste disposal issues are eliminated , and dna and rna retrieval is made easier because no cross linking occurs . genetic testing and fetal / maternal differentiation can now be performed . standard fish may be performed on the nrbcs that are found using the automated cell identification algorithms . in addition , human tsix sequences may be used to definitively identify the cells as fetal female and not maternal . tsix expression stops on both human x chromosome between 2 and 4 years of age . adult females do not express the tsix gene . thus , including a probe for tsix in the fish process will allow a definitive determination of fetal female versus maternal status for all candidate nrbcs being interrogated . a fish signal at the tsix region of the nucleus will only be present if the cell is fetal . the presence of a y chromosome determines if the nucleated red blood cell is from a male fetus . it is also important to note that nuclei of the nrbcs are in the process of apoptosis and are being condensed in preparation for ejection from the cell . highly condensed nuclei tend to have a lower efficiency from fish treatment than do non - condensed nuclei . two novel approaches to improving the fish efficiency for condensed nuclei are : ( 1 ) perform fish in a vacuum or under lower than atmospheric pressure ; or ( 2 ) physically crush the cells and the nuclei prior to the application of the fish probes by revisiting the xy locations of candidates and pressing on them in a controlled manner . the cells to be crushed or flattened would be the nrbcs identified by the dapi / 420 nm scan . on the same microscope platform that did the dapi / 420 nm scan a motorized nosepiece could rotate over the “ crushing head ”. this could be , for example , a spring loaded small diameter flat ended steel rod , and automatically lowered onto the slide at the location of the nrbc to be crushed . the crushing force applied may be controlled by the spring force constant in the crushing rod . the rod diameter may be small , for example , 100 microns in diameter so it would crush the target nrbc and the perimeter of cells around it . an absolute xy location accuracy may not be required . the small diameter also allows for very high crushing forces to be applied to the localized area . the tsix expression and the variation of tsix expression versus human age is described in species differences in tsix / tsix reveal the roles of these genes in x - chromosome inactivation ; migeon , barbara r . ; lee , catherine h . ; chowdhury , ashis k . ; carpenter , heather ; doi : 10 . 1086 / 341605 ( volume 71 issue 2 pp . 286 - 293 ). crushing cells to improve access to the nuclear material is described in cell crushing : a technique for greatly reducing errors in microspectrometry ; davies , h . g ; wilkins , m . h . f ; boddy , r . g . h . b . ; experimental cell research 6 /( 550 - 553 ); 1954 . novel aspects of the invention include : the combination of tsix with fish for the definitive determination of fetal female / maternal status of cells ; the use of vacuum to improve fish results in fetal genetic testing ; and the use of physical crushing of cells to improve access to the nuclear material . stored xy locations may be used to record genetic test results . the xy locations of the candidate nrbcs are used throughout the processing of the cells for genetic testing . it is possible to apply fish probe to only those cells of interest , thus reducing the overall cost per test per patient . it is also possible to revisit the cells and physically remove them from the substrate for physical segregation away from the population of non - nrbcs , thus increasing the percentage of fetal dna relative to maternal dna . it is possible to revisit the xy locations of the nrbc candidates to interrogate the fish results and fetal / maternal determination . it is also possible to revisit the xy locations of the nrbc candidates and physically decondense the nuclei . the cells prepared by the methods described herein may be subject to antibody analysis . for example , several specific erythrocytic hemoglobin antibodies are available for the differential identification of fetal rbc &# 39 ; s that occur in maternal peripheral blood ( zheng et al . 1999 fetal cell identifiers : results of microscope slide - based immunocytochemical studies as a function of gestational age and abnormality . am . j . obstet . gynecol . 180 : 1234 - 1239 ). standard antibody staining techniques for fetal and embryonic hemoglobins may be performed on the nrbc &# 39 ; s that are found in maternal blood by filtering samples , preparing monolayers on slides and locating nrbc &# 39 ; s with the automated cell identification algorithm software . adults do not express the embryonic hemoglobin , epsilon , while fetal rbc &# 39 ; s may contain this embryonic hemoglobin up until the end of the first trimester ( mevron et al . 1999 . improved specificity of rbc detection in chorionic villus sample supernatant fluids using anti - zeta and anti - epsilon monoclonal antibodies . feta . diagn . ther . 14 : 291 - 295 ). antibodies against other embryonic ( zeta ) and fetal hemoglobins may be used with anti - epsilon to increase the specificity of identification of fetal nrbc &# 39 ; s , but these antibodies will also recognize zeta and fetal hemoglobin expression in adult sickle cell anemics and thallesemics . fetal hemoglobin is expressed during the last two trimesters of pregnancy and shifts to beta - hemoglobin after birth . fig6 shows data obtained from maternal blood samples after enrichment for fetal nucleated cells according to one embodiment of the disclosure . the maternal blood samples were passed over leukocyte depletion filters and cells remaining on the filter were eluted using elution buffer as described above . the cells were smeared onto slides and stained with dapi to detect nucleated cells and subject to immunohistochemistry using anti epsilon hemoglobin antibody to detect the presence of fetal cells . a portion (% of sample analyzed ) of the slides were illuminated with 420 nm and uv light to distinguish nucleated from non - nucleated cells , and cells with hemoglobin from cells without hemoglobin . cells were classified as non - nucleated red blood cells ( rbc ), white blood cells ( wbc ), and candidate nucleated red blood cells and the ratio of red blood cells to white blood cells ( rbc : wbc ) in the sample calculated . a % packing density was calculated based on the total number of cells counted . fetal nucleated red blood cells in the fields analyzed was confirmed using anti epsilon hemoglobin antibody (# fnrbcs identified ), and the predicted number of fetal nucleated red blood cells (# fnrbcs extrapolated ) in each sample extrapolated . as for additional details pertinent to the present invention , materials and manufacturing techniques may be employed as within the level of those with skill in the relevant art . the same may hold true with respect to method - based aspects of the invention in terms of additional acts commonly or logically employed . also , it is contemplated that any optional feature of the inventive variations described may be set forth and claimed independently , or in combination with any one or more of the features described herein . likewise , reference to a singular item , includes the possibility that there are plural of the same items present . more specifically , as used herein and in the appended claims , the singular forms “ a ,” “ and ,” “ said ,” and “ the ” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise . it is further noted that the claims may be drafted to exclude any optional element . as such , this statement is intended to serve as antecedent basis for use of such exclusive terminology as “ solely ,” “ only ” and the like in connection with the recitation of claim elements , or use of a “ negative ” limitation . unless defined otherwise herein , all 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 . the breadth of the present invention is not to be limited by the subject specification , but rather only by the plain meaning of the claim terms employed . | 2 |
the present invention is readily carried out . accordingly , a pharmaceutical agent , dissolved in an aqueous solvent in the presence of a conventional penetration enhancer , as defined above , is topically administered using a conventional iontophoretic device ( for examples , see tyle , cited above ). in some instances , the solution of the pharmaceutical agent will also contain a pharmaceutically acceptable ionized salt , such as sodium chloride and / or buffering constituents . the presence of an ionic salt is particularly valuable when an ionizable pharmaceutical agent is administered at a ph at which the agent is largely in unionized form , and is generally essential when the pharmaceutical agent is not capable of ionization . the dose of the drug , as well as the concentration of the drug in the aqueous solution and the volume of the solution , will , of course , depend upon the particular pharmaceutical agent administered and upon whether local or full systemic delivery of the drug is intended . in general , when systemic delivery is intended , the dose of the pharmaceutical agent will correspond approximately to that which is employed in the more conventional oral or parenteral route . of course , when gastrointestinal absorption of a particular pharmaceutical agent is known to be poor , it will be possible to obtain high systemic levels of the pharmaceutical agent by the present iontophoretic methods with relatively lower doses of the pharmaceutical agent . typical unit dosages of pharmaceutical agents administered according to the present method , based upon use in an adult of about 50 to 80 kg weight , are as follows : doxazosin , 1 - 25 mg ; the compound of formula ( i ) above , 20 - 200 mg ; aspirin , 200 - 1 , 000 mg ; acetaminophen , 200 - 10 , 000 mg ; indomethacin , 10 - 50 mg ; ibuprofen , 200 - 1 , 000 mg ; naproxen , 100 - 500 mg ; the compound of the formula ( iii ), 0 . 01 - 2 mg ; piroxicam , 5 - 20 mg ; fluconazole , 0 . 1 - 1 g ; tioconazole , 0 . 1 - 1 g ; erythromycin , 100 - 500 mg ; azithromycin , 50 - 500 mg ; oxytetracycline , 50 - 500 mg ; tetracycline , 50 - 500 mg ; doxycycline , 10 - 100 mg ; penicillin g , 100 , 000 - 500 , 000 units ; penicillin v , 100 - 500 mg ; ampicillin , 100 - 500 mg ; amoxicillin , 100 - 500 mg ; nifedipine , 5 - 20 mg ; amolodipine , 1 - 25 mg ; prazosin , 0 . 25 - 1 . 25 mg ; the compound of the formula ( iv ) wherein x is o , 1 - 10 mg ; the compound of the formula ( iv ) wherein x is c ═ 0 , 1 - 10 mg ; insulin , 50 - 1 , 000 units ; glipizide , 2 . 5 - 10 mg ; the compound of the formula ( v ), 1 - 20 mg ; the compound of the formula ( vi ), 1 - 20 mg ; and sertraline , 1 - 20 mg . however , in particular circumstances , doses outside of these ranges will be used at the discretion of the attending physician . when high localized concentrations of the desired drug are desired , the pharmaceutical agent will be administered iontophoretically , generally for a relatively short period of time , with the electric potential applied across the site where a high local concentration of the agent is desired ; for example , with analgesics at the site of pain , with antiinflammatory agents at the site of inflammation , and with antibacterials or antifungals at the site of a localized infection . on the other hand , when full systemic delivery of the pharmaceutical agent is desired , the site of administration is less critical . however , the site should be well supplied with blood vessels , so that the agent readily reaches the blood stream , which rapidly removes it from the site of administration and distributes it throughout the body . generally , systemic delivery will require longer periods of iontophoresis , permitting maximal absorption and systemic delivery of the pharmaceutical agent . according to the present method , the concentration of penetration enhancer employed is generally in the range of 0 . 01 - 5 % ( w / v ), i . e ., similar to the levels used absent iontophoresis . preferred levels are generally in the range of about 0 . 1 to 1 %. however , iontophoretic administration of pharmaceutical agents , according to the present method , is generally achieved under much milder conditions of electric potential and current density , avoiding irreversible changes or damage to the skin which can occur at higher potentials and / or current densities . the synergistic effect of iontophoresis and a skin penetration agent in moving a pharmaceutical agent across the dermal barrier is demonstrated by iontophoresis experiments detailed below . the present invention is illustrated by the following examples . however , it should be understood that the invention is not limited to the specific details of these examples . influence of oleic acid on the transport of sodium ion across the dermal barrier by iontophoresis the methods employed in iontophoresis experiments were substantially the same as those described by burnette et al ., j . pharm . sci ., v . 76 , pp . 765 - 773 ( 1987 ). diffusion cells ( side - bi - side ®; crown glass company , inc ., sommerville , n . j .) were used in all transport studies . a 0 . 64 - cm 2 area of tissue membrane was exposed to the donor and receptor compartments of each diffusion cell . the reservoirs were magnetically stirred , water jacketed , and had volumes of 3 . 0 ml . temperature control ( 37 °± 0 . 2 ° c .) was provided by a constant temperature bath ( haake a80 ) with an external circulator ( american scientific products , mcgaw park , ill .). electodes were made by lightly sanding ag wires ( 99 . 9 % purity ; 4 cm × 1 . 0 mm ) and placing them in a 1m hcl solution for 10 minutes at 50 ° c . the ag wires were then rinsed with distilled water and plated with agcl by applying a current of 0 . 20 ma ( both the cathode and anode were ag wires ) through a 0 . 5m kcl solution for 12 hours . subsequently , the ag -- agcl wires were plated with platinum black by passing a 100 - ma current ( the cathode was the ag -- agcl electrode and the anode was a pt wire of 99 . 99 % purity ) for 3 - 5 minutes through a solution containing 0 . 66 mm pb ( c 2 h 3 o 2 ) 2 and 0 . 073m h 2 ptcl 6 . the electrodes were positioned approximately 2 cm from either side of the tissue membrane , with the anode placed on the epidermal side and the cathode on the dermal side . the constant current required in the iontophoretic experiments was obtained from a programmable constant current source ( model 224 ; keithley instruments , inc ., cleveland , ohio ). slight ph changes during iontophoresis were monitored ( digi - ph - ase led ph meter equipped with an extra - slender neck , glass - body combination electrode , cole parmer , ill .) and corrected for by the addition of microliter amounts of 1m hcl or 1m naoh solutions . these additions changed the overall na + and cl - concentrations by a few percent at most . by this technique the ph was kept to within ± 0 . 1 ph unit of 7 . 4 . excised porcine skin from freshly slaughtered pigs was obtained using a padgett electrodermatome ( kansas city , mo .) set at 0 . 8 mm thickness . a thickness of 0 . 8 mm was chosen because it could be reproducibly obtained with the dermatome and because it resulted in specimens which were generally intact . each piece of tissue was examined for any gross morphological damage such as tears or holes under a stereomicroscope ( stereomaster ii , allied fischer scientific , itasca , ill .) at a magnification of × 30 and × 60 using both transmitted and reflected light for illumination . all tissue was obtained within 24 hours after death , positioned dermal side down on a piece of filter paper soaked with 0 . 9 % nacl , placed in a petri dish , stored at 4 ° c ., and used approximately 12 hours later . all chemicals were used as received and all solutions were made using distilled water which had been passed through a barnstead pcs water purification system ( which contains charcoal filter and a mixed - bed ion exchange resin , the resulting water having a ph of 6 - 8 and a resistance of 14 - 18 mohm / cm ). transport studies were carried out using buffer solutions which were 3 : 2 by volume mixtures of 0 . 13m nacl in 25 mm hepes buffer and ethanol . all buffers were degassed prior to use by sonicating the buffer at 40 ° c . under reduced pressure in order to prevent bubble formation on the tissue , which could result in artifactual transport results . radiotracer solutions were made up in the buffer 22 na + ( 0 . 3 μci / ml ) obtained from nen research products ( boston , mass .). in those experiments employing oleic acid , this compound was present at a level of 0 . 25 % w / v in the buffer solution . transport studies were performed by mounting the excised tissue in the diffusion cell , placing plain buffer solution in the chamber adjacent to one side of the tissue , adding buffer containing tracer to the other chamber , inserting electrodes ( if required ), and turning on the magnetic stirrers . the starting time was defined as the time when the current was turned on , with samples being taken at 0 . 75 - 1 . 5 hour intervals for 8 . 25 hours . samples of 2 ml were obtained by disconnecting the current source , removing the entire contents of the receiving cell , rinsing the receiving cell with fresh buffer , replacing with 3 ml of fresh buffer , and reconnecting the electrodes and current source . the 22 na + samples were counted in a auto - gamma scintillation spectrometer 5236 ( packard instrument company , downers grove , ill .). the mean total counts obtained had standard errors of the mean ( sem ) which were less than ± 5 % of the mean ( n = 3 ) except for the passive diffusion samples which were greater than ± 5 %. fluxes were calculated from the quantity of radioisotope transferred per unit time and the specific radioactivity in the donor compartment . ( control experiments showed that the free solution specific activity of the isotope in the donor chamber remained approximately constant throughout the course of an experiment . this implies that loss of isotope through transport into the receiving chamber or through absorption of isotope onto the glass or the electrodes was negligible .) the fluxes were expressed per unit area by dividing the flux by the surface area of the tissue ( 0 . 64 cm 2 ). these fluxes were defined to occur at a time equal to the total elapsed time minus one - half the collection time interval . for the experiments whose results are shown in table i , the anode and the na + tracer were placed in the chamber facing the dermal side of the tissue . control experiments show no significant passive flux of na + absent electric current or oleic acid . the synergistic effect of iontophoresis coupled with oleic acid is demonstrated by the data in table ii . the expected flux , which is the sum of the flux resulting from current alone and oleic acid alone , is generally well below that observed with combined use of current and oleic acid . table i______________________________________average na . sup .+ flux ( μmol / cm . sup . 2 / h ) time oa . sup . a current alone oa . sup . a + current ( h ) alone 0 . 25 μamp 100 μamp 0 . 25 μamp 100 μamp______________________________________0 . 75 0 . 1 0 . 5 2 . 0 0 . 8 3 . 12 . 25 0 . 3 0 . 9 3 . 8 1 . 6 6 . 03 . 75 0 . 8 1 . 0 4 . 5 1 . 7 6 . 55 . 25 1 . 0 1 . 0 5 . 0 2 . 1 7 . 46 . 75 1 . 3 1 . 3 5 . 0 2 . 5 7 . 58 . 25 1 . 7 1 . 2 5 . 2 2 . 6 8 . 2______________________________________ . sup . a oleic acid , 0 . 25 % table ii______________________________________additive na . sup .+ versus observed fluxwith oleic acid and currenttime 25 μamp 100 μamp ( h ) calcd . observed calcd . observed______________________________________0 . 75 0 . 6 0 . 8 2 . 1 3 . 12 . 25 1 . 2 1 . 6 4 . 1 6 . 03 . 75 1 . 8 1 . 7 5 . 3 6 . 55 . 25 2 . 0 2 . 1 6 . 0 7 . 46 . 75 2 . 6 2 . 5 6 . 3 7 . 58 . 25 2 . 9 2 . 6 6 . 9 8 . 2______________________________________ a . apparatus -- an electrical device capable of generating a constant current of from 0 . 1 to 9 . 0 ma using a power source of up to 10 volts . two electrodes , anode and cathode made of appropriate material ( e . g ., ag / agcl or platinum ). the anode or positive electrode is a pliable reservoir ( 3 - 5 ml ) with a semipermeable porous membrane for placement next to the skin . the cathode or return electrode is filled with a conductive gel . b . drug solutions -- doxazosin ( 2 - 20 mg , as the mesylate salt ) is dissolved in a 3 - 5 ml volume of 20 - 70 % ( v / v ) ethanol vehicle . the vehicle also contains 5 - 100 mm of a phosphate buffer at ph 3 - 5 and 0 . 1 - 1 % ( w / v ) of oleic acid . c . administration -- the above solution of doxazosin is filled into the anode reservoir . the anode is afixed to the surface of the chest with adhesive while the return electrode is placed on an adjacent area . 0 . 1 - 5 ma of current is applied for 10 - 90 minutes until systemic delivery of the drug is sufficient to reduce blood pressure to the desired level . treatment of muscle or arthritic joint pain and inflammation with piroxicam using iontophoresis and oleic acid a . background -- this type of therapy is applicable to acute flare - ups or injury and is used in place of or in conjunction with oral therapy to enhance drug levels locally at the intended site . b . apparatus -- same as the preceding example , except that the cathode (-) is the drug electrode and the anode (+) is the return electrode . c . drug solutions -- same as the preceding example , except that 1 mg / ml of piroxicam concentration at ph 7 . 4 is used . d . administration -- same as the preceding example , except electrodes are placed adjacent to site of injury or pain / inflammation . | 8 |
a management system in accordance with the present invention operates in conjunction with an information system . the information system comprises many kinds of information objects related to each other . each information object may be stored in any one of a variety of information storage devices of a computer . such storage devices can include , for example , hard disk drives , cds , and floppy diskettes . the information object may be a single file , a file directory comprising many files , or a tree structure . the type of information may be a document , database , video , image or audio . referring to fig1 the information system in the present invention has some information objects . the information objects include item master objects 30 , bills of material ( bom ) objects 10 , and related information objects that are related to the boms 10 . the related information objects are stored in a database . accordingly , the related information objects are hereinafter called db objects 20 . a version management module 40 is used to manage original and modified forms of the information of all these various information objects . referring also to fig2 the bom object 10 comprises a plurality of information nodes organized in a hierarchical tree structure . each node is hereinafter called a bom node 101 . to distinguish between various bom nodes 101 , they are hereinafter designated as bom node 101 a , bom node 101 b , and so on . the nodes can store information about any subject - matter . for example , the subject - matter may be a product such as a computer mouse , a project such as a sales project , or a constitution of an organization such as a tree diagram of the organization &# 39 ; s personnel . in the present invention , the bom object 10 is not limited to the structure of a product . it could also , for example , include information about a plan , an item of software , an accessory of a product , and management of inventory , personnel or finances . each db object 20 is used to store many kinds of related information . the information may be stored in a variety of forms as indicated previously . each item master 30 is used to connect and integrate all related information objects in the information system . in particular , the item master 30 is used to create the information between the bom object 10 and the relational db object 20 . [ 0025 ] fig1 and 2 include examples of one bom object 10 , one db object 20 and one item master 30 . the examples help explain the structures of and interrelationships between these three information objects . the bom object 10 is used to record the structure of a product such as a mouse . a user can find out about components of the mouse by referring to the hierarchical structure of the bom nodes 101 . for example , an upper cover bom node 101 a provides information about the upper cover of the mouse , the chassis bom node 101 b provides information about the chassis of the mouse , and so on . since the bom object 10 comprises a tree structure of bom nodes 101 , it may be used as an interface for users of the information system . through every bom node 101 , a user can find all information related to the bom node 101 that is stored in the db objects 20 . for example , a user can select an upper cover bom node 101 a by clicking on a monitor display of that node , and search information stored in the db objects 20 that is related to the mouse &# 39 ; s upper cover . such related information may include a table of the mouse &# 39 ; s structure , the material of the upper cover , and the price of the upper cover . in other words , through a bom node 101 , a user can find all information logically related to that bom node 101 . in the present invention , two types of logical links between the bom nodes 101 and related information are configured . the first type is called an exclusive link . an exclusive link is automatically modified when a corresponding bom node 101 is modified . the other type is called a reference link . a reference link only relates to reference information of a bom node 101 . reference information is described in more detail later on . each exclusive link connects a bom node 101 with a db object 20 via a corresponding item master 30 . that is , the bom node 101 and the related db object 20 are respectively linked to the same item master 30 through the exclusive link . the item master 30 functions as a secretary of the bom node 101 , by responding to all requests made by users at the bom node 101 . for example , an item master 30 linked to an upper cover bom node 101 a is called an upper cover item master 30 . exclusive links record the relation between the bom node 101 and logically related information . the relation may be one to many , many to one , or many to many . for example , a product bom node 101 a may be linked to categories of information such as design ( 20 a ), manufacture ( 20 b ), price ( 20 c ), and specification ( 20 d ). if these categories of information are logically linked to the item master 30 of the bom node 101 a , an exclusive link relation of one to many is created ( see fig3 a ). by contrast , a product bom object 10 may be used in different projects . such projects might include a product development project and a sales project . a bom node 101 c may be created for the development project , and a bom node 101 d may be created for the sales project . the created bom nodes 101 c and 101 d are taken as different information objects . the bom nodes 101 c and 101 d are still linked to the same item master 30 of the bom object 10 . the bom nodes 101 c and 101 d are thus linked to the same corresponding db objects 20 via the same item master 30 . an exclusive link relation of many to many is created ( see fig3 b ). in the information system , users preferably use a bom object 10 to create , search , manage , or modify any information related to an information object . each b om object 10 has a graphical user interface and a hierarchical tree structure of bom nodes 101 to allow users to perform such tasks . the above description details the interrelationships between the bom object 10 , the bom node 101 , the db object 20 and the item master 30 , and their respective functions . all related information of a product is stored in corresponding db objects 20 . the actual structure of the product is represented by the tree structure of the bom object 10 . all components of the product are represented by a plurality of bom nodes 101 which are exclusively linked to corresponding db objects 20 via the item masters 30 . when a user wants to add , modify or change a db object 20 , he must perform such action on the bom node 101 or a bom object 10 which corresponds to that db object 20 . accordingly , the adding , modifying or changing of the db object 20 can be directly seen in the user interface of the bom node 101 or bom object 10 . an action or operation on a bom node 101 is classified into three types : adding a new bom node , using an old bom node , and modifying a bom node . a user must perform any of the above - described operations according to a version management rule . the version management module 40 then automatically rebuilds or updates the item master 30 and the exclusive links of the item master 30 . the version management module 40 thus manages all versions of each information object . 1 : a sub - rule of adding a new bom node 101 . this sub - rule applies only when a new bom node is added . according to this sub - rule , when a new bom node 101 is being added , the version management module 40 automatically performs one of the under - mentioned functions to add a new bom node into the information system . the functions comprise : add an item master of a new product , use an old item master , log out the item master directly ( hereinafter called “ check out ”), and log out the item master from branch ( hereinafter called “ branch out ”). 2 : a sub - rule of using an old bom node 101 . this sub - rule applies only when an old bom node 101 which already exists in the information system is being used . according to this sub - rule , when a user continues to use an old bom node 101 , the version management module 40 automatically performs one of the under - mentioned functions to use the old bom node 101 already existing in the information system . the functions comprise : use an old bom node , log out bom node directly , and log out bom node from branch . 3 : a sub - rule of modifying a bom node . this sub - rule applies only when a user modifies a bom node 101 . that is , for example , when the user modifies the structure or specifications of a subassembly of a bom object 10 according to this sub - rule , when a user modifies a bom node 101 already existing in an information system , the version management module 40 automatically performs one of the under - mentioned functions to modify a bom node 101 . the functions comprise : “ registration ”, login , “ check out ”, “ branch out ”, authorization , and freeze . each of the above - mentioned sub - rule functions are now described in more detail : 1 . add a new bom node : adding a new bom node which does not belong to the original information system . 2 . login : a newly - created information object is transferred by the user from a local personal computer ( pc ) to an information system . once the transfer is completed , the user loses the right to modify the information object . 3 . logout : if the user at the local pc wants to modify the information transferred to the information system , he must ask the information system for permission of “ logout ”. after obtaining the permission , the user can modify the information and transfer the modified information to the information system by “ login .” there are two ways to log out from a bom node 101 : “ check out ” or “ branch out .” in “ check out ”, when a user logs out from a particular bom node 101 , no other user is permitted to log out from the same bom node 101 . in “ branch out ”, many users can log out from the same bom node 101 simultaneously in this situation , each user must log out from the bom node 101 by “ branch out .” the modified data resulting from each “ branch out ” are independent from the modified data resulting from all other simultaneous “ branch outs .” that is , the versions of the modified bom objects resulting from “ branch out ” and login are distinguishable from each other . the item master 30 records the original version and all modified versions of each bom object . 4 . registration and authorization : if a user needs to upload an information object to the information system through “ login ”, the user has to get “ registration ” permission from the information system . the information system automatically assigns a registration number to the information object after the “ login ” has been performed . 5 . freeze : an information object has been fixed in final form , so that no more modification is allowed . therefore the version of the frozen information object is a final version . 6 . use an old bom node : this usually refers to using a bom node 101 or a bom object 10 which already exists in the information system . when a new bom object is added by the user . if the user logs out from a bom node 101 , the modified bom node is subsequently transferred to the information system by using “ login ”. a new version of the bom node 101 is then created in the information system . at the same time , a new version of all db objects 20 and of all item masters 30 that the new version of the bom node exclusively links to is created , and the relation with the old version is recorded . however , all reference files are retained unaltered . referring to fig5 the workflow of each information object in the whole information system is controlled by a version management module 40 . the workflow is now described in detail : at first , a user at a local pc creates a new record of information 51 which comprises a bom object , several bom nodes 101 and several related db objects 20 . the user then asks the information system for “ registration ”. at this time , the new record of information 51 has not been assigned with a registration number . according to the rule of adding a new bom node , the version management module 40 adds a new item master exclusively linked to a bom node 101 and db objects 20 in the information system . this is done via the function of adding a new item master . after obtaining permission from the information system , the new record of information 51 is assigned with a registration number . at this time the process of “ login ” has been finished , and the new record of information 51 is validated as a logged in information object 52 . managers read and check the logged in information object 52 , and get “ authorizing ” permission from the information system . the information object 52 is thus validated as a published information object 53 . the published information object 53 is a formal version , and is said to be “ issued .” if the published information object 53 requires no further modification , it is validated as a frozen information object 54 by the function “ freeze ”. the frozen information object 54 is a final version , and modifying or changing it is forbidden . if a user does not have “ registration ” permission from the information system , the user can modify the logged in information 51 by “ check out ” or “ branch out .” the same principle to the published information 53 , after passing the managers &# 39 ; checking , the users can still modify the formal version of published information objects 53 by using “ check out ” or “ branch out ”, then can use “ login ” to create another record of logined information . in addition to the function items described above , the version management module 40 has the following functions : 1 . referring to a bom node : a reference bom node is defined as a bom node in a newly created bom object , whereby the bom node continues using existing information in db objects . therefore , when a user selects the function item “ referring to a bom node ”, the user has no right to modify the bom node in this bom object . the version management module 40 only links the bom node information existing in the information system to the tree structure of the newly designed bom object . the item master and db objects linked to the reference bom node are both in a state of formal version that is not allowed to be modified . therefore , the user cannot modify the reference bom node unless he applies for and obtains authority to modify from the information system . 2 . copying a bom node : when a user copies a bom node which already exists in the information system , the related item master and the exclusively linked db objects related to the bom node are also automatically copied . logical links among the new copied item master , the new copied bom node and the new copied db objects are thus established . at this time , a logic link between the original reference file and the new bom node is established . therefore , by copying , a new duplicate framework comprising the new bom node , new item master , and new db objects in the information system is created . the new bom node and the old bom node are linked to the same original reference file . the only difference is in that the new item master does not have registration from the system . that is , the new item master does not have a registration number , and is in a state of “ adding ”. 3 . canceling a bom node : there are two kinds of canceling actions for a bom node . one is to delete a bom node directly , and the other is to put a copied or logged out bom node back into the information system . in the first canceling action , information of the bom nodes is deleted from the information system . the item master and exclusive db objects that the bom node linked to would be retained unaltered . in the second canceling action , a copied or logged out bom node is reverted to the state where the bom node was not copied or logged out . before getting a registration number , the new added bom node can be deleted directly . once the new bom node has a registration number , a user must use the function of “ put back ” to delete the node , the item master and the exclusively linked db objects that were created in the process of getting the registration number . when a bom node and its corresponding item master are in the state of “ adding ”, they are not yet authorized to be formal versions . they cannot be consulted , copied or logged out by a new created bom object or bom node in other plans in the information system . so , the function of “ put back ” a particular bom node is limited to the item master related to the node and all exclusive files in the same plan . if the user deletes a db object that is exclusively linked , the information system automatically checks if there are other bom nodes either exclusively or referentially linked to the db object . if the result of such check is positive , the system automatically preserves the db object . the effects of using the “ delete ” and “ put back ” functions on a reference link are similar . however , they differ regarding severing of the link between the node and the tree structure . the user cannot delete the reference node by using “ delete ” function , unless the user deletes the link as follows : as with deleting a formal version , in addition to getting authorization from the information system , the user must apply to the information system for modification . after the system grants authorization and modification , the user performs the “ freeze ” function on the reference bom node . since all the reference bom nodes are formal versions , the “ freeze ” process is suitable for the reference bom nodes . 4 . deleting a link : in many cases in practice , each bom node is referentially linked . to delete the link means to remove the bom node from the tree structure . however , the bom node itself is reserved in the information system . the information of the bom node can still be referred to in other plans . therefore when using the “ delete link ” finction , a user can only modify the tree structure of the selected bom node in the user &# 39 ; s particular plan . if other plans use the old version of the deleted bom node tree structure , the other plans will not be affected by the “ delete link ” operation . this is because the tree structures of the modified bom object referred to in other plans must be normal versions . if the user wants to modify the tree structures of the bom object , he must apply to the information system for permission to “ modify application ”. after such permission is granted , the user uses a “ new issue ” function to log out the old version , and creates a new version of the bom object . without special commands , this new version will not be linked to the tree structures of bom objects that have used the tree structure of the old version of the bom object . the user can find all tree structures uplinked to the bom object by using a “ viewing ” function provided by a related database management system . after using the “ modify application ” function and getting permission from the information system , the user can uplink the related structure to the new bom object . this renews all the links related to the new bom object . finally , the user can check and publish the whole bom structure . four practical examples are now described to help explain the management system and method of the present invention . referring to fig6 a , assume that on oct . 1 , 2000 , a design engineer “ a ” created a new bom node named “ t - mouse bom node 101 e .” the engineer “ a ” also produced a new product item master named “ t - mouse item master 30 a ” in the information system . the 3d drawing 20 e and 2d drawings 20 f relating to “ t - mouse bom node 101 e ” were exclusively linked to “ t - mouse item master 30 a .” thus the information of the “ t - mouse bom node 101 ” was created . referring to fig6 b , assume that on oct . 10 , 2000 , as a design engineer “ b ” designed a pc . engineer “ b ” wanted to use the latest version of the t - mouse with his designed pc , and have his designed pc incorporate updated versions of the t - mouse . therefore , the engineer “ b ” made the “ t - mouse bom node 101 ” created by engineer “ a ” exclusively link to his newly - created “ pc bom ” object 1 o a . referring to fig6 c , assume that on oct . 15 , 2000 , a design engineer “ c ” designed a pc server . engineer “ c ” wanted to use a mouse with his newly - designed server . engineer “ c ” searched many published product item masters 30 in the information system , and found the “ t - mouse item master 30 ” created by engineer “ a .” engineer “ c ” felt that the t - mouse in “ t - mouse item master 30 ” was suitable for his pc server . but engineer “ c ” did not want the latest updated design of the t - mouse to automatically replace the original design in his newly - designed pc server without him being shown the updated design in advance . so , engineer “ c ” created a new bom node 101 f , named it “ mouse bom node for a server designed by engineer c ”, and exclusively linked it to “ t - mouse item master 30 a ”. the “ mouse bom node for a server designed by engineer c ” and the “ t - mouse bom node ” created by engineer a were thus linked to the same “ t - mouse item master 30 a .” nevertheless , the “ mouse bom node for a server designed by engineer c ” and the “ t - mouse bom node ” were otherwise independent bom nodes . that is , each of these nodes could subsequently function within the information system as required by users and in accordance with the version management rule . referring to fig6 d , assume that on nov . 10 , 2000 , design engineer “ a ” redesigned the original t - mouse to create a new t - mouse . engineer “ a ” had to ask the information system for permission to log out the previous “ t - mouse &# 39 ; s bom node .” after getting authorization , engineer “ a ” logged out the “ t - mouse item master ” and all exclusively linked db objects 20 , and carried out the redesigning . after finishing the redesigning , engineer “ a ” logged in the new 3d drawing db objects 20 g , the “ new t - mouse item master 30 b ” and a “ new t - mouse &# 39 ; s bom node 101 g ” into the information system . at this time , the version management module 40 automatically cut off the exclusive link between the “ pc bom ” object of engineer “ b ” and the original version of “ t - mouse bom node ”, and created a new exclusive link between the “ pc bom ” object and the “ new t - mouse bom node ”. thus engineer “ b ” automatically had the updated design of the t - mouse incorporated into his designed pc . the “ new t - mouse item master ” was automatically marked by the version management module 40 as being different from the original “ t - mouse &# 39 ; s item master .” since the “ mouse bom node designed by engineer c ” still exclusively linked to the original “ t - mouse item master ”, the pc server designed by engineer “ c ” still incorporated the original design of the t - mouse . normally , an enterprise has to design and prepare several versions of a single product to meet customers &# 39 ; various demands . by using the management system and method as disclosed in the present invention , users can conveniently manage and use a variety of versions of information objects relating to the product . in particular , after publishing of a formal version of the product , a project leader in charge of development of the product as well as design engineers can use “ branch out ” to modify the formal version of the created bom object simultaneously . such persons can simultaneously share all information created , as well as easily distinguish between different versions of the originally created bom object without interfering with each other . this is accomplished by the version management rule of the present invention . | 6 |
the present invention relates to a positive pressure top / bottom pool cleaner , as discussed in detail below in connection with fig1 - 78 . referring initially to fig1 , a positive pressure pool cleaner 10 of the present disclosure is shown operating in a swimming pool 12 . the cleaner 10 is configured to switch between two cleaning modes , a bottom cleaning mode and a top / skim cleaning mode . when the cleaner 10 is in the bottom mode , it will traverse the pool walls 14 , including side walls and bottom floor wall , cleaning them with a suction operation that removes debris . when the cleaner 10 is in the top mode , it travels across and skims the pool water line 16 , trapping any floating debris proximate the pool water line 16 . the cleaner 10 is capable of being switched between the bottom mode and the top mode by a user , as discussed in greater detail below . the cleaner 10 is also adapted to occasionally switch from a forward motion to backup / spin - out mode whereby the cleaner reverses direction and / or moves in a generally arcuate sideward path to prevent the cleaner 10 from being trapped and unable to move , e . g ., by an obstruction or in the corner of the pool 12 . a discussion of the backup / spin - out mode is provided below . as shown in fig1 , the pool cleaner 10 is connected to an external pump 18 by a hose connection 20 and a segmented hose 22 . the segmented hose 22 is connected to a rear inlet of the pool cleaner 10 and extends to the hose connection 20 , which is connected to the external pump 18 . this connection allows the external pump 18 to provide pressurized water to the pool cleaner 10 to both power locomotion of the cleaner 10 as well as the cleaning capabilities of the cleaner 10 . the segmented hose 22 may include one or more swivels 24 , one or more filters 26 , and one or more floats 28 installed in - line with the segmented hose 22 . as such , the pressurized water flowing through the segmented hose 22 can also flow through the one or more swivels 24 , one or more filters 26 . the swivel 24 allows the segmented hose 22 to rotate at the swivel 24 without detaching the cleaner 10 from the external pump 18 . as such , when the cleaner 10 travels about the pool 12 , the segmented hose 22 will rotate at the one or more swivels 24 , thus preventing entanglement . the one or more filters 26 may provide a filtering functionality for the pressurized water being provided to the cleaner 10 . with reference to fig2 - 11 , the cleaner 10 includes a top housing 30 and a chassis 32 . the top housing 30 includes a body 34 and a cross member 36 . the cross member 36 connects to and spans across sidewalls of the body 34 , forming a skimmer opening 38 , a channel 40 , and a rear opening 42 . the skimmer opening 38 is an opening generally at the front of the cleaner 10 formed between the body 34 and the cross member 36 such that the skimmer opening 38 allows the flow of liquid and debris between the body 34 and the cross member 36 , along the channel 40 , and exiting the rear opening 42 . the body 34 includes a deck 44 , first and second sidewalls 46 , 48 extending generally upward from the deck , and a rounded front wall 50 . as discussed , the cross member 36 spans across and connects to the sidewalls 46 , 48 . the deck 44 , the sidewalls 46 , 48 , and the cross member 36 provide the structure that forms the channel 40 . a debris bag retention mechanism 52 is provided at the rear of the top housing 30 generally adjacent the rear opening 42 . the retention mechanism 52 is adapted to have a debris bag 54 attached thereto . when the debris bag 54 ( see fig1 ) is attached to the retention mechanism 52 the rear opening 42 is adjacent the opening to the debris bag 54 such that any debris that passes through the rear opening 42 , flows into , and is deposited in the debris bag 54 . in operation , when the cleaner 10 is in top mode debris that floats along the water line 16 of the pool 12 would travel through the skimmer opening 38 , across the channel 40 , e . g ., along the deck 44 , and out through the rear opening 42 into the debris bag 54 . the rounded front wall 50 includes a plurality of removed portions 56 adapted for a plurality of diverter wheels to extend therethrough and past the rounded front wall 50 . the deck 44 includes a debris opening 58 that traverses through the deck 44 . the debris opening 58 allows debris removed from the pool walls 14 to be moved through the deck 44 of the top housing 34 and into the debris bag 54 . a plurality of skimmer / debris retention jets 60 are positioned on each of the first and second sidewalls 46 , 48 of the top housing body 34 to spray pressurized water rearward toward the debris bag 54 . the skimmer / debris retention jets 60 are in fluidic communication with a fluid distribution system , discussed in greater detail below , such that the skimmer / debris retention jets 60 spray pressurized water when the cleaner 10 is in the skim / top mode of operation . the skimmer / debris retention jets 60 function to force water and any debris that may be in the channel 40 rearward into the debris bag 54 . furthermore , the jetting of water rearward causes a venturi - like effect causing water that is more forward than the skimmer / debris retention jets 60 to be pulled rearward into the debris bag 54 . thus , the skimmer / debris retention jets 60 perform a skimming operation whereby debris is pulled and forced into the debris bag 54 . furthermore , the skimmer / debris retention jets 60 prevent debris that is in the debris bag 54 from exiting . the chassis 32 includes a first wheel well 62 , a second wheel well 64 , a front wheel housing 66 , a rear wall 68 , and a bottom wall 70 . the first wheel well 62 functions as a side wall of the chassis 32 and a housing for a first rear wheel 72 . the second wheel well 64 functions as a second side wall of the chassis 32 and a housing for a second rear wheel 74 . the first and second rear wheels 72 , 74 are each respectively rotationally mounted to the first and second wheel wells 62 , 64 . the front wheel housing 66 extends outwardly from the front of the chassis 32 and functions to rotationally secure a front wheel 76 to the chassis 32 . the front wheel 76 , and the first and second rear wheels 72 , 74 , which are freely rotatable , support the cleaner 10 on the pool walls 14 and allow the cleaner 10 to traverse the pool walls 14 . the rear wall 68 includes an inlet port 78 , a top / bottom mode adjustment aperture 79 , a forward ( bottom mode ) thrust jet nozzle aperture 80 , and a top mode jet nozzle aperture 81 . the rear wall 68 also includes a forward ( bottom mode ) thrust jet nozzle 82 extending through the forward thrust jet nozzle aperture 80 , and a top mode jet nozzle 83 extending through the top mode jet nozzle aperture 81 , which are discussed in greater detail below . the inlet port 78 includes an external nozzle 84 and an internal nozzle 86 , each respectively have a barb 88 , 90 that facilitates connection of a hose thereto . the external nozzle 84 allows a hose , such as the segmented hose 22 , to be connected to the cleaner 10 , putting the cleaner 10 in fluidic communication with the external pump 18 . the external nozzle 84 is generally a fluid inlet , while the internal nozzle 86 is generally a fluid outlet . that is , the external nozzle 84 is connected to and in fluidic communication with the internal nozzle 86 such that water provided to the external nozzle 84 travels to and exits the internal nozzle 86 . the internal nozzle 86 is connected to a hose 87 ( see fig1 ) or hose 503 a ( see fig5 ) which is connected , and in fluidic communication , with a drive assembly , discussed in greater detail below . the forward ( bottom mode ) thrust jet nozzle 82 extends through the rear wall 68 , and includes an internal nozzle 94 , and a barb 96 , and is discussed in greater detail below . the bottom wall 70 includes a suction head 98 and a suction aperture 100 . the suction head 98 is formed as a pyramidal recess or funnel disposed in the bottom wall 70 and extending to the suction aperture 100 , which extends through the bottom wall 70 . as shown in fig4 and 10 , the suction head 98 may include a rectangular perimeter that extends generally across the width of the bottom wall 70 of the cleaner 10 . a suction tube 102 is positioned adjacent the suction aperture 100 and extends from the suction aperture 100 to the debris opening 58 of the top housing 30 . a plurality of suction jet nozzles 104 are mounted adjacent the suction aperture 100 and oriented to discharge a high velocity stream of water through the suction tube 102 , creating a venture - like suction effect . the high velocity discharge from the suction jet nozzles 104 removes debris from the pool walls 14 when the cleaner 10 is in bottom mode . in such an arrangement , the suction head 98 functions to direct loosened debris into the suction aperture 100 , this debris is forced through the suction tube 102 by the suction jet nozzles 104 . the plurality of suction jet nozzles 104 may be three nozzles arranged in a triangular orientation , four nozzles arranged in a rectangular orientation , or various other orientations . furthermore , the plurality of suction jet nozzles 104 may be oriented to direct their respective stream of water parallel to the central axis of the suction tube 102 , or may be oriented to direct their respective stream of water at an angle to the central axis of the suction tube 102 to cause a helical flow , which also results in increase performance / efficiency of the cleaner . the chassis 32 includes a front rim 106 having a plurality of cut - outs receiving diverter wheels 108 . the front rim 106 and cut - outs define an upper frontal perimeter of the chassis 32 . the plurality of diverter wheels 108 are rotatably mounted to the chassis 32 adjacent the front rim 106 such that the diverter wheels 108 extend through the cut - outs . the diverter wheels 108 function as rotatable bumpers so if the cleaner 10 approaches a pool wall 14 the diverter wheels 108 contact the pool wall 14 instead of the top housing 30 or the chassis 32 . when in contact with the pool wall 14 , the diverter wheels 108 rotate , allowing the cleaner 10 to be continually driven and moved along , and / or diverted away from , the pool wall 14 . thus , the diverter wheels 108 protect the cleaner 10 from damage due to contact with the pool wall 14 . vice versa , the wheels 108 protect the pool walls from damage due to the cleaner 10 , e . g ., scuffing , scratching , etc . the chassis 32 includes a reverse / spin - out thrust jet nozzle housing 110 located at a frontal portion generally adjacent the front wheel housing 66 . the jet nozzle housing 110 includes a removed portion 111 providing access to a reverse / spin - out thrust jet nozzle 112 . the reverse / spin - out thrust jet nozzle 112 is secured within the jet nozzle housing 110 and includes an outlet 114 and an inlet 116 having a barb 118 . the barb 118 facilitates attachment of a hose 119 a to the inlet 116 . water provided to the inlet 116 is forced out the outlet 114 under pressure causing a jet of pressurized water directed generally forward . this jet of pressurized water causes the cleaner 10 to move in a rearward direction . alternatively , the reverse / spin - out thrust jet nozzle 112 may be positioned at an angle to the chassis 32 such that it causes an angular movement of the cleaner 10 , e . g ., a “ spin - out ,” instead of rearward movement of the cleaner 10 . in either configuration , the reverse / spin - out thrust jet nozzle 112 functions to occasionally cause the cleaner 10 to move in a reverse motion or spin - out motion so that if it is ever stuck in a corner of the pool 12 , or stuck on an obstruction in the pool 12 , such as a pool toy or pool ornamentation , it will free itself and continue to clean the pool 12 . fig1 is a sectional view of the pool cleaner 10 taken along line 12 - 12 of fig5 . as illustrated in fig1 , the chassis 32 forms a housing for a drive assembly 120 , a water distribution manifold 122 , and the suction tube 102 . fig1 - 17 illustrate the drive assembly 120 and the water distribution manifold 122 , which are in fluidic communication with one another . the drive assembly 120 includes a timer assembly 124 , a back - up / spin - out mode valve assembly 126 , and a top / bottom mode valve assembly 128 , each discussed in greater detail below . the water distribution manifold 122 includes a manifold body 130 and a jet ring 132 . the manifold body 130 includes a plurality of chambers that function to direct water flow amongst the various jet nozzles of the cleaner 10 . the suction tube 102 includes a bottom end 134 and a top end 136 . the jet ring 132 is connected with the bottom end 134 of the suction tube 102 and includes the plurality of suction jet nozzles 104 . fig1 - 27 show the drive assembly 120 in greater detail . particular reference is made to fig2 , which is an exploded view of the drive assembly 120 showing the components of the timer assembly 124 , the inlet body 138 , the back - up / spin - out mode assembly 126 , and the top / bottom mode assembly 128 . the timer assembly 124 includes a turbine housing 140 , a gear box 142 , a geneva gear lower housing 144 , and a geneva gear upper housing 146 . the drive assembly 120 is configured such that the backup / spin mode assembly 126 is adjacent the inlet body 138 , the inlet body 138 is adjacent the geneva gear upper housing 146 , the geneva gear lower housing 144 is adjacent the geneva gear upper housing 146 , the gear box 142 is adjacent the geneva gear lower housing 144 , and the turbine housing 140 is adjacent the gear box 142 . the inlet body 138 includes an inlet nozzle 148 having a barbed end 150 . the inlet nozzle 148 provides a flow path from the exterior of the inlet body 138 to the interior . the inlet body 138 defines an annular chamber 152 that surrounds a central hub 154 . the inlet nozzle 148 is in communication with the annular chamber 152 such that fluid can flow into the inlet nozzle 148 and into the annular chamber 152 . the annular chamber 152 includes a closed top and an open bottom . an outlet nozzle 156 having a barbed end 158 is provided on the inlet body 138 generally opposite the inlet nozzle 148 . the outlet nozzle 156 provides a path for water to flow out from the inlet body 138 . as such , water flowing into the inlet nozzle 148 flows through the annular chamber 152 and exits the inlet body 138 through the outlet nozzle 156 . the inlet body 138 is generally closed at an upper end , e . g ., the end adjacent the geneva gear upper housing 146 , and open at a lower end , e . g ., the end adjacent the backup / spin - out mode assembly 126 . the turbine housing 140 includes an inlet nozzle 160 having a barbed end 162 , and a turbine 164 . a hose 159 is connected at one end to the barbed end 158 of the inlet body outlet nozzle 156 and at another end to a the barbed end 162 of the turbine housing inlet nozzle 160 . accordingly , water flows out from the inlet body 138 through the outlet nozzle 156 and to the turbine housing inlet nozzle 160 by way of the hose 159 . the turbine 164 includes a central hub 166 , a plurality of blades 168 , a boss 170 extending from the central hub 166 and having an output drive gear 172 mounted thereto , a central aperture 174 . the central hub 166 , boss 170 , and output drive gear 172 are connected for conjoint rotation . accordingly , rotation of the blades 168 causes rotation of the central hub 166 , boss 170 , and output drive gear 172 . the central aperture 174 extends through the center of the turbine 164 , e . g ., through the output drive gear 172 , the boss 170 , and the central hub 166 . a first shaft 176 extends through the central aperture 174 and is secured within a shaft housing 178 that is provided in a top of the turbine housing 140 . the first shaft 176 extends from the shaft housing 178 , through the turbine 164 , and into the gear box 142 . the turbine housing 140 also includes one or more apertures 180 in a sidewall thereof that allow water to escape the turbine housing 140 . when pressurized water enters the turbine housing 140 through the inlet nozzle 160 it places pressure on the turbine blades 168 , thus transferring energy to the turbine 164 and causing the turbine 164 to rotate . however , once the energy of the pressurized water is transferred to the turbine 164 it must be removed from the system , otherwise it will impede and place resistance on new pressurized water entering the turbine housing 140 . accordingly , new pressurized water introduced into the turbine housing 140 forces the old water out from the one or more apertures 180 . fig2 is a sectional view of the turbine housing 140 taken along line 26 - 26 of fig2 further detailing and showing the arrangement of the turbine 164 within the turbine housing 140 . the turbine housing 140 is positioned on the gear box 142 . the gear box 142 includes a turbine mounting surface 182 having an aperture 184 extending there through . the turbine housing 140 is positioned on , and covers , the gear box turbine mounting surface 182 , such that the turbine 164 is adjacent the turbine mounting surface 182 and the turbine output drive gear 172 extends through the aperture 184 and into the gear box 142 . the gear box 142 houses a reduction gear stack 186 that is made up of a plurality of drive gears 188 , some of which include a large gear 190 connected and coaxial with a smaller gear 192 ( see fig2 ) for conjoint rotation therewith . the conjoint rotation of the large gear 190 with the smaller gear 192 causes for a reduction in gear ratio . as can bee seen in fig2 , which is a sectional view of the drive assembly 120 , the gear reduction stack 186 includes two series of coaxial gears 188 that both include a central aperture 194 extending through the gears 188 . one of the series gear 186 is coaxial with the turbine 164 such that the first shaft 176 extends through the gears 188 , and into a first shaft bottom housing 218 of the geneva gear upper housing 146 , discussed in greater detail below . thus , the first series of gears 188 rotates about first shaft 176 . a second series of gears 188 is positioned to engage the first series of gears 188 and have a second shaft 196 extending through the central aperture 194 thereof . the second shaft 196 is parallel to the first shaft 176 and is secured within a second shaft top housing 198 that is positioned in a top wall of the gear box 142 . the second shaft 196 extends through the geneva gear lower housing 144 . the turbine output drive gear 172 engages a large gear 190 of the first gear 188 that rotates about the second shaft 196 . the smaller gear 192 of the first gear 188 engages another gear 188 that rotates about the first shaft 176 . a series of such gears are positioned within the gear reduction stack 186 with particular gear ratios , and engaged with one another in the above - described fashion , so that rotation of the turbine 164 , and subsequent rotation of the turbine output drive gear 172 , causes each gear 188 of the gear reduction stack 186 to rotate with each subsequent gear rotating at a different speed . the gear reduction stack 186 includes a final gear stack output gear 200 that rotates about the first shaft 176 . the gear stack output gear 200 includes a drive gear 202 and a geneva drive gear 204 extending from the drive gear 202 for conjoint rotation therewith . the gear stack output drive gear 202 engages and is driven by one of the smaller gears 192 of a gear 188 of the gear stack 186 . accordingly , rotation of the turbine blades 168 causes rotation of the central hub 166 , boss 170 , and output drive gear 172 , which output drive gear 172 causes rotation of the gears 188 of the gear reduction stack 186 , and ultimately rotation of the gear stack output gear 200 . as shown in fig2 , the geneva drive gear 204 includes a central hub 206 , a central aperture 208 , and a post 210 , which all extend from the drive gear 204 , thus having conjoint rotation therewith . the central hub 206 includes a remove section 212 . the function of the geneva drive gear 204 is discussed in greater detail below in connection with fig2 . referring now to fig2 , the geneva gear lower housing 144 is positioned between the gear box 142 and the geneva gear upper housing 146 . the geneva gear lower housing 144 includes an aperture 214 that the geneva drive gear 204 extends through . the geneva gear upper housing 146 includes the first shaft bottom housing 218 and a geneva output aperture 230 ( see fig2 ). the geneva gear lower and upper housings 144 , 146 house a geneva gear 220 . the geneva gear 220 includes a second shaft bottom housing 221 , a plurality of cogs 222 , a plurality of slots 224 between each cog 222 , and a socket 228 ( see fig2 ). the second shaft 196 ( see fig2 ) extends through the geneva gear lower housing 144 and is secured within the shaft bottom housing 221 . the geneva gear 220 shown in fig2 includes eight cogs 222 separated by eight slots 224 . the slots 224 extend radially inward from the periphery of the geneva gear 220 . each of the cogs 222 include an arcuate portion 226 on the peripheral edge thereof . the socket 228 extends from the geneva gear 220 and through the upper housing geneva output aperture 230 , which generally have mating geometries so that the geneva gear socket 228 can rotate within the geneva output aperture 230 , but is restricted from planar translation . the geneva gear socket 228 generally has a circular outer geometry , for rotation within the geneva output aperture 230 , and a non - circular inner geometry , here square . in operation , rotation of the drive gear 202 ( see fig2 ) results in rotation of the geneva drive gear 204 ( see fig2 ). accordingly , because the geneva gear central hub 206 and the geneva gear post 210 are a part of the geneva drive gear 204 , and thus attached to the underside of the drive gear 202 , they rotate about the first shaft 176 . the geneva gear post 210 is positioned radially and at a distance from the central hub 206 so that it can engage the geneva gear 220 . similarly , the geneva gear 220 is sized so that each of the cogs 222 can be positioned adjacent the geneva dive gear central hub 206 . additionally , the geneva gear 220 is sized so that the geneva gear post 210 can be inserted into the slots 224 . when the geneva drive gear 204 is rotated , the post 210 orbits the central aperture 208 , while the central hub 206 rotates adjacent an arced removed portion 226 of an adjacent cog 222 . accordingly , the central hub 206 does not engage the cogs 222 . continued rotation of the geneva drive gear 204 results in the post 210 making a full orbit about the central aperture 208 until it reaches a point where it intersects a cog slot 224 . further rotation of the post 210 causes the post 210 to enter a slot 224 and engage a side wall of a cog 222 , pushing the cog in the rotational direction of the post 210 . to facilitate this rotation , the removed portion 212 of the central hub 206 allows any extraneous portions of the cogs 222 that would otherwise contact the central hub 206 to instead move within the removed portion 212 . thus , the central hub 206 does not restrict the geneva gear 220 from rotating . as the post 210 rotates while engaging the cog 222 it pushes the cog 222 and causes the entire geneva gear 220 to rotate in an opposite direction than the rotational direction of the post 210 . the post 210 does not continually rotate the geneva gear 220 for the entirety of the rotational cycle of the post 210 , but instead acts as an incremental rotation device that “ clicks ” a cog 222 over one position while it engages the cog 222 . as such , the geneva gear 220 has a series of distinct positions , with the number of distinct positions being based on the number of cogs 222 . here , there are eight cogs 222 , so there are eight distinct positions , e . g ., each position being at 45 °. therefore , the entire geneva gear 220 is rotated , or “ clicked ” over , 45 ° per rotational cycle of the post 210 , as opposed to continuous rotation if this were a standard gear . accordingly , the geneva gear 220 does not gradually switch positions , but is instead more quickly “ clicked ” over to a new position . the geneva gear 220 can be altered to accommodate different scenarios that could require lesser or greater angular positioning of the geneva gear 220 , for example if it is required for there to be 20 ° positioning , then the geneva gear could include eighteen cogs and eighteen slots . referring back to fig2 , rotation of the geneva gear 220 causes conjoint rotation of the geneva gear socket 228 within the upper housing geneva output aperture 230 . the geneva gear socket 228 rotationally engages a drive head 260 of a reverse / skim - out valve selector 238 , which will be discussed in greater detail . fig2 - 30 show the reverse / spin - out mode assembly 126 in greater detail . fig2 is an exploded view of the reverse / spin - out mode assembly 126 , and the inlet body 138 . the reverse / spin - out mode assembly 126 includes a reverse / spin - out mode valve body 236 and a reverse / skim - out mode valve selector 238 . the reverse / spin - out mode valve body 236 includes an opening 240 , an internal forward drive chamber 242 , an internal reverse drive chamber 244 , and a plurality of dividers 246 that separate the internal forward drive chamber 242 and the internal reverse drive chamber 244 . as can be seen , internal structural support ribs are provided within the chamber 242 , as shown in fig2 . the reverse / spin - out mode valve selector 238 includes a valve disk 254 , a shaft 256 , an enlarged section 258 , a drive head 260 , and an o - ring 262 . the valve disk 254 is generally circular in geometry and sized to match the reverse / spin - out mode valve body opening 240 . the valve disk 254 includes a window 264 that is positioned on the outer periphery of the valve disk 254 . the window 264 extends through the valve disk 254 , and generally spans an angular distance about the circumference equal to a single position of the geneva gear cog 222 . more specifically , in the current example , there are eight cogs 222 at eight distinct positions , e . g ., each position being at 45 °. accordingly , the window 264 extends an angular distance of 45 ° about the circumference of the valve disk 254 , which matches the expanse of a single cog 222 , and the distance a single cog 222 travels during a single rotational cycle of the geneva gear 220 . the shaft 254 extends from the center of the valve disk 254 to an enlarged section 258 . the enlarged section 258 is generally circular in shape and sized to be inserted into , and rotate within , the central hub 154 of the inlet body 138 . the enlarged section 258 can include an o - ring 262 about the periphery for creating a seal radially against the central hub 154 . the drive head 260 extends from the enlarged section 258 and includes a generally square geometry . particularly , the drive head 260 is configured to engage the geneva gear socket 228 , such that rotation of the geneva gear socket 228 rotationally drives the drive head 260 . accordingly , the drive head 260 and the geneva gear socket 228 include mating geometries . rotation of the drive head 260 results in rotation of the valve disk 254 , and thus the window 264 . the window 264 provides a pathway for water to flow through and into either the internal forward drive chamber 242 or the internal reverse drive chamber 244 . specifically , water enters the inlet body 138 at the inlet 148 and flows to the annular chamber 152 . when in the annular chamber 152 , the water flows in two directions , i . e ., out through the outlet 156 and toward the opening 240 of the reverse / spin - out mode valve body 236 . however , the water is restricted from entering the opening 240 of the reverse / spin - out mode valve body 236 by the reverse / spin - out valve selector 238 . accordingly , the water must flow through the window 264 of the reverse / spin - out valve selector 238 , and into the reverse / spin - out valve body 236 ( see fig2 ). fig2 is a top view of the reverse / spin - out mode valve body 236 , and fig3 is a sectional view of the reverse / spin - out mode valve body 236 taken along line 30 - 30 of fig2 . the window 264 generally includes eight different positions , which are based on the eight cog 222 positions . one of these positions is adjacent the internal reverse drive chamber 244 , and seven of these positions are adjacent the internal forward drive chamber 242 . the geneva gear 220 drivingly rotates the valve disk 254 , and the window 264 , 45 ° at a time so that the window 264 switches between the eight different positions for each rotation of the geneva drive gear 204 . as shown in fig3 , the internal forward drive chamber 242 encompasses approximately seven of the eight sections , while the internal reverse drive chamber 244 encompasses a single section . accordingly , the window 264 will be positioned adjacent the internal forward drive chamber 242 for approximately ⅞ ths of the time , and will be positioned adjacent the internal reverse drive chamber 244 for approximately ⅛ th of the time . as mentioned previously , the geneva gear 220 functions to quickly rotate 45 ° at a time so that the window 264 swiftly rotates from one position to the next , instead of gradually moving from one position to the next . accordingly , the time spent by the window 264 adjacent both the internal reverse drive chamber 244 and the internal forward drive chamber 242 when the window 264 is switching between these two chambers is minimized . the internal reverse drive chamber 244 is in fluidic communication with a reverse / spinout outlet port 250 that can include an o - ring 252 . the reverse / spinout outlet port 250 is connected with the water distribution manifold 122 , and is discussed in greater detail below . the internal forward drive chamber 242 is connected with the open bottom of the reverse / spin - out mode valve body 236 for the water to flow to the top / bottom mode valve body 270 . each of the inlet body 138 , turbine housing 140 , gear box 142 , geneva gear upper housing 146 , reverse / spin - out mode valve body 236 , and top / bottom mode valve body 270 can include a plurality of coaxially aligned mounting brackets 232 that allow connection by a plurality of bolts 234 . fig3 - 33 show the top / bottom mode assembly 128 in greater detail . fig3 is an exploded view of the top / bottom mode assembly 128 . the top / bottom mode assembly 128 includes a top / bottom mode valve body 270 and a top / bottom mode valve selector 272 . the top / bottom mode valve body 270 includes and upper opening 274 , an internal bottom mode chamber 276 , an internal top mode chamber 278 , and a plurality of dividers 280 that separate the internal bottom mode chamber 276 and the internal top mode chamber 278 . the top / bottom mode valve body 270 is closed at the bottom . the internal bottom mode chamber 277 is connected , and in fluidic communication , with a bottom mode outlet port 282 that can include an o - ring 284 . the internal top mode chamber 278 is connected , and in fluidic communication , with a top mode outlet port 286 that can include an o - ring 288 . the top / bottom mode valve body 270 also includes a central hub 290 that is positioned within and is coaxial with the top / bottom mode valve body 270 . the central hub 290 is hollow and extends from the upper opening 274 through the bottom of the top / bottom mode valve body 270 . the central hub 290 is connected with the dividers 280 . the internal bottom mode chamber 276 and the internal top mode chamber 278 extend about the circumference of the central hub 290 . the top / bottom mode valve selector 272 includes a valve disk 292 , a shaft 294 , an enlarged section 296 , an engageable drive head 298 , and an o - ring 300 about the enlarged section 296 . the drive head 298 is configured to be engaged by a user , such that a tool can be used to engage the head 298 and rotate the top / bottom mode valve selector 272 to select a desired mode of operation . the valve disk 292 is generally circular in geometry and sized to match the top / bottom mode valve body upper opening 270 . the valve disk 292 includes a window 302 that is positioned on the outer periphery of the valve disk 292 . the window 302 extends through the valve disk 292 . the shaft 294 extends from the center of the valve disk 292 to the enlarged section 296 . the enlarged section 296 is generally circular in shape and sized to be inserted into , and rotate within , the central hub 290 . the enlarged section 296 can include the o - ring 262 about the periphery for creating a seal radially against the central hub 290 . the drive head 298 extends from the enlarged section 296 , and includes a geometry that facilitates engagement . for example , the drive head 298 can include a square or hexagonal geometry , or alternatively can include a flat slot for engagement with a flat - head screwdriver , or a crossed slot for engagement with a phillips - head screwdriver . rotation of the drive head 298 results in rotation of the valve disk 292 , and thus the window 302 . the window 302 provides a pathway for water to flow through and into either the internal bottom mode chamber 276 or the internal top mode chamber 278 . specifically , water that flows through the internal forward drive chamber 242 of the reverse / spin - out mode valve body 236 can pass through the window 302 to enter the top / bottom mode valve body 270 . the top / bottom mode valve body 270 chamber that the water enters , e . g ., the internal bottom mode chamber 276 and the internal top mode chamber 278 , depends on the positioning of the window 302 . that is , when the window 302 is positioned adjacent the internal bottom mode chamber 276 , due to engagement of the drive head 298 and rotation of the valve disk 292 , water will flow into the internal bottom mode chamber 276 . on the other hand , if the window 302 is positioned adjacent the internal top mode chamber 278 , water will flow into the internal top mode chamber 276 . fig3 is a top view of the top / bottom mode valve body 128 , and fig3 is a sectional view of the top / bottom mode valve body 128 taken along line 33 - 33 of fig2 . as can be seen , the internal bottom mode chamber 276 and the internal top mode chamber 278 are generally divided by the central hub 290 and the plurality of dividers 280 . the internal bottom mode chamber 276 is connected with the bottom mode outlet port 282 , while the internal top mode chamber 278 is connected with the top mode outlet port 286 . accordingly , water that flows into the internal bottom mode chamber 276 will flow out from the bottom mode outlet port 282 , while water that flows into the internal top mode chamber 278 will flow out from the top mode outlet port 286 . the bottom mode outlet port 282 and the top mode outlet port 286 are connected with the water distribution manifold 122 , which will be discussed in greater detail . fig3 - 43 show the water distribution manifold 122 in greater detail . specific reference is made to fig3 - 35 , which are perspective views of the water distribution manifold 122 . the water distribution manifold 122 includes a manifold top 308 , the manifold body 130 , and the jet ring 132 . the manifold top 308 includes three inlets , a reverse / spinout inlet 312 , a top mode inlet 314 , and a bottom mode inlet 316 . the manifold top 308 also includes a plurality of mounting tabs 318 for engagement with the manifold body 130 , and a plurality of mounting risers 320 for engagement with the mounting brackets 232 of the top / bottom mode valve body 270 . the reverse / spinout inlet 312 is generally connected with the reverse / spinout outlet port 250 of the reverse / spinout mode valve body 236 , such that the reverse / spinout outlet port 250 is inserted into the reverse / spinout inlet 312 and the o - ring 252 creates a seal radially against a wall of the reverse / spinout inlet 312 . the top mode inlet 314 is generally connected with the top mode outlet port 286 of the top / bottom mode valve body 270 , such that the top mode outlet port 286 is inserted into the top mode inlet 314 and the o - ring 288 creates a seal radially against a wall of the top mode inlet 314 . the bottom mode inlet 316 is generally connected with the bottom mode outlet port 282 of the top / bottom mode valve body 270 , such that the bottom mode outlet port 282 is inserted into the bottom mode inlet 316 and the o - ring 284 creates a seal radially against a wall of the bottom mode inlet 316 . the manifold top 308 is positioned on top of the manifold body 130 . fig4 is a sectional view of the manifold body 130 taken along section line 42 - 42 of fig3 . the manifold body 130 defines a reverse / spinout mode chamber 326 , a top mode chamber 328 , and a bottom mode chamber 330 . the reverse / spinout mode chamber 326 , the top mode chamber 328 , and the bottom mode chamber 330 are separated by a plurality of internal divider walls 332 . the manifold body 130 includes a bottom wall 334 than includes an aperture 336 extending through a portion of the bottom wall 334 that forms the bottom mode chamber 330 . the aperture 336 extends through the bottom wall 334 to a flow channel 338 . the flow channel 338 is located on the bottom 339 of the manifold body bottom wall 334 and sealed with the channel 105 that is located on the bottom wall 70 of the chassis 32 . accordingly , a fluid - tight pathway is formed between the flow channel 338 and the chassis bottom wall channel 105 . a gasket may be provided between the flow channel 338 and the chassis bottom wall channel 105 to facilitate formation of a seal . the chassis body 130 also includes a reverse / spinout outlet 340 having a barbed end 342 , two top mode skimmer outlets 344 each having a barbed end 346 , a top mode jet nozzle housing 348 , and a bottom mode outlet 350 having a barbed end 352 . the reverse / spinout outlet 340 is in fluidic communication with the reverse / spinout mode chamber 326 . accordingly , water that flows into the reverse / spinout mode chamber 326 flows out from the reverse / spinout outlet 340 . a first hose 119 a ( see fig1 ) is connected to the reverse / spinout outlet 340 at one end , and to the reverse / spin - out thrust jet nozzle inlet 116 ( see fig1 ) at the other end . the barbed end 342 facilities attachment of the first hose 119 a to the reverse / spinout outlet 340 while the inlet barb 118 facilitates attachment of the first hose 119 a to the inlet 116 . water provided from the reverse / spinout outlet 340 to the inlet 116 is forced out the outlet 114 under pressure causing a jet of pressurized water directed generally forward . this jet of pressurized water causes the cleaner 10 to move in a rearward direction . alternatively , the reverse / spin - out thrust jet nozzle 112 may be positioned at an angle to the chassis 32 such that it causes an angular movement of the cleaner 10 , e . g ., a “ spin - out ,” instead of rearward movement of the cleaner 10 . in either configuration , the reverse / spin - out thrust jet nozzle 112 functions to occasionally cause the cleaner 10 to move in a reverse motion or spin - out motion so that if it is ever stuck in a corner of the pool 12 , or stuck on an obstruction in the pool 12 , such as a pool toy or pool ornamentation , it will free itself and continue to clean the pool 12 . the top mode skimmer outlets 344 and the top mode jet nozzle housing 348 are in fluidic communication with the top mode chamber 328 . the top mode jet nozzle housing 348 houses the skim mode jet nozzle 83 . accordingly , water that flows into the top mode chamber 328 flows out from the top mode skimmer outlets 344 , and the top mode jet nozzle 83 . a second hose 119 b ( see fig1 ) is connected to one of the top mode skimmer outlets 344 at one end , and a third hose 119 c ( see fig1 ) is connected to the other top mode skimmer outlet 344 at one end . the barbed ends 346 facilitate attachment of the second and third hoses 119 b , 119 c to the top mode skimmer outlets 344 . the second and third hoses 119 b , 119 c are each respectively connected at their second end to one of the plurality of skimmer / debris retention jets 60 , such that the skimmer / debris retention jets 60 spray pressurized water when water is provided to them by way of the top mode skimmer outlets 344 . the skimmer / debris retention jets 60 function to force water and any debris that may be in the channel 40 rearward into the debris bag 54 . furthermore , the jetting of water rearward causes a venturi - like effect causing water that is more forward than the skimmer / debris retention jets 60 to be pulled rearward into the debris bag 54 . thus , the skimmer / debris retention jets 60 perform a skimming operation whereby debris is pulled and forced into the debris bag 54 . further , the skimmer / debris retention jets 60 prevent debris that is in the debris bag 54 from exiting . additionally , water provided from the top mode chamber 328 to the top mode jet nozzle 83 is forced out the top mode jet nozzle 83 under pressure , causing a jet of pressurized water directed generally rearward and downward . this jet of pressurized water propels the cleaner 10 toward the pool water line 16 for skimming of the pool water line 16 . when the cleaner 10 is skimming the pool water line 16 , the top mode jet nozzle 83 propels the cleaner 10 forward along the pool water line 16 . fig4 is a sectional view of the manifold body 130 taken along line 43 - 43 of fig4 showing the bottom mode chamber 330 in greater detail . the bottom mode outlet 350 is in fluidic communication with the bottom mode chamber 330 . additionally , as mentioned above , the bottom mode chamber 330 is in fluidic communication with the flow channel 338 through the aperture 336 . the flow channel 338 extends across the bottom 339 of the manifold body 130 and to the jet ring 132 . accordingly , water that flows into the bottom mode chamber 330 flows out from the bottom mode outlet 350 , and through the aperture 336 . one end of a fourth hose 119 d ( see fig1 ) is connected to the bottom mode outlet 350 , and the second end is connected to the internal nozzle 94 of the forward thrust jet nozzle 82 . the barbed end 352 and the internal nozzle barb 96 facilitate attachment of the fourth hose 119 b to the bottom mode outlet 350 and the forward thrust jet nozzle 82 , respectively . the fourth hose 119 d provides water from the bottom mode outlet 350 to the forward thrust jet nozzle 82 , such that the forward thrust jet nozzle 82 sprays pressurized water when water is provided thereto . the pressurized water is forced through the forward thrust jet nozzle 82 and out the forward thrust jet nozzle 82 under pressure , causing a jet of pressurized water directed generally rearward . this jet of pressurized water propels the cleaner 10 across the pool wall 14 , e . g ., the bottom of the pool , so that the cleaner 10 can clean the pool wall 14 . in this regard , water that flows through the bottom mode chamber 330 also flows across the flow channel 338 and to the jet ring 132 . the jet ring 132 defines an annular flow channel 354 and includes a plurality of protrusions 356 extending from a top surface 358 of the jet ring 132 . the bottom end 134 of the suction tube 102 can be positioned on the top surface 358 of the jet ring 132 . the plurality of protrusions 356 can be inserted into the bottom end 134 of the suction tube 102 , such that the protrusions 356 secure the suction tube 102 to the jet ring 132 and restrict the suction tube 102 from detaching from the jet ring 132 . accordingly , when the water distribution manifold 122 is secured within the chassis 32 , the suction tube 102 extends from the jet ring 132 to the debris opening 58 of the top housing body 34 . the annular flow channel 354 is in fluidic communication with the flow channel 338 and is sealed with the channel 105 that is located on the bottom wall 70 of the chassis 32 . accordingly , a fluid tight pathway is formed between the annular flow channel 354 , the flow channel 338 , and the chassis bottom wall channel 105 . a gasket may be provided between the annular flow channel 354 and the flow channel 338 , and the chassis bottom wall channel 105 to facilitate formation of a seal . fig4 is a sectional view taken along line 44 - 44 of fig9 showing the flow channel 338 connected with the channel 105 of the bottom wall 70 . the jet ring 132 is positioned within the chassis 32 adjacent the suction aperture 100 , and includes the plurality of suction jet nozzles 104 that are in fluidic communication with the annular flow channel 354 and positioned to discharge water through the suction tube 102 . accordingly , the suction jet nozzles 104 spray pressurized water when water is provided to them by way of the flow channel 338 and the annular flow channel 354 . the suction jet nozzles 104 discharge pressurized water upward through the suction tube 102 toward the debris opening 58 , forcing any loose debris through the suction aperture 100 , across the suction tube 102 , out the debris opening 58 , and into the debris bag 54 . furthermore , the jetting of water upward through the suction tube 102 causes a venturi - like suction effect causing the suction head 98 to loosen debris from the pool walls 14 and direct the loosened debris into the suction aperture 100 . this debris is forced through the suction tube 102 by the suction jet nozzles 104 . fig4 - 47 show the hose connection 20 in greater detail . the hose connection 20 includes a connector portion 400 , a body 402 , and a nozzle 404 . the connector portion 400 includes a radially protruding inclined track 406 to engage a mating member of a hose , e . g ., segmented hose 22 , for mounting with a caming action . this engagement can be characterized as a bayonet mount . fig4 is a sectional view taken along line 47 - 47 of fig4 , showing the hose connection 20 in greater detail . the body 402 includes a rotatable ball valve 408 , and a plurality of seals 410 . the rotatable ball valve 408 includes a ball 411 positioned within the body 402 . the seals 410 extend circumferentially about the ball 411 , and are positioned between the ball 411 and an internal wall of the body 402 . accordingly , the seals 410 create a seal radially against the body 402 . a stem 412 extends from the ball 411 and through the body 402 , where it is attached with a handle 414 . rotation of the handle 414 , results in rotation of the ball 411 within the body 410 . when in a first position , water can flow through the ball 411 . when in a second position , water is sealed off from flowing through the ball 411 . accordingly , the hose connection 20 can be used to control flow therethrough . the nozzle 404 includes a barb 416 that facilitates attachment of a hose to the nozzle 404 . fig4 - 50 show the swivel 24 in greater detail . the swivel includes a first body 418 and a second body 420 . the first body 418 includes a tubular section 422 having a barb 424 and a radial extension 426 . a locking ring 428 extends from the radial extension and includes an annular wall 430 and an inwardly extending shoulder 432 . the second body 420 includes a tubular portion 434 having a barb 436 and a radial shoulder 438 . the radial shoulder 438 includes an annular protrusion 440 . the radial shoulder 438 of the second body 420 is positioned within the annular wall 430 of the first section locking ring 438 , such that a first chamber 442 is formed between the first section locking ring 438 , and the inwardly extending shoulder 432 . a plurality of bearing balls 444 , which could be acetal balls , can be positioned within the first chamber 442 . a second chamber 446 is formed between the radial extension 426 of the first body 418 , the annular wall 430 , and the radial shoulder 438 . an annular sealing washer 448 and an annular seal 450 may be positioned and compressed within the second chamber 446 , with the annular protrusion 440 contacting the annular sealing washer 448 . accordingly , the first and second bodies 418 , 420 can rotate with respect to one another , such that the bearing balls 444 facilitate rotation , and the annular sealing washer 448 and the annular seal 450 seal the first and second bodies 418 , 420 from leakage . accordingly , water can flow through the first and second bodies 418 , 420 . fig5 is a perspective view of a filter 26 . the filter 26 includes a body 452 , a filter assembly 454 partially positioned within the body 452 , and a nut 456 . the body includes a nozzle 458 having a barb 460 . the filter assembly 454 includes a filter 462 and a nozzle 464 having a barb 466 . the nut 456 secures the filter assembly 454 with the body 452 . accordingly , water can flow into the body nozzle 458 , into the body 452 , through the filter 462 where it is filtered , and out the filter nozzle 464 . operation of the cleaner 10 is summarized as follows . in operation , the pump 18 provides pressurized water through the segmented hose 22 , any connected swivels 24 , filters 26 , and floats 28 , and to the cleaner 10 . the segmented hose 22 is connected to the inlet port external nozzle 84 . the barb 88 facilitates attachment of the segmented hose 22 to the inlet port external nozzle 84 . additionally , the nut 92 can be utilized to secure the segmented hose 22 to the inlet port external nozzle 84 in embodiments where the segmented hose 22 includes a threaded end for engagement with the nut 92 . the pressurized water flows through the inlet port 78 of the cleaner 10 and out through the inlet port external nozzle 86 , where it flows through the hose 87 and to the drive assembly inlet 148 . the pressurized water flows through the drive assembly inlet 148 and into the inlet body 138 . when in the inlet body 138 , the water diverges into two flows . a first flow flows to the outlet 156 and a second flow flows through the reverse / skim - out mode valve disk window 264 . the first flow flows out of the outlet 156 , through the hose 159 and to the turbine housing inlet 160 . the first flow enters the turbine housing 140 through the inlet 160 , and places a force on the turbine blades 168 . this force causes the turbine 164 to rotate about the first shaft 176 . the first flow then exits the turbine housing 140 through the apertures 180 . rotation of the turbine 164 causes the output drive gear 172 to drive the reduction gear stack 186 , resulting in rotation of the plurality of drive gears 188 . the plurality of drive gears 188 engage one another , with one of the drive gears 188 engaging , and rotationally driving , the gear stack output gear 200 . rotation of the gear stack output gear 200 causes rotation of the geneva drive gear 204 , including rotation of the post 210 about the first shaft 176 . the post 210 continually orbits the first shaft 176 while water drivingly engages the turbine 164 . during each rotation , the post 210 slides into a slot 224 of the geneva gear 220 , and “ pushes ” an adjacent cog 222 . this engagement , e . g ., the post 210 “ pushing ” the cog 222 , results in sequential rotation of the geneva gear 220 , wherein , for example , the geneva gear 220 rotates 45 ° for each orbit of the post 210 . rotation of the geneva gear 220 results in the geneva gear socket 228 engaging and rotating the reverse / spin - out valve selector drive head 260 , thus rotationally driving the reverse / spin - out valve selector 238 and associated valve disk window 264 . accordingly , geneva gear 220 causes the valve disk window 264 to move between different positions adjacent the internal forward drive chamber 242 , and adjacent the internal reverse drive chamber 244 . while the first flow is causing the geneva gear 220 to rotate the valve disk 254 , the second flow flows through the valve disk window 264 and into the reverse / spin - out mode valve body 236 chamber that it is adjacent to at that moment . for example , when the valve disk window 264 is adjacent the internal forward drive chamber 242 , into the internal forward drive chamber 242 . however , when the valve disk window 264 is adjacent the internal reverse drive chamber 244 , the second flow flows into the internal reverse drive chamber 244 . thus , the geneva gear 220 continuously and automatically determines which chamber the second flow of water flows into . when the pressurized water of the second flow flows into the internal reverse drive chamber 244 , it flows out of the internal reverse drive chamber 244 through the outlet port 250 , into the reverse / spinout inlet 312 of the water distribution manifold 122 , into the reverse / spinout mode chamber 326 , out through the reverse / spinout outlet 340 , through the first hose 119 a , and to the reverse / spin - out thrust jet nozzle 112 , where it is discharged . alternatively , when the pressurized water of the second flow flows into the internal forward drive chamber 242 , it flows through the valve disk window 302 of the top / bottom mode valve selector 272 . the valve disk window 302 is rotatable by a user by inserting a tool through the top / bottom mode adjustment aperture 79 extending through the cleaner rear wall 68 and rotationally engaging the drive head 298 . accordingly , the valve disk window 302 can be positioned adjacent the internal bottom mode chamber 276 or the internal top mode chamber 278 . when the valve disk window 302 is positioned adjacent the internal top mode chamber 278 , the pressurized water of the second flow flows into the internal top mode chamber 278 , out of the internal top mode chamber 278 through the top mode outlet port 286 , into the top mode inlet 314 of the water distribution manifold 122 , into the top mode chamber 328 , and out through the top mode skimmer outlets 344 and the top mode jet nozzle 83 . the portion of the flow that exits through the top mode skimmer outlets 344 flows through the respective second and third hose 119 b , 119 c and to the respective skimmer / debris retention jet 60 where it is discharged . when the valve disk window 302 is positioned adjacent the internal bottom mode chamber 276 , the pressurized water of the second flow flows into the internal bottom mode chamber 276 , out of the internal bottom mode chamber 276 through the bottom mode outlet port 282 , into the bottom mode inlet 316 of the water distribution manifold 122 , into the bottom mode chamber 330 , and out through the bottom mode outlet 350 and the aperture 336 . the flow portion that flows through the bottom mode outlet 350 flows through the fourth hose 119 d and to the forward thrust jet nozzle 82 where it is discharged . the flow portion that flows through the aperture 336 , flows across the flow channel 338 , into the annular flow channel 354 , and is discharged through the plurality of vacuum jet nozzles 104 . fig5 - 78 show another embodiment of the drive mechanism of the pool cleaner 10 . particularly , the pool cleaner 10 of fig5 - 78 includes a drive assembly 500 and water distribution manifold 502 for providing water to the various nozzles . the drive assembly 500 is connected with an inlet tube 503 a , reverse / spin - out tube 503 b , and bottom mode tube 503 c , while the water distribution manifold 502 is connected with first and second skimmer tubes 503 d , 503 e , each of which are discussed in greater detail below . fig5 is an exploded perspective view of the pool cleaner 10 of the present disclosure including the drive assembly 500 . fig5 is a sectional view of the pool cleaner 10 taken along line 53 - 53 of fig5 showing the drive assembly 500 . as illustrated in fig5 , the chassis 32 forms a housing for the drive assembly 500 , the water distribution manifold 502 , and the suction tube 102 . the pool cleaner 10 of fig5 - 78 is similar in structure as described in connection with fig1 - 44 , however , the drive assembly 500 and the water distribution manifold 502 replace the drive assembly 120 and the water distribution manifold 122 of fig1 - 44 . fig5 - 58 illustrate the drive assembly 500 and the water distribution manifold 502 , which are in fluidic communication with one another . the drive assembly 500 includes a timer assembly 504 , a reverse / spin - out mode cam assembly 506 , a reverse / spin - out mode valve assembly 508 , and a top / bottom mode valve assembly 510 , each discussed in greater detail below . the water distribution manifold 502 includes a top mode manifold body 512 and a jet ring 514 . the manifold body 512 includes a plurality of chambers that function to direct water flow amongst the various jet nozzles of the cleaner 10 . the suction tube 102 includes a bottom end 134 and a top end 136 . the jet ring 514 is connected with the bottom end 134 of the suction tube 102 and includes a plurality of suction jet nozzles 720 . fig5 - 75 show the drive assembly 500 in greater detail . particular reference is made to fig6 , which is an exploded view of the drive assembly 500 showing the components of the timer assembly 504 , the reverse / spin - out mode cam assembly 506 , the reverse / spin - out mode valve assembly 508 , and the top / bottom mode valve assembly 510 . the timer assembly 504 includes a turbine housing 518 , a gear box 520 , a gear box upper housing 522 , and a socket housing 524 . the reverse / spin - out mode cam assembly 506 includes a cam upper housing 526 and a cam plate 596 . the reverse / spin - out mode valve assembly 508 includes an inlet body 516 , a cam lower housing 528 , a reverse / spin - out mode valve body 529 , and a reverse / spinout seal 624 . the drive assembly 500 is configured such that the inlet body 516 is connected with the cam lower housing 528 , the reverse / spin - out mode valve body 529 , and the reverse / spin - out seal 624 to form the reverse / spin - out mode valve assembly 508 , with the top / bottom mode valve assembly 510 being adjacent to the reverse / spin - out mode assembly 508 , the cam lower housing 528 adjacent the cam upper housing 526 , the timer cover 524 adjacent the cam upper housing 526 , the gear box 520 is adjacent the timer cover 524 , and the turbine housing 518 is adjacent the gear box 520 . the inlet body 516 includes an inlet nozzle 530 having a barbed end 532 . the inlet nozzle 530 provides a flow path from the exterior of the inlet body 516 to the interior . the inlet nozzle 530 is connectable with the inlet tube 503 a , which is connectable with the internal nozzle 86 , such that water can flow to the cleaner 10 and through the inlet tube 503 a to the inlet body 516 . the inlet body 516 defines an internal chamber 534 . the inlet nozzle 530 is in communication with the internal chamber 534 such that fluid can flow into the inlet nozzle 530 and into the internal chamber 534 . the inlet body 516 further includes a top opening 536 that is adjacent cam lower housing 528 , which will be discussed in greater detail below . an outlet nozzle 538 having a barbed end 540 is provided on the inlet body 516 . the outlet nozzle 538 provides one path for water to flow out from the inlet body 516 . as such , water flowing into the inlet nozzle 530 flows into the interior chamber 534 and into the outlet nozzle 538 . accordingly , a portion of the water exits the inlet body 516 through the outlet nozzle 538 . the inlet body 516 is generally closed at an upper end , e . g ., the end adjacent the cam lower housing 528 , but for the opening 536 , and is open at a lower end , e . g ., the end adjacent the reverse / spin - out mode valve assembly 508 . fig6 is a sectional view of the turbine housing 518 showing the components thereof in greater detail . the turbine housing 518 includes an inlet nozzle 542 having a barbed end 544 , and a turbine 546 . a hose 547 is connected at one end to the barbed end 540 of the inlet body outlet nozzle 538 and at another end to a the barbed end 544 of the turbine housing inlet nozzle 542 . accordingly , water flows out from the inlet body 516 through the outlet nozzle 538 and to the turbine housing inlet nozzle 542 by way of the hose 547 . the turbine 546 includes a central hub 548 , a plurality of blades 550 , a boss 552 extending from the central hub 548 and having an output drive gear 554 mounted thereto , and a central aperture 556 . the central hub 548 , boss 552 , and output drive gear 554 are connected for conjoint rotation . accordingly , rotation of the blades 550 causes rotation of the central hub 548 , boss 552 , and output drive gear 554 . the central aperture 556 extends through the center of the turbine 546 , e . g ., through the output drive gear 554 , the boss 552 , and the central hub 548 . a first shaft 558 extends through the central aperture 556 and is secured within a shaft housing 560 that is provided in a top of the turbine housing 518 . the first shaft 558 extends from the shaft housing 560 , through the turbine 546 , and into the gear box 520 . the turbine housing 518 also includes one or more apertures 562 in a sidewall thereof that allow water to escape the turbine housing 518 . when pressurized water enters the turbine housing 518 through the inlet nozzle 542 it places pressure on the turbine blades 550 , thus transferring energy to the turbine 546 and causing the turbine 546 to rotate . however , once the energy of the pressurized water is transferred to the turbine 546 it must be removed from the system , otherwise it will impede and place resistance on new pressurized water entering the turbine housing 518 . accordingly , new pressurized water introduced into the turbine housing 518 forces the old water out from the one or more apertures 562 . fig6 is a sectional view of the turbine housing 518 taken along line 67 - 67 of fig6 further detailing and showing the arrangement of the turbine 546 within the turbine housing 518 . the turbine housing 518 is positioned on the gear box 520 . the gear box 520 includes a turbine mounting surface 564 having an aperture 566 extending there through . the turbine housing 518 is positioned on , and covers , the gear box turbine mounting surface 564 , such that the turbine 546 is adjacent the turbine mounting surface 564 and the turbine output drive gear 554 extends through the aperture 566 and into the gear box 520 . the gear box 520 houses a reduction gear stack 568 that is made up of a first and second gear stack 570 a , 570 b , each gear stack 570 a , 570 b including a plurality of large gears 572 connected and coaxial with a smaller gear 574 ( see fig6 ) for conjoint rotation therewith . the conjoint rotation of the large gear 572 with the smaller gear 574 causes for a reduction in gear ratio . as can bee seen in fig6 , which is a sectional view of the drive assembly 500 , the first and second coaxial gear stack 570 a , 570 b each include a central aperture 576 . the first gear stack 570 a is coaxial with the turbine 546 such that the first shaft 558 extends through the gears 572 , 574 of the gear stack 570 a , and into the timer cover 524 where it is secured . thus , the first gear stack 570 a rotates about the first shaft 558 . the first gear stack 570 a includes a final gear stack output gear 582 as the bottom most gear of the stack 570 a . the final gear stack output gear 582 includes a small drive gear 584 . the second gear stack 570 b is positioned such that the gears 572 , 574 that make up the second gear stack 570 b engage the gears 572 , 574 that make up the first gear stack 570 a . additionally , the second gear stack 570 b has a second shaft 578 extending through the central aperture 576 thereof . the second shaft 578 is parallel to the first shaft 558 and is secured within a second shaft top housing 580 that is positioned in a top wall of the gear box 520 . the small gear 574 of the second gear stack 570 b engages a large gear 572 of the first gear stack 570 a that rotates about the first shaft 558 . similarly , a conjoint small gear 574 of the first gear stack 570 a engages a large gear 572 of the second gear stack 570 b that rotates about the second shaft 578 . a series of such gears are positioned within the gear reduction stack 568 with particular gear ratios , and engaged with one another in the above - described fashion , so that rotation of the turbine 546 , and subsequent rotation of the turbine output drive gear 554 , causes each gear 572 , 574 of the gear stacks 570 a , 570 b to rotate with each subsequent gear rotating at a different rotational speed . the second gear stack 570 b includes an output drive gear 586 as the bottom most gear . the output drive gear 586 includes a large drive gear 588 and a socket 590 extending from the large drive gear 588 for conjoint rotation therewith . the large drive gear 588 engages the small drive gear 584 of the final gear stack output gear 582 . the output drive gear 586 engages and is driven by the small drive gear 584 of the final gear stack output gear 582 . accordingly , rotation of the turbine blades 550 causes rotation of the boss 552 , and output drive gear 554 , which output drive gear 554 causes rotation of the gears 572 , 574 of the gear reduction stack 568 , and ultimately rotation of the output drive gear 586 . as shown in fig6 , the output drive gear 586 is positioned between the gear box upper housing 522 and the timer cover 524 . the timer cover 524 engages the gear box 520 creating a sealed compartment that contains the reduction gear stack 568 , including the cam drive gear 586 . the timer cover 524 includes a socket aperture 592 that receives the output drive gear socket 590 . accordingly , the socket 590 is accessible from the exterior of the timer cover 524 . positioned adjacent to the timer cover 524 is the cam upper housing 526 , which is also positioned adjacent to the cam lower housing 528 . accordingly , the cam upper housing 526 is between the timer cover 524 and the cam lower housing 528 . the cam upper housing 526 includes a central aperture 594 . the cam plate 596 is positioned between the cam upper housing 526 and the cam lower housing 528 . the cam plate 596 includes a body 598 having a bottom side 600 and a top side 602 . a shaft 604 extends from the center of the top side 602 of the body 598 . the shaft 604 includes a shaped head 606 at the end thereof , and a circumferential notch 608 . the circumferential notch 608 includes an o - ring positioned therein . the shaft 604 extends from the body cam 598 and through the cam upper housing 526 , which generally have mating geometries so that the shaft 604 can rotate . the shaped head 606 engages the socket 590 of the output drive gear 586 , which generally have mating geometries so that they can rotate conjointly . that is , the socket 590 and the shaped head 606 have matching geometries such that rotation of the socket 590 will drivingly rotate the shaped head 606 , and thus the entirety of the cam plate 596 . a central hub 612 extends from the center of the bottom side 600 of the body 598 . the central hub 612 includes an aperture 614 with a post 616 positioned therein . the post 616 is secured in the aperture 614 at one end , and in an aperture 622 of the cam lower housing 528 at another end , such that the cam plate 596 can rotate about the post 616 . the bottom side 600 of the cam body 598 further includes a cam track 618 that encircles the central hub 612 . the cam track 618 is generally circular shaped with a uniform radius , except for a radially extended portion 620 that has a greater radius . fig6 is a sectional view of the cam plate 596 , showing elements thereof in greater detail , e . g ., the cam track 618 and the radially extended portion 620 . the cam track 618 is configured to operate a rotatable reverse / spin - out seal 624 , which the majority of is positioned in the inlet body 516 . the rotatable reverse / spin - out seal 624 is shown in detail in fig6 and 69 . fig6 is a top exploded view of the reverse / spin - out mode cam assembly 506 , the reverse / spin - out mode valve assembly 508 , and the top / bottom mode valve assembly 510 . the rotatable reverse / spin - out seal 624 includes an body 626 , an arched portion 628 , a sealing member 630 , a stationary post 632 , and a cam track post 634 . the stationary post 632 is secured to a top surface of the reverse / spin - out mode valve assembly 508 such that the reverse / spin - out seal 624 can rotate about the stationary post 632 . the reverse / spin - out seal 624 is positioned on a top surface of the reverse / spin - out mode valve assembly 508 , and within the internal chamber 534 of the inlet body 516 such that the cam track post 634 extends through the opening 536 of the inlet body 516 and extends into the cam track 518 . in operation , rotation of the output drive gear 586 ( see fig6 ) results in rotation of the cam plate 596 by way of the engagement between , and mating geometries of , the socket 590 and the shaped head 606 . the cam track post 634 of the reverse / spin - out seal 626 is positioned within the cam track 618 such that they are in engagement . thus , as the cam plate 596 rotates , the cam track post 634 rides in the cam track 618 . as described above , the cam track 618 includes a majority portion having a first radius and a radially extended portion 620 that has a greater radius . as the cam plate 596 rotates , the cam track post 634 will transition between the majority portion and the radially extended portion 620 . when the cam track post 634 transitions into the radially extended portion 620 of the cam track 618 , the cam track 618 pushes the cam track post 634 radially outward , which causes the reverse / spin - out seal 624 to rotate clockwise about the stationary post 632 and into a reverse / spin - out position . similarly , when the cam track post 634 transitions into the majority portion of the cam track 618 , e . g ., out from the radially extended portion 620 and into the lesser radius portion , the cam track 618 pulls the post 624 radially inward , which causes the reverse / spin - out seal 624 to rotate counter - clockwise about the stationary post 632 and into a forward position . discussion of the reverse / spin - out position and the forward position is provided below . fig6 - 73 show the reverse / spin - out mode valve assembly 508 in greater detail . fig6 is a top exploded view of the reverse / spin - out mode cam assembly 506 , the reverse / spin - out mode valve assembly 508 , and the top / bottom mode valve assembly 510 , while fig7 is a bottom exploded view of the same . the reverse / spin - out mode valve assembly 508 is positioned adjacent the inlet body 516 and generally defines a forward chamber 636 and a reverse / spin - out chamber 638 separated from the forward chamber 636 and defined by a chamber wall 639 ( see fig7 ). the reverse / spin - out mode valve assembly 508 includes a reverse / spin - out chamber opening 640 and a reverse / spin - out chamber nozzle 642 having a barbed end 644 . the reverse / spin - out chamber 638 is in fluidic communication with the reverse / spin - out chamber opening 640 and the reverse / spin - out chamber nozzle 642 , such that fluid can flow through the reverse / spin - out opening 640 , into the reverse / spin - out chamber 638 and out the reverse / spin - out chamber nozzle 642 without entering the forward chamber 636 . the reverse / spin - out valve assembly 508 further includes a forward chamber opening 646 ( see fig7 ) and an open end 648 , such that the forward chamber opening 646 , forward chamber 636 , and the open end 648 are in fluidic communication . accordingly , fluid flows into the forward chamber opening 646 , through the forward chamber 646 , and out the open end 648 . fig7 is a cross - sectional view of the reverse / spin - out mode valve assembly 508 showing the forward chamber 636 and the reverse / spin - out chamber 638 in greater detail . fig6 - 70 and 74 - 75 show the top / bottom mode valve assembly 510 in greater detail . fig6 - 70 are top and bottom perspective view , respectively , showing the top / bottom mode valve assembly 510 . the top / bottom mode valve assembly 510 includes a body 649 and a sealing plate 692 . the body 649 defines a top / bottom mode main chamber 652 and includes a top opening 650 , a bottom mode opening 654 , and a top mode opening 660 . the top opening 650 provides access to the top / bottom mode main chamber 652 , while the top / bottom mode valve body 649 is closed at the bottom . fig7 is a perspective view of the top / bottom mode valve assembly 510 with the sealing plate 692 not shown in order to illustrate the bottom mode opening 654 and the top mode opening 660 . the bottom mode opening 654 connects with a bottom mode outlet chamber 656 that is defined by a bottom mode outlet port 658 and a bottom mode nozzle 666 . the bottom mode outlet port 658 and the bottom mode nozzle 666 extend from the top / bottom mode valve body 649 . the bottom mode nozzle 666 includes a barbed end 668 ( see fig7 ). the top mode opening 660 connects with a top mode outlet chamber 662 that is defined by a top mode outlet port 664 . the top mode outlet port 664 extends from the top / bottom mode valve body 649 . as can be seen in fig7 , a hub 670 extends from the top / bottom mode valve assembly body 649 and defines a chamber 672 . the hub 670 connects with the body 649 , which includes an opening 674 that places the top / bottom mode main chamber 652 in connection with the chamber 672 . the hub 670 allows the sealing plate 692 to be rotated by a source external to the top / bottom mode valve assembly 510 , which is discussed in greater detail below . a top / bottom mode selector 676 is connected to the top / bottom mode valve assembly 510 . the top / bottom mode selector 676 includes a lever arm 678 having a first arm 680 and a second arm 682 , a fulcrum 684 , a user - engageable tab 686 , and a plate 688 . the fulcrum 684 engages the lever arm 678 between the first arm 680 and the second arm 682 , such that the lever arm 678 can rotate about the fulcrum 684 . the user - engageable tab 686 is positioned at the end of the first arm 680 and is positioned adjacent a wall of the pool cleaner 10 , as shown in fig5 . accordingly , a user can push the user - engageable tab 686 up or down to rotate the lever arm 678 about the fulcrum 684 . the user - engageable tab 686 can include a plurality of ridges to facilitate use by a user . the second arm 682 includes a pin 689 that extends from an end of the second arm 682 . the plate 688 is connected with a central shaft 690 ( see fig7 ) and includes an aperture 691 located near the periphery of the plate 688 . the central shaft 690 extends through the hub 670 , e . g ., is positioned within the chamber 672 , and engages the sealing plate 692 . the pin 689 engages the aperture 691 of the plate 688 , such that the pin 689 can rotate the plate 688 , along with the central shaft 690 and the sealing plate 692 , while itself rotating within the aperture 691 . accordingly , the tab 686 can be engaged by a user to rotate the top / bottom mod selector 676 clockwise or counter - clockwise to rotate the sealing plate 692 between two positions . in a first position , e . g ., the position shown in fig6 also referred to as the bottom mode position , the sealing plate 692 is positioned adjacent the top mode opening 660 , thus sealing the top mode outlet chamber 662 . in such a configuration , fluid can flow through the bottom mode opening 654 , through the bottom mode outlet chamber 656 , and out the bottom mode outlet port 658 and the bottom mode nozzle 666 . in a second position , e . g ., a top mode position , the sealing plate 692 is positioned adjacent the bottom mode opening 654 , thus sealing the bottom mode outlet chamber 656 . in such a configuration , fluid can flow through the top mode opening 660 , through the top mode outlet chamber 662 , and out the top mode outlet port 664 . the bottom mode outlet port 658 and the top mode outlet port 664 are connected with the water distribution manifold 502 , which will be discussed in greater detail . fig7 - 78 show the distribution manifold 502 in greater detail . fig7 is a perspective view of the distribution manifold 502 . the distribution manifold 502 includes the top mode manifold 512 and the jet ring 514 . the top mode manifold 512 includes a manifold body 696 , inlet port 698 , first top mode skimmer outlet 700 having a barbed end 702 , second top mode skimmer outlet 704 having a barbed end 706 , and a top mode jet nozzle housing 708 that houses a top mode jet nozzle 710 . the top mode manifold inlet port 698 is generally connected with the top mode outlet port 664 of the top / bottom mode valve assembly 510 , such that the top mode manifold inlet port 698 is inserted into the top mode outlet port 664 . the jet ring 512 includes a body 714 , a bottom mode inlet port 716 , a plurality of upper protrusions 718 that secure the suction tube 102 , and a plurality of suction jet nozzles 720 . the bottom mode inlet port 716 is connected with the bottom mode outlet port 658 of the top / bottom mode valve assembly 510 , such that the bottom mode inlet port 716 is inserted into the bottom mode outlet port 658 . fig7 is a sectional view of the distribution manifold 502 taken along line 78 - 78 of fig7 . the top mode manifold body 696 defines a top mode inner chamber 712 , while the jet ring 512 defines a bottom mode inner chamber 722 . the top mode inner chamber 712 is in fluidic communication with the inlet port 698 , the first and second top mode skimmer outlets 700 , 704 , and the top mode jet nozzle housing 708 including top mode jet nozzle 710 . accordingly , fluid can flow through the top mode outlet port 664 of the top / bottom mode valve assembly 510 , into the top mode manifold inlet port 698 , through the top mode inner chamber 712 , and out through the first and second top mode skimmer outlets 700 , 704 and the top mode jet nozzle 710 . the first and second top mode skimmer outlets 700 , 704 are connected with the first and second skimmer tubes 503 e , 503 d ( see fig5 - 54 ), which are each in turn connected to the skimmer / debris retention jets 60 ( see fig7 and 53 - 54 ). the engagement of the top mode jet nozzle 710 with the top mode jet nozzle housing 708 can be a ball - and - socket joint such that the jet nozzle 710 can be rotated within the housing 708 . fluid provided from the top mode inner chamber 712 to the top mode jet nozzle 710 is forced out the top mode jet nozzle 710 under pressure , causing a jet of pressurized water directed generally rearward and downward . this jet of pressurized water propels the cleaner 10 toward the pool water line 16 for skimming of the pool water line 16 . when the cleaner 10 is skimming the pool water line 16 , the top mode jet nozzle 710 propels the cleaner 10 forward along the pool water line 16 . the bottom mode inner chamber 722 is in fluidic communication with the bottom mode inlet port 716 and the plurality of suction jet nozzles 720 . accordingly , fluid can flow through the bottom mode outlet port 658 of the top / bottom mode valve assembly 510 , into the bottom mode inlet port 716 , through the bottom mode inner chamber 722 , and out through the plurality of suction jet nozzles 720 . the suction jet nozzles 720 function in accordance with the suction jet nozzles 104 discussed in connection with fig1 - 44 . accordingly , the suction jet nozzles 720 spray pressurized water when water is provided to them by way of the bottom mode inner chamber 722 . the suction jet nozzles 720 discharge pressurized water upward through the suction tube 102 toward the debris opening 58 , forcing any loose debris through the suction aperture 100 , across the suction tube 102 , out the debris opening 58 , and into the debris bag 54 ( see fig4 ). furthermore , the jetting of water upward through the suction tube 102 causes a venturi - like suction effect causing the suction head 98 to loosen debris from the pool walls 14 and direct the loosened debris into the suction aperture 100 . this debris is forced through the suction tube 102 by the suction jet nozzles 720 . operation of the cleaner 10 utilizing the drive assembly 500 ( discussed above in connection with fig5 - 78 ) is summarized as follows . in operation , the pump 18 provides pressurized water through the segmented hose 22 , any connected swivels 24 , filters 26 , and floats 28 , and to the cleaner 10 . the segmented hose 22 is connected to the inlet port external nozzle 84 . the barb 88 facilitates attachment of the segmented hose 22 to the inlet port external nozzle 84 . additionally , the nut 92 can be utilized to secure the segmented hose 22 to the inlet port external nozzle 84 . in such embodiments , the nut 92 bites into the soft material of the segmented hose 22 to restrain the hose 22 . the pressurized water flows through the inlet port 78 of the cleaner 10 and out through the inlet port external nozzle 86 , where it flows through the hose 503 a and to the inlet body inlet nozzle 530 . the pressurized water flows into the inlet body 516 . when in the inlet body 516 , the water diverges into two flows . a first flow flows to the outlet nozzle 538 and a second flow flows toward the reverse / spin - out mode valve assembly 508 . the first flow flows out of the outlet nozzle 538 , through the hose 547 and to the turbine housing inlet 542 . the first flow enters the turbine housing 518 through the inlet 542 , and places a force on the turbine blades 550 . this force causes the turbine 546 to rotate about the first shaft 558 . the first flow then exits the turbine housing 518 through the apertures 562 . rotation of the turbine 546 causes the output drive gear 554 to drive the first large gear 572 of the second gear stack 570 b , which is in engagement of the first gear stack 570 a , resulting in rotation of the plurality of large diameter gears 572 and small diameter gears 574 . the first and second gear stacks 570 a , 570 b engage one another , with the final gear stack out 582 being rotated such that the small drive gear 584 thereof engages and rotates the output drive gear 586 . rotation of the output drive gear 586 causes rotation of the socket 590 , and thus rotation of the cam plate 596 due to the mating relationship of the socket 590 and the shaped head 606 of the cam plate 596 . as the cam plate 596 rotates , the reverse / spin - out seal post 634 rides within the cam track 618 to affect the position of the reverse / spin - out seal 624 . as discussed above , the reverse / spin - out seal 624 is configured to rotate about the stationary post 632 according to the position of the cam track post &# 39 ; s 634 position in the cam track 618 . when the cam track post 634 is positioned in the first radius portion of the cam track 618 , e . g ., the lesser radius portion , the reverse / spin - out seal 624 is positioned such that the sealing member 630 is adjacent the reverse / spin - out opening 640 , thus sealing the reverse / spin - out chamber 638 and allowing fluid to flow through the forward chamber opening 646 and into the forward chamber 636 . conversely , when the cam track post 634 is positioned in the radially extended portion 620 of the cam track 618 , the reverse / spin - out seal 624 is positioned such that the sealing member 630 is adjacent the forward chamber opening 646 , thus sealing the forward chamber 636 and allowing fluid to flow through the reverse / spin - out opening 640 and into the reverse / spin - out chamber 638 . accordingly , the cam plate 596 determines what position the reverse / spin - out seal 624 is in , and rotates the seal between a forward position and a reverse / spin - out position . the length of time that the reverse / spin - out seal 624 stays in either position is determined by the length , e . g ., circumferential length , of the radially extended portion 620 . a greater length radially extended portion 620 results in a greater amount of time that the reverse / spin - out seal 624 will be positioned adjacent the forward chamber opening 646 . similarly , a lesser length radially extended portion 620 results in a lesser amount of time that the reverse / spin - out seal 624 will be positioned adjacent the forward chamber opening 646 . if the radially extend portion 620 makes up one eighth ( ⅛ th ) of the cam track 618 circumference , then the reverse / spin - out seal 624 will be positioned adjacent the forward chamber opening 646 one eighth ( ⅛ th ) of the time . the circumferential length of the radially extended portion 620 can be determined based on a user &# 39 ; s need , and a different cam plate 596 can be provided for different situations . when the cam track post 634 is positioned in the radially extended portion 620 of the cam track 618 , forcing the reverse / spin - out seal 624 to seal the forward chamber opening 646 and the forward chamber 636 . when in such a position , water flows to the cleaner 10 , through the inlet port 78 , through the inlet tube 503 a , into the inlet nozzle 530 , into the inlet body internal chamber 534 , into the reverse / spin - out chamber 638 , out the reverse / spin - out chamber nozzle 642 , through the reverse / spin - out tube 503 b , and to the reverse / spin - out thrust jet nozzle 112 where it is discharged under pressure . alternatively , when the cam track post 634 is not positioned in the radially extended portion 620 of the cam track 618 , the reverse / spin - out seal 624 is adjacent the reverse / spin - out chamber opening 640 , thus sealing the reverse / spin - out chamber 638 . this allows water to enter the inlet body internal chamber 534 and flow into forward main chamber 636 . from there , the water flows through the forward main chamber 636 and into the top / bottom mode valve assembly body 649 . once in the top / bottom mode valve assembly body 649 , the flow of the water is dictated by the position of the sealing plate 692 . as discussed above , the sealing plate 692 can be positioned adjacent the bottom mode opening 654 to seal the bottom mode outlet chamber 656 , or adjacent the top mode opening 660 to seal the top mode outlet chamber 662 . when the sealing plate 692 is positioned adjacent the bottom mode opening 654 , the water flows through the top mode opening 660 , through the top mode outlet chamber 662 , out the top mode outlet port 664 of the top / bottom mode valve assembly 510 , into the top mode manifold inlet port 698 , through the top mode inner chamber 712 , and out through the first and second top mode skimmer outlets 700 , 704 and the top mode jet nozzle 710 . the first and second top mode skimmer outlets 700 , 704 are connected with the first and second skimmer tubes 503 e , 503 d ( see fig5 - 54 ), which are each in turn connected to the skimmer / debris retention jets 60 ( see fig7 and 53 - 54 ). when the sealing plate 692 is positioned adjacent the top mode opening 660 , the water flows through the bottom mode opening 654 , across the bottom mode outlet chamber 656 , and out the bottom mode outlet port 658 and the bottom mode nozzle 666 of the top / bottom mode valve assembly 510 . the flow out from the bottom mode outlet port 658 flows into the bottom mode inlet port 716 , through the bottom mode inner chamber 722 , and out through the plurality of suction jet nozzles 720 . the bottom mode nozzle 666 is connected with the bottom mode tube 503 c , which is also connected with the forward thrust jet nozzle 82 where the water is discharged . discharge of the water through the forward thrust jet nozzle 82 results in the cleaner 10 being driven forward . fig7 - 86 show a jet nozzle assembly 1000 and a vacuum suction tube 1002 of the present disclosure that can be utilized in a pressure or robotic pool cleaner such as the pool cleaner illustrated in fig1 - 44 and 52 - 78 and the accompanying disclosures thereof . fig7 is a side view of the jet nozzle assembly 1000 and the vacuum suction tube 1002 . the jet nozzle assembly 1000 is similar to the jet ring 132 described in connection with fig1 - 44 , and the jet ring 514 described in connection with fig5 - 78 . that is , the jet nozzle assembly 1000 can be used in place of the jet ring 132 and / or the jet ring 514 . similarly , the vacuum suction tube 1002 is similar to the suction tube 102 described in connection with fig1 - 44 and 52 - 78 . the vacuum suction tube 1002 is a tubular component having a first open end 1002 a and a second open end 1002 b , and is positioned adjacent the jet nozzle assembly 1000 . fig8 is a perspective view of the jet nozzle assembly 1000 and fig8 is a top view showing the jet nozzle assembly 1000 and the vacuum suction tube 1002 . the jet nozzle assembly 1000 includes an annular body 1004 having a top opening 1004 a and a bottom opening 1004 b , and also includes first , second , and third jet nozzles 1006 a , 1006 b , 1006 c positioned on an interior wall of the annular body 1004 ( see fig8 regarding the third jet nozzle 1006 c ). the jet nozzles 1006 a , 1006 b , 1006 c each include a body 1008 a , 1008 b , 1008 c and an outlet 1010 a , 1010 b , 1010 c . the jet nozzles 1006 a , 1006 b , 1006 c are positioned and arranged on the interior wall of the annular body 1004 such that water discharged therethrough is directed towards the top opening 1004 a of the annular body 1004 . as shown in fig7 and 81 , the vacuum suction tube 1002 is positioned with one of its ends , e . g ., the first open end 1002 a , adjacent the top opening 1004 a of the jet nozzle assembly body 1004 such that the jet nozzles 1006 a , 1006 b , 1006 c discharge water through the jet nozzle assembly body top opening 1004 a and into the vacuum suction tube 1002 . the discharged water exits the vacuum suction tube 1002 at the end opposite the jet nozzle assembly 1000 , e . g ., the second open end 1002 b , which can be positioned adjacent an attached filter , filter bag , etc ., which can be used to filter or trap any debris that is discharged through the vacuum suction tube 1002 . particularly , the jet nozzle assembly 1000 can be incorporated into a pressure or robotic pool cleaner such that the jet nozzle assembly body bottom opening 1004 b is positioned at a bottom of the pool cleaner and open to the pool water , e . g ., atmosphere . the pressurized discharge of water through the jet nozzles 1006 a , 1006 b , 1006 c generates a venturi or suction effect at the bottom opening 1004 b such that pool water is suctioned into the bottom opening 1004 b from the pool and discharged through the vacuum suction tube 1002 . this also results in any debris that may be on the pool floor or wall to also be suctioned through the vacuum suction tube 1002 , and discharged therethrough and into an attached filter or filter bag . fig8 is a cross - section view of the jet nozzle assembly 1000 and vacuum suction tube 1002 taken along line 82 - 82 of fig8 . fig8 is a cross - section view of the jet nozzle assembly 1000 and vacuum suction tube 1002 taken along line 83 - 83 of fig8 . as can be seen in fig8 and 83 , the jet nozzle assembly body 1004 includes an internal channel 1012 that is in fluidic communication with each of the jet nozzles 1006 a , 1006 b , 1006 c . as illustrated in fig8 , the outlets 1010 a , 1010 b , 1010 c of the jet nozzles 1006 a , 1006 b , 1006 c are in fluidic communication with the internal channel 1012 such that pressurized fluid flowing through the internal channel 1012 can be discharged through each of the jet nozzles 1006 a , 1006 b , 1006 c through the respective outlet 1010 a , 1010 b , 1010 c . the internal channel 1012 is also in fluidic communication with a source of pressurized fluid , such as a pump that can be internal to the pool cleaner ( e . g ., for a robotic pool cleaner ) or a pump that is external to the pool and provides positive pressure to the pool leaner ( e . g ., for a positive - pressure pool cleaner ). accordingly , pressurized fluid is provided from a source of pressurized fluid to the internal channel 1012 , where it travels along the internal channel 1012 and is discharged through each of the jet nozzles 1006 a , 1006 b , 1006 c . configuration of the nozzles 1006 a , 1006 b , 1006 c will now be discussed in greater detail . it is noted that the nozzles 1006 a , 1006 b , 1006 c are constructed and configured the same , and simply spaced apart from one another . accordingly , reference hereinafter may be made with respect to a single nozzle and it should be understood that these statements hold true for the remaining nozzles . each of the nozzles 1006 a , 1006 b , 1006 c is configured to discharge fluid at a vortex angle α ( see fig8 ) and a convergence angle β ( see fig8 ). as shown in fig8 , the nozzle 1006 a discharges fluid in the direction of arrow a , which is at an angle α ( e . g ., vortex angle ) in a first plane with respect to the centerline cl of the vacuum suction tube 1002 when the centerline cl is aligned with the nozzle outlet 1010 a . essentially , this means that the direction of water discharged from the nozzle 1006 a is not in alignment with the direction of water flow across the vacuum suction tube 1002 , e . g ., along the centerline cl of the vacuum suction tube 1002 from the first open end 1002 a to the second open end 1002 b , but instead the water is discharged to flow in a helical path about the centerline cl and not in a straight line . this arrangement creates a vortex flow through the vacuum suction tube 1002 . as mentioned previously , this holds true for the remaining nozzles 1006 b , 1006 c . additionally , as shown in fig8 , the fluid discharged by the nozzle 1006 a is also discharged in the direction of arrow b , which is at an angle β ( e . g ., convergence angle ) in a second plane with respect to the centerline cl of the vacuum suction tube 1002 when the centerline cl is not aligned with the nozzle outlet 1010 a . essentially , this means that the water discharged from the nozzle 1006 a is directed toward the centerline cl , and not parallel to the centerline cl . as mentioned previously , this holds true for the remaining nozzles 1006 b , 1006 c . thus , the water being discharged by all of the nozzles 1006 a , 1006 b , 1006 c converges at the centerline cl . this arrangement creates a convergent flow through the vacuum suction tube 1002 . accordingly , the water discharged through the nozzles 1006 a , 1006 b , 1006 c flow in helical paths that converge with one another . by angling the nozzles 1006 a , 1006 b , 1006 c at a vortex angle α and / or a convergence angle β , the volumetric flow of water being suctioned into the jet nozzle assembly 1000 and through the vacuum suction tube 1002 is increased , creating a more efficient machine as no additional energy needs to be introduced in order to effect this increased volumetric flow rate . additionally , the flow characteristics through the vacuum suction tube 1002 is smoothed , thereby providing a more uniform distribution of water flow . it should be understood that it is not necessary to utilize both a vortex angle and a convergence angle at the same time ; instead , each of a vortex angle and a convergence angle can be implemented absent the other , or can be utilized together . it should also be understood that the jet nozzle assembly 1000 can be provided with more or less than three nozzles as illustrated , e . g ., the jet nozzle assembly 1000 can have one nozzle ( see fig8 ), two nozzles ( see fig8 ), four nozzles ( see fig8 ), etc . table 1 below shows simulated testing results illustrating how volumetric flow rate is affected by various configurations of the number of nozzles , vacuum tube diameter , nozzle convergence angle β , nozzle vortex angle α , nozzle diameter , and flow per nozzle . the column “ volume flow rate 1 ” indicates the volumetric flow rate at a point prior to the nozzles , e . g ., upstream of the nozzles , and thus represents that volumetric flow rate of fluid that is being suctioned into the jet nozzle assembly . the column “ volume flow rate 2 ” indicates the volumetric flow rate at a point that is at the top of the tube , e . g ., downstream of the nozzles , and thus represents that volumetric flow rate of fluid that is being discharged through the vacuum tube . as can be seen from table 1 , when the number of nozzles , vacuum tube diameter , nozzle outlet diameter , and flow per nozzle are kept constant , the greatest increase in flow rate results from a nozzle convergence angle β of 30 ° and a nozzle vortex angle α of 30 °. in this configuration , a volumetric flow rate of 26 . 255 gallons per minute through the vacuum tube is achieved while only discharging 1 . 02 gallons per minute through each nozzle . table 2 below shows simulated testing results illustrating how volumetric flow rate is affected by various configurations of the number of nozzles , vacuum tube diameter , nozzle convergence angle β , nozzle diameter , and flow per nozzle . the column “ volume flow rate 1 ” indicates the volumetric flow rate at a point prior to the nozzles , e . g ., upstream of the nozzles , and thus represents that volumetric flow rate of fluid that is being suctioned into the jet nozzle assembly . the column “ volume flow rate 2 ” indicates the volumetric flow rate at a point that is at the top of the tube , e . g ., downstream of the nozzles , and thus represents that volumetric flow rate of fluid that is being discharged through the vacuum tube . as can be seen from table 2 , when the number of nozzles , nozzle outlet diameter , and flow per nozzle are kept constant , the greatest increase in flow rate results from a nozzle convergence angle θ of 30 ° and a vacuum tube diameter of 2 . 75 ″. in this configuration , a volumetric flow rate of 23 . 242 gallons per minute through the vacuum tube is achieved while only discharging 1 . 02 gallons per minute through each nozzle . having thus described the invention in detail , it is to be understood that the foregoing description is not intended to limit the spirit or scope thereof . it will be understood that the embodiments of the present invention described herein are merely exemplary and that a person skilled in the art may make any variations and modification without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . all such variations and modifications , including those discussed above , are intended to be included within the scope of the invention . | 4 |
an exemplary embodiment of a nozzle assembly incorporating a switching valve assembly is shown in fig1 through 7 . note that the cross sectional views of fig3 and 6 are axial cross sectional views showing the cleaning nozzle ports passing out of the side of the nozzle head body . fig5 and 7 are axial cross sectional views of the same assembly rotated 45 degrees , with the cut going through a pair of tractor nozzle ports . turning now to fig1 , a partial exploded view of a pipe cleaning assembly with a nozzle assembly 102 incorporating a cartridge assembly 100 in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is shown . the nozzle assembly 102 includes a hollow nozzle head body 104 that houses the cartridge assembly 100 captured within the nozzle body 104 by a threaded retainer nut 103 . the assembly 102 is in turn threaded or otherwise fastened via retainer nut 103 to a distal end of a rotating bearing coupling assembly 106 such as is disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 6 , 059 , 202 , which is , in turn , fastened to the distal end of a high pressure fluid hose 108 . a separate enlarged exploded view of the nozzle assembly 102 is shown in an exploded view in fig2 . the cartridge assembly 100 comprises a cartridge body 130 , a coil spring 134 and a poppet 132 . the nozzle head , or body , 104 in this exemplary embodiment , is generally symmetrical about its longitudinal axis “ a ” and has a set of four circumferentially spaced apart tractor ports 110 , a set of four cleaning ports 112 , and a front cleaning port 114 . each of these ports 110 , 112 , and 114 passes into a central band bore 116 into which the cartridge 100 is installed . the ports 110 and 114 extend into a bottom annulus portion of the central blind bore 116 . the ports 112 intersect a side portion of the central blind bore 116 , spaced from the bottom annulus portion of the central blind bore 116 . each of these ports is positioned / directed at an angle from , or displaced off center from the longitudinal axis a of the nozzle body 104 so as to impart a rotational moment to the nozzle body 104 during device operation . the angle from the axis causes forward traction , or neutral ( no pulling ), or retarding in the case of a forward cutting nozzle . it is only the radial offset that imparts a rotational moment to the nozzle body . as a result , during operation of the cartridge assembly 100 , the nozzle body 104 spins on the bearing assembly 106 . the bearing assembly 106 typically is designed to allow spinning of the nozzle assembly 102 at a controlled rate . the choice of and direction of ports 110 , 112 , and 114 may be modified in different nozzle heads 104 , depending on the particular cleaning application for which the nozzle assembly 102 is designed . for example , the precise angular position , number and offset of each of the ports may be changed as well as the number of sets of ports depending on operational needs for a specific application . provided the same radial spacing of the port openings into the central blind bore 116 remains the same , a variety of nozzle head configurations may utilize the same cartridge 100 as described below . furthermore , all of the wear parts in the switching valve mechanism of the nozzle assembly 102 are contained in the cartridge 100 such that repair is simplified by simple cartridge replacement when required . the cartridge 100 comprises a cup shaped cartridge case 130 , a poppet 132 , and a biasing spring 134 . the cartridge 100 is assembled into the central blind bore 116 in the nozzle body 104 and captured therein via the threaded retainer nut 103 . the threaded retainer nut 103 has a peripheral face groove holding a seal o - ring 142 which engages a rear annular face of the cartridge case 130 to capture the cartridge case 130 within the nozzle body 104 . the cartridge case 130 carries a pair of spaced o - rings 142 in corresponding peripheral grooves to center and seal the cartridge 100 in place in the bore 116 . the cartridge case 130 has a cup shaped rear portion 131 and a solid front portion 133 . the front portion 133 has a distal end 143 for engaging the bottom of the central blind bore 116 in the nozzle body 104 , an annular rim 141 , and an annular channel 140 around the front portion 133 separating the front portion 133 from the rear portion 131 . the front portion 133 also has a central axial blind bore 135 for receiving therein one end of the spring 134 . the front portion 133 also preferably has four axially extending , equally spaced apart bores 137 alternating with four angled bores 139 . the four axially extending bores 137 are symmetrically spaced 90 degrees apart about the central axis a . the angled bores 139 , also 90 degrees apart , are symmetrically spaced between the four axially extending bores 137 . thus there is a bore 137 or 139 every 45 degrees around the central axis a through the cartridge case 130 . each of these angled bores 137 communicates with the annular channel 140 around the solid front portion 133 of the cartridge case 130 . the disc shaped rim 141 of the front portion 133 carries an o - ring 142 that isolates the annular channel 156 from the distal end 143 . the cartridge case 130 also has four equally spaced guide pins 136 that extend radially inward through the side wall of the cup shaped rear portion 131 . these guide pins are press fit through the side wall of the rear portion 131 , and are used to control position of the poppet 132 within the cartridge case 130 as explained further below . the cartridge case 130 requires no specific orientation about axis a when installed within the blind bore 116 of the nozzle body 104 . the poppet 132 is basically a solid cylindrical body having a front end 144 and a rear end 146 . the front end 144 has a flat radial face with four symmetrically spaced protruding lugs 148 spaced 90 degrees radially apart about the axis a . between these lugs 148 are four equally spaced axially extending through bores 150 , again equally spaced 90 degrees apart about the axis a . each of the lugs 148 acts as a valve disk to one of the bores 137 and 139 depending on the rotational position of the poppet 132 within the cartridge case 130 . the exemplary poppet 132 has an outer side wall 152 that has a zig - zag pattern annular cam groove 154 formed in the side wall 152 fully around the periphery of the poppet 132 . this cam groove 154 is sized complementary to the diameter and depth of the pins 136 that project radially inward from the side wall of the rear portion 131 of the cartridge case 130 . when the cartridge 100 is fully assembled , the pins 136 ride in the cam groove 154 . this cam groove 154 has forward notches or vertices 156 each rotationally spaced about 45 ° apart along the groove 154 . the cam groove 154 also has rear notches 158 spaced alternatingly with four axial grooves 160 spaced about 90 ° apart . these axial grooves 160 merge with the cam groove 154 at an angular rotation position between the rear notches 158 in the groove 154 . each of the four guide pins 136 ride in the cam groove 154 when the valve cartridge 100 is fully assembled . the sides of the cam groove 154 are angled toward the sequential forward and rear notches or vertices 156 and 158 of the groove 154 such that when the poppet 132 moves forward and back as flow is applied or reduced , the poppet 132 has to rotate about 22 . 5 ° clockwise each time as it moves either forward or back with each change in flow above and below a predetermined threshold rate . when fluid flow is off , as is shown in fig3 , or at least reduced below the predetermined threshold , determined by the spring rate of the spring 134 , the poppet 132 is pushed by the spring 134 rearward so that it rests against the nut 103 . at the same time , the poppet 132 is rotated 22 . 5 ° clockwise . the guide pins 136 shown in fig3 are either resting against the forward notches 156 or riding within the axial grooves 160 . in this intermediate position , the poppet 132 rests against the nut 103 . in this position , the passages 150 through the poppet 132 are open to all the passages in the cartridge case 130 , i . e . the axial passages 137 and angled passages 139 to all the ports 110 , 112 and 114 . however , fluid pressure is either off or low at this point . if the position of the poppet 132 before flow decrease had been as shown in fig4 , i . e ., with flow through the angled passages 139 to the annular channel 140 to the cleaning nozzle ports 112 , then , when fluid flow is again turned on , the poppet 132 again is moved forward by the fluid flow against the inlet end portion of the poppet 132 , but this time moves the poppet 132 moves forward and rotates 22 . 5 ° clockwise to the position shown in fig5 . in this position , the passages 150 are aligned with the axial passages 137 to the tractor ports 110 and front cleaning port 114 . at the same time , the four lugs 148 on the poppet end 144 close the four angled bores 139 to the cleaning nozzles 112 , as is shown in fig6 . when flow is subsequently reduced below the predetermined threshold , such as by the operator turning off flow , the poppet 132 rotates about 22 . 5 ° as the spring 134 pushes the poppet 132 rearward , via engagement with the stationary guide pins 136 to cause rotation and axial movement to an intermediate position , again as is shown in fig3 , except rotated one notch 156 further by 22 . 5 °. this rotation is caused by the interaction between the stationary guide pins 136 riding in the groove 154 forcing rotation of the poppet 132 as the spring 134 pushes the poppet rearward . then , when flow is again increased above the predetermined threshold , the poppet 132 rotates about 22 . 5 ° again as fluid flow pushes the poppet 132 forward , to the position shown in fig4 and 7 . when the poppet 132 is in this position , the passages 137 are plugged via the lugs 148 , and the passages 150 are directly aligned with the angled bores 139 to the annular channel 140 and the cleaning ports 112 . since the ports 137 are plugged as is shown in fig7 , there is no flow available to the traction ports 110 . thus , while flow is directed through the cleaning ports 112 , flow is positively prevented through the traction ports 110 . each cycle of fluid flow / pressure application causes about a 45 ° rotation of the poppet 132 and hence an alternation between fluid flow being directed to forward port 114 and traction ports 110 and between cleaning ports 112 . since all of these ports are preferably offset from a direct radial orientation , a rotational torque is applied to the nozzle body 104 to cause nozzle head rotation when fluid pressure is applied . finally , each of the ports 110 , 112 and 114 each preferably has a threaded jet tip 170 installed . these jet tips 170 may also be of different configurations depending on the task to be performed . it is to be understood that various changes can be made to the nozzle body 104 and to the switching valve cartridge 100 in accordance with the present disclosure . for example , the nozzle head body 104 may be configured with a different number of ports 110 and 112 and the corresponding poppet 132 and case 130 in the cartridge 100 would thus have a different number of openings and passages . the same cartridge 100 may be utilized in a variety of nozzle head bodies 104 each with a different set of angled ports . the angles and offsets utilized may be tuned to achieve specific rotational torques at designed pressures and flow rates . additionally , the lugs 148 on the poppet 132 may be replaced with a flat face seal . the cartridge 100 could also be used in a non - rotary nozzle or flow diversion design in - line along a hose . all such changes , alternatives and equivalents in accordance with the features and benefits described herein , are within the scope of the present disclosure . such changes and alternatives may be introduced without departing from the spirit and broad scope of my invention as defined by the claims below and their equivalents . | 1 |
in accordance with embodiments , the signal delay across sipms ( or any type of photosensor having an array of individual microcells with integrated electronics ) can be compensated for the source of the delay in the sipm ( e . g ., pixel geometry , microcell position , trace length differences , etc .). embodying approaches can include one or more of adjusting the trigger level of one - shot circuitry triggering on the response of the spad , adjusting internal delay of one - shot circuitry , adjusting the width of the one - shot pulse to equalize the timing of each microcells &# 39 ; output pulse &# 39 ; s trailing edges , ( from which a detector can then sense the photon event ), adjust the spad response shape by varying quench resistance or other properties of the microcell , and / or modify the pulse shape by adjusting the rc time constant for individual microcells . in accordance with embodiments , individual microcells of a solid state photomultiplier ( sspm ) with integrated microcell electronics can be modified so that the pulse seen at the processing electronics is arriving at about the same time after a photon event trigger microcell regardless of the individual microcell location within a pixel array . this modification can be achieved by effectively leveling the transit time delay to the signal processing circuitry by adjusting one or more properties of the pulse at an individual microcell — i . e ., by adjusting components on the microcell electronics ( such as one - shot pulse output based on a comparator ). introduction of modified circuitry into the individual microcells can prospectively level the transit time delay based on the expected delay in the transmission lines . fig1 depicts circuit 100 including a conventional silicon photomultiplier pixel and threshold detector circuitry , where a microcell 86 is one of a plurality of microcells 88 , within an sipm array of such cells . in one example , the depicted microcell may be part of an array of single photon avalanche diodes ( spad ) operated in geiger mode within an analog sipm . in the depicted example , the model has an associated cathode 52 and anode 54 . the microcell portion of the model includes a diode capacitor 58 and a current pulse 66 , such as may be associated with a photodiode . quench circuitry in the depicted example includes quench resistor 72 and parasitic quench capacitor 60 . downstream of the quench circuitry , in this example , circuit trace impedances are modeled as parasitic circuit 90 including parasitic resistor 62 and parasitic inductor 64 . in this model each individual apd of a pixel , such as the depicted microcell , is connected to a readout network via the quenching circuitry , including the quenching resistor ( rq ) 72 with typical values between about 100 k 1 to about 1 m . when a detected photon generates an avalanche event , a current pulse 66 is generated and the microcell diode capacitance ( cd ) 58 discharges down to the breakdown voltage and the recharging current creates a measureable output signal . the typical pulse shape 92 at anode 54 of a single photo electron ( spe ) signal has fast rise time ( i . e ., a sharp rising edge ) followed by a long fall time ( i . e ., a slow falling tail ). circuit 100 includes comparator 102 , such as a schmitt trigger , followed by one - shot pulse generator 104 to sense output signal 92 at signal sensing node 108 . in the depicted example , comparator 102 compares the signal sensed at the signal sensing node 108 with threshold voltage ( vth ). that is , circuit 100 operates in a voltage mode in terms of the determination as to whether the one - shot pulse generator is triggered . fig2 a - 2b depict graphical representations of microcell timing diagrams in accordance with embodiments . photomultiplier 200 can be an array of microcells that includes microcell a and microcell b . the former microcell is located close to the array output that provides a signal to the readout electronics . the later microcell is geometrically located further from the array output , and its output has additional trace paths to travel before reaching the array output . by way of example , if microcell a and microcell b simultaneously sensed the photon event and generated their respective avalanche signals at the same moment ( as depicted in graphs i and ii ), the microcell output signals would each be delayed by differing delays delay ( a ), delay ( b ) due to the physical phenomenon of their respective array geometries and positions . accordingly , the respective readout signals from microcells a , b would arrive at the readout circuitry with a time delay at . fig2 b graphically depicts the general solution of correcting at the microcell level by adjusting and / or adding circuitry delay designed to compensate for the respective device delays sipm delay ( a ), sipm delay ( b ). this approach results in about a zero time delay at . in accordance with embodiments , variations between microcell signal delays of an array of microcells can be modified by adjusting the threshold level vth at which the individual microcell comparator is triggered . microcells with higher trigger levels would have an additional delay compared to microcells with a lower trigger level . in other embodiments , adjustment to the width of the one - shot pulse can be achieved . the start time of the pulse could remain about the same , but the pulse duration would move the end time . the processing electronics would then trigger on the falling edge rather than the rising edge of the output pulse . in another embodying implementation , a digital delay can be added to the pulse . in other implementations the amplitude and shape of the avalanche output pulse can be changed by altering the quench circuit time constant . by changing the rising slope of the avalanche output , additional time delay is introduced before the avalanche output crosses the threshold voltage vth at signal sensing node 108 . in another implementation to equalize delays between microcells , the quench resistor value or other properties of the microcell can be adjusted at the individual microcell level to alter the rising edge of avalanche output pulse 74 , 92 , which in turn would alter the time that the signal at sensing node 108 reaches threshold level vth . this approach of changing the rc time constant to modify the avalanche pulse amplitude and shape is appropriate for analog sipms . signals reaching the processing electronics would then reach a given trigger threshold at about the same total time after a photon event . this is only appropriate if the timing trigger is expected to come from a single microcell , but if a sspm pixel is separated into several smaller sub - pixels it is to be expected that for each event very few microcells will contribute to timing in each sub - pixel . if each sub - pixel has its own independent timing signal this approach may be appropriate given its simplicity . fig4 a depicts a model of microcell circuitry 400 in accordance with embodiments . microcell circuitry 400 can include spad microcell 410 that produces an avalanche output . this avalanche output is provided to a signal sensing node of comparator 420 , which produces a pulse output if a threshold voltage is exceeded by the avalanche output . in some implementations , a one - shot circuit can be incorporated into the signal path of microcell circuitry 400 . for purposes of this discussion , the one - shot circuitry can be considered to be within the comparator block . in accordance with embodiments , delay circuitry 430 introduces delay at to the pulse output . the amount of delay is determined by the amount of compensation each microcell output needs based on its geometry and position in the microcell array . in accordance with embodiments , value and design of existing components on the silicon wafer can be modified during fabrication of sipm in a way that reduces transit time delay variation across the region of interest . this approach achieves adjustments without either reducing the active area of the sensor or adding complexity to the readout electronics . variable delay between microcells can be introduced in each respective microcell ( after comparator trigger ). in accordance with some implementations , the threshold of the trigger vth is set equal at an optimal value to minimize timing jitter . the variable delays can be implemented “ by design ” and included during fabrication of the microcell circuit wafer . the design can include passive and / or active components with values dependent on microcell location within the detector array ( e . g ., trace length to collecting node ). fig3 a - 3c depict alternate configurations for an array of microcells 310 in accordance with embodiments . microcells 310 are arranged in columns a , b , c , . . . , where adjacent rows of microcells are summed to readout lines α , β , γ , . . . ( fig3 a ). in an alternate configuration , groups of microcells 310 are summed at a common centroid 320 , and this summation is then summed on readout lines α , β , γ , . . . ( fig3 b ). in another configuration , readout lines α , β , γ , . . . can be located at a common centroid along the row ( fig3 c ), where the readout lines are summed and then provided to common readout output 330 that is located at a common centroid . in the configuration of fig3 c , the readout lines have mirror image delay introduced with respect to their position from the common readout output . each of the configurations depicted in fig3 a - 3c introduce different delays to the signals from each of the microcells . readout lines α , β , γ , . . . are connected to a summer ( not shown ). the path length from the respective outputs of readout lines α , β , γ , . . . to the summer input introduce another level of delay which differs for each readout line . in accordance with embodiments , delay adjustment and compensation can be introduced based on the particular delay for each respective microcell based on the particular configuration of the microcell array . for example , all microcells in column b of each configuration would receive identical microcell - level delay compensation . in accordance with embodiments , the greatest delay can be introduced into the microcells closest to the readout line output . in some implementations a second level of delay compensation can be added at the column level to account for delay introduced by the positioning of the readout line output relative to the summer input . because the delay propagation can be identified for a row and a column , each of the delay components ( row , column ) can be corrected separately . this would require two levels of delay compensation , but simplify the implementation . accordingly , embodiments can provide row - column delay compensation . embodying systems are not limited to the configurations depicted in fig3 a - 3c , and other configurations are within the contemplation of this disclosure . fig4 b depicts a layout for microcell array 402 in accordance with embodiments . microcell array 402 can include m × n microcells arranged in rows and columns . each microcell has a different delay — one part of the delay corresponds to propagation delay along respective row traces and the other along major bus column traces . accordingly , each row microcell 411 , 412 , . . . , 41 n has about the same additional “ row ” delay as other microcells of the same row . in accordance with embodiments , respective column delay circuits 431 , 432 , . . . , 43 n are placed at the output of each microcell . in some implementations , there are also respective row delay circuits 471 , 472 , . . . , 47 n are placed at the row output . the row and column delay circuits can be adjusted dynamically by delay adjustment circuitry 440 . in accordance with embodiments , delay adjustment circuitry 440 , can provide respective delay correction values to each of the respective row and column delay circuits . these delay correction values are based on the adjustment and compensation of each microcell row and column computed by its position in the microcell array . the delay correction can be provided on a row and a column basis via respective row control lines 462 , 464 , . . . , 46 n and respective column control lines 452 , 454 , . . . , 45 n connected to each of the respective delay circuits . in accordance with implementations , the delay correction for microcells of the same column have about the same column delay adjustment . the column delay circuitry can be implemented in analog circuitry , in digital circuitry , by firmware , or a combination . in accordance with embodiments , the delay correction values can be optimized by using delay adjustment circuitry 440 , the adjustable row delay circuits , and the adjustable column delay circuits to optimize the signal transit delay across the photomultiplier for each microcell . these components of an active , onboard time delay compensation network can be used to reiteratively refine the amount of respective delay correction values for each of the respective row and column delay circuits . fig5 depicts process 500 for compensating signal delay across microcells of an array in accordance with embodiments . in accordance with embodiments , process 500 can modify the signal delay of individual microcells so that the pulse seen at the pixel output ( e . g ., at readout electronics and / or processing electronics ) arrives at about the same time after a photon event regardless of the individual microcell location within a pixel array . the signal arrival time ( e . g ., transit time delay ) of a microcell pulse at a preselected location is determined , step 505 , for microcells of a sipm array . the preselected location can be the output port , an input to the readout and / or processing electronics , or any signal path common to the individual microcells . the differences between the microcell signal transit time delays at the preselected location is calculated for individual microcells of the array , step 510 . the individual differences of transit time delay are correlated , step 515 , to an amount of delay compensation needed for the respective individual microcells . in accordance with embodiments , the correlation can be based on the particular configuration of the microcell array . for example , all microcells in column b ( fig3 ) of each configuration could receive identical microcell - level delay compensation . the greatest delay can be introduced into the microcells closest to the readout output . the delay compensation is introduced , step 520 , into the microcell signal transit time for individual microcells . the delay compensation can level the transit time delay to the signal processing circuitry by adjusting one or more properties of the pulse at an individual microcell . circuitry component modification and / or design change of existing components on the semiconductor wafer can be modified during fabrication at individual microcells based on the amount of delay compensation . in accordance with some embodiments , a computer program application stored in non - volatile memory or computer - readable medium ( e . g ., register memory , processor cache , ram , rom , hard drive , flash memory , cd rom , magnetic media , etc .) may include code or executable instructions that when executed may instruct and / or cause a controller or processor to perform methods discussed herein such as compensating signal delay across a photomultiplier , as described above . the computer - readable medium may be a non - transitory computer - readable media including all forms and types of memory and all computer - readable media except for a transitory , propagating signal . in one implementation , the non - volatile memory or computer - readable medium may be external memory . although specific hardware and methods have been described herein , note that any number of other configurations may be provided in accordance with embodiments of the invention . thus , while there have been shown , described , and pointed out fundamental novel features of the invention , it will be understood that various omissions , substitutions , and changes in the form and details of the illustrated embodiments , and in their operation , may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . substitutions of elements from one embodiment to another are also fully intended and contemplated . the invention is defined solely with regard to the claims appended hereto , and equivalents of the recitations therein . | 6 |
the present invention is a binder - free glass fiber separator with temporarily inhibited resiliency and reduced thickness . dry , binderless glass fiber separator useful in vrla batteries is resilient under certain conditions . when compressed under relatively mild pressure applied to its major surfaces , the thickness of glass fiber separator is reduced . when the compression pressure is released , the separator rebounds and returns to its original thickness , or something very close . of course , if too much pressure is applied to the major surfaces of dry , binderless glass fiber separator , there will be severe fiber breakage and resiliency will be lost . the resiliency of prior art , binderless glass fiber separator is illustrated by compression curves presented in the fig1 . the compression characteristics , i . e ., the thickness at various pressures , of this and other glass fiber separators were measured generally in accordance with the battery council international , ( bci ) on apparatus including a block with an upper , hard , flat square surface approximately 6 inches by 6 inches . a small round pressure foot with a lower , flat surface was mounted on a moveable fixture over the block and , so far as possible , the lower surface of the pressure foot was maintained parallel to the hard , flat block surface . the fixture included a dial micrometer for measuring the distance between the upper block surface and the lower pressure foot surface , as well as means for measuring the pressure , if any , exerted on the lower pressure plate surface . the apparatus and procedure described above were used to measure the thickness and resiliency of conventional , prior art glass fiber separator which was produced from a blend of glass fibers comprising 35 percent w / w manville 206 glass fibers , average fiber diameter of 0 . 75μ and 65 percent w / w manville 210x glass fibers , average fiber diameter of 3 . 0μ . the separator had a grammage of 260 g / m 2 . a piece of the dry separator material ( prior art - dry ) was cut into a square sample , about three to four inches square . the lower major surface of the sample was placed on the block and the pressure plate was lowered until a nominal pressure of approximately 0 . 6 psi was observed . the thickness of the sample at that pressure was 0 . 076 inches , as measured by the dial micrometer . additional measurements were made of the thickness of the sample at higher pressures and the data points are plotted in the graph which is fig1 . as the sample is subjected to successively higher pressures , its thickness is successively reduced . for a given sample , this test procedure can be repeated with virtually the same results . in other words , a sample that has been compressed under pressure of 6 or 7 psi and its thickness reduced by approximately 35 percent will , upon release of the pressure , expand to its original thickness or very close to it . this elasticity of glass fiber separator material will be destroyed if it is subjected to pressure which is high enough to cause substantial glass fiber breakage . the threshold amount of pressure which will destroy elasticity for a given separator is affected by the diameter of fibers in the separator , the thickness of the separator and other factors , as well . in many cases , the elasticity will be destroyed by the amount of pressure required to reduce the thickness of a separator sample by about fifty percent . additional measurements were taken to investigate the compression characteristics of glass fiber separator corresponding with the prior art - dry except that , prior to testing , the samples were loaded with electrolyte , specifically , h 2 so 4 having a specific gravity of 1 . 286 g . electrolyte was added to one sample , designated prior art - 6x in fig1 in a controlled amount so that the ratio of the combined weight of the dry separator and the weight of the electrolyte to the weight of the dry separator was 6 : 1 . additional samples were tested in which this ratio was 7 : 1 , 8 : 1 , 9 : 1 and 10 : 1 and they are identified in fig1 by the legends prior art - 7x , prior art - 8x , prior art - 9x and prior art - 10x , respectively . the samples which were loaded with electrolyte behaved elastically and their thickness curves in fig1 are extremely similar to the compression curve for prior art - dry . glass fiber separator was produced from a blend of glass fibers comprising 35 percent w / w manville 206 glass fibers , average fiber diameter of 0 . 75μ and 65 percent w / w manville 210x glass fibers , average fiber diameter of 3 . 0μ . the separator had a grammage of 240 g / m 2 . in accordance with the present invention , acidified water , specifically , deionized water to which h 2 so 4 was added to achieve a ph of between 2 . 5 and 2 . 7 , was added to the separator in an amount such that the ratio of the combined weight of the dry separator and the weight of the acidified water to the weight of the dry separator was 2 . 7 : 1 . the wetted separator , in accordance with the invention , was passed between compression rollers which were set so that , upon leaving the compression rollers , the wetted separator exhibited suppressed resiliency , as explained below . a compression curve for this glass fiber separator is presented in fig2 designated example 1 - pc ( the pc here means precompressed ). in order to illustrate the degree of resiliency suppression exhibited by example 1 - pc , there is a compression curve , designated control 1 - dry in fig2 for a conventional , dry glass fiber separator corresponding in composition and grammage with the glass fiber separator of example 1 - pc . the example 1 - pc separator has a thickness which is between about 33 % and 40 % less , under various pressures , than the thickness of the control 1 - dry separator at those pressures . thus , it is shown that a wetted separator , in accordance with the invention , has suppressed resiliency by comparison with a dry but otherwise comparable separator . the significance of the resiliency suppression is greatly enhanced , however , by the fact that the resiliency can be restored in a controlled fashion . after the testing described above , electrolyte , specifically , h 2 so 4 having a specific gravity of 1 . 286 g , was loaded into the example 1 - pc separator sample in an amount such that the ratio of the combined weights of the dry separator , the acidified water and the electrolyte to the weight of the dry separator was 7 : 1 . this ratio was selected to approximate the amount of the total electrolyte in a vrla battery that would be carried in the glass fiber separator . thereafter , the compression characteristics of the example 1 - pc separator loaded with electrolyte , was measured and the resulting compression curve is presented in fig2 in a plot labeled example 1 - 7x . to a large extent , the resiliency of the example 1 - pc separator was restored by loading it with electrolyte , as shown in the example 1 - 7x plot . in fact , the resiliency of the example 1 - 7x separator was substantially the same as the resiliency of the control 1 - dry separator after it was loaded with electrolyte , specifically , h 2 so 4 having a specific gravity of 1 . 286 g , in an amount such that the ratio of the combined weight of the dry separator and the weight of the electrolyte to the weight of the dry separator was 7 : 1 . this compression curve for the control 1 - dry separator after it was loaded with electrolyte is presented in a plot designated control 1 - 7x in fig2 . accordingly , it is demonstrated that wetted separator with suppressed resiliency , in accordance with the invention , when loaded with electrolyte in an amount similar to the amount it would carry in service , has restored resiliency substantially equal to that of conventional separator loaded with a like amount of electrolyte . further tests were conducted on glass fiber separators of varying grammages . glass fiber separator was produced from a blend of glass fibers comprising 35 percent w / w manville 206 glass fibers , average fiber diameter of 0 . 75μ , and 65 percent w / w manville 210x glass fibers , average fiber diameter of 3 . 0μ . the separator had a grammage of 280 g / m 2 . in accordance with the present invention , acidified water produced by adding h 2 so 4 to deionized water in an amount such that the acid had a ph between 2 . 5 and 2 . 7 , was added to the separator in an amount such that the ratio of the combined weight of the dry separator and the weight of the acidified water to the weight of the dry separator was 2 . 7 : 1 . the wetted separator , in accordance with the invention , was passed between compression rollers which were set so that , upon leaving the compression rollers , the wetted separator exhibited suppressed resiliency . a compression curve for this separator is presented in fig3 designated example 2 - pc . in order to illustrate the degree of resiliency suppression exhibited by example 2 - pc , there is a compression curve , designated control 2 - dry in fig3 for a conventional , dry glass fiber separator corresponding in composition and grammage with the glass fiber separator of example 2 - pc . the example 2 - pc separator has a thickness which is between about 6 % and 37 % less , under various pressures , than the thickness of the control 2 - dry separator at those pressures . under nominal pressures of 2 psi and less , the example 2 - pc glass fiber has a thickness which is between about 20 % and 37 % less than the thickness of the control 2 - dry separator . like the separator of example 1 , the example 2 - pc separator has suppressed resiliency by comparison with a dry but otherwise comparable separator and its resiliency can be restored in a controlled fashion . after the testing described above , electrolyte , specifically , h 2 so 4 having a specific gravity of 1 . 286g , was added to the example 2 - pc separator sample in an amount such that the ratio of the combined weight of the dry separator , the acidified water and the weight of the electrolyte to the weight of the dry separator was 7 : 1 . this ratio was selected to approximate the amount of the total electrolyte in a vrla battery that would be carried in the glass fiber separator . thereafter , the compression characteristics of the example 2 - pc separator loaded with electrolyte , were measured and the results are presented in fig3 in a plot labeled example 2 - 7x . to a large extent , the resiliency of the example 2 - pc separator was restored by the addition of electrolyte , as shown in the example 2 - 7x plot . in fact , the resiliency of the example 2 - 7x separator was substantially the same as the resiliency of the control 2 - dry separator after it was loaded with electrolyte , specifically , h 2 so 4 having a specific gravity of 1 . 286 g , in an amount such that the ratio of the combined weight of the dry separator and the weight of the electrolyte to the weight of the dry separator was 7 : 1 . the compression curve for this separator is designated control 2 - 7x in fig3 . glass fiber separator was produced from a blend of glass fibers comprising 35 percent w / w manville 206 glass fibers , average fiber diameter of 0 . 75μ , and 65 percent w / w manville 210x glass fibers , average fiber diameter of 3 . 0μ . the separator had a grammage of 260 g / m 2 . in accordance with the present invention , acidified water produced by adding h 2 so 4 to deionized water in an amount such that the acidified water had a ph between 2 . 5 and 2 . 7 , was added to the separator in an amount such that the ratio of the combined weight of the dry separator and the weight of the acidified water to the weight of the dry separator was 2 . 7 : 1 . the wetted separator , in accordance with the invention , was passed between compression rollers which were set so that , upon leaving the compression rollers , the wetted separator exhibited suppressed resiliency . a compression curve for this separator is presented in fig4 designated example 3 - pc . in order to illustrate the degree of resiliency suppression exhibited by example 3 - pc , there is a compression curve , designated control 3 - dry in fig4 for a conventional , dry glass fiber separator corresponding in composition and grammage with the glass fiber separator of example 3 - pc . the example 3 - pc separator has a thickness which is between about 20 % and 30 % less , under various pressures , than the thickness of the control 3 - dry separator at those pressures . under nominal pressures of 4 psi and less , the example 3 - pc glass fiber has a thickness which is between about 23 % and 30 % less than the thickness of the control 3 - dry separator . like the separator of examples 1 and 2 , the example 3 - pc separator has suppressed resiliency by comparison with a dry but otherwise comparable separator and its resiliency can be restored in a controlled fashion . after the testing described above , additional electrolyte , specifically , h 2 so 4 having a specific gravity of 1 . 286 g , was added to the example 3 - pc separator sample in an amount such that the ratio of the combined weight of the dry separator , acidified water and the weight of the electrolyte to the weight of the dry separator was 7 : 1 . this ratio was selected to approximate the amount of the total electrolyte in a vrla battery that would be carried in the glass fiber separator . thereafter , the compression characteristics of the example 3 - pc separator loaded with electrolyte , were measured and the results are presented in fig4 in a plot labeled example 3 - 7x . to a large extent , the resiliency of the example 3 - pc separator was restored by the addition of electrolyte , as shown in the example 3 - 7x plot . in fact , the resiliency of the example 3 - 7x separator was substantially the same as the resiliency of the control 3 - dry separator after it was loaded with electrolyte , specifically , h 2 so 4 having a specific gravity of 1 . 286 g , in an amount such that the ratio of the combined weight of the dry separator and the weight of the electrolyte to the weight of the dry separator was 7 : 1 . the compression curve for this separator is designated control 3 - 7x in fig4 . glass fiber separator was produced from a blend of glass fibers comprising 35 percent w / w manville 206 glass fibers , average fiber diameter of 0 . 75μ , and 65 percent w / w manville 210x glass fibers , average fiber diameter of 3 . 0μ . the separator had a grammage of 280 g / m 2 . in accordance with the present invention , acidified water produced by adding h 2 so 4 to deionized water in an amount such that the acidified water had a ph between 2 . 5 and 2 . 7 , was added to the separator in an amount such that the ratio of the combined weight of the dry separator and the weight of the acidified water to the weight of the dry separator was 2 . 7 : 1 . the wetted separator , in accordance with the invention , was passed between compression rollers which were set so that , upon leaving the compression rollers , the wetted separator exhibited suppressed resiliency . a compression curve for this separator is presented in fig5 designated example 4 - pc . in order to illustrate the degree of resiliency suppression exhibited by example 4 - pc , there is a compression curve , designated control 4 - dry in fig5 for a conventional , dry glass fiber separator corresponding in composition and grammage with the glass fiber separator of example 4 - pc . the example 4 - pc separator has a thickness which is between about 32 % and 43 % less , under various pressures , than the thickness of the control 4 - dry separator at those pressures . like the separators of examples 1 , 2 and 3 , the example 4 - pc separator has suppressed resiliency by comparison with a dry but otherwise comparable separator and its resiliency can be restored in a controlled fashion . after the testing described above , additional electrolyte , specifically , h 2 so 4 having a specific gravity of 1 . 286 g , was added to the example 4 - pc separator sample in an amount such that the ratio of the combined weights of the dry separator , acidified water and the electrolyte to the weight of the dry separator was 7 : 1 . this ratio was selected to approximate the amount of the total electrolyte in a vrla battery that would be carried in the glass fiber separator . thereafter , the compression characteristics of the example 4 - pc separator loaded with electrolyte , were measured and the results are presented in fig5 in a plot labeled example 4 - 7x . to a large extent , the resiliency of the example 4 - pc separator was restored by the addition of electrolyte , as shown in the example 4 - 7x plot . in fact , the resiliency of the example 4 - 7x separator was substantially the same as the resiliency of the control 4 - dry separator after it was loaded with electrolyte , specifically , h 2 so 4 having a specific gravity of 1 . 286 g , in an amount such that the ratio of the combined weight of the dry separator and the weight of the electrolyte to the weight of the dry separator was 7 : 1 . the compression curve for this separator is designated control 4 - 7x in fig5 . glass fiber separator was produced from a blend of glass fibers comprising 35 percent w / w manville 206 glass fibers , average fiber diameter of 0 . 75μ , and 65 percent w / w manville 210x glass fibers , average fiber diameter of 3 . 0μ . the separator had a grammage of 300 g / m 2 . in accordance with the present invention , acidified water produced by adding h 2 so 4 to deionized water in an amount such that the acid had a ph between 2 . 5 and 2 . 7 , was added to the separator in an amount such that the ratio of the combined weight of the dry separator and the weight of the acidified water to the weight of the dry separator was 2 . 7 : 1 . the wetted separator , in accordance with the invention , was passed between compression rollers which were set so that , upon leaving the compression rollers , the wetted separator exhibited suppressed resiliency . a compression curve for this separator is presented in fig6 designated example 5 - pc . in order to illustrate the degree of resiliency suppression exhibited by example 5 - pc , there is a compression curve , designated control 5 - dry in fig6 for a conventional , dry glass fiber separator corresponding in composition and grammage with the glass fiber separator of example 5 - pc . the example 5 - pc separator has a thickness which is between about 38 % and 42 % less , under various pressures , than the thickness of the control 5 - dry separator at those pressures . like the separators of examples 1 - 4 , the example 5 - pc separator has suppressed resiliency by comparison with a dry but otherwise comparable separator and its resiliency can be restored in a controlled fashion . after the testing described above , additional electrolyte , specifically , h 2 so 4 having a specific gravity of 1 . 286 g , was added to the example 5 - pc separator sample in an amount such that the ratio of the combined weights of the dry separator , the acidified water and the electrolyte to the weight of the dry separator was 7 : 1 . this ratio was selected to approximate the amount of the total electrolyte in a vrla battery that would be carried in the glass fiber separator . thereafter , the compression characteristics of the example 5 - pc separator loaded with electrolyte , were measured and the results are presented in fig6 in a plot labeled example 5 - 7x . to a large extent , the resiliency of the example 5 - pc separator was restored by the addition of electrolyte , as shown in the example 5 - 7x plot . in fact , the resiliency of the example 5 - 7x separator was substantially the same as the resiliency of the control 5 - dry separator after it was loaded with electrolyte , specifically , h 2 so 4 having a specific gravity of 1 . 286 g , in an amount such that the ratio of the combined weight of the dry separator and the weight of the electrolyte to the weight of the dry separator was 7 : 1 . the compression curve for this separator is designated control 5 - 7x in fig6 . referring now to fig7 apparatus for producing a vrla battery cell is indicated generally at 10 and comprises glass fiber separator 12 supplied from a roll 14 , liquid spray means 16 including a nozzle 18 , upper and lower compression rollers 20 and 22 , and a cutter 24 . according to the method of the present invention , glass fiber separator 12 is unwound from the supply roll 14 and advances , right to left in fig7 so that it passes under the spray nozzle 18 from which a controlled amount of resiliency suppressing liquid is sprayed or otherwise deposited on the glass fiber separator 12 as it passes below . according to the preferred embodiment of this method , the resiliency suppressing liquid is acidified water , specifically , deionized water to which sulfuric acid has been added to reach a ph of approximately 2 . 5 to 2 . 7 . other liquids known to be suitable for use in suppressing the resiliency of glass fiber separator include plain tap water , deionized water and sulfuric acid having a specific gravity of 1 . 286 . it is contemplated that the liquid will serve well as a vehicle for introducing additives into a battery , such as sodium sulfate to control dendrite growth as well as other chemicals for the same or other purposes . the amount of liquid sprayed or deposited on the glass fiber separator is preferably such that the ratio of the combined weight of the dry separator and the weight of the resiliency suppressing liquid to the weight of the dry separator is between 2 : 1 and 4 : 1 ; more preferably between 2 . 5 : 1 and 3 : 1 and , most preferably , about 2 . 7 : 1 . the glass fiber separator 12 containing the resiliency suppressing liquid is advanced , right to left in fig7 to pass between the compression rollers 20 and 22 , which are set to compress the glass fiber separator to the extent that , upon leaving the compression rollers , the thickness of a separator according to the present invention , under a given nominal pressure , is reduced at least ten percent as compared with the thickness of dry glass fiber separator 12 under the same nominal pressure . preferably , the thickness of a separator according to the present invention is reduced by at least twenty percent , and , most preferably , the thickness is reduced by at least thirty percent . it will be appreciated that , because of the resiliency of the glass fiber separator 12 , in order to produce a separator with a thickness reduced by thirty percent , it will be necessary to set the compression rollers 20 and 22 so that , when the separator 12 is between them , its thickness is reduced by more than thirty percent and , upon leaving the compression roller , the thickness of the separator will increase , somewhat , from the thickness it had when it was exactly between the rollers 20 and 22 . it may be desirable , in some cases , to use a second set of compression rollers ( not shown ) to sequentially reduce the thickness of the separator . the upper limit on thickness reduction is something which varies from separator to separator and is determined , in any case , by the degree of compression which can be sustained by a given glass fiber separator without glass fiber breakage to the extent that the separator loses its integrity . after leaving the compression rollers 20 and 22 , the reduced thickness separator is cut into separator sheets 26 having a length suitable for use in a given cell . the separator sheets are assembled with alternating positive electrodes 28 and negative electrodes 30 into a cell stack 32 . the positive electrodes 28 and the negative electrodes 30 may either be tank formed , i . e ., the paste material may be converted into active material outside the battery case or the electrodes may be formed in - situ after the cell stack is inserted into a battery case 34 . in either case , the cell stack is assembled and inserted into the battery case 34 . because the separator sheets 26 have a reduced thickness , little or no compression need be applied to the cell stack in order to insert the cell stack within the case . in accordance with known practice , polymeric sheets ( not shown ) may be positioned on the outside of the cell stack to facilitate insertion of the cell stack into the battery case 34 . owing to the reduced thickness of the separator sheets 26 in the cell stack 32 , there is a very low degree of compression in the components of the cell stack . when electrolyte is loaded into the battery case , however , the resiliency of the individual separator sheets 26 is restored and substantial degree of compression of the cell stack components is achieved . when the cell stack 32 within the battery case 34 is loaded with electrolyte , the separator sheets 26 will try to expand but , because the battery case 34 constrains the cell stack components against expansion , compression is built up within the cell stack 32 . referring now to fig8 apparatus for producing reduced thickness separator according to the present invention is indicated generally at 40 . a head box 42 contains a glass fiber slurry which is deposited in a thin web 44 on a drainage screen 46 . drying devices 47 are provided in the apparatus and may comprises drying cans , heat lamps , drying ovens and other means for reducing the moisture content of the web 44 . in conventional paper making , the moisture content of the web 44 would be preliminarily reduced on the drainage screen 46 , and the moisture content of the web 44 would be further reduced , to virtually zero , by the drying devices 47 . in contrast , and in accordance with the present invention , the glass fiber web is not dried completely ; substantial moisture remains in the web 44 as it leaves the drying devices 47 and the moisture is present in a controlled amount . the amount of liquid which remains in the web is preferably such that , for a given piece of the web , the ratio of the combined weight of the web and the weight of the moisture to the weight the web would have if it was completely dried is between 2 : 1 and 4 : 1 . more preferably , the ratio is between 2 . 5 : 1 and 3 : 1 and , most preferably , about 2 . 7 : 1 . upon leaving the drainage screen 46 , the web 44 is passed between upper and lower compression rollers 48 and 50 , which are set to compress the web to the extent that , upon leaving the compression rollers 48 and 50 , the thickness of the compressed web , under a given nominal pressure , is reduced at least ten percent as compared with the thickness that the web would have , under the same nominal pressure , if it was dried completely and had not been subjected to the action of the compression rollers 48 and 50 . preferably , the thickness of a separator according to the present invention is reduced by at least ten percent , and , most preferably , reduced by at least thirty percent . the upper limit on thickness reduction is something which varies from separator to separator and is determined , in any case , by the degree of compression which can be sustained by a given glass fiber separator without glass fiber breakage to the extent that the separator loses its integrity . once the glass fiber web has been compressed , it can be wound up on a roll 52 for shipment to a battery manufacturing facility . glass fiber separator was produced from a blend of glass fibers comprising 35 percent w / w manville 206 glass fibers , average fiber diameter of 0 . 75μ , and 65 percent w / w manville 210x glass fibers , average fiber diameter of 3 . 0μ . the separator had a grammage of 280 g / m 2 and a fiber surface area of 1 . 1 m 2 / g . in accordance with the present invention , sulfuric acid having a specific gravity of 1 . 286 was added to the separator in an amount such that the ratio of the combined weight of the dry separator and the weight of the acid to the weight of the dry separator was 2 . 7 : 1 . the wetted separator , in accordance with the invention , was passed between compression rollers which were set so that , upon leaving the compression rollers , the wetted separator exhibited suppressed resiliency . a compression curve for this separator is presented in fig9 designated example 6 - pc . the degree of resiliency suppression exhibited by example 6 - pc is illustrated in fig1 where the compression curve for example 6 - pc is plotted along with a compression curve , designated control 6 - dry , for a conventional , dry glass fiber separator corresponding in composition and grammage with the glass fiber separator of example 3 - pc . the example 6 - pc separator has a thickness which is between about 20 % and 34 % less , under various pressures , than the thickness of the control 7 - dry separator at those pressures . under nominal pressures of 4 psi and less , the example 6 - pc glass fiber has a thickness which is between about 24 % and 34 % less than the thickness of the control 7 - dry separator . the example 6 - pc separator has suppressed resiliency by comparison with a dry but otherwise comparable separator and its resiliency can be restored in a controlled fashion . after the testing described above , electrolyte , specifically , h 2 so 4 having a specific gravity of 1 . 286 g , was added to the example 6 - pc separator sample in an amount such that the ratio of the combined weights of the dry separator and of the electrolyte to the weight of the dry separator was 7 : 1 . this ratio was selected to approximate the amount of the total electrolyte in a vrla battery that would be carried in the glass fiber separator . thereafter , the compression characteristics of the example 6 - pc separator loaded with electrolyte , were measured and the results are presented in fig9 in a plot labeled example 6 - 7x . to a large extent , the resiliency of the example 6 - pc separator was restored by the addition of electrolyte , as shown in the example 6 - 7x plot . in fig1 , the resiliency of the example 6 - 7x separator is compared to the resiliency control 7 - dry separator after it was loaded with electrolyte , specifically , h 2 so 4 having a specific gravity of 1 . 286 g , in an amount such that the ratio of the combined weight of the dry separator and the weight of the electrolyte to the weight of the dry separator was 7 : 1 . the compression curve for control separator loaded with electrolyte is designated control 7 - 7x in fig1 . in fig1 , the compression curve for the control 7 - dry separator and the compression curve for the control 7 - 7x separator are plotted together . the loading of the convention control 7 - dry separator with electrolyte has virtually no effect on the compression characteristics of this material . although the present invention has been described in terms of specific embodiments , it is anticipated that alterations and modifications thereof will no doubt become apparent to those skilled in the art . it is intended that the appended claims be interpreted as covering all such alterations and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention . for example , although the invention has been described in the context of a glass fiber separator and a glass fiber web , it is specifically contemplated that fibers other than glass fibers may be incorporated into separators and separator webs according to the invention . fibers other than glass that could be incorporated into separators according to the invention include synthetic polymeric fibers , such as polyethylene fibers disclosed as being suitable for incorporation in a separator according to the badger u . s . pat ., no . 4 , 908 , 282 . further , it is to be understood that although the present invention has been described in terms of a single furnish having a specific proportion of fibers of a specific average diameter , the invention is in no way limited to such proportions or average fiber diameter . indeed , a host of other furnishes including those presently known and those yet to be developed would be useful in practicing the present invention , so long as the furnish can be made into paper and the resulting paper has resiliency which can be suppressed by liquid combined with compression and restored by the addition of more liquid . | 8 |
hereinafter , a semiconductor device manufactured by carrying out the present invention will be described . first , a conductive film is formed on the entire surface of a substrate . the conductive film is formed into a desired shape through a first photolithography step . as a material of the conductive film , an element selected from w , wsi x , al , ti , mo , cu , ta , cr , ni , and mo , a film containing as a main component an alloy material or compound material containing the element as a main component , or a multi - layer film thereof can be enumerated . later , the conductive film is etched to become a gate electrode or a gate wiring or a retention capacitance wiring . next , an insulating film is formed on the entire surface of the conductive film later , the insulating film functions as a gate insulating film . a first amorphous semiconductor film and a second amorphous semiconductor film containing an impurity element with one conductivity type ( n - type or p - type ) and a conductive film comprising a metallic material ( a metallic material containing al , ti , mo , cu , ta , cr , ni or mo as a main component ) are formed on the insulating film . here , a conductive film containing al as a main component is formed . then , an unnecessary portion of the layered film formed of the first amorphous semiconductor film and the second amorphous semiconductor film containing an impurity element with one conductivity type ( n - type or p - type ) and the conductive film comprising metallic material is removed by etching through a second photolithography step . here , without changing the etching gas , the first amorphous semiconductor film and the second amorphous semiconductor film and the conductive film are etched . the etching is conducted using a chlorine type gas for example a mixed gas of cl 2 and bcl 3 as an etching gas so that the ends of the conductive film comprising metallic material ( al ) and the second amorphous semiconductor film containing an impurity element with one conductivity type ( n - type or p - type ) are etched perpendicularly to the substrate while the ends of the first amorphous semiconductor film are tapered . note that the ends of the second amorphous semiconductor film containing an impurity element with one conductivity type ( n - type or p - type ) may also be tapered . here , because a conductive material containing al as a main component as the conductive film to become a source electrode or a drain electrode later , etching is conducted using a mixture gas of cl 2 and bcl 3 as an etching gas . however , not limited to that . when a material containing ti is used , the side edge of the first amorphous semiconductor film can be tapered using the same mixture gas . further , when a conductive material containing ta as a main component is used for the conductive film , the side edge of the first amorphous semiconductor film can be tapered by using cl 2 gas or a mixture gas of cl , gas and cf 4 gas . further , when a conductive material containing w as a main component is used for the conductive film , the side edge of the first amorphous semiconductor film can be tapered by using a mixture gas of cl 2 gas and cf 4 gas and o 2 gas or a mixture gas of cl 2 gas and sf 4 gas and o 2 gas . next , after removal of a second resist mask , another resist mask is formed by using a shadow mask so as to selectively remove the insulating film covering a pad portion of a terminal portion . next , a conductive film comprising a transparent conductive film is formed over the entire surface . as the transparent conductive film , ito ( indium oxide - tin oxide alloy ) and an indium oxide - zinc oxide alloy ( in 2 o 3 — zno ) and zinc oxide ( zno ) are enumerated . next , a part of the first amorphous semiconductor film and the transparent conductive film and the conductive film comprising metallic material and the second amorphous semiconductor film containing an impurity element with one conductivity type ( n - type or p - type ) are removed through a third photolithography step to form a source region and a drain region provided in the second amorphous semiconductor film and to simultaneously form a source wiring from the conductive film comprising metallic material and form a pixel electrode from the transparent conductive film . further , when etching is conducted by using a chlorine gas for example a mixture gas of cl2 and bcl3 as an etching gas in the third photolithography step , a part to become a channel formation region can be tapered as shown in fig2 . as described above , through three photolithography steps , a semiconductor device including a pixel tft which has the first amorphous semiconductor film with the tapered ends , the source wiring comprising metallic material , a storage capacitor , and the terminal portion can be manufactured . first , a conductive film is formed on the entire surface of a substrate . the conductive film is formed into a desired shape through a first photolithography step . later , the conducive film is etched to form a gate electrode or a gate wiring or a storage capacitance wiring . next , an insulating film is formed on the entire surface of the conductive film later , the insulating film functions as a gate insulating film . a first amorphous semiconductor film and a second amorphous semiconductor film containing an impurity element with one conductivity type ( n - type or p - type ) and a conductive film comprising metallic material ( metallic material containing al , ti , mo , cu , ta , cr , ni or mo as a main component ) are deposited on the insulating film . then , an unnecessary portion of the layered film formed of the first amorphous semiconductor film and the second amorphous semiconductor film containing an impurity element with one conductivity type ( n - type or p - type ) and the conductive film comprising metallic material is removed by etching through a second photolithography step . here , the first amorphous semiconductor film and the second amorphous semiconductor film and the conductive film are etched without changing the etching gas . the etching is conducted using a chlorine type gas for example a mixed gas of cl 2 and bcl 3 as an etching gas so that the ends of the conductive film comprising metallic material and the second amorphous semiconductor film containing an impurity element with one conductivity type ( n - type or p - type ) are formed to be perpendicular to the substrate while the ends of the first amorphous semiconductor film are tapered . note that the ends of the second amorphous semiconductor film containing an impurity element with one conductivity type ( n - type or p - type ) may also be tapered . next , an unnecessary portion of the insulating film is removed by etching with continuous use of a second photomask which is used for etching the first amorphous semiconductor film and the second amorphous semiconductor film containing an impurity element with one conductivity type ( n - type or p - type ). next , a conductive film of a transparent conductive film is formed on the entire surface . as the transparent conductive film , ito ( indium oxide - tin oxide alloy ) and indium oxide - zinc oxide alloy ( in2o3 - zno ) and zinc oxide ( zno ) are enumerated . thereafter , a part of the first amorphous semiconductor film and the transparent conductive film and the conductive film comprising metallic material and the second amorphous semiconductor film containing an impurity element with one conductivity type ( n - type or p - type ) is removed through a third photolithography step to form a source region and a drain region of a gate electrode while forming a source wiring from the conductive film comprising metallic material and forming a pixel electrode from the transparent conductive film . as described above , through three photolithography steps , a semiconductor display device including a pixel tft which has the first amorphous semiconductor film with the tapered ends , the source wiring , a storage capacitor , and a terminal portion can be manufactured . the present invention with the above - described structures will be described further in detail in the following embodiments . embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described with reference to fig1 to 4b . in embodiment 1 , a manufacturing method of a liquid crystal display device is described . a method of manufacturing an inverse - stagger tft in a pixel portion on a substrate and manufacturing a storage capacitor to be connected to the tft will be described in detail in the order of the manufacturing steps . in fig2 a to 4b , a terminal portion , which is provided at the end of the substrate so as to be electrically connected to a wiring of a circuit provided on another substrate , is also illustrated in the steps of manufacturing a tft . the cross - sectional views of fig2 a to 4b correspond to the cross section taken along a line a - a ′ in fig1 . first , a display device is manufactured by using a substrate 200 with light transmittance . as the substrate 200 , a glass substrate such as barium borosilicate glass and alumino borosilicate glass , as represented by # 7059 glass and # 1737 glass manufactured by corning inc ., can be used . besides , a light transmitting substrate such as a quartz substrate and a plastic substrate can also be used as the substrate 200 . after forming a conductive film on the entire surface of the substrate 200 , a first photolithography step is conducted to form a resist mask . an unnecessary portion is removed by etching to form gate electrodes 202 and 203 , a storage capacitor wiring 204 , and a terminal portion 201 ( fig2 a ). as a material for the electrodes 202 and 203 , an element selected from the group consisting of titanium ( ti ), tantalum ( ta ), tungsten ( w ), molybdenum ( mo ), chromium ( cr ) and neodymium ( nd ), an alloy containing the above element as a constituent , or a nitride containing the above element as a constituent , is used . alternatively , the combination of plural selected from : an element selected from the group consisting of titanium ( ti ), tantalum ( ta ), tungsten ( w ), molybdenum ( mo ), chromium ( cr ) and neodymium ( nd ); an alloy containing the above element as a constituent ; and a nitride containing the above element as a constituent , can be deposited as a laminate layer to form the electrodes 202 and 203 . for application to a large screen , it is desirable to form gate wirings 202 and 203 including the gate electrodes , the capacitor wiring 204 and a terminal of the terminal portion 201 , using a low - resistance conductive material . therefore , aluminum ( al ), copper ( cu ), silver ( ag ), gold ( au ), platinum ( pt ) or the like , or an alloy containing the above element as a constituent can be used as a material . since aluminum ( al ), copper ( cu ) and silver ( ag ) are disadvantageous in their low thermal resistance , high corrosiveness and the like , however , these elements can be used in combination with a thermally resistant conductive material . next , an insulating film 207 is formed on the entire surface . a silicon nitride film is used as the insulating film 207 , and is formed to have a thickness of 50 to 200 nm , preferably , 150 nm . note that the gate insulating film 207 is not limited to the silicon nitride film ; an insulating film such as a silicon oxide film , a silicon nitride oxide film or a tantalum oxide film can also be used ( fig2 b ). next , a first amorphous semiconductor film 206 with a thickness of 50 to 200 nm , preferably , 100 to 150 nm , is formed on the entire surface of the insulating film 207 through a known method such as a plasma cvd method or a sputtering method . typically , an amorphous silicon ( a - si ) film is formed to have a thickness of 100 nm . as the first amorphous semiconductor film 206 , a microcrystalline semiconductor film and a compound semiconductor film with an amorphous structure , such as an amorphous silicon germanium film , or an amorphous silicon carbide film can also be used ( fig2 b ). next , a second amorphous semiconductor film 205 containing an impurity element with one conductivity type ( n - type or p - type ) is formed to have a thickness of 50 to 200 nm . the second semiconductor film 205 containing an impurity element with one conductivity type ( n - type or p - type ) is formed on the entire surface by a known method such as a plasma cvd method or a sputtering method . in embodiment 1 , the second amorphous semiconductor film 205 containing an n - type impurity element is formed by using a silicon target to which phosphorus ( p ) is added . alternatively , the second amorphous semiconductor film 205 may be formed with a silicon target by sputtering in an atmosphere containing phosphorus . further alternatively , the second amorphous semiconductor film 205 containing an impurity element that imparts an n - type conductivity may be formed of a microcrystalline silicon hydride film ( fig2 b ). further , a conductive film 205 b comprising metallic material is formed to a thickness of 50 to 200 nm by using sputtering or the like . then , a second photolithography step is conducted to form a resist mask 208 . a first amorphous semiconductor film 209 and a second amorphous semiconductor film 210 containing an impurity element with one conductivity type ( n - type or p - type ) and a conductive film 210 b are formed to have a desired shape by selectively removing the conductive film and the first amorphous semiconductor film and the second amorphous semiconductor film by etching . in embodiment 1 , the first amorphous semiconductor film 209 and the second amorphous semiconductor film 210 containing an impurity element with one conductivity type ( n - type or p - type ) and the conductive film 210 b are formed by dry etching using a mixed gas of cl 2 = 40 sccm and bcl 3 = 40 sccm as an etching gas . as a result of etching , the ends of the conductive film 210 b the second amorphous semiconductor film 210 a containing an impurity element with one conductivity type ( n - type or p - type ) are perpendicular to the substrate , whereas the ends of the first amorphous semiconductor film 209 are tapered at an angle in the range of 5 to 45 degrees ( fig2 c ). the ends of the second amorphous semiconductor film 210 containing an impurity element with one conductivity type ( n - type or p - type ) may be tapered . although the mixed gas of cl 2 = 40 sccm and bcl 3 = 40 sccm is used as an etching gas in embodiment 1 , a composition of the etching gas is not limited to the above - mentioned composition as long as a tft with a shape shown in fig2 c is obtained ; for example , a gas selected from the group consisting of cl 2 , bcl 3 , hcl and sicl 4 , or a mixed gas of a plurality of gases selected from the above group , can be used as an etching gas . next , after removal of the resist mask 208 , another resist mask is formed by using a shadow mask . after the insulating film 207 , which covers a pad portion of the terminal portion , is selectively removed to form an insulating film 301 , the resist mask is removed ( fig3 a ). instead of using the shadow mask , a resist mask formed by screen printing may alternatively be used as an etching mask . then , a conductive film 302 of a transparent conductive film is formed on the entire surface ( fig3 b ). the conductive film 302 is formed by sputtering or vacuum evaporation , using indium oxide ( in 2 o 3 ) or an alloy of indium oxide and tin oxide ( in 2 o 3 — sno 2 ; abbreviated as ito ) as a material . next , a third photolithography step is conducted to form a resist mask 403 . an unnecessary portion is removed by etching to form a pixel electrode 405 from the transparent conductive film and to form a source wiring 402 and a drain electrode 404 and to expose a part of the first amorphous semiconductor film ( fig4 a ). the etching treatment of the conductive film comprising the transparent conductive film is conducted in a chlorine type solution . after the pixel electrode 405 is formed , etching gases are appropriately changed to etch the metal layer and the second amorphous semiconductor film . it is to be noted that in the above third photolithography step , an overetching is conducted to completely separate the source region and the drain region from each other , and further a part of the first amorphous semiconductor film is removed . in the removed region of the first amorphous semiconductor film , a channel is formed . further , similarly to the second photolithography step , a part of the first amorphous semiconductor film and the metal layer and the second amorphous semiconductor film may be etched at a time by using a chlorine type gas in the third photolithography step . in that case , the etched region of the first amorphous semiconductor film overlaps with the gate wiring with a gate insulating film therebetween and does not overlap with the source region or the drain region . the region overlapping with the gate wiring with a gate insulating film therebetween in the first amorphous semiconductor film is referred to as a channel formation region ( back channel part ). further , the etched region in the first amorphous semiconductor film has a taper shape in which thickness thereof becomes thinner toward a center of the region . accordingly , it is possible to manufacture a channel etch type tft having a channel formation region free from a step . subsequently , a resist mask 401 is removed . fig4 b shows a cross - sectional view in this state . as described above , through three photolithography steps , an active matrix substrate comprising a source wiring 402 and a pixel tft of an inverse stagger type and the storage capacitor 408 and the terminal portion 409 can be obtained . with respect to the following steps , using the know technique , formation of orientation film and rubbing treatment and sticking of a counter substrate and injection of liquid crystal and sealing and sticking of fpc are conducted to complete a liquid crystal display device of transmission type . further , if necessary , a protective film comprising a silicon nitride film or a silicon oxynitride film may be formed . it is not provided over a terminal electrode connected with fpc . the tft including an active layer formed of the amorphous semiconductor film , obtained in embodiment 1 , has a small field - effect mobility , i . e ., only about 1 cm 2 / vsec . therefore , a driving circuit for performing the image display is formed with an ic chip , and is mounted through tab ( tape automated bonding ) or cog ( chip on glass ). further , a tft having a multi - gate structure comprising a plurality of channel formation regions , here a tft having a double - gate structure , is shown in embodiment 1 . however , a single gate structure may be used without limitation . the semiconductor display device including the channel etch type tft in the pixel portion has been described in embodiment 1 , while a semiconductor display device including a channel stop type tft in the pixel portion will be described in embodiment 2 with reference to fig5 a to 7c . first , a semiconductor display device is manufactured by using a substrate 500 with light transmittance . as the substrate 500 , a glass substrate such as barium borosilicate glass and alumino borosilicate glass , as represented by # 7059 glass and # 1737 glass manufactured by corning inc ., can be used . besides , a light transmitting substrate such as a quartz substrate and a plastic substrate can also be used as the substrate 500 . after forming a conductive film on the entire surface of the substrate 500 , a first photolithography step is conducted to form a resist mask . an unnecessary portion is removed by etching to form gate electrodes 502 and 503 , a storage capacitor wiring 504 , and a terminal portion 501 ( fig5 a ). as a material for the electrodes 502 and 503 , an element selected from the group consisting of titanium ( ti ), tantalum ( ta ), tungsten ( w ), molybdenum ( mo ), chromium ( cr ) and neodymium ( nd ), an alloy containing the above element as a constituent , or a nitride containing the above element as a constituent , is used . alternatively , the combination of plural selected from : an element selected from the group consisting of titanium ( ti ), tantalum ( ta ), tungsten ( w ), molybdenum ( mo ), chromium ( cr ) and neodymium ( nd ); an alloy containing the above element as a constituent ; and a nitride containing the above element as a constituent , can be deposited as a laminate layer to form the electrodes 502 and 503 . for application to a large screen , it is desirable to form the gate wirings 502 and 503 including the gate electrodes , the capacitor wiring 504 and the terminal 501 of the terminal portion , using a low - resistance conductive material . therefore , aluminum ( al ), copper ( cu ), silver ( ag ), gold ( au ), platinum ( pt ) or the like , or an alloy containing the above element as a constituent , can be used as a material . however , since aluminum ( al ), copper ( cu ) and silver ( ag ) are disadvantageous in their low thermal resistance , high corrosiveness and the like , these elements can be used in combination with a thermally resistant conductive material . next , an insulating film 506 is formed on the entire surface . a silicon nitride film is used as the insulating film 506 , and is formed to have a thickness of 50 to 200 nm , preferably , 150 nm . note that the gate insulating film 506 is not limited to the silicon nitride film ; an insulating film such as a silicon oxide film , a silicon nitride oxide film or a tantalum oxide film can also be used ( fig5 b ). next , an amorphous semiconductor film 505 with a thickness of 50 to 200 nm , preferably , 100 to 150 nm , is formed on the entire surface of the insulating film 506 through a known method such as a plasma cvd method or a sputtering method . typically , an amorphous silicon ( a - si ) film is formed to have a thickness of 100 nm ( fig5 b ). then , a second photolithography step is conducted to form a resist mask 507 . an unnecessary portion is removed by etching to form an amorphous semiconductor film 508 . in embodiment 2 , the amorphous semiconductor film 508 is formed by dry etching using a mixed gas of cl 2 = 40 sccm and bcl 3 = 40 sccm as an etching gas . as a result of etching , the ends of the amorphous semiconductor film 508 are tapered at an angle in the range of 5 to 45 degrees . although the mixed gas of cl 2 = 40 sccm and bcl 3 = 40 sccm is used as an etching gas in embodiment 2 , a composition of the etching gas is not limited to the above - mentioned composition as long as a tft with a shape shown in fig5 c is obtained ; for example , a gas selected from the group consisting of cl 2 , bcl 3 , hcl and sicl 4 , or a mixed gas of a plurality of gases selected from the above group can be used as an etching gas . next , after removal of the resist mask 507 , another resist mask is formed by using a shadow mask . after the insulating film 506 , which covers a pad portion of the terminal portion , is selectively removed to form an insulating film 601 , the resist mask is removed ( fig6 a ). instead of using the shadow mask , a resist mask formed by screen printing may alternatively be used as an etching mask . next , a doping step is conducted to form an ldd ( lightly doped drain ) region of the n - channel tft . the doping is performed by ion doping or ion implantation . phosphorus is added as an n - type impurity so as to form impurity regions 604 to 606 with the use of second insulating films 602 and 603 as masks . a donor density of these regions is set to 1 × 10 16 to 1 × 10 17 / cm 3 . then , a conductive film 608 of a transparent conductive film is formed on the entire surface ( fig6 c ). the conductive film 608 is formed by sputtering or vacuum evaporation , using indium oxide ( in 2 o 3 ) or an alloy of indium oxide and tin oxide ( in 2 o 3 — sno 2 ; abbreviated as ito ) as a material . an etching treatment for such a material is conducted with a chlorine type solution . next , a third photolithography step is conducted to form a resist mask 701 . an unnecessary portion is removed by etching to form a source wiring 706 , a source region 702 , a drain region 704 and a pixel electrode 705 ( fig7 b ). subsequently , the resist mask 701 is removed . fig7 c shows a cross - sectional view in this state . as described above , through three photolithography steps , a light transmitting semiconductor display device including the source wiring 706 , an inverse - stagger pixel tft 707 , a storage capacitor 708 and a terminal portion 709 can be manufactured . as in embodiment 1 , a driving circuit formed with an ic chip is mounted to perform the image display in embodiment 2 . embodiment 3 of the present invention will be described with reference to fig8 to 10c . in embodiment 3 , a manufacturing method of a liquid crystal display device is described . a method of manufacturing an inverse - stagger tft in a pixel portion on a substrate and manufacturing a storage capacitor connected to the tft will be described in detail in the order of the manufacturing steps . in fig9 a to 10c , a terminal portion , which is provided at the end of the substrate so as to be electrically connected to a wiring of a circuit provided on another substrate , is also illustrated in the steps of manufacturing a tft . the cross - sectional views of fig9 a to 10c correspond to the cross section cut along a line a - a ′ in fig8 . first , a semiconductor display device is manufactured by using a substrate 1200 with light transmittance . as the substrate 1200 , a glass substrate such as barium borosilicate glass and alumino borosilicate glass , as represented by # 7059 glass and # 1737 glass manufactured by corning inc ., can be used . besides , a light transmitting substrate such as a quartz substrate and a plastic substrate can also be used as the substrate 1200 . after forming a conductive film on the entire surface of the substrate 1200 , a first photolithography step is conducted to form a resist mask . an unnecessary portion is removed by etching so as to form gate electrodes 1202 and 1203 , a storage capacitor wiring 1204 , and a terminal portion 1201 ( fig9 a ). as a material for the electrodes 1202 and 1203 , an element selected from the group consisting of titanium ( ti ), tantalum ( ta ), tungsten ( w ), molybdenum ( mo ), chromium ( cr ) and neodymium ( nd ), an alloy containing the above element as a constituent , or a nitride containing the above element as a constituent , is used . alternatively , the combination of plural selected from : an element selected from the group consisting of titanium ( ti ), tantalum ( ta ), tungsten ( w ), molybdenum ( mo ), chromium ( cr ) and neodymium ( nd ); an alloy containing the above element as a constituent ; and a nitride containing the above element , can be deposited as a laminate layer to form the electrodes 1202 and 1203 . for application to a large screen , it is desirable to form gate wirings including the gate electrodes 1202 and 1203 , the capacitor wiring 1204 and a terminal of the terminal portion 1201 , using a low - resistance conductive material . therefore , aluminum ( al ), copper ( cu ), silver ( ag ), gold ( au ), platinum ( pt ) or the like or an alloy containing the above element as a constituent can be used as a material . however , since aluminum ( al ), copper ( cu ) and silver ( ag ) are disadvantageous in their low thermal resistance , high corrosiveness and the like , these elements can be used in combination with a thermally resistant conductive material . next , an insulating film 1207 is formed on the entire surface . a silicon nitride film is used as the insulating film 1207 , and is formed to have a thickness of 50 to 200 nm , preferably , 150 nm . the gate insulating film 1207 is not limited to the silicon nitride film ; an insulating film such as a silicon oxide film , a silicon nitride oxide film or a tantalum oxide film can also be used ( fig9 b ). next , a first amorphous semiconductor film 1206 with a thickness of 50 to 200 nm , preferably , 100 to 150 nm , is formed on the entire surface of the insulating film 1207 through a known method such as a plasma cvd method or a sputtering method . typically , an amorphous silicon ( a - si ) film is formed to have a thickness of 100 nm . as the first amorphous semiconductor film 1206 , a microcrystalline semiconductor film and a compound semiconductor film with an amorphous structure , such as an amorphous silicon germanium film , or an amorphous silicon carbide film can also be used ( fig9 b ). next , a second amorphous semiconductor film 1205 containing an impurity element with one conductivity type ( n - type or p - type ) is formed to have a thickness of 50 to 200 nm . the second semiconductor film 1205 containing an impurity element with one conductivity type ( n - type or p - type ) is formed on the entire surface by a known method such as a plasma cvd method or a sputtering method . in embodiment 3 , the second amorphous semiconductor film 1205 containing an n - type impurity element is formed by using a silicon target to which phosphorus ( p ) is added . alternatively , the second amorphous semiconductor film 1205 may be formed with a silicon target by sputtering in an atmosphere containing phosphorus . further alternatively , the second amorphous semiconductor film 1205 containing an impurity element that imparts an n - type conductivity may be formed of a microcrystalline silicon hydride film ( fig9 b ). further , a conductive film 1205 b comprising metallic material is formed to a thickness of 50 to 200 nm by sputtering or the like . ( fig9 ( b ) ) then , a second photolithography step is conducted to form a resist mask 1208 . a conductive film and a first amorphous semiconductor film 1209 and a second amorphous semiconductor film 1210 containing an impurity element with one conductivity type ( n - type or p - type ) are formed to have a desired shape by etching . in embodiment 3 , the first amorphous semiconductor film 1209 and the second amorphous semiconductor film 1210 containing an impurity element with one conductivity type ( n - type or p - type ) and the conductive film 1210 b are formed by dry etching using a mixed gas of cl 2 = 40 sccm and bcl 3 = 40 sccm as an etching gas . as a result of etching , the ends of the conductive film 1210 b and the second amorphous semiconductor film 1210 containing an impurity element with one conductivity type ( n - type or p - type ) are formed perpendicular to the substrate , whereas the ends of the first amorphous semiconductor film 1209 are tapered at an angle in the range of 5 to 45 degrees ( fig9 c ). the ends of the second amorphous semiconductor film 1210 containing an impurity element with one conductivity type ( n - type or p - type ) may also be tapered . although the mixed gas of cl 2 = 40 sccm and bcl 3 = 40 sccm is used as an etching gas in embodiment 3 , a composition of an etching gas is not limited to the above - mentioned composition as long as a tft with a shape shown in fig9 c is obtained ; for example , a gas selected from the group consisting of cl 2 , bcl 3 , hcl and sicl 4 or a mixed gas of a plurality of gases selected from the above group can be used as an etching gas . next , with continuous use of the resist mask 1208 , an insulating film 1211 is formed in a desired shape by etching . in embodiment 3 , the insulating film 1211 is formed by dry etching using a gas of chf 3 = 35 sccm as an etching gas ( fig9 c ). although a gas of chf 3 = 35 sccm is used as an etching gas in embodiment 3 , a composition of the etching gas is not limited thereto as long as a tft with a shape shown in fig9 c is manufactured . then , a conductive film 1301 of a transparent conductive film is formed on the entire surface ( fig1 a ). the conductive film 1301 is formed by sputtering , vacuum evaporation , or the like using indium oxide ( in 2 o 3 ) or an alloy of indium oxide , tin oxide ( in 2 o 3 — sno 2 ; abbreviated as ito ) etc ., as a material . next , a third photolithography step is conducted to form a resist mask 1302 . an unnecessary portion is removed by etching to form a source wiring 1303 , a source region , a drain region , a drain electrode 1305 and a pixel electrode 1306 ( fig1 b ). it is to be noted that after the conductive film comprising a transparent conductive film is subjected to en etching treatment using a chlorine type solution , the metal film and the second amorphous semiconductor film are etched by using a gas . further , in the above third photolithography step , in order to completely separate the source region and the drain region from each other , an overetching is conducted , and a part of the first amorphous semiconductor film is removed . subsequently , the resist mask 1302 is removed . fig1 c shows a cross - sectional view in this state . as described above , through three photolithography steps , an active matrix substrate including the source wiring 1303 , an inverse - stagger pixel tft 1308 , a storage capacitor 1309 and a terminal portion 1310 can be manufactured . with respect to the following steps , by using known technique , formation of orientation film and rubbing treatment and sticking of counter substrate and injection of liquid crystal and sealing and sticking of fpc are conducted to complete a transmission type liquid crystal display device . further , if necessary , a protective film comprising silicon nitride film and silicon oxynitride film may be formed . it is not provided over a terminal electrode connected with fpc or the like . the tft including an active layer formed of the amorphous semiconductor film , obtained in embodiment 3 , has a small field - effect mobility , i . e ., only about 1 cm 2 / vsec . therefore , a driving circuit for performing the image display is formed with an ic chip , and is mounted through tab ( tape automated bonding ) or cog ( chip on glass ). further , a tft having a multi - gate structure comprising a plurality of channel formation regions , here a tft having a double gate structure , is illustrated in embodiment 3 . however , a single gate structure may be used without limitation . the semiconductor display device including the channel etch type tft in the pixel portion has been described in embodiment 3 , while a semiconductor display device including a channel stop type tft in the pixel portion will be described in embodiment 4 with reference to fig1 a to 13b . first , a semiconductor display device is manufactured by using a substrate 1400 with light transmittance . as the substrate 1400 , a glass substrate such as barium borosilicate glass and alumino borosilicate glass , as represented by # 7059 glass and # 1737 glass manufactured by corning inc ., can be used . besides , a light transmitting substrate such as a quartz substrate and a plastic substrate can also be used as the substrate 1400 . after forming a conductive film on the entire surface of the substrate 1400 , a first photolithography step is conducted to form a resist mask . an unnecessary portion is removed by etching to form gate electrodes 1402 and 1403 , a storage capacitor wiring 1404 , and a terminal portion 1401 ( fig1 a ). as a material for the electrodes 1402 and 1403 , an element selected from the group consisting of titanium ( ti ), tantalum ( ta ), tungsten ( w ), molybdenum ( mo ), chromium ( cr ) and neodymium ( nd ), an alloy containing the above element as a constituent , or a nitride containing the above element as a constituent , is used . alternatively , the combination of plural selected from : an element selected from the group consisting of titanium ( ti ), tantalum ( ta ), tungsten ( w ), molybdenum ( mo ), chromium ( cr ) and neodymium ( nd ); an alloy containing the above element as a constituent ; and a nitride containing the above element as a constituent , can be deposited as a laminate layer to form the electrodes 1402 and 1403 . for application to a large screen , it is desirable to form gate wirings including the gate electrodes 1402 and 1403 , the storage capacitor 1404 and a terminal of the terminal portion 1401 , using a low - resistance conductive material . therefore , aluminum ( al ), copper ( cu ), silver ( ag ), gold ( au ), platinum ( pt ) or the like , or an alloy containing the above element as a constituent , can be used as a material . however , since aluminum ( al ), copper ( cu ) and silver ( ag ) are disadvantageous in their low thermal resistance , high corrosiveness and the like , these elements can be used in combination with a thermally resistant conductive material . next , an insulating film 1406 is formed on the entire surface . a silicon nitride film is used as the insulating film 1406 , and is formed to have a thickness of 50 to 200 nm , preferably , 150 nm . the gate insulating film 1406 is not limited to the silicon nitride film ; an insulating film such as a silicon oxide film , a silicon nitride oxide film or a tantalum oxide film can also be used ( fig1 b ). next , an amorphous semiconductor film 1405 with a thickness of 50 to 200 nm , preferably , 100 to 150 nm , is formed on the entire surface of the insulating film 1406 through a known method such as a plasma cvd method or a sputtering method . typically , an amorphous silicon ( a - si ) film is formed to have a thickness of 100 nm ( fig1 b ). then , a second photolithography step is conducted to form a resist mask 1407 . an unnecessary portion is removed by etching to form an amorphous semiconductor film 1408 . in embodiment 4 , the amorphous semiconductor film 1408 is formed by dry etching using a mixed gas of cl 2 = 40 sccm and bcl 3 = 40 sccm as an etching gas . as a result of etching , the ends of the amorphous semiconductor film 1408 are tapered at an angle in the range of 5 to 45 degrees . although the mixed gas of cl 2 = 40 sccm and bcl 3 = 40 sccm is used as an etching gas in embodiment 4 , a composition of an etching gas is not limited to the above - mentioned composition as long as a tft with a shape shown in fig1 c is obtained ; for example , a gas selected from the group consisting of cl 2 , bcl 3 , hcl and sicl 4 or a mixed gas of a plurality of gases selected from the above group can be used as an etching gas . next , with continuous use of the resist mask 1407 , an insulating film 1409 is formed in a desired shape by etching . in embodiment 4 , the insulating film 1409 is formed by dry etching using a gas of chf 3 = 35 sccm as an etching gas ( fig1 c ). although a gas of chf 3 = 35 sccm is used as an etching gas in embodiment 4 , a composition of the etching gas is not limited thereto as long as a tft with a shape shown in fig1 c is manufactured . next , a doping step is conducted to form an ldd ( lightly doped drain ) region of the n - channel tft . the doping is performed by ion doping or ion implantation . phosphorus is added as an n - type impurity so as to form impurity regions 1503 to 1505 with the use of second insulating films 1501 and 1502 as masks . a donor density of these regions is set to 1 × 10 16 to 1 × 10 17 / cm 3 ( fig1 a ). then , a conductive film 1506 of a transparent conductive film is formed on the entire surface ( fig1 b ). the conductive film 1506 is formed by sputtering or vacuum evaporation , using indium oxide ( in 2 o 3 ) or an alloy of indium oxide and tin oxide ( in 2 o 3 — sno 2 ; abbreviated as ito ) as a material . an etching treatment for such a material is conducted with a chlorine type solution . next , a third photolithography step is conducted to form a resist mask 1601 . an unnecessary portion is removed by etching to form a source wiring 1605 , a source region 1602 , a drain region 1604 and a pixel electrode 1605 ( fig1 a ). subsequently , the resist mask 1601 is removed . fig1 b shows a cross - sectional view in this state . as described above , through three photolithography steps , a light transmitting semiconductor display device including the source wiring 1606 , an inverse - stagger pixel tft 1607 , a storage capacitor 1608 and a terminal portion 1609 can be manufactured . as in embodiment 3 , a driving circuit formed with an ic chip is mounted to perform the image display in embodiment 4 . the active - matrix substrate and the liquid crystal display device , manufactured through embodiments of the present invention , can be used for various electro - optical apparatuses . specifically , the present invention can be applicable for all electronic devices including such an electro - optical apparatus as a display section . as examples of such electronic devices , video cameras , car navigation systems , personal computers and portable information terminals ( such as mobile computers , portable telephones , or electronic books ) can be given . some examples of these electronic devices are shown in fig1 a to 14d . fig1 a illustrates a personal computer including a main body 801 , an image input section 802 , a display section 803 and a keyboard 804 . fig1 b illustrates a video camera including a main body 805 , a display section 806 , a voice input section 807 , operation switches 808 , a battery 809 and an image - receiving section 810 . fig1 c is a digital camera including a main body 811 , a camera section 812 , an image - receiving section 813 , operation switches 814 , and a display section 815 . fig1 d illustrates a player utilizing a recording medium containing the recorded programs ( hereinafter , simply referred to as a recording medium ). this player includes a main body 816 , a display section 817 , a speaker section 818 , a recording medium 819 , and operation switches 820 . this device uses a dvd ( digital versatile disc ), a cd or the like as a recording medium to allow the music , the movies , the games and the internet to be enjoyed . as described above , the present invention has an extremely wide application , and thus is applicable to electronic devices of various fields . the electronic devices in embodiment 5 can be realized with the structure obtained by any combination of embodiment mode 1 , embodiment mode 2 or any combination of embodiments 1 to 4 . according to the present invention , the conductive film and the second amorphous semiconductor film and the first amorphous semiconductor film can be removed with the same etching gas . further , a tft can be manufactured with three photomasks to realize improvement in productivity and yield . moreover , the ends of the first amorphous semiconductor film are tapered in the present invention . as a result , the problems of poor coverage of the pixel electrode can be solved . | 6 |
aspects of the present invention are directed to box - less packages prepared from flexible film bags . the flexible film bag provides the desired barrier characteristics of a bag liner , and the stand alone structure and easy open and reclosability features of a box , as well as a suitable surface for printing and graphics . the flexible film bag can have a “ quad seal ” design which resembles a box . as shown in fig1 , the flexible film bag 10 has a front side 12 , a back side 14 , side gussets 16 and 18 , a flat bottom 20 , and a top 22 that is formed by the tops of sides 12 and 14 . forming of the top seal is generally done in one step as is well known in the art . the front / back are sealed together at the same time the tops of the side gussets are sealed . the side gussets come together folded at the top seal this “ quad seal ” design looks more like a box than other pouch designs such as a sup ( stand up pouch ) or fin seal pillow bag . the side gussets 16 and 18 offer more area for graphics and such graphics can be placed similar to a box . these bag styles have been available for at least 10 years and can be produced on various v / f / f / s machines such as rovema and bosch . the quad seal bag structure is more robust than the usual liner bag structure in order to offer more structure to the package as well as to better protect the product within . any suitable film structure may be used for the bags . the type of film structure chosen may be based on a number of parameters including , but not limited to the intended contents for the package such as moisture level and weight of such contents . other parameters may be intended storage and distribution conditions of the package and desired durability of the package . the film structure may be one or more layers . typically , the film layer is a two - layer or three - layer structure , but any number of layers suitable for the desired package may be used . the layers may be any suitable film material including , but not limited to , polymeric film materials and foil - type film materials . for example , the outer layer may be a polymeric film , such as oriented films including , but not limited to , pet and bon or opp . the inner layer ( s ) may be any suitable inner layer such as , but not limited to , polyolefin - based or foil films . generally , the layers are selected so that the laser is more effective on the outer layer and has less of an effect on the inner layer ( s ). this allows the laser to efficiently score the substrate without any need to refocus the beam during the cross machine movement . typical , non - limiting , film structures for this package include 48 ga pet / ink / ldpe / 2 . 5 mil hdpe / tie / evoh / tie / ll - ssc and 48 ga pet / ink / adh / 60 ga met - opp / adh / 3 mil ldpe . the barrier properties of the package are at least as good as or better than current liner film bags typically used in the box . barrier properties include wvtr and otr . ( moisture and oxygen .) moisture transmission rates typically are less than 1 . 0 g / 100 in 2 . day . oxygen transmission rates typically are less than 1 . 0 cc / 100 in 2 day . in accordance with an aspect of the invention , a cmd ( cross machine direction ) laser score line is placed on the side gusset of the bag . see fig1 , laser score 24 . when the score line is broken by the consumer , the portion of the gusset below the broke score line is pulled outward to form a pour spout . as shown in fig1 , the score line is at most , the width of the gusset which minimizes any chance of premature breakage either on the filling line or during distribution in contrast to a complete cmd score . this score can either be a continuous line or a row of dashes or dots , all providing a line of weakness in the film structure . the score line can be defined by a tensile property tested across the score line . tensile values can range from 4 . 0 lbs / in to 16 lbs / in . the shape of the score line may be any suitable shape such as a straight line or a curved line or any combination thereof . for example , a “ u ” shape or upside down “ u ” is possible which still forms the pour spout . advantages with these shapes include wider opening spout for pouring . the consumer either pulls open or pushes in the scored spout . current opening features for flexible films and packages include tear tape and tear notches , perforations and scoring of films . however , except for scoring of the films by laser scoring , none of these methods are effective to provide an effective scored line . to open , the consumer pinches the gusset above and below the score line and pulls to break the score line and form a spout 26 with portion of the gusset below . see fig2 the product would then be dispensed thru this opening in the package . the bag geometry could have any combination of gusset width , bag width and height . the wider the gusset , the larger the open pour spout . to reclose , the pour spout is pushed back in and the gusset pinched together as shown in fig3 . if the gusset opening is small enough , then closure is complete . if the gusset provides a larger opening , a simple , low cost reclose tape 28 could be placed across the gusset , pulling both sides tight to provide a tighter seal . a tight reclose may not be necessary if the package only has a limited number of servings . another aspect of the invention relates to including a piece of adhesive tape to aid in the closing of the bag after breaking the laser score . as shown in fig4 , a small stripe of permanent adhesive tape 30 could also be placed on one or both sides of the score line . this tape can be used by the consumer maintain the bag in a closed position as shown in fig3 . the reclose tape is used to pinch shut the side gusset creating a simple reclose . as shown in fig5 , a small ridge or fold 34 is placed down the center of this gusset which further allows the consumer to grasp and pull the score apart . in one aspect , the bag could also have a clear side wall or gusset so the consumer can see how much product is left in the package . the square or rectangular nature of the packages provides good stackability for display and shipping . a further aspect of this invention aligns the laser score line with the machine direction of the film and package . attention is drawn to fig6 a which shows a flexible film bag 40 which is similar to the flexible film bag described in fig1 except rotated 90 degrees . this allows the pouch to stand up on bottom gusset 42 instead of the traditional bottom seal . as shown in fig6 a , a score line 46 runs along and down the center of top gusset 44 . thus top gusset 44 and the laser score 46 provides the easy open feature of the package . as shown in fig6 b and fig6 c , the pouch opens very easily along score 46 by pulling the top gusset in the direction of the arrows shown in fig6 b . fig6 c shows the opened package with contents 48 exposed . while the invention has been described with respect to specific examples including presently preferred modes of carrying out the invention , those skilled in the art will appreciate that there are numerous variations and permutations of the above described systems and techniques that fall within the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims . | 1 |
an embodiment of the present invention will be described hereunder with reference being made to the accompanying drawings . in fig4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 15 , 16 , a vertical axis denotes signal amplitude ( shown in relative value ) proportional to a sound pressure , and a horizontal axis denotes time ( μs ). fig3 is a typical example of a block diagram showing an ultrasonic imaging system constructed to embody the present invention . elements that constitute an ultrasonic probe 1 are each connected to a transmit beamformer 3 and a receive beamformer 10 via transmit / receive selection switches 2 . the transmit beamformer 3 generates signals that become ultrasonic pulses with directivity when transmitted through the elements . each signal is generated using a waveform that has been selected and read out from a transmit waveform memory 5 by a transmit waveform selector 4 under control of a transmit / receive sequence controller 6 . the signal is converted into the ultrasonic pulse by the associated element and then transmitted to a living body . an ultrasonic echo signal that has returned to the ultrasonic probe 1 after being reflected or scattered in the living body is received by the particular element and converted into an electrical signal . the receive beamformer 10 gives a delay time to each receive signal and adds received signals to one another to generate directional receiving sensitivity under the control of the transmit / receive sequence controller 6 . time - series signals that have been obtained using the delay - and - add method are each written into one of banks of a receive waveform memory 12 selected by a receive memory selector 11 under the control of the transmit / receive sequence controller 6 . after time - series signals to be added to one another have been ready , these signals are read out and then added to one another by an adder 13 . an output signal from the adder 13 is first passed through a band - pass filter a 14 that removes noise components from the signal , then converted into an envelope signal by an envelope signal detector a 16 , and input to a scan converter 18 . meanwhile , part of the time - series signals which have been written into the receive waveform memory 12 , is read out and directly passed through a band - pass filter b 15 that removes noise components from the signal , without undergoing the above - described addition . after being filtered above , part of the signals is converted into an envelope signal by an envelope signal detector b 17 and input to the scan converter 18 . the scan converter 18 generates / controls signals to make a two - dimensional or three - dimensional , superimposed display of input plural signals on a screen of a display device 19 as appropriate . fig1 , 16 are diagrams that illustrate relationships between envelopes and carriers of transmitted pulses in a three - pulse method of the present invention . fig1 a , 16 b , 16 c are diagrams that illustrate envelope signals obtained when superimposed on the waveforms shown in fig1 b , 15 c , 15 d , respectively , each of the envelope signals being shown as a dotted line . fig4 shows examples of echo signals obtained from an internal point - scattering body of a vital soft tissue having a nonlinear pulse propagating property , in the three - pulse method of the present invention . the three ultrasonic pulse waveforms shown in fig1 b , 15 c , 15 d , each of the waveforms being different by approximately 120 ° in phase angle of an associated carrier , are written into the transmit waveform memory 5 by use of such a common envelope signal as shown in fig1 a , and then one of the three waveforms is selectively transmitted / received via the transmit waveform selector 4 . when this sequence is repeated three times for different waveforms , the signals shown in fig4 a , 4 b , 4 c are written into banks of the receive waveform memory 12 . the receive echo signals generated by reflection from a single point - reflector after each transmitted ultrasonic pulse has propagated through the vital soft tissue are shown for simplicity in fig4 a , 4 b , 4 c . the received echo signals were obtained by numerical calculating simulation , and respective carrier frequencies are all 2 mhz . fig4 d shows an output signal obtained when the signals shown in fig4 a , 4 b , 4 c are input to the adder 13 . since the transmitted ultrasonic pulse nonlinearly propagates through the vital soft tissue , the signals in fig4 a , 4 b , 4 c include not only fundamental wave components , but also second - order harmonic components . in fig4 d that shows adder output results , however , signal amplitude is almost zero - suppressed , not only because the fundamental wave components cancel one another , but also because the second - order harmonic components cancel one another . for comparison with these results , the results obtained using the pulse inversion method are shown in fig5 . fig5 shows examples of echo signals obtained from a point - scattering body of the vital soft tissue having a nonlinear pulse propagating property , in the pulse inversion method . in the pulse inversion method , two kinds of ultrasonic pulse waveforms each different by 180 ° in phase angle of an associated carrier are written into the transmit waveform memory 5 by use of a common envelope signal and then one of the two kinds of waveforms is selected and transmitted / received via the transmit waveform selector 4 . when this sequence is repeated twice for different waveforms , the signals shown in fig1 a , 15 b are written into banks of the receive waveform memory 12 . fig5 c shows an output signal obtained from the adder 13 at that time . this signal indicates that although fundamental wave components cancel one another , second - order harmonic components enhance one another on the contrary . this signal , called the tissue harmonic signal , has an advantage in that imaging the vital soft tissue provides a high acoustic s / n ratio . however , when only the distribution and dynamic morphology of the contrast medium are to be drawn as an image sharply distinguishable from an image of the soft tissue , the above signal becomes one of the greatest obstructions to such imaging . next , a description is given of the receive echo signals obtained using contrast - imaging microbubbles in the same transmitting / receiving sequences as those of fig4 , 5 . fig6 shows examples of echo signals obtained from scattering by the contrast - imaging microbubbles in the three - pulse method of the present invention . fig8 shows examples of echo signals obtained from scattering by the contrast - imaging microbubbles in the pulse inversion method . fig7 shows waveforms of band - pass - filtered echo signals obtained from scattering by the contrast - imaging microbubbles in the three - pulse method of the present invention . fig9 shows waveforms of band - pass - filtered echo signals obtained from scattering by the contrast - imaging microbubbles in the pulse inversion method . fig6 , 8 show examples of numerical calculating simulation results on the receive echo signals generated from scattering by microbubbles of 1 . 5 μm in radius . fig7 , 9 show associated input / output signals of the band - pass filter a 14 . vertical axes that denote signal amplitude proportional to sound pressure use the same scale in each of fig6 , 7 , 8 , 9 . relationships between the above figures are discussed below . as with fig4 , fig6 a , 6 b , 6 c show the signals written into banks of the receive waveform memory 12 in the transmitting / receiving sequence of the present invention . fig6 d and 7a show associated output signals of the adder 13 , that is , associated input signals of the band - pass filter a 14 . fig7 b , 7 c , 7 d , 7 e , 7 f show the output signals of the band - pass filter a 14 that are obtained when respective pass - band central frequencies are set equal to a fundamental wave frequency of 2 mhz , a 3 mhz harmonic frequency 1 . 5 times as high as the fundamental wave frequency , a second - order harmonic frequency of 4 mhz , a 5 mhz harmonic frequency 2 . 5 times as high as the fundamental wave frequency , and a third - order harmonic frequency of 6 mhz . as with fig5 , fig8 a , 8 b show the signals written into banks of the receive waveform memory 12 in the transmitting / receiving sequence of the pulse inversion method . fig8 c and 9a show associated output signals of the adder 13 , that is , associated input signals of the band - pass filter a 14 . fig9 b , 9 c , 9 d , 9 e , 9 f show the output signals of the band - pass filter a 14 that are obtained when respective pass - band central frequencies are set equal to the same frequencies as those of fig8 a , 8 b . it is natural that as shown in fig9 c , 9 d , microbubble - derived signals , each containing many components from harmonic components 1 . 5 times as strong as fundamental wave components to second - order harmonic components , should be obtained using the pulse inversion method originally devised to enhance the second - order harmonic components within an echo signal . at the same time , however , it is to be noted that as shown in fig7 d , 7 e , 7 f , microbubble - derived signals of sufficient amplitude , each containing many components from second - order harmonic components to third - order harmonic components , are obtained in the transmitting / receiving sequence of the present invention devised so that of all second - order harmonic components included in an echo signal , only the components generated by nonlinear propagation or the like are canceled . this singular and useful phenomenon originates from the fact that the microbubbles are a resonator with great nonlinearity , and in further generalized terms , the phenomenon stems from the fact that a delay time has response characteristics depending on amplitude . that is to say , even when nonlinearity is present between input and output sound pressures , the second - order harmonic components in the output signal are canceled as shown in fig4 d except for the case where the relay response time depends on amplitude . for a mere linear resonator , however , it is out of the question since the second - order harmonic components themselves do not occur . the transmitting / receiving sequence according to the present invention has another feature in that , with the above - described principles of the invention , even when the second - order harmonic components are intentionally superimposed on the transmitted - pulse waveform , the microbubble - derived signals of sufficient amplitude are obtained while the second - order harmonic components are being canceled . the transmitted pulse wave with second - order harmonics superimposed thereon , described in non - patent reference 4 on a conventional technique , is also considered to be useful for ultrasonic imaging based on contrast - imaging microbubbles . fig1 shows examples of echo signals obtained from the internal point - reflector of the vital soft tissue in the three - pulse method of the present invention when second - order harmonics are intentionally superimposed on respective transmitted pulse waves . fig1 shows examples of echo signals obtained from scattering by the contrast - imaging microbubbles in the three - pulse method of the present invention when second - order harmonics are intentionally superimposed on respective transmitted pulse waves . fig1 shows waveforms of band - pass - filtered echo signals obtained from scattering by the contrast - imaging microbubbles in the three - pulse method of the present invention when second - order harmonics are intentionally superimposed on respective initial transmitted pulse waves . examples of echo signals obtained by intentionally superimposing second - order harmonics on transmitted pulse waveforms are shown in fig1 , 11 , 12 . in addition to the fundamental wave that is a carrier and includes a common envelope signal , three ultrasonic pulse waveforms each different by 120 ° in phase angle of second - order harmonics are written into the transmit waveform memory 5 , and then one of the three waveforms is selected by a transmit waveform selector 4 and transmitted / received . when this sequence is repeated three times for different waveforms by way of example , the signals written into banks of the receive waveform memory 12 are acquired similarly to the signals in fig4 . examples of the signals thus acquired are shown in fig1 a - 10c . an associated output signal of the adder 13 is shown in fig1 d . in addition , the receive echo signals generated by scattering from the contrast - imaging microbubbles are acquired similarly to the signals in fig6 . the signals written into banks of the receive waveform memory 12 are shown in fig1 a , 11 b , 11 c . associated output signals of the adder 13 , that is , associated input signals of the band - pass filter a 14 are shown in fig1 d and 12a . fig1 b , 12 c , 12 d , 12 e , 12 f show the output signals of the band - pass filter a 14 , obtained for the same settings of band - pass central frequencies as those described per fig8 . as is obvious from fig1 d , even when second - order harmonic components are intentionally superimposed on the transmitted pulse waveform , second - order harmonic components within an input signal of the adder 13 for the receive echo signal generated by scattering from the point - reflector cancel one another , thus essentially zero - suppressing output signal of the adder in terms of amplitude . this is the same as for the second - order harmonic components generated by nonlinear propagation in the associated example of fig4 . for the receive echo signal generated by scattering from the contrast - imaging microbubbles , however , addition by the adder 13 does not cancel second - order harmonic components , whereby is obtained the output signal of sufficient amplitude that has many components from second - order harmonic components to third - order harmonic components . this is the same as in fig6 . additionally , studies were performed on the phase error ranges of the transmitted pulse wave that are needed to obtain advantageous effects of the present invention . fig1 shows examples of adder output signal waveforms for the echo signals obtained from the internal point - reflector of the vital soft tissue in the three - pulse method of the present invention when respective transmitted pulses contain phase errors . the output signals of the adder 13 , that is , input signals of the band - pass filter a 14 , that are obtained when the second transmitted pulse wave is shifted through 20 ° in phase , and filter output signals obtained similarly to fig4 when band - pass central frequencies are set to frequencies of the fundamental wave and second - order harmonics are shown by way of example in fig1 a , 13 b , 13 c . a signal obtained in the example of fig5 , that is , a signal obtainable without a phase error in the pulse inversion method is shown in fig1 a for comparison . fig1 c shows an example where the sum signal of three transmitted pulse waves is adjusted to zero by shifting a phase of the third transmitted pulse wave by 10 ° for the 20 ° phase shift of the second transmitted pulse wave . the envelope signal of a transmitted pulse wave is represented by a ( t ) as a function of time “ t ”. when first , second , and third transmitted pulse signals p 1 ( t ), p 2 ( t ), p 3 ( t ) in the embodiment of the present invention contain no phase errors , these signals can be represented as follows using numeric expressions ( 1 ), ( 2 ), ( 3 ). at this time , the relationship shown in numeric expression ( 4 ) is established : if a phase error φ occurs in the second pulse , the second pulse can be represented using numeric expression ( 5 ). in this case , if the third pulse is adjusted to be representable as shown in numeric expression ( 6 ) or ( 7 ), numeric expression ( 4 ) can be established , regardless of the phase error φ . fig1 c shows a result of such correction of the third pulse and indicates that despite the phase error in the second pulse , the fundamental wave components in the output signal of the adder 13 are canceled . therefore , the fundamental wave components in the signal obtained by summing up an n number of receive echo signals are canceled since numeric expression ( 4 ) is established and since the sum signal of the n number of pulse waveforms used for transmission is generally zero in substance . p 2 ( t )= a ( t ) sin ( ω t + 2 π / 3 + φ ) ( 5 ) fig1 illustrates how the echo signals obtained from the internal point - reflector of the vital soft tissue in the three - pulse method of the present invention affect phase error dependence of the amplitude of adder output signals when respective transmitted pulses contain phase errors . in fig1 , a peak - to - peak value of the amplitude of an output signal from the adder 13 ( i . e ., output signal relative amplitude pp value ) is shown as a function of a phase error given in degrees to a second pulse . the vertical axis shown in fig1 denotes the pp value , and the horizontal axis denotes the phase error . section ( a ) in fig1 is associated with a non - corrected third pulse for the signal amplitude standardized using a value with which the pulse inversion method was executable without a phase error , and section ( b ) is associated with a corrected third pulse . if the phase error reaches 20 °, even when the third pulse is corrected , signal amplitude derived from nonlinear propagation through the soft tissue and not derived from the contrast - imaging microbubbles decreases to at least half the signal amplitude obtained in the conventional pulse inversion method . such a significant decrease in signal amplitude will prevent the present invention from fully developing the advantageous effects thereof . hence , to fully obtain the advantageous effects of the invention , it is desirable that the phase error of the transmitted pulse be 10 ° or less . as described above , it is possible , by carrying out the present invention , to extract echo signals derived only from contrast - imaging microbubbles , not including any internal signal components of a soft tissue which are derived from nonlinear propagation or the like . such a signal can be obtained as the output signal of the adder 13 . in addition , a signal improved in s / n ratio is obtained as the output signal of the band - pass filter a 14 . then the output signal of the envelope signal detector a 16 is obtained as an associated envelope signal , and the output signal of the envelope signal detector is input to the scan converter as the signal representing the spatial distribution of the contrast - imaging microbubbles . meanwhile , a signal that has been written into one bank of the receive waveform memory 12 is improved in s / n ratio by passing through the band - pass filter b 15 , then based on this filtered signal , an envelope signal is obtained by the envelope signal detector b 17 , and the envelope signal is input to the scan converter 18 . the scan converter 18 superimposes the output signal of the envelope signal detector a 16 on the output signal of the envelope signal detector b 17 by giving the former output signal a different color tone convenient for discrimination from the latter output signal , and displays both signals in the superimposed form on the screen of the display device 19 . in this manner , a distribution of contrast - imaging microbubbles in a patient &# 39 ; s body to be examined can be understandably displayed in the form of a two - dimensional or three - dimensional image . while the embodiment described above applies to a case in which the signal written into one bank of the receive waveform memory 12 is used intact as a signal which represents the position and morphology of a soft tissue , it is generally possible to use a summed signal obtained by appropriately weighting the signals written into three banks of the receive waveform memory 12 . in addition , while the embodiment detailed in the description heretofore given in this specification relates to using three transmit pulse waveforms , the present invention can be embodied by using an n number of transmit pulse waves inclusive of a common envelope signal ( n : an integer of 3 or more ), transmitting / receiving the pulse wave the n number of times with a phase of an associated carrier in steps of 360 °/ n , writing the n number of obtained echo signals into the n number of banks of the receive waveform memory 12 , and supplying to the adder 13 the signals read out from the memory 12 . next , a manner of assigning transmit pulse waveforms will be described using fig1 , 18 . fig1 is a diagram showing an example of input / output characteristics of a pulse - transmitting amplifier . fig1 illustrates relationships between output waveforms of a d / a converter and sampling points . known output methods relating to transmit pulse waveforms are by applying positive / negative signals by means of switches , and by combining a d / a converter and a pulse - transmitting amplifier . the former method can be used only for 0 ° and 180 ° phase signals , and is therefore not suitable for transmitting three or more waveforms different in phase . the method using a d / a converter cannot be directly used to transmit multiple waveforms , either . the diagram of fig1 shows input / output characteristics of a general pulse - transmitting amplifier . a horizontal axis denotes an input voltage , and a vertical axis denotes an output voltage . originally , it is desirable that output be proportional to input . during actual operation , however , nonlinearity exists as shown in fig1 . the nonlinear characteristics of the amplifier therein significantly affect three - pulse transmission . in fig1 , d / a converter output waveforms of three pulses ( 0 °, 120 °, and − 120 ° in phase ) are shown as a solid line , a broken line , and a dotted line , respectively . sections marked with a small black circle are sampling points of the d / a converter . in fig1 , a vertical axis denotes an output value ( relative value ) of the d / a converter and a horizontal axis denotes a dimensionless number which indicates output timing of a control signal to the d / a converter . fig1 a relates to sampling at four times a central frequency , fig1 b relates to sampling at six times the central frequency , and fig1 c relates to sampling at eight times the central frequency . at the × 4 and × 8 sampling frequencies , the output value of the d / a converter varies from pulse to pulse . in these cases , because of the pulse - transmitting amplifier &# 39 ; s nonlinearity shown in fig1 , the d / a converter does not take the output value exactly as preset . accordingly , since even the signals received from a medium completely free from signal nonlinearity are not completely canceled after summation , the associated technique cannot achieve its purpose . this problem is the asymmetry of three pulses that is described on the second paragraph , page 5 of non - patent reference 2 . in the present invention , as shown in fig1 c , d / a converter output uses a sampling frequency six times ( for n pulses , an integer - multiple of n ) as great as the central frequency . consequently , the output value of the d / a converter does not significantly vary from pulse to pulse , and even if the pulse - transmitting amplifier has nonlinearity , this does not pose problems . next , a description will be given of imaging methods which allow for contrast medium destruction / damage . fig1 illustrates discrimination ratios between a contrast medium signal and a vital nonlinear signal , and transmitted - pulse amplitude dependence of sensitivity of the contrast medium signal . fig1 a is a diagram of discrimination ratios between a contrast medium signal and a vital nonlinear signal , plotted for amplitude of a transmitted pulse , in the pulse inversion method and the three - pulse method . fig1 b is a diagram of the sensitivity of the contrast medium signal , plotted for amplitude of a transmitted pulse signal . in fig1 , a horizontal axis denotes transmitted - pulse amplitude in terms of sound pressure amplitude × 0 . 1 mpa , and a vertical axis denotes , in fig1 a , a discrimination ratio ( selectivity , db ) and in fig1 b , sensitivity ( db ). a solid line denotes the data obtained using the three - pulse method , and a dotted line denotes the data obtained using the pulse inversion method . in terms of discrimination ratio , the three - pulse method is constantly about 20 to 40 db superior to the conventional pulse inversion method . in terms of sensitivity , however , as the transmitted - pulse amplitude diminishes , the three - pulse method decreases . this is because the foregoing relationship in phase between the signal from the contrast medium and the transmitted pulse signal becomes disturbed only at great transmitted - pulse amplitude , that is , when nonlinearity is great . imaging at great transmitted - pulse amplitude to obtain sensitivity , however , results in the contrast medium being destructed / damaged during imaging , thus finally making it difficult to maintain appropriate or high sensitivity . the present invention , therefore , uses two methods to avoid the above problem . one method is by using such a waveform as shown in fig1 , the waveform having second - order harmonics superimposed thereon . for example , when pulled , the contrast medium becomes destructed / damaged more easily than when pushed . therefore , if the waveform with second - order harmonics superimposed thereon is used so that a negative pressure decreases in comparison with a positive pressure , the contrast medium can be made less prone to destruction / damage , even at high sound pressure . another effective method is by using sequence control . this method uses the pulse inversion method and the three - pulse method in an alternate fashion to transmit / receive pulses . in this case , the pulse inversion method is usually used to monitor at low sound pressure , and the three - pulse method is used to monitor at high sound pressure as necessary . fig2 , 21 are control flow diagrams of a pulse inversion method / three - pulse method selective imaging sequence . as shown in the control process flow diagram of fig2 , either of the above two methods can be selected , not only depending on whether imaging has been repeated a preset m or n number of times , but also according to input from an operator . following pulse inversion imaging process step 20 , selection judgment process step 21 is executed to judge whether imaging has been repeated the n number of times or external input has been detected . next if imaging has been repeated the n number of times , three - pulse imaging process step 22 is conducted , which is then followed by execution of selection judgment process step 23 to judge whether imaging has been repeated the m number of times or external input has been detected once again . in the method of fig2 , pulse inversion or the three - pulse method is selected for each frame . in the method shown in fig2 , however , either method is selected for each raster . as shown in fig2 , ( a ) 180 ° pulse wave transmit / receive process step 101 , ( b ) 0 ° pulse wave transmit / receive process step 102 , ( c ) 120 ° pulse wave transmit / receive process step 103 , ( d ) − 120 ° pulse wave transmit / receive process step 104 are first executed in that order . step 105 for judging whether one frame of imaging has been completed is conducted next . if one frame of imaging has been completed , raster movement follows . in this selective imaging method , even when the body to be examined moves , since the selection time required is sufficiently short , objects of the signals obtained by imaging with the pulse inversion method and with the three - pulse method can be regarded as equivalent to one another . thus , a contrast medium signal based on the three - pulse method can be superimposed in a different color code on a black - and - white image which was obtained by imaging with the pulse inversion method . according to the present invention , it is possible to provide an ultrasonic imaging system that offers an s / n ratio sufficiently high to conduct definite diagnoses based on contrast echo images . fig1 is a diagram that illustrates principles of the pulse inversion method and those of vibration of an in - line four - cylinder four - stroke engine ; fig2 is a diagram that illustrates principles of a three - pulse method of the present invention , and principles of vibration of an in - line six - cylinder four - stroke engine ; fig3 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an ultrasonic imaging system which embodies the present invention ; fig4 shows examples of echo signals obtained from an internal point - scattering body of a vital soft tissue having a nonlinear pulse propagating property , in the three - pulse method of the present invention ; fig5 shows examples of echo signals obtained from the point - scattering body of the vital soft tissue having a nonlinear pulse propagating property , in the pulse inversion method ; fig6 shows examples of echo signals obtained from scattering by contrast - imaging microbubbles in the three - pulse method of the present invention ; fig7 shows waveforms of band - pass - filtered echo signals obtained from scattering by the contrast - imaging microbubbles in the three - pulse method of the present invention ; fig8 shows examples of echo signals obtained from scattering by the contrast - imaging microbubbles in the pulse inversion method ; fig9 shows waveforms of band - pass - filtered echo signals obtained from scattering by the contrast - imaging microbubbles in the pulse inversion method ; fig1 shows examples of echo signals obtained from an internal point - reflector of a vital soft tissue by intentionally superimposing second - order harmonics on respective transmitted pulse waves in the three - pulse method of the present invention ; fig1 shows examples of echo signals obtained from scattering by the contrast - imaging microbubbles when second - order harmonics are intentionally superimposed on respective transmitted pulse waves in the three - pulse method of the present invention ; fig1 shows waveforms of band - pass - filtered echo signals obtained from scattering by the contrast - imaging microbubbles when second - order harmonics are intentionally superimposed on respective transmitted pulse waves in the three - pulse method of the present invention ; fig1 shows examples of adder output signal waveforms with respect to the echo signals obtained from the internal point - reflector of the vital soft tissue in the three - pulse method of the present invention when respective transmitted pulses contain phase errors ; fig1 illustrates how the echo signals obtained from the internal point - reflector of the vital soft tissue in the three - pulse method of the present invention when respective transmitted pulses contain phase errors affect phase error dependence of the amplitude of adder output signals ; fig1 is a diagram that illustrates a relationship between an envelope and carrier waves of a transmitted pulse in the three - pulse method of the present invention ; fig1 is another diagram that illustrates a relationship between an envelope and carrier waves of a transmitted pulse in the three - pulse method of the present invention ; fig1 is a diagram showing an example of input / output characteristics of a pulse - transmitting amplifier ; fig1 illustrates relationships between output waveforms and sampling points of a d / a converter ; fig1 illustrates discrimination ratios between a contrast medium signal and a vital nonlinear signal , and transmitted - pulse amplitude dependence of sensitivity of the contrast medium signal ; fig2 is a control flow diagram of a pulse inversion method / three - pulse method selective imaging sequence ; and fig2 is another control flow diagram of the pulse inversion method / three - pulse method selective imaging sequence . 1 . . . ultrasonic probe , 2 . . . transmit / receive selector switches , 3 . . . transmit beamformer , 4 . . . transmit waveform selector , 5 . . . transmit waveform memory , 6 . . . transmit / receive sequence controller , 10 . . . receive beamformer , 11 . . . receive waveform selector , 12 . . . receive waveform memory , 13 . . . adder , 14 . . . band - pass filter a , 15 . . . band - pass filter b , 16 . . . envelope signal detector a , 17 . . . envelope signal detector b , 18 . . . scan converter , 19 . . . display device , 20 . . . pulse inversion imaging step , 21 . . . judgment step , 22 . . . 3 - pulse imaging step , 23 . . . judgment step , 101 . . . 180 ° pulse wave transmit / receive process step , 102 . . . 0 ° pulse wave transmit / receive process step , 103 . . . 120 ° pulse wave transmit / receive process step , 104 . . . − 120 ° pulse wave transmit / receive process step , 105 . . . judgment step . | 6 |
preferred embodiments of the present invention will be detailed subsequently with reference to dg - fets , as have been explained referring to fig1 , the implementation also applying to mg - fets having more than two gate terminals . fig3 is a schematic circuit diagram of an amplifier circuit according to a first embodiment of the present invention . the inventive amplifier circuit illustrated in fig3 differs from the conventional amplifier circuit illustrated in fig2 in that the auxiliary tetrode or the second dg - fet 30 acts in reverse operation . again , the terminal 36 , serving as a source in the operating state due to the potential conditions , of the second dg - fet 30 is connected to the source terminal 26 of the first dg - fet 20 and to the terminal 46 of the amplifier circuit 10 . in contrast to the conventional amplifier circuit illustrated with reference to fig2 , this signal gate terminal 32 of the second dg - fet 30 connected to the signal gate terminal 22 of the first dg - fet 20 , however , is not arranged on the source side but on the drain side . correspondingly , the control gate terminal 34 of the second dg - fet 30 connected to the control gate terminal 24 of the first dg - fet 20 is not arranged on the drain side but on the source side . put differently , in this case the first region b 1 ( see fig1 ) of the second dg - fet is operated as a drain , whereas in the conventional circuit according to fig2 the second region b 2 serves as a drain . the second region b 2 ( see fig1 ) of the second dg - fet forms the source which , in the conventional circuit according to fig2 , is formed by the first region b 1 . the first region b 1 of the second dg - fet is thus connected to the signal gate terminal thereof via the drain terminal 38 . the embodiment of an inventive amplifier circuit illustrated in fig3 additionally comprises a resistor r connected between the signal input 42 and the signal gate terminal 32 of the second dg - fet . this resistor avoids the auxiliary tetrode or the second dg - fet 30 to reduce the gain of the main tetrode or of the first dg - fet 20 . employing the resistor r in this meaning is of advantage , but not a necessary feature . additionally , the amplifier circuit 10 includes a biasing network to provide a direct voltage vdd to the drain terminal 38 of the second dg - fet 30 . according to an example , the biasing network is external and includes a resistor 52 and a direct signal terminal 54 . alternatively , the resistor 52 ′ ( see dashed lines in fig3 ) may be integrated on a chip together with the first dg - fet 20 and the second dg - fet 30 , the direct signal terminal , together with the drain terminal 28 of the first dg - fet 20 , being connected to the external terminal ( drain ) 48 of the amplifier circuit 10 . fig4 is a schematic circuit diagram of an amplifier circuit 10 according to a second preferred embodiment of the present invention . this second embodiment differs from the first embodiment illustrated with reference to fig2 by the configuration ( such as , for example , the gate lengths ) of the gate structures of the second dg - fet associated to the gate terminals 32 , 34 . whereas conventionally a source side gate structure abutting on a first region b 1 ( see fig1 ) is shorter than the drain side gate structure abutting on a second region b 2 ( see fig1 ), the opposite applies in this case . in the embodiment illustrated in fig4 , the signal gate terminal 32 of the second dg - fet is connected to a gate structure arranged adjacent to the second region b 2 ( see fig1 ). the control gate terminal 34 of the second dg - fet is connected to a gate structure arranged adjacent to the first region b 1 ( see fig1 ). the source terminal 36 in this example , like in that of fig2 , is connected to the first region b 1 ( see fig1 ). also , the drain terminal 38 , like in the example of fig2 , is connected to the second region b 2 ( see fig1 ). this , compared to fig2 , means an exchange of the two gate terminals 32 , 34 at the second dg - fet . additionally , the amplifier circuit according to the second embodiment of the present invention illustrated with reference to fig4 does not comprise the resistor 70 of the amplifier circuit 10 illustrated with reference to fig3 . alternatively , a resistor may be connected between the signal input 42 and the signal gate terminal 32 of the second dg - fet in the second embodiment illustrated in fig4 . among other things , the difference between the two embodiments ( fig3 and 4 ) results from the fact that the nldd region integrated in the drain in reverse operation ( fig3 ) has the effect of a source inverse feedback resistor . a similar effect can be achieved by arranging an additional resistor r ′ ( indicated in dashed lines ) between the terminal 36 and the terminal 46 in the circuit of fig4 . in this example , too , the supply network , like in fig3 , may be formed externally or in a way integrated with the dg - fets . fig5 schematically illustrates the dependence of the voltage gain and the drain current of the first dg - fet on the control voltage applied to the control input 44 . the control voltage v g2 applied to the control input 44 is associated to the abscissa , whereas the voltage gain g v ( in db ; continuous lines ) and the drain current i d ( in ma ; dashed lines ) are associated to the ordinate . the dashed lines 80 , 82 , 84 indicate the dependence of the drain current i d on the control voltage v g2 for the conventional amplifier circuit illustrated with reference to fig2 ( curve 80 ), for the amplifier circuit according to the first embodiment of the present invention illustrated with reference to fig3 ( curve 82 ) and for the amplifier circuit according to the second embodiment of the present invention illustrated with reference to fig4 ( curve 84 ). the continuous lines 90 , 92 , 94 show the dependence of the voltage gain g v on the control voltage v g2 for the conventional amplifier circuit illustrated with reference to fig2 ( curve 90 ), for the amplifier circuit according to the first embodiment of the present invention illustrated in fig3 ( curve 92 ) and for the amplifier circuit according to the second embodiment of the present invention illustrated in fig4 ( curve 94 ). the voltage gain g v has , for both the conventional amplifier circuit ( curve 90 ) and for the amplifier circuit according to the present invention ( curves 92 , 92 ), a saturation region 102 above v g2 = 1 . 6 v and v g2 = 1 . 7 v and v g2 = 2 . 0 v , respectively , within which the voltage gain g v is largely constant , independently of the control voltage v g2 . for lower control voltages v g2 , all three amplifier circuits comprise an agc region 104 within which the voltage gain g v has a strictly monotonic dependence on the control voltage v g2 . the difference between the curves 90 ( fig3 ) and 94 ( fig4 ) results from the “ reversed ” wiring of the fets since they have an asymmetrical setup , due to the ldd regions provided on either the source side or the drain side . a similar result could also be achieved by a symmetrical fet , such as , for example , a conventional mos - fet having a resistor at a drain or a source terminal . it becomes obvious from curve 80 that the drain current i d has a marked superelevation at a control voltage of v g2 = 1 . 4 v . the marked break of the gain characteristic of the conventional amplifier circuit , at the control voltage v g2 = 1 . 6 v , in curve 90 is causally connected with this abrupt superelevation in the drain current i d . in contrast , it can be seen that the amplifier circuit according to the first embodiment of the present invention illustrated in fig3 only has a minimum and very flat superelevation of the drain current i d ( curve 82 ) and a considerably smoother transition from the saturation region 102 to the agc region 104 ( at v g2 = 1 . 5 v ). the amplifier circuit according to the second embodiment of the present invention illustrated in fig4 also has a less abrupt superelevation in the drain current i d ( curve 84 ) and a smoother transition of the voltage gain g v from the saturation region 102 to the agc region 104 ( at v g2 = 2 v ) ( curve 94 ). thus , the voltage gain g v of the second embodiment , in the agc region 104 , also has , on average , a smaller gradient than the voltage gains of the conventional amplifier circuit and the amplifier circuit according to the first embodiment of the present invention . referring to fig5 , it may easily be recognized that the present invention achieves a slight or small and uniform superelevation of the drain current i d and a considerably smoother transition of the voltage gain g v from the saturation region 102 to the agc region 104 when regulating the control voltage v g2 . the present invention or inventive auxiliary wiring of a dg - fet within an amplifier circuit is suitable for all dg - fets , in particular for dual gate mos fets , the gain of which is controlled or determined by a dc potential or a direct voltage . tuner tetrodes are examples of this . preferably , the inventive amplifier circuit 10 , that is in particular the first dg - fet 20 and the second dg - fet 30 , are integrated on a chip . although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described with reference to dg - fets , this is , as has been mentioned above , not to be taken as a limitation . the implementations also apply to mg - fets having more than two gate terminals . two or more signal gate terminals and / or two or more control gate terminals may , for example , be provided without departing from the principles on which the present invention is based . while this invention has been described in terms of several preferred embodiments , there are alterations , permutations , and equivalents which fall within the scope of this invention . it should also be noted that there are many alternative ways of implementing the methods and compositions of the present invention . it is therefore intended that the following appended claims be interpreted as including all such alterations , permutations , and equivalents as fall within the true spirit and scope of the present invention . | 7 |
for clarity and simplicity , the present specification shall refer to structural and / or functional network elements , entities and / or facilities , relevant communications standards , protocols and / or services , and other components that are commonly known in the telecommunications art without further detailed explanation as to their configuration or operation except to the extent they have been modified or altered in accordance with and / or to accommodate the preferred embodiment ( s ) presented . with reference to fig2 , an exemplary telecommunications system is illustrated in accordance with a preferred embodiment . a calea asc 120 or other like facility is incorporated as an adjunct to a telecommunications switch 100 , which is suitably a class 5 switch or other similar telecommunications switch and / or including packet - switching equipment , e . g ., located at a co of a telecommunications carrier . the switch 100 serves as the originating and / or terminating switch ( i . e ., at a local co or end office ) providing telephone service to a subscriber or subject 200 , e . g ., using a telephone or other customer premises equipment ( cpe ) to make calls . for illustrative purposes herein , the subject 200 shall be considered the subject under surveillance in accordance with calea by a duly authorized lea 300 . while only one such subject and one such lea are illustrated , it is to be appreciated that one or more leas may be similarly situated , and each lea may be conducting similar surveillance on one or more similarly situated subjects at any given time , and each subject may likewise be under surveillance by one or more leas at a given time . circuit - switched calls ( e . g ., voice calls ) between the surveillance subject 200 and an associate or second party 550 ( e . g ., also a subscriber using a telephone or other cpe to communicate with the subject 200 ) are connected through the switch 100 and over the pstn 500 in the usual manner . the surveillance subject &# 39 ; s calls are monitored via the calea asc 120 for so long as the surveillance remains in effect . suitably , the call monitoring and / or surveillance conducted by the asc 120 is substantially undetectable or unperceivable by the principals ( i . e ., the subject 200 and associate 550 ) engaged in the call . that is to say , from the perspective of the principals engaged in the call , the call appears to be the same regardless of whether the surveillance is being conducted or not . generally , there are two levels of surveillance which may selectively be carried out via the calea asc 120 , nominally termed level 1 and level 2 . for level 1 surveillance , the cpd is obtained for calls to and / or from the surveillance subject 200 . for level 2 surveillance , the cpd and cc are both obtained for calls to and / or from the surveillance subject 200 . suitably , the asc 120 is equipped or provisioned with a internet protocol ( ip ) gateway 122 or other equipment to convert the cc to packet - switched format . the gateway 122 converts and / or translates the circuit - switched cc into a packet - switched format . for example , the circuit - switched cc captured , intercepted or otherwise received by the asc 120 is converted and / or translated by the gateway 122 into a voice over ip ( voip ) format . that is to say , the asc 120 captures , intercepts or otherwise receives the circuit - switched cc from a call between the subject 200 and the associate 550 . the received circuit - switched cc is converted into a volp format or other like packet - switched call format by the gateway 122 . it is then deliverable to the lea 300 over a psdn 400 . optionally , the asc 120 is also equipped or provisioned with a database ( db ) or similar storage device 124 , e . g ., implemented via a memory , hard drive , magnetic or optical storage , etc . the cpd and / or cc obtained by the asc - 120 is selectively stored and / or maintained in the calea db 124 . on the lea end , the lea facilities are optionally provisioned with an interface 310 that provides suitable access to the calea asc 120 , and in particular , the calea db 124 . in general , the asc &# 39 ; s system and network architecture has been enhanced to provide a packet - switched communication and / or interface for cc between the asc 120 and the lea 300 . the packet interface supports delivery of both the cpd and cc to the lea 300 , even for circuit - switched calls . optionally , it is provided as either a dedicated packet - switched network interface or , with suitable security arrangements , a connection via a shared or public packet network ( e . g ., the internet ) or a virtual private network ( vpn ). for analog or circuit - switched cc ( e . g ., voice ), the cc is packetized and retransmitted over this packet interface via standard protocols , e . g ., those commonly used for volp services . as will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art , the present architecture has the potential of providing significant savings in the costs of surveillance for at least two reasons : i ) the transmission capacity on this packet - switched interface is preferably used intermittently only when desired — i . e ., when a surveillance subject is engaged in a telephone call — thus , the capacity is shared among many subjects and leas ; and , ii ) due to the technologies involved ( e . g ., ethernet , fiber optics , etc . ), the costs of packet - switched transmission facilities , per unit of capacity , are generally significantly lower than those of comparable circuit - switched facilities . optionally , the retransmission of digitalized analog cc ( such as speech ) via the packet - switched interface between the asc 120 and the lea 300 is implemented using data compression and streaming techniques , thereby enhancing the bandwidth efficiency even further . suitably , as already mentioned , the asc 120 is provisioned with a db 124 that provides local storage , within the asc 120 , of surveillance data ( e . g ., the cpd , the cc or both ). a secure mechanism is also provided ( via the interface 310 ) whereby authorized lea personnel are able to retrieve this stored surveillance data over the psdn 400 . the lea 300 is therefore given an option to obtain the surveillance data in real - time ( i . e ., as monitored calls occur ) or at a later time ( e . g ., either a designated time or on demand ). this provides additional potential cost savings for the lea 300 because monitoring personnel will not have to be on duty continually to monitor all the calls in real - time , and because lea personnel will be able to handle more surveillance operations per individual . suitably , the local storage within the asc 120 also serves as a back - up to surveillance data storage at the lae facilities . that is to say , the asc &# 39 ; s local storage capability selectively acts as a backup or fail - safe mechanism , so that if the transmission facilities to the lea 300 fail or become overloaded , or the monitoring equipment within the lea &# 39 ; s offices fails ( e . g ., due to equipment problems or a power outage ), the asc 120 can still retain a copy of the surveillance data for later retrieval by , and / or delivery to , the lea 300 . as an optional addition to the architecture , a mechanism for the lea 300 to access stored surveillance data in the db 124 via a traditional circuit - switched network interface is also included . for example , to use this circuit - switched interface , the lea personnel ( or collection equipment ) dials a specified access phone number , and then interacts with an integrated voice response ( ivr ) interface . suitably , the ivr prompts the caller to logon ( e . g ., by entering a user id and security code or password ), and to select the stored surveillance data to be accessed ( e . g ., via the entry of dtmf digits ). optionally , to hear the stored cc over the circuit - switched interface , the packetized data from the db 124 is reverse routed through the gateway 122 to restore it to the circuit - switch cc originally received by the asc 120 . suitably , the asc 120 is also enhanced to provide access via a standard , internet - like interface 310 employed by the lea personnel and / or their monitoring equipment . the interface 310 is preferably implemented with security features ( e . g ., user ids , passwords , encryption , etc .) to prevent unauthorized access . it optionally enables the lea 300 to use inexpensive and readily available equipment ( e . g ., personal computers ) and software ( e . g ., vpn tools , web browsers , etc .) to monitor the subject 200 in real - time as well as to download or access stored surveillance - data from the db 124 . alternatively , a customized lea surveillance software application is readily deployable for use by the lea personnel over the interface 310 . the customized application optionally support both the real - time monitoring and downloading functions , and potentially provides a safer and less error - prone human interface for lea personnel than standard , publicly available software packages , e . g ., such as web browsers . it is to be appreciated that in connection with the particular exemplary embodiments presented herein certain structural and / or function features are described as being incorporated in defined elements and / or components . however , it is contemplated that these features may , to the same or similar benefit , also likewise be incorporated in other elements and / or components where appropriate . it is also to be appreciated that different aspects of the exemplary embodiments may be selectively employed as appropriate to achieve other alternate embodiments suited for desired applications , the other alternate embodiments thereby realizing the respective advantages of the aspects incorporated therein . it is also to be appreciated that particular elements or components described herein may have their functionality suitably implemented via hardware , software , firmware or a combination thereof . additionally , it is to be appreciated that certain elements described herein as incorporated together may under suitable circumstances be stand - alone elements or otherwise divided . similarly , a plurality of particular functions described as being carried out by one particular element may be carried out by a plurality of distinct elements acting independently to carry out individual functions , or certain individual functions may be split - up and carried out by a plurality of distinct elements acting in concert . alternately , some elements or components otherwise described and / or shown herein as distinct from one another may be physically or functionally combined where appropriate . in short , the present specification has been set forth with reference to preferred embodiments . obviously , modifications and alterations will occur to others upon reading and understanding the present specification . it is intended that the invention be construed as including all such modifications and alterations insofar as they come within the scope of the appended claims or the equivalents thereof . | 7 |
referring to fig1 to 3 , particularly fig1 there is shown a mold unit 11 through which a method of a first embodiment of the present invention is practically carried out . the mold unit 11 comprises generally a mold 13 and two tensioning devices 15 . as will be described in detail hereinafter , the mold 13 is a lid - mounted receptacle member for holding a bag - shaped outer skin member 12 . the bag - shaped outer skin member 12 is made of a flexible plastics . the outer skin member 12 is formed at a given portion 12a thereof with two circular openings 12b and 12c . it is to be noted that the given portion 12a faces downward when a headrest thus produced is properly mounted on a seatback ( not shown ). the given portion 12a is further formed with a slit 12d which extends straightly in parallel with an imaginary line which connects the two circular openings 12b and 12c . the slit 12d is formed with an inwardly projected slender sleeve 12e . as will be described in detail hereinafter , the slit 12d serves as both a stay insertion opening through which a stay member 14 is led into the outer skin member 12 and a material inlet opening through which a foamable urethane material is poured into the outer skin member 12 . the stay member 14 is of a generally u - shaped metal member . that is , the u - shaped metal stay member 14 comprises two pole portions 14a and 14b and a bridge portion 14c which are united to form a generally u - shaped structure . as is seen from fig1 the mold 13 comprises a receptacle body 13a having a smoothly curved cavity formed therein . as shown , the receptacle body 13a has front and upper portions opened to the outside . an upper rear wall 13a &# 39 ; of the receptacle body 13a is formed at a front edge thereof with two semicircular recesses 13h . a lid member 13c is pivotally connected through hinges 13b to a front lower portion of the receptacle body 13a to selectively close the front and upper open portions of the same . the lid member 13c comprises a front plate portion 13d for covering the front open portion of the receptacle body 13a and an upper plate portion 13f for covering the upper open portion of the receptacle body 13a . as shown , the front plate portion 13d has at a lower end thereof the hinges 13b , and the upper plate portion 13f is pivotally connected to the front plate portion 13d through hinges 13e . the upper plate portion 13f is formed at a front edge thereof with two semicircular recesses 13i . as will become clarified hereinafter , when the lid member 13c properly covers the receptacle body 13a , the recesses 13i of the lid member 13c are mated with the recesses 13h of the receptacle body 13a respectively to constitute two circular openings through which the two pole portions 14a and 14b of the u - shaped metal stay member 14 are to be projected to the outside . for the reason which will be clarified hereinafter , the upper plate portion 13f is formed at lateral ends thereof respective slots 13g . the receptacle body 13a is provided at lateral ends thereof with respective tensioning devices 15 . it is to be noted that each tensioning device 15 is positioned on a longitudinal axis of the slit 12d of the bag - shaped outer skin member 12 which is properly put in the receptacle body 13a . if desired , one of the tensioning devices 15 may be removed . as is well shown in fig2 and 3 , each tensioning device 15 comprises a bracket 16 secured to the lateral end of the receptacle body 13a . a pivotal arm 17 is pivotally connected to the bracket 16 through a pivot pin 16a . the pivotal arm 17 is formed with a guide slot 17a in which a slide rod 18 is slidably received . as is seen from fig3 the slide rod 18 is a thin member having a rectangular cross section . the slide rod 18 has an inner end portion shaped like a hook 18a . as will become apparent hereinafter , the hook 18a is engageable with a longitudinal end of the slit 12d of the bag - shaped outer skin member 12 held in the receptacle body 13a . for biasing the slide rod 18 outward , that is , in a rightward direction in fig2 a biasing mechanism is incorporated with the slide rod 18 . the mechanism comprises a generally u - shaped holder 19 and a coil spring 20 . that is , the u - shaped holder 19 comprises two spaced arm portions 19a and 19b each having an opening through which the slide rod 18 slidably passes , and a bridge portion 19c through which the two arm portions 19a and 19b are connected . the coil spring 20 is disposed about the slide rod 18 and compressed between the arm portion 19b and the pivotal arm 17 . an outer end of the slide rod 18 has a nut 18b connected thereto . due to a biasing force produced by the coil spring 20 the nut 18b is pressed against an outer surface of the arm portion 19b . it is to be noted that under an operative condition as shown in fig2 a biasing force of about 1 kg . is produced by the coil spring 20 . with the above - mentioned arrangement using the pivot pin 16a , each tensioning device 15 can pivot between a horizontal operative position wherein as shown in fig1 the slide rod 18 extends horizontally toward the inside of the mold unit 11 and a vertical rest position wherein the slide rod 18 extends vertically upward . molding a headrest by using the mold unit 11 is carried out in the following manner . the bag - shaped outer skin member 12 , the u - shaped metal stay member 14 and the mold unit 11 are prepared . before molding , the mold unit 11 is handled to assume such an open condition that the lid member 13c is opened and each tensioning device 15 takes the rest position wherein the slide rod 18 extends vertically upward . first , with the slit 12d of the outer skin member 12 kept open , the pole portions 14a and 14b of the stay member 14 are led into the outer skin member 12 through the slit 12d , and then drawn to the outside of the outer skin member 12 through the circular openings 12b and 12c of the outer skin member 12 remaining the bridge portion 14c in the outer skin member 12 . then , the bag - shaped outer skin member 12 , together with the u - shaped metal stay member 14 installed therein , is put into the receptacle body 13a of the mold unit 11 . positioning of the outer skin member 12 is so made that the two pole portions 14a and 14b of the u - shaped stay member 14 are neatly put into the recesses 13h of the receptacle body 13a . with this , the outer skin member 12 is properly set in the receptacle body 13a with the longitudinal ends of the slit 12d directed toward the tensioning devices 15 . then , the two tensioning devices 15 are handled to take the horizontal operative positions as shown in fig1 . during this step , the hook portion 18a of each slide rod 18 is brought into engagement with the corresponding longitudinal end of the slit 12d of the outer skin member 12 against the force of the coil spring 20 . thus , upon release of the operator &# 39 ; s hands from the tensioning devices 15 , the longitudinal ends of the slit 12d are pulled or biased outward by the tensioning devices 15 . that is , the slit 12d is stretched longitudinally . under this condition , the slit 12d is closed . because of the tensioning work of the tensioning devices 15 , the bag - shaped outer skin member 12 is forced to take a proper set position relative to the receptacle body 13a . that is , centering of the outer skin member 12 relative to the receptacle body 13a is achieved . then , the slit 12d is opened by the operator &# 39 ; s hands to put an injection nozzle of a urethane material feeder thereinto , and then a given amount of urethane material is poured into the bag - shaped outer skin member 12 . upon completion of the material pouring , the injection nozzle is pulled out from the slit 12d . upon this , the slit 12d is instantly closed due to the stretching force produced by the tensioning devices 15 . thus , initial curing or foaming of the material in the outer skin member 12 is carried out without suffering a leakage of the material through the slit 12d . then , the lid member 13c is handled to cover the open portions of the receptacle body 13a and then the entire of the mold unit 11 is put into an oven for sufficiently curing the urethane material . it is to be noted that due to presence of the slots 13g in which the slide rods 18 can be received , the lid member 13c can be neatly put on the receptacle body 13a . upon completion of the curing , the lid member 13c is handled to open the mold unit 11 and then , the two tensioning devices 15 are handled to assume their rest positions . thus , upon this , the hook portions 18a of the slide rods 18 are released from the longitudinal ends of the slit 12d of the outer skin member 12 . then , the product , that is , the produced headrest is released from the opened mold unit 11 . in the following , advantages of the above - mentioned first embodiment of the invention will be described . due to function of the tensioning devices 15 , the slit 12d of the bag - shaped outer skin member 12 in the mold unit 11 is kept biased to take its closed position . thus , during curing or foaming of the material , undesired leakage of the urethane material from the slit 12d is suppressed . second , during curing of the material , the slit 12d of the outer skin member 12 is kept stretched longitudinally by the tensioning devices 15 . the stretched condition of the slit 12d prevents formation of an uglily waved appearance of the same upon completion of the molding . in fact , several tests revealed that the produced headrest exhibited an excellent external appearance around the slit 12d . in place of the pivotal arm 17 of each tensioning device 15 , a vertically movable supporting member may be employed . that is , in this modification , the supporting member is vertically movably disposed on the bracket 16 , and a biasing mechanism including the slide rod 18 , the coil spring 20 and the u - shaped holder 19 is mounted on the supporting member . in place of the coil spring 20 , other biasing members may be used , which are for example a rubber sleeve , air spring and the like . referring to fig4 and 5 , there is schematically shown another mold unit 111 through which a method of a second embodiment of the present invention is practically carried out . although illustrated different in fig4 the mold unit 111 is substantially the same as the above - mentioned mold unit 11 except for the tensioning devices . thus , substantially same parts as those of the mold unit 11 are denoted by the same reference numerals . that is , the mold unit 111 is not equipped with devices corresponding to the tensioning devices 15 of the mold unit 11 . that is , in the second embodiment , a separate expanding piece 25 is used in place of the tensioning devices 15 employed in the first embodiment . that is , the expanding piece 25 is not fixed to the mold unit 11 . as is seen from fig5 the expanding piece 25 is made of a generally u - shaped spring wire , which comprises a center elongate part 25a and two side hook parts 25b . each side hook part 25b has a portion depressed inward . when in a non - stressed condition of the expanding piece 25 , the length of the same ( that is , the distance between the two side hook parts 25b ) is somewhat greater than the length &# 34 ; l1 &# 34 ; of the slit 12d of the bag - shaped outer skin member 12 . molding a headrest by using the mold unit 111 is carried out in the following manner . first , with the slit 12d of the outer skin member 12 kept open , the pole portions 14a and 14b of the stay member 14 are led into the outer skin member 12 through the slit 12d , and then drawn to the outside through the circular openings 12b and 12c of the skin member 12 remaining the bridge portion 14c in the skin member 12 . then , the bag - shaped outer skin member 12 , together with the u - shaped metal stay member 14 left therein , is put into the receptacle body 13a of the mold unit 11 . then , the expanding piece 25 is fitted to the slit 12d in such a manner that the two side hook parts 25b thereof are pressed against the longitudinal ends of the slit 12d . thus , upon this , the longitudinal ends of the slit 12d are pulled or biased outward by the expanding piece 25 . that is , the slit 12d is stretched longitudinally and thus urged to be closed . then , the slit 12d is opened by the operator &# 39 ; s hands to put an injection nozzle of a urethane material feeder thereinto , and then a given amount of urethane material is poured into the bag - shaped outer skin member 12 . upon completion of the material feeding , the injection nozzle is pulled out from the slit 12d . upon this , the slit 12d is instantly closed due to the stretching force produced by the expanding piece 25 . then , the lid member 13c is handled to cover the open portions of the receptacle body 13a with the expanding piece 25 kept engaged with the slit 12d and then the entire of the mold unit 11 is put into an oven for sufficiently curing the urethane material . upon completion of the curing , the lid member 13c is opened to remove the product ( viz ., the produced headrest ) from the receptacle body 13a . then , the expanding piece 25 is removed from the product . due to usage of the expanding piece 25 by which the slit 12d is stretched longitudinally , substantially same advantages as those of the first embodiment are obtained in the second embodiment . | 1 |
referring to fig4 , a cover glass having a printed images thereon is shown generally at 10 . preferably each printed image 12 includes fourteen columns of viewing fields 14 . each column of circles is indexed by a letter 16 which appears at the top and the bottom of the column . a mark or logo 18 is placed at the top of the image to denote the top of the image . each column has ten viewing circles 14 , divided into two groups of five . each row of circles is indexed by a number 20 which appears on the left and the right side of the row . in this way , each viewing circle 14 is uniquely identified by its column and its row . the diameter of each of the circles 14 is 100 micrometers . the distance between each viewing circle 14 is 125 micrometers , measured from center to center . row 5 and row 6 are separated by larger spacers 22 . to make a cover glass having a printed image thereon 10 a template or mask 24 as shown in fig1 to 3 is placed on the cover plate 25 . preferably the circular mask 24 is made of copper with a diameter of 3 . 05 mm and a thickness of 15 micrometer . however , other metals may also be used such as nickel , gold and platinum . the mask 24 includes a plurality of circles 26 which correspond to the viewing fields 14 . the circles 26 are connected to each other and to the mask by means of bars 28 . the bars 28 are 20 micro - meter in width . there is a larger space between the fifth and sixth row and a central bar 30 . the cover glass having a printed image thereon 10 may be made in a conventional way . specifically the cover glass 25 is annealed at 250 degree c . in a muffle furnace . a template for example a gold or copper mask 24 ( shown in fig1 to 3 ), is placed near the centre of cover glass 25 . preferably , a second grid 24 is then placed adjacent to the first grid such that the openings are more or less parallel with those of the first gird and so that two printed images 12 will be imprinted onto cover glass 25 . if desired , more than two grids may be used . cover glass 25 with the masks 24 placed thereon is placed either in a high - vacuum coating station capable of an atmosphere of 1 times 10 sup - 3 to 10 sup - 4 torr , or in a sputter coating station equipped with chemically pure and inert metal target ( s ). cover glass 25 is then coated with an inert nobel metal film which can adhere to glass . noble metals such as gold , platinum , palladium or a combination thereof may be used . it has been found that gold on its own does not adhere well to the glass and therefore gold on its own would not be used . however , gold in combination with platinum has been found to be effective . note that , in some instances platinum does not work well on its own because of its high melting point , but this restriction is based on the equipment used to coat the cover glass . a gold / platinum mixture produces an ultra - thin transparent coating with defined viewing fields . the inventors have found that by twisting a gold wire and a platinum wire together , good results are achieved . the film coating is approximately 2 . 5 to 5 . 0 nm thick . in use , a segment about ¼ to ⅕ from a 25 mm diameter mixed cellulose ester ( mce ) filter on which asbestos fibres have been previously deposited is cut . the microscope slide is prepared such that filter sample with the fibre deposit side facing upwardly and the imprinted side of the cover glass 10 having printed image 12 imprinted thereon facing downwardly . thus the fibres to be counted are adjacent to the imprinted viewing fields 14 and effectively the fibres and the viewing fields are in the same depth of focus the microscope . the cover glass 10 is prepared as discussed above . the filter sample is arranged so that it can cover printed image 12 which have been imprinted on the cover glass 10 . the slide is then prepared either with an acetone / triacetin clearing method or a dimethyl formamide ( dmf )/ euparal clearing method . throughout the description of this invention , the term “ asbestos ” means a product containing one or several types of asbestos fibres such as amosite , chrysotile , crocidolite , anthopylite , tremolite and acetilolite ; and the term “ synthetic mineral fibre ” means a vitreous solid or glass - like fibre whose main element consists of silicon . it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the cover glass of the present invention provides stable and well defined circular viewing fields for counting asbestos and synthetic mineral fibers using phase contrast microscopy . as well , the cover glass of the present invention provides circular viewing fields that do not have a noble metal coating so that the image quality of the fibers is not affected . the cover glass of the present invention provides circular viewing fields that have the same size as the image projected by the graticule of the eyepiece on to the cleared filter wedge . the cover glass of the present invention are used to prepare slides of asbestos containing materials for identification and quantitative determination of the asbestos concentrations . since the circular viewing fields do not have a noble metal coating , various optical properties of the particles such as refractive index , birefringence color , extinction , pleochroism and signs of elongation etc , can be measured to identify the asbestos particles . by determining the number asbestos particles in a number of viewing fields , one can estimate the concentration of asbestos particles in the sample . since the viewing fields are uniquely identified and relocatable , the slides can also be used to determine the accuracy and precision of the analyst in identifying asbestos particles in asbestos containing materials . it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the cover glass of the present invention may also be used to prepare slides of microscopic particles , such as the mold spores , for identification and quantitative determination . since the circular viewing fields do not have a noble metal coating , the image quality of the spores is not affected and they can be identified by their morphology and size . by determining the number spores in a number of viewing fields , one can estimate the concentration of spores in the sample . since the viewing fields are uniquely identified and relocatable , the slides can also be used to determine the accuracy and precision of the analyst in identifying mold spores . it will be appreciated that the above description related to one embodiment by way of example only . many variations on the invention will be obvious to those skilled in the art and such obvious variations are within the scope of the invention as described herein whether or not expressly described . | 6 |
the following will describe in detail the operation of loop control module ( lcm ) 20 . lcm 20 performs four basic functions : generation of clock and frame signals ; auto - zeroing on the continuous data bus ; garbage collection on the bursty data bus ; and maintaining the proper loop delay so that the system remains synchronized . referring to fig2 the clock and frame generation are performed by clock circuit 30 . as indicated in fig3 these functions are performed in a standard way using ttl integrated circuits . the timing of the signals generated by the clock circuit is shown in fig9 . the function of these signals is as follows : frame : marks the beginning of each frame on both the continuous and bursty data buses . occurs once every 192 clock &# 39 ; s . fr + 1 : a signal which appears early in each frame -- used to set a flip - flop . stvts : marks the start of each time slot on the continuous data bus . occurs every 16 clocks . dbtest : marks the end of each time slot on the bursty data bus . occurs every 32 clocks . endvts : marks the end of each time slot on the continuous data bus . occurs every 16 clocks . bittm0 : occurs during the first clock cycle of each continuous data time slot . z test : occurs at the end of each time slot on the continuous bus and is used to check if the time slot has a zero value . the use of each of these signals will be explained in the discussions which follow . the continuous data bus consists of a repetitive sequence of 12 time slots , each consisting of 16 clocks . in this implementation , the time slots are used to contain linear pcm voice samples . thus , a single continuous data bus can permit up to 12 simultaneous voice conversations . unlike an analog bus , the digital voice bus described above has no loss ( or attenuation ), hence the effects of random bit errors will persist until the system is powered down . also , the bus tends to contain random bit patterns when it is initially powered up , and these will also persist . in order to damp out the effects of bit errors , it is necessary to make the bus slightly lossy ( similar to a leaky capacitor in an analog bus ). this is done by the voice circuit 60 in fig2 . a schematic of this circuit is given in fig6 . when the continuous data bus is used for high - speed data other than linear pcm voice samples , this circuit is omitted . the circuit of fig6 implements the following algorithm : if the contents of a particular time slot are negative , its value is increased by 1 ; if the contents of the time slot are positive , its value is decreased by 1 ; if the value of the time slot is zero ; it remains unchanged . thus , the value of each time - slot is continuously forced towards zero , and the effect of bit errors is damped out . since the voice samples are in the form of linear pcm , the addition and subtraction are easily performed . using 2 &# 39 ; s complement arithmetic , subtracting 1 is accomplished by adding a sequence of 16 1 &# 39 ; s to the time slot . with reference to fig6 serial adder 607 performs the actual addition and subtraction . registers 601 and 602 hold the voice sample to be processed . at the start of the time slot ( stvts ), flip - flop 606 latches up the value of bit 15 of the time slot . this bit indicates whether the value of the time slot is positive or negative . if the value of the time slot is positive , the q output of flip - flop 606 will be high , and a sequence of 16 ones (- 1 in 2 &# 39 ; s complement notation ) will be added to the time slot as it is shifted by . if , however , the time slot was negative , then the output of gate 611 will go high only while bittm0 is asserted ( i . e ., during the first clock cycle of the time slot ) and a single 1 is added to the least significant bit position of the time slot . if the value of the time slot is identically zero , then the output of gate 612 will be low at the time of the first rising edge of ztest . this will cause the zero signal to be latched at zero and prevent anything from being added to the time slot . thus , the circuit of fig6 implements the algorithm described above . in systems which have more than one continuous data bus , the circuit of fig6 is simply replicated for each additional bus . as shown in fig8 the bursty data bus consists of six 32 - bit time slots . while the message - switched time - slots and the call processing field have different functions in the system as far as the lcm is concerned all six of the bursty data bus time slots are identical . the function of the lcm bursty data bus circuit ( element 50 in fig2 ) is two - fold : ( 1 ) to remove traffic from the bursty data bus ( i . e ., zero out the time slot ) after it has been delivered ; and ( 2 ) to locate and remove any undeliverable traffic . the lcm utilizes three bits of each time slot to carry out these functions : the busy / idle ( b / i ), traffic control ( tc ) and acknowledgement ( ack ) bits . the relative positions of these bits in a time slot is shown in fig8 . when a programmable data interchanger ( pdi ) transmits in a time slot , it sets the b / i bit to indicate that the time slot is in use . when the destination pdi receives the time slot , it sets the ack bit . when the lcm detects a time slot with both the b / i and ack bits set , the time - slot is cleared so that it can be used again . if the lcm detects a time slot with b / i set , but neither ack nor tc set , it sets the tc bit to indicate that the time slot has passed by the lcm once . if a time slot is detected with the b / i and tc bits set , and ack is not set , this indicates that the time slot has made at least one full trip around the loop without being received and acknowledged . therefore , it is considered to be undeliverable and the time slot is cleared out . the data bus circuit 50 , shown in fig5 performs the above - described functions . data from the data bus is shifted through flip - flops 501 and 502 , registers 503 - 506 , and flip - flops 507 and 508 . at the time that dbtest is asserted ( shown in fig9 ), a complete data time slot is contained between flip - flops 501 and 508 . the ack and tc bits are replicated in flip - flops 509 and 510 , respectively , to prevent race conditions . the b / i bit ( busy ) is available at flip - flop 507 . the combination of gates 511 through 516 perform the comparisons described above when they are strobed by dbtest . when a properly acknowledged time slot is detected , bytec is asserted , causing the time slot to be cleared ( clrts ) and also incrementing byte counter 518 . the byte counter is useful for measuring the traffic handled by the system . when an undeliverable time slot is detected , garbc is asserted , which causes the time slot to be cleared and increments garbage counter 517 . the garbage counter is useful for maintaining the system in proper operating condition . a non - zero reading on the garbage counter usually indicates a malfunction somewhere in the system . when a time slot with busy asserted , but neither tc nor ack asserted , is encountered , settc is asserted , causing the tc bit to be set . in this manner , the lcm bursty data bus circuit prevents the data bus from filling up with garbage and keeps statistics relating to the systems performance . as discussed previously , the number of bits delay around the loop must equal the number of bits per frame ( n ) if the system is synchronized . in a loop system with n bits per frame , there will not always be exactly n stations connected to the loop . in this particular implementation , the lcm has a minimum delay of 32 bits , each pdi has a delay of 1 bit , and the frame length is 192 bits . if there are m pdi &# 39 ; s in the loop , then the lcm must provide a delay d of : for example , if there are 61 pdi &# 39 ; s in the loop , the lcm must provide a delay of 99 bits . since the loop synchronization control circuit is implemented with a fifo , the operational characteristics of a fifo will now be briefly described . a fifo ( first in - first out serial memory ) is a shift register with separate clocks for the input and output . bits of data clocked into the fifo bubble through to the unoccupied storage location nearest the output . when the fifo output is clocked , the oldest data bit exits the fifo and all the other data bits move one slot closer to the output . as illustrated in fig1 and 2 , our particular implementation uses separate buses for the transmission of continuous data , bursty data , clock , and framing information . the frame bus contains only the frame pulse , which occurs every 192 clock periods ( fig9 ). the circuit of fig4 uses a fifo ( 410 and 411 ) as an adaptively variable delay which can be used to adjust the loop length . the basic principle of operation of the circuit is that , if the system is in sync , the previous frame pulse should emerge from the fifo at the same time as the new frame pulse is generated . fifo &# 39 ; s 410 and 411 are arranged in a standard configuration such that the two 96 - word fifo &# 39 ; s become a single 192 - word fifo . the circuit illustrated in fig4 operates in the following manner . flip - flop 405 , in conjunction with gate 406 tests the frame bit emerging from the fifo against the new frame bit being generated . if the system is in sync , the q output of flip - flop 405 remains high and gate 407 remains enabled . if the system is out of sync , the q output of flip - flop 405 will go low , disabling gate 407 and interrupting the fifo &# 39 ; s output clock . one clock period later , fr + 1 is used to set flip - flop 405 and re - enable the fifo output clock . thus , one clock has been withheld from the fifo output , causing the effective loop delay to be lengthened by 1 bit . there are two cases to consider : too few bits in the fifo , and too many bits in the fifo . if there are too few bits of delay in the fifo ( i . e ., the loop is too short ), when the loop length is increased by one bit per frame until synchronization is achieved . for example , if a station is removed from the loop , the system requires one frame to regain sync . if there are too many bits of delay in the fifo ( i . e ., the loop is too long ), the loop length continues to increase by one bit per frame until the fifo is full . the fifo full condition is detected by flip - flop 412 , which clears the fifo . the circuit now continues adding one bit of delay per frame , starting with an empty fifo , until sync is achieved . this case can occur when a station is added to the loop . if there are n bits per frame , it takes n - 1 frame times for the system to regain sync if a single station is added . for n = 192 , and 125 microseconds per frame , this is about 24 msec for the worst case . the above synchronization procedures are automatically executed when the system is powered up and every time sync is lost . thus , the fifo circuit adaptively seeks out the correct loop length and automatically maintains it . a straightforward modification of this synchronization technique enables its use in a system where the frame bit is inserted as a toggle bit in the data stream . in this case , the output of an exclusive - or gate would be connected to the d input of flip - flop 405 in fig4 . the inputs to this gate are the fifo output ( 00 to fifo 411 ) and the frame signal . this checks that the new frame bit is the opposite of the previous one . operation of the circuit is the same as before , although on the average it takes twice as long to gain sync . another extension of this technique is to detect an out - of - sync condition in one frame and all the required bits of delay in the succeeding frame ( rather than adding only one bit of delay per frame ). this has the advantage of faster operation at the expense of a small amount of additional hardware . a minor modification allows this technique to be used in systems which have a multi - frame delay around the loop . this may be advantageous since it allows more stations to be connected to the loop . if it is desired to maintain the delay of m frames ( each frame having n bits ), then a fifo of capacity mn must be used in conjunction with a frame counter which allows the frame comparison ( gate 406 ) to occur only every m th frame and inhibits it in the intervening frames . the above discussion has been confined to closed loops but it is understood that our arrangement may be used on a continuous channel for framing control , or used in situations where there is desired to be a fixed time delay between main stations on a channel without regard to the number of stations interposed between the main stations . | 7 |
in the drawings 1 denotes a steam generator or the like comprising a vessel with supply a pipe 2 for water , a closing valve 3 in the supply pipe , an outlet pipe 4 in the bottom of the vessel , and a closing valve 5 in the outlet pipe . in the upper part of the vessel ( top cover ) an outlet 6 is arranged for the steam generated and further three working electrodes 7 and an auxiliary electrode 8 which are placed so that they are submerged in the liquid in the vessel . in the modification shown in fig1 the three working electrodes 7 are connected to a three phase alternating current mains . due to the direct connection of the working electrodes to the source of alternating current the electrodes will continuely alter polarity concurrently with the number of periodes / sec . during the short time the polarity is constant there cannot occur a sufficient large change of the ph in the space closest to the electrodes and therefore it will be necessary to force a superimposed potential difference either between the working electrodes or between an auxiliary electrode and the working electrodes . in the embodiment shown in fig1 this has been attained by forcing a potential from an outer source of direct current upon the electrodes . the direct current is generated by means of a full wave rectifier with a bridge 9 the positive an negative side of which is connected to a pole changer relay 10 which is tripped by a programming device 11 ( timer ). according to the circuit diagram ( fig1 ) the positive side of the bridge 9 is connected to the zero of the alternating current mains and thus positive potential is super imposed . at the same time the auxiliary electrode 8 is connected to the negative side of the bridge 9 which means that the auxiliary electrode is negative and thus works as a cathode at which the following cathode reaction may occur : the working electrodes will through the couppling function as anodes and therefore do not receive any precipitation , but remain clean . hydrogene ions are formed according which ions initially raise the hydrogene carbonate content in the solution in the vicinity of these electrodes prevent precipitation according to whereby the total alkalinity of the system is reduced and the tendency for precipitation will become essentially less . after a time of directing of caco 3 and mgco 3 to the surface of an auxiliary electrode ( the time , i . a ., being dependent on the hardness of the water ), the direction of the current is reversed and the auxiliary electrode becomes anode : the hydrogen ions rapidly dissolve the caco 3 according to which adheres to the surface of the electrode the scale of calcium carbonate losing its adhesion . the bubbles of oxygene and carbon dioxide formed cracks the not yet too thick incrustation which is segregated and falls to the bottom of the boiler . the protection current density of the working electrodes should in case of middle hard and hard waters (& gt ; 10 ° dh ) be about 5 ma / cm 2 , but due to corrosion problems none of the electrodes should essentially exceed this value . this depends on the material of the working electrodes and the example relates to a certain quality of graphite electrodes . under about 3 ma / cm 2 the protection will be less effective which means that the auxiliary electrode 8 should be centrally placed between the working electrodes and in the same distance from these . instead of a rod as auxiliary electrode it is also possible to arrange the auxiliary electrode in the form of a ring ( indicated with dot and dash lines in fig3 ) which incloses the working electrodes which arrangement is specially suitable for one phase steam generators . the surface of a auxiliary electrode should be smaller than the total surface of a working electrode ( electrodes ) or in any case not greater since the latter is unfavorable when the auxiliary electrode is the anode and the incrustation is to be cracked away . the material of the auxiliary electrode should be resistant against corrosion . graphite or gold plated copper have given good results during long use in certain investigated waters . shrinking tubing of pvc and ( still better ) teflon has been used to screen of parts of the auxiliary electrode whereby a reduction of the outer dimensions of the auxiliary electrode in other ways have been prevented . in case of very hard water and three phase operation at 15 a and an auxiliary electrode of 60 cm 2 the formation of calcium carbonate precipitation on the auxiliary electrode 8 should be interrupted after about 25 - 30 min and with less and with less hard water after somewhat longer time . through the pole changing of the rectifier the working electrodes will become cathodes and the auxiliary electrode anode during a time determined by the current density at the auxiliary electrode a cleaning of the auxiliary electrode will occur during about 5 min . this period is that short that the incrustation of the working electrodes which occurs automatically will be removed in the following phase after pole changing . if the same direct current density is used at the working electrodes during the cleaning period as during the precipitation period , that is + 4 , 5 ma / cm 2 , the cleaning period may be limited to a few minutes as shown in the diagram according to fig2 . before or after the cleaning period the vessel suitably is emptied , flushed and refilled . in the diagram of fig2 the emptying phase is denoted i , the flushing phase ii and the refilling phase iii . in certain cases ( with a small surface of the auxiliary electrode ) it may be suitable to alter the polarity intermittently during the cleaning phase , for instance in intervals of 10 sec , during which time the auxiliary electrode is anode during 10 sec , cathode during 10 sec , anode during 10 sec and so on until the cleaning phase is interrupted ( for instance 2 min ). it is also possible to use another current density at the auxiliary electrode during this period , for instance considerable higher density . the rests of the incrustation which have been segregated during the cleaning period exist in a christalline form and have no tendency to adhere other on the electrodes or the wall of the vessel , instead these rests may be flushed out in connection with the drainage of the water from the vessel . the embodiment shown in fig3 is used for a boiler or a steam generator connected to a three phase mains . the auxiliary electrode is connected between the working electrodes and the current from one of the phases , the phase t in the example , is half way rectified over an invertable retifier 12 which gives the auxiliary electrode 8 a negative potential . a current restricting resistor 13 is arranged in series with the rectifier . at suitable time intervals ( depending on the water hardness ) the auxiliary electrode is cleaned by changing the polarity by means of a timer whereby the auxiliary electrode will be effective as anode . in order to obtain a more even condensity ( more symmetrical protection ) for the working electrodes it is suitable to feed the auxiliary electrode from two or still better from all of the three phases ( only phase feeding is shown ) the differences in current density for the working electrodes is reduced or eliminated . in the embodiment according to fig4 a direct current potential drop is attained in one of the feeding lines ( t - phase ). the resistors r r , r s and r t are connected in series with the working electrodes 7 and all have the same resistance . the resistances are overbridged by switches 15 and diodes 14 . by the fact that the switch 15c is open in the case shown a small part of the current will pass through the resistor r t to the electrode 7c fed by the t - phase . the main part of the current passes through the diod 14c and is thereby rectified and with the polarity of the diod according to fig4 the r - an s - fed electrodes 7a and 7b will get a positive superimposed direct current potential against the t - fed electrode 7c . by closing the switch 15c and opening the switch 15a after a certain time the r - phase electrode 7a will become cathode relatively to the two other electrodes . hereafter , the switch 15a may be closed and the switch 15b opened . the cathode function is than changed over to the s - phase electrode 7b . if , for instance , the switches are replaced by three relays and the tripping of these is arranged as a timer a coating period and a cleaning period is attained for each electrode in the same way as in the above embodiments . in the device , the diods may also be turned in the opposite direction as shown in the figure . the function will then essentially be the same . fig5 shows an embodiment which principally is very close to that one of fig4 but with the difference that in this case the series load of the feeding current is inductive instead of purely resistive as in the above example . the current transformers t r , t s , and t t replace the resistors r r , r s , and r t in fig4 . loss of effect occurs except at the electrodes in the water also in the resistors r 3 and r 6 . the current through r 6 is rectified whereby the current transformer t t is polarised giving the electrode 7c a direct current potential against 7a and 7b . r 1 , r 2 , and r 3 are intended to protect the current transformers against short circuiting in the moment of switching . the switches are tripped in the same way as shown in fig4 and the function of the device shown is for the remaining part the same . the advantages with the circuit is that the rectifier , the switches and the resistors for effect losses are galvanically separated from the feed lines from the 380 - volt mains which is favorable in view of personal security , for instance on service of the device . the coupling according to fig6 differs from the above described in that the direct current is superimposed an arbitrary electrode , the arbitration , i . a ., being dependent on the conditions prevailing on the liquid surrounding the individual electrodes . this is achieved as shown in the drawing by connecting the zero of the three phase mains to the electrode 8 over a rectifier 12 , the low of current to and from said auxiliary electrode being reversible by the switch 10 and possibly in combination with a timer 11 . the invention is not limited to the embodiments shown as several modifications are possible within the scope of the claims . | 5 |
with reference to fig1 the seat 20 of the present invention is shown within a vehicle 22 . the vehicle 22 has a body 24 and is a sedan type of vehicle . the invention , however , is not limited to use within a sedan type vehicle . the vehicle body 24 includes a floor pan 26 which forms a foot well 28 forward of the seat 20 . the body 24 further includes a rear shelf 29 immediately behind the seat back as described below . the seat 20 includes a seat bottom 30 which is shown in fig1 in a generally horizontal use position . the seat bottom 30 has an upper seating surface 32 which a seat occupant engages when seated on the seat 20 . the seat bottom 30 is formed by three separate seat bottom panels ; a left outboard panel 36 , a center panel 38 and a right outboard panel 40 . the seat bottom panels each have a rear end 42 and a front end 44 . the seat 20 further includes a seat back 46 which is shown in fig1 in a generally upright use position . the seat back 46 has a front seating surface 48 which is engaged by a seat occupant when seated on the seat 20 . like the seat bottom 30 , the seat back 46 is formed by a left outboard panel 50 , a center panel 52 and a right outboard panel 54 . the seat back panels each have a lower end 56 and an upper end 58 . the upper ends 58 of the seat back panels are generally adjacent to the rear shelf 29 of the vehicle body when the seat back panels are in their upright use positions . the seat back panels are latched to the structure of the shelf 29 and / or to the vehicle body on the outboard sides of the seat back . the latches are not shown but are known features in seat backs which fold down . the seat bottom panels 36 , 38 , 40 and the seat back panels 50 , 52 , 54 are made of metal or plastic bodies . the metal bodies may be stamped steel , cast aluminum , magnesium , titanium or other metals which provide the required support . plastic bodies can be injection or blow molded of a variety of resins , plastics , or other materials appropriate for such processes . a plastic body 130 is shown in fig6 . a metal insert 132 is attached to the plastic body for added strength . the metal insert 132 may be insert molded within the plastic body 130 or may be separately formed and attached . the seat 20 further includes restraints for seat occupants . the restraints include belts 60 which have one end anchored to the vehicle body at the two sides of the seat 20 . the belts extend upwardly to the shelf 29 and are attached to the shelf structure through a webbing retractor in a known manner or are attached to the vehicle body . the belts 60 each carry a tongue 62 which is inserted into a buckle 64 described in greater detail below . when the tongue is inserted into the buckle , belt webbing is withdrawn from the retractor and forms a lap and shoulder belt for the outboard seat occupants . the seat bottom panels 36 , 38 , 40 and the seat back panels 50 , 52 , 54 are mounted in the vehicle body 24 for rotation between use and stowed positions . the seat 20 includes multiple fixed pivot supports 66 , 68 , 70 and 72 spaced across the vehicle at the rear end of the seat bottom 30 and at the lower end of the seat back 46 . the fixed pivot supports 66 , 68 , 70 , 72 support one or more pivot pins 74 which extend across the vehicle and define a pivot axis 76 for the seat bottom 30 and the seat back 46 . the fixed pivot supports 66 , 68 , 70 , 72 each include a center bore 78 which receives the pivot pin ( s ) 74 . the seat bottom panels , as illustrated by the seat bottom panel 40 shown in fig2 include a pair of rearwardly extending mounting flanges 80 each having an aperture 82 therethrough . the mounting flanges 80 are disposed within slots 84 in the fixed pivot supports 66 , 68 with the center apertures 82 of the mounting flanges 80 aligned with the center bores 78 of the fixed pivot supports 66 , 68 . the seat back panels , as illustrated by the seat back panel 54 , are formed with a cylindrical mounting boss 86 at the lower end 56 . the cylindrical mounting boss 86 has a center bore 88 . the cylindrical mounting boss 88 is disposed between the two spaced fixed pivot supports 66 , 68 with the center bore 88 aligned with the center bores 78 of the adjacent fixed pivot supports 66 , 68 . the mounting pin 74 is inserted through the center bores 78 of the fixed pivot supports 66 , 68 , the center apertures 82 of the seat bottom panel 40 and the center bore 88 of the back panel 54 to rotatably attach the seat bottom panel 40 and seat back panel 54 to the fixed pivot supports 66 , 68 . the fixed pivot supports 66 , 68 , 70 , 72 are attached to the vehicle body 24 by mounting brackets 90 . the result is attachment of the seat bottom panels 36 , 38 , 40 and the seat back panels 50 , 52 , 54 to the vehicle body for rotation about the pivot axis 76 . the other seat bottom panels 36 , 38 and the other seat back panels 50 , 52 are similarly attached to the fixed pivot supports 68 , 70 and 72 . while the seat bottom panels 36 , 38 , 40 have been shown as being attached by the mounting flanges 80 and while the seat back panels 50 , 52 , 54 have been shown as being attached by the cylindrical mounting bosses 86 , it will be appreciated that the cylindrical mounting bosses 86 can be placed on the seat bottom panels while the mounting flanges 80 can be placed on the seat back panels . alternatively , all the seat bottom and seat back panels can be attached by mounting flanges 80 or cylindrical mounting bosses 86 . the seat belt buckles 64 are mounted to the fixed pivot supports 68 , 70 and through the mounting brackets 90 to the vehicle body 24 . seat belt buckles 64 are thereby held in position in the bite line of the seat 20 . for the center seat occupant , one buckle 64 is provided on the fixed pivot support 68 while a belt tongue 62 is mounted to the fixed pivot support 70 . the tongue 62 is coupled to webbing and retractor ( not shown ) to be pulled over the center occupant &# 39 ; s lap and secured in the buckle 64 on the other side of the occupant to form a lap belt . the seat bottom panels 36 , 38 , 40 each include a pad 92 which forms a portion of upper seating surface 32 of the seat bottom 30 . the pads 92 are disposed within a shallow recess 94 in the seat bottom panels 36 , 38 , 40 whereby the thickness of the seat bottom panels is minimized . likewise , the seat back panels 50 , 52 , 54 include pads 96 which form a portion of the front seating surface 48 of the seat back panels . the pads 96 are also disposed in a shallow recess 98 in the seat back panels . it will be appreciated that larger pads could be used forming the entire seating surfaces 32 , 48 of the seat bottom 30 and seat back 46 . the upper seating surface 32 of the seat bottom 30 has a slightly concave rear portion 100 and a generally planar front portion 102 . the concave rear portion 100 is generally in the area of a seat occupant &# 39 ; s buttocks . the front seating surface 48 of the seat back 46 is formed with a slightly convex lower portion 104 and a generally planar upper portion 106 . the convex lower portion 104 is generally in the lumbar region of a seat occupant &# 39 ; s back . the contours of the seat bottom 30 and seat back 46 with the planar , convex and concave portions as described are complementary to one another . thus when the panels are rotated together , as shown in fig3 with the right outboard seat back panel 54 rotated to a generally horizontal position upon the right seat bottom panel 40 , the two complementary seating surfaces 32 , 48 nest with one another . the seating surfaces 32 , 48 are in substantial surface to surface contact over the entire area of the smaller of the two seating surfaces 32 , 48 rather than contacting at high points and leaving gaps between the seating surfaces at other locations . as shown in fig3 the front seating surface 48 of the seat back panel 54 , when the panel 54 is in a stowed position , is in confronting juxtaposition with the upper seating surface 32 of the seat bottom panel 40 . one or more of the seat back panels 50 , 52 , 54 can be rotated down to a generally horizontal stowed position as shown in fig3 with the right outboard seat back panel 54 . alternatively , the seat bottom panels 36 , 38 , 40 can be rotated upwardly to upright stowed positions immediately in front of the seat back panels as shown by the left outboard seat bottom panel 36 in fig3 and with all of the seat bottom panels 36 , 38 , 40 in fig4 . with the seat bottom panels rotated upwardly to stowed positions , the upper seating surface 32 of the seat bottom panels is in confronting juxtaposition with the front seating surface 48 of the seat back panels . beneath the seat bottom 30 , the seat includes a load floor 108 . preferably , the load floor 108 is planar and generally horizontal so that cargo can be placed thereon , such as the cooler 110 shown in fig3 . the load floor 108 includes a recessed portion 112 . this facilitates retention of cargo on the load floor 108 by providing an upright raised lip 114 at the front of the load floor 108 . the load floor 108 is preferably a separate component attached to the vehicle body . alternatively , the load floor 108 could be a component of the body 24 itself . as shown in fig4 support members 116 are provided on the lower side of the seat bottom panels 36 , 38 , 40 . the support members 116 are preferably made of rubber or other resilient polymeric material . in addition to supporting the seat bottom panels , 36 , 38 , 40 upon the load floor , the supports 116 provide vibration isolation between the vehicle body 24 and the seat bottom panels . the seat bottom panels 36 , 38 , 40 are essentially cantilevered forward from the support members 116 and do not contact the load floor 108 forward of the support members 116 . with reference once again to fig3 the rear surface 118 of the seat back panel 54 is shown . the rear surface of the panel 54 is formed with a raised ridge 120 extending longitudinally in direction between the lower end 56 to the upper end 58 of the seat back panel . the raised ridge 120 can be aligned with similar ridges in the floor of the vehicle trunk , rearward of the seat 20 to provide a sliding surface for cargo being placed in the trunk , such as sheets of plywood , suitcases or large boxes . in addition to providing a sliding contact surface for cargo , the ridge 120 is provided with pairs of spaced slots 122 . these spaced slots are tie down openings which can be used to attach a tie down member such as a bungee cord , a strap , rope , etc , for securing cargo within the vehicle . the load floor 108 beneath the seat bottom 30 can be equipped with various securement devices for securing cargo or other objects to the load floor . the securement device can be similar to the space slots 122 shown on the back surface of the seat back panels 50 , 52 , 54 . other securing devices could be used such as a seat belt buckle - type mechanism which receives a tongue from a cargo carrier or other device such as a child seat or a removable armrest module , etc . such an armrest module could be attached to the center of the vehicle seat with the center seat bottom panel 38 rotated to the stored position thereby providing an armrest for the outboard seat occupants . in addition , a laterally extending track can be formed in the load floor enabling removable modules to be slid across the vehicle and positioned at desired locations along the width of the load floor 108 . locking pins , t - nuts , bayonet fasteners , and other devices could be used to lock the modules , etc . to the load floor and track . with reference to fig5 an alternative embodiment of the seat of the present invention is shown and designated at 124 . seat 124 is identical with the seat 20 except that the seat bottom 126 is formed by a single panel and seat back 128 is formed by a single panel . the panels are attached to fixed pivot supports via mounting flanges and cylindrical mounting bosses similar to that described above . the seat of the present invention can have any number of panels . furthermore , the width of the panels can vary from the seat 20 shown in fig1 . there , the panels are each one third of the width of the seat 20 forming a 33 / 33 / 33 split bench seat . the seat could be split in other ways , such as , but not limited to , a 40 / 20 / 40 or 60 / 40 split . the invention can also be used in a bucket seat as opposed to a bench seat . the utility vehicle seat of the present invention not only provides seating for vehicle occupants but also provides convenience and flexibility for carrying cargo within the motor vehicle . the ability to fold the seat bottom upward to an upright stowed position adjacent to the seat back , together with the horizontal load floor beneath the seat bottom , provides added ease and convenience for carrying cargo in the back seat of a motor vehicle . it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the exact construction illustrated and described above . but that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the following claims . | 1 |
the present invention is described with reference to the enclosed figures wherein the same numbers are utilized where applicable . the present invention is directed to a system for capturing the human voice and for determining related biological factors . it has been hypothesized that differences in voice characteristics are linked to vitamin deficiencies or the presence of a certain substance such as mercury or lead and that an analysis of vocal characteristics can establish these conditions . referring to fig1 , a most preferred embodiment of the present invention is disclosed and shown . the most preferred embodiment comprises a central computer server 10 connected by a computer network 12 to remote end user stations 14 . the central server connects to a database 150 . as will be discussed herein , the database 150 will include data related to physical conditions , vitamin deficiency characteristics , chemical imbalances or the existence of hazardous substances in the body such as lead or mercury . as will be discussed herein , the database 150 will include the relationship between vocal characteristics and related health conditions , data with a physiological relationship as contained within the body relating health , nutritional and hazardous substance information with frequencies . in a preferred embodiment , end user stations 14 comprise a plurality of end users 16 , 18 . end users 16 , 18 are defined herein as entities linked to the system who comprise companies and individuals who desire to upload recorded voice samples . users 16 , 18 are linked with the central computer server 10 via a transport medium 30 . end users 16 , 18 will typically comprise individuals that desire to create , record and upload voice samples . in a most preferred embodiment , will be linked via a global computer network 12 such as the internet or worldwide web , but other embodiments including lans , wans and intranets , which fulfill the spirit and scope of the present invention . the end user devices 16 , 18 will typically comprise any device that connects to the system via the internet or other ip transport methods and includes , but is not limited to , such devices as televisions , computers , hand - held devices , cellular phones , land based telephones , wireless electronic devices and any device which uses a transport medium 30 . non - limiting examples of a transport medium 30 applicable for use in the present invention comprise any backbone or link such as an atm link , fddi link , satellite link , cable , cellular , twisted pair , fiber optic , broadcast wireless network , the internet , the world wide web , local area network ( lan ), wide area network ( wan ), or any other kind of intranet environment such a standard ethernet link . in such alternative cases , the end user will communicate with the system using protocols appropriate to the network to which that client is attached . all such embodiments and equivalents thereof are intended to be within the scope of the present invention . referring again to fig1 , the present invention may comprise a multi - server 21 environment which comprises a computer system in accordance with the present invention that allows the multiple end users 16 , 18 to communicate with the system . through communication link and transport medium 30 , end user customers and end users 16 , 18 are linked to the central server 12 , preferably by a customizable interface to be described in greater detail below . referring to fig2 and 3 , the central server and database systems of the present invention are now shown and described in greater detail . a local director 23 routes signals through the system to the various servers , to be described below , and to and through transport medium 30 to end users 16 , 18 . the system preferably includes two primary servers , a web server 40 and a database server 50 which may operate using such database platforms as sql server or oracle . the system may operate under other platforms such as asp and java ( e . g . j2ee ) hence , in one embodiment the sql server may run sql server database management software from microsoft corporation . alternatively , the server can further comprise an oracle database server . the system further includes an administrative work station 60 or system which provides the administrative capabilities and monitoring for the system under the control of an administrative subsystem 140 . the administrative work station 60 allows administrators or other operators to perform routine operations which affect the entire system . such operations include , but are not limited to , administering the accounts of end users 16 , 18 monitoring the traffic through the system . a web subsystem 70 is responsible for all interactions with a web browser 80 in the end user devices 16 , 18 and serves as the end user interface to the system . all interactions between the end user devices 16 , 18 and the database subsystem occur through the web subsystem 70 . internet information server 200 ( iis ) by microsoft corporation is an exemplary web server software system 70 in accordance with the present invention , although the present invention is in no way limited to this system . the expression of the user interface presented to end users 16 , 18 in their client devices may be implemented as html or other high level computer language or technology , and may be displayed in a standard web browser . all world wide web systems listed above are preferably communicated , for example , by an ethernet 100 base t network and a switching hub . in addition , a second isolated network segment will preferably exist between the web server 40 and the external communications hardware ( e . g . internet router ). such a system will keep external traffic isolated from the internal network , as well as provide a dedicated connection between the web server 40 and the internet for maximum throughput . the systems will have an initial configuration of random access memory for the web server 40 and preferably at least 128 megabits for the database server 50 , both having the capability to expand . the web server 40 may be a point of entry to the entire system . the system determines the identity of the user 16 , 18 and makes appropriate decisions while serving web pages to the end user 16 , 18 . the web server 40 sends html , xml , java , or other high level computer language to the end user work stations 16 , 18 , validates passwords , sends logging and transaction information to the database server 50 , and performs logical operations , thus behaving as a transactional server . as noted above , in one embodiment , the server operating system may be a windows nt server , a multi - platform operating system provided by microsoft corporation . the sun microsystems solaris is an alternative embodiment . the server typically includes iis , which is a completely integrated internet application platform . iis includes a high - performance web server , an application development environment , integrated full - text searching , multi - media streaming and site management tools . the security infrastructure is integrated within the server , thus enabling an easy - to - maintain and highly - secure web development and deployment environment . it is to be appreciated that the invention envisions new and expanding technologies . the operators of the central system may create , delete and update account information by utilizing the administrative subsystem 140 in administration work station 60 . a billing subsystem 100 is used for crediting and debiting end user accounts . database 110 , communication 120 and billing 100 subsystems thus execute essential services for the other parts of the system , and will therefore have well - defined application program interfaces ( api ) 110 ′, 120 ′, 100 ′, as is well recognized by those with skill in the art . the system will preferably be protected for the internet by a “ firewall ” 90 which is a safety precaution , and important with respect to the present invention due to the sensitive and confidential nature of the information in the database . as will be discussed below , firewall 90 plays an important and critical role in the present invention because of the confidentiality of the data associated with some applications of the present invention . in a preferred embodiment , the database subsystem 110 stores all pertinent information related to user accounts , administrator accounts , payments and messages , as well as general dynamic system information . all interactions with the database subsystem 110 are performed through a database api 110 ′ which may define the interface to a library of stored procedures 130 . these are used to implement high - level database functions and to shield the details of the database implementation from the other subsystems . the database subsystem 110 is preferably implemented using database server 50 . the administration subsystem 140 provides an interface for operators and managers of the system to modify the database , print reports , view system data and log user comments and complaints . the administration subsystem 140 provides a collection of access forms , queries , reports and modules to implement the administration interface . administrators typically will have the power within the system to force most actions . the administration subsystem 140 will interact with the communications , database and billing subsystems . the communications subsystem 120 interfaced to a communications api 120 ′ will be used to email and contact end users 16 , 18 . end users 16 , 18 may be notified by phone , fax , email or pager , or other communications devices which can be contacted by the system 135 . end users 16 , 18 will also have a password accessed section in which they can review uploaded voice patterns and the like . a batch subsystem 125 may periodically send out grouped notifications . it will access the database subsystem 110 to determine what notifications are required , and uses the communication subsystem 120 to make those notifications . a group notification may comprise a special premium offered to end users 16 , 18 . the billing subsystem 100 will be used to verify and bill credit cards and communicate through the billing api 100 ′ to the administration subsystem 140 , and potentially to an outside billing and verification service which could be used to perform the billing functions . referring to fig3 , the database server 50 which implements the database subsystem 110 of the present invention comprises a server that maintains all associated logging and transaction information for the system . through the database 150 ( which is backed up by a backup database for safety purposes ), the database server 50 logs information regarding the end user , his voice patterns , maintains user account information , maintains account balances , produces and prints reports , hosts backup operations and performs statistical calculations for the entire system . the database server 50 is preferably a dual processor computer microprocessor . each connection to the database 150 and its associated work may be handled by a separate thread within the database server 50 process space . it is anticipated that a dual processor machine is sufficient for the type and amount of transactions that it will be performing , however if it proves insufficient , the database can be “ striped ” to two or more machines to distribute the server load . with the above as a background for the present analysis , the present invention is now described . the present invention comprises a system for analyzing the human voice . in a most preferred embodiment , the system comprises an online system whereby individuals can record a voice sample and then transmit it to the remote server . the server is under the control of a computer program which will analyze the voice pattern and identify an attribute or an anomaly regarding the user &# 39 ; s voice . the system initially includes a system for inputting the user &# 39 ; s voice . the voice may be entered via a microphone at user stations 16 , 18 and then sent as a wav or mp3 file , to the remote host 21 . at the remote host station , the voice is plotted via software as shown in fig4 . the system identifies frequency spikes . the system zooms in on the large spikes . each spike represents a voice frequency anomaly . the frequencies are plotted . the overview display shown to the end user allows a single octave or all of the octaves together . each anomaly frequency spike can then be compared to a known characteristic which is a vitamin deficiency or the existence of a dangerous chemical such as lead or mercury . referring to fig4 and 5 , the operation of the system enables a system to identify vitamin deficiencies . when the critical frequency identifies the base frequencies related to vitamin or chemical substances , the anomalous frequency may be a multiple of the base frequency . as seen , a large number of vitamins and minerals are shown . in addition to all of the above features , the fact that the database is integrated with the other windows makes searching for a frequency extremely easy . when a frequency is highlighted , it will be automatically searched for and displayed in the database viewer along with other substances within a range of 0 . 015 hz . conditions relating to any of the substances are also displayed in the box labeled conditions / categories . if the analysis is at 22 . 018 hertz and the software cannot find any substances at 22 . 018 . it looks up 22 . 016 in the database and finds that this is the frequency for vitamin c . vitamin c is very biologically active and is involved in many process of the body . the system provides information on this vitamin . to find the foods which have a high vitamin c content , “ food nutritional sources ” are located in the conditions box . a box in the upper right corner will appear . a list will appear that is updated as to help locate whatever the user is looking for . when you see it you can simply click on it and the database will display the information . alternatively , vitamin c in the list of substances in the substance window we could have simply double clicked on it to look it up . double clicking will also work with conditions or categories you see in the condition / category list . this portion of the site will include nutritional information for the endorser . fig6 illustrates a user screen which lays out time data , frequency and harmonies . fig7 illustrates a color wheel used to identify frequency anomalies . in other embodiments , the invention can be used to play harmonic sounds or music to affect health or user well - being . fig8 and 8 a illustrates a multiple track tone box application for this purpose . the present invention has been described with reference to the above - discussed preferred embodiment . it is to be appreciated that the present invention has a number of embodiments but the true nature and scope of the invention is to be determined with reference to the claims appended hereto . | 6 |
fig1 shows schematically a drive train 1 of a motor vehicle , which comprises a drive motor 2 in the form of an internal combustion engine ; a starting element 3 , configured as a hydrodynamic torque converter ; a transmission 4 and an output 5 . the transmission 4 is , for example , an automatic power shift transmission , having a simple first planetary set 6 on the input side of the transmission and a second planetary set 7 on the output side of the transmission , designed as a ravigneaux planetary wheel set . for the implementation of various speed ratios or gear ratios of the transmission 4 , five shifting elements a through e are arranged between the two planetary sets 6 and 7 , and are configured , in the known manner , as multiple disc clutches and multiple disc brakes . depending on the actuation of the shifting elements a through e , a drive torque of the drive motor 2 can be passed at various speeds of the transmission 4 to the output 5 . from the transmission scheme , it can be seen that a drive shaft 10 of the transmission 4 is frictionally locked to the transmission housing , when the shifting elements c and d or the shifting elements a , b and d are simultaneously engaged . obviously the layout and all components of the drive train 1 represented in fig1 , are to be seen as representative of the transmission concept or the transmission type . the drive train 1 is controlled by way of at least one control device ( not represented in greater detail ), which is connected to the gearshift ( also not represented in greater detail ). by way of the gearshift , it is possible for the driver to generate various driver controlled actions , according to the known art and manner . by use of the gearshift , various driver controlled actions are possible , such as forward or reverse , neutral and park positions . if the gearshift is placed in the forward drive position in the above transmission , six different forward gear ratios or speeds can be set by selective engagement of the shifting elements a , b , e , c and d with the control device , and are ordinarily configured , in dependence on various driving programs stored automatically in the control device by the manufacturer . however , if the neutral position of the gearshift is selected , the transmission of power between the drive motor 2 and the output 5 is interrupted in the region of the transmission . if the gearshift position for reverse driving is engaged , a reverse gear ratio is implemented by way of the control device in the present transmission . an exam pie shifting diagram of this automatic transmission 4 is represented in fig1 a . returning to fig1 , a parking brake 8 of the automatic transmission 4 , for locking the output 5 is described . if the driver moves the gearshift into a park position “ p ”, the parking brake 8 is activated and the output 5 is positively locked . in this state , the vehicle cannot move in a forward or a reverse direction , since drive wheels 9 a , 9 b are positively held in a rotationally fixed manner by the assembly 8 for restraining the output 5 . the parking brake 8 comprises a parking brake wheel connected in a rotationally fixed manner with the drive shaft 10 of the transmission , and a pawl , such that when the parking brake 8 is activated , the pawl positively grips a circumference of the splined shaft profile of the parking brake wheel and thus restrains or locks the output 5 of the drive train 1 in a rotationally fixed manner . the parking brake 8 of the automatic transmission 4 is designed in the known art and manner and , therefore , is not represented in greater detail in fig1 . with fig2 through 9 , the method according to the invention and the vehicle transmission according to the invention , which can be controlled with this method , will be explained in more detail as follows , with the same symbols being used in all figures to represent similar information . fig2 shows a first shifting diagram of the method , according to the invention , with a driver controlled shifting of the gearshift from “ p → d 1 ”, with the vehicle , at the time of shifting the gearshift , as seen by the driver when in a forward driving direction , is parked on a roadway gradient by an activated or engaged parking brake 8 . the gearshift position “ p ” indicates a parked position of the transmission 4 or of the vehicle and a gearshift position “ d 1 ” represents a forward driving position with automatic gear selection and the driving ratio “ first gear .” thereby , this shifting diagram corresponds to a chronological progression of the individual method steps for disengagement of the parking brake 8 , which is indicated by an arrow representing time t . further listed in the shifting diagram are a gearshift position indicator , provided in the vehicle for informing the driver of the actual state of the gearshift positions or the actual state of the shift of his gearshift position in the transmission , information indicating whether the parking brake 8 is currently mechanically engaged or not , information indicating which shifting elements a through e are currently engaged , as well as information about a current rotational speed n_mot of the motor 2 of the vehicle connected to the transmission 4 . as shown in fig2 , the first line of the constitutional diagram describes the initial state of the gearshift before being moved by the driver : the gearshift position is in the park position “ p ”, the parking brake 8 is mechanically engaged and such that output 5 of the vehicle is positively locked ; all shifting elements a through e of the transmission 4 are disengaged , the rotational speed n_mot of the motor 2 correspond to a neutral rotational speed n_ll , when the vehicle is parked in a forward driving direction on a positive slope , with a roadway gradient grad greater than a predefined positive threshold value . the gearshift position , insofar as it is present , shows “ p ” and informs the driver that the vehicle is in a parked position or that the parking brake 8 is engaged . the current roadway gradient grad is given by the slope recognition system of the transmission 4 or of the vehicle by way of measurement with a standard slope sensor or by calculation by evaluation of appropriate travel data from a map - supported navigation system . the second line of the shifting diagram describes the state in which it is determined whether the driver wishes to leave the park position “ p ” and into which driving position he wishes to shift and if the vehicle , as seen from the forward driving direction , is facing a positive or a negative slope . in the present example the driver moves the gearshift from the position “ p ” to “ d 1 ”, with the gearshift position “ d 1 ” here representing the forward driving range of the transmission 4 , in that the transmission control of gear selection automatically selects the first gear of the transmission 4 as the starting gear or starting drive ratio . corresponding to the shifting diagram according to fig1 a for the example automatic transmission 4 according to fig1 , for the implementation of the first forward gear ratio in the transmission 4 , the two frictionally locking shifting elements a and d must be engaged . during the gearshift movement “ p → d 1 ” by the driver , the parking brake 8 is still mechanically engaged , all shifting elements a through e of the transmission 4 are still disengaged , the motor 2 usually still turns with neutral rotational speed n_ll , but can also rotate via a motor controller with slightly increased rotational speed n_mot . upon recognition of the driver controlled action to release or disengage the parking brake 8 , the operation proceeds since , in the represented example , the recognized slope of the transmission 4 or of the vehicle is a sufficiently large positive roadway gradient grad , e . g ., the vehicle is parked vehicle in the forward driving direction on a sufficiently steep slope . the gearshift position indicator , if present , again shows “ p ”. the third line of the shifting diagram describes the subsequent step of the method , according to the invention , in which the strain on the drive train 1 of the vehicle is at least reduced to such a degree that the subsequent release of the positively locked parking brake 8 no longer causes a disturbing release jolt . the direction of strain on the drive train 1 of the vehicle by the engaged positive parking brake 8 is independent of whether the future driving direction , selected from the parking position , is forward or reverse , but is only dependent on the direction of the roadway gradient . correspondingly , the strain torque on the drive train 1 is primarily a function of the actual downhill - slope force on the vehicle , is primarily a function of a current vehicle mass m and of the roadway gradient grad . in consequence of the vehicle &# 39 ; s initial state , “ parking brake engaged plus vehicle on a slope ”, the strain on the drive train 1 of the vehicle is exerted , in the present case , in the reverse driving direction . therefore according to the invention in the method step of the third line of the shifting diagram , with the engaged parking brake 8 and indication “ p ” of the gearshift position being unchanged , a shifting element combination is controlled , to correspond to the first forward gear of the transmission 4 . thereby , both frictionally locked shifting elements a and d are made to slip thus delivering torque in such a way that the gravitational force of the slope ), working through the drive shaft 10 of the transmission 4 on the locking element or the parking brake pawl of the parking brake 8 , is eliminated or at least substantially reduced or even slightly overcompensated . in this operational state in the transmission 4 , on one hand , in order to guaranteed a sufficient leverage provision and , on the other hand , in order to guarantee a sufficiently high transmission drive torque for the elimination of the downhill - slope force , the invention can be configured such that the rotational speed n_mot of the motor 2 , which are normally very low in neutral and as needed also the torque of the motor 2 can be increased in the method step of the third line of the constitutional diagram , such a rotational speed and torque increase is given or controlled , for example , as a function of the current roadway gradient grad , the vehicle mass m , a transmission temperature t and / or parameters of the starting element 3 or the torque converter of the transmission 4 . obviously , instead of the transmission temperature t , a substitute temperature of the motor or of the coolant of the vehicle , representing the temperature of the transmission , can be used . the vehicle mass can , for example , be given as a constant predefined value , but can also be an adaptively updated value , which is updated by continuous comparison between theoretical driving performance and actual driving performance . further possibilities for determining the current vehicle mass m occur with the use of data from the manufacturer of the vehicle , such as a signal or level regulation system of a vehicle axle , as individual wheel pressure values of air cushions of an air suspension or the deflection of the individual axles or of individual wheels in connection with the spring stiffness of steel springs . a possible additional trailer mass , which is known to also influence the downhill - slope force on the vehicle , for example , can be automatically added to the mass of the pulling vehicle when it is recognized that the vehicle is pulling a trailer . the pulling of a trailer by the vehicle can , likewise , be recognized simply through the electrical connection between the vehicle and the trailer , by way of a switch on the vehicle side of the electrical trailer socket , or by surveillance of the electrical resistance between pins on the vehicle side of the electrical trailer socket . the trailer mass , under consideration , can also be estimated from a constant value , which corresponds to approximately half of the permissible total weight of the trailer . the fourth line of the shifting diagram describes the subsequent step of the method according to the invention , in which the output 5 of the vehicle , restrained with the parking brake 8 , is released from strain or partially released from strain by the engagement of an additional frictionally locking shifting element on the housing of the transmission 4 . additionally , with the still engaged parking brake 8 and unchanged indication “ p ” of the gearshift position , the shifting element c is engaged , in addition to the shifting elements a and d which were engaged in the previous method step . the current pressure level of the three shifting elements a , d and c is allocated in such a manner that the transmission 4 is locked or the torque on the drive shaft 10 of the transmission 4 , due to the downhill - slope force on the vehicle , is counteracted . in connection with this , similar to the previous method step , an increase of the rotational speed n_mot of the motor 2 to a level greater than the neutral rotational speed n_ll , and an increase of the torque of the motor 2 can be effected , to guarantee the availability of leverage of the transmission 4 and the transmission starting torque necessary to overcome the downhill - slope force , with the rotational speed increase or torque increase can be described according to a similar algorithm as in the previously described method step , as the function of the current roadway gradient grade the vehicle mass m , a transmission temperature t and / or of parameters of the starting element 3 or the torque converter of the transmission 4 . differing from the embodiment in fig2 , the method steps represented in line four can be completely eliminated in another embodiment of the method , according to the invention represented in line four , in which the output of the vehicle is held by a frictionally locking shifting elements of the transmission to the transmission housing , since the shifting elements a and d , previously engaged for reduction of the strain on the engaged positive locking element of the parking brake 8 , in the present case , enable driving the vehicle in the gear “ d 1 ” as selected by the driver possible . the fifth line of the shifting diagram , according to fig2 , describes the subsequent step of the method , according to the invention , in which the positively locked parking brake 8 is disengaged , e . g ., the parking brake 8 is mechanically disengaged . correspondingly , information concerning the engagement status of the parking brake 8 is changed , as well as the indicator of the gearshift position , if present , while in contrast the three shifting elements a , d , and c remain engaged . in the provided information concerning the shifting element a , the bracket indicates that this shifting element a is not necessary for the frictionally locked output 5 and , therefore , does not necessarily need to be engaged . a possible previously activated rotational speed increase for the motor 2 is neglected in this method step such that the motor 2 is again rotated at the neutral rotational speed n_ll or with a slightly increased rotational speed n_mot , with neutral regulation of the motor control appropriate to the motor load . the sixth line of the shifting diagram describes the subsequent last step of the method according to the invention , wherein the shifting element c , previously locking the drive shaft 10 of the transmission 4 in a state that the positive locking brake 8 was relieved of strain or partially relieved of strain , is disengaged at this point in a controlled or regulated manner such that starting the vehicle in the forward driving direction , desired by the driver , is now possible . correspondingly , the provided information concerning the shifting status of the shifting element c changes . the shifting elements a and d , which remain engaged , constituting the first forward gear ratio in the transmission 4 correspond with the shifting diagram represented in fig1 . the gearshift position indicator shows the driving region “ d 1 ” selected by the driver at the beginning of the function and informs the driver that driving of the vehicle corresponding to his driver controlled action is now possible . for further disclosing of the chronological procession of the method according to the invention , the chronological procession of shifting element pressures , as shown in fig2 a , with regard to shifting the gearshift from “ p → d 1 ”, represented according to fig2 , with the passage of time as the abscissa and a pressure p of the involved shifting element as the ordinate . with p_a , a pressure trend of the shifting element a is indicated , and p_c indicates a pressure trend of the shifting element c , and p_d indicates a pressure trend of the shifting element d , with the time again indicated with t . obviously , all represented pressure trends are to be taken as examples , especially regarding the pressure levels , the ramping trends , and the timings of the individual ( known as such ) shifting phases ( such as rapid filling phase , pressure equalization or pressure retention phase , load transfer phase , locking pressure or shifting final pressure phase ). on the time axis , five discreet time points t_ 0 , t_ 1 , t_ 2 , t_ 3 , t_ 4 , and t_ 5 are listed , which clearly define transitions occurring in the course of the shifting according to the invention . time point t_ 0 marks the beginning state of the method , according to the invention , corresponding to the second line of the shifting diagram , according to fig2 . at time point t_ 0 , the transmission 4 is in the park position “ p ” with the parking brake engaged , the driver &# 39 ; s shifting command from “ p → d 1 ” for leaving the park position “ p ” and engaging the forward driving gear “ d 1 ” with the first gear of the transmission 4 as the starting gear , is detected and recognized by way of the gearshift position . the slope recognition system of the transmission 4 or of the vehicle recognizes that the vehicle , as seen from the forward driving direction , is located on a slope with a sufficiently large ( positive ) roadway gradient ( grad ) to start the method . in the represented example , at the time point t_ 0 , none of the three shifting elements a , d and c relevant for the shifting sequence is engaged , e . g ., all the shifting elements a , d and c relevant for the shifting sequence are not pressurized . if multiple frictional shifting elements are required for a later driving sequence , based on the type of construction of the transmission , the pressure sequence of the shifting method can be provided in another configuration differing , for example , from the example represented in fig2 a , in that at least one of the shifting element necessary for starting — here especially the shifting element d , which is necessary for both the first forward gear as well as the reverse gear — is already pressurized in the park position “ p ” so that a piston of this shifting element is already engaged on the multiple disc set of this shifting element or that one ( or all except one ) of the shifting elements , necessary for starting , are already locked in the park position “ p ”. the time points t_ 0 and t_ 2 mark the chronological time points of the method step , according to the invention , represented in the third line of the shifting diagram according to fig2 . within the time frame between time points t_ 0 and t_ 2 , the two shifting elements a and d are engaged ( pressure curves p_a and p_d ), where here , for example , the shifting element d is brought to a locking pressure , before the shifting element a accepts the torque . at time point t_ 1 , the shifting element a is also pressurized . within this time frame , between the time points t_ 1 and t_ 2 , the shifting element a assumes the torque . corresponding to the shifting diagram , according to fig1 of the transmission 4 , the controlled shifting element combination “ a + d ” correspond to the first forward gear ratio of the transmission 4 so that , corresponding to the roadway gradient ( grad ) in the reverse driving direction , the strain on the drive train 1 of the vehicle begins to be reduced when torque assumption by the shifting element a is begun . at time point t_ 2 , the engaged positively locked parking brake 8 is disengaged . time points t_ 2 and t_ 3 mark the chronological time point of the method , according to the invention , represented in the fourth line of the shifting diagram according to fig2 . within the time frame , between time points t_ 2 and t_ 3 , the shifting element c is engaged ( pressure course p_c ) so that , no later than time point t_ 3 , the drive shaft 10 of the transmission 4 is locked against the transmission housing . through the various pressure levels of the shifting pressure trends p_c , p_d of the shifting elements c , d , indicated in fig2 a , it is possible to individually control or regulate the current shifting pressure within the framework of the engaged shifting elements of the function . thus in the present embodiment , the shifting pressure p_c of the shifting element c , which is again later disengaged in the course of the method after the mechanical disengagement of the parking brake 8 is lower than the shifting pressure p_d of the shifting element d , which also remains engaged even after disengaging the shifting element c . time points t_ 3 and t_ 4 mark the chronological time point of the method represented in the fifth line of the shifting diagram , according to fig2 , in which the positively locked parking brake 8 is mechanically disengaged so that , no later than time point t_ 4 , the output 5 of the vehicle is still only held by frictionally locking the shifting elements d and c ( pressure trends p_d and p_c ). depending on the transmission design type , the shifting element a ( pressure trend p_a ), which is , likewise , still engaged , does not participate in frictionally locked output 5 of the vehicle to the transmission housing . correspondingly , the shifting element a could , deviating from the representation in fig2 a , also be inactive , in other words , not be pressurized , or could be pressurized at a reduced level . time point t_ 4 also marks the starting point of the method step represented in the sixth line of the shifting diagram , according to fig2 . as can be seen from fig2 a , beginning at time point t_ 4 , the pressure p_c of the shifting element c is reduced by a defined algorithm . preferentially , the transmission capacity of this shifting element c is reduced in such a manner that a strain torque on the output 5 of the vehicle is continuously reduced . in the present embodiment , the pressure rend p_c shows the shift of a pressure drop of a defined value and a subsequent two - step pressure reduction ramp . depending on the application of the pressure reduction on the shifting element c , the driver can start the vehicle more or less quickly after the time point t_ 4 depending on his driving request . the service professional will also provide another algorithm , as necessary , for disengaging the shifting element c , for example for the reduction of the transmission capacity of the shifting element c either suddenly or through a freely applicable ramping function , or through a defined filter function at least approaching a parabolic shape . no later than time point t_ 5 , the shifting element c , previously engaged for the locking of the output 5 , is again without pressure and the transmission 4 is in the normal shifting position of the first forward gear ratio with respect to the shifting elements . depending on the speed of the pressure reduction of the shifting element c , the vehicle will be able to begin driving in the desired driving direction more or less quickly after the time point t_ 4 . the method , according to the invention , described previously on the basis of fig2 and 2a , for shifting the gearshift from “ p → d 1 ” of a vehicle parked on a slope with the engaged positively locked parking brake is also correspondingly possible to other gearshift shifting sequences . thus , fig3 shows a second shifting diagram of the method , in which a driver shifts the gearshift from “ p → d 2 ”, when the vehicle , as seen from the viewpoint of the driver in the forward driving direction at the time point of the gearshift is shifted , is on a sufficiently steep roadway gradient with activated or engaged parking brake 8 . the gearshift position “ p ” again indicates the parked position of the transmission 4 or of the vehicle , the gearshift position “ d 2 ” represents a forward drive starting in the second gear . from fig3 , immediately it can be seen that the first five lines of the shifting diagram , except for the indication of the gearshift position , are identical with the first five lines of the shifting diagram , according to fig2 , for which reason repetitive description of the same can be dispensed with at this point . the sixth line of the shifting diagram , according to fig3 , again describes the last step of the method , after the parking brake 8 is disengaged . in contrast to fig2 , the shifting element of the transmission 4 at this point are shifted to positions that are normally observed when the gearshift is in the second forward gear ratio . corresponding to the shifting diagram , according to fig1 , the shifting elements a and c are engaged in the second forward gear , and consequently in the last method step , according to fig3 , the shifting element d is disengaged at this point , while contrary - wise the two other previously engaged shifting elements a and c remain engaged . accordingly , the appropriate information of the shifting status of the shifting element d changes . with support from the fig2 and 2a , a shifting process , according to the method , and based on the fig4 and 4b is described as follows . when the vehicle is parked in a forward driving direction on a sufficiently steep slope , the driver of the vehicle initiates a shifting procedure from “ p → n ” in order to leave the park position “ p ” and to engage the frictionally free neutral region “ n ” of the transmission 4 . in fig4 the corresponding shifting diagram is represented in the chronological procession of the individual steps , according to the invention . in fig4 a , a chronological procession of the shifting element pressures of the shifting elements participating in the method , corresponding to this shifting diagram , is shown . from fig4 , it is immediately obvious that the first four lines of the shifting diagram , are identical with the first four lines of the shifting diagram , according to fig2 , except for the indication of the gearshift position , for which reason repetitive description of the same can be dispensed with at this point . likewise , the corresponding shifting pressure trends p_d , p_a , p_c of the shifting elements d , a and c in fig4 a are identical to the shifting pressure trends p_d , p_a , and p_c at fig2 a up to time point t_ 3 . the fifth line of the shifting diagram , according to fig4 , again describes the step of the method in which the positively locked parking brake is released after the locking element of the parking brake is released sufficiently far by engaging a shifting element combination “ a + d ” such that , as a consequence , the drive train rotated against its strain direction , and after which the output 5 of the vehicle is locked by a frictionally locked a shifting element combination “ c + d ”. the time window , in fig4 a , corresponding to the fifth line of the shifting diagram , according to fig4 , is the time frame between time points t_ 3 and t_ 4 . corresponding to the driver controlled action “ n ” for the release of the output 5 of the vehicle or for the release of the positively locked element of the parking brake 8 , the previously engaged shifting element a is again disengaged . in principle , it is immaterial whether the parking brake 8 within this method step is mechanically disengaged before , during or after disengaging the shifting element a , since the shifting element a does not participate in frictionally locking of the output 5 of the vehicle to the transmission housing . in the present embodiment , according to fig4 , the shifting element a is disengaged starting at time point t_ 3 ( pressure trend p_a ), for example with a sudden pressure release until a defined value is reached , with subsequent pressure release ramping . during the disengagement of the parking brake 8 , the shifting elements d and c ( pressure trends p_d and p_c ) remain engaged at their current pressure levels , until time point t_ 3 . the torque , acting on the drive shaft 10 of the transmission 4 , because of the downhill - slope force on the vehicle , is now counteracted by these two shifting elements d , c on the transmission housing . the sixth line of the shifting diagram , according to fig4 , again describes the last step of the method function , in which the shifting element c , previously locked the drive shaft 10 of the transmission 4 , via the engaged parking brake 8 in a state free of strain or partially free of strain , is disengaged at this point in a controlled or regulated manner . in contrast to fig2 and corresponding to the driver control action , the transmission 4 at this point is friction - free , with the shifting element d remaining at its locking pressure in order to shorten the reaction time of a later gear engagement . the example pressure reduction ( pressure trend p_c ), represented in fig4 a of the shifting element c from time point t_ 4 , corresponds to the reduction of pressure , according to fig2 a , and the shifting element c is pressureless at time point t_ 5 . with support from the fig2 and 2a , a shifting process of the method is described on the basis of fig5 and 5b , when the vehicle , as seen in a forward driving direction , is parked on a sufficiently steep slope and the driver manipulates the vehicle by way of the gearshift with a shift from “ p → r ” to leave the park position “ p ” and engage the reverse gear “ r ” of the transmission 4 . in fig5 , the corresponding shifting diagram is represented with the chronological process of the individual method steps according to the invention . in fig5 a , a chronological procession of the shifting element pressures of the shifting elements participating in the method , corresponding to this shifting diagram , is represented . from fig5 , it is immediately obvious that the first four lines of the shifting diagram are identical with the first four lines of the shifting diagram , according to fig2 , or of the shifting diagram , according to fig4 , except the indication of the gearshift position , for which reason repetitive description can be dispensed with at this point . likewise , the corresponding pressure trends p_d , p_a , p_c of the shifting elements d , a and c , according to fig5 a , are identical to the pressure trends p_d , p_a , p_c , according to fig2 a or fig4 a , until time point t_ 3 . the fifth line of the shifting diagram , according to fig5 , again describes the step of the method in which the positively locked parking brake is released , after the parking brake has been sufficiently disengaged by the engagement of a shifting element combination “ a + d ” which has , as a consequence , rotates the drive train against the direction of its strain , and afterwards the output 5 of the vehicle frictionally locked to the transmission housing by a shifting element combination “ c + d ”. the time span in fig5 a , corresponding to the fifth line of the shifting diagram according to fig5 , is the time frame between time points t_ 3 and t_ 4 . corresponding to the driver controlled action “ r ”, shifting to the reverse gear ratio is prepared for in that the shifting element a ( pressure trend p_a ), which was previously engaged in releasing the output 5 of the vehicle or for releasing the locking element of the parking brake , is disengaged and the shifting element b ( pressure trend p_b ), required for the reverse gear ratio is engaged , and the shifting element d , which is necessary in the reverse gear ratio together with shifting element b according to he shifting diagram of the transmission 4 as in fig1 a , remains engaged ( here with its locking pressure ). in principle , it is immaterial whether the parking brake 8 is mechanically disengaged within this method step before , during or after the disengagement of the shifting element a since this shifting element a is not involved in the frictionally locking of the output 5 . in the present embodiment , according to fig5 a , the shifting element a starting at time point t_ 3 ( pressure trend p_a ) is disengaged , for example with a sudden pressure drop to a defined value , with subsequent pressure reduction ramping . in the present embodiment , according to fig5 a , the filling pressurizing process of the shifting element b ( pressure trend p_b ) starts , for example , even before the time point t_ 3 in order to shorten the reaction time of the selector shifting “ p → r ,” in that a known rapid filling phase of the shifting element b starts sufficiently before time point t_ 3 and ends at time point t_ 3 , followed by a known filling equilibration phase beginning at time point t_ 3 . in a convenient implementation of the function , the pressure reduction of the shifting element b ( pressure trend p_b ) occurs in such a manner that shifting element b bears torque no later than time point t_ 4 . during the disengagement of the parking brake 8 , the shifting elements d and c ( pressure p_d and p_c ) remain engaged at their current pressure levels , until time point t_ 3 and counteracts the torque from the downhill - slope force of the vehicle , acting on the drive shaft 10 of the transmission 4 against the transmission housing . the sixth line of the shifting diagram , according to fig5 , again describes the last step of the method in which the shifting element c , by way of which the drive shaft 10 of the transmission 4 was previously locked by the engaged parking brake 8 in a state relieved of strain or partially relieved of strain , is opened at this point in a controlled or regulated manner . in contrast to fig2 , at this point in the transmission 4 , a shifting element combination “ b + d ” is engaged , which corresponds to the driver controlled action “ r .” in fig5 a , it can be seen that in the represented implementation example , the shifting pressure p_b of the shifting element b is increased beginning after time point t_ 4 to locking pressure , while the shifting pressure p_c of the shifting element c is reduced beginning after time point t_ 4 . depending on the application of the pressure reduction of the shifting element c , the vehicle will be able to start in the desired driving direction more or less quickly after time point t_ 4 . by time point t_ 5 , the shifting element c is again pressureless . deviating from the representation in fig5 or 5 a , the present example transmission scheme can also be provided such that the output 5 of the vehicle is not restrained through the simultaneous engagement of the two shifting elements c and d to the transmission housing , but rather through additionally engaging of the shifting element b in addition to the already engaged shifting elements a and d . since the exact shifting element combination “ b + d ” is also necessary for the driver desired reverse gear “ r ”, the transmission 4 in this case must be adjusted to this shifting element combination “ b + d ” in the last method step by disengaging the shifting element a . an improvement in reaction time can be achieved because a shifting element is less involved in the method and a filling process for a shifting element is less necessary . while the previous fig2 and 2a through 5 and 5 a concern shifting the gearshifts , which the driver undertakes in the forward driving direction on a slope ( with sufficiently large positive roadway gradient ) with a parked vehicle having an engaged positively locked parking brake , the following fig6 and 6a through 9 and 9 a concern shifting the gearshift , which the driver undertakes in a forward driving direction on a negative slope ( with sufficient negative roadway gradient ) with a parked vehicle having an engaged positively locked parking brake . fig6 shows a first shifting diagram of the method for a driver controlled action for shifting the gearshift from “ p → d 1 ”, when the vehicle , at the time the driver shifts the gearshift , is parked in a forward driving direction on roadway negative slope with activated or engaged parking brake 8 . as in fig2 , the gearshift position “ p ” indicates the park position of the transmission 4 or of the vehicle , and the gearshift position “ d 1 ” represents a forward driving region with automatic gear selection and starting translation “ first gear ratio ”. as in fig2 , this shifting diagram , according to fig6 , corresponds to a time sequence of the individual method steps upon the disengagement of the parking brake 8 , which is indicated by an arrow characterizing a time t . fig6 a shows over the course of time the shifting pressures of the shifting elements participating with the shifting of the gearshift , corresponding to fig6 , where the herein represented pressure levels and ramping curves and the timing of the individual shifting phases ( such as rapid filling phase , pressure equilibration or pressure holding phase , load transfer stage , locking pressure or shifting final pressure phase ) are again to be seen as examples . the first two lines of the shifting diagram , according to fig6 , are identical with the first two lines of the shifting diagram , according to fig2 . the first line of the shifting diagram describes the initial state before the movement of the gearshift by the driver : if the gearshift position is the park position “ p ”; the parking brake 8 is mechanically engaged , and thereby the output 5 of the vehicle is positively locked . all shifting elements a through e of the transmission 4 are disengaged , the rotational speed n_mot of the drive motor 2 correspond to a neutral rotational speed n_ll , and the vehicle seen in the forward driving direction on a negative slope , with the roadway gradient smaller than a predefined negative threshold value . the gearshift position indicator , if present , displays “ p ” and informs the driver of the current park position with the activated positively locked parking brake 8 . the second line of the shifting diagram describes the state , as in fig2 , in which the driver shifts the gearshift from “ p → d 1 ”, in other words , the engagement of the first forward gear with the required shifting elements a and d . during the shifting of the gearshift from “ p → d 1 ” by the driver , the parking brake 8 is still mechanically engaged , all shifting elements a through e of the transmission 4 are disengaged , the drive motor 2 normally rotates with neutral rotational speed n_ll , but can also rotate with slightly increased rotational speed n_mot by way of a motor control . in the present case , the slope recognition system of the transmission 4 or the vehicle recognizes a sufficiently small negative roadway gradient , in other words , the vehicle is parked in the forward driving direction on a sufficiently steep negative slope . the third line of the constitutional diagram describes the subsequent steps of the method in which the strain of the drive train 1 of the vehicle is reduced such that a subsequent release of the positively locked parking brake 8 no longer causes a disturbing release jolt . as was already stated , the strain direction on the drive train 1 of the vehicle with engaged positively locked parking brake 8 is independent of whether the future driving direction from the parking position is forward or reverse , but is only dependent on the direction of the roadway gradient , with the locking torque acting on the locking element of the parking brake 8 is a function of the actual downhill - slope force on the vehicle , in other words , primarily a function of the current vehicle mass m and of the roadway gradient . since in the present case , the vehicle is in a forward driving direction on a negative slope , the strain on the drive train 1 of the vehicle works in the forward driving direction , in contrast to fig2 . for the release of the drive train and of the engaged positive locking element of the parking brake , a combination of shifting elements is engaged , which corresponds to the reverse gear of the transmission 4 , according to the invention in the method step of the third line of the shifting diagram according to fig6 , with engaged parking brake 8 and indicator “ p ” of the gearshift position indicator being unchanged . thereby , the two friction locking shifting elements b and d are made to slip for the transmission of torque in such a manner that the ( downhill - slope ) force , acting through the drive shaft 10 of the transmission 4 on the parking pawl or parking brake 8 , is eliminated or at least greatly reduced or even slightly overcompensated . in order that sufficient leverage of the transmission 4 is provided or the transmission engagement torque , necessary to overcome the downhill - slope force of the vehicle in this state of the transmission 4 , is provided . the invention can be provided in a configuration similar to that shown in fig2 , such that the normally very low rotational speed n_mot of the drive motor 2 in neutral and , if necessary , also the torque of the drive motor 2 can be increased in the method step of the third line of the shifting diagram , where such a rotation speed or torque increase of the drive motor 2 , as in fig2 , can be preset or controlled as a function of the current roadway gradient , the vehicle mass m , a transmission temperature t and / or parameters of the starting element 3 or torque converter of the transmission 4 . as in fig2 a , time points t_ 0 and t_ 2 in fig6 a correspond to fig6 and mark the chronological time point of the method step of the third line of the shifting diagram , represented according to fig6 . at time point t_ 0 in the represented example , no shifting element relevant for the shifting process is engaged , in other words , all of the relevant shifting elements for the shifting process are still unpressurized . since in the present case , depending on the type of construction of the transmission , two frictionally locked shifting elements are again necessary for a later driving process , the pressure trends of the course of the can also be provided in another configuration deviating from the example represented in fig6 a , such that at least one of the shifting elements required for starting — especially the shifting element d , required in both the first forward gear ratio and also in the reverse gear ratio — is already pressurized in the park position “ p ”. within the time frame between time points t_ 0 and t_ 2 the two shifting elements b and d are engaged ( pressure trends p_b and p_d ) where , for example , the shifting element d is first brought to a locking pressure before the shifting element b assumes torque . at time point t_ 1 , the shifting element b is also pressurized . within the time frame between time points t_ 1 and t_ 2 , the shifting element b assumes torque . corresponding to the shifting diagram according to fig1 , of the transmission 4 , the controlled shifting element combination “ b + d ” corresponds to the reverse gear ratio of the transmission 4 so that the drive train 1 of the vehicle , which is strained in the forward driving direction , corresponding to the roadway gradient ( grad ), begins to be release with the beginning of torque transfer to the shifting element b . at time point t_ 2 , the positively locked parking brake 8 is released . the fourth line of the shifting diagram , according to fig6 , describes the subsequent step of the method function in which the output 5 of the vehicle is held with a parking brake 8 relaxed or partially relaxed through the movement of an additional frictionally locked shifting element to the housing of the transmission 4 . for this purpose , with the engaged parking brake 8 and indication “ p ” of the gearshift position indicator remaining unchanged , in addition to the engaged shifting elements b and d in the previous method step , the shifting element c is engaged . thereby , the current pressure level of the three shifting elements b , d and c is allocated in such a manner that the transmission 4 is locked or that the torque , acting through the downhill - slope force on the vehicle on the drive shaft 10 of the transmission 4 , is counteracted . hereby , similar to the previous method step , an increase of the rotational speed n_mot of the drive motor 2 to a level greater than the neutral rotational speed n_ll , and an increase of the torque of the drive motor 2 , can be provided in order to guarantee the leverage provision of the transmission 4 and the transmission starting torque necessary to overcome the downhill - slope force . a rotational speed or torque increase can occur , according to a similar algorithm , as described in the previous method step , as a function of the current roadway gradient , the vehicle mass m , a transmission temperature t and / or parameters of the starting element 3 or of the torque converter of the transmission 4 . in fig6 a , corresponding to fig6 , time points t_ 2 and t_ 3 mark the sequential time point of the method step represented in the fourth line of the constitutional diagram in fig6 . within the time frame between the time points t_ 2 and t_ 3 , the shifting element c is engaged ( pressure curve p_c ), so no later than time point t_ 3 , the drive shaft 10 of the transmission 4 is locked to the transmission housing . as in fig2 a , it is also indicated in fig6 a that through the various pressure levels of the shifting pressure curves p_c , p_d of the shifting elements c , d , it is possible to control or regulate the current shifting pressures of the engaged shifting elements individually within the framework of the method . thus , in the present embodiment , the shifting pressure p_c of the shifting element c , which is again disengaged later in the course of the method after the mechanical disengagement of the parking brake 8 , for example , is lower than the shifting pressure p_d of the shifting element d , which remains engaged even after the disengagement of the shifting element c . the fifth line of the constitutional diagram , according to fig6 , describes the subsequent step of the method in which the positively locked parking brake 8 is released , in other words , the parking brake 8 is mechanically disengaged . correspondingly , information concerning the engagement status of the parking brake 8 is changed , along with the indication of the gearshift position , if present . the shifting element b , which does not participate in the frictionally locking of the output 5 of the vehicle and is also unnecessary for the further span of the method corresponding to the undertaken driver controlled action to engage first forward gear , is disengaged . in contrast the other two previously engaged shifting elements d and c remain engaged . a possible previously activated rotational speed increase for the drive motor 2 is neglected so that the drive motor 2 at this point again rotates at the neutral rotational speed n_ll or with a slightly increased rotational speed n_mot , through neutral regulation of the motor control adjusted to the motor load . the time span in fig6 a , corresponding to the fifth line of the shifting diagram , according to fig6 , is the time range between time points t_ 3 and t_ 4 . corresponding to the driver controlled action “ d 1 ”, shifting into the first forward gear ratio is prepared for , in that the shifting element b ( pressure curve p_b ), which was previously engaged for the release of the output 5 of the vehicle or for the release of the locking element of the parking brake , is again disengaged and the shifting element a ( pressure curve p_a ), required for the first forward driving gear ratio , is engaged . the shifting element d , required together with the shifting element a , for the first forward gear ratio , according to the shifting diagram of the transmission 4 represented in fig1 a , remains engaged ( here at its locking pressure ). in principle , it is immaterial whether the parking brake 8 within this method step is mechanically disengaged before , during or after disengaging the shifting element b since the shifting element b does not participate in frictionally locking the output 5 of the vehicle to the transmission housing . in the present embodiment , according to fig6 a , the shifting element b is disengaged beginning at time point t_ 3 ( pressure curve p_b ) with an initially steep , two - step pressure release ramping . no later than time point t_ 4 , the shifting element b is pressureless . in the present embodiment , according to fig6 a , the process of pressurizing the shifting element a ( pressure curve p_a ) starts , for example even before time point t_ 3 to shorten the reaction time of shifting the gearshift from “ p → d 1 ”, in that a known rapid pressurizing phase of the shifting element a starts sufficiently before time point t_ 3 and ends at time point t_ 3 , followed by a known filling equilibration phase beginning at time point t_ 3 . in a convenient implementation of the function , the pressure reduction of the shifting element a ( pressure curve p_a ) occurs in such a manner that this shifting element a bears torque no later than time point t_ 4 . during the disengagement of the parking brake 8 , the shifting elements d and c ( pressure curves p_d and p_c ) remain engaged at their current pressure levels until time point t_ 3 and counteracts the torque acting , through the downhill - slope force on the vehicle , to the drive shaft 10 of the transmission 4 against the transmission housing . the sixth line of the shifting diagram , according to fig6 , again describes the last step of the method in which the shifting element c , by way of which the drive shaft 10 of the transmission 4 was previously locked by the engaged parking brake 8 in a state relieved of strain or partially relieved of strain , is disengaged at this point in a controlled or regulated manner . in the transmission 4 , at this point a shifting element combination “ a + d ” is engaged , which corresponds to the driver controlled action “ first gear ratio .” in fig6 a , it can be seen in the shown embodiment , the shifting pressure p_a of the shifting element a is increased to locking pressure beginning at time point t_ 4 , while the shifting pressure p_c of the shifting element c is reduced , according to a defined algorithm , beginning at time point t_ 4 . depending on the pressure reduction of the shifting element c , the vehicle can start in the desired driving direction more or less rapidly after time point t_ 4 . at time point t_ 5 , the shifting element c is again pressureless . deviating from the representation in fig6 or 6 a in the present example transmission scheme , it can also be provided that the output 5 of the vehicle is not held by simultaneously locking the two shifting elements c and d to the transmission housing , but rather by additionally locking the shifting element a , in addition to the already engaged shifting elements b and d . since the exact shifting element combination “ a + d ” is also required for the first forward gear ratio , desired by the driver , the transmission 4 , in this case in the last method step , must be shifted to this shifting element combination “ a + d ” through the disengagement of the shifting element b . an improvement in reaction time can be achieved because a shifting element is less involved in the method and a process for pressurizing a shifting element is less necessary , a reaction time improvement can be achieved . the method , according to the invention , previously described on the basis of the fig6 and 6a , for shifting the gearshift from “ p → d 1 ” of a vehicle parked on a negative slope with an engaged positively locked parking brake is also correspondingly transferable to other gearshifts . thus , fig7 shows , with support from fig3 , a second example shifting diagram of the method at this point for a driver controlled action for shifting the gearshift from “ p → d 2 ,” when the vehicle , at the time the driver shifts the gearshift , as in fig6 , is parked in the forward driving direction on a sufficiently steep roadway negative slope with activated or engaged parking brake 8 . the gearshift position “ p ” again indicates the parking position of the transmission 4 or of the vehicle and the gearshift position “ d 2 ” represents forward drive starting in the second gear ratio . from fig7 , it can be immediately seen that the first five lines of the shifting diagram , except the indication of the gearshift position , are identical with the first five lines of the shifting diagram , according to fig6 , for which reason an additional description can be dispensed with at this point . the sixth line of the shifting diagram , according to fig7 , again describes the last step of the method after the parking brake 8 has been disengaged . in contrast to fig6 , at this point the transmission 4 is adjusted to the normal shifting position of the second forward gear with respect to the shifting elements . corresponding to the shifting diagram , according to fig1 in the second forward gear ratio , the shifting elements a and c are engaged , consequently , in the last step according to fig7 , at this point the shifting element d is disengaged while , in contrast , the two previously engaged shifting elements a and c , remain engaged . information concerning the shifting status of the shifting element d changes accordingly . with support from the fig4 and 4a , in the following , on the basis of fig8 and 8b , sequential shifting according to the method is described , when the vehicle is parked in the forward driving direction on a sufficiently steep negative slope and the driver of the vehicle undertakes by way of the driver shifting the gearshift from “ p → n ” for leaving the park position “ p ” and engaging the power free neutral range “ n ” of the transmission 4 . in fig8 , the corresponding shifting diagram is represented with the time sequence of the individual method steps . fig8 a represents a time sequence of the shifting element pressures of the shifting elements involved in the method corresponding to this shifting diagram . from fig8 , it can immediately be seen that the first four lines of the constitutional diagram , except the indication of the gearshift position , are identical with the first four lines of the shifting diagram , according to fig6 , for which reason an additional description can be excluded at this point . also the corresponding shifting pressure curves p_d , p_b , p_c of the shifting elements d , b and c , according to fig8 a , are identical to the shifting pressure curves p_d , p_b , p_c , until time point t_ 3 , according to fig6 a . since the driver has requested the neutral position “ n ” through the driver &# 39 ; s control action , according to fig8 in contrast to fig6 a , the shifting element a is not involved in the method . consequently , no rapid filling for the shifting element a is listed in fig8 a shortly before time point t_ 3 . the fifth line of the shifting diagram , according to fig8 , again describes the step of the method in which the positively locked parking brake is released after the locking element of the parking brake is sufficiently relaxed through the engagement of a shifting element combination “ b + d ”, which has as a consequence , rotation of the drive train against its strain direction , and after the output 5 of the vehicle is locked in a frictionally locked manner through a shifting element combination “ c + d ”. the time span , corresponding to the fifth line of the shifting diagram , according to fig8 in fig8 a , is the time frame between time points t_ 3 and t_ 4 . corresponding to the driver controlled action “ n ”, for the release of the output 5 of the vehicle or for the release of the engaged positive locking element of the parking brake 8 , the previously engaged shifting element b is again disengaged . in principle , it is immaterial whether the parking brake , within this method step , is mechanically disengaged before , during or after disengaging the shifting element b since the shifting element b does not participate in frictionally locking the output 5 to the vehicle on the transmission housing . in the present embodiment , according to fig8 a , the shifting element b is disengaged beginning at time point t_ 3 ( pressure curve p_b ), for example over a two - step pressure reduction ramping with a steep initial gradient . during the disengagement of the parking brake 8 , the shifting elements d and c ( pressure curves p_d and p_c ) remain engaged at their current pressure levels of time point t_ 3 , where the vehicle torque , acting on the drive shaft 10 of the transmission 4 from the downhill - slope force on vehicle , is counteracted through frictionally locking these two shifting elements d , c to the transmission housing . the sixth line of the shifting diagram , according to fig8 , again describes the last step of the method in which the shifting element c , by way of which the drive shaft 10 of the transmission 4 was previously locked by the engaged parking brake 8 in a state relieved of strain or partially relieved of strain , is disengaged at this point in a controlled or regulated manner . corresponding to the driver controlled action , the transmission 4 , at this point , is free of frictional locking where , for example , the shifting element d remains engaged at its locking pressure , in order to reduce the reaction time for later gear engagement . the example reduction of reduction ( pressure curve p_c , represented in fig8 a of the shifting element c , from time point t_ 4 corresponds to the pressure reduction according to fig6 a . with support from fig5 and 5a , on the basis of the fig9 and 9b , a shifting method according to the inventive method is described , when the vehicle is parked in the forward driving direction on a sufficiently steep slope and the driver of the vehicle shifts the gearshift from “ p → r ”, by way of the gearshift , for leaving the park position “ p ” and the engaging the reverse gear ratio “ r ” of the transmission 4 . in fig9 , the corresponding shifting diagram with the time course of the individual method steps is represented . in fig9 a , a time sequence of the shifting element pressures of the shifting elements involved in the method corresponding to this shifting diagram is represented . from fig9 , it is immediately obvious that the first four lines of the shifting diagram , except for the indication of the gearshift position , are identical with the first four lines of the shifting diagram , according to fig6 , for which reason an additional description can be excluded at this point . likewise , the corresponding pressure curves p_d , p_b and p_c of the shifting elements d , b and c , according to fig9 a , are identical to the pressure curves p_d , p_b , p_c according to fig6 a , until the time point t_ 3 . deviating from the representation in fig9 , in another implementation of the method , the method step represented in line four in which the drive of the vehicle is locked by frictionally locking the shifting elements of the transmission to the transmission housing , can be completely dispensed with since the shifting elements b and d , which were previously engaged to reduce strain on the engaged positively locked element of the parking brake 8 , make driving the vehicle in the “ r ” gear ratio , requested by the driver , possible . the fifth line of the shifting diagram , according to fig9 , again describes the last step of the method function in which the positive locking of the parking brake is released after the locking element of the parking brake is sufficiently by engaging a shifting element combination “ b + d ” which , as a consequence , rotates the drive train against its strain direction , and after the output 5 of the vehicle is restrained by frictionally locking a shifting element combination “ c + d ” to the transmission housing . the time span in fig9 a , corresponding to the fifth line of the constitutional diagram according to fig9 , is the time frame between time points t_ 3 and t_ 4 . in contrast to the method step , according to fig6 or 6 a , at this point there is no longer a required change of the shifting element combination so that , at the end of this method step , the drive shaft 10 of the transmission 4 can be rotated in the direction corresponding to the driver controlled action “ r ”; the shifting elements b and d , which were previously engaged to relax the strain on the output 5 or on the parking brake , are the shifting elements required for the realization of the driver is target gear ratio “ r ”. while the positively locked parking brake 8 is released in the method step , between time points t_ 3 and t_ 4 , the shifting pressure p_b of the shifting element b is increased to a locking pressure , such that the torque acting on the drive shaft 10 of the transmission 4 through the downhill - slope force of the vehicle , is counteracted against the transmission housing only by way of the shifting elements c and d ( pressure curves p_c , p_d ). information of the state of the shifting element b , it is indicated with brackets that this shifting element b is not required for the frictionally locking the output 5 and , therefore , does not necessarily need to be locked . the sixth line of the shifting diagram , according to fig9 , again describes the last step of the method in which the shifting element c , by way of which the drive shaft 10 of the transmission 4 was previously locked by the engaged parking brake 8 in a state relieved of strain or partially relieved of strain , is disengaged at this point in a controlled or regulated manner . the two shifting elements c and d , required for the reverse gear ratio are already at their maximum pressure levels ( locking pressure ). beginning at time point t_ 4 , the shifting pressure p_c of the shifting element c is reduced , according to a defined algorithm , in a controlled or regulated manner by a two step pressure reduction ramp , which begins after a sudden negative pressure jump . depending on the application of this pressure reduction on shifting element c , the vehicle will be able to begin to drive in the desired driving direction more or less quickly after time point t_ 4 . at time point t_ 5 , the shifting element c is again pressureless . p_a , p_b , p_c , p_d pressure curves of the shifting elements a , b , c , and d | 5 |
turning now to the drawings , and in particular to fig1 , a filtration apparatus 10 according to the invention receives laundry waste water discharge from a number of commercial laundry washing machines via pipe 100 . the filtration apparatus 10 generally includes a housing 20 , a filter element 40 , a laundry waste water inlet having an open top end 64 , a filtered waste water discharge outlet 62 , particulate contaminate outlet 60 and a sprayer 70 . the housing 20 includes a bottom 22 and an upwardly extending surrounding wall 24 . specifically , housing 20 has a generally open box - like configuration in which bottom 22 is rectangularly shaped and upwardly extending side wall 24 consists of a front wall 25 , a rear wall 26 and two side walls 27 . it is appreciated that the bottom 22 of housing 20 can be circularly or squarely shaped . preferably , housing 22 is fabricated from a rust resistant material such as a plastic material . the filter element 40 is disposed in the interior of housing 20 , spanning between the interior surface of surrounding wall 24 . generally , the filter element 40 consists of an interwoven filtering material 42 , preferably a micro screen such as a monofilament mesh fabricated from nylon , and a surrounding frame 44 . the frame 44 provides a border around interwoven filtering material 42 and which serves as structural support for interwoven filtering material 42 . such factors as the amount and consistency of the laundry waste water flow rate , and size and amount of solid particulate contaminants , etc . will dictate the desired mesh size of the interwoven filtering material 42 . desirably , the interwoven filtering material 42 has a mesh size ranging from about 70 microns to 25 microns . preferably , the frame 44 is fabricated from a rust resistant metal such as aluminum . the housing 20 includes a support 30 attached to the interior surface of surrounding wall 24 for providing support to filter element 40 . specifically , the support 30 includes a lower front support 35 , an upper rear support 36 , and two side supports 37 which are angled from lower front support 35 to the upper rear support 36 . preferably , the support 30 includes a continuous rubber material which forms a seal with frame 44 of the filter element 40 so that , as explained below , particulate contaminants will not pass around frame 44 but will be retained on interwoven filtering material 42 . preferably , the housing 20 includes a plurality of releasable locking means 47 for releasably locking the frame 44 of the filter element 40 in a fixed position in the housing 20 . the releasable locking means 47 may comprise pivotable latch - like arms mounted on each of the sidewalls 25 , 26 and 27 for movement between a release position ( shown in phantom in fig1 ) and a locking position with respect to the frame 44 . in the latter position , it either closely abuts the frame 44 or is received within a corresponding slot 51 in frame 44 . the filter element 40 is disposed within the interior of housing 20 and spaced apart from bottom 22 forming an upper chamber 50 ( unfiltered space ) and a lower chamber 52 ( filtered space ). the filter element 40 is angled so that a lower end 46 is lower relative to an upper end 48 . preferably , the filter element 40 is angled at between about 30 degrees and 60 degrees from the horizontal . most preferably , filter element 40 is angled at about 45 degrees from the horizontal . the upper edge 28 of the surrounding wall 24 forms waste water inlet 64 , in fluid communication with upper chamber 50 , for receiving laundry waste water containing particulate contaminants from discharge pipe 100 . it will be appreciated that the housing 20 can include a cover or lid supported on upper edge 28 of surrounding wall 24 and provided with a inlet opening for receiving laundry waste water containing particulate contaminants . a filtered waste water discharge outlet 62 , in fluid communication with lower chamber 52 , provides for discharge of collected filtered waste water in lower chamber 52 . filtered waste water discharge outlet 62 can be positioned over a floor drain or connected to a conduit for discharge of the collected filtered waste water into the ground water and / or municipal sewage system . according to one aspect of the invention , and as seen best in fig2 and 4 , the filtered waste water discharge outlet 62 extends upward from the bottom 22 of housing 20 for about eight inches . this creates a reservoir of filtered water 113 inside the chamber 52 . a drain 71 is located approximately one inch from the floor 22 of the chamber 52 . the drain 71 provides access to the reservoir of filtered water which may be recycled to the sprayer 70 with the aid of a pump ( not shown ). according to another aspect of the invention , a wall 49 seen best in fig2 and 4 , is disposed parallel to the front wall 25 between the floor 22 and the bottom end 46 of the filter element to create a trough separated from the lower chamber 52 . the particulate contaminate discharge outlet 60 , in fluid communication with the trough of the upper chamber 50 , is preferably centrally located . as seen best in fig1 , the floor 29 of the trough preferably funnels toward the centrally located discharge 60 . according to yet another aspect of the invention , a particulate contaminate discharge overflow outlet 61 is disposed in side wall 27 adjacent lower end 46 of filter element 40 . as seen best in fig3 , the outlet 61 terminates in a t - fitting 21 so that liquid is discharged from below the surface 110 of the waste water 111 and the collected film of solid waste 112 ( see arrow ) and recycled back to the waste water inlet pipe 100 via a pump ( not shown ). as seen in fig1 and 2 , spray means 70 for discharging a spray of liquid , preferably water under pressure from a suitable source ( not shown ), across an upper surface 45 of filter element 40 flushes or causes particulate contaminants collected on upper surface 45 of filter element 40 to move toward lower end 46 into the trough and toward particulate contaminate discharge outlet 60 . specifically , the spray means 70 includes a pair of pipes 72 each extending horizontally along the interior of housing above filter element 40 . extending from each pipe 72 are l - shaped pipes 74 having a pair of nozzles 76 . in addition , nozzles 78 are attached at each end of pipe 72 . preferably , pipes 72 and l - shaped pipes 74 are fabricated from a plastic material such as polyvinyl chloride ( pvc ). it will be appreciated that one skilled in the art could provide other equally suitable alternative configurations for positioning the spray nozzles above filter element 40 to cause accumulated particulate contaminants on upper surface 45 of filter element 40 to move toward lower end 46 and toward particulate contaminate discharge outlet 60 . spray means 70 , as explained below , can be operated to prohibit particulate contaminants from accumulating on upper surface 45 of filter element 40 and clogging the interwoven filtering material 42 of filter element 40 by either constantly supplying a spray of liquid during operation or alternatively at periodic intervals . removal of particulate contaminants from filtering apparatus 10 can be accomplished manually or preferably by coordination of spray means 70 and a discharge valve 80 . specifically , discharge valve 80 is in fluid communication with particulate contaminate discharge outlet 60 and is normally closed so that laundry waste water is not carried out particulate contaminate discharge outlet 60 during operation . when the filter element 40 has and excessive amount of accumulated particulate contaminants thereon , the discharge valve 80 can be opened and the accumulated particulate contaminants can be flushed out by activation of spray means 70 . preferably , discharge valve 80 is operated by a conventional solenoid 82 connected by an electrical wire or lead 84 to a conventional timer 86 for automatic periodic flushing and discharge of the collected particulate contaminants in conjunction with spray means 70 by concurrent control of valve 92 operated by solenoid 96 also connected via wire 94 or the like to timer 86 , the latter of which would be connected to an electrical outlet . as mentioned above , water for the sprayer 70 is preferably obtained from outlet 71 provided in the lower chamber 52 . the operation of the present invention will be understood as follows : laundry waste water from washing machines is introduced into the filtration apparatus 10 by laundry waste water discharge tube 100 as shown by the solid arrow in fig1 . the laundry waste water is deposited on upper end 48 of upper surface 45 of filter element 40 . filtered waste water , shown as dashed arrows in fig2 , passes through the filter element 40 while particulate contaminants accumulate on upper surface 45 of the filter element 40 . the unique design of filtering system 10 takes advantage of gravitational forces , and hydraulic forces from subsequent discharge of laundry waste water to naturally cause accumulated particulate contaminants on upper surface 45 of filter element 40 to move downward along upper surface 45 toward lower end 46 and into the trough defined by wall 49 . in addition , spray means 70 can be operated continuously or periodically to aid in causing accumulated particulate contaminants on upper surface 45 of filter element 40 to move downward along the upper surface toward lower end 46 and into the trough . removal of particulate contaminants from upper chamber 52 of housing 20 may be accomplished manually or preferably by coordination of spray means 70 and discharge valve 80 . specifically , spray means 70 is operated to supply a spray of liquid continuously during operation or at periodic intervals in coordination with discharge valve 80 . discharge valve 80 is attached to particulate contaminate discharge outlet 60 and is normally closed ( unless continuous spraying is used ) so that waste water is not carried out particulate contaminate discharge outlet 60 during normal filtering operation . when the trough and filter element 40 fills up with excessive particulate contaminants , discharge valve 80 can be opened and the accumulated retained particulate contaminants can be flushed out . preferably , as indicated above , water supply valve 92 and discharge valve 80 are operated by conventional solenoids 82 , 96 , respectively , connected by wires 84 , 94 , respectively , to a conventional timer 86 for concurrent operation and automatic periodic flushing and discharge of the collected particulate contaminants . as mentioned above , the overflow drain 61 recirculates partially filtered waste water to the inlet of the filtration apparatus . various modifications can be made as will be apparent to those skilled in the art . for example , while only one row of pipes 74 and nozzles 76 are shown , two or more may be provided to facilitate contaminant discharge and cleaning of the filter or screen 40 . however , the various parts shown in the drawing are commercially available so that the unit can be made economically . furthermore , although only one unit is shown in the drawings , multiple units could be employed in series having differently - and decreasingly - sized screen mesh openings to achieved a tiered screening effect . the improvements provided by the present invention can be summarized in part as follows : the location of the wall 49 to define the trough , the location of the drain 60 in the center of the trough , the funnelling of the floor 29 of the trough , the provision of the t - drain 21 / 61 in the trough , the location of the raised drain 62 in the chamber 52 to provide a reservoir of filtered water , and the location of the drain 71 for tapping the reservoir . it will be appreciated that many of these improvements may be used either alone or in combination with each other . it will therefore be appreciated by those skilled in the art that yet other modifications could be made to the provided invention without deviating from its spirit and scope as so claimed . | 1 |
the following detailed description is of the best presently contemplated mode of carrying out the invention . this description is not to be taken in a limiting sense , but is made merely for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention since the scope of the invention is best defined by the appended claims . a post member 1 is composed of a pair of l - shaped side walls 2 and 3 and a back wall 4 . arms 5 and 6 project outwardly from the lower portions of the side walls 2 and 3 , respectively , and rear wheels 7 and 8 are rotatably mounted on the arms . a substantially round shaped front wheel 10 is rotatably mounted between the side walls by a first axle or shaft 9 . from upper portions of the side walls 2 and 3 , handles 11 and 12 respectively project outwardly . a plurality of aligned apertures 13 are spaced longitudinally along the back wall 4 for fastening ends of a plurality of supporting chains . each aperture 13 is formed by a passing through hole 15 , the diameter of which is larger than the width b ( fig2 ) of the ring of a chain , and an engaging hole 16 extending in the radial direction from the passing through hole 15 . the width of the engaging hole 16 is larger than the thickness a ( fig2 ) of the chain ring and smaller than the width b of the ring . a swingable holding member 17 is pivotally mounted between the side walls 2 and 3 by the axle 9 . fig2 is a sectional view of the swingable holding member 17 , and fig3 is a view from the right side of fig2 of the swingable holding member . the swingable holding member 17 comprises side plates 18 and 19 having apertures 20 and 21 formed in the lower portions thereof . the axle 9 estends through the apertures 20 and 21 . apertures 22 and 23 are formed in the central portions of the side plates 18 and 19 . an end of a hydraulic cylinder 25 mounted between the side walls 2 and 3 is pivotally connected to the swingable holding member 17 by a pin 24 passing through the apertures 22 and 23 . the other end of the hydraulic cylinder 25 is pivotally connected to the side walls 2 and 3 by a pin 26 . a holding bracket 27 is fixed to and extends between side plates 18 and 19 at a location adjacent the apertures 22 and 23 . another holding bracket 28 is fixed to and extends between side plates 18 and 19 at a position on the opposite side of apertures 22 and 23 with respect to apertures 20 and 21 . upwardly opened notches 29a , 29b and 30a , 30b are formed respectively in holding brackets 27 and 28 . towing chains catch in notches 29a , 29b and 30a , 30b , as in the apertures 13 . first sprocket wheels 32a and 32b are connected pivotally and independently to the side walls by a common second shaft 31 , the position of which is higher than that of the swingable holding member 17 . ratchet wheels 33a and 33b are fixed rigidly to the sprocket wheels 32a and 32b , respectively , and have a common axis . pawls 34 and 35 are fixed rigidly to third shafts 36 and 37 , respectively , and the shafts 36 and 37 are connected pivotally to the side walls 2 and 3 , respectively . plumbs or weights 38 and 39 are fixed to the shafts 36 and 37 , respectively . the plumbs 38 and 39 provide the shafts 36 and 37 with moments due to gravity , and the direction of the moments are in directions to urge the pawls 34 and 35 to engage with the ratchet wheel 33a and 33b , respectively . therefore , rotation of the ratchet wheels in an opposite direction to the towing direction of the towing chain ( i . e . a direction such that the towing chain becomes loose ) is prohibited . second sprocket wheels 41a and 41b for changing the direction of the towing chain are pivotally connected to the side walls 2 and 3 by a shaft 42 at a position which is higher than that of the sprocket wheels 32a and 32b . a chain supporting member 43 for supporting a loose portion of the towing chain is fixed to lower portions of the side walls 2 and 3 . a plurality of transversely aligned apertures 57 and 58 are spaced longitudinally along the side walls 2 and 3 respectively . a shaft 42 is supported rotatably and removably in the apertures 57 and 58 . it is possible that a plurality of shafts 42 are supported in respective pairs of apertures 57 and 58 at different positions along side walls 2 and 3 , and that sprocket wheels 41a and 41b are provided for each of the shafts 42 . when applying a pulling force to the surface of a damaged vehicle body , an end of a supporting chain 59 is fixed to an engaging hole 16 at the back wall 4 of the post member 1 which stands on the floor , and the other end of chain 59 is fixed to the floor , as represented in fig6 . the sprocket wheels 41a and 41b are supported by the shaft 42 which is supported at a suitable position along the side walls 2 and 3 in a respective pair of apertures 57 and 58 . an end of a towing chain 44 is fixed in a notch 29a or 30a , while and end of another towing chain 45 is fixed in a notch 29b or 30b . the towing chains 44 and 45 are lapped around the sprocket wheels 32a and 32b and are also lapped around the sprocket wheels 41a and 41b . both the other ends of the chains 44 and 45 are connected to the damaged vehicle body . in this condition , the hydraulic cylinder 25 being driven to extend , the swingable holding member 17 swings counterclockwise around the axle 9 as viewed in fig6 and the towing chains 44 and 45 are pulled . as the sprocket wheels 32a and 32b rotate clockwise around the shaft 31 as viewed in fig6 the ratchet wheels 33a and 33b rotate integrally with the sprocket wheels 32a and 33b , and counterclockwise rotation of the ratchet wheels 33a and 33b , and thus of sprocket wheels 32a and 32b , is prohibited by the pawls 34 and 35 . therefore , the displacement of the towing chains 44 and 45 in a direction opposite to the towing direction is prohibited . when displacement of the towing chains 44 and 45 in a direction opposite to the towing direction is prohibited , the ends of the towing chains 44 and 45 may be disengaged from the notches 29a , 29b and 30a , 30b by retracting the hydraulic cylinder 25 , and then portions of the towing chains 44 and 45 closer to the sprocket wheels 32a and 32b are fixed in the notches 29a , 29b and 30a , 30b , followed again by the extension of the hydraulic cylinder 25 . by repeating the above mentioned operation , it is possible to apply to the damaged body of the vehicle a rightward pulling force as viewed in fig6 by means of the towing chains 44 and 45 . the degree of the pulling force and the pulling length per single reciprocating motion of the hydraulic cylinder 25 are determined by the fixing position of the towing chains 44 and 45 in the notches 29a , 29b , and 30a , 30b . therefore , it is possible that a single portion of the damaged body has applied thereto two pulling forces . also , it is possible that one point of the damaged vehicle body may have applied thereto a pulling force and another point may not have applied thereto a pulling force . in such case , one chain , e . g . the chain 44 , may be disengaged from the notch 29a or 30a , while the other chain , e . g . chain 45 , may be engaged in the notch 29b or 30b and has applied thereto a pulling force . referring to fig6 when it is required that a pulling force be applied transversely to one point and upwardly to another point , an end 52 of a supporting pole 51 is connected to a pair of the apertures 57 and 58 of side walls 2 and 3 by a pin , and the towing chain 45 is lapped over the other end of the supporting pole 51 . the chain 45 is supported and is lapped around the sprocket wheel 41b which is pivotally connected to the side walls 2 and 3 by a shaft 54 . the towing chain 44 for applying a horizontal force is lapped around the sprocket wheel 41a represented in fig6 . therefore , it is possible that the vehicle body has applied thereto both a horizontal pulling force by the chain 44 and also an upward pulling force by the other chain 45 . also , referring to fig7 it is possible that a vehicle body may have applied thereto a pulling force by a single chain 56 by means of an idle pulley 55 . furthermore , referring to fig8 a depressed portion 63 of the vehicle body may have applied thereto a pulling force by a chain 61 , and a rigid rod 60 may be mounted between the depressed portion 63 of the damaged vehicle body 62 and the post member 1 . thus , the depressed portion 63 may be recovered by applying a pulling force . a hydraulic cylinder may be employed instead of the rigid rod 60 . it is possible that three or more chains may be fixed to the swingable holding member 17 so that three or more points thereof may have applied thereto pulling forces . this type of modification would be quite easy to those skilled in the art . | 8 |
referring to fig2 a differential amplifier is composed of a differential amplifier circuit 20 which receives input voltages v i1 and v i2 and outputs output bias voltages v o2 and v o1 corresponding to a difference of the input voltages v i1 and v i2 , and a constant current circuit 40 of which the output current i d1 is diverged into each branch of the differential amplifier circuit 20 . the differential amplifier circuit 20 has a positive phase signal input terminal 21 which receives an input voltage v i1 , an opposite phase signal input terminal 22 which receives an input voltage v i2 , a positive phase signal output terminal 23 which outputs an output bias voltage v o1 , an opposite phase signal output terminal 24 which outputs an output bias voltage v o2 , a power supply terminal 25 at which a power supply voltage vd 1 , is applied and a constant current terminal 26 through which a constant current is supplied . the gates of a field effect transistor 27 and a field effect transistor 28 are respectively connected to the input terminal 21 and the input terminal 22 . the drain of the field effect transistor 27 is connected to the output terminal 24 and to the power supply terminal vd 1 via a load resistor 29 . the drain of the field effect transistor 28 is connected to the output terminal 23 and to the power supply terminal vd 1 via a resistor 30 . the sources of the field effect transistor 27 and of the field effect transistor 28 are connected to the constant current terminal 26 . the constant current circuit 40 has an output terminal 41 which is connected to the constant current terminal 26 , a first power supply terminal 42 which is connected to the ground potential in this example and a second power supply terminal 43 at which a second power supply vd 2 is applied in this example . the drain of a first field effect transistor 44 is connected to the output terminal 41 and the source of the first field effect transistor 44 is connected to the first power supply terminal 42 via a first resistor 45 . an electric current i d1 flows in a series circuit consisting of the first field effect transistor 44 and the first resistor 45 . the gate of the first field effect transistor 44 is connected the drain of a second field effect transistor 46 of which the gate and the source are commonly connected to the first power supply terminal 42 and of which the drain is connected also to the second power supply terminal 43 via a second resistor 47 . in the differential amplifier circuit 20 , the field effect transistors 27 and 28 are turned on and off by application of the input voltages v i1 and v i2 inputted respectively at the input terminals 21 and 22 . the drain current i d1 flowing in the first field effect 44 is diverged into the sources of the field effect transistors 27 and 28 , and output bias voltages v o2 and v o1 which are determined corresponding to a difference between the input voltages v i1 and v i2 are outputted from the output terminals 24 and 23 . the output bias voltages v o1 and v o2 which are outputted from the output terminals 23 and 24 correspond to a situation in which the drain current i d1 of the first field effect transistor 44 is split into two equal levels of intensity . as a result , if the resistance of the load resistors 29 and 30 is supposed to be r , an equation v o1 = v o2 = vd 1 -( i d1 · r )/ 2 comes true . in addition , the maximum output amplitude of the voltage outputted at the output terminals 23 and 24 turns out to be r · i d1 . in the constant current circuit 40 , if the drain current i d1 flowing in the first field effect transistor 44 decreases due to deviation of the threshold voltage of the first field effect transistor 44 caused by dispersion or unevenness in the production process thereof or due to variation of temperature in which the constant current circuit 40 is employed , the current flowing in the second resistor 47 decreases . this increases the potential of the drain of the second field effect transistor 46 or the gate - source voltage of the first field effect transistor 44 and results in an increase of the drain current i d1 of the first field effect transistor 44 . conversely , if the drain current i d1 flowing in the first field effect transistor 44 increases due to the same reasons as were described above , the current flowing in the second resistor 47 increases . this decreases the potential of the drain of the second field effect transistor 46 or the gate - source voltage of the first field effect transistor 44 and results in a decrease of the drain current i d1 flowing in the first field effect transistor 44 . in this manner , deviation of the output current is successfully compensated in the constant current circuit 40 . generally speaking , the drain current i d of a field effect transistor can be described as : v t is the threshold voltage of the field effect transistor , v d is the drain voltage applied to the field effect transistor , v g is the gate voltage applied to the field effect transistor , and v s is the source voltage applied to the field effect transistor . accordingly , the drain current i d1 , flowing in the first field effect transistor 44 , the drain current i d2 flowing in the second field effect transistor 46 and the gate voltage v g of the first field effect transistor 44 are respectively described as : this means that i d1 is independent from v t under a condition reading di d1 / dv t = 0 or r 2 = 1 /( w 2 ·( gm - gd )). in addition , the second power supply vd 2 is described as : since v g represents also the drain - source voltage of the second field effect transistor 46 , a condition reading ( minimum saturation voltage of the second field effect transistor 46 ≦ v g ≦( minimum drain - source breakdown voltage of the second field effect transistor 46 ) must be satisfied . if the resistance r 1 of the first resistor 45 is selected to satisfy a condition reading ( r 1 · i d1 = v g ), the amount of the drain current i d1 flowing in the first field effect transistor 44 turns out to be in the same level as the drain current of the constant current circuit available in the prior art . the foregoing description has clarified that a constant current circuit 40 which can realize the following advantages has been successfully provided by the first embodiment of this invention . 1 . if the drain current i d1 flowing in the first field effect transistor 44 decreases due to deviation of the threshold voltage of the first field effect transistor 44 caused by dispersion or unevenness in the production process thereof or due to variation of temperature in which the constant current circuit 44 is employed , the gate - source voltage of the first field effect transistor 44 increases to increase the drain current i d1 and if the drain current i d1 flowing in the first field effect transistor 44 increases due to the same reasons as are described above , the gate - source voltage of the first field effect transistor 44 decreases to decrease the drain current i d1 , resultantly stabilizing the drain current i d1 flowing in the constant current circuit 40 and restricting deviation of the output bias voltage from a designated amount , in an allowable extent . 2 . the maximum output amplitude of a differential amplifier circuit is stabilized due to the same reasons as are described above . referring to fig3 a differential amplifier is composed of a differential amplifier circuit 20 identical to that which is one of the components composing the differential amplifier described in the first embodiment of this invention and a constant current circuit 40a in accordance with the second embodiment of this invention . the constant current circuit 40a has an output terminal 41 which is connected to the constant current terminal 26 , a first power supply terminal 42 which is connected the ground potential in this example and a second power supply terminal 43 at which a first power supply vd 1 , which is the power supply of the differential amplifier circuit 20 as well , is applied in this example . the drain of a first field effect transistor 44a is connected to the output terminal 41 and the source of the first field effect transistor 44a is connected to the first power supply terminal 42 via a first resistor 45 . an electric current i d1 flows in a series circuit consisting of the first field effect transistor 44a and the first resistor 45 . the gate of the first field effect transistor 44a is connected to the drain of the first one 46 1 of field effect transistors 46 1 through 46 n composing a series circuit of n pieces of field effect transistors or the one 46 1 nearest to the ground potential of field effect transistors 46 1 through 46 n composing a series circuit of n pieces of field effect transistors . the gate and the source of each of the field effect transistor 46 1 through 46 n are connected to each other . the series circuit composing n pieces of the field effect transistors 46 1 through 46 n intervenes between the first power supply terminal 42 and one end of the second resistor 47 of which the other end is connected to the second power supply terminal 43 which is connected to the power supply terminal 25 of the differential amplifier circuit 20 in this embodiment . in the differential amplifier circuit 20 , the field effect transistors 27 and 28 are turned on and off by application of the input voltages v i1 and v i2 inputted respectively at the input terminals 21 and 22 . the drain current i d1 flowing in the field effect transistor 44a is diverged into the sources of the field effect transistors 27 and 28 , and output bias voltages v o2 and v o1 which are determined corresponding to a difference between the input voltages v i1 and v i2 are outputted from the output terminals 24 and 23 . the output bias voltages v o1 and v o2 which are outputted from the output terminals 23 and 24 correspond to a situation in which the drain current i d1 of the first field effect transistor 44 is split into two equal levels of intensity . as a result , if the resistance of the load resistors 29 and 30 is supposed to be r , an equation v o1 = v o2 = vd 1 -( i d1 · r )/ 2 comes true . in addition , the maximum output amplitude of the voltage outputted at the output terminals 23 and 24 turns out to be r · i d1 . in the constant current circuit 40a , if the drain current i d1 flowing in the first field effect transistor 44a decreases due to deviation of the threshold voltage of the first field effect transistor 44a caused by dispersion or unevenness in the production process thereof or due to variation of temperature in which the constant current circuit 40a is employed , the current flowing in the second resistor 47 decreases . this increases the potential of the drain of the field effect transistor 46 1 or the gate - source voltage of the first field effect transistor 44a by 1 / n of the decrement of the potential drop in the second resistor 47 and results in an increase of the drain current i d1 of the first field effect transistor 44a . conversely , if the drain current i d1 flowing in the first field effect transistor 44a increases due to the same reasons as were described above , the current flowing in the second resistor 47 increases . this decreases the potential of the drain of the field effect transistor 46 1 or the gate - source voltage of the first field effect transistor 44a by 1 / n of the increment of the potential drop in the second resistor 47 and results in a decrease of the drain current i d1 flowing in the field effect transistor 44a . in this manner , deviation of the output current is successfully compensated in the constant current circuit 40a . in a similar way to the corresponding description in the first embodiment , the drain current i d1 flowing in the first field effect transistor 44a , the current i d2 flowing in the second field effect transistor 46 1 , and the gate - source voltage of the first field effect transistor 44a are respectively described as : wg 1 is the gate width of the first field effect transistor 44a , wg 2 is the gate width of each of the field effect transistors 46 1 through 46 n composing the series circuit of field effect transistors , gm is the transfer conductance per unit gate width of the first field effect transistor 44a and each of the field effect transistors 46 1 through 46 n composing the series circuit of field effect transistors , gd is the drain conductance per unit gate width of the first field effect transistor 44a and each of the field effect transistors 46 1 through 46 n composing the series circuit of field effect transistors , v t is the threshold voltage of the first field effect transistor 44a and each of the field effect transistors 46 1 through 46 n composing the series circuit of field effect transistors , r 2 is the resistance of the second resistor 47 , and this means that i d1 is independent from v t under a condition reading di d1 / dv t = o or r 2 = n /( w 2 ·( gm - gd )). in addition , since the drain - source voltage is same for all the field effect transistors 46 1 through 46 n , the power supply vd 1 is described as : since vg represents the drain - source voltage of the second field effect transistor 46 1 , a condition reading ( minimum saturation voltage of the second field effect transistor 46 1 ≦ vg ≦( minimum drain - source breakdown voltage of the second field effect transistor 46 1 ) must be satisfied . if the resistance of the first resistor r 1 is selected to satisfy a condition reading ( r 1 · i d1 = vg ), the amount of the drain current i d1 flowing in the first field effect transistor 44a turns out to be in the same level as the drain current of the constant current circuit available in the prior art . the foregoing description has clarified that a constant current circuit 40a which can realize the following advantage in addition to the advantages of the first embodiment has been successfully provided by the second embodiment of this invention . the additional advantage is : a single power supply can be employed for a differential amplifier circuit comprising a differential amplifier circuit 20 and a constant current circuit 40a , provided the gate voltage vg is selected for the first field effect transistor 44a to satisfy the condition reading ( minimum saturation voltage of the second field effect transistor 46 1 ≦ vg ≦( minimum drain - source break down voltage of the second field effect transistor 46 1 ) and the number of the n is selected to make the voltage to be applied to the power supply terminal 43 identical to the power supply vd 1 of the differential amplifier circuit 20 . various modifications can be stemmed from this invention , as are tabulated below . 1 . the gate of the first field effect transistor 44a of the constant current circuit of the second embodiment of this invention can be connected any of the drains of the field effect transistors 46 1 , through 46m ( m is an arbitrary number selected from 2 through n ), provided the resistance r 2 of the second resistor 47 is selected to be : ## equ9 ## 2 . the equation showing the resistance r 2 of the second resistor 47 of the constant current circuit of the first or second embodiment of this invention is not imperative . in other words , the resistance r 2 of the second resistor 47 of the constant current circuit of the first or second embodiment of this invention can be any amount , despite the value shown by the foregoing equation is the optimum value . the foregoing description has clarified that a constant current circuit of which the output current is stable , even in the case where the threshold voltage of field effect transistors employed therein , deviates from the designed value due to dispersion or unevenness in the production process thereof and / or in the case where the temperature under which the constant current circuit is employed varies , are successfully provided by this invention . although this invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments , in which the constant current circuits are employed for a differential amplifier , this description is not meant to be construed in a limiting sense . in other words , the philosophy of this invention may be expanded to a circuit employing one or more bipolar transistors and other components . as a result , various modifications of the disclosed embodiments as well as other embodiments of this invention , will be apparent to persons skilled in the art upon reference to the description of this invention . it is therefore contemplated that the appended claims will cover any such modifications or embodiments as fall within the true scope of this invention . | 6 |
an embodiment of the invention is described herein with respect to use with video games or computer simulations . in alternative uses , a chair employing the invention could be used with an interactive movie , television program , internet site or any other plot or action driven entertainment media . all current active video game chairs or active simulators rely on input / controls from the computer or media source to move the simulation chair in concert with the motion of the visual image . with the present invention the user &# 39 ; s physical movement of the chair &# 39 ; s control induces motion in the chair and in advanced embodiments simultaneously sends matching directional signals to the media to produce corresponding visual appearance of motion within the media . the simplest example is a flight simulator . in this application , the user moves the chair &# 39 ; s control to both change the direction of the airplane in the video flight simulator and to induce the corresponding movement of the chair . referring to the drawings , fig1 shows a first embodiment of a support and control structure incorporating the present invention . a supporting base 10 rests on the floor providing a rigid support for the motion simulation system . for the embodiment shown , the base detail is shown in fig2 and incorporates a circular top connection ring 12 and a circular bottom rest ring 14 . the top connection ring is supported from the bottom rest ring by columns 16 . carried within the supporting base is a seat support 18 . the seat support of the first embodiment shown in fig1 and in detail in fig3 includes a suspension ring 20 and a control connection square 22 supported from the suspension ring by columns 24 . the control connection square provides support for an attached seat ( not shown ) and rigid connection for the controls as will be described in greater detail subsequently . the suspension ring is connected to the top connection ring of the base by cables 26 . this support arrangement allows motion of the seat support in pitch and roll relative to the base about a neutral positively stable initial position by altering the relative angles of the support cables . for the embodiment shown , the cables attach at four support corners laterally displaced from a centerline of the seat support . the elements of the control structure as shown in fig1 and in detail in fig4 include a control column 30 or “ joy stick ” which allows control of the motion simulation seat by the occupant . the control column includes controller brackets 32 for connection of convention video game controllers or other electronic devices for interaction with a computer video game as will be described in greater detail subsequently . the control column attaches to a forward vertical control post 34 . in alternative embodiments , the control column may be an extension of the vertical control post . in the embodiment shown in the drawings , a column connection bracket 36 is employed in the embodiment shown for adjustable connection of the control column to the vertical control rod . a horizontal control shaft 38 extends rearward from the control column and vertical control post . the shaft is rigidly attached to the seat through control connection square with inserts 44 received in bores 28 in the connection square and directly imparts motion to the seat as will be described in greater detail subsequently . a rear vertical control rod 40 extends downward from the control shaft to engage an aft control connection described in detail subsequently . the forward vertical control post extends through and is restrained by a ball mount 42 which is rigidly attached to the base . the ball mount allows reciprocating motion of the post axially through the mount and allows rotation of the post by spherical displacement of the ball within its socket . for the embodiment shown , a ball mount attachment flange 46 extends from the top connection ring . the rear vertical control rod passes through and is constrained by a rear articulating joint assembly 48 . the rear articulating joint assembly provides mobility in three axes for the rear vertical control rod in the embodiment shown . for the first embodiment , the rear articulating joint includes a rear ball mount 50 attached to a slip rod 52 received in a telescope barrel 54 mounted to the base . the slip rod is rotatable about its axis within the telescope barrel and axially extendible into and out of the barrel . for the forward ball mount and rear ball mount a “ uniball ” structure is employed in exemplary embodiments . a kstm - 16 base mounted nylon sleeve bearing produced by igus is employed in examples of the embodiments shown . the forward vertical control post , horizontal control shaft and rear vertical rod form a pinned structure with the post and rod orthogonal to the shaft . the location of the horizontal shaft is upward from the ball mount which acts as the motion control point . in operation , the seat support and an attached seat is suspended by the cables at a neutral point absent input from the occupant through the control column . in conjunction with operation of the standard controller connected to the video game , the player occupying the seat pushes on the control column . when the seat occupant pushes forward on the control column , the forward vertical control post rotating forward about the ball joint urges the horizontal control shaft forward which slightly moves the seat support forward changing the angle of the rear cables relative to the vertical to a more obtuse angle with the front cables adopting a more acute angle allowing the seat support suspension ring to adopt a forward tilt providing a pitch down motion for the seat . the forward vertical control post is also urged downward along its axis through the ball mount while rotating forward to provide mechanical relief for angle adjustment within the system . the rear vertical control rod provides reacting forces to maintain alignment of the seat support . the rear vertical control rod slides axially upward through rear ball mount in the rear articulating joint , and the slip rod is urged axially out of the receiving telescope barrel . releasing pressure on the column returns the seat to its neutral point . suspension of the seat support from the top connection ring of the base to the suspension ring on the seat support provides positive static stability . similarly , pulling on the control column urges the rigidly attached horizontal control shaft rearward with the seat creating a more obtuse relative angle in the front cables and a more acute angle in the rear cables tipping the front of the seat support upward providing a pitch up motion for the seat . the forward control post slides axially upward through the ball mount and the rear vertical control rod slides axially downward through rear ball mount in the rear articulating joint with the slip rod urged axially into the receiving telescope barrel for angular relief . pushing the control column right causes the horizontal control shaft to be rotated clockwise about an axis 56 ( best seen in fig4 ) extending through the ball joints . reaction of the front vertical control post and rear vertical control rod in their respective ball mounts moves the seat support which is rigidly attached to the shaft to the right increasing the angle in the right supporting cables and decreasing the angle in the left supporting cables resulting in a right roll position for the seat support and seat . similarly , pushing the control column left causes the horizontal control shaft to be rotated counter - clockwise about the axis extending between the ball joints . reaction of the front vertical control post and rear vertical control rod in their respective ball mounts rotates the seat support into a left roll position . a second embodiment of the invention is shown in fig5 , 6 , 7 and 8 wherein a seat support 60 is rigidly attached to a seat pan 62 . corner pillars 64 in the support provide the bottom attachment for supporting cables 66 . as in the prior embodiment , a control column 68 is attached to a forward vertical control post 70 and a horizontal control shaft 72 . a bracket 74 provides engagement for the column , post and shaft . as in the first embodiment , the forward vertical control post is received in a ball joint 76 . force reaction at the rear of the horizontal control shaft is provided by a rear vertical rod 78 depending from the shaft and engaged by a receiver 80 having a slot 82 . for the embodiment shown in the drawings , the rear vertical rod is an integral element with the horizontal shaft with a “ hockey stick ” configuration . as in the first embodiment , the forward vertical control post , horizontal control shaft and rear vertical rod form a rigid structure with the post and rod orthogonal to the shaft . the receiver allows the rear vertical rod to move longitudinally forward and rearward in the slot , to be angled in the slot and to be axially inserted and withdrawn through the slot providing the three axes of motion as previously described for the rear articulating joint of the first embodiment . this provides freedom for motion of the seat base and seat as rigidly connected to the horizontal shaft in the pitch directions while providing lateral reaction forces necessary to maintain the forward vertical control post and rear vertical control rod in a planar alignment thereby avoiding yaw motion or other instability in combined roll and pitch motions of the seat . the receiver is supported for rotation about its axis to constrain the rear vertical rod for force reaction in roll . support cables 66 attach from the corner pillars on the seat support to support landings 84 on a base 86 best seen in fig7 . the base is fabricated as a frustoconical element having a bottom 88 resting on the floor and a central chamber 90 receiving the seat support . a first integrated landing 92 provides an attachment for the ball joint engaging the forward vertical control post . a second integrated boss 94 provides attachment saddles 96 engaging the ends of the receiver . plates 98 ( shown in fig8 ) constrain the receiver ends in the saddles . for the embodiments shown in the drawings , the horizontal control shaft is shown as a separate element . in alternative embodiments , the horizontal control element may be integrated into the seat support or seat as a molded feature receiving the forward vertical control post and rear vertical control rod . additionally , while the support landings are shown in a horizontal configuration in the drawing embodiments , vertical attachment of end tabs on the cables to the base is provided in alternative embodiments . for the embodiment shown in the drawings , a seat back 100 is received in selected pair of adjustment slots 102 in the seat pan . the placement of the seat back allows adjustment for the length of the occupant &# 39 ; s thigh as well as providing center of gravity adjustment for optimal performance of the motion simulation with control balance . a lower leg support 104 attaches to the front of the seat pan . details of the seat pan with the depending seat support , the seat back and leg rest are seen in fig9 a - 9f . for the embodiment shown , the seat elements as well as the base previously described with respect to fig7 are formed from molded poly styrene covered foam , fiberglass or similar composite structure for light weight with high rigidity . as shown in fig9 b and 9c , the seat pan and leg rest interface includes an aperture 106 through which the control column extends and the seat pan includes a bore 108 receiving the horizontal control shaft for rigid attachment . the leg rest incorporates tenons 110 received in mortise cutouts 112 in the seat pan for inter - engagement to secure the leg rest to the seat pan . fig9 e and 9f show details of the seat back including engagement ridge 114 received in the slots of the seat pan . for the various embodiments shown in the drawings and described herein , the base and support elements are shown as circular . alternative geometric shapes sufficient for interactive suspension of the seat support within the base and attachment of the seat to the support may be employed in alternate embodiments of the invention . in alternative embodiments , the mechanical leverage elements for control can be a single rod extending above the seat passing down through both a pivot point ( ball joint ) attached to the chair and on to a pivot point ( ball joint ) attached to the fixed base . by moving the upper end of the rod in any direction from the center , or the at - rest position , the chair will move in the same direction relative to the base . this motion results in a change of support angle for the cables relatively lengthening the elevation of cables in the direction of motion ( a more acute angle with respect to the vertical ) and shortening the elevation of cables opposite the direction of motion to tilt the chair . by way of example , pushing the rod forward will move / tilt the chair forward . pulling the rod back will move / tilt the chair back . release the control and the chair will return to its center , at - rest position . similar motion can be had to any point of the compass returning to fig8 , the present invention incorporates a sensor module 120 supported by a bracket 122 attached to landing 92 in the base for rigid support . the control column extends through the sensor for detection of relative motion in multiple axes . data from the sensor may be provided through potentiometers 124 connected to a computer as input for interaction with a video game with which the motion simulation chair is being employed . as an exemplary operation , the input from the motion sensor may be employed to replace joystick input from standard controller 126 for visual scene pan and tilt in the video game . this avoids any control mismatch between the physical motion of the motion simulation chair and input by the player / occupant for vision tilt / pan thereby enhancing the gaming experience . the present invention as described for the exemplary embodiments herein provides a simple mechanical system for providing a motion simulation system to be used in conjunction with computer video games or similar devices such as microsoft x - box ® or sony playstation ® where visual imagery is provided . controllers for the electronic interaction with the gaming device are easily mountable on the control column as described and the simple control induced motion by the occupant / player significantly adds to the virtual reality of the gaming experience . having now described the invention in detail as required by the patent statutes , those skilled in the art will recognize modifications and substitutions to the specific embodiments disclosed herein . such modifications are within the scope and intent of the present invention as defined in the following claims . | 0 |
recently , ceramics materials , such as aln , si 3 n 4 and al 2 o 3 , have been used in various kinds of use due to their various kinds of superior characteristic including the heat - resistance . in addition , sintered ceramics materials , such as la - sr - cu - o materials and la - ba - cu - o materials , have been watched with interest as superconducting materials having high critical temperatures and have been rapidly developed . however , in the case where these sintered ceramics materials are practically used , it is required to form them in the form of thin wire according to circumstances . in general , wire - like ceramics have been difficult to produce and have been produced merely by a method , in which ceramics raw material powders are blended with suitable organic adhesives and then the resulting blend is extruded in the form of thin rod , and a method , in which the blend is extruded in the form of square lumber and then ground to turn into a thin rod followed by intermediately sintering the molded product to remove the organic adhesives and additionally sintering . however , the method , in which the blend is extruded in the form of square lumber and then ground to turn into a thin rod followed by sintering , has exhibited disadvantages in that the available efficiency of the expensive ceramics raw material powders is low ; a size in the longitudinal direction of the thin rod sufficiently long relatively to that in the sectional direction thereof can not be taken due to the grinding process conducted ; the productivity is low due to the grinding process required ; and the like . on the other hand , the method , in which the blend is extruded in the form of thin rod and then sintered , has exhibited advantages in that the available efficiency of the ceramics raw material powders is high ; also the productivity is high ; and the like but has exhibited disadvantages in that in order to conduct the extrusion molding , a remarkably large amount of organic adhesives must be added to the raw material powders , whereby the adhesives are difficult to completely remove during the intermediate sintering process and as a result , the adhesives leaving until the sintering process leads to the generation of defects to lower the strength and toughness of the resulting ceramics sintered body . however , in order to obtain the reliability as the structure having the superconductance , the sufficient strength and toughness are required so that the structure may not be broken during the use thereof . in addition , it has been difficult to form the size of the thin rod in the longitudinal direction sufficient long in comparison with that in the sectional direction thereof also by this method . as above described , the conventional methods of producing a ceramics wire have been difficult to say , that they are effective measures which can be immediately applied to the production of a thin and long ceramics wire having the sufficient strength and toughness so as to avoid the breakage and the like . a sintered wire according to the present invention is characterized by that raw material powders are charged in a metallic cylinder formed of high temperature oxidation - resisting materials and said cylinder is subjected to the drawing process followed by sintering said raw material powders when the wire is produced with a powdery mixture comprising powders of oxides of metals having an oxygen potential ( δg °) of the formation of oxide same as or higher than that of copper at normal temperature or more as the raw material powders , preferably that the metallic cylinder filled with the raw material powders is repeatedly subjected to the drawing process , intermediate sintering process and additional sintering process in case of need . it is an object of the present invention to fill the metallic cylinder formed of high temperature oxidation - resisting materials with powders comprising powders of oxides of metals having an oxygine potential ( δg °) of the formation of oxide same as or higher than that of copper at normal temperature or more to produce a wire material thus , the reduction of the raw material powders by the cylinder materials can be suppressed as far as possible , whereby a superior sintered wire can be obtained a sintered ceramics wire obtained according to the present invention comprises a thin metallic coating around an outside circumference thereof but this metallic coating may be removed later or the coating may be left according to kinds of metals to use the sintered ceramics wire as a composte material . in addition , in the present invention the intermediate sintering process and the drawing process may be carried out and then the metallic cylinder may be removed followed by sintering the ceramics powders . the reason of this is that since the sintering temperature of the ceramics powders is high , the reaction between the metallic cylinder and the metals must be prevented from occurring . in addition , after the above described intermediate sintering process and drawing process an intermediate baking may be carried out followed by removing the metallic cylinder and subsequently the ceramics powders may be sindered . it is the reason why the intermediate baking is carried out after the intermediate sintering process and drawing process that the strength is given to hold a desired form for putting in the sintering furnace by carrying out the intermediate baking when subsequently the metallic cylinder is removed to sinter the ceramics powders . in addition , it is the reason why the metallic cylinder is removed after the sintering process that the absence of the metallic cylinder is better for the case where the original characteristics of the ceramics ( for example corrosion - resistance and abrasion - resistance ) are required . the drawing process in the present invention may be carried out by any one of a die drawing , roller die drawing , rolling roll drawing , swaging and extrusion drawing . in the case where the bulk density of the ceramics raw material powders to be charged in the metallic cylinder is low and thus difficult to sufficiently charge in the metallic cylinder , the raw material powders become easy to charge and thus the high packing density is obtained by previously subjecting the ceramics raw material powders to the granulating process to turn into granulations . according to the present invention , the ceramics raw material powders can be subjected to the drawing process even though the organic adhesives are not added thereto and the intermediate sintering process is conducted at temperatures , at which the cylinder is sintered but the ceramics powders are not sintered , after the drawing process and then the additional drawing process is conducted followed by sintering the ceramics powders . thus , the drawing degree can be increased to obtain the ceramics wire having a small diameter and an increased strength and without showing the breakage . the intermediate sintering process at temperatures , at which the metallic cylinder is sintered but the ceramics powders are not sintered , conducted after the drawing process according to the present invention may be suitably selected depending upon metals or alloys forming the cylinder or the composition of the ceramics powders . in addition , the sintering process may be conducted at temperatures depending upon the composition of the ceramics raw material powders . according to the present invention , the size of the sintered ceramics wire can be optionally selected and the size in the longitudinal direction 30 times or more that in the sectional direction can be attained . the present invention exhibits an advantage also in a high available coefficient of the ceramics raw material powders comprising expensive ingredients and the like . the metallic elements having an oxygen potential higher than that of copper according to the present invention includes os , ir , al , ag , au , pt , k , rh , mo , se , na and the like and oxides of said metallic elements include oso 4 , iro 2 , alo 2 , ago , auo , pto , ko 2 , rho , rh 2 o 3 , moo 2 , seo 2 , seo , nao 2 and the like . in addition , ni - base alloys include ni - cr - fe , ni - mo - cr - fe , ni - cr - mo - w - fe , ni - cr - mn - fe and the like . the sintered wire according to the present invention can be applied in particular to a sintered ceramics wire formed of perovuskite type or pseudoperovuskite type oxides , such as ba - y - cu - o series , la - sr - cu - o series and ba - la - cu - o series the present invention will be below in more detail described with reference to the preferred embodiments . a cylinder formed of iron having an outside diameter of 5 mm , inside diameter of 4 mm and length of 1 m was filled with ag 2 o powders on the market and closed at both ends thereof and then subjected to the drawing process until a diameter of 2 . 5 mm followed by sintering at 900 ° c . for 2 hours in air . an outside layer formed of sintered ag 2 o having a diameter of 2 . 0 mm ( of 0 . 7 mm thick ) was almost completely reduced to pure ag and only ag 2 o having a diameter of 0 . 6 mm was left in the central portion . next , the same treatment as in the above described was conducted using a pipe formed of inconel 601 having the same form . the reduced layer of the ag 2 o sintered body was of 0 . 08 mm thick . that is , the product was almost completely formed of ag 2 o sintered body . y 2 o 3 powders of 20 . 0 % by weight , baco 3 powders of 54 . 7 % by weight and cuo powders of 24 . 5 % by weight on the market were subjected to a wet blending and then dried . the dried powders were molded by pressing at a pressure of 100 kg / cm 2 and then baked at 880 ° c . for 24 hours in air followed by pulverizing to 100 meshes or less . this process including the press molding step , baking step , pulverizing step and screening step was repeated 3 times . a cylinder formed of copper having an outside diameter of 5 mm , inside diameter of 4 mm and length of 1 m was filled with the raw material powders particulated in the above described manner and closed at both ends thereof . the cylinder filled with the raw material powders was subjected to the drawing process until an outside diameter of 1 . 2 mm followed by sintering at 930 ° c . for 3 hours . as a result , the sintered ceramics wire having a length of 7 . 7 m clad with a copper layer having a thickness of 0 . 2 mm was obtained . originally , this ceramics wire ought to be perovuskite showing the superconductance but it did not show the superconducting characteristics at all . this sintered ceramics wire was colored in red also visually , that is , it was presumed that cuo was reduced to cu but also the x - ray analysis did not show the peaks of perovuskite but the peaks of cu and cuo and the like were observed . successively , a cylinder formed of stainless steel 304 was filled with said powders and subjected to the similar treatment to obtain the sintered ceramics wire having the critical temperature ( tc ) of 68 ° k . the sintered body was colored in bright green excluding an extreme surface thereof and also the x - ray diffraction showed the same peaks as those of perovuskite produced by the press - sintering method and showing the critical temperature of 70 ° k . la 2 o 3 powders of 85 . 5 % by weight , srco 3 powders of 3 . 1 % by weight and cuo powders of 11 . 4 % by weight on the market were subjected to a wet blending and then dried . the powdery mixture was molded by pressing at a pressure of 100 kg / cm 2 and then baked at 900 ° c . for 20 hours in air followed by pulverizing to 100 meshes or less . a cylinder formed of stainless steel sus 310 having an outside diameter of 5 mm , inside diameter of 4 mm and length of 1 m was filled with this particulated raw material powders and closed at both ends thereof . the cylinder filled with the above described raw material powders was subjected to the drawing process until an outside diameter of 1 . 8 mm followed by sintering at 1 , 050 ° c . for 2 hours in air . as a result , the sintered ceramics superconducting wire having a length of 7 . 7 m clad with a copper layer having a thickness of 0 . 2 mm was obtained . this sintered ceramics superconducting wire showed the critical temperature of superconductance of 37 ° k . and the yield strength of 26 . 2 kg / mm 2 . on the other hand , the treatment was carried out in the same manner excepting that a cylinder formed of iron is used . the reduced layer having a thickness of about 0 . 2 mm from the surface was observed but the resulting sintered ceramics superconducting wire showed the critical temperature of superconductance of 34 . 2 ° k . it can be estimated that the non - reduced central portion shows the superconducting characteristics but the critical temperature was lowered in comparison with that in the case where the cylinder formed of stainless steel sus 310 was used . in addition , the yield strength was almost same , that is , 27 . 0 kg / mm 2 . as above described , according to the present invention , it was found that the reduction - preventing effect contributed to the resulting sintered wire in particular greatly in the case where ceramics having superconducting characteristics , in particular perovuskite type or pseudo - perovuskite type oxides , were used . | 8 |
with this method a fine - grain cubic zinc sulfide is already generated during the first step , which is then used as the starting material for the synthesis of the inventive electroluminophores , and the average grain size , grain size distribution and crystal structure of which is essentially maintained by limiting the firing temperature to a maximum of 1000 ° c . and forgoing the use of fluxing agents with a strongly mineralizing effect in step 3 of the inventive process . at the same time the treatment of the luminophore powders obtained after the firing process with inorganic or organic acids according to step 4 together with the process steps 5 and 6 ensures that the electroluminophores synthesized according to this invention have all the composite and structural characteristics required for attaining a high performance despite their small grain sizes . the sequence of the above 4 process steps has now made it possible for the first time to obtain powerful fine - grain electroluminophores with grain sizes of 2 to 20 μm by purely preparative means and in a cost - effective manner without having to subsequently correct the grain size by means of milling , and screening , which would entail serious shortcomings . for screen printing applications , inventive zinc sulfide electroluminophores with average grain sizes of 5 to 20 μm are used . electroluminophores with these dimensions can be advantageously processed into high - performance el lamps with a significantly improved layer structure . inventive fine - grain electroluminophores with average grain sizes between 2 and 5 μm , on the other hand , are particularly suitable for applications in intaglio or offset printing . they permit the implementation of fine electroluminescent graphic structures , e . g ., as security marks in value product printing . these particles are particularly suitable for use in narrow - mesh screens of 120 meshes / inch . in any case , the inventive luminophores are characterized by a brightness - service life relationship that is adapted to the given application and optimal with respect to the adjusted grain size . moreover , studies have confirmed that el elements can be constructed using electroluminophores with average grain sizes of 6 μm produced according to this invention that display levels of brightness and half lives which , under identical operating conditions , are comparable to el films manufactured from commercially available coarse - grained el pigments with grain sizes of 20 to 40 μm . as previously mentioned , the surprisingly high service - life of the electroluminophores produced according to this invention , especially of those el pigments that have average grain sizes of 2 to 5 μm in accordance with this invention , is very likely attributable to their cubic crystal structure , which deviates from the commercially available el pigments . according to the prior art this is considered advantageous for attaining high levels of brightness and stability . the zinc sulfide electroluminophore particles can be coated with thin organic and / or crystalline or amorphous inorganic protective layers so as to increase their service life further . in one embodiment , the protective layer consists of an inner metal oxide film and an outer silicon nitrate film . the zinc sulfide electroluminophore particles are dispersible , and can be used for printing in a halftone photogravure ink , flexographic printing ink , offset printing ink , letterset printing ink , gravure printing ink . the zinc sulfide electroluminophore particles of the present invention can be applied onto thermal transfer films and transferred to printable material by means of transfer printing . alternatively , the zinc sulfide electroluminophore particles are embedded in thermoplastic granule matrices and processed into films by means of extrusion / coextrusion and / or thin film casting . to further improve the stability , the individual crystallites of the inventive electroluminophores may also be provided with suitable protective layers according to the prior art . numerous methods and materials are known for applying such protective layers . further details and advantages of the invention will be explained below based on examples and drawings . 101 of a 1 . 4 molar znso 4 solution are entered into a reaction vessel . the ph of this solution is subsequently adjusted to 1 . 0 under addition of sulfuric acid ( h 2 so 4 ). the precipitation of the fine - grain zinc sulfide takes place by passing h 2 s gas into the prepared solution while stirring ( stirring speed 700 rpm ). the volume flow of the h 2 s gas is 36 l / h , the work is performed at a reaction temperature of 60 ° c . after a reaction time of approximately 500 min . the h 2 s flow is stopped . any h 2 s still remaining in the reaction vessel is exhausted , the obtained zns suspension is decanted , repeatedly washed with deionized water and finally filtered off . the obtained fine - grain zns powder is subsequently dried at a temperature of 120 ° c . curve 1 in fig1 shows the grain size distribution of the fine - grain zinc sulfide prepared in this manner , which was determined with the aid of a coulter counter grain size measuring instrument . what is striking is the very narrow distribution of the zns grain sizes ( the so - called qd value , which is calculated based on the equation qd =( d 75 − d 25 / d 75 + d 25 ), may be regarded as a measure for the range of the distribution , which , in the present case is qd = 0 . 134 ); a d 50 value of 4 . 7 μm was determined for the average grain size of the zns material prepared according to the above described process . in the next step a certain amount of the obtained zinc sulfide is stirred into a copper sulfate solution . after concentrating and drying of this suspension at approximately 120 ° c ., the material , which is now present as a mixture of solids , is once again homogenized dry and subsequently sifted with a 35 μm gauze . the weighed - in quantities of zns and cuso 4 are calculated such as to establish a copper content of 1 . 5 % for the zinc sulfide copper “ activator ”. a comparable process is also used in the preparation of corresponding bii 3 “ activator ”. in the example described here , the bii 3 content of the zns — bii 3 mixture is 8 . 5 %. the preparation of the batch subsequently takes place by a thorough blending of 1 . 65 kg of the fine - grain zinc sulfide , 81 . 5 g of the copper “ activator ”, 7 . 5 g of the zns — bii 3 mixture , as well as 5 . 2 g aluminum fluoride ( alf 3 ). this mixture is entered into covered quartz pans and fired for 2 hours at a temperature of 980 ° c . in an n 2 / h 2 atmosphere with a hydrogen content of 1 . 5 %. after completion of the firing process , the fired material is cooled to room temperature and repeatedly washed with deionized water . this is followed by the acid treatment of the obtained material . for this purpose the washed fired material is entered into an acid bath and 2 l h 2 o and 500 ml of a 37 % hydrochloric acid are added relative to 1 kg of the fired material while stirring . after a retention time of one hour , this is followed by decanting and washing , with deionized water to ph neutrality . the renewed addition of copper sulfate to this aqueous suspension serves to re - dope the luminophore material . the amount of cuso 4 used for this purpose is calculated according to the ratio of 2 g cu per 1 kg luminophore . after concentration by evaporation and drying of the suspension , the dry material is fired in open quartz pans for 2 hours at 600 ° c . in air . this is followed by an acid wash with 10 % hno 3 as well as repeated washing with h 2 o to ph neutrality . this is followed by decanting , filtering and drying . in a concluding process step the obtained material is once again annealed in open quartz pans for 2 hours at 300 ° c . in air and homogenized by sifting after it has cooled off . as a result of these preparation steps a zns - cu luminophore with a green electroluminescence is obtained that is characterized by a high level of brightness and long half - life . the average grain size of the powdery electroluminophore is 5 . 2 μm ( qd = 0 . 265 ). as can be seen from fig1 ( curve 2 ), the average grain size of the el pigment prepared according to the example is only significantly above that of the zns starting material used in this process . as in example 1 , the precipitation of the zinc sulfide takes place after h 2 s gas is passed into a znso 4 solution , however , the reaction parameters are adjusted differently . the reaction is started with a 0 . 25 molar znso 4 solution , the ph is fixed to 1 . 6 , the h 2 s volume flow is 60 l / h and the reaction temperature is 40 ° c . the zinc sulfide that is present in the suspension after completion of the precipitation reaction has an average grain size of 17 . 0 μm ( qd = 0 . 174 , see fig2 , curve 1 ). the obtained zns suspension is washed repeatedly with deionized water and decanted ; afterwards a sufficient amount of copper sulfate is added to establish a copper concentration of the zns material of 200 ppm after the activation . the copper activated zns suspension is transferred to drying pans and dried at 120 ° c . to prepare the starting mixture for the firing process , 1 . 75 kg of the activated zinc sulfide , 0 . 5 g bii 3 , and 2 . 5 alf 3 are thoroughly blended . the firing takes place in covered quartz firing pans at 990 ° c . in air . the firing time is 5 hours . after cooling the fired product to room temperature and washing it with deionized water , a 5 - hour acid treatment is performed with 20 % citric acid . this is followed by decanting and washing with h 2 o to ph neutrality . the re - doping of the luminophore material again takes place through addition of copper sulfate ( 502 . 5 mg per 1 kg luminophore ) to the aqueous zns : cu suspension . after concentration by evaporation and drying of the suspension the dry product is fired in open quartz pans for 3 hours at 700 ° c . in air . this is followed by treatment with 10 % hno 3 and repeated washing with h 2 o ( to ph neutrality ), decanting , filtering and drying . the concluding annealing of the zinc sulfide electroluminophore takes place in open quartz pans for 1 hour at 500 ° c . in air , followed by cooling and sifting . the resulting zns : cu luminophore has an intense blue electroluminescence , as well as a long half - life . as shown by curve 2 in fig2 , the d 50 value of the grain size distribution of the inventive electroluminophore presented in this example , which describes the average grain size , is 14 . 5 μm ( qd = 0 . 156 ) and thus somewhat below the value determined for the corresponding zns starting material . | 8 |
referring to fig3 a and 3 b , there is shown the image sensor 100 of the present invention . for clarity , only a small portion of the pixel array of the image sensor 100 is shown . it consists of an array of photodiodes 120 with vccds 130 positioned in between columns of photodiodes 120 . there are color filters repeated in a 2 × 2 array spanning across the entire photodiode array . the 4 color filters a , b , c , and d are of 3 or 4 unique colors . the colors typically are , but not limited to , a = red , b = c = green , d = blue . other common color schemes utilize cyan , magenta , and yellow or even white filters . referring briefly to fig4 , one pixel is shown . the vccd 130 is of the interlaced 4 - phase type with two control gate electrodes 132 and 134 per photodiode 120 . referring back to fig3 a , the full resolution read out of an image stored in the photodiodes 120 proceeds in the below - described manner for an interlaced image sensor 100 . first the charge in field 1 , consisting of all lines labeled as line 1 , is transferred from the photodiodes 120 to the adjacent vccd 130 . the vccd 130 will only receive charge from lines containing colors a and c . once charge is in the vccd 130 , it is transferred in parallel towards a serial hccd ( not shown ) and then towards and output amplifier ( not shown ), as is well known in the art . next in fig3 b , after all signal from colors a and c have been transferred out of the vccd 130 , the remaining charge in the photodiodes 120 in line 2 is transferred into the vccd 130 . this is field 2 containing only colors b and d . since the image is read out in two fields , an external shutter is used to block light and prevent further accumulation of signal in the second field while the first field is being read out . when the sensor is installed in a digital camera and is to be used in video mode , the external shutter is held open and the image sensor 100 is operated continuously . most applications define video as a frame rate of at least 10 frames / sec with 30 frames / sec being the most desired rate . currently , image sensors are typically of such high resolution that full resolution image readout at 30 frames / sec is not possible at data rates less than 50 mhz and one or two output amplifiers . the solution of the present invention is to sum together pixels inside the image sensor to reduce the number of pixels down to a resolution allowing video rate imaging . first , the case where frame rate is increased by reducing the vertical resolution by half is discussed . referring now to fig5 a , this is the same image sensor 100 that was shown in fig3 a and 3 b with a different read out sequence . first , charge from the photodiodes 120 in line 1 and line 3 are transferred into the vccd 130 and the vccd 130 is clocked such that the two charge packets from lines 1 and 3 are summed together in the vccd 130 . now the image sensor 100 will be in the state shown in fig5 b . two rows of colors a and c have been summed together and are held in the vccd 130 . next the remaining lines 2 and 4 are transferred from the photodiodes 120 to the vccd 130 . those two lines are then summed together without mixing together with the summed charge packets of lines 1 and 3 . now the image sensor 100 will be in the state shown in fig5 c . all photodiodes 120 have been read out with two rows summed together . the charge packets corresponding to the colors a , b , c , and d are in the vccd 130 with the original 2 × 2 color filter pattern arrangement maintained at half the vertical resolution . now only one field needs to be transferred out of the vccd thus increasing the frame rate . the sequence of fig5 a - 5 c are preferably under conditions where the exposure time is long relative to the time required to sum the pixels together in the vccd 130 . if the camera is used outside in bright sunlight , the summing of pixels will enhance the sensitivity such that a very short exposure time will be required . the exposure time might be as short as 100 to 200 μs . the photodiodes 120 from color a are transferred to the vccd 130 before photodiodes 120 from color b . this time difference is a significant time , about 40 μs . the color b photodiodes 120 will receive a longer exposure time than the photodiodes 120 from color a . thus , video recording with very short exposure times will show an undesirable color hue shift . the short exposure color hue shift can be avoided by always transferring charge from photodiodes 120 of all colors simultaneously to the vccd 130 . this is shown in fig6 a . photodiodes 120 in lines 3 and 4 are transferred simultaneously to the vccd 130 . since all colors are transferred at the same time , there will be no hue shift for very short exposure . charge remains in the photodiodes of lines 1 and 2 . referring to fig6 b , the charge packets in the vccd 130 are shifted down two lines to bring them into proper alignment to receive charge from the same colors in lines 1 and 2 . in fig6 c , charge from photodiodes 120 of lines 1 and 2 are transferred and summed with the same colors already present in the vccd 130 . now in fig6 d , the final state of the vccd 130 after charge summing contains the 2 × 2 color filter pattern of the original photodiode array with the vertical resolution decreased by half . the charge packets in the vccd 130 are transferred out of the imager as a single field progressive scan image . the progressive scan image eliminates problems with interlaced field separation . this read out method also samples every pixel in the image for maximum photo - sensitivity and minimal moiré artifacts and minimal color alias . referring to fig7 , the details of the clocking of charge packets are shown . fig7 is a cross section down the center of the vccd 130 of the column containing pixels of colors a and b . the labels a or b and a numerical subscript identify the charge packets . the letter identifies which color photodiode the charge packet originated from . the subscript identifies which photodiode line the charge packet originated from . the labels t 0 through t 5 mark the time steps of the charge transfer clocking sequence in fig8 . the gates in fig7 are wired to 8 control voltages v 1 through v 8 . the voltages applied to each of the gates at each time step is shown in fig8 . the voltage on a gate is one of three levels : vl is the lowest level creating a barrier in the vccd channel potential ( the off state ), vm is the middle level creating a well in the vccd channel potential ( the on state ), vh is the high level which turns on the transfer channel between the photodiodes and vccd . the clocking sequence begins in fig8 by turning on the photodiode transfer channel under gates v 5 and v 8 of fig7 . this puts charge packets a 3 and b 4 into the vccd . this is indicated at time step t 0 of fig7 . the gate voltages are changed according to fig8 from time steps t 1 through t 4 to advance the charge packets by 4 gates ( two lines ). then the photodiode transfer channel under gates v 1 and v 4 are turned on to add charge packets a 1 and b 2 to charge packets a 3 and b 4 . after time step t 5 the vccd is clocked with the well - known standard 4 - phase ccd timing sequence . since the number of lines is reduced by half , the frame rate for the image sensor doubles . fig8 does not represent the only possible timing diagram , those skilled in the art can produce many small variations to produce the same charge summing result . sometimes a factor of two - speed increase is not sufficient . also , a video image is desired to be 480 lines . an image sensor with 1440 lines must be reduced by a factor of three . next , the vccd clocking sequence for reducing the number of lines by a factor of three is discussed . referring to fig9 a , charge in the photodiodes 120 of lines 2 and 5 only are transferred to the vccd 130 . then in fig9 b , the vccd 130 transfers charge by two lines to align the charge packets from lines 2 and 5 with lines 3 and 6 . in fig9 c , the charge from the photodiodes 120 in lines 3 and 6 is transferred and added on top of the charge packets already in the vccd 130 . in fig9 d , the summed charge packets are transferred another two lines to align them with lines 1 and 4 . now in fig9 e , the last remaining photodiode charge in lines 1 and 4 are transferred and added on top of the charge packets already in the vccd 130 . after the final photodiode transfer in fig9 f , there is the 2 × 2 color filter pattern in the vccd 130 with one - third the number of lines as the original full resolution image . note that in the sequence of fig9 a - 9 f , every time there is a photodiode to vccd transfer , all four colors of the 2 × 2 color filter pattern were transferred to the vccd 130 simultaneously . fig1 details the clocking of charge packets for reducing the number of lines by a factor of three . fig1 is a cross section down the center of the vccd of the column containing pixels of colors a and b . the labels a or b and a numerical subscript identify the charge packets . the letter identifies witch color photodiode the charge packet originated from . the subscript identifies witch photodiode line the charge packet originated from . the labels t 0 through t 8 mark the time steps of the charge transfer clocking sequence in fig1 . the gates in fig1 are wired to 12 control voltages v 1 through v 12 . the voltages applied to the gates at each time step are shown in fig1 . the vccd will be clocked as a 6 - phase ccd with four gates normally on and two gates normally off . the clocking sequence begins in fig1 by turning on the photodiode transfer channel under gates v 4 and v 10 of fig1 . this puts charge packets a 2 and b 5 into the vccd . this is indicated at time step t 0 of fig1 . the gate voltages are changed according to fig1 with 6 - phase ccd timing from time steps t 1 through t 4 to advance the charge packets by 4 gates ( two lines ). then the photodiode transfer channel under gates v 6 and v 12 are turned on to add charge packets a 6 and b 3 to charge packets a 2 and b 5 . from time step t 4 to t 8 the vccd is clocked to advance the charge packets another 4 gates . this aligns the charge packets with the photodiodes in lines 1 and 4 . the photodiode transfer channel under gates v 2 and v 8 are turned on to add charge packets b 1 and a 4 to the charge packets already in the vccd . after time step t 8 all of the photodiodes have be read out and the image is in the vccd with one third the number of lines . it is read out of the vccd by using 6 - phase ccd clocking . fig1 does not represent the only possible timing diagram , those skilled in the art can produce many small variations to produce the same charge summing result . fig1 a - 12 f show alternative charge transfer sequences for summing together three lines . referring to fig1 a , charge in the photodiodes 120 of lines 5 and 6 only are transferred to the vccd 130 . then in fig1 b , the vccd 130 transfers charge by two lines to align the charge packets from lines 5 and 6 with lines 3 and 4 . in fig1 c , the charge from the photodiodes 120 in lines 3 and 4 are transferred and added on top of the charge packets already in the vccd 130 . in fig1 d , the summed charge packets are transferred another two lines to align them with lines 1 and 2 . now in fig1 e , the last remaining photodiode charge in lines 1 and 2 are transferred and added on top of the charge packets already in the vccd 130 . after the final photodiode transfer in fig1 f , there is the 2 × 2 color filter pattern in the vccd 130 with one - third the number of lines as the original full resolution image . note that in the sequence of fig1 a - 12 f , every time there is a photodiode to vccd transfer , all four colors of the 2 × 2 color filter pattern were transferred to the vccd 130 simultaneously . referring to fig1 , the detail for the charge transfer sequence of fig1 a - 12 f is shown . at time step t 0 in fig1 , the photodiode to vccd transfer channel under gates v 9 and v 12 is turned on to transfer charge packets from color b line 5 ( b 5 ) and color a line 6 ( a 6 ). the a 6 and b 5 charge packets are transferred two lines using 6 - phase ccd clocking . next the color b line 3 ( b 3 ) is transferred from the photodiode to vccd under gate v 5 and color a line 4 ( a 4 ) is transferred from the photodiode to vccd under gate v 8 . the summed charge packets a 4 + a 6 and b 3 + b 5 are transferred two lines in the vccd with 6 - phase clocking . the final two rows of charge are transferred from the photodiodes to the vccd under gates v 1 and v 4 . the a 2 and b 1 charge packets are added to the a 4 + a 6 and b 3 + b 5 charge packets already in the vccd . thus far the present invention discloses how to sum together two lines or three lines of charge packets to increase the frame rate by a factor of two or three . even if an image sensor with 1440 lines is reduced in resolution to 480 lines by summing three line pairs it will still take longer than 1 / 30 sec to read out an image . the solution to faster image read out is to also sum together charge packets in the hccd . referring to fig1 , there is shown a well - known prior art hccd . it is a pseudo - two phase ccd employing four control gates per column . each pair of two gates h 1 , h 2 and h 3 are wired together with a channel potential implant adjustment 380 under one of the two gates . the channel potential implant adjustment 380 controls the direction of charge transfer in the hccd . charge is transferred from the vccd one line at a time under the h 2 gates of the hccd . fig1 shows the presence of charge packets from the line containing colors a and c from fig1 . the charge packets are advanced serially one row through the hccd at time steps t 0 , t 1 , and t 2 , by applying the clock signals of fig1 . u . s . pat . no . 6 , 462 , 779 provides a method of summing two pixels in the hccd to reduced the total number of hccd clock cycles in half . this is shown in fig1 . this method is designed for linear image sensors where all pixels are of one color . in a two dimensional array employing the 2 × 2 color pattern of fig2 , each line has more than one color . thus , in fig1 when a line containing colors a and c is transferred into the hccd and clocked with the timing of fig1 the colors a and c are added together . that destroys the color information and the image . the present invention shown in fig1 provides a method to prevent the mixing of colors when summing pixels in the hccd . the invention consists of an array of photodiodes 430 covered by a 2 × 2 color filter pattern of four colors a , b , c , and d . charge packets from the photodiodes 430 are transferred and summed vertically in the vccd 420 using the two or three line summing described earlier . the two line summing is depicted in fig1 . there is a first hccd 400 and a second hccd 410 located at the bottom of the pixel array . there is a transfer channel 460 every other column for the purpose of transferring half of the charge packets from the first hccd 400 to the second hccd 410 . there is an output amplifier 440 and 450 at the end of each hccd for converting the charge packets to a voltage for further processing . fig1 a - 19 d shows the charge transfer sequence for reading out one line through the hccd . first in fig1 a , one line containing colors a and c is transferred into the first hccd 400 as shown in fig1 b . charge packets are labeled with a letter corresponding to the color and a subscript corresponding to the column from which the charge packet originated . in fig1 c , the charge packets from the even numbered columns only pass through the transfer gate 460 and into the second hccd 410 . in fig1 d , the charge packets in the second hccd 410 are advanced by one column to align them with the charge packets in the first hccd 400 . the number of clock cycles needed to read out each hccd is equal to one half the number of columns in the hccd . the addition of a second hccd 410 reduces the read out time by half . most importantly , each hccd now contains only one color type . two charge packets may be summed together horizontally in each hccd 400 and 410 as shown in fig2 a and 20 b . the summing is done without mixing charge packets of different colors . the two pixel summing reduces the number of charge packets to read out of each hccd 400 and 410 by another factor of two . this hccd design provides a total speed improvement of a factor of four . combined with the two line or three line summing described earlier allows an eight or twelve fold increase in frame rate for a video mode . that is enough to allow sampling of all pixels in an 11 million - pixel image sensor at a frame rate of 30 frames / second . fig2 shows the hccd structure in greater detail . there is the first hccd 400 and second hccd 410 fabricated on top of an n - type buried channel ccd 520 in a p - type well or substrate 540 . the buried channel ccd 520 has channel potential implant adjustments 530 for pseudo - 2 - phase clocking . the top portion of fig2 shows the side view cross section k - m through the first hccd 400 . there are seven wires , which supply the control voltages to the hccd gates h 1 through h 7 . an additional wire tg controls the transfer gate between the two hccds 400 and 410 . the gate electrodes are typically , but not required to be , poly - silicon material of at least two levels . a third level of poly - silicon may be used for the transfer gate if the manufacturing process used does not allow the first or second levels of poly - silicon to be used . with careful use of implants in the buried channel of the transfer gate region and slightly modified gate voltages the transfer gate can be omitted entirely . the exact structure of the transfer gate is not important to the function of the invention . the clock voltages applied to the hccd of fig2 are shown in fig2 for transfer of charge from the first hccd to the second hccd . at time t 0 of fig2 , the h 1 , h 6 and h 7 gates are switched high to receive charge from the first vccd 400 . the h 2 , h 3 , and h 4 barrier gates are held low to prevent the mixing of charge packets in the first hccd 400 . at time t 1 the transfer gate tg is turned on and h 1 is clocked low to transfer only the charge packets under the h 1 gate from the first hccd 400 to the second hccd 410 . tg is turned off at time t 2 . finally at time t 3 , the second hccd clocks are switched to advance the charge packets in the second hccd 410 so the charge packets are held under the same gate as the first hccd 400 charge packets . the following discusses the readout of the hccd in full resolution mode for still photography . fig2 a shows the charge transfer sequence for the first hccd and fig2 b shows the charge transfer sequence for the second hccd . a letter corresponding to the color of the charge packet , a , b , c , or d , identifies the charge packets . the subscript on the charge packet label corresponds to the column number of the charge packet . the clock voltages for each time step are shown in fig2 . the hccd is clocked as a pseudo 2 - phase ccd between two voltages h and l . the transfer gate tg is held in the off state ( l ) to prevent mixing of charge between the two hccds . in video mode , two charge packets are summed together as shown in fig2 a for the first hccd and fig2 b for the second hccd . notice that the first hccd only contains charge packets from pixels of color a and the second hccd only contains charge packets from pixels of color c . fig2 shows the gate voltage clocking sequence . gates h 1 , h 2 , and h 5 are held constant at a voltage approximately halfway between h and l . the voltages h and l in video mode do not have to be equal to the voltages used for fill resolution still photography . only gates h 3 , h 4 , h 6 and h 7 are clocked in a complimentary manner . as can be seen in fig2 a and 25 b one clock cycle advances the charge packets by four columns in the hccd . this is what provides the factor of four - speed increase in video mode . due to the large number of photodiode charges being summed together there is the possibility of too much charge in the vccd or hccd causing blooming . the vccd and hccd can easily be overfilled . it is widely known that the amount of charge in a vertical overflow drain type photodiode is regulated by a voltage applied to the image sensor substrate . this voltage is simply adjusted to reduce the photodiode charge capacity to a level to prevent overfilling the vccd or hccd . this is the exact same procedure normally used even without summing together pixels . fig2 shows an electronic camera 610 containing the image sensor 600 capable of video and high - resolution still photography as described earlier . in video mode 100 percent of all pixels are sampled . the vccd charge capacity is controlled by the amplitude of the vccd gate clock voltages . since the invention sums charges in the hccd the vccd does not have to contain full charge packets in order to produce a full signal at the output amplifiers . if the hccd will sum together two charge packets then vccd charge capacity can be reduced by a factor of two by lowering the amplitude of the vccd clock voltages . the advantage of lowing the vccd clock voltages is reduced power consumption in video mode . the power consumption varies as the voltage squared . thus a camera would increase the vccd clock voltages if the camera is operating in still photography mode , or decrease the vccd clock voltages if the camera is operating in video mode . the invention has been described with reference to a preferred embodiment . however , it will be appreciated that variations and modifications can be effected by a person of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope of the invention . | 7 |
a thumb controlled track pad can have direct response over the view screens command and control location activation points , lay - out pattern ( s ), sizes and sensitivity of touch point input for , key stroke , and / or cursor location ( s ) could be changed as per user desired selections of keyboard , style ( s ), layout ( s ) option ( s ) user chosen , from menu of selections this could benefit user performance and promote superior ergonomics of user ( s ) finger / thumb movements , thus limiting undesirable stretch , reach , placement of user ( s ) finger ( s )( thumb ) placement ( s ), and limiting number of keystroke actions require by user to preform like tasks as compared to traditional user input method ( s ). referring now to fig1 , a perspective front angle view of present invention a personal electronics device ( p . e . d .) with wearable capabilities , 114 , showing exterior of example # 1 , embodiment of construction is shown , demonstrated in illustration worn as it would be seen on the users right hand index finger between the first and second knuckle of example user hand 130 , interchangeable between the left and right index finger 114 supports the p . e . d ., while in single hand operation and / or transport . the ring type base holder , 114 , is adjustable in circumference to provide fit and feel to users needs and desires . the overlapping expandable / retractable ring type holder base , 114 , can be locked into user preferred size but also provides immediate safety release from user finger , 128 , if the p . e . d . is unintentionally caught on an unmovable object , ( not shown ), thus providing escape protecting user &# 39 ;, s finger , 128 , if such an event should occur . the ring type holder , 114 , allows for the wearer to rotate the p . e . d . on user &# 39 ; s index finger , 128 , to move and allow the screen , 100 , to lay back against user same hand , 130 , fingers for user transport comfort , not illustrated . the p . e . d . may also be rotated on user finger , 116 , to lay in the palm of user &# 39 ; s hand , 130 . this allows the user to raise their right and / or left hand with p . e . d . to their ear , positioning microphone / speaker , 122 , and / or 108 , user &# 39 ; s ear allowing additional privacy and voice convenience for phone conversation activities . instructions can cause a computing environment to determine whether speaker / micro phones , 108 and / or 102 , is positioned upward in relationship to users hand and command that instrument to receive as micro - phone or transmit as a speaker of the phone use system . the case , 102 , of the attached and / or detachable display screen , 100 , can be made of fitted and / or molded medal alloys such as aluminum and / or plastic , ceramics and the like or any combinations thereof . the case , 102 , allows for enclosure , positioning and protection of , 124 , a reception and transmitting port for interacting remote control of , and with capabilities equipped remote electronics , t . v ., recording and storage electrical devices , game players , p . c ., laptops , tablets , smart phones , smart glasses , smart watches and other capable controllable devices . the disclosure provides for wireless transmitter and receiver that may transmit an infra - red and / or radio frequency carrier signal and may receive same within a service area . a disclosed device can include a wireless transceiver and memory and further functions to store at least some of the remote control information and instruction coding . the display can be operable connected to memory and processor for display and interaction control coupled to input and responses thereto of remote device information and direction commands thereof . some disclosed devices also may act as a cordless telephone handset , cellular radio telephone , ct2 radio telephone handset and land mobile two - way radio . a forward , front facing camera is located within the device , 104 , in which promotes two - way web cam communication , skype being a commonly used example . forward facing camera can be both still and video types with additional options of h . d ., 3 d , and the like . the device may permit automatic , remote launch of use to accommodate time lapse life sequence type apps / programs as user allows . for example , the device can automatically open an image capture application and initiate an alarm to remind the user to look at the device . the camera can take the picture . the user may select on a menu of options what types of option of thumb pad / track pad is functional to the device , i . e . a standard universal track pad , a enhanced direct response track pad , direct response track pad positioning control make a number of tasks significantly easier . ( a track pad that instantly moves command point cursor to the spot directly under a user selected mark point “ a pin point ” located on user finger or thumb ) that mimics what is shown on larger display screens , attached or remotely operated screen / devices by influence on and over operators track pad acting as multi - touch track pad for clicking , scrolling and swiping and supports a full set of gesture recognition ( like flipping through book pages ) control and inter acts with what is on screen , can read and identify the selected marker point movements and the contact pressure when screen sensors detections are sent to operating systems for process and provide actions thereto . the touch track pad , 100 , 120 , 200 , 202 , 218 , 300 , 404 , 414 , 500 , 600 , 700 and 716 can senses a plurality of transducer means , each means adapted to being incorporated in track pad sensor embedded panel array . the applied marker point on the users finger / thumb pad this producing a related signal of position and pressure between the interactive entity and a virtual or physical object triggering a command interacting communication with the controller computer . transducer may compromise a combination of a pressure sensitive foil and an inertia mass being pressed against said foil under influence of thumb actions generating signal means also from distortion sensors from within the array . transducers may be designed to generate electrical signals sensed upon touching and / or approaching them . pressure dependent sound sensors may also be deployed , operating accordingly to the piezoresistive principle ( ceramic that gives off energy when compressed ) thus signaling processor to respond accordingly . the transducers may react to various physical phenomena in order to generate electrical signals , preferably , by influence of mechanical forces , for instance pressure , electrical , optical or magnetic influence using variations in resistance , capacitance , reflectivity or magnetic flux &# 39 ; s . the track pad , 100 , 120 , 200 , 202 , 218 , 300 , 404 , 414 , 500 , 600 , 700 and 716 is intentional and vitally located in close ergonomically proximity located in relation to thumbs movement reach over and on track pad where thumbs movement can produce output signal to processor to activate and realize command actions thereof . additional touch display keyboards can be selected by user operator for added inputting options , not illustrated . optional joysticks , trackballs and the like may be included within the device if manufacturers concludes their a useful necessity . existing art touch screens , require two fingers and their movement to expand or constrict , zoom in zoom out and selected object on screen needs to be located a fingers pin — together , spread out or rotated appropriately . the disclosed devices can be designed for single hand operation and allows the user / operator to use their finger / thumb with one or more preselected marker - points user assigned and designated for reception position points on or above track pad designated areas , the user can swirl right or constrict image , zoom in and swirl left to expand , zoom out . a user with two or more location marker points applied and / or identified on finger tip / thumb tip pad can select an image on screen with primary user marker identification point then a turn finger / thumb in direction for image to be rotated . the interior track pad and / or active designated active area , 218 , 306 , 414 , and 716 is click - able , scrollable , swipe - ably , rotatable , zoom - in , zoom - out , etc . additionally , tape - able and double - tap - able to engage protocol actions . 300 — the display cover is flexible and can be used additionally as a table top stand for the device . 508 , 612 and 706 contain components of a computing system and software and programs for implementation of computing systems . the components may include custom operating systems of gaming operated from device . the components may include computing resources for service over and on a network ( s ). 508 , 612 , and 706 optional power sources may be included “ ambient energy collectors ” such as solar panels and rf antenna &# 39 ; s . device capable of detecting periods of inactivity and is equipped with means to power down to conserve battery life and remain dormant until reactivated . user interface devices comprising a finger wearable body which can be maintained in a substantially fixed position relative to the user &# 39 ; s hand without immobilizing the user &# 39 ; s fingers are disclosed . some embodiments of disclosed computer interface devices and associated systems can be worn on an index finger ( or other selected finger ) of either of the operator &# 39 ; s hands . some systems can include a ring type , base holder , ring type base holder being adjustable to a selected dimension suitable to be worn on a portion of the middle of , for example the index finger , best suited if worn between the first and second knuckle ( e . g ., overlying the middle phalanx of any of the user &# 39 ; s digits ) of the users index finger of the operators hand , and may be adjustable to users finger size ( s ), ventilated , enable innovative methods for reading / monitoring a user &# 39 ; s biological characteristics ( e . g ., heart rate , blood pressure , temperature ) and support additional feedback systems that may be stowable , folds away when not in use and may include support braces from ring type holder that may be connectable to tracker pad and / or display screen ( s ) segments of device . some disclosed device / system also includes means for identifying , marker point ( s ), on users thumb ( s )/ finger ( s ) as additional means for specific point sensing on or over the track pad portion of device . according to another embodiment , the main display screen , the track pad area and the , “ ring - type ” holder base can be mounted in an adjustable spaced relationship to engage the users preferred finger , position and size , within a reachable area of the user &# 39 ; s thumb ( s ). such a configuration can facilitate input functionality on designated track pads input area position . some disclosed devices may be adapted to have a pivotable or otherwise adjustable movement to align to a user &# 39 ; s specific needs , wants , or desires . some disclosed devices can be worn and transported while permitting movement of the users fingers . such a device can also easily be configured and aligned to be situated adjacent to the back of the user &# 39 ; s fingers for easy transport , but still readily available for immediate use . in another embodiment , the device can also be easily rotated while still mounted on users e . g ., index , finger , designed to fit with spaced relationship to engage the user palm of hand thereof , inside the users palm for transport , use , and / or to be held up to the users ear for private phone type conversation , with speaker and microphone in the device properly positioned for same ( reversible for left and or right hand use ). some input devices and systems , e . g ., a track pad , can be configured as a controller and can be positioned in an immediate proximity of the users thumb reach from the area of the ring type wearable holder base for operator controlling sequences which enables quick control of an appreciable number of operations with considerably reduced fatigue and effort while still allowing user use of arms and allow mobility of users finger while transporting the device . some interface devices while being worn can remain in a stable position while being operated , thus , immediately available at arms - reach , ready for operation when needed or desired . some disclosed devices are ergonomically shaped and ergonomically operable and can facilitate single - hand use , universality and prevent over reach of user thumb ( s ) while in use . some devices include a hand / finger attachable , wearable base that is ergonomic and customizable to user / computer interface device . some input devices and systems are operable from a single - hand , are operable from any reasonable location and do not require a prominent , dedicated , smooth , flat , horizontal surface or other special surface upon to be place upon for use of functions . a ring - type base holder can be easily attachable , wearable . some devices slide , clip , snap and the like onto and / or around an index or other user selected finger and can be comfortably “ worn ” for extended periods of time in a variety of climates , environments associated with use work and personal travels , enabling the user to wear / carry the device from one location to another with minimal handling . some devices provide additional options for industry and consumers by offering new shapes , sizes and styles of wearable p . e . d . s that may include , unique designs incorporating additional technology capabilities as they become available . some ring type holder bases may be deployed in many shapes , sizes , and methods . some devices define ventilation apertures in a region adjacent or overlying with a wearer &# 39 ; s finger ( s ). uncovered surface areas to allow potentially trapped moisture to escape moisture that may otherwise cause skin discomfort . ventilation cut outs may incorporate holes , slots , shapes design cutouts , and the like . slanted support ridges can extend from the looped ring - type area of the holder attached and / or to the attachable track pad and / or the attached and / or attachable display screen ( s ) attachment area ( s ). image quality problem factors ( variables ) that are affected by the position of the viewer &# 39 ; s eye &# 39 ; s in relation to the position and angle of the devices screen ( s ) can be addressed . small screen devices , often must be held at a proper distance , angle , and attitude for user to achieve the best ( or even a suitable ) screen resolution and to limit distortion , glare and shaking the deterioration of any one of these variables can result in an unacceptable image and / or eyestrain for the user . some disclosed devices provide a suitable combination of orientation and distance from a user to provide a suitable view of an otherwise difficult - to - view screen . a ring - type holder platform and an associated main display screen with components in housing can be connected integrally or separably connected together , and may include a flexible ring - type strap / band may be utilized to provide user safety , comfort / fit and feel . additionally the ring type holders exterior surface may be flexible display ( curved and shaped as part of the ring type holder ) ( touch ) screen itself , thus utilizing additional ( touch ) display area hereby enhancing user options , e . g ., color display moves to music , scrolls updates and a multitude of additional options in another embodiment a holder is included , retained by hand and / or retained by finger , ring - type , holder configured to offer the user the ability for tilting , sliding and rotating the device to a chosen user position yet immediately changeable as user desires . a device can easily adjust and turn to be in the palm front of the hand for ( up to the ear ) phone use when not employing speaker phone . a device with holder base can adjust to users desired dimensions , angle , shapes , sizes and positions user desirable . a device can be personalized expanded for individual desired wants and needs . wearing the smart phone type device can greatly diminish the chances of forgetting the locations of the users phone , also it &# 39 ; s less likely to set the device down where it could be forgotten , lost or stolen . the more the device is worn the less likely it is for the user to “ sit on ” and break the device when put in a rear pocket . also the user does not need to search for where the “ phone ring ” is coming from , because the devise , the phone , is worn on users finger ( s ). an interface device can remain in a stable position while being worn and also while being operated , thus , it is always ready for operation when needed . a wearable design can allow the interface device to be used comfortably for extended periods of time without feeling fatigue and with limited interference of day to day use of users thumb and forefingers . the ring - type holder platform and the main display screen with components in housing can be connected integrally or separably connected together . further disclosed are various forms and methods of electronic communication devices with addition of thumb control interface with specific input point tracking technology to identify user source input point ( s ) on finger / thumb controlled touch pad and or track pad area . a device that is wearable on user ( s ) finger ( s ) for single hand operation , through input control on ergonomically reachable thumb active input area . a new type of thumb activated track pad is disclosed that helps overcome the shortcomings of prior art by allowing the user to have full view of display screen while directing a pointing device on a small scale direct response track pad attached to a ring type base holder wearable on users index finger . a device with a track pad for input compatible for control through users thumb small movements , a device capable for user to select / change / adjust keyboard styles , layouts and performance , reaction time of sensing and spacing to promote superior ergonomics and efficiency of user inputting control thereof . in another embodiment , a dedicated portion of the touchscreen can have an operable display , virtual keyboard options that are placed in reach and placement for interaction by users thumb ( s ) and responds / detects reaction to location - based distortions of thumb movements / actions . a thumb track pad interface control apparatus can comprise : a movement sensor configured to sense , and identify a marker point ( s ) on users thumb ( s )/ finger ( s ) and the magnitude of movement on / or over tracker pad and for generating a specific identified marker point signal in response to the sensed magnitude of movement , the movement and pressure of sending marker ( s ) can be selected from or combinations with e . g ., ink spot , identified finger print location spot , attached or applied symbol ( s ), spot ( s ), reflector ( s ), and the like . such a marker system can identify a specific location on user ( s ) finger ( s )/ thumb ( s ), tip ( s ) pad ( s ) of the human for signal generation and / or signal receiving associated with such specific point locator markers for sensing and / or receiving information pertaining to location , pressure , etc . identifying marker point ( s ) on users thumb ( s )/ finger ( s ) can move in tandem with finger / thumb movement and pressure over and on the track pad area equipped with sensing means . a track pad can have a designated area included to contain a smaller representational representation pattern of the user desired display screen contents . the icons , tiles , images and the like , that the user intends to manipulate , click on , move , swipe , enlarge , reduce , maneuver , interact with etc . on the user &# 39 ; s selected display screen ( s ). a signal generator and / or receiver can generate a second response signal in accordance with a predetermined output response to per - programmed computing processor thereby determining actions presented and displayed on desired display screen ( s ). a display screen and the element can display signal generated by users thumb signal point movements in three ( 3 ) dimensions . the third dimension represented the response to and from the closes edge of a three dimensional caricature display image . a track pad can have additional optical sensing of user &# 39 ; s assigned marker point ( s ) focusing images in the region in front and / or over the tracking pad sensor ( s ) for transforming the collected image points to electrical signals transferred to computing processor for returned display interaction promoting user command actions . the electrical signals can be coded and assigned display actions showing user requested images and changes thereto , providing means for high accuracy thumb - tip marker selection location interaction with computer and displayed on monitor ( s ). a compact , lightweight and efficient device that can be capable of identifying the effects of operators thumb movement actuated for pinpoint responses to push , thrust , tap , slide , swirl type motions of user selected marker point on the thumb surface , sensed upon , or over touch screen track pad area . the input sensors can recognize known patterns of motion that correspond to know input patterns of motion , touch , tap , slide , etc . the embodiments can be user sensed in a compact and efficient manner which decreases the amount of operator fatigue skill movements required . further disclosed are various forms and methods of electronic communication devices with addition of thumb control interface with specific input point tracking technology to identify user source input point ( s ) on finger / thumb controlled touch pad for a device that is wearable on user ( s ) finger ( s ) for single hand operation utilizing source input points marker locations movement parameters are detected and displayed on screen . thumb tracker pad interface area can be attached with computing systems and ring type holder that may operate as a user interface platform in an independent manner that provides user with quick , direct access to touch , click command actions to launch software applications and other user options available through the device . in one embodiment , an apparatus embodies a track pad , input system and permits the use of associated methods therewith . a track pad , primarily used by operators thumb , can have a sensor configured to detect a finger movement and can emit a position signals and movement of , designated marker , designed to be identifiable by track pad area sensors . this novel method alone or used in conjunction with touch screen ( s ) allows for more efficient , precise and less tiresome operation by the user than with other input devices and means . a novel wearable interface ( smart phone ) type device , can be capable of preforming , marker place tracking and read user commands on and over , imputing track pad area . in another embodiment a track pad , and or designated track pad area can be on touch screen display predominantly operated by users thumb ( s ). a thumb track pad surface area can have one or more small inverting dimples and / or raised extruding or other structure bumps on the track pad surface area for user feel of textile recognition specific location points on surface of pad area . in another embodiment , lining the outside perimeter of touch based track pad can be push button type switches , aligned in sets to be assigned functions and engaged , activated by user applying touch force against their top surfaces by thumb / finger tap pressure inputs thereon . presently required repetitive sequences often requiring use of multiple finger functions can be reduced or eliminated with disclosed devices and associated methods . in another embodiment the track pad area function also can acts as an intermediary between the user commands and the functions fulfilled on screen ( s ). the thumb track pad area can be able to accurately detect a new signal from the user and be able to respond appropriately . the position of the ring - type holder in alignment with thumb interface pad can better facilitate navigation of a screen interfacing selections / commands thereof without the user needing to reach and / or touch difficult to reach areas of hand held type devices touch display screens . in another embodiment , it is easily shown that productivity is inefficient when a user must first locate a cursor location and then maneuver it to the user desired location on screen . a user selection to have the cursor location instantly locate to a point on the screen where the user marker point is located on or above the thumb track pad area interface , thus saving time and increasing user productivity . also provides user quick access to start software applications with the simplicity of navigating to and away from icon , windows , tiles , etc . at users options , desired and convenience , the user can select amongst a menu of keyboard layout selections to be displayed and activated , at designated area within the touch screen for ease of user finger / thumb reach to desired actuation contact areas . a control device comprising a body which can be maintained in a substantially fixed position while in use or at rest on the user &# 39 ; s hand , worn on a finger of users hand without immobilizing the user &# 39 ; s fingers while carrying and / or operating a plurality of technology performances supported by said device . additionally , a user , options of keyboards and input methods , included with the devise , the user has a wide array of input and control options available for selection not available with prior art . a computer ( smart phone , type ) interface device can be predominately worn on the index finger preferably between the first and second knuckle of the users desired hand of such device . an interface device may be operated remotely away from the , a , display screen ( s ) being controlled by said device , physically separate from the display screen ( s ). a computer interface device can have a tracker pad area , primarily operated by users &# 39 ; thumb ( s ) that promotes single hand use ( s ) and expedites data entry and command points accuracy that is light weight , compact and can be operated with one hand . a user interface device can comprise a finger wearable body which can be maintained in a substantially fixed position relative to the user &# 39 ; s hand without immobilizing the user &# 39 ; s fingers . the main display screen the track pad and the , “ ring - type ” holder based can be mounted in an adjustable spaced relationship to engage the users preferred finger , position and size , the users thumb reachable area to facilitate input functionality on track pad area position , adapted to have pivotal adjustable movement to align to users specific need and desires with track pad positioned to be predominantly operated by users thumb movements . the device can be worn and transported while permitting movement of the users fingers . the device can also easily be configured and aligned to be situated adjacent to the back of the users finger for easy transport , but still readily available for immediate use . the device can also be easily rotated while still mounted on users index finger , with the fit designed with spaced relationship to engage the user palm of hand thereof , inside the users palm for transport , use , and / or held up to the users ear for private phone type conversation , with speaker and microphone in the device properly positioned for same . the device has directional sensor ( s ) and to automatic switch speaker to microphone if used by user &# 39 ; s left or right hand . a holder can be retained by hand and / or retained by finger worn , ring - type , base holder platform , offering the user the ability for tilting , sliding and rotating the device to a chosen user position yet immediately changeable as user desires for user to preform single hand operation , mobility and control . in one embodiment , an apparatus embodies a tracker pad area , input system and methods therein . a tracker pad , primarily positioned to be used by operators thumb has a sensor configured to emit position signals reflecting movement of a designated marker , designed to be identifiable by tracker pad sensor . this novel method alone or use in conjunction with touch screen ( s ) allows for more efficient , precise and less tiresome operation by the user than with prior art input devices . a wearable interface ( smart phone ) type device , can be capable of preforming , marker place tracking and read user commands on and over , imputing track pad . the tracker pad area can be designed to contain ( have ) a smaller representational representation pattern of the user desired display screen contents . the icons , tiles , images and the like , that the user intends to manipulate , click on , move , swipe , enlarge , reduce , maneuver , interact with etc ., on the user &# 39 ; s selected display screen ( s ). a dedicated portion of the touchscreen is for operable display , virtual keyboard options that are placed in reach and placement for interaction by users thumb ( s ) and responds / detects reaction to location - based distortions of thumb movements / actions . required repetitive sequences that a user previously must endure can be eliminated , therefor enhancing the benefits of the devices user interface , with a thumb track pad function that also acts as an intermediary between the user commands and the functions fulfilled on screen ( s ), the thumb track pad area is able to accurately detect a new signal from the user and is able to respond appropriately with user desired control of functions . a track pad with additional optical / sensing of user &# 39 ; s assigned marker point ( s ) focusing images in the region in front and / or over the tracking pad sensor ( s ) for transforming the collected image points to electrical signals transferred to computing processor for returned display interaction promoting user command actions . the electrical signals are coded and assigned display actions showing user requested images and changes thereto . the identifying marker point on users thumb ( s )/ finger ( s ) will move in tandem with finger movement and pressure ( s ) over and on the tracker pad equipped with sensing means . a signal generator and / or receiver configured to generate a second response signal in accordance with a predetermined output response to reprogrammed computing processor thereby determining actions presented and displayed on desired display screen ( s ) while being worn by user . a thumb track pad area , interface control apparatus can comprise : a movement sensor configured to identify marker point ( s ) on users thumb ( s )/ finger ( s ) and the magnitude of movement on / or over tracker pad and for generating a specific identified marker point signal in response to the sensed magnitude of movement , the movement and pressure of sending marker ( s ) can be selected from or combined with e . g ., ink spot , identified finger print location spot , attached or applied simple ( s ), spot ( s ), reflector ( s ), stickers and the like . an identifier of a specific location on user ( s ) finger ( s )/ thumb ( s ), tip ( s ) pad ( s ) of the human being signal generation and / or signal receiving associated with such specific point locator for a sensor or a receiver . lining the outside perimeter of touch based tracker pad can be push button type switches aligned in set to be assigned functions and engaged , activated by user applying touch force against their top surfaces by thumb / finger tap inputs thereon . additionally , techniques and methods are provided for increasing the performance and efficiency of identification of finger worn markers through tracker pads of finger - tip pad , marker points when employed in conjunction with , ring - type , holder base and user input interface devices , designated track pad detection area . a computer readable medium for particular tracker pad user interface with various image identification means to read markers on or about the users finger tips ( s ) and / or other image processing techniques to find and identify specific tracker points on a user &# 39 ; s finger tips , provides a seamless , dynamic , and intuitive experience for the user thereof , capturing data to detect and produce a select point , a pin point , on users finger ( s ) tip ( s ) that are used for input movement instruction commands . a delay in the movement of a cursor with a mouse type interface dragging or moving the cursor to the user desired point of contact to activate control with selected icon . an intermediary move of , or on , a mouse type interface of the cursor to the icon , window , tile etc . typically requiring user intervention in the form of a mouse click on a icon of interest , to view or control the program information . such action and the icon , window , tile etc . can be eliminated . with disclosed devices , such selection and clicking can be accomplished by a small motion / movement of thumb on or above the thumb based , track pad interface . previous drawbacks can be eliminated and disclosed devices can provide a light weight portable , wearable computing device with input devices configured for single - hand use . the input device , track pad , acts as digital control and can be positioned in the immediate proximity of the users thumb reach for an operator to control sequences which enables quick control of an appreciable number of operations with considerably reduced fatigue and effort while still allowing a user use of arms and allow mobility of users finger while transporting the wearable device . the thumb placement marker locations movement parameters are detected and displayed on screen . available methods and options of inputting in to the disclosed interface device may include one or more of the following approaches : 1 . single thumb movements on or over thumb - track pad screen interfaces . 2 . two thumb inputting on user selected style layout of keyboards on touch screen . a steady , reliable device platform , a ring type holder is provided that increases the user &# 39 ; s capacity to organize , manage , control and access available information and user viewing options all controlled with small movements of users thumb . these small movements on a small touch pad area can make large bold movements and control on the active user display screen ( s ) as a direct response pointing type cursor that can be actively controlled and commanded by said track pad actions . a display screen can provide an element of a display signal generated used by users thumb signal / marker point identified movements . a control device can comprise a body which can be maintained in a substantially fixed position while in use or at rest on the user &# 39 ; s hand worn on a finger of users hand without immobilizing the user &# 39 ; s fingers but still able to operate a plurality of technology performances supported by said body , each immediately available to user while wearing this technology . an apparatus can be played ( with by / on a performer on by player ) with the ring type holder providing a steady , mobile base offering vigorous movement inputting options . the devise maybe additionally designed to offer augmented reality gaming / viewing . presentation and function of keyboard layout designs , patterns and sizes can be improved compare to prior art devices , like keyboards . with a disclosed device , the user can also select from menu , keyboard layout pattern options or create their own keyboard layouts active areas and input positions locations as user desires and selects . a thin flexible display screen can be integrated into disclosed devices to greatly enhance the form and functionality of the wearable user interface device . the view screen ( s ) can include any combinations of text , graphic images , hyperlinks or any other visual views of displayed or hidden responsive icons and / or symbolizes and / or populated with wearying date type displays for user reference method of communication ( example ; voice , e - mails , text message ( s ), message content , tasks , task options and selection ( s ) etc . the view screen ( s ) are to be tied with audio and video visual ( tv ) as user selected and activated . display areas and / or attachments to / with the invention to be used with the user interface . as an example , the display , may provide a touch sensitive type interface surface , a surface allowing use to observe and select different applications and options within an application ( e . g . to select an icon and view contents ). adjustable display geometry characteristics of display ( s ) screen ( s ) correct for optical based viewing angle at which a user is viewing the finger wearable device in relationship from hand position to eyes position of user . a main display screen , the touch pad and the “ ring - type ” holder base are mounted in a adjustable spaced relationship to engage the users preferred finger position and size , the users desired thumb reachable area to facilitate input functionality on trackers pads position , all adapted to have pivotal adjustable movement to be aligned to users specific need and desires . some disclosed devices are capable of two - way and multiple connection communications , cellphone capabilities , e - mail , document transfers , video imputing / sending etc ., commonly referenced to as “ smart phone capabilities ”. an interface device can provides a controller configured to control multiple computers ( sometimes referred to herein as a computing environment ), over at least one computer network . the presented interface with ( ring - type base holder with thumb , tracker pad control ) additionally may control many different devices , including , but not limited to television turner / control box , entertainment centers , other hand held and desk top type devices , smart watches , smart glasses , remote display screens and the like . user interaction with a broad range of electronic devices can be unified , passing control signal ( s ) information and commands between host device and external device ( s ) an ergonomic , wearable user interface device may include remote control transmissions to and from user selected capable electronic devices for control of their functions and applications thereof . a ring - type holder can include one or more sensor ( s ) situated within the ring type portion of the holder . such a sensor ( s ) can be positioned so that the sensor ( s ) touch ( make contact with ) the skin when positioned on the user . the physical portion of the ring - type holder can have an inside surface that touches the skin of the user when being worn and one or more sensor ( s ) are positioned on the inside surface of the ring - type holder embodiment capable of sending data to the computing system for processing and display a multitude of graphics , text or any other visual data . embedded within the device , a camera &# 39 ; s , microphones , speakers , card reader / scanner &# 39 ; s , touch screens , touch pads , switched / controls for operation and options of user communication . a mobile device can be durable , waterproof and / or resistance , shock resistant , which may include internal and external cushioning , sealing , spacing , rounding edges , strong adhesives , protective covers and the like . a sensitive antenna ( s ) sensor does not require aiming of the device and provides strong stable transmission and reception of wireless signals . the exterior appearance can be customizable with interchangeable design attachments , providing additional options for industry and consumers by offering new shapes , sized and styles of wearable p . e . d . s that may include unique designs incorporating additional technology capabilities as they become available . a device can be personalized expanded for individual desired wants and needs . a light weight portable , wearable computing device can have an input device configured to permit single - hand use . fig8 illustrates a generalized example of a suitable computing environment 1100 in which described methods , embodiments , techniques , and technologies may be implemented . the computing environment 1100 is not intended to suggest any limitation as to scope of use or functionality of the technology , as the technology may be implemented in diverse general - purpose or special - purpose computing environments . for example , the disclosed technology may be implemented with other computer system configurations , including hand held devices , multiprocessor systems , microprocessor - based or programmable consumer electronics , network pcs , minicomputers , mainframe computers , and the like . the disclosed technology may also be practiced in distributed computing environments where tasks are performed by remote processing devices that are linked through a communications network . in a distributed computing environment , program modules may be located in both local and remote memory storage devices . with reference to fig8 , the computing environment 1100 includes at least one central processing unit 1110 and memory 1120 . in fig8 , this most basic configuration 1130 is included within a dashed line . the central processing unit 1110 executes computer - executable instructions and may be a real or a virtual processor . in a multi - processing system , multiple processing units execute computer - executable instructions to increase processing power and as such , multiple processors can be running simultaneously . the memory 1120 may be volatile memory ( e . g ., registers , cache , ram ), non - volatile memory ( e . g ., rom , eeprom , flash memory , etc . ), or some combination of the two . the memory 1120 stores software 1180 that can , for example , implement one or more of the innovative technologies described herein . a computing environment may have additional features . for example , the computing environment 1100 includes storage 1140 , one or more input devices 1150 , one or more output devices 1160 , and one or more communication connections 1170 . an interconnection mechanism ( not shown ) such as a bus , a controller , or a network , interconnects the components of the computing environment 1100 . typically , operating system software ( not shown ) provides an operating environment for other software executing in the computing environment 1100 , and coordinates activities of the components of the computing environment 1100 . the storage 1140 may be removable or non - removable , and includes magnetic disks , magnetic tapes or cassettes , cd - roms , cd - rws , dvds , or any other medium which can be used to store information and which can be accessed within the computing environment 1100 . the storage 1140 stores instructions 1180 , which can cause an associated computing environment to implement one or more technologies described herein . the input device ( s ) 1150 may be a touch input device , such as a keyboard , keypad , mouse , pen , or trackball , a voice input device , a scanning device , or another device , that provides input to the computing environment 1100 . for audio , the input device ( s ) 1150 may be a sound card or similar device that accepts audio input in analog or digital form , or a cd - rom reader that provides audio samples to the computing environment 1100 . the output device ( s ) 1160 may be a display , printer , speaker , cd - writer , or another device that provides output from the computing environment 1100 . the communication connection ( s ) 1170 enable communication over a communication medium ( e . g ., a connecting network ) to another computing entity . the communication medium conveys information such as computer - executable instructions , compressed graphics information , or other data in a modulated data signal . the data signal can include information pertaining to a physical parameter observed by a sensor or pertaining to a command issued by a controller , e . g ., to invoke a change in an operation of a component in a corresponding system . computer - readable media are any available media that can be accessed within a computing environment 1100 . by way of example , and not limitation , with the computing environment 1100 , computer - readable media include memory 1120 , storage 1140 , communication media ( not shown ), and combinations of any of the above . additional details are found in the foregoing descriptions of the drawings and annotation reference lists and are not repeated in the section . the examples described above generally concern wearable devices and associated systems . other embodiments than those described above in detail are contemplated based on the principles disclosed herein , together with any attendant changes in configurations of the respective apparatus described herein . incorporating the principles disclosed herein , it is possible to provide a wide variety of modular systems configured to transfer heat . moreover , systems disclosed above can be used in combination with other wearable device configurations and other many possible examples . apparatus , systems and methods for lightweight compact , portable , computing communications device , a personal electronic devise p . e . d . ( smart phone ) with wearable capability and may have retractable base ring type holder ( s ) with , thumb pad area user interface , for ergonomic single hand operation and mobility . the base ring type holder with thumb track pad area user interface includes marker location specific touch point tracking sensors and system linked to software technology to identify user source selected input point on users thumb / finger to be identified and assigned , a consistent user identification “ the pin point ” in location to be used in conjunction with track pad area interface sensors , that allows for efficient functionality of user commands . further disclosed is the methods and means for user selection and remote operation of any number of suitably configured electronic activated devices , examples include ; television , entertainment systems , gaming , alarm systems , lighting adjustment , automatic entry , heating / air conditioning systems , desk top . lap top , tablet computers , other smart phones , electronic glasses , electronic watches and the like . additional described embodiments of the invention include methods and means for user self - monitoring systems , with information obtained through sensors in and around the interior of ring type holder wearable by user , examples ; users blood pressure monitoring , heart rate , temperature , additional user health and exercise performance and safety information , i . e . distance user traveled ( gps ) location and route ( s ), warnings , notifications , alerts provided to user through visual indications , voice , sound , vibration and / or through e - mail ( s ), social media contacts , phone calling to user selected per - authorized recipients initiated through device . further disclosed is a platform holder base with methods for user interface device providing display and communication interaction from a multitude of information sources . specifically , a user interface device that is wearable on user finger ( s ) and provides for single hand operation / transport options . in one general aspect , a wearable computing device can include a base portion with , ring type holder , that may include display screen ( s ) attached and / or attachable , the display screen ( s ) may include touch screen with virtual keyboard for inputting , and / or track pad area , more specifically receptive to user thumb movement tracking of specifiable , marker point , location on users thumb / finger ( s ) as it moves over and on the sensors in , on and or around track pad designated area . the display screen ( s ) can have a portion coupled to the base , ring type holder , portion via a hinge providing multiple user angles selected positions . the display screen ( s ) and / or touch pad portion can be configured to rotate about an axis using a pivot point , type , hinge ( s ) attachable to , ring type , holder base . the bottom portion of the display screen ( s ) and / or the touch pad can be configured to be slide - able , to move along a guide over the top portion of the ring - type , holder in a translational direction orthogonal to the axis thereof . the , ring type , holder can be adjustable , expandable to accommodate users needs . the ring - type base , holder may be collapsible to lay flat against the bottom surface of display screen ( s ) case , possibly along a guide opening . the adjustable , ring type , holder may be pulled forward and out to adjust to users selected finger size and then pushed back to tighten or lay flat when not in use . this offers user different orientations of the hardware . this disclosure relates to a computer communication interface device , and more particularly but not exclusively to a easily transportable personal technology device , wearable on user &# 39 ; s finger ( s ) with input control options through movements on ( thumb ) track pad area sensor screen , that emulates the operation of direct response computer mouse , thus , user desired contents can be manipulated and shown on attached / attachable and / or remote display screen ( s ). furthermore this disclosure permits adaptions for single hand support , operator use , and function . directions and references ( e . g ., up , down , top , bottom , left , right , rearward , forward , etc .) may be used to facilitate discussion of the drawings but are not intended to be limiting . for example , certain terms may be used such as “ up ,” “ down ,”, “ upper ,” “ lower ,” “ horizontal ,” “ vertical ,” “ left ,” “ right ,” and the like . such terms are used , where applicable , to provide some clarity of description when dealing with relative relationships , particularly with respect to the illustrated embodiments . such terms are not , however , intended to imply absolute relationships , positions , and / or orientations . for example , with respect to an object , an “ upper ” surface can become a “ lower ” surface simply by turning the object over . nevertheless , it is still the same surface and the object remains the same . as used herein , “ and / or ” means “ and ” or “ or ”, as well as “ and ” and “ or .” moreover , all patent and non - patent literature cited herein is hereby incorporated by references in its entirety for all purposes . the principles described above in connection with any particular example can be combined with the principles described in connection with any one or more of the other examples . accordingly , this detailed description shall not be construed in a limiting sense , and following a review of this disclosure , those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate the wide variety of wearable device configurations and associated systems that can be devised using the various concepts described herein . moreover , those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the exemplary embodiments disclosed herein can be adapted to various configurations without departing from the disclosed principles . the previous description of the disclosed embodiments is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the disclosed innovations . 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 this disclosure . thus , the claimed inventions are not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown herein , but are to be accorded the full scope consistent with the language of 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 features described and claimed herein . moreover , nothing disclosed herein is intended to be dedicated to the public regardless of whether such disclosure is explicitly recited in the claims . no claim element is to be construed under the provisions of 35 usc 112 , sixth paragraph , unless the element is expressly recited using the phrase “ means for ” or “ step for ”. thus , in view of the many possible embodiments to which the disclosed principles can be applied , it should be recognized that the above - described embodiments are only examples and should not be taken as limiting in scope . i therefore reserve all rights to the subject matter disclosed herein , including the right to claim all that comes within the scope and spirit of the following claims . | 7 |
fig1 is an illustration of one embodiment of the invention at microwave frequencies . the invention utilizes a non - metal porous carrier 1 which may be in the form of a non - metal porous screen , 1a , mounted to an array of non - metal tiles , 1b . for example , the non - metal porous screen can be made of chemglas , which is a trademark of the chemical fabrics corporation . the non - metal tiles can be made of a suitable ceramic such as alumina . suitably fixed to the porous carrier 1 is a non - metal resilient mold insert 2 which will define , by its structure , the final configuration of the structural fiberboard objects to be produced in accordance with the invention . the mold insert 2 is essentially an array of nubs or protuberances evenly distributed over the surface of the carrier 1 . the material comprising the mold insert 2 may be silicone rubber or other suitable resilient material that can withstand temperatures of approximately 300 - 400 degrees fahrenheit and which is a relatively weak absorber of microwave power . the mold insert nubs may be solid , hollow , or a composite of resilient materials . hollow mold insert nubs would have a means of inflating the molds to a determined size and pressure . the non - metal tiles which comprise the non - metal porous carrier are suitably attached to a set of support rails 3 which are essentially spaced at the same intervals as the non - metal tiles making up the non - metal porous carrier 1 . the non - metal porous carrier 1 together with the support rails 3 make up a porous support which holds the mold insert 2 rigid . the support rails 3 may be spaced other ways , as long as they provide sufficient support for the porous carrier 1 . the support rails 3 may be composed of metal or non - metal materials . the width of the support rails 3 , that is the vertical dimension in fig1 is approximately an integral number of wavelengths at the applied microwave frequency , and is also sufficiently wide to support the non - metal porous carrier 1 and maintain suitable flatness of the non - metal porous carrier 1 as pressures in excess of 100 pounds per square inch are applied to the top of the non - metal porous carrier 1 . the support rails 3 may be attached to the enclosing walls of the apparatus at each end of the support rails 3 or they may be attached to plates , which are not attached to the enclosure , at each end of the support rails in applications where the support rails 3 , non - metal porous carrier 1 , and mold insert 2 , are moving in continuous processing embodiments . the support rails 3 can also be attached at one end and a space left at the opposite end , with mechanical support of the spaced ends coming from beneath the ends of the rails , rather than at the ends of the rails . the various embodiments of the support rails are designed to allow efficient transfer of microwave power into the wet sculptured fiber mat . below the support rails 3 is a largely vacant cavity 4 comprising a volume whose boundaries are defined by a metal enclosure . microwaves are introduced into the cavity 4 from an external source . the cavity dimensions into the paper and across the width of the paper , referring to fig1 are typically several wavelengths at the applied microwave frequency . the vertical dimension of the cavity 4 can be much less than several wavelengths , although the apparatus works best if this dimension is also several wavelengths . with suitably large dimensions , many microwave modes or characteristic stationary microwave field patterns are produced within the cavity 4 . the superposition of these modes facilitates production of a uniform distribution of microwave fields and a randomization of microwave field polarization or field vectors within the cavity . uniformity of microwave field distribution and randomization of field polarization within the cavity 4 is further enhanced through the use of a suitable revolving or otherwise moving microwave reflector 5 . the moving reflector 5 , can be a moving device suitably placed within the cavity 4 , or it can be a moveable portion or portions of the cavity enclosure . the largely uniform and randomly polarized microwave fields produced within the cavity 4 are transmitted between the support rails 3 , through the porous carrier 1 , and the mold insert 2 , with little attenuation . power transfer efficiency is optimized by choosing vertical dimensions for the support rails approximately equal to an integral number of half wavelengths at the applied microwave frequency , and by choosing low power - loss materials . microwaves from an external source enter the cavity 4 , through a suitably dimensioned and suitably positioned aperture 6 cut into the walls of the cavity enclosure . a suitable microwave tuning apparatus may be attached to the aperture in order to maximize power transfer from an external microwave source into the cavity 4 . such a tuning apparatus is well known to those skilled in the art . a cold - pressed , pre - formed wet mat 7 of sculptured fibers from which the final sculptured fiberboard object is made , is mounted over the mold insert 2 . this pre - formed wet mat 7 is prepared in a separate process similar to the early steps of the process disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 702 , 870 to vance c . setterholm and john f . hunt . teaching of the preparation of the pre - formed wet mat 7 contained in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 702 , 870 is not part of the present invention . the pre - formed mat 7 is produced in another apparatus or with suitable modifications to the present apparatus . in the pre - forming process and apparatus , a thin slurry of fibers is distributed over a mold whose shape and properties are similar to the mold insert described in this first embodiment of the present invention . the thin slurry of fibers is dewatered and compressed in a cold press to remove most of the free water and give the mat its basic preliminary shape . the mat is removed from this pre - forming apparatus or equipment and placed in the apparatus described here as a final processing step in which final compaction and drying takes place . the pre - formed mat 7 is then pressed between the mold insert 2 and a heated top mold 8 . the top mold 8 produces a pressure normal to the flat face , 7a , of the fiber mat of approximately 100 - 200 pounds per square inch . the resilient mold insert 2 responds by producing forces parallel and other than parallel to the normal force exerted by the moving mold 8 . this is because of the particular nature of the resilient materials which comprise the mold insert 2 . the resultant forces densify the fiber mat in three - dimensions . force is exerted on the top mold 8 from a ram rod 9 connected to the center of the top mold 8 . force is exerted on the ram rod 9 from an external hydraulic press mechanism . for large top mold plates , multiple guide rods which ride on linear bearings may be used to maintain alignment of the top mold as it presses the fiber mat . other press mechanisms exist for suitably moving the top mold 8 which are known to those skilled in the art . the top mold may have internal channels 10 which contain electric heating elements to heat the top mold . similar channels may be provided to allow steam heating or other gaseous or fluid heating of the top mold 8 . heating of the entire apparatus is provided through a set of electric band heaters 12 which are in contact with the exterior walls of the device . other methods of heating these surfaces , such as steam heating , may be substituted for electric heat . heating of the entire apparatus to temperatures of at least 212 degrees fahrenheit prevents moisture from condensing on interior surfaces . the top mold itself is porous or it is comprised of porous members which permit venting of water and water vapor from the flat face of the fiber mat as it dries . in one embodiment illustrated in fig2 the top mold comprises a pair of rigid metal plates 13 covered with a woven metal screen 14a which is , in turn , covered with a perforated metal screen 14b . the details shown in fig2 represent a magnified view of the region circled in fig1 and referenced with numeral 11 . water and water vapor from the wet fiber mat pass through these porous members , 14a and 14b , and out of the apparatus through an array of small vent holes 15 in the rigid support plates 13 . around the perimeter of the top mold 8 , is a microwave choke , 16 . the microwave choke reflects microwaves that impinge upon the space between the moving mold and the fixed frame of the moving mold 8 . by reflecting microwaves at this point , containment of microwaves within the apparatus is facilitated . microwaves must be stringently confined within the apparatus to avoid hazardous irradiation of nearby personnel and interference with electronic equipment . one embodiment of the microwave choke , 16 , is illustrated in fig2 . the choke , 16 , comprises a pair of channels , 16a and 16b , formed completely around the perimeter of the top mold support plates 13 and set at suitable angles relative to one another . each of the channels , 16a and 16b , is effectively a one - quarter wavelength section of waveguide . characteristic of a quarter wave section , a microwave short circuit at one end of the section is transformed to an open circuit at the other end . conversely , a microwave open circuit at one end of a quarter wave section is transformed to a short circuit at the opposite end . the short circuit at the right side of the upper channel , 16a , of the choke , 16 , is therefore transformed to approximately an open circuit at the juncture between channels , 16a and 16b . traversing another quarter wavelength across the lower channel , 16b , produces a short circuit in the space between the top mold 8 and the top mold press plate frame where microwaves enter the choke channel , 16b . the impedance presented to microwaves at this point is comparable to the impedance of a metal , causing effective reflection of the microwaves . near the juncture of the two channels , 16a and 16b , comprising the microwave choke 16 , a sliding metal contact 16c bridges the space between the moving top mold support plates 13 and the frame of the top mold . the sliding metal contact , 16c , reflects any small residual microwave power that might make it past the microwave choke 16 . a suitable microwave absorbing material or a second microwave choke can be substituted for the sliding metal contact , 16c , near the juncture of the two channels , 16a and 16b , comprising the microwave choke 16 . since the microwave impedance at this juncture is nearly an open circuit , currents will be minimal , due to the nature of microwaves . minimal current will thereby pass through the sliding metal contact 16c or any other structure placed at this juncture . the porous carrier 1 , mold insert 2 , support rails 3 , and top mold 8 can be a stationary assembly for batch type processing or these elements can form a moving carrier assembly for the fiber mat 7 so as to be part of a continuous production process . in this situation , the cavity portion , 4 , of the apparatus into which microwaves are introduced would be enlarged to accommodate the movement of this carrier assembly . fig3 is an illustration of an embodiment which permits continuous production . in this embodiment , the porous carrier 17 , mold insert 18 , support rails 19 , top mold 20 and top mold frame , 22 , have construction similar to members having the same names in the embodiment illustrated in fig1 except that in the present embodiment these members form a moveable assembly which carries the wet fiber mat . the ends of the support rails are attached to a carrier plate 21 which rides upon a plurality of rollers 23a arranged in an approximate linear fashion . the top mold 20 of the moveable carrier assembly is in contact with a second plurality of rollers 23b which is also arranged in an approximate linear fashion . the vertical separation between rollers 23a and 23b decreases in the direction of movement of the moveable carrier assembly . the reduction in separation between roller arrays causes the top mold 20 to move vertically and press against the fiber mat . separation of the roller arrays 23a and 23b and rate of translation of the fiber mat and carrier assembly between the roller assemblies are coordinated to maintain a pressure of approximately 100 - 200 pounds per square inch or other predetermined pressure as the fiber mat moves through the apparatus and dries . beneath the carrier assembly is an open cavity 24 into which microwaves are introduced . in the present embodiment , this cavity 24 will usually have dimensions much larger than the cavity 4 used in the embodiment illustrated in fig1 . microwaves can be introduced into the cavity 24 through an aperture or a plurality of apertures . a single external microwave source or a plurality of microwave sources can feed microwave power into the cavity 24 . at either end of the apparatus is a tunnel entry 25 and 26 . the moveable carrier nearly fills this tunnel which facilitates containment of microwaves within the apparatus . the runnel walls are equipped with suitable means for preventing escape of microwaves . suitable means are well known to those skilled in the microwave arts . for example , the tunnel entries 25 and 26 may be equipped with various quarter wave stubs and microwave absorbers suitably positioned to reflect and absorb microwaves in the tunnel sections . the top mold 20 may have a thickness and corresponding volume that makes it unnecessary to heat the mold as it traverses the apparatus . with suitable top mold mass , enough stored heat exists within the top mold 20 to vaporize all of the water within the wet fiber mat . the top mold 20 may therefore be preheated to approximately 200 - 400 degrees fahrenheit outside the apparatus before joining with the moveable carrier assembly . no further heat need be applied to the top mold as it traverses the apparatus . the temperature of the top mold declines as it contacts the wet fiber mat and looses energy to vaporization of water within the fiber mat . the temperature drop must not be so large as to bring the temperature of the top mold down below approximately 212 degrees fahrenheit where water condenses at atmospheric pressure . as an example , a top mold composed of an aluminum plate having a thickness of 10 centimeters will cool by approximately 100 degrees fahrenheit if all of the water within a fiber mat containing 0 . 57 grams of water per square centimeter of surface is vaporized by heat from the top mold . preheating this exemplary top mold to approximately 350 - 400 degrees fahrenheit will assure that adequate surface heat is applied passively throughout the drying process . elimination of the need for active heating of the top mold eliminates the necessity for moving attachments associated with the top mold , greatly simplifying the apparatus . the following is a list of specific parameters which resulted from experimental work which has been performed at microwave frequencies during the development of this invention : 1 . drying speed of 2 . 5 cm × 45 . 7 cm × 45 . 7 cm wood - fiber mats using a combination of microwaves and surface heat was increased by a factor of five compared to drying with surface heat alone . 2 . moisture content was reduced from approximately 65 % to approximately 6 - 12 % with a moisture variation across sample mats of approximately ± 1 . 5 %. 3 . surface temperatures of the top mold and top mold frame were 275 degrees fahrenheit , and microwave power levels were approximately 2 . 2 kilowatts per square foot of fiber mat . 3 . mold insert nubs were composed of silastic hs iii silicone robber from the dow corning corporation and were arranged in a 9 × 9 matrix to form a complete mold insert . each mold insert nub was approximately 4 . 2 cm × 4 . 2 cm at the base , 3 . 6 cm × 3 . 6 cm at the top , and 3 . 4 cm high . 4 . porous member support tiles were composed of 5 . 1 cm × 5 . 1 cm × 0 . 95 cm al - 600 alumina ceramic from wesgo technical ceramics , incorporated . 5 . non - metal porous member screen was composed of 10 mil porous chemglas , a trademark of chemical fabrics corporation . 6 . the porous member support rails were one wavelength in width , or 12 . 2 cm , 1 . 27 cm thick , 50 . 8 cm long and were composed of aluminum alloy 6061 - t6 . 8 . a pressure of approximately 120 pounds per square inch was applied as microwaves and surface heat were simultaneously applied during drying of wet fiber mats . 9 . the top mold porous member was composed of a 50 mesh woven stainless steel screen beneath a 20 mil perforated stainless steel sheet having 22 % transparency by mcnichols company . 10 . the sliding metal contacts consisted of medium tension canted coil springs by bal seal engineering company . the spring material was hastelloy c - 276 , a trademark of cabot corporation . fig4 illustrates an exploded view of one embodiment applicable to low radio frequencies below approximately a few hundred megahertz . similar to other embodiments just described , the embodiment utilizes a porous carrier 27 on which are mounted a plurality of spaced resilient mold insert nubs 28 . a pre - formed cold - pressed wet fiber mat 29 is mounted onto the mold insert 28 . a porous member , 30 is placed between the top of the fiber mat and a metallic flat - surfaced press plate 31 . the mold insert 28 and the porous carrier 27 are mounted to a metal support plate 32 . as in microwave embodiments , force is applied to the press plate 31 normal to its face . this normal force produces three - dimensional forming forces in the fiber mat , due to three - dimensional deformation of the resilient mold insert hubs 28 . simultaneous with compaction , lrf voltage is applied to the top press plate 31 and the bottom support plate 32 which are electrically insulated from each other . radio frequency voltage is applied through a direct conductor connection from an external supply of lrf waves . the external supply of lrf waves consists of a prime source 34 and a suitable lumped element impedance matching circuit 33 . elements of the impedance matching circuit are adjusted to insure that maximum lrf power is transferred from the lrf source , 34 , to the plates , 31 and 32 , and ultimately to the wet fiber mat , 29 . techniques and suitable configurations for impedance matching are well known to those skilled in the art . lrf waves are applied to the wet fiber mat 29 in combination with surface heat from the top press plate 31 and the lower support plate 32 . heating channels 31a and 32a are shown in fig4 through which heated steam or other medium may flow to heat the plates . electric heaters may also be embedded within the plates . they may also be heated between drying runs and take advantage of thermal mass to passively maintain surface temperatures during drying , as described for microwave embodiments . fig5 shows an embodiment in which drying units are stacked vertically and pressed from above and below as an assembly . this technique and apparatus would be applied in a multi - opening press operation used in high - speed mass production . in this case , the resilient mold inserts 36a , pre - formed wet fiber mats 36b , and porous carriers 36c are shown connected together into individual assemblies 36 . these assemblies are placed between a plurality of press plates 35 . a force applied to the top of the stack of assemblies compacts each fiber mat as it did in a single unit . lrf voltage is applied to every other plate of the apparatus to provide lrf heating power to each fiber mat . lrf voltage can be distributed to the various plates from a single source , or from many individual sources . the plates are again heated as described earlier for a single unit . the invention is to be distinguished from other inventions for producing sculptured fiberboard in that it teaches a method and apparatus for greatly increasing drying speeds of sculptured fiber mats using radiowaves and surface heat which are applied to fiber mats simultaneously with large three - dimensional compacting forces resulting from one dimensional pressing forces . tests have been performed on a prototype of the present invention . designs , procedures and results are documented in a non - public disclosure to the u . s . department of agriculture in report no . usda / 33610 - 0076 - 2 , dated jul . 15 , 1995 . test results , presented in the aforementioned disclosure , demonstrate that drying of sculptured fiberboard using the method and apparatus taught in the present invention is at least five times faster than drying using surface heat alone . this dramatic increase in drying speed is a substantial extension of the state - of - the - art , removing one of the principal hindrances to high - speed mass - production of sculptured fiberboard , particularly thicker versions of this class of product . the present invention will allow commercialization of a wide range of new applications for sculptured fiberboard objects in the construction , furniture , material handling , and packaging industries . other applications in additional industries will present themselves to those skilled in these arts . while the invention has been described in detail above , it is to be understood that this is by way of example only and the protection granted is to be limited solely by the spirit of the invention and the scope of the following claims . | 5 |
hereinafter , preferred embodiments of the present invention will be explained in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings . fig1 ( a )- 1 ( g ) show a semiconductor device and its manufacturing steps in accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention . in the drawings , a reference number 1 denotes a semiconductor substrate , a reference number 21 denotes a bpsg film performing as an insulating film formed on the semiconductor substrate 1 , a reference number 41b denotes a first - layer metal wiring performing as a lower - layer metal wiring , a reference number 42b denotes a second - layer metal wiring performing as an intermediate - layer metal wiring , a reference number 43b denotes a third - layer metal wiring performing as an upper - layer metal wiring , a reference number 22 denotes a first inter - layer insulating film isolating the first - and second - layer metal wirings 41b and 42b , a reference number 23 denotes a second inter - layer insulating film isolating the second - and third - layer metal wirings 42b and 43b , a reference number 32 denotes a resist pattern disposed on a first - layer metal film 41a to make the first - layer metal wiring 41b , a reference number 34 denotes a resist pattern disposed on a second - layer metal film 42a to make the second - layer metal wiring 42b , a reference number 35 denotes a resist pattern forming a contact or a through hole connecting the semiconductor substrate 1 , the lower - layer metal wiring 41b , the intermediate - layer metal wiring 42b and the upper - layer metal wiring 43b , a reference number 36 denotes a resist pattern disposed on a third - layer metal film 43a to make the third - layer metal wiring 43b , a reference number 50 denotes a through hole extending passing through the bpsg film 21 , the first inter - layer insulating film 22 and the second inter - layer insulating film 23 , and a reference number 51 denotes a metal contact filled in the through hole 50 . hereinafter , the manufacturing method of the semiconductor device in accordance with the first embodiment will be explained . fig1 ( a )- 1 ( g ) are cross - sectional views showing manufacturing steps of the semiconductor device in accordance with the first embodiment . first , as illustrated in fig1 ( a ), the semiconductor substrate 1 with the transistor and separating regions is prepared . the bpsg film 21 is formed on this semiconductor substrate 1 by the atmospheric cvd method . then , the first - layer metal film 41a is formed on the bpsg film 21 using sputtering method , by successively depositing ti , tin , aluminum alloy containing several % of si and cu , and tin with thicknesses of several tens nm , 100 nm , 700 nm and 100 nm , respectively . thereafter the resist pattern 32 , configuring the wiring pattern of first - layer metal wiring , is formed on the first - layer metal film 41a . next , as illustrated in fig1 ( b ), dry etching is applied on the first - layer metal film 41a , leaving the first - layer metal wiring 41b . the resist pattern 32 is then removed and the first - layer metal wiring 41b is cleaned . subsequently , as illustrated in fig1 ( c ), an sio 2 film is formed on the first - layer metal wiring 41b using plasma cvd method . and then , a resist film is formed on the entire surface of the sio 2 film . these resist film and sio 2 film are planarized by etching , thereby forming the first inter - layer insulating film 22 . in turn , using sputtering , the second - layer metal film 42a is formed on the first inter - layer insulating film 22 by successively depositing ti , tin , aluminum alloy containing several % of si and cu , and tin with thicknesses of several tens nm , 100 nm , 800 nm , and 100 nm , respectively . thereafter the resist pattern 34 , configuring the wiring pattern of second - layer metal wiring , is formed on the second - layer metal film 42a . next , as illustrated in fig1 ( d ), dry etching is applied on the second - layer metal film 42a , leaving the second - layer metal wiring 42b . the resist pattern 34 is then removed and the second - layer metal wiring 42b is cleaned . subsequently , an sio 2 film is formed on the second - layer metal wiring 42b using plasma cvd method . then , a resist film is formed on the entire surface of the sio 2 film . these resist film and sio 2 film are planarized by etching , thereby forming the second inter - layer insulating film 23 . next , as illustrated in fig1 ( e ), the resist pattern 35 , configuring the through hole 50 , is formed on the second inter - layer insulating film 23 . thereafter , using the resist pattern 35 as a mask , etching is applied on the second inter - layer insulating film 23 , first inter - layer insulating film 22 and bpsg film 21 successively , leaving the through hole 50 penetrating all of them . the resist pattern 35 is then removed and the through hole 50 is cleaned . when the first - layer metal wiring 41b needs to be electrically isolated from the second - layer metal wiring 42b , a large cutout portion is provided on either of these first - and second - layer metal wirings 41b and 42b at a portion where the through hole 50 passes through , so that the wall surface of the cutout portion is not exposed to the through hole 50 . on the contrary , when the first - layer metal wiring 41b needs to be electrically conducted with the second - layer metal wiring 42b , a small cutout portion is provided on either of these first - and second - layer metal wirings 41b and 42b at a portion where the through hole 50 passes through , so that the wall surface of the cutout portion is exposed to the through hole 50 . meanwhile , when the contact needs not be connected to the semiconductor substrate 1 , the position of the through hole 50 on the first - layer metal wiring 41b is selected to be on a portion other than the cutout portion . next , as illustrated in fig1 ( f ), a metal film , containing tungsten ( w ) as metal material , is formed on the entire surface of the through hole 50 by the cvd method , and then etching is applied on the entire surface of the metal film , thus forming the contact 51 only within the through hole 50 . in turn , using sputtering , the third - layer metal film 43a is formed on the second inter - layer insulating film 23 by successively depositing ti , tin , aluminum alloy containing several % of si and cu , and tin with thicknesses of several tens nm , 100 nm , 800 nm , and 100 nm , respectively . thereafter the resist pattern 36 , configuring the wiring pattern of third - layer metal wiring , is formed on the third - layer metal film 43a . next , as illustrated in fig1 ( g ), dry etching is applied on the third - layer metal film 43a using a mask of the resist pattern 36 , leaving the third - layer metal wiring 43b . the resist pattern 36 is then removed and the third - layer metal wiring 43b is cleaned . thus , the semiconductor device having a three - layer metal wiring structure is accomplished . fig2 shows a through hole formation step of fig1 ( e ), wherein the semiconductor substrate 1 is formed with active regions , such as a locos region 1a and a polysilicon electrode 1b serving as a gate . the region designated by reference numeral 1c indicates the position of a possible locos ( or active ) region or of an electrode region formed on the substrate 1 where a through hole , such as the through hole 35a , opens to the substrate . in fig2 reference numbers ( 1 ) to ( 5 ) represent various connecting patterns of metal wiring . the reference number ( 1 ) denotes a connecting pattern conducting the third - layer metal wiring 43b and the first - layer metal wiring 41b , wherein the through hole 50 is positioned on the first - layer metal wiring 41b . to form this connecting pattern ( 1 ), dry etching is applied on the first and second inter - layer insulating films 22 and 23 , and stopped when it reaches the first - layer metal wiring 41b . the reference number ( 2 ) denotes a connecting pattern conducting the third - layer metal wiring 43b , second - layer metal wiring 42b and the semiconductor substrate 1 . the second - layer metal wiring 42b is formed with a cutout portion 42b whose size is identical with the contact connecting the second - layer metal wiring 42b and the semiconductor substrate 1 . an opening portion 35a , provided for forming the contact connecting the third - layer metal wiring 43b and the second - layer metal wiring 42b , has a size slightly larger than that of the cutout portion 42b . with this arrangement , etching applied to the second inter - layer insulating film 23 is blocked by the second - layer metal wiring 42b when it reaches the second - layer metal wiring 42b . namely , etching is stopped at the region where the second - layer metal wiring 42b is exposed . thereafter , etching progresses with a region corresponding to the cutout portion 42b through the first inter - layer insulating film 22 and the bpsg film 21 successively until it reaches the semiconductor substrate 1 . formation of the connecting patterns ( 3 ), ( 4 ) and ( 5 ) of fig2 is fundamentally similar to that of the connecting pattern ( 2 ) and therefore will be not explained . fig3 shows the tungsten filling step of fig1 ( g ). in fig3 a reference number ( 1 ) denotes a filling pattern connecting the third - layer metal wiring 43b and the first - layer metal wiring 42b , a reference number ( 2 ) denotes a filling pattern connecting the third - layer metal wiring 43b , second - layer metal wiring 42b and the semiconductor substrate 1 , a reference number ( 3 ) denotes a filling pattern connecting the third - layer metal wiring 43b , second - layer metal wiring 42b , first - layer metal wiring 41b and the semiconductor substrate 1 , a reference number ( 4 ) denotes a filling pattern connecting the second - layer metal wiring 42b and the semiconductor substrate 1 ( i . e . the polysilicon electrode 1b in the drawing ), and a reference number ( 5 ) denotes a filling pattern connecting the first - layer metal wiring 41b and the semiconductor substrate 1 . according to the above - explained first embodiment , the number of manufacturing steps is reduced from 24 ( or up to 27 ) steps of the conventional method to 19 steps . this brings 20 - 30 % reduction of manufacturing steps for forming a multi - layer metal wiring structure of a semiconductor device , resulting in improvement of productivity . the first embodiment requires only one resist pattern formation for the formation of the contact hole , which is very effective compared with the conventional method requiring at least three resist pattern formations by photolithography using exposure machine . furthermore , the first embodiment is advantageous in the formation of ti , tin and aluminum alloy using sputtering since these ti , tin and aluminum alloy can be formed on a semiconductor substrate formed with no contact and through hole . therefore , a special machine depositing metal in a small hole is no longer required . fig4 ( a )- 4 ( g ) show a semiconductor device and its manufacturing steps in accordance with the second embodiment of the present invention . in fig4 ( a )- 4 ( g ), a semiconductor substrate 1 , a bpsg film 21 performing as an insulating film , a first - layer metal wiring 41b performing as a lower - layer metal wiring , a second - layer metal wiring 42b performing as an intermediate - layer metal wiring , a third - layer metal wiring 43b performing as an upper - layer metal wiring , a first inter - layer insulating film 22 , a second inter - layer insulating film 23 , resist patterns 32 , 34 , 35 and 36 , a through hole 50 and a contact 51 are similar to those of the first embodiment and therefore applied the same reference numbers and no more explained . hereinafter , the manufacturing method of the semiconductor device in accordance with the second embodiment will be explained with reference to fig4 ( a )- 4 ( g ). first , as illustrated in fig4 ( a ), the semiconductor substrate 1 with the transistor and separating regions is prepared . the bpsg film 21 is formed on this semiconductor substrate 1 by the atmospheric cvd method . then , the first - layer metal film 41a is formed on the bpsg film 21 using sputtering method , by successively depositing ti , tin , aluminum alloy containing several % of si and cu , and tin with thicknesses of several tens nm , 100 nm , 700 nm and 100 nm , respectively . thereafter the resist pattern 32 , configuring the wiring pattern of first - layer metal wiring , is formed on the first - layer metal film 41a . next , as illustrated in fig4 ( b ), dry etching is applied on the first - layer metal film 41a , leaving the first - layer metal wiring 41b . the resist pattern 32 is then removed and the first - layer metal wiring 41b is cleaned . subsequently , as illustrated in fig4 ( c ), an sio 2 film is formed on the first - layer metal wiring 41b using plasma cvd method . and then , a resist film is formed on the entire surface of the sio 2 film . these resist film and sio 2 film are planarized by etching , thereby forming the first inter - layer insulating film 22 . in turn , using sputtering , the second - layer metal film 42a is formed on the first inter - layer insulating film 22 by successively depositing ti , tin , aluminum alloy containing several % of si and cu , and tin with thicknesses of several tens nm , 100 nm , 800 nm , and 100 nm , respectively . thereafter the resist pattern 34 , configuring the wiring pattern of second - layer metal wiring , is formed on the second - layer metal film 42a . next , as illustrated in fig4 ( d ), dry etching is applied on the second - layer metal film 42a , leaving the second - layer metal wiring 42b . the resist pattern 34 is then removed and the second - layer metal wiring 42b is cleaned . subsequently , an sio 2 film is formed on the second - layer metal wiring 42b using plasma cvd method . then , a resist film is formed on the entire surface of the sio 2 film . these resist film and sio 2 film are planarized by etching , thereby forming the second inter - layer insulating film 23 . next , as illustrated in fig4 ( e ), the resist pattern 35 , configuring the through hole 50 , is formed on the second inter - layer insulating film 23 . thereafter , using the resist pattern 35 as a mask , etching is applied on the second inter - layer insulating film 23 , first inter - layer insulating film 22 and bpsg film 21 successively , leaving the through hole 50 penetrating all of them . the resist pattern 35 is then removed and the through hole 50 is cleaned . when the first - layer metal wiring 41b needs to be electrically isolated from the second - layer metal wiring 42b , a large cutout portion 42b is provided on either of these first - and second - layer metal wirings 41b and 42b at a portion where the through hole 50 passes through , so that the wall surface of the cutout portion 42b is not exposed to the through hole 50 . on the contrary , when the first - layer metal wiring 41b needs to be electrically conducted with the second - layer metal wiring 42b , a small cutout portion 41b is provided on either of these first - and second - layer metal wirings 41b and 42b at a portion where the through hole 50 passes through , so that the wall surface of the cutout portion 41b is exposed to the through hole 50 . meanwhile , when the contact needs not be connected to the semiconductor substrate 1 , the position of the through hole 50 on the first - layer metal wiring 41b is selected to be on a portion other than the cutout portion . ( not shown in the drawings ) next , as illustrated in fig4 ( f ), ti is deposited with several tens nm thickness on the second inter - layer insulating film 23 by sputtering . thereafter , aluminum alloy containing several % of si and cu is deposited with 800 nm thickness on the ti film , under the conditions that the temperature of the semiconductor substrate 1 is maintained at 400 ° c ., which allows the aluminum alloy to enter and fill the inside space of through hole 50 . subsequently , tin is deposited with 100 nm thickness on the aluminum alloy film , thus the third - layer metal film 43a is formed . thereafter the resist pattern 36 , configuring the wiring pattern of third - layer metal wiring , is formed on the third - layer metal film 43a . next , as illustrated in fig4 ( g ), dry etching is applied on the third - layer metal film 43a using a mask of the resist pattern 36 , leaving the third - layer metal wiring 43b . the resist pattern 36 is then removed and the third - layer metal wiring 43b is cleaned . thus , the semiconductor device having a three - layer metal wiring structure is accomplished . according to the above - explained second embodiment , the number of manufacturing steps is reduced from the 24 ( or up to 27 ) steps of the conventional method to 18 steps . this brings 20 - 30 % reduction of manufacturing steps for forming a multi - layer metal wiring structure of a semiconductor device , resulting in improvement of productivity . the second embodiment requires only four times exposures for the formation of the three - layer metal wiring structure , which is definitely efficient compared with the conventional method requiring at least six times exposures . thus , productivity is surely improved . fig5 ( a )- 5 ( c ) show a semiconductor device and its manufacturing steps in accordance with the third embodiment of the present invention . in fig5 ( a )- 5 ( c ), a semiconductor substrate 1 , a bpsg film 21 performing as an insulating film , a first - layer metal wiring 41b performing as a lower - layer metal wiring , a second - layer metal wiring 42b performing as an intermediate - layer metal wiring , a third - layer metal wiring 43b performing as an upper - layer metal wiring , a first inter - layer insulating film 22 , and a second inter - layer insulating film 23 are similar to those of the first embodiment and therefore applied the same reference numbers and no more explained . reference numbers 41a , 42a and 43a denote metal material filling the contact hole , reference number 24 denotes an insulating film covering the third - layer metal wiring 43b , reference number 37 denotes a resist pattern which configures the contact and through hole connecting the semiconductor substrate 1 and first - to third - layer metal wirings 41b , 42b and 43b . hereinafter , the manufacturing method of the semiconductor device in accordance with the third embodiment will be explained with reference to fig5 ( a )- 5 ( c ). fig5 ( a ) shows a condition where an insulating film 24 is formed on the second conventional semiconductor device previously described . fig5 ( b ) and 5 ( c ) illustrate the method of forming an additional electrical connection on the semiconductor device shown in fig5 ( a ). next , as illustrated in fig5 ( b ), the resist pattern 37 , formed with an opening at a desired position , is formed on the insulating film 24 . then , etching is successively applied on the insulating film 24 , second and first inter - layer insulating films 23 and 22 , and the insulating film 21 , until it reaches a desired depth . in this case , a metal to be connected with the contact is exposed to the through hole 50 through the etching applied . subsequently , as illustrated in fig5 ( c ), the resist pattern 37 is removed and the through hole 50 is cleaned . the through hole 50 is then filled with metal material to form the contact . as described in the foregoing description , the third embodiment allows , after the semiconductor device is completely constructed , to add a desirable connecting pattern thereon as occasion demands , which assures the realization of a high performance semiconductor device by simply modifying properties of a once - completed semiconductor device . fig6 ( a )- 6 ( d ) show a semiconductor device and its manufacturing steps in accordance with the fourth embodiment of the present invention , which is different from the third embodiment in additionally providing a resist pattern 38 , cutting a metal wiring , as shown in fig6 ( d ). first , as illustrated in fig6 ( a )- 6 ( c ), the same procedure as the steps of the third embodiment explained with reference to fig5 ( a )- 5 ( c ) is executed . after that , as illustrated in fig6 ( d ), the resist pattern 38 with an opening for cutting an unnecessary portion of the metal wiring is formed , followed by etching partly removing the unnecessary portions of the insulating film 24 and the third - layer metal wiring 43b . as explained in the foregoing description , the fourth embodiment allows , after the semiconductor device is completely constructed , not only adding a desirable connecting pattern thereon but cutting an unnecessary wiring portion as occasion demands , which assures the realization of a high performance semiconductor device by simply modifying properties of a once - completed semiconductor device . fig7 ( a - 1 ) to ( f - 1 ) and ( a - 2 ) to ( f - 2 ) show various examples of simple formation of a contact or through hole connecting metal wire layers in a multi - layer metal wiring structure . fig7 ( a - 1 ) to ( f - 1 ) are plan views only showing the metal wiring 41b , 42b and 43b , and the contact extending normal to the sheet . fig7 ( a - 2 ) to ( f - 2 ) are sectional views taken along a center line of each of fig7 ( a - 1 ) to ( f - 1 ). figs . ( a - 1 ) and ( a - 2 ) show a connecting pattern conducting the first - layer metal wiring 41b and the semiconductor substrate 1 , figs . ( b - 1 ) and ( b - 2 ) show a connecting pattern conducting the second - layer metal wiring 42b and the semiconductor substrate 1 , figs . ( c - 1 ) and ( c - 2 ) show a connecting pattern conducting the third - layer metal wiring 43b and the semiconductor substrate 1 , figs . ( d - 1 ) and ( d - 2 ) show a connecting pattern conducting the first -, second - and third - layer metal wiring 41b , 42b and 43b and the semiconductor substrate 1 , figs . ( e - 1 ) and ( e - 2 ) show a connecting pattern conducting the first -, second - and third - layer metal wiring 41b , 42b and 43b , and figs . ( f - 1 ) and ( f - 2 ) show a connecting pattern conducting the first - and third - layer metal wiring 41b and 43b . fig8 ( a ) and 8 ( b ) show a semiconductor device and its manufacturing steps in accordance with the fifth embodiment of the present invention , which is characterized in that metal wiring layers , extending in the back - and - forth direction , are exposed at the side surface ( i . e . the right side surface in the drawing ) of the semiconductor device . in fig8 ( a ) and 8 ( b ), a reference number 1 denotes a substrate ( or an electrode formed on the substrate ) which is electrically isolated , a reference number 41b denotes a first - layer metal wiring performing as a lower - layer metal wiring , a reference number 42b denotes a second - layer metal wiring performing as an intermediate - layer metal wiring , a reference number 43b denotes a third - layer metal wiring performing as an upper - layer metal wiring , and a reference number 51 denotes metal material filling the through hole 50 to electrically conduct the semiconductor substrate 1 and the first - to third - layer metal wirings 41b , 42b and 43b . hereinafter , the manufacturing method of the semiconductor device in accordance with the fifth embodiment will be explained with reference to fig8 ( a ) and 8 ( b ). first , as illustrated in fig8 ( a ), after an insulating layer is provided on the second - layer metal wiring 42b , the through hole 50 is opened using a resist pattern 35 at a desired position on the insulating layer . the metal wiring , to be electrically connected to the contact , exposes its surface to the through hole 50 . with this arrangement , the contact 51 and the third - layer metal wiring 43b are formed as shown in fig8 ( b ), thus enabling any two or more metal wirings to be electrically connected with each other . the fifth embodiment is very useful since the position electrically connected can be freely selected , even after the semiconductor device is accomplished , by simply conducting the design of wiring pattern so that the metal wirings are offset each other . thus , it becomes possible to modify the properties of the semiconductor device any time . | 7 |
fig1 shows a pulse generator of the current injection type according to a first embodiment of this invention . in this figure , reference symbols j 11 , j 12 , j 2 and j 3 denote josephson junctions having critical currents i 11 , i 12 , i 2 and i 3 respectively ; r 11 , r 12 , r 21 , r 0 resistors having resistances r 11 , r 12 , r 21 and r 0 respectively ; 11 a gate current supply terminal ; 12 an input terminal ; 13 an output line ; and r l a load resistor with a resistance r l . with the pulse generator of this embodiment , an input / output separation function is added to the pulse generation function and an improvement is made on the gain . the gate current i g supplied from the gate current supply terminal 11 is divided into two paths , a first path consisting of the resistor r 11 and the josephson junction j 11 and a second path consisting of the resistor r 12 and the josephson junction j 12 . with currents i g1 and i g2 flowing through the first path and second path , respectively ( i g1 + i g2 = i g ), the input current ic injected from the input terminal 12 flows through the josephson junctions j 2 and j 11 into ground . consequently , both the gate current i g1 and the input current ic are injected into the josephson junction j 11 , to switch the junction j 11 into the voltage state . the current flowing through the josephson junction j 11 is then injected into the josephson junction j 12 through the resistor r 21 and the resistors r 11 , r 12 thereby switching the josephson junction j 12 into the voltage state . accordingly , the gate current i g is distributed into two paths , a first path consisting of the josephson junction j 2 and the resistor r 0 and a second path consisting of the josephson junction j 3 , an output line 13 and the load resistor r l . if r l is set greater than r 0 , almost all the gate current ig flows into the first path , switching the josephson junction j 2 into the voltage state . as a result , the input current ic flows through the resistor r 0 into ground while the gate current i g flows through the josephson j 3 , the output line 13 and into the load resistor r l , thereby achieving the separation between the input and output . when the current flowing through the output line 13 exceeds the critical current value i 3 of the josephson junction j 3 , the josephson junction j 3 is switched into the voltage state , interrupting the output current . therefore , a pulse current is obtained through the output line 13 . the gate current i g is distributed according to the resistance values of the four josephson junctions in the voltage state and flows into ground . fig2 shows a waveform of the output pulse current i out obtained in a manner described above . the pulse current i out starts to rise after the elapse of the turn - on delay time ts necessary for the gate circuit in fig1 to switch into the voltage state and continues to rise for the duration of a rise time t 1 of the gate circuit to the left of the josephson junction j 3 . then the pulse i out goes down for the duration of a rise time t 2 of the josephson junction j 3 . therefore , the pulse width is determined as ( t 1 + t 2 ). in consideration that the obtainable switching time of the josephson junction is about 10 picoseconds , the pulse width of 20 picoseconds may be obtained by the above circuit . the above pulse generator , if applied with appropriate design rule , will be able to operate correctly over a wide operating range . for this purpose , the following design rule is proposed . this design rule is based on the control characteristic of the above pulse generator as shown in fig3 which shows the control characteristic of the gate circuit ( circuit on the left side of the josephson junction j 3 of fig1 ) in the pulse generator with the shaded portion representing the voltage state of the gate circuit . the line 21 represents the threshold value characteristic for switching the josephson junction j 11 into the voltage state ; the line 23 for switching the josephson junction j 2 into the voltage state with the josephson junction j 11 in the zero - voltage state ; the line 24 for switching the josephson junction j 12 after the completion of switching of the josephson junction j 11 ; the line 22 for switching the josephson junction j 2 after the completion of switching of the josephson junctions j 11 , j 12 . referring to fig3 in order to obtain a wide operating margin , it is appropriate to set the following conditions i 11 = i 12 = 3 / 2 i 2 for making the lines 21 , 22 , 23 intersect each other at a point ; and r 11 = r 12 = r 21 = 3 / 4 r 0 for placing the line 24 inside the shaded portion determined by the lines 21 and 22 . further , in order to prevent the input current i c from backlashing and make the input current i c flow through the resistor r 0 into ground even when the josephson junction j 2 is switched into the voltage state , the condition r 0 & lt ;& lt ; r l must be satisfied . 3 / 4 r 0 = 1 / 8 r l is chosen for example . the above - mentioned design criteria will be explained in the following . the currents i 11 (= i g1 ) and i 12 (= i g2 ) flowing through the resistors r 11 and r 12 into the josephson junctions j 11 and j 12 are given by ## equ1 ## the input current i c is injected into the josephson junction j 11 through the josephson junction j 2 . thus , the condition for switching the josephson junction j 11 is given by ## equ2 ## the line 21 of fig3 corresponds to the above equation ( 3 ). since the allowable maximum gate current is ( i 11 + i 12 ) under the zero - voltage state condition of the josephson junctions j 11 and j 12 , the value of the intersection a of the ordinate and the line 21 of fig3 is ( i 11 + i 12 ). the condition for switching the josephson junction j 2 is given by considering the switching order ( j 11 , then j 2 ) the gate current must be greater than the value of the intersection b of the lines 21 and 23 . the gate current i g min at the intersection b is expressed as ## equ3 ## apparently from equation ( 3 ), the input sensitivity of the gate is given by ## equ4 ## if we suppose r 11 = r 12 ≡ r and i 11 = i 12 ≡ i 0 ( the fabrication will be facilitated if the same resistance and the same critical current values are adopted ), then an appropriate input sensitivity ( r 11 + r 12 )/ r 12 = 2 is obtained . the following condition is required to switch the josephson junction j 12 after the completion of switching the josephson junction j 11 : where i 11 , i 12 , i 21 are currents flowing through the resistors r 11 , r 12 and r 21 respectively ; i 0 is a current flowing through the resistor r 0 . from these equations we obtain the following equation for the line 24 . ## equ5 ## after the josephson junction j 12 has switched , the gate current is injected into the josephson junction j 2 . assuming r 0 & lt ;& lt ; r l , condition for switching the josephson junction j 2 is given by the above equation ( 11 ) corresponds to the line 22 . when the minimum value of i g given by the equation ( 11 ) agrees with i g min of equation ( 5 ), the operation margin becomes maximum . the values of the intersection points between the line 24 and ordinate and abscissa becomes small as the resistance r 0 increases . this is preferable in the light of operating margin , but , considering the backlash of the input current i c , it is desirable to limit r 0 to a small value . thus , the minimum allowable value of r 0 is the value attained at the intersection b . substituting them into equation ( 8 ) under the condition r 21 = r 11 = r for the easiness of fabrication we obtain ## equ6 ## hence r 0 = 4 / 3 r is introduced . the pulse width calculated by the computer simulation is approximately 30 picoseconds , which is sufficiently short so that the josephson circuit and the memory circuit can be operated with very high operation speed . the above circuit parameters can easily be achieved by ordinary josephson integrated circuit fabrication techniques employing lithography with minimum line width of 5 micrometer . compared with the pulse generator using a conventional interferometer type gate circuit , the pulse generator according to this invention needs no input line for magnetic coupling with the gate circuit , which in turn makes the fabrication process easy . further , the absence of inductances makes it possible to produce a logic gate small in size and suitable for high density integration . it also does not require an additional circuit to damp the resonance because there is no inductance components causing resonance in this circuit . moreover , since this circuit does not use a superconductive loop , there is no risk of trapping stray magnetic flux and causing erroneous operation . now , another embodiment is explained in the following , based on the construction of fig1 but capable of further reducing the pulse rise time and the pulse fall time . fig4 shows the circuit of this embodiment . the difference from the first embodiment of fig1 is that an inductance component l 0 is connected in series with the resistor r 0 connected to the input terminal . the operation of this circuit is detailed below . as the input current i c is supplied from the input terminal 12 , i c flows through the josephson junction j 2 into the josephson junction j 11 to switch the junction j 11 . this causes the current flowing through the josephson junction j 11 to inject into the josephson junction j 12 through the resistor r 21 and the resistors r 11 , r 12 , switching the josephson junction j 12 into the voltage state . on the other hand , the gate current i g is bisected into two current paths , a first path made up of the josephson junction j 2 , the resistor r 0 and the inductance l 0 and a second path made up of the josephson junction j 3 , the output line 13 and the load resistor r l . if the inductance l 0 is set sufficiently large , the current path consisting of the josephson junction j 2 , resistor r 0 and inductance l 0 presents dynamically a large impedance , causing the gate current i g to flow through the josephson junction j 3 into the output line 13 . as a result , the current in the output line 13 rises during the switching time of the josephson junction j 12 . when the current flowing through the output line 13 exceeds the critical current value of the josephson junction j 3 , the josephson junction j 3 is switched into the voltage state interrupting the output current . therefore , a pulse current is obtained through the output line 13 . the gate current i g flows through the josephson junction j 2 , resistor r 0 and inductance l 0 into ground , switching the josephson junction j 2 into the voltage state . consequently , the gate current i g is distributed according to the resistances of the junctions j 11 , j 12 , j 2 , j 3 in the voltage state and flows into ground through them . the input current i c , on the other hand , flows through the resistor r 0 and inductance l 0 into ground . in this way , the input and output currents are separated . as explained in the foregoing , the switching order of the josephson junctions in this circuit is j 11 , j 12 , j 3 and j 2 , and the output pulse i out rises after completion of switching of the josephson junctions j 11 and j 12 . thus an overall capacity of the circuit to be charged at that moment is the sum (= 2c ) of the capacity ( c ) of josephson junctions j 11 and j 12 . however , in the circuit of fig1 the sequence of switching is j 11 , j 12 , j 2 and j 3 . therefore , when i out rises , capacitances of the josephson junctions j 11 , j 12 and j 2 ( each capacity is supposed to be c ), which amounts to 3c , 1 . 5 times the capacity of the circuit shown in fig4 have to be charged . now the rise time and fall time of the output pulse i out depend on the time constant cr . since the capacitance of the circuit of fig4 when i out is produced is 2 / 3 the capacitance of the circuit of fig1 as mentioned above , the pulse obtained with the pulse generator of fig4 has a shorter rise time and fall time . in this circuit , too , in order to keep the high input sensitivity and wide operation margin , it is preferable that the design rule similar to that of fig1 be followed . it is apparent that when the connecting sequence of the resistor r 0 and inductance l 0 is reversed the same effect can be obtained . fig5 shows a pulse generator circuit , a still another embodiment of this invention , in which further improvement is made on the operation margin and gain . in this circuit , a resistor r 22 ( resistance r 22 ) is inserted between the connecting point c or d ( between resistors r 12 and r 21 or between resistors r 11 and r 21 ) and the josephson junction j 3 or j 2 ; a resistor r 13 ( resistance r 13 ) is inserted between the qonnecting point e ( between the resistor r 22 and the junction j 3 ) and the connecting point f ( between resistors r 11 and r 12 ); and a josephson junction j 13 ( critical current i 13 ) is added between the connecting point e and the ground . the operation margin and the gain are further improved as the number of resistors and josephson junctions increases . this may be explained as follows . as is evident from the explanation for fig3 the input sensitivity depends on the gradient of the threshold line 21 for the josephson junction j 11 . if we suppose the added resistors ( n pieces including r 11 and r 12 ) have resistance equal to that of r 11 and r 12 and the josephson junctions ( n pieces including j 11 and j 12 ) have critical current equal to i 11 of j 11 and i 12 of j 12 , then the threshold line for the line 21 is expressed as ## equ7 ## therefore , the greater the number of added resistors and josephson junctions , the higher the input sensitivity will be . since it holds that i g & gt ; i 2 and i c & gt ; i 2 for lines 22 and 23 , respectively , the intersection between lines 21 , 22 and 23 is given by ## equ8 ## that is ## equ9 ## on the other hand , since ## equ10 ## hence ## equ11 ## equation ( 17 ) also shows that the operating ; and margin increases as the number of added resistors and josephson junctions increases . the operation of the circuit as shown in fig5 is explained in the following . the gate current i g is trisected into three current paths , a first path consisting of resistor r 11 and josephson junction j 11 , a second path consisting of resistor r 12 and josephson junction j 12 , and a third path consisting of resistor r 13 and josephson junction j 13 with i g1 , i g2 and i g3 , respectively . as the input current i c is injected , it flows through the josephson junctions j 2 and j 11 into ground . as a result , both the gate current i g1 and the input current i c flow through the josephson junction j 11 , switching it into the voltage state . this causes the current flowing through the josephson junction j 11 to inject through the resistor r 21 and the resistors r 11 , r 12 into the josephson junction j 12 , switching the josephson junction j 12 to the voltage state . then the current flowing through the junction j 12 is injected into the josephson junction j 13 through the resistor r 22 and the resistors r 12 , r 13 , thereby switching the josephson junction j 13 into the voltage state . consequently , the gate current i g is bisected into two paths , a first path consisting of josephson junction j 2 and resistor r 0 and a second path consisting of josephson junction j 3 , output line 13 and load resistor r l . if the resistance r l of the load resistor r l is set sufficiently higher than the resistance r 0 of the resistor r 0 , most of the gate current i g flows through the josephson junction j 2 and resistor r 0 thus switching the josephson junction j 2 into the voltage state . this causes the input current i c to flow through the resistor r 0 into ground and the gate current i g to flow through the josephson junction j 3 , output line 13 and load resistor r l and into the ground . in this way , the input and output are separated . as the current flowing through the output line 13 exceeds the critical current value i 3 of the josephson junction j 3 , the josephson junction j 3 is switched into the voltage stage , cutting off the output current . as a result , a pulse current is obtained through the output line 13 . the gate current i g is distributed according to the resistance of each junction in the voltage state and flows into ground through them . as can be seen from the foregoing , the rise time and fall time of the output pulse current i out are given by the switching time of the josephson junctions j 2 j 11 , j 12 , and j 13 and j 3 , respectively . the pulse width is also given as the sum of these switching times . fig6 shows another embodiment of the present invention in which an inductance component l 0 is connected in series with the resistance r 0 of fig5 to further shorten the output pulse width . the operation of this circuit is similar to that of fig1 and fig4 so a detailed explanation is not presented here . in summary , at the time of switching the josephson junction j 3 from which the output pulse is obtained , the junction j 2 is not switched into the voltage state due to the inductance component l 0 . therefore the overall capacity of the gate circuit is the sum of each capacity of the josephson junctions j 11 , j 12 and j 13 , which is 3 / 4 the capacity of the circuit of fig5 . this means the pulse width is further reduced . to ensure correct operation of the pulse generator shown in fig5 and 6 over wide operation range , it is desirable to follow the design rule , as explained for fig1 such as shown below . | 8 |
the present invention avoids the difficulties encountered in the prior art devices . one of the prime advantages is that the present device is used with any size and type of eyedropper bottle , and it is used by merely inserting the inexpensive dropper bottle into the holder , adjusting the slidable rest piece , and using it in the manner subsequently described herein . in addition to being an inexpensive and simple device , the present holder is lighter than the devices of the prior art and therefore is much easier to control by the patient providing medication to himself . referring now to the drawings , there is described in detail a particular eyedropper - bottle holder useful in dispensing eyedrops in accordance with the present invention . fig1 is a perspective view showing the eyedropper - bottle holder of fig2 , and 4 in actual use by the patient . ; p fig4 is a perspective view of the two parts of the adjustable eyedropper - bottle holder before assembly . fig2 is a vertical section view of the assembled eyedropper - bottle holder with an eyedropper bottle positioned ready for use . fig3 is a horizontal section view of the assembled eyedropper - bottle holder along the plane formed by the underside of the bottle holder arm 34 , 35 . fig5 is a vertical section view of an alternate embodiment of the invention illustrating an adjustable holder adapted to hold a specific size bottle . referring to fig1 there is shown the preferred embodiment of applicant &# 39 ; s adjustable eyedropper - bottle holder in actual use by the patient . the head of the patient is tilted back and the entire device with dropper - bottle holder inverted with the dropper - bottle tip positioned directly over the pupil of the eye being treated . before use , the bottle holder is adjusted by sliding the flat spacer bar through the close fitting , rectangularly shaped channel in slide 32 until the horizontal displacement between the depressed center 29 of nose bridge 30 and the dropper - bottle tip 26 matches the horizontal distance between the patient &# 39 ; s nose bridge and pupil of the eye being treated . referring now to fig4 there are shown the two parts of the adjustable bottle holder before assembly . the entire device is fabricated of a resilient translucent or opaque plastic material such as vinyl or low - density polyethylene , polypropylene , or nylon . the bottle - holding part as illustrated in fig4 is a flat slide bar member 34 of rectangular cross section having at one end a circular - shaped extension integral with the flat slide member , said extension being provided with an opening adapted to receive the neck of an eyedropper bottle . the opening is provided with a collar 36 of the same material having notches 37 cut through the collar at regular intervals . the collar is designed to provide a snug fit for the neck of dropper bottles of various sizes , thus providing a versatile bottle holder . the nose bridge piece as illustrated in fig4 comprises a hollow , rectangular slide member 32 having a channel of rectangular cross section 33 adapted to receive slide member 34 in close fitting , slidable relationship . said slide member carries a vertical , flat spacer bar 31 terminating in a nose bridge having raised ends 30 of concave construction adapted to rest in a stable position on the nose of a patient . referring to fig2 there is illustrated in vertical cross section , the method of stabilizing the flat , slide member 34 in one of several positions . the bottom surface of the slide member 34 is provided with means comprising one or more stops 38 to prevent the nose - piece spacer bar 31 from slipping off the end of said slide member or coming into contact with dropper bottle 24 . the bottom surface is further provided with spaced , transverse ridges or depressions 39 designed to engage at various stop positions with a raised transverse ridge 40 or the opposing internal surface of the slide channel 33 . the vertical spacer bar 31 carrying the nose piece 30 is designed so that the concavity 29 of the nose bridge is slightly less further displaced vertically from the top surface of the flat , slide member 34 than the tip 26 of the dropper bottle 24 . referring to fig3 which is a horizontal section view , there is illustrated in greater detail the preferred method of holding the slide arm in fixed position in which ridges or depressions 39 engage corresponding depressions or ridges 40 on the opposing , relatively close fitting , bottle - carrying slide member 34 . then is also illustrated the rounded end piece 35 and the integrally attached collar 36 separated by slits 37 to accomodate moderate variations in bottle - neck size in close fitting relationship . fig5 illustrates in vertical cross section an alternate embodiment of said adjustable eyedropper - bottle holder in which the one end of the bottle - carrying slide member is integrally attached to cylindrically shaped receptacle having a bottom flange 41 extending inwardly from the inner wall of the open - ended , cylindrical shaped receptacle 42 . in this embodiment , the length of the vertical spacer bar 31 bearing the nosepiece is adjusted so that the nosepiece concavity 29 is slightly further displaced from the bottle - carrying slide member 34 than the tip 26 of the dropper bottle . in each of the embodiments , each of the two pieces , the slide member 32 and the spacer bar 34 , 35 , are molded from a single piece of plastic , preferably nylon or alternatively low - density polyethylene or polypropylene . the present adjustable eyedropper - bottle holder can be modified without departing from the scope of the invention . | 0 |
the present invention provides a support member for adding cross - car stiffness to the front end assembly of a motor vehicle . advantageously , the support member may be spot welded to the other components of the front end assembly thereby enabling high speed automated manufacturing . in addition to the foregoing , the support member provides a convenient platform for mounting the vehicle &# 39 ; s coolant package including the radiator and may be adjusted to account for build variations . turning now to the drawing figures , fig1 illustrates a front end assembly for a motor vehicle generally at 10 . the front end assembly 10 includes a u - shaped cross - car support member 12 having a pair of rail brackets 14 , a pair of cowl brackets 16 and a pair of radiator brackets 18 connected thereto . a pair of longitudinally extending rails 20 are connected at a forward end to the support member 12 . preferably , the rails 20 are connected to the support member 12 by spot welding each rail 20 to a complimentary rail bracket 14 . a bumper beam 22 is connected to a distal end of each of the rails 20 so as to extend laterally therebetween . although any conventional method may be used to couple the bumper beam 22 to the rails 20 , it is presently preferred to use spot welding . a pair of wheel wells 24 are connected to the outboard edges of rails 20 rearward of the bumper beam 22 . the wheel wells 24 are preferably coupled to the rails 20 and bumper beam 22 by bolting although other methods may be substituted therefore . a fascia 26 is connected to the rear end of each of the wheel wells 24 opposite the bumper beam 22 preferably by spot welding . a pair of cowls 28 are connected to the outboard edge of the wheel wells 24 rearward of the bumper beam 22 . the cowls 28 are also connected to the support member 12 and fascia 26 . preferably , the cowls 28 are connected to the support member 12 by spot welding each cowl 28 to a cowl bracket 16 . a cross beam 30 is connected to each arm of the support member 12 so as to extend thereacross . preferably , the cross beam 30 is connected to the support member 12 with fasteners such as bolts . turning now to fig2 the u - shaped cross - car support member 12 is shown in greater detail . the support member 12 includes a first or lateral section 32 , a pair of second or upright sections 34 integrally formed with the lateral section 32 at either end thereof , and a pair of third or end sections 36 integrally formed with the upright sections 34 at an opposite end as the lateral section 32 . as can be seen , the upright sections 34 extend essentially orthogonal to the lateral section 32 while the end sections 36 project outwardly from the upright sections 34 so as to be essentially parallel with the lateral section 32 . although the term “ upright ” is used herein to describe the second sections 34 , it should be noted that this does not necessarily mean that the second sections 34 are vertical but , rather , are upwardly projecting relative to the lateral section 32 even if at an angle . the support member 12 is preferably tubular and incudes a leading edge 38 , a trailing edge 40 , an inboard surface 42 and outboard surface 44 . the inboard and outboard surfaces 42 and 44 extend between the leading edge 38 and trailing edge 40 to provide the support member 12 with a generally triangularly shaped cross - section . although other methods may be used in forming the support member 12 to its desired configuration , it is presently preferred to use the hydroform technique . during or after formation of the support member 12 , contact points such as apertures 46 in the end sections 36 may be formed for accommodating additional components such as the cross beam 30 ( see fig1 ). if desired , additional plates , such as end plates 48 , can be mounted to the support member 12 for added rigidity . as noted in fig1 a pair of cowl brackets 16 are connected to the support member 12 . more particularly , the cowl brackets 16 are connected to the distal end of the end sections 36 . although other techniques are available for connecting the cowl brackets 16 to the end sections 36 , it is presently preferred to use a bead of weld and in particular , a mig weld . in contrast to bolting , welding enables the cowl bracket 16 to be adjusted slightly inboard or outboard to control the width of the vehicle . although such an adjustment may be small , e . g ., 2 mm , it accounts for build variations . referring momentarily to fig3 the cowl bracket 16 is illustrated in greater detail . the cowl bracket 16 includes a triangular shaped body portion 50 having an annular flange 52 radially projecting substantially about an outer perimeter thereof . the annular flange 52 is specifically designed so as to enable spot welding of the cowl bracket 16 to the cowls 28 ( see fig1 ). the cowl bracket 16 also includes a plurality of axially extending flanges 54 projecting from an inner perimeter thereof perpendicularly relative to the annular flange 52 . in the preferred embodiment , three axial flanges 54 are provided . the inner perimeter of the body portion 50 and the axial flanges 54 define a central aperture 56 of the cowl bracket 16 . aperture 56 is shaped so as to compliment the circumferential surface of the end sections 36 of the support member 12 ( see fig2 ). as such , the cowl bracket 16 may be slidably disposed over the end sections 36 so that the axial flanges 54 are adjacent thereto . thereafter , the axial flanges 54 may be welded to the inboard surface 42 , outboard surface 44 and trailing edge 40 of the end sections 36 . referring again to fig2 the pair of rail brackets 14 are connected in an overlapping fashion to the outboard surface 44 of the upright sections 34 . although other methods may be employed , it is presently preferred to connect the rail brackets 14 to the upright sections 34 with a bead of weld and particularly a mig weld . as opposed to bolting , welding enables the inboard / outboard position of the rail brackets 14 to be controlled . this enables adjustment to the width to account for build variations . referring momentarily to fig4 a rail bracket 14 is illustrated in greater detail . the rail bracket 14 includes an outboard surface 58 integrally formed with a pair of side surfaces 50 . the side surfaces 50 project essentially orthogonally with respect to the outboard surface 58 . a pair of outwardly projecting flanges 62 are integrally formed with the side surfaces 50 . the flanges 62 preferably project in a plane which is essentially parallel to the outboard surface 58 and essentially perpendicular to the side surfaces 60 . the flanges 62 are specifically formed to be spot weldable to the rails 20 ( see fig1 ). if desired , the flanges 62 may be shaped so as to compliment the receiving surface of the rails 20 . each of the side surfaces 60 as well as the outboard surface 58 includes at least one aperture 64 formed therein . each aperture 64 facilitates welding of the rail bracket 14 to the leading edge 38 , trailing edge 40 and outboard surface 44 of the upright sections 34 of the support member 12 ( see fig2 ). turning again to fig2 the radiator brackets 18 include a passenger side radiator bracket 18 a and a driver side radiator bracket 18 b which are connected to the inboard surface 42 of the upright sections 34 of the support member 12 . although other techniques may be used , it is presently preferred to connect the radiator brackets 18 a , b to the upright sections 34 with a bead of weld , particularly a mig weld . referring momentarily to fig5 the passenger side radiator bracket 18 a is illustrated in greater detail . the radiator bracket 18 a includes a top section 66 , having a front flange 68 , rear flange 70 and side flange 72 integrally formed therewith . the front flange 68 extends essentially perpendicular to the top section 66 and includes a radiator mounting portion 74 transitioning to a support member mounting portion 76 . the transition from the support member mounting portion 76 to the radiator mounting portion 74 is preferably stepped away from the plane of the support member mounting portion 76 . in this way , clearance is provided between a radiator eventually mounted to the radiator mounting portion 74 and the support member 12 . to accommodate the mounting of a radiator to the radiator bracket 18 a , the radiator mounting porion 54 is preferably provided with a recessed section 78 having an aperture 80 formed therethrough . the rear flange 70 projects downwardly with respect to the top section 66 and is preferably formed essentially perpendicular thereto . the rear flange 70 and front flange 68 are essentially parallel and preferably project beyond an outboard edge 82 of the top section 66 . in this way , the front flange 68 and rear flange 70 may be positioned so as to overlap the leading edge 38 and trailing edge 40 of the upright section 34 of the support member 12 ( see fig2 ). thereafter , the flanges 68 and 70 may be welded thereto . the side flange 72 is upturned relative to the top section 66 and preferably projects essentially perpendicularly thereto . when the radiator bracket 18 a is placed on the upright section 34 of the support member 12 , the side flange 72 is adjacent to the inboard surface 42 ( see fig2 ). thereafter , the flange 72 may be welded thereto . preferably , a pair of apertures 84 are provided in the top section 66 for accommodating additional mounting structure of a radiator eventually mounted thereto . referring now to fig6 a more detailed view of the driver side radiator bracket 18 b of fig2 is illustrated . the driver side radiator bracket 18 b includes a bottom section 86 having a front flange 88 and a rear flange 90 extending therefrom . the front flange 88 is preferably integrally formed with the bottom section 86 and is upturned relative thereto so as to extend essentially perpendicularly relative to the bottom section 86 . the front flange 88 includes a radiator mounting porion 92 transitioning to a support member mounting portion 94 . the transition from the support mounting portion 94 to the radiator mounting portion 92 is preferably stepped out with respect to the plane of the support member mounting portion 94 . in this way , clearance is provided between a radiator eventually mounted to the radiator mounting portion 92 and the support member 12 . to accommodate the mounting of a radiator thereto , the radiator mounting portion 92 preferably includes a recessed section 96 having an aperture 98 formed therein . the rear flange 90 is preferably formed integrally with the bottom section 86 and upwardly projects perpendicularly thereto . the rear flange 90 and front flange 88 are preferably parallel and project beyond the outboard edge 100 of the bottom section 86 . in this way , the rear flange 90 and front flange 88 may be positioned so as to overlap the trailing edge 40 and leading edge 38 of the upright section 34 of the support member 12 ( see fig2 ). thereafter , the flanges 88 and 90 may be welded thereto . if desired , a down - turned side flange ( not shown ) may be provided on the outboard edge 100 of the bottom section 86 to provide a surface for mounting to the inboard surface 42 of the support member 12 . also , the bottom section 86 may be provided with at least one aperture 102 for accommodating additional mounting structure of a radiator eventually secured thereto . referring again to fig1 in a manufacturing process , the front end assembly 10 is preferably assembled by providing the support member 12 having the rail brackets 14 , cowl brackets 16 and radiator brackets 18 connected thereto . thereafter , the rails 20 are connected to the rail brackets 14 preferably by spot welding . the bumper beam 22 is then mounted to the rails 20 . the wheel wells 24 and cowls 28 are then mounted to the bumper beam 22 , rails 20 , and support member 12 . the cowls 28 are preferably connected to the support member 12 by spot welding the cowls 28 to the cowl brackets 16 . thereafter , the cross beam 30 is bolted to the support member 12 and the fascia 26 is connected to the cowls 28 . subsequently , a radiator ( not shown ) is mounted to the radiator brackets 18 . thus , a support member is provided for the front end assembly of a motor vehicle which includes brackets to enable spot welding by a high speed automated process . due to the welding of the support member to the cowls and rails , the support member adds substantial cross - car stiffness to the front end assembly . due to the welding of the brackets to the support member , the width of the support member can be controlled to account for build variations . advantages in terms of piece part cost procurement , labor reduction , and weight removal are also realized . those skilled in the art can now appreciate from the foregoing description that the broad teachings of the present invention can be implemented in a variety of forms . therefore , while this invention has been described in connection with particular examples thereof , the true scope of the invention should not be so limited since other modifications will become apparent to the skilled practitioner upon a study of the drawings , specification , and following claims . | 1 |
the under - bump metallization of a silicon or silicon oxide chip by flip - chip technology is represented in steps in fig1 . chip or wafer 1 is provided with a metallic layer or an aluminum pad 2 and a passivation layer 3 with oxides 5 being formed on a surface 4 of aluminum pad 2 . the surface is scrubbed free of lightly adhering oxides prior to aluminum pad 2 being plated with a nickel layer . in addition , organic impurities are removed , and the wettability of aluminum pad 2 is increased by a treatment method . this part of the process is illustrated in fig1 by arrow i , and yields , as an intermediate product , a wafer having an aluminum pad 2 whose surface 4 is free of oxides 5 and organic impurities . in a pre - treatment step , aluminum pad 2 is subsequently treated with a pickle , and a catalyst layer 6 having a thickness of approximately 50 nm is produced on surface 4 of aluminum pad 2 . this produces a uniform layer and increases the layer adhesion of aluminum pad 2 . this treatment step prior to the actual plating process is illustrated in fig1 by arrow ii . a nickel layer 7 is then deposited on catalyst layer 6 , using a wet - chemical plating process . this method step is shown in detail by arrow iii . a gold layer 8 is then deposited on nickel layer 7 , in order to provide corrosion protection to nickel layer 7 and improve the solderability . this process stage is represented in fig1 by arrow iv . wafer 1 , which is prepared for a reflow process in this manner and has an adhesion - promoting layer , i . e . nickel layer 7 in connection with gold layer 8 , may then be subjected to additional , subsequent processes , which are symbolically represented in fig1 by arrow v . in order to plate wafer 1 or aluminum pad 2 , the configuration described here uses commercial , chemical nickel baths , wherein the process - bath components generally include thiourea and lead ( ii ) ions as an accelerator and inhibitor , respectively . such baths are normally used for the plating of component parts having a large surface area and , in this connection , are adjusted in such a manner that the concentrations of the two process - bath components decrease in the same proportions during the plating process . when they are subsequently dosed , they are added to the process bath in the same proportions , i . e . the conditions for a uniform plating quality are fulfilled . in the case of wafers where the ratio of the pad surface area to the entire surface area of the wafer is unfavorable , the concentration ratios in the region of the pads to be plated shift during the plating process due to the low liter loading of the process bath . in this case the inhibitor , i . e . the lead component , accumulates , so that the above - described , subsequent dosing does not yield the necessary concentrations of the process components . the top left representation in fig2 illustrates a concentration curve 9 of the lead ( ii ) ions in the process bath in the case of normal liter loading , and the top right representation of fig2 illustrates sawtooth - like concentration curve 10 of lead ( ii ) ions in the process bath in the case of a low liter loading . the saw - tooth profile results from the discontinuous rectification of the concentration between two wafer batches , the two dotted lines 11 , 12 representing a concentration range , inside which the plating process yields the smooth layer surfaces that are desired . when the liter loading is low , the lead concentration in the process bath increases with each subsequent dosing , so that the actual lead concentration moves out of the concentration range , which leads to unsatisfactory plating results . in order to solve this problem , the present invention provides for special subsequent - dosing solutions being used , and these being added to the process bath in a certain order . an analysis of the composition of the process bath is repeated before plating each wafer batch , the nickel concentration of the process bath first being complexometrically or photometrically analyzed , and then adjusted , using a first regenerating solution that contains nickel ( ii ) ions and organic accelerators . the nickel concentration is may be adjusted to a value of approximately 5 . 0 ± 0 . 3 g per liter of process bath . the concentration of lead ( ii ) ions is then determined polarographically . in order to adjust the concentration , the process bath , which may have a bath volume of approximately 50 liters , is adjusted by a second regenerating solution that includes hypophosphite , complexing agents , and lead ( ii ) ions . in this case , the concentration of lead ( ii ) ions is adjusted to 1 . 0 ± 0 . 1 mg per liter of process bath . the hypophosphite concentration is determined during a third analysis , in which case iodometric titration may be used as an analysis method . when the value of the hypophosphite concentration of the process bath deviates from a desired value , it is adjusted by adding a third regenerating solution , which has a composition that essentially corresponds to the composition of the second regenerating solution . however , the third regenerating solution does not contain any lead ( ii ) ions . this quasi - continuous analysis procedure allows the subsequent dosing of lead ( ii ) ions to the process bath to be decoupled from the subsequent dosing of the remaining bath components , i . e . the constant process - bath conditions are maintained and , in particular , the lead concentration may be adjusted to 1 . 0 ± 0 . 1 mg per liter of process bath without any further , expensive concentration analyses . the analysis of the individual process - bath components is repeated prior to plating each wafer batch , although it lies within the discretion of the expert to continuously check the analysis of the process - bath composition during the actual plating process , i . e . during the wet - chemical process , and , in particular , to continuously adjust the inhibitor concentration of the process bath , i . e . the concentration of lead ( ii ) ions , to a constant value . this procedure allows a uniform lead - concentration curve of the process bath to be set inside the concentration range . this prevents individual process - bath components from becoming overly concentrated to a critical extent , which is represented in fig2 and occurs when subsequent dosing is only performed sporadically , without decoupling the subsequent dosing of the bath components from each other . the decoupling of the addition of the individual process - bath components is accomplished in a simple manner , in that a regenerating solution equivalent to the second regenerating solution is added to the process bath having lead ( ii ) ions , and the third “ unleaded ” regenerating solution , which is equivalent to the second regenerating solution minus the lead ( ii ) ions , is subsequently added . this third , “ unleaded ” regenerating solution allows the concentration of the reducing agent , i . e . of the hypophosphite , to be set . thus , the subsequent dosing of the inhibitor concentration , i . e . of the lead concentration , and the hypophosphite concentration is no longer tied to the proportional addition of the second and third regenerating solutions . because the amounts added are small in comparison to the volume of the entire process bath , the above - described , sequential , quantitative regulation of the different regenerating solutions does not have a noticeable effect on the concentrations of the critical process - bath components with respect to the entire volume , i . e . amount , of the process bath , wherein the separate , subsequent dosing described above may be performed without difficulty . the above - described procedure and implementation of the method allows microstructures on wafers to be uniformly plated by wet - chemical processes , using commercial process baths that are configured for a normal liter loading and therefore have a sufficient service life due to stabilization . | 7 |
in one embodiment , this invention teaches a composition for the treatment of infectious diarrhea comprised of a therapeutically effective amount of berberine , with a blood anti - parasitic antimalarial agent , artemesinin , their pharmaceutically acceptable derivatives , salts , esters , chelates . most specifically , the artemesinin derivative is the salt of the succinic acid half ester derivative of dihydro - artemisinin known as artesunate . in this invention , the term berberine includes , but is not limited to , berberine alkaloid , berberine base , berberine hydrochloride , berberine , berberrubine , coreximine , tetrahydropalmatine , jatrorrhizine , 13 - hydroxyberberine chloride , coralyne , coralyne chloride , 7 , 8 - dihydro - 13 - methylberberine , berberine acetone , 13 - allylberberine , palmatine , 13 - benzylberberine , tetrahydroberberine , tetrahydroprotoberberine 8 - cyanodihydroberberine , dimeric protoberberine alkaloids , demethylated protoberberine alkaloids , quataternary protoberberine alkaloids , protoberberine and protoberberine alkaloids . in this invention , the salts of berberine , include berberine hydrochloride , berberine chloride , berberine sulfate , berberine tannate and other salts known to those versed in the art . in this invention , plant extracts containing berberine at a concentration of greater than 3 %, include , but are not limited to , the berberis family , berberis aristata , berberis aquifolllium , berberis vulgaris , berberis aetensis , coptis chinensis , chelidonium majus ( ukrain ), goldenseal ( hydrastis canadensis ), rhizoma coptidis , phellodendron chinense , aquilegia oxysepala , cortex phellodendra , huanglian jiedu decoction , san - huang - xie - xin - tang , xietianwu , gegen quinlian , and shizhu . in this invention , the terms ‘ artemisinin ’ and ‘ artesunate ’ will be u . s . pat . no . ______ to include artesunate , artemisinin , dihydroartemisinin , dihydroartemisinin hemisuccinate , dihydrodroartemisinin succinate , sodium artesunate , stabilized forms of artesunate , stabilized forms of sodium artesunate , dihydroartemisitene dimers ( u . s . pat . no . 7 , 098 , 242 ), amino - funtionalized 1 , 2 , 4 - trioxanes ( u . s . pat . no . 7 , 071 , 226 ), artemisinin endoperoxides ( u . s . pat . no . 6 , 984 , 640 ), spiro and dispiro 1 , 2 , 4 - trioxolane anti - malarials ( u . s . pat . no . 6 , 906 , 205 ), mixed steroidal 1 , 2 , 4 , 5 - tetraoxane compounds ( u . s . pat . no . 6 , 906 , 098 ), arteether ( u . s . pat . no . 6 , 750 , 356 ), substituted 1 , 2 , 4 - trioxanes ( u . s . pat . no . 6 , 737 , 438 ), artemisia annua extracts ( u . s . pat . no . 6 , 685 , 972 ), artemether ( u . s . pat . no . 6 , 683 , 193 , trioxane derivatives based on artemisinin ( u . s . pat . no . 6 , 649 , 647 ), trioxane dimer compounds ( u . s . pat . no . re38 , 117 ), conjugates of artelinic acid ( u . s . pat . no . 6 , 461 , 603 . ), arteethers from dihydroartemisinin ( u . s . pat . no . 6 , 346 , 631 ), artemisinine or artemisinene derivatives ( u . s . pat . no . 6 , 306 , 896 . ), c - 10 carbon substituted artemisinin - like trioxane compounds ( u . s . pat . no . 6 , 160 , 004 ). water - soluble trioxanes ( u . s . pat . no . 6 , 136 , 847 ), alpha arteether ( u . s . pat . no . 6 , 127 , 405 . ), artemisinin dimers ( u . s . pat . no . 5 , 856 , 351 ), (+)- deoxoarteminisinin and analogs of (+)- deoxoartemisinin ( u . s . pat . no . 5 , 225 , 562 ), and 10 - substituted ether derivatives of dihydroartemisinin ( u . s . pat . no . 5 , 225 , 427 ). specifically , the berberine , its pharmaceutically acceptable derivatives , salts , chelates and esters , is present in an amount of about 50 mg to about 1500 mg ; the artemisinin , its pharmaceutically acceptable derivatives , salts , chelates , and esters is present in an amount of about 1 mg to about 1500 mg ; and the loperamide , its pharmaceutically acceptable derivatives , salts , chelates , and esters is present in an amount of about 0 . 1 mg to about 200 mg . more specifically , the berberine , its pharmaceutically acceptable derivatives , salts , chelates and esters , is present in an amount of about 100 mg to about 1000 mg ; the artemisinin , its pharmaceutically acceptable derivatives , salts , chelates , and esters is present in an amount of about 20 mg to about 250 mg and the loperamide , its pharmaceutically acceptable derivatives , salts , chelates , and esters is present in an amount of about 0 . 5 mg to about 10 mg . more specifically , the berberine , its pharmaceutically acceptable derivatives , salts , chelates and esters , is present in an amount of about 200 mg to about 500 mg ; the artemisinin , its pharmaceutically acceptable derivatives , salts , chelates , and esters is present in an amount of about 40 mg to about 100 mg and the loperamide its pharmaceutically acceptable derivatives , salts , chelates , and esters is present in an amount of about 1 mg to about 3 mg . most specifically , berberine its pharmaceutically acceptable derivatives , salts , chelates and esters , is present in an amount of about 200 mg ; the artemisinin , its pharmaceutically acceptable derivatives , salts , chelates , and esters is present in an amount of about 50 mg and loperamide is present in an amount of about 2 mg . the composition may be present in dosage formulations selected from the group consisting of spray bottles , fast melt pill format , bursts , gel format , adhesive bandages , skin patches , gelcaps , softgels , gelatin capsules , vegetarian capsules , hard shell gelatin capsules , injections , intravenous solutions , topical creams , topical ointments , suppositories , or sublingual formulations . it may further comprise a therapeutically effective amount mefloquine for the treatment of malaria . in a specific embodiment of the invention , the berberine , artesunate and loperamide are packaged in a daily dispenser form with daily individual doses for a number of days of one day to ninety days , and the daily dispenser may be in the form of a travelers pack . also taught are methods for the treatment of travelers suffering from at least one of multiple parasitic , bacterial or viral infections simultaneously by the administration to a traveler of a therapeutically effective amount of the composition of berberine , artesunate and loperamide , their pharmaceutically acceptable derivatives , salts , esters , or chelates . the administration may be performed between one and three times per day , more specifically between two and three times per day . the method of treatment of a traveler may be fore the treatment of malaria , and the malaria may be chloroquine resistant . the same method of treatment may be used to treat mammals suffering from dysentery , diarrhea , or cholera . in another embodiment of the invention , the method of treatment is of a virus in a mammal such as dengue fever , hepatitis b , west nile virus , or human immunodeficiency virus ( hiv ). in the case of human immunodeficiency virus ( hiv ), the treatment may be adjunctive and the human immunodeficiency virus may be anti - retroviral resistant . in yet another embodiment of the invention , the treatment is of intestinal parasites in a mammal , including a tapeworm or tapeworms , or toxoplasmosis . while this invention has been particularly shown and described with references to preferred 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 spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims . those skilled in the art will recognize or be able to ascertain using no more than routine experimentation , many equivalents to the specific embodiments of the invention described specifically herein . such equivalents are intended to be encompassed in the scope of the claims . | 0 |
fig3 a shows a reference voltage generator 306 , according to an embodiment of the present invention . the reference voltage generator 306 is shown as including an interface control 308 , which in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention implements an i2c interface , and thus receives a serial data ( sda ) and a serial clock ( scl ) from a bus having two active wires . the reference voltage generator 306 is also shown as including a first bank of registers 310 a ( also referred to as bank a ) and a second bank of registers 310 b ( also referred to as bank b ), with the banks being parallel to one another , rather than being in series with one another ( as was the case with banks 210 and 212 in fig2 ). the interface control 308 also provides an output to a decoder 340 , which produces a digital output that cycles from 1 to n in a manner such that the 1st m - bit register in bank a ( or bank b ) accepts display - data 1 , the 2nd m - bit register accepts display - data 2 . . . and the nth m - bit register accepts display - data n . while the data is provided m - bits at a time to both bank a and bank b , only one bank is selected at a time by the buffer control 342 to actually accept that data . as will be described in more detail below , in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention , a control bit indicates whether bank a or bank b is selected to store the data . while the data is provided m - bits at a time to both bank a and bank b , only one bank is selected at a time by the buffer control 342 to actually accept that data . instead of having ( or in addition to having ) the decoder 340 , a digital demultiplexer 350 can be located between the interface control 308 and the register banks 310 a , 310 b , as shown in fig3 b . this digital demultiplexer 350 would provide the 1st m - bit register in bank a ( or bank b ) with display - data 1 , the 2nd m - bit register with display - data 2 . . . and the nth m - bit register with display - data n . in accordance with an embodiment , the digital demultiplexer 350 knows which bank to provide specific data to , based on a control bit that indicates whether bank a or bank b should store the data . alternatively , the digital demultiplexer 350 can provided data m - bits at a time to both bank a and bank b , but only one bank is selected at a time by the buffer control 342 to actually accept that data . the output of the first and second register banks 310 a and 310 b ( i . e ., bank a and bank b ) are provided to a multiplexer ( mux ) 312 , the output of which drives a single dac 320 ( as opposed to multiple dacs , i . e ., n dacs , as was the case in fig2 ). the output of the dac 320 is provided to an input of an analog demultiplexer ( demux ) 322 . the outputs of the demux 322 are provided to a first group of voltage storage devices 324 labeled vs a1 through vs an , and a second group of voltage storage devices 326 labeled vs b1 through vs bn . the voltage storage devices 324 and 326 can be devices such as , but not limited to , sample - and - holds , analog memory cells ( e . g ., analog nonvolatile memory ( anvm ) cells ), and the like . as will be described below , the first group of voltage storage devices 324 ( vs a1 - vs an ) correspond to register bank a ( 310 a ), and the second group of voltage storage devices 326 ( vs b1 - vs bn ) correspond to register bank b ( 310 b ). the outputs of vs a1 and vs b1 are provided to a mux 328 1 , the outputs of vs a2 and vs b2 are provided to a mux 328 2 . . . and the outputs of vs an and vs bn are provided to a mux 328 n . in this arrangement , the multiplexers 328 1 through 328 n , as instructed by a bank select signal , are used to provide the analog voltages stored in the first group of voltage storage devices 324 , or the analog voltages stored in the second group of voltage storage devices 326 , to the output buffers 330 1 , 330 n , the outputs of which are provided to one or more column drivers ( not shown in fig3 a or 3 b ) mux control logic 344 ( e . g ., a state machine ) can be used to control the multiplexer 312 and the analog demultiplexer 322 . an exemplary implementation of the mux 312 , control logic 344 , demux 322 and the voltage storage devices are described in commonly assigned u . s . pat . no . 6 , 781 , 532 , which is incorporated herein by reference . a specific exemplary implementation of the analog demultiplexer 322 is described in commonly invented and commonly assigned u . s . patent application ser . no . 10 / 236 , 340 , filed sep . 5 , 2002 ( now allowed ), which is incorporated herein by reference . an exemplary serial data ( sda ) signal received at the interface control 308 from a master device ( during a write transfer ) is shown in fig4 . an exemplary sda output by the interface control 308 to a master device ( during a read transfer ) is shown in fig5 . referring to fig4 , the data signal is shown as including a start condition 402 , a device address plus write bit 404 , an acknowledge bit 406 , control - data 408 , an acknowledge bit 406 , display - data 1 410 1 through display - datan 410 n ( each of which is followed by an acknowledge bit 406 ) and a stop condition 412 , according to an embodiment of the present invention . the device address can be , e . g ., a 7 bit word identifying the voltage reference generator ic , followed by a read / write bit ( e . g ., 0 = a write transmission where a master device will send data to the voltage reference generator to set or program a desired reference voltage ; 1 = a read transmission where a master device will receive data from the voltage reference generator to read the previous data from which the voltage reference was set or programmed ). an exemplary master device that can be used with embodiments of the present invention includes , but is not limited to , a simple eeprom , or a more complicated timing controller , asic or fpga . in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention , the control - data 408 is a one byte word , where the first least significant bit ( lsb ) indicates whether or not there is a clock delay ( e . g ., 0 = no clock delay ; 1 = delay clock 3 . 5 μs ), the second lsb indicates whether to write to bank a or bank b ( e . g ., 0 = bank a ; 1 = bank b ); the third lsb indicates whether to read from bank a or bank b ( e . g ., 0 = bank a ; 1 = bank b ); the fourth lsb indicates whether to use the an internal or external oscillator ( e . g ., 0 = internal ; 1 = external ); and the four most significant bits ( msbs ) are don &# 39 ; t cares . referring again to fig3 a , in operation , the interface control 308 receives a sda and scl signal , e . g ., from a master device . most likely , such serial data has already been gamma corrected . during a write operation , which is used to provide n multi - level voltage signals ( out 1 - outn ) to a column driver , the control bits ( of the control - data 408 ) are provided to a buffer control 342 , which can detect from the control bits whether the incoming display - data is to be stored in the first bank 310 a or the second bank 310 b ( i . e ., in bank a or bank b ). referring to fig3 a , the interface control 308 provides m - data bits at time in parallel to both bank a and bank b , but depending on which one is selected by the buffer control 342 , only one of the banks ( 310 a or 310 b ) stores the n m - bits of display data in its n m - bit registers ( e . g ., n = 14 and m = 8 ). the decoder 340 controls which m - bit registers within the selected bank a or bank b accepts the display data , such that the 1st m - bit register in the selected bank accepts display - data 1 , the 2nd m - bit register in the selected bank accepts display - data 2 . . . and the nth m - bit register in the selected bank accepts display - data n . in this manner , the control - data of the incoming sda signal is used to determine whether the incoming display - data ( 1 through n ) will update bank a or bank b . this feature enables a master device to either write to bank a while keeping bank b constant , or to write to bank b while keeping bank a constant . alternatively , referring to fig3 b , the interface control 308 provides m - data bits at time in parallel to the demux 350 , and the demux 350 provides the m - data bits to bank a or bank b , depending on which one is selected by the buffer control 342 , so only one of the banks stores the n m - bits of display data in its n m - bit registers ( e . g ., n = 14 and m = 8 ). the demux 350 controls which m - bit registers within the selected bank a or bank b accepts the display data , such that the 1st m - bit register in the selected bank accepts display - data 1 , the 2nd m - bit register in the selected bank accepts display - data 2 . . . and the nth m - bit register in the selected bank accepts display - data n . in a similar manner as described above with reference to fig3 a , the control - data of the incoming sda signal is used to determine whether the incoming display - data ( 1 through n ) will update bank a or bank b . again , this feature enables a master device to either write to bank a while keeping bank b constant , or to write to bank b while keeping bank a constant . referring to both fig3 a and 3b , the register bank that is being kept constant is used to drive the single dac 320 , while the other bank gets updated . for example , while bank b is getting updated with new display - data , the digital data in bank a is converted into analog voltages by the single dac 320 , which is then stored in the voltage storage devices with subscripts a ( i . e ., into the first group of voltage storage devices 324 ); and while bank a is getting updated with new display - data , the digital data in bank b is converted into analog voltages by the single dac 320 , which is then stored in the voltage storage devices with subscripts b ( i . e ., into the second group of voltage storage devices 326 ). more specifically , the mux 312 selects m - bits at a time to be provided to the m - inputs of the m - bit dac 320 . one of 2 ^ m different analog outputs is produced at the output of the m - bit dac 320 ( depending on the m - inputs ) and provided through the demux 322 to one of the voltage storage devices . at any give time , the muxs 328 1 - 328 n , which are controlled by a bank select signal , determine whether the analog voltages from the first group of voltage storage devices 324 ( i . e ., vs a1 - vs an ) or the second group of voltage storage devices 326 ( i . e ., vs b1 - vs bn ) are provided to the output buffers 330 1 - 330 n ( which depending on implementation , may or may not provide amplification ), and thereby used to drive the column driver ( s ). while the first group of voltage storage devices 324 ( i . e ., vs a1 - vs an ) are being updated , the muxs 328 1 - 328 n cause the analog voltages in the second group of voltage storage devices 326 ( i . e ., vs b1 - vs bn ) to be provided to the output buffers 330 1 - 330 n , and vise versa . advantages of the multi - reference voltage generators 306 of the present invention , described with reference to fig3 a and 3b , is that instead of using one dac per output ( i . e ., n separate dacs for n outputs ), a single dac 320 and multiple voltage storage devices are used , thereby saving die cost and reducing die size . also , by using a single dac 320 , for a specific digital display - data input , the dac 320 will not cause any mismatch ( however , some mismatches may still occur if the output buffers 330 are not matched ). additionally , the settling time to switch between bank a and bank b is only limited by the settling time of the output buffers 330 , since an analog voltage is always readily available through the groups of voltage storage devices 324 or 326 . in another embodiment , shown in fig6 , rather than using a single dac 320 , a pair of dacs 320 a and 320 b are used , one being associated with bank a and the other being associated with bank b . while two dacs cost more and take up more die space than a single dac , two dacs are less costly and take up less die space than n dacs , where n is greater than 2 ( e . g ., n may equal 14 ). in one embodiment , the display - data written into the first register bank 310 a ( i . e ., bank a ) corresponds to a first gamma curve , and the display - data written into the second register bank 310 b ( i . e ., bank b ) corresponds to a second gamma curve , thereby enabling fast switching between two different gamma curves , e . g ., on a frame - by - frame basis . embodiments of the present invention are also useful in an environment where more than one pixel ( e . g ., a pair of pixels ) is used to display each word of display - data ( i . e ., where the same display data , gamma corrected in more than one manner , is used to drive more than one pixel ). in such an environment , each pixel may have a different gamma associated with it , or each pixel may have a dynamic gamma associated with it that is updated on a line basis . in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention , half of the n voltage outputs ( e . g ., out 1 − outn / 2 ) have a positive voltage polarity , and the other half ( e . g ., outn / 2 + 1 − outn ) have a negative polarity . for example , if there are 14 voltage outputs ( i . e ., if n = 14 ), then out 1 - out 7 have a positive polarity , and out 8 - out 14 have a negative polarity . the column driver ( s ) being driven by the reference voltage generator 302 receive positive voltage output out 1 - out 7 during one frame , and then negative voltage outputs out 8 - out 14 during a next frame , and so on , so that pixel voltages are reversed in polarity every frame so that the capacitor ( s ) associated with each pixel is not damaged . in such an embodiment , the reference voltage generator 302 will also output a middle voltage , known as vcom . in each bank of registers 310 a and 310 b , half of the 14 registers ( where n = 14 ) will store positive display data , and the other half will store negative data that is the inverse of what is stored in the first half . this will cause the analog voltages out 1 to out 7 be the completely symmetrical with out 8 to out 14 around the vcom voltage . the terms positive and negative , as used herein , are relative to vcom . that is , if a voltage is greater than vcom it is considered positive relative to vcom , if a voltage is less than vcom it is considered negative relative to vcom . in accordance with another embodiment , in order to reduce the number of registers in each bank 310 a and 310 b in half , only positive ( or negative ) display data is stored in the banks 310 a and 310 b , and appropriate digital inversion of the display data takes place between banks 310 a , 310 b and the dac 320 ( on either side of mux 312 ). in other words , since the analog voltages are completely symmetrical around vcom , the digital data in half of the registers ( e . g ., the top half of the data registers ) can be converted to digital data that would have been stored by the other half of the registers ( e . g ., the bottom half of the data registers ) by just using a simple arithmetic function of 2 &# 39 ; s complement . an example of this phenomena ( assuming an 8 - bit dac ) is shown in table 1 , shown below . as can be seen above , the digital data of out 14 is the 2 &# 39 ; s complement of out 1 , out 13 is the 2 &# 39 ; s complement of out 2 , and so on . although not specifically shown in fig3 a and 3b , the functional block that would perform the above described functions ( that allow for halving of the number of registers in each register bank ) would be located between the banks 310 a , 310 b and the mux 312 , or between the mux 312 and the dac 320 , in accordance with specific embodiments of the present invention . as mentioned above , in the embodiment of fig6 a pair of dacs 320 a and 320 b can be used ( which is still less than n dacs , when n is , e . g ., 14 as in this example ), each associated with one of the banks 310 a and 310 b . each dac has its own reference voltages . for example , the top dac 320 a references are vrefh_u = 14 . 16 and vrefl_u = 8v , and the bottom dac 320 b references are vrefh_l = 7 . 28 and vrefl_l = 1 . 12 respectively . in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention , the top dac output implements the function ( vrefh_u − vrefl_u )*( digital data )/ 256 + vrefl_u ; and the bottom dac output implements the function ( vrefh_l − vrefl_l )*( digital data )/ 256 + vrefl_l . the pair of dacs 320 a and 320 b can also be used with the embodiment of fig3 b . an alternate way of implement this function is to swap the voltage references in the bottom dac 320 b , such that vrefh_l = 1 . 12 and vrefl_l = 7 . 28 . by doing so , the digital data does not need to be arithmetically changed . table 2 below shows such a thing . the foregoing description is of the preferred embodiments of the present invention . these embodiments have been provided for the purposes of illustration and description , but are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed . many modifications and variations will be apparent to a practitioner skilled in the art . embodiments were chosen and described in order to best describe the principles of the invention and its practical application , thereby enabling others skilled in the art to understand the invention . slight modifications and variations are believed to be within the spirit and scope of the present invention . it is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the following claims and their equivalents . | 6 |
now looking more closely at the drawings and in particular the first embodiment of vascular band shown in fig1 and 2 . the vascular band 1 of this embodiment comprises a length of flexible bio - compatible material 2 which is approximately four times longer than it is wide . a number of transverse bars 4 of a radiopaque material such as stainless steel extend across the full width of the material 2 and are crimped onto the flexible material and a tail 6 is left at one end . the vascular band has markings 7 upon it which enable the physician when placing the band around the vasculature to know the diameter of the band and hence the vessel upon which it is placed to assist with selection and placement of the subsequent stent graft . the markings correspond to the diameter of the vessel after placement . in this example the band is for a iliac artery which is expected to have a diameter in the range of from 12 to 24 millimeters . this band may have a width of width of 15 mm and a length of 100 mm allowing for a tail 19 which can be cut off or left in place after placement . the bars are spaced apart by about 20 mm . as can be seen in fig2 the vascular band 1 is wrapped around a vessel 8 and a surgical staple or stitching 10 is used to connect the end 5 to the tail end 6 so that the vascular band is a snug fit around the vessel . a portion of the tail extends out and can be left . a stent graft can then be deployed into the vessel 8 as discussed in relation to fig1 and 12 below . the tail 6 allows a range of diameters of vessel to be accommodated . fig3 and 4 show an alternative embodiment . in this embodiment the vascular band 12 includes a flexible material 14 which is substantially longer than it is wide and includes bars 16 extending transversely across the full width of the material at regular intervals along the length . there is a tail 19 left free bars at one end of the band . the vascular band has markings 15 upon it which enable the physician when placing the band around the vasculature to know the diameter of the band and hence the vessel upon which it is placed to assist with selection and placement of the subsequent stent graft . the markings correspond to the diameter of the vessel after placement and can be observed during placement . in this example the band is for aorta in the region of the renal arteries which is expected to have a diameter in the range of from 25 to 45 millimeters . this band may have a width of 40 mm and a length of 200 mm . the bars are spaced apart by about 15 mm . as can be seen in fig4 again the vascular band 12 is wrapped around the vessel 17 and a surgical staple or stitching 18 is used to fasten it around the vessel to give a snug fit to the vessel . fig5 and 6 show a still further embodiment of vascular band according to the inventions . in this embodiment the vascular band 20 incorporates three bars 22 with one at each end and one in the middle . the bars extend across the full width of the material in this embodiment the vascular band is made substantially at the correct length for the circumference of the vessel so that when placed around the vessel the terminal bars 22 then can be connected by means of a surgical staple or stitching 24 and the central transverse bar 22 is substantially diametrically opposed to the connection 24 . fig7 shows a still further embodiment of vascular band according to the present invention . in this embodiment the vascular band 30 includes a flexible graft of a biocompatible graft material 32 with a plurality of transverse bars 34 or rods . the transverse bars or rods 34 are interwoven or stitched into and across the full width of the graft material 32 . by this arrangement a flexible band is provided which can be wrapped around a vessel of the human or animal body and which will not buckle in the transverse direction thereby providing a surgical support for a landing zone for an endovascular graft . fig8 shows the embodiment of vascular band shown in fig7 around a vessel 36 . a surgical staple 38 is used to fasten the band around the vessel at the necessary length . the bars or rods 34 extend along the length of the vessel and prevent the band buckling and provide a radiopaque marking for defining the landing zone for an endovascularly deployed stent graft . fig9 a and 9b show a portion of the vascular band shown in fig1 showing detail of the means by which the bars are crimped onto the flexible bio - compatible material . the bio - compatible material 2 has a bar 4 crimped onto it . the bar includes folded over ends 7 which are crimped over the sides 9 of the flexible material 2 to the back of the flexible material to enable the bar 4 to grip onto the flexible material . fig1 a shows a detailed view of the vascular band of the embodiment shown in fig7 and 8 . in this embodiment the bar 34 is threaded into apertures 35 in the material 32 so that it extends transversely across the material 32 . fig1 b shows a detailed view of an alternative embodiment of vascular band showing an alternative method of fastening a bar to the biocompatible material . in this embodiment the bar 34 is fastened to the material 32 by the means of stitching 37 . fig1 shows a deployed stent graft within an aorta with an aneurysm and incorporating a vascular band according to the present invention . the aneurysm 150 is a ballooning of the aorta 152 between the renal arteries 153 and the iliac arteries 154 . the stent graft 110 ( as shown in more detail in fig1 ) is deployed into the aorta so that it spans the aneurysm and allows blood flow from the aorta to the two iliac arteries 154 . an aortic band 1 of the type shown in fig1 has been placed just distal of the renal arteries 153 and around the aorta 152 with the bars 4 substantially in line with the longitudinal direction of the aorta . surgical staples 10 have been used to fasten the vascular band 1 in place and the tail 6 of the band extends out from the connection . the proximal portion 114 ( see fig1 ) of the stent graft 110 which has the stent on the inside bears against the wall of the aorta 152 in the region of placement of the vascular band 1 above the aneurysm and below the renal arteries so that a good seal is obtained . the exposed zigzag stent 115 ( see fig1 ) which extends beyond the portion 114 extends over the entrances to the renal arteries but , as the wire of the stent is thin , occlusion does not occur . the distal end 123 of the long leg 120 of the stent graft 110 seals against the wall of one of the iliac arteries and the distal end 155 of the extension leg stent graft 121 bears against the wall of the other iliac artery . fig1 shows an embodiment of a bifurcated stent graft with an extension stent graft suitable for placement into an aorta and engaging against the aorta where an aortic band according to the present invention has been placed . the bifurcated stent graft 110 has a generally inverted y - shaped configuration having a body portion 111 , a shorter leg 112 and a longer leg 120 . the body of the stent graft is constructed from a tubular woven synthetic material such as dacron ™. at the proximal end 114 of the stent graft 110 is a first zigzag stent 115 which extends beyond the end of the stent graft and has distally extending barbs 116 . the stent graft has a number of zigzag stents mounted to it and extending along its length . the stent 117 nearest the proximal end 114 is inside the tubular material so that the outside presents a smooth surface which in use engages against the inner wall of the vessel into which it is deployed to provide a barrier to endoleaks . the terminal stent 118 nearest the distal end of the shorter leg is outside the tubular material so that the inside presents a smooth surface which in use engages against the outside of the proximal end of a leg extension stent graft 121 . between these terminal stents the rest of the stents 119 are arranged on the outside of the tubular material so that they present minimal restriction to the flow of blood through the stent graft and present minimal sites for the growth of thromboses within the stent graft . extension leg stent graft 121 is adapted for fitting into the shorter leg . the extension stent graft 121 is constructed from a tubular synthetic material such as dacron and has terminal internal stents 122 and a plurality of external intermediate stents 124 . in use the stent graft according to this embodiment of the invention is adapted for fitting into aorta such that the end 114 is just distal of the renal arteries and the first exposed zigzag stent 115 extends up to or over the renal arteries . as it is constructed from thin wire it does not obstruct the renal arteries if it extends over them . the longer leg 120 extends down one of the iliac arteries and the shorter leg terminates in the aorta just short of the other iliac artery . the extension stent graft when deployed extends down the other iliac artery . a vascular band for use in the juxtarenal position of the aorta may have a length of from 75 to 200 mm and a width of from 20 to 30 mm . a range of bands may be manufactured with 15 mm length changes such as bands with lengths of 75 mm , 90 mm , 105 mm , 120 mm , 135 mm and 150 mm to accommodate the expected range of vessel diameters . a vascular band for the iliac arteries may have a length of from 40 to 60 mm and a width of from 15 to 25 mm . a range of bands may be manufactured with 5 mm length changes such as bands with lengths of 40 mm , 45 mm , 55 mm and 60 mm to accommodate the expected range of vessel diameters . fig1 shows a still further embodiment of vascular band with a first form of fastening system according to the present invention and fig1 shows the use of the vascular band of fig1 around a vessel of the human or animal body . this embodiment is similar in many respects to that shown in fig1 and the same reference numerals are used for corresponding items . the vascular band 1 of this embodiment comprises a length of flexible bio - compatible material 2 which is approximately four to five times longer than it is wide . a number of transverse bars 4 of a radiopaque material such as stainless steel extend across the full width of the material and are crimped onto the flexible material at each and a tail 6 is left at one end and a short end 40 at the other end . on the short end 40 a row of hooks 42 are fastened and on the tail 6 an array of loops 44 is fastened . as can be seen in fig1 the band 1 is wrapped around a vessel 8 and hooks 42 are engaged with whichever line of loops 44 of the array of loops are closest to the required circumference . fig1 shows a still further embodiment of vascular band with a second form of fastening system according to the present invention and fig1 shows the use of the vascular band of fig1 around a vessel of the human or animal body . this embodiment is similar in many respects to that shown in fig1 and the same reference numerals are used for corresponding items . the vascular band 1 of this embodiment comprises a length of flexible bio - compatible material 2 which is approximately four to five times longer than it is wide . a number of transverse bars 4 of a radiopaque material such as stainless steel extend across the full width of the material and are crimped onto the flexible material and a tail 6 is left at one end and a short end 50 at the other . on the short end 50 a portion of the hook part of a hook and loop fastener system is fastened and at the tail end 6 a portion of the loop part of a hook and loop fastener system is fastened . as can be seen in fig1 the band 1 is wrapped around a vessel 8 and the hooks portion of the hook and loop fastener system is engaged against the loops portion of the hook and loop fastener system to fasten the band around the vessel . alternatively the hooks portion and the loops portions may be provided on opposite sides of the band . throughout this specification unless the context requires otherwise , the words ‘ comprise ’ and ‘ include ’ and variations such as ‘ comprising ’ and ‘ including ’ will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated integer or group of integers but not the exclusion of any other integer or group of integers . throughout this specification various indications have been given as to the scope of this invention but the invention is not limited to any one of these but may reside in two or more of these combined together . the examples are given for illustration only and not for limitation . | 0 |
fig1 illustrates a pda 10 that includes a display screen 12 , various user controls 14 and a docking interface 16 . the docking interface 16 is used to couple the pda 10 to various accessory devices including , as just one example , a digital camera 18 that is supplied with a corresponding mating interface 20 . fig2 illustrates the digital camera 18 coupled to the pda 10 . for the purposes of this discussion , it will be understood that the terms “ docking interface ” and “ mating interface ” include mechanical and / or electrical components required to mate the digital camera 18 to the pda 10 and allow the transfer of control and data signals therebetween . it is preferable to utilize a standard communication protocol ( for example ieee rs232 ) to implement the docking interface 16 and the mating interface 20 , although any other standard or custom communication protocol may also be employed . in the illustrated embodiment , the pda 10 is provided with an imaging application program that utilizes the display screen 12 of the pda 10 as a viewfinder for the digital camera 18 . in addition , the imaging application program interprets signals received from the user controls 14 as commands to operate the digital camera 18 . as a result , the digital camera 18 need only be provided with appropriate optics and image capture circuitry , thereby avoiding the necessity of providing duplicate components . images captured by the digital camera 18 can be stored and downloaded to other devices , such as a personal computer , via the pda 10 . a detailed schematic block diagram of the digital camera 18 is illustrated in fig3 . as shown in fig3 , the digital camera 18 includes a lens system 22 that focuses scene light onto an electronic image sensor 24 . image data generated by the electronic image sensor 24 is supplied to a programmable logic device 26 , which controls the management and storage of the image data in a memory device 28 in response to control signals supplied by a control processor 30 . a crystal 25 provides a stable reference frequency which is used to generate clock signals in the image sensor 24 and the programmable logic device 26 . the control processor 30 is coupled to a uart 32 , which in turn is coupled to the mating interface 20 . power is supplied to the various components by a power supply unit 34 that is coupled to ordinary aaa batteries 36 . alternatively , an integrated rechargeable battery may be employed . a battery voltage sensing circuit 38 is preferably provided to monitor the charge condition of the batteries 36 and provide the status thereof to the control processor 30 . the power supply unit 34 is illustrated in greater detail in fig4 as including a power management circuit 40 and a conventional switched mode power supply ( smps ) 42 , although other types of power supplies or regulation circuitry could be utilized based on the particular application of interest . the power management circuit 40 includes an npn transistor q 2 having its base coupled to a first control signal line , which in the illustrated example is a switched mode power supply enable line ( smps enable ), and to a second control signal line , which in the illustrated example is a clear - to - send control line ( cts ) received from the pda 10 via the docking interface 16 and mating interface 20 , both of which can be utilized to control the operation of the npn transistor q 2 . the npn transistor q 2 , in turn , is used to control the gate of the power fet q 1 by supplying a power activation signal thereto . a detailed description of the operation of the power management circuit 40 will now be described with reference to fig5 . as shown in fig5 , the cts control line is low when the pda 10 is off . when a user turns the pda 10 on , a decision is made as to whether an imaging application is running on the pda 10 . if an imaging operation is running on the pda 10 , the cts control line is held high , which causes transistor q 2 to turn on . the activation of transistor q 2 then causes transistor q 1 to conduct . as a result , the smps 42 is energized from the power supplied from the batteries 36 and the regulated operating voltage for the digital camera 18 is activated . activation of the power for the digital camera 18 causes the control processor 30 to power up . after the initial power up , the control processor 30 enters a two second idle timer routine . during the idle timer routine , the uart 32 waits to receive command signals from the pda 10 via the mating interface 20 . if a command signal is received relating to an imaging function , the control processor 30 sets the smps enable line high which forces the smps 42 to stay on . an imaging operation is then performed under the control of the control processor 30 . after completion of the imaging operation , the control processor returns to the two second idle timer routine . if no user command is detected and the cts line remains high , the uart 32 continues to wait for receipt of a command signal . if the cts line is not high , however , it indicates that the pda 10 has been powered off or the imaging application has been terminated . in such a circumstance , if the idle timer routine being performed by the control processor 30 has also expired , the control processor 30 clears the smps enable line and the power for the digital camera 18 is deactivated . the power management circuit 40 insures that the power to the digital camera 18 is activated if the digital camera 18 is attached to the pda 10 and an imaging application is running . the use of the smps enable signal to clamp q 2 in an on state avoids problems associated with the instability of the cts signal supplied from the pda 10 . for example , the cts signal may toggle at each activation of the user controls 14 . thus , the cts signal is high once the pda 10 enters the imaging application , but when the user activates the user controls 14 to capture an image , the cts signal may drop low causing the digital camera 18 to inadvertently power down . the smps enable signal , however , clamps q 2 for the duration of the actual imaging operation , thereby avoiding inadvertent power down due to fluctuations or toggling of the cts signal . fig6 illustrates an alternative embodiment that operates independently from the control processor 30 in which the smps enable does not have to be supplied by the control processor 30 . in the embodiment illustrated in fig6 , the power management circuit 40 of the power supply unit 34 includes a diode 44 , capacitor 46 and a resistor 48 that are coupled to the cts line and a shutdown input ( shutdown ) of the switched mode power supply 42 . as in the previous embodiment , the cts line goes to a logic high when an imaging operation is running on the pda 10 , thereby charging the capacitor 46 and pulling the shutdown input to a logic high to enable operation of the switched mode power supply 42 . if the signal on the cts line should momentarily drop low during operation , the diode 44 becomes back biased forcing the capacitor 46 to discharge through the resistor 48 . the values of the capacitor 46 and resistor 48 are selected to provide a time constant sufficient to hold a logic high state on the shutdown input to bridge momentary dropouts of the signal supplied to the cts line . when the cts line returns to a logic high , the capacitor 46 is charged in preparation for the next dropout . once the imaging application is terminated or the pda 10 is turned off , the signal supplied to the cts line goes low and the capacitor 46 eventually discharges causing the switched mode power supply 42 to deactivate . the invention has been described with reference to certain preferred embodiments thereof . if will be understood , however , that modifications and variations are possible within the scope of the appended claims . for example , the type of transistors or switching elements employed within the power management circuit may be readily varied based on intended application . further , the invention is not limited to the use of a cts signal , but is applicable to any power management application in which an initial power on signal is subject to instability . still further , although a preferred embodiment of the invention was illustrated using a digital camera , the invention is applicable to any type of accessory device that is coupled to a basic pda or to any other types of combinations of accessory devices and base components . | 7 |
a preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings . since , in this embodiment , the mounting position and mounting structure of the inventive magnetic head in the recording and reproduction device are same as in the prior art , the same members as used in the prior art are indicated using the same reference numbers , and description thereof is omitted . referring to fig1 showing this embodiment , an end surface 31 of a head mount 21 is provided protrudingly with mounting members 32 to clamp a head chip 22 and fix it integrally with the head mount 21 , and the head chip 22 is integrally mounted to the mounting members 32 . an opposing surface 33 which comes in sliding contact with the recording surface of a magnetic disc 13 is formed at the front end of the head chip 22 opposing the recording surface of the magnetic disc 13 . at nearly the center of the opposing surface 33 is formed a plurality ( 2 in this embodiment ) of magnetic gaps 34 , which come in sliding contact with the recording surface of the magnetic disc 13 to make mediation ( transmission and reception ) of magnetic information , along nearly the radial direction of the magnetic disc 13 . as shown in fig2 which is a schematic cross sectional view taken along line 2 -- 2 in fig1 the opposing surface 33 is formed as an inclined surface 35 which is inclined so as to become more distant from the free rotary surface n of the magnetic disc 13 towards the downstream side with respect to the rotational direction ( arrow r ) of the magnetic disc 13 . as a result , as the magnetic disc 13 rotates , a negative pressure is generated between the inclined surface 35 of the head chip 22 and the magnetic disc 13 , which attracts the magnetic disc 13 towards the head chip 22 side and causes the magnetic disc 13 to come in sliding contact against the magnetic gap 34 provided at the end of the head chip 22 , thereby achieving a good head touch . furthermore , an end portion 36 of the head chip 22 located at the upstream side of the magnetic disc 13 with respect to its rotational direction is made of a material harder than the head chip 22 , such as sapphire , to prevent abrasion due to sliding with the magnetic disc 13 . referring to fig3 showing another embodiment , a plurality ( 2 in this embodiment ) of magnetic gaps 34 are provided on the opposing surface of the head chip 22 opposing the magnetic disc 13 along nearly the radial direction of the magnetic disc 13 . on the opposing surfaces located respectively at the upstream side and the downstream side of the magnetic gaps 34 with respect to the rotational direction of the magnetic disc 13 are provided an inclined surface 41 and an inclined surface 42 . as shown in fig4 which is a cross sectional view taken along line 4 -- 4 in fig3 these incline surfaces 41 and 42 are formed so as to become farther from the free rotary surface n of the magnetic disc 13 towards the down stream side with respect to the rotational direction ( arrow r ) of the magnetic disc 13 , and inclination angle θ 2 of the inclined surface 42 to the free rotary surface n is greater than inclination angle θ 1 of the inclined surface 41 to the free rotary surface n . preferable inclination angles θ 1 and θ 2 are , for example , θ 1 = 1 ° to 3 °, whereas θ 2 = 2 ° to 6 °, a value which is approximately double the value of θ 1 . referring to fig5 which is a schematic plan view of the head chip 22 shown in fig3 the size of the opposing surface of the head chip 22 opposing the magnetic disc 13 is preferably to be at least l 1 = 1 . 2 mm and l 2 = 1 . 2 mm , where l 1 is the length of a side which is nearly perpendicular to the rotational direction ( arrow r ) of the magnetic disc 13 and l 2 is the length of a side along the rotational direction . therefore , as the magnetic disc 13 rotates , a negative pressure is generated in the area surrounded by the magnetic disc 13 and the inclined surfaces 41 and 42 , which attracts the magnetic disc 13 towards the head chip 22 to come in sliding contact with the head chip 22 . however , since the inclination angle of the inclined surface 42 located at the downstream side with respect to the rotational direction of the magnetic disc 13 is greater than the inclination angle of the inclined surface 41 located at the upstream side , the magnetic disc 13 is attracted by a greater negative pressure at the downstream side of the magnetic gap 34 . as a result , the magnetic disc 13 is attracted while being deformed at both sides of the magnetic gap 34 , thus improving touching of the magnetic disc 13 to the magnetic gap 34 . in this embodiment , a plurality ( 3 in this embodiment ) of grooves 43 , which are formed along nearly the rotational direction of the magnetic disc 13 over both the inclined surfaces 41 and 42 , are disposed along nearly the radial direction of the magnetic disc 13 . the grooves 43 are formed continuously from the upstream end of the inclined surface 41 to the downstream end of the inclined surface 42 , and have a nearly arc - formed cross section so that the depth is zero at the upstream end and downstream end . the grooves 43 absorb air flow of nearly radial direction other than that in the rotational direction ( circumferential direction ) which is mainly generated by the rotation of 13 of the magnetic disc 13 , and cause it to flow along the rotational direction , thereby controlling air flow in nearly the radial direction which hinders generation of the negative pressure . in addition , since the grooves 43 can expand the area between the magnetic disc 13 and the head chip 22 , they can increase the negative pressure generated in the area . furthermore , the grooves 43 also have an action to stabilize the air flow ( forming a laminar flow ) in the rotational direction of the magnetic disc 13 , thereby even further improving head touch of the magnetic disc 13 . referring to fig6 which is a schematic perspective view showing another embodiment and to fig7 which is a schematic cross sectional view taken along line 7 -- 7 in fig6 the opposing surface of the head chip 22 opposing the magnetic disc 13 located at the upstream side of the magnetic gap 34 with respect to the rotational direction ( arrow r ) of the magnetic disc 13 has a flat surface 44 having a zero inclination angle , that is , parallel to the free rotary surface n of the magnetic disc 13 . at the front end of the head chip 22 located at the downstream side of the magnetic gap with respect to the rotational direction of the magnetic disc 13 is provided a smooth inclined curved surface 45 formed so that it becomes gradually more distant from the free rotary surface n of the magnetic disc 13 towards the downstream side with respect to the rotational direction of the magnetic disc 13 . the inclined curved surface 45 has a plurality ( 2 in this embodiment ) of grooves 46 , which are formed along nearly the rotational direction of the magnetic disc 13 and disposed at both sides of the magnetic gap 34 along nearly the rotational direction of the magnetic disc 13 . the grooves 46 , which have depths of zero at the upstream end of the inclined curved surface 45 and have predetermined depths at the downstream end of the inclined curved surface 45 , communicate with the downstream side area of the head chip 22 . the groove 46 preferably have a maximal depth of 50 μm . in this embodiment , the flat surface 44 parallel to the free rotary surface n of the magnetic disc 13 is formed on the opposing surface of the head chip 22 opposing the magnetic disc 13 . alternatively , however , an inclined curved surface 47 may be formed , for example , as shown in fig8 over the entire opposing surface , which is gradually inclined so as to become more distant from the free rotary surface n towards the downstream side with respect to the rotational direction of the magnetic disc 13 . in this case , where distance between the magnetic gap 34 , which is located nearly at the center of the inclined curved surface 47 , and the free rotary surface n is h 1 , and distance between the downstream end of the inclined curved surface 47 and the free rotary surface n is h 2 , it is preferable to set , for example , to h 1 = 0 to 100 μm and h 2 = 200 μm , or , as shown by dot - bar lines in the figure , position of the inclined curved surface 47 is moved parallelly by 0 to 200 μm towards the free rotary surface n side to position part or the entire of the inclined curved surface 47 above ( in the figure ) the free rotary surface n . thus , as the magnetic disc 13 rotates , a negative pressure is generated in the area between the magnetic disc 13 and the inclined curved surface 45 or 47 , which attracts the magnetic disc 13 towards the front end of the head chip 22 to cause the magnetic disc 13 to come in sliding contact with the magnetic gap 34 , and the groove 46 absorbs the air flow in nearly the radial direction of the magnetic disc 13 to increase the negative pressure and regulates the entire air flow generated in association with the rotation of the magnetic disc 13 to be a laminar flow , thereby achieving a stable head touch . in the above described embodiments , the inclined surfaces 41 and 42 , or the flat surface 44 and the inclined curved surface 45 , are individually formed at the upstream side and the downstream side of the magnetic gap 34 . however , position of the magnetic gap 34 may be shifted from the boundary of the inclined surface 41 and the inclined surface 42 , or that of the flat surface 44 and the inclined curved surface 45 . or , an increased number ( 3 or more ) of inclined surfaces with different inclination angles to the free rotary surface n of the magnetic disc 13 may be formed on the opposing surface of the head chip 22 opposing the magnetic disc 13 along the rotational direction of the magnetic disc 13 . thus , inclination angle of the inclined surface to the free rotary surface n of the magnetic disc 13 may be varied along the rotational direction of the magnetic disc 13 . furthermore , shapes and positions and number of the grooves 43 and 46 are not restricted to those of the embodiments , but it is only required that these grooves are formed on the opposing surface of the head chip 22 opposing the magnetic disc 13 along the rotational direction of the magnetic disc 13 . an example of the magnetic head 15 , which is fabricated for use in a recording and reproduction device for a 2 - inch magnetic video floppy disc , uses a head chip which is almost the same as the head chip 22 shown in fig6 . the head chip 22 has an approximately 2 - mm square cross section , the inclined curved surface 45 is formed on the part of about 3 / 4 the area at the downstream side of the head chip 22 , the two magnetic gaps 34 are formed with an approximately 100 μm spacing and are positioned at nearly the center of the front end of the head chip 22 . in experiments , this magnetic head has been confirmed to achieve a very good head touch . fig9 is a schematic perspective view of another embodiment of the inventive magnetic head , and fig1 is a schematic cross sectional view of the head chip 22 taken along line 10 -- 10 in fig9 that is , along the rotational direction ( arrow r ) of the magnetic disc 13 . referring to fig9 and fig1 , an opposing surface 48 of the head chip 22 opposing the magnetic disc 13 is inclined , for example , with a curvature radius of r 1 , to gradually become more distant from the free rotary surface n of the magnetic disc 13 along the rotational direction of the magnetic disc 13 . on the other hand , as shown in fig1 which is a schematic cross sectional view of the head chip 22 taken along line 11 -- 11 , that is , along the radial direction of the magnetic disc the opposing surface 48 of the head chip 22 is inclined , for example , with a curvature radius r 2 , so that the magnetic gap 34 is at the top . therefore , the opposing surface 48 of the head chip is a nearly spherical curved surface with the magnetic gap 34 at the top and , when r 1 and r 2 are set almost equally , its curvature radius may be , for example , approximately 50 to 150 mm . alternatively , however , r 1 and r 2 may be set differently so that the cross sectional edge of the head chip 22 is straight along the radial direction of the magnetic disc 13 , that is , r 2 =∞. thus , a control portion is formed on the opposing surface 48 of the head chip 22 opposing the magnetic disc 13 which , with high - speed rotation of the magnetic disc 13 , generates a negative pressure between the control portion and the magnetic disc 13 to attract the magnetic disc 13 . furthermore , grooves as previously described with reference to fig3 and fig8 may be formed on the opposing surface 48 along the rotational direction of the magnetic disc 13 to regulate air flow and promote generation of negative pressure . the head chip 22 thus provided with the negative pressure generating control portion may have such dimensions as shown in fig9 in which l 1 is at least about 1 . 2 mm and l 2 is at least about 1 . 2 mm , where l 2 is the length of a side along the rotational direction of the magnetic disc 13 and l 1 is the length of a side perpendicular to the rotational direction . thus , in the inventive magnetic head 15 , the control portion , which has the same function as the stabilizing plate , is provided integrally on the opposing surface of the very small head chip 22 opposing the magnetic disc 13 to ensure the head touch , thereby enabling very efficient utilization of the recording surface of the magnetic disc 13 . for example , when the above - described 2 - mm square head chip 22 is applied to a 2 - inch magnetic video floppy disc , the floppy disc has a diameter of about 23 . 5 mm , which is subtracted by a center hub diameter of about 9 mm , 2 mm for the head chip 22 , and an allowance of 1 mm ( a total of 2 mm for the diameter ) at the periphery of the floppy disc , the floppy disc has an effective diameter of 10 . 5 mm , which enables formation of about 105 tracks . since the use of the inventive magnetic head 15 eliminates the need for the negative pressure generation type stabilizing plate 19 separate from the magnetic head 15 , positioning of the individual magnetic head 15 and the stabilizing plate required for prior art systems can be eliminated , thereby enabling very simplified production procedures . in order to even further improve the head touch of the magnetic head 15 , it is also possible to combine the magnetic head 15 with an auxiliary control member . in an example of such configuration as shown in fig1 , a positive pressure generating control member 49 is disposed at the opposite side of the head chip 22 of the inventive magnetic head 15 with respect to the free rotary surface n of the magnetic disc 13 and at the upstream side of the rotational direction ( arrow r ) of the magnetic disc 13 . as the magnetic disc 13 rotates , a positive pressure is generated between the control member 49 and the magnetic disc 13 which pushes the magnetic disc 13 towards the magnetic head 15 side , thereby even further improving the effect of the above - described various types of negative pressure generation type control portion formed on the head chip 22 at the end of the magnetic head 15 . in another example , as shown in fig1 , a control member 50 is disposed at the same side as the magnetic head 15 with respect to the free rotary surface n of the magnetic disc 13 and at the upstream side of the magnetic magnetic head 15 with respect to the rotational direction of the magnetic disc 13 . in association with rotation of the magnetic disc 13 , a negative pressure is generated between the control member 50 and the magnetic disc 13 to attract the magnetic disc 13 towards the magnetic head 15 side , thereby even further improving the effect of the above - described various types of negative pressure generation type control members formed on the head chip 22 at the end of the magnetic head 15 . alternatively , as shown in fig1 , the positive pressure generation type control member 49 shown in fig1 may be formed as a plate spring 51 . in this case , a positive pressure is generated between the magnetic disc 13 and the plate spring 51 to push the magnetic disc 13 towards the magnetic head 15 side and , at the same time , the magnetic disc 13 is also pushed towards the magnetic head 15 side by the urging force of the plate spring 51 . therefore , the end of the plate spring 51 at the magnetic disc 13 side , which may come in contact against the magnetic disc 13 , is provided with a pad 52 to protect the magnetic disc 13 from damaging . however , the previously - described control members 49 and 50 and the plate spring 51 are not necessarily required . referring to fig1 which is a schematic perspective view showing another embodiment , a ring - formed control member 61 surrounding the head chip 22 is formed integrally with the head mount 21 on a front surface 31 of the head mount 21 . this control member 61 , as the magnetic disc 13 rotates , generates a negative pressure in the area between a groove 62 , which is formed by the inner peripheral surface of the ring - formed control member 81 and the front surface 31 of the head mount 21 , and the magnetic disc 13 to attract the magnetic disc 13 towards the head chip 22 side and cause it to come in sliding contact against the magnetic gap 34 of a sliding surface 33 , thereby achieving a stable head touch . in addition , an inclined surface formed to become more distant from the standstill magnetic disc 13 towards the inner periphery of a front surface 63 of the control member 61 can be provided , thereby varying the magnitude of the negative pressure generated . the magnetic head 15 , which is provided with the head mount 21 , the head chip 22 , and the control member 61 , can be mounted to the carriage 17 or the like as in the case of prior art systems , and can be moved on the recording surface of the magnetic disc 13 by moving the carriage 17 . with the negative pressure generation type control member 61 disposed in the vicinity of the head chip 22 , generation of negative pressure by other control members having the same effect positioned farther from the head chip 22 can be improved , thereby achieving an improved head touch , and both the head chip 22 and the control member 34 can be previously positioned precisely to the head mount 21 , thereby considerably reducing the positioning procedure with improved positioning precision over positioning adjustment of the individual members . referring to fig1 which is a schematic view showing another embodiment , in place of the ring - formed control member 61 used in the above embodiment , a control member 65 , which has inclined surfaces 64 individually formed on the side opposing the magnetic disc 13 at the upstream side and the downstream side of the head chip 22 with respect to the rotational direction ( arrow r ) of the magnetic disc 13 , is protrudingly provided on the front surface 31 of the head mount 21 . these inclined surface 64 are formed to become gradually more distant from the recording surface of the magnetic disc 13 towards the downstream side with respect to the rotational direction of the magnetic disc 13 . as the magnetic disc 13 rotates , a negative pressure is generated between the inclined surfaces 64 and the magnetic disc 13 to attract the magnetic disc 13 towards the head chip 22 side and cause it to come in sliding contact against the magnetic gap 34 of the sliding surface 33 . in the embodiments shown in fig1 and fig1 , the ring - formed control member and the control member having inclined surfaces 37 are individually used as control members . however , configuration of the control member is not restricted to these embodiments , but any types of control members can alternatively be used which are formed integrally with the head mount 21 to generate a negative pressure between the member and the magnetic disc 13 in association with rotation of the magnetic disc 13 and attract the magnetic disc 13 towards the head chip 22 side . | 6 |
fig1 depicts an example scanner 100 . the scanner 100 may be used to scan tissue ( e . g ., a breast ) at a medical center , for example . as illustrated , the scanner 100 typically comprises an object scanning apparatus 102 configured to scan an object ( e . g ., human tissue ). one or more images of the scanned object may be presented on a monitor 128 ( that is part of a desktop or laptop computer ) for human observation . in this way , targets of the object that are not visible to the naked eye ( e . g ., cancer cells comprised within breast tissue ) may be displayed in the one or more images and , ultimately , may be detected by the human observer . the object scanning apparatus 102 is configured to scan an object under examination and transmit data related to the scan to other components of the scanner 100 . the object scanning apparatus 102 comprises an x - ray source 132 and a detector array 138 . the x - ray source 132 is configured to emit fan , cone , wedge , or other shaped x - ray configuration into an examination region 144 of the object scanning apparatus 102 . x - rays that traverse the object under examination ( e . g ., the object in the examination region 144 ) are detected by the detector array 138 located on a diametrically opposing side of the object from the x - ray source 132 . targets ( e . g ., masses , cancer , scar tissue , etc .) within the object ( e . g ., a breast ) may cause various amounts of x - rays to traverse the object ( e . g ., creating areas of high traversal and areas of low traversal within the object ). for example , less radiation may traverse targets with a higher density ( relative to densities of other targets in the object ). it will be appreciated that the changes in traversal may be used to create x - ray images of targets within the object . for example , if breast tissue is scanned by the object scanning apparatus 102 , regions of tightly compacted cells may appear more prominently on an x - ray image than healthy breast cells ( which may be virtually invisible ). in one embodiment , the object scanning apparatus 102 is part of a mammography unit and the object scanning apparatus 102 further comprises a top compression paddle 134 and a bottom compression paddle 136 . a vertical support stand 142 may provide a means for suspending the compression paddles 134 and 136 , the x - ray source 132 , and the detector array 138 above the ground . for example , the vertical support may be seven feet tall so that the compression paddles 134 and 136 align with the height of breast tissue when a person is in a standing position . in one example , the compression paddles 134 and 136 are adjustable along the vertical support 142 to adjust for the varying heights of humans , and a shield 140 may protect a person &# 39 ; s head from exposure to the x - rays . in a mammography unit , for example , the examination region 144 may be comprised between the top compression paddle 134 and the bottom compression paddle 136 . when the object ( e . g ., breast tissue ) is inserted between the top and bottom compression paddles 134 and 136 , the object is compressed ( to even out the tissue and hold the tissue still ). while the object is under compression , x - rays may be emitted from the x - ray source 132 . to mitigate discomfort caused by the compression , the tissue may be compressed for a short period of time ( e . g ., approximately 10 seconds ). x - rays that traverse the breast while it is compressed are detected by the detector array 138 that is located within and / or below the bottom compression paddle 136 . the object scanning apparatus 102 may also comprise an ultrasound component 146 . the ultrasound component 146 may be configured to emit a plurality of sound waves , electromagnetic waves , light waves , or other image producing transmission into the examination region 144 , and / or detect emitted sound waves , for example , that have interacted with the object , in such a manner that the detected sounds waves can be used to generate an ultrasound image of object that depicts a plane of the object substantially parallel to a plane depicted in an x - ray image of the object . for example , in mammography , a horizontal slice of breast tissue is depicted in an x - ray image , and the ultrasound component 146 may be configured to emit and / or detect sound waves in such a manner that it ultimately causes the resulting ultrasound image ( s ) to also depict a horizontal slice of breast tissue in a plane substantially parallel to the plane of the x - ray image . in one example , the ultrasound component 146 emits sound waves in a direction substantially perpendicular to a trajectory of a center x - ray beam associated with the x - ray source 132 and / or perpendicular to a detector plane formed by the detector array 138 . it will be understood to those skilled in the art that the terms “ center x - ray beam ” as used herein refers to an x - ray beam that impacts the detector array at a ninety degree angle ( e . g ., the center beam of a fan , cone , wedge , or other shaped x - ray configuration ). it will be appreciated that the ultrasound component 146 may be configured to detect transmission waves and / or reflection waves depending upon its configuration . in one example , a single transducer 148 of the ultrasound component 146 both emits sound waves and detects those sound waves that have reflected off targets in the object . in another example , one transducer 148 emits sound waves and another transducer , positioned on a diametrically opposing side of the object , detects sound waves that have traversed the object under examination . it will also be appreciated that the ultrasound component 146 and / or components of the ultrasound component 146 ( e . g ., one or more transducers 148 comprised within the ultrasound component 146 ) may be configured to adjust ( e . g ., vertically ) relative to the object to acquire data that may used to create a plurality of images , respective images depicting various parallel planes of the object . in this way , a plurality of ultrasound images may be formed , each ultrasound image of the plurality depicting a scanning of the object that is both substantially parallel to the planes depicted in the other ultrasound images of the plurality of images and substantially parallel to the plane depicted in the x - ray image . in one example , a doctor may take a series of ultrasound images , each depicting a unique slice of the object , for example , and compare it to an x - ray image ( e . g ., depicting the entire object collapsed or flattened in one plane ) to determine what is below , above , and / or to the side of a mass depicted in the x - ray image . in the example scanner 100 , an x - ray data acquisition component 104 is operably coupled to the object scanning apparatus 102 and is configured to collect information and data related to x - rays that were detected by the detector array 138 . the x - ray data acquisition component 104 may also be used to compile the collected data ( e . g ., from multiple perspectives of the object ) into one or more x - ray projections 106 of the object . the illustrated example scanner 100 also comprises an x - ray reconstructor 108 that is operably coupled to the x - ray data acquisition component 104 , and is configured to receive the x - ray projections 106 from the x - ray data acquisition component 104 and generate 2 - d x - ray image ( s ) 110 indicative of the scanned object using a suitable analytical , iterative , and / or other reconstruction technique ( e . g ., backprojection from projection data space to image data ). the x - ray image ( s ) 110 illustrate the latitudinal dimension ( e . g ., orthogonal to a center x - ray beam and parallel to the detector array ) of the object . that is , the images may not depict the vertical height , for example , of a target inside an object when x - rays are emitted from above the object under examination . the example scanner 100 also comprises an ultrasound acquisition component 116 that is operably coupled to the object scanning apparatus 102 and is configured to collect information and data related to sounds waves that are detected by the ultrasound component 146 . the ultrasound acquisition component 116 may also be configured to compile the collected data into projection space data 118 . as an example , data from a plurality of transducers positioned about the object may be compiled into projection space data 118 . in the example scanner 100 , an ultrasound image apparatus 120 is operably coupled to the ultrasound acquisition component 116 , and is configured to receive the projection space data 118 from the ultrasound acquisition component 116 and generate ultrasound image ( s ) 122 . that is , ultrasound image apparatus is configured to convert sound waves into one or more images 122 using techniques known to those skilled in the art ( e . g ., beam forming techniques ). it will be understood to those skilled in the art that the one or more 2 - d x - ray images 110 and the one or more ultrasound images 122 depict substantially parallel planes of the object under examination . in another embodiment , the x - ray source 132 and / or the detector array 138 may be configured to vary their relative position to one another . for example , the x - ray source 132 may be configured to rotate about a portion of the object under examination ( e . g ., 20 degrees left and right of center ). in this way , data from a variety of perspectives ( e . g ., angles ) of the object can be collected from a single scan of the object . the data from the variety of perspectives ( e . g ., which may be volumetric data representative of the volumetric space of the object since it is acquired from a plurality of perspectives ) may be combined or synthesized by the x - ray reconstructor 108 using known digital averaging and / or filtering techniques ( e . g ., tomosynthesis ). each image 110 , for example , may be focused on a scanning plane ( e . g ., a horizontal slice ) of the object , which is parallel to the detector plane , and depicts targets within a particular longitudinal range . in this way , a substantially three - dimensional image of the object under examination may be formed by stacking the two - dimensional images 110 . in another embodiment , the ultrasound component 146 is configured to acquire data from a plurality of angles along a similar scanning plane of the object . in this way , a computed tomography ultrasound ( e . g ., similar to a computed tomography scan using x - rays ) of the object may be acquired , for example . ultrasound data may be acquired from a plurality of angles by a rotatable ultrasound component and / or an ultrasound component that comprises a plurality of transducers situated about the object ( e . g ., forming an arc about the object ), for example . it will be appreciated that where the ultrasound component 146 acquires data from a plurality of angles , the ultrasound image apparatus 120 may use more a suitable analytical , iterative , and / or other reconstruction technique ( e . g ., similar to the techniques used to generate computed tomography images from x - ray data ). in one example , the ultrasound image apparatus 120 may also place emphasis on particular types of data generated based upon the detected sound waves ( e . g ., elastography , reflection , transmission , etc .). in some instances , the x - ray images 110 and the ultrasound images 122 may be spatially coincident to one another . that is , the plane of the object depicted in at least one x - ray image may correspond to a plane of the object depicted in at least one ultrasound image , in such a way that the ultrasound image may be overlaid onto the x - ray image or vice - versa . for example , if the x - ray images 110 depict five different planes of object ( e . g ., each plain representing a horizontal slice ⅕ the width of the total object ), the ultrasound component and / or components of the ultrasound component may be configured to adjust so as to cause five ultrasound images 122 to be produced . each of the five ultrasound images 122 produced may have spatial coincidence with one of the x - ray images 110 , for example . the illustrated example scanner 100 further comprises a spatial registration component 124 . the spatial registration component 124 is in operable communication with the ultrasound image apparatus 120 and the x - ray reconstructor component 108 . the spatial registration component 124 is configured to combine the one or more x - ray images 110 with one or more ultrasound images 122 to form one or more combined images 126 ( through the process of fusion ) when the x - ray image ( s ) and the ultrasound image ( s ) are spatially coincident ( e . g ., by identifying corresponding portions of the x - ray image and the ultrasound image , or more generally , by identifying corresponding portions of the x - ray data and the ultrasound data ). that is , the spatial registration component 124 is configured to combine complementary information from two modalities ( e . g ., an x - ray image 110 and an ultrasound image 122 ) through suitable analytical techniques ( e . g ., retrospective registration algorithms , algorithms based on entropy , etc .). it will be understood to those skilled in the art that other configures and components for a scanner are also contemplated . in one example , a single x - ray image 110 ( e . g ., depicting a collapsed or flattened representation of the object ) and a single ultrasound image 122 ( e . g ., depicting an un - flattened slice of the object parallel to the flattened x - ray image ) is produced from data acquired from the object scanning apparatus 102 and the two images are visually compared ( e . g ., the x - ray image 110 and the ultrasound image 122 are not combined by the spatial registration component 124 ). therefore , the scanner may not comprise a spatial registration component 124 , for example . fig2 illustrates example scanning planes 200 ( e . g ., horizontal slices ) of an object 210 that may be depicted in x - ray images 202 and / or ultrasound images 204 . when x - ray data ( e . g ., which may be volumetric data representative of a volumetric space of the object ) is acquired at a variety of perspectives as discussed above ( e . g ., an x - ray source is varied with respect to an x - ray detector array ) and combined and / or filtered ( e . g ., using tomosynthesis techniques ) x - ray images depicting the illustrated example scanning planes 200 may be produced . it will be appreciated that the x - ray images 202 generally depict the various scanning planes 200 in a flattened latitudinal dimension ( e . g ., x , y ), such that targets in a scanning plane are depicted in the image generally having no discernable z coordinate . ultrasound images 204 depicting similar scanning planes 200 ( e . g ., three - dimensional slices ) to those depicted in the x - ray images may also be produced . the ultrasound images 204 may depict the scanning planes 200 in a flattened latitudinal dimension or in an unflattened latitudinal dimension ( e . g ., depicting x , y , and z dimensions ). the example ultrasound images 204 depict the scanning planes in an unflattened latitudinal dimension . that is , they are depicted as having x , y and z dimensions . unflattened ultrasound images may be useful to more easily determine the z coordinate of a target in the object ( e . g ., relative to comparing a plurality of flattened x - ray and / or flattened ultrasound images depicting various scanning planes ), for example . once x - ray images 202 and ultrasound images 204 are acquired , x - ray and ultrasound image that are spatially coincident may be combined ( e . g ., by a spatial registration component similar to 124 in fig1 ) to form a combined image . that is , an x - ray image depicting a particular plane may be combined with an ultrasound image depicting a similar plane to form a combined image . it will be appreciated that while the images may be combined to form combined images , the ultrasound images 204 and the x - ray images 202 may also remain separated and viewed independently ( e . g ., manually by a physician ), for example . it will also be appreciated that the ultrasound images 204 and the x - ray images may not be spatially coincident ( e . g ., because they depict different planes of the object 210 ). nevertheless , they may provide helpful ( diagnosis ) information , such as the location of a mass / tumor in the x , y and z direction , for example . fig3 is a cross sectional area ( e . g ., taken along line 3 - 3 in fig1 ) of an example object scanning apparatus 300 ( e . g ., 102 in fig1 ). the object scanning apparatus 300 comprises an x - ray source 302 ( e . g ., 132 in fig1 ), a detector array 304 ( e . g ., 138 in fig1 ), and an ultrasound component 306 ( e . g ., 146 in fig1 ). in the illustrated example , the x - ray source 302 is affixed to a guide mechanism 308 that is configured to rotate the x - ray source 302 about a portion of an object 310 under examination ( e . g ., 20 degrees left and / or right of center ). the guide mechanism 308 may be suspended from a vertical support stand 312 ( e . g ., 142 in fig1 ). it will be understood to those skilled in the art that the guide mechanism 308 may be unnecessary in certain applications , such as those in which data is not collected from a variety of perspectives , the x - ray source 302 is stationary while the detector array rotates 304 , etc . x - rays 314 are emitted from the x - ray source 302 and traverse the object 310 under examination . x - rays 314 that traverse the object 310 are detected by the detector array 304 positioned on a diametrically opposing side of the object 310 from the x - ray source 302 . in the illustrated example , the object 310 ( e . g ., tissue ) is compressed between a top compression paddle 316 and a bottom compression paddle 318 ( similar to those used on mammography apparatuses ) to condense and / or even out the object ( e . g ., to promote image quality ). the ultrasound component 306 is configured to send and / or receive sound waves 320 that interact with the object 310 . in the example scanning apparatus , the ultrasound component 306 is positioned between the top compression paddle 316 and the bottom compression paddle 318 ( at least one of which is configured to selectively receive the ultrasound component ) and is configured to contact the object 310 under examination . using this configuration ( e . g ., the ultrasound component 306 perpendicular to the detector array 304 and / or parallel to a center x - ray beam 326 ), the ultrasound component 306 may acquire data relating to the sound waves while the detector array 304 is acquiring data related to the x - rays since the two modalities occupy different space ( e . g ., the detector array occupies space below the object 310 and the ultrasound component 306 occupies space to the side of the object 310 ). in one example , the ultrasound component 306 is attached to , and movable along , one or both of the compression paddles 316 and 318 . stated differently , the ultrasound component is configured to be selectively coupled to at least one of the compression paddles 316 and 318 . for example , as illustrated , one or both of the compression paddles 316 and 318 comprise tracks ( e . g ., along their horizontal surface ) and the ultrasound component 306 slides along the tracks ( e . g ., substantially into and out of the page at a midline of the breast as further illustrated in fig4 ) based upon the size of the object 310 under examination , for example , to come into contact with and / or move away from the object 310 . the ultrasound component 306 may comprise one or more transducers 322 ( e . g ., 148 in fig1 ). in one example , the transducers 322 are single element transducers ( e . g ., similar to endo - transducers ) that are affixed to a guide mechanism 324 . the transducers may rotate about the guide mechanism 324 and / or move vertically along it , for example . in this way , ultrasound scans may be isolated to a particular scanning plane ( e . g ., horizontal slice ) of the object 310 under examination . for example , data that is acquired while the one or more transducers 322 are in the upper elevation of object 310 may relate to the upper vertical portion of the object 310 , and data acquired while the one or more transducers 322 are in the lower vertical portion of the object 310 may relate to the lower vertical portion of the object 310 . data acquired from the particular portion of the object 310 that was isolated by the transducers may be reconstructed to form an image , depicting targets comprised in a particular scanning plane of the object 310 which is parallel to the detector array 304 and parallel to a plane depicted in the x - ray image . while the illustrated object scanning apparatus 300 illustrates two transducers 322 ( e . g ., one on each side of the object 310 ) it will be understood to those skilled in that art that a different number of transducers 322 may be used . additionally , the sound waves may be emitted and / or detected from another type of ultrasound mechanism , such as a multi - element probe , for example . it will be understood to those skilled in the art that the data that is acquired from substantially vertical x - rays 314 may be compiled ( e . g ., through reconstruction techniques ) to form one or more x - ray images ( e . g ., 110 in fig1 ) that depict a scanning plane of the object 310 , if the position of the x - ray source is rotated relative to the x - ray detector during the scan ( e . g ., to acquire data from a variety of perspectives of the object ). additionally , the x - ray images may be combined ( e . g ., fused ) with one or more corresponding ultrasound images to form a combined image ( e . g ., 126 in fig1 ). in one example , the corresponding ultrasound image is representative of data acquired while the one or more transducers were located in the scanning plane corresponding to the x - ray image . fig4 illustrates the cross sectional area ( e . g ., taken along line 4 - 4 in fig1 ) of an ultrasound component 402 comprising a plurality of transducers 404 that may be arranged about the object in a particular scanning plane ( e . g ., to acquire a computed tomography ultrasound image along a plane of the object ). a plurality of transducers 404 may be used , for example , to mitigate false positives in ultrasound images and / or improve image quality . in one example , a first transducer 406 of the plurality of transducers 404 may emit a first set of sound waves and the plurality of transducers 406 ( e . g ., including the first transducer ) may listen for and / or detect the first set of sound waves . a second transducer 408 may emit a second set of sound waves once the first set of sound waves is detected , for example . after a predetermined number of transducers has emitted sound waves , for example , the plurality of transducers may reposition themselves along the object 410 ( e . g ., into or out of the page along a guide mechanism similar to 324 in fig3 ). in this way , the transducers 404 may detect sound waves that reflect and / or traverse the object 410 under examination , whereas a single transducer may not as thoroughly detect sound waves that traverse the object 410 under examination , for example . additionally , using a plurality of transducers 404 may minimize artifacts ( e . g ., white streaks ) in an image caused by areas of the object 410 that sound waves did not reach and / or areas where a weak signal was detected ( e . g ., because the sound waves were reflected off another target within the object ). data collected from the plurality of transducers 404 while the transducers 404 were in a particular scanning plane of the object 410 , for example , may be combined by an ultrasound acquisition component ( e . g ., 116 of fig1 ) and / or reconstructed by an ultrasound image apparatus ( e . g ., 120 in fig1 ) to form a tomography image of targets within the scanning plane . a second computed tomography image may be acquired based upon data detected while the transducers are in a second scanning plane of the object 410 , for example . these computed tomography images may be combined with x - ray images representing similar planes of the object 410 to form one or more combined images ( e . g ., 126 in fig1 ). fig5 is a cross sectional area ( e . g ., taken along line 3 - 3 in fig1 ) of another example object scanning apparatus 500 ( e . g ., 102 in fig1 ). the example scanning apparatus 500 includes an ultrasound component 506 , which may operate as set forth in u . s . patent application no . 20040030227 , bearing ser . no . 10 / 440 , 427 to littrup et al ., the entirety of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein . unlike object scanning apparatus 300 in fig3 , the ultrasound component 506 ( e . g ., 306 in fig3 ) may not be in contact with the object 510 ( e . g ., 310 in fig3 or 410 in fig4 ) because the object 510 is submersed in a conductive fluid 512 ( e . g . water ) that allows the sound waves to transfer between the object 510 and the ultrasound component 506 . the fluid 512 may be stored in a compression paddle 518 ( e . g ., 318 in fig3 ) that has walls configured to mitigate fluid flow outside of the compression paddle 518 , and the ultrasound component 506 may be attached to the wall of the compression paddle 518 , for example . additionally , the ultrasound component 506 may be capable of rotating about a scanning plane of the object 510 ( e . g ., in a circular plane into and out of the page ). in this way , a ( single ) rotatable ultrasound component 506 comprising a single transducer , for example , may provide benefits similar to a plurality of transducers ( e . g ., 404 in fig1 ) that are in contact with the object 510 . that is , data from a variety of perspectives may be used to produce one or more computed tomography ultrasound images of the object . in some applications , a rotatable ultrasound component 506 may be better than a plurality of transducers attached to the object because less set up time may be necessary for the procedure ( e . g ., a breast examination ) and / or less discomfort since the transducer may not be pressed against the object 510 ( e . g ., breast tissue ) being examined , for example . it will be appreciated that the rotatable ultrasound component 506 and / or portions of the ultrasound component may also traverse various scanning planes of the object ( e . g ., moving up or down the page ) to produce a plurality of images , each image depicting targets in a different scanning plane of the object , for example . fig6 illustrates an exemplary method 600 of presenting data acquired from two scanning modalities . the method begins at 602 , and data related to an x - ray image and data related to an ultrasound image of the object under examination are acquired such that the ultrasound image depicts a plane of the object that is substantially parallel with a plane of the object depicted in the x - ray image . in one example , the ultrasound image and the x - ray image have spatial coincidence . that is , a plane of at least one x - ray image , created from data acquired by from the x - ray modality , corresponds to a plane of an ultrasound image , created from data acquired by the ultrasound modality , in such a way that the ultrasound image may be overlaid onto the x - ray image or vice - versa . it will be appreciated that such coincidence is not be attainable with disparate equipment ( e . g ., separate x - ray and ultrasound acquisition devices ). similarly , such coincidence would likewise not be attainable where the object under examination is repositioned in a combined x - ray and ultrasound acquisition device ( e . g ., a single device is used , but data acquisition occurs at different times ) because the orientation of the object would be , at least , slightly different when the different data is acquired . nevertheless , while the different modalities ( e . g ., x - ray and ultrasound ) may acquire data concurrently as provided herein , it is not a requisite since the system may maintain the orientation of the object during the examination ( e . g ., the modalities may scan the object consecutively , while the orientation of the object remains substantially fixed ). x - rays are emitted from an x - ray source and detected on a detector array . in one embodiment , the detector array and x - ray source are on diametrically opposing sides of the object , and the x - rays that are detected by the detector array are those that have traversed the object under examination . since some targets within the object may be characteristically different from other targets within the object ( e . g ., have different densities , made of different materials , etc . ), varying amounts of x - rays will traverse different portions of the object . data related to x - rays that are detected by the detector array is reconstructed to form an x - ray image depicting a plane of the object , and targets comprised within the plane . in one example , the object is x - rayed from a plurality of angles to acquire a plurality of two - dimensional ( 2 - d ) images of the object from varying angles , and images corresponding to the respective angles are reconstructed from data related to the detected x - rays . for example , the data may undergo tomosynthesis to produce x - ray images representing various scanning planes of the object under examination . it will be understood to those skilled in the art that the number of images that may be produced may be a function of the number of angles the object is x - rayed from ( e . g ., two angles may allow two images to be produced ). in one embodiment , ultrasound images are acquired based upon one or more transducers of the ultrasound component that are perpendicular to the detector array and emit and / or receive sound waves that have interacted with the object under examination . to acquire a plurality of slices , the transducers and / or the ultrasound component may be adjusted along a trajectory that is substantially perpendicular to the detector array . for example , the transducers may emit and / or detect sound waves in a first scanning plane of the object to acquire data related to sound waves that interact with the object in the first plane , adjust to a second scanning plane , and emit and / or detect a second set of sound waves to acquire data related to sound waves that interact with the object in the second plane . this process may be repeated for multiple scanning planes along the trajectory . data from respective planes may be reconstructed to acquire ultrasound images representing various scanning planes of the object under examination ( e . g ., a first image may depict targets comprised in the first scanning plane , a second image may depict targets comprised in the second scanning plane , etc .). in one embodiment , a computed tomography ultrasound image can be created using a plurality of transducers positioned within a scanning plane of the object . a plurality of transducers may be useful if the object under examination is dense and / or compressed , for example , to improve the image quality of ultrasound images . in one example , the plurality of transducers is positioned in a predetermined scanning plane about the object , and a first set of sound waves is emitted from a first transducer . one or more of the transducers comprising the plurality may detect the first set of sound waves . once the first set of sound waves are detected , a second transducer of the plurality may emit a second set of sound waves , and one or more of the plurality may detect the second set of sound waves . this process may be repeated until a predetermined number of transducers emit sound waves . it will be appreciated that the plurality of transducers may also traverse various scanning planes of the object to produce a plurality of computed tomography images , each image depicting a scanning plane of the object . in another embodiment , the object is submerged in a conductive fluid , and the x - ray images and ultrasound images are acquired while the object is submersed in the fluid . in this way , one or more ultrasound transducers may rotate ( e . g ., in a horizontal scanning plane ) about the object to produce one or more computed tomography ultrasound images . additionally , due to the presence of the conductive fluid , the transducers do not have to be in contact with the object , thereby reducing the time of the examination and / or that discomfort that may be felt when the transducer is pushed against the object . as discussed above , one or more x - ray images may be combined with one or more ultrasound images when the ultrasound and x - ray images are spatially coincident using techniques known to those skilled in the art . in this way , images from two different modalities may be combined into a single image . this may provide doctors with additional data , such as what is below and above a mass depicted in an x - ray image , for example , to assist in determining whether a mass is malignant or benign . the method ends at 606 . fig7 illustrates an example method ( 700 ) of spatial registration . the method begins at 702 , and x - rays that traverse an object under examination are detected at 704 . at 706 , an x - ray image of a plane of the object is generated based upon the detected x - rays . in one example , an x - ray source rotates about a portion of the object under examination and x - ray snapshot ( s ) of the object are taken at predetermined angles . data from the one or more snapshots may be combined and filtered ( e . g ., through tomosynthesis ) to produce one or more images depicting targets comprised within respective scanning planes ( e . g ., each image depicts targets in one scanning plane ). at 708 , waves are emitted into the object , and the waves interact with the object in a plane that is substantially parallel to the plane depicted in the x - ray image . in one example , sound waves travel through the object in a direction that is substantially perpendicular to a center x - ray beam that was emitted from the x - ray source . at 710 , waves that interact with the object in the plane that is substantially parallel to the plane depicted in the x - ray image are detected . in one example , one or more ultrasound images are produced from the detected waves and are combined with the generated x - ray image ( e . g ., if they are spatially coincident ) using algorithm and / or analytic techniques known to those skilled in the art . the image produced by combining the x - ray image ( s ) and the ultrasound image ( s ) may assist a user in detecting of cancer , for example . the method ends at 712 . it will be understood to those skilled in the art that the techniques herein described offer numerous benefits over techniques currently used in the art . for example , since the ultrasound component and the x - ray component produce images in similar planes and both components capture the data while the object has a particular physical position and / or orientation , the information may be more easily fused through coincidence ( e . g ., alignment ) of the planes depicted in the x - ray and ultrasound images . that is , an ultrasound image of a plane of the object can be easily fused with an x - ray image of a similar plane of the object . in some instances , such as where tissue is compressed during the examination , the ability to acquire data from two modalities at once , for example , may reduce the time the tissue is compressed , thereby lessening the duration of the discomfort caused by the compression . additionally , in the cancer screening , for example , the additional data acquired from using two modalities may reduce the number of false positives in the initial screening and mitigate emotional distress . the application has been described with reference to various embodiments . modifications and alterations will occur to others upon reading the application . it is intended that the invention be construed as including all such modifications and alterations , including insofar as they come within the scope of the appended claims and the equivalents thereof . for example , a , an and / or the may include one or more , but generally is not intended to be limited to one or a single item . | 0 |
referring now to the drawings , wherein like parts are designated by the same reference numerals throughout the several views , there is shown in fig1 a reactor vessel 10 having an inlet feed conduit 12 which may be conventionally secured either at the bottom of the reactor into which the gas and flowing liquid are introduced as described in further detail hereinafter , or to a deck disposed between the reactor beds in the vessel . a quench inlet pipe 14 having exit openings or nozzles 16 from which quench liquid emanates is disposed centrally within the inlet feed conduit 12 in substantial alignment with the axis thereof . a dish - shaped concave elliptical cover plate 18 is located downstream of and above the outlet end of the feed conduit . the concave side faces the conduit outlet ( i . e . upstream ) and includes a plurality of openings 20 which extend through the plate . the openings are spaced radially from the center of the plate in a circumferentially spaced array . the number and spacing of the openings can vary with the particular process . the exit or outlet end of the feed conduit is in abutting contact , in the preferred embodiment , with the underside of the cover plate ; however , it is not firmly affixed to it . the pair of intersecting members 22 centrally located on the underside fractionally fit within the outlet of the feed conduit . as shown in fig1 the plate 18 is fixedly secured in place at its periphery by support bars 24 welded to the periphery at spaced locations about the plate . these bars in turn are supported by radially extending bar members 26 which are supported by means of being welded to support rings 28 which in turn are secured to the reactor vessel wall . also , extending upstream through the cover plate are standard thermowell guides 30 the purpose of which is to guide and protect thermocouples which are used to measure and control the reactor temperature . also , these guides 30 are used for internal piping of quench fluid . disposed within the inlet feed conduit 12 between the quench liquid inlet 14 and the opposite or outlet end of the conduit are a plurality of axially spaced baffle members 32 , 34 , 36 . the pair of annular baffles 32 , 36 have central openings 38 and are located on either side of a centrally - located circular baffle plate 34 which is supported , for example , by cross - shaped rod members 42 that are secured to the wall ( e . g ., by welding ) of the inlet feed conduit and at their intersection support ( e . g ., also by welding ) the baffle plate . in operation , the flow of gas and liquid enter the inlet conduit 12 , as shown by the arrows , where it mixes with quench liquid jets emanating from the outlet nozzle openings 16 in the quench inlet pipe 14 . these openings 16 are sized to provide good distribution of the quench fluid about the inlet conduit . a preferred size is 1 / 4 &# 34 ; to 1 / 2 &# 34 ; in diameter . the size of the inlet conduit itself , i . e . its radius and length , is such as to provide for turbulent bubbly flow between the quench liquid and the flow of gas and liquid which enters the inlet in surrounding or coaxial relation to the quench liquid . thorough mixing of the quench liquid and the main gas - liquid flow is accomplished by means of the aforementioned annular orifice baffles and central baffle plate within the conduit , which cause comingling of the flows . the mixed flow exiting from the feed conduit is directed against the concave underside of the cover plate whereupon the gas and liquid are distributed to the downstream portion of the vessel by flowing around the cover plate and also through the various openings provided in the plate . these openings preferably are symmetrically positioned on the plate at a radii of approximately one - half of the plate radius . this radius is such that gas flows up in the center portion of the reactor and may vary from 1 / 3 to 2 / 3 of the plate radius . the holes are sized , preferably 1 &# 34 ; in diameter , so that very little pressure drop occurs across them . it is also preferred to form the holes , for example , by drilling them normal to the surface of the plate so that the flow is directed in a slightly outward direction and will actually diverge in a downstream fan - shaped manner . by providing the cover with an elliptical configuration as described heretofore , gas and liquid distribution within the vessel is less sensitive to tilting or misalignment of the plate or the inlet conduit when mounting it within the reactor vessel . thus , if the cover is accidentally installed in a slightly tilted relationship , the fan - shaped effect of the exhausting mixed liquid and gas will still occur and give the desired distribution across the cross - section of the vessel . the cover plate generally extends in a direction which is transverse to the upward flow of the gas and liquid . the aforedescribed distributor is particularly useful in upflow gas liquid reactor where no packing or catalyst bed is employed and where only reactor holdup volume is used to facilitate completion of the reaction . however , there are instances where it could be employed in connection with a reactor having a packing or catalyst . in the former type of reactor , the performance of the distributor is especially important . in introducing the fluid into the reactor vessel , it is highly desirable that a generally even velocity profile without mal - distribution or stagnation points result , in order to obtain a uniform reaction within the reactor vessel . the spreading out or enlargement of the relatively high velocity fluid stream into a uniform velocity gradient across the substantially increased diameter of the vessel relative to the inlet conduit is accomplished by the flow distributor of the present invention . the cover plate is preferably elliptical with a 2 to 1 major to minor axis . the major axis is preferably 2 / 3 of the column diameter and may vary from 1 / 2 to 3 / 4 of the column diameter . by employing a distributor according to the present invention , the pressure drop for distributing the fluid is substantially reduced by virtue of the conduit size and open flow area above the conduit . plugging by suspended solids is avoided by virtue of using maximum open area in the conduit and providing high shearing forces by virtue of the baffles and the stagnant regions are avoided for reasons discussed above . turning now to fig4 there is shown an alternate embodiment which has basically the same characteristics as the preferred embodiment as fig1 and 2 . however , according to this design , there is provided an inlet feed conduit 12 which , instead of having internal baffles within the flow path like the preferred embodiment , is provided with a mixing &# 34 ; tee &# 34 ; in the form of a conduit disposed at a right angle , i . e ., transverse to the direction of flow through the inlet . one or more &# 34 ; tees &# 34 ; 44 may be provided depending upon the degree of mixing desired . as shown in fig4 flow is upward through the feed conduit as in the preferred embodiment . the pressure drop and velocity is maintained in the conduit to maintain gas bubbles well dispersed within the liquid . the mixing &# 34 ; tees &# 34 ; or nozzles 44 are connected with the feed conduit for the addition of liquid or gas , for example , a cooling liquid for exothermic reactions , transverse or at right angles with respect to the fluid flow . as with the preferred embodiment , flow passes through the inlet feed conduit and the exiting gas - liquid mixture impacts on the underside of the cover plate . in this embodiment the exit end of the feed terminates at a distance below the cover plate , for example , three inches , in order to permit proper turning of the flows , high impact velocities on the plate , and minimum pressure drop . the fluid exiting from the feed is distributed by flowing around the bottom of the cover plate and through the plurality of holes which are formed in the plate . the embodiment of fig5 which is a modification of fig4 includes a central opening 46 in the cover plate which may be approximately one - half the diameter of the feed conduit . at a location approximately two inches directly above the primary or main cover plate , there is provided a further but smaller elliptical baffle plate 48 which is located above the opening 48 . its major axis is approximately one - sixth the vessel diameter and is symmetrically disposed with respect to the reactor vessel axis . the additional central opening and secondary baffle increases the gas circulation in the center of the vessel and prevents gas pockets from forming beneath the main plate by permitting the gas to flow through the central opening . the secondary plate can be supported from the wall or base of the reactor vessel in a conventional manner . turning to another embodiment , fig6 and 7 illustrate different versions of the distributor device of the preferred embodiment , which has particular use in a bubble column reactor ( in which the other embodiments also find utility ). the basic distributor includes the inlet conduit 12 ; however , there is provided a conically - shaped distributor plate 50 having a plurality of radial ribs 52 on the underside ( upstream side ) thereof and having its substantially concave side facing downstream of the reactor vessel in the direction of the fluid flow . the flow of gas and liquid enters , for example , from a bed which typically is below the feed conduit , where it mixes with the quench liquid jets which emanate from the nozzle openings . the mixing zone takes place in the portion of the inlet conduit above or upstream of the quench inlet , which includes the annular baffle and central baffle plate for insuring mixing of the process fluids with the quench fluid . the openings 16 in the nozzle are sized to provide good distribution of the quench fluid into the inlet feed conduit and the pipe is sized to provide turbulent bubbly flow , as discussed heretofore , which also is aided by the presence of the baffles . flow from the exit end of the inlet feed conduit is downstream toward the central opening and the conical distributor plate . a portion of the flow is directed along the lower or upstream side of the plate to its periphery and then , from the central opening and the periphery of the plate into the upper bed . the radial or transverse extending ribs or corrugations 52 guide the flow from the plate center to its periphery and prevent maldistribution due to tilting of the plate during installation or otherwise . conventional supports can be provided to maintain the distributor plate in place within the vessel . the alternate design of fig7 which provides for improved distribution , is accomplished by providing a second but smaller conical distributor plate 54 similar to the primary plate only not having a central opening but being provided with ribs or corrugations . the bubbly gas and liquid flow is distributed from the periphery of the main plate and also from the secondary plate . there has thus been shown a distributor having various alternate designs , which provide for trouble - free and effective use of the reactor volume , excellent contacting of the gas and liquid throughout the reaction zone and moreover , adequate quenching of the exothermic reaction to maintain reaction stability and requisite reaction temperatures . while a specific embodiment of the invention and certain modifications have been shown and described in detail to illustrate the application of the inventive principles , it will be understood that the invention may be embodied otherwise without departing from such principles . various modifications to the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention to which reference is made in the claims . | 1 |
referring to the accompanying drawings in which like numerals refer to like parts and initially to fig3 a , 3 b , and 3 c , a first embodiment of a bore cleaning device , system , or apparatus , useful with firearms and wide range of possible bore diameters , is designated generally at 10 for cleaning firearm 12 . the firearm 12 is conventional and includes a stock 14 and a barrel 16 having a longitudinally elongated interior bore 18 that extends between the opposite loading and discharge ends 20 and 22 , respectively , of the barrel . for loading , the barrel 16 and stock 14 are disengaged , in a conventional manner , and at an acute angle to one another . as will be discussed in detail herein below , as shown , the firearm 12 is positioned in the “ loading ” position , i . e . the discharge end 22 of the barrel 16 is pointed downwardly , and the cleaning device 10 is positioned for entry into the loading end 20 to be pulled between the ends 20 and 22 of the bore 18 . referring to fig1 , the bore cleaning device 10 includes an elongated pull cord 24 having forward and rearward end portions 26 and 28 , a cored cleaning head 30 attached to the pull cord , a pull weight 32 fixedly attached to the forward end portion 26 of the pull cord 24 , an engagement member 34 attached to the pull cord and disposed between the cleaning head and the second end portion 28 of the pull cord , and an enlarged knot member 36 , formed by the second end portion . the pull cord 24 is longitudinally elongated , thin , flexible , lightweight , and greater in length than the longitudinal length of the bore 18 . preferably , the pull cord is comprised of a durable material , such as nylon . the pull weight 32 is generally cylindrical , complementary in cross - section to that of the bore and has a diameter less than that of the bore . the shape of the weight may be other than cylindrical , such as spherical , and may be comprised of a heavy metal , such as lead or other suitable material . the cleaning head 30 shown is formed as a hollow cylindrical tube or sleeve having opposite first and second end faces 38 and 40 , a cylindrical central passage 42 , and a cylindrical outer surface 44 . the passage 42 is generally cylindrical and adapted to fit the pull cord 24 . the passage 42 and the outer surface 44 are generally coaxial with one another and a central geometric axis and extend between the end faces 38 and 40 . the end faces 38 and 40 are generally perpendicular to the geometric axis and the opposite ends 42 a and 42 b of the passage 42 open on one and the other end face 38 and 40 of the cleaning head 30 . the outer surface 44 is defined by a diameter that is greater than the internal diameter of the bore 18 and is adapted to engage and clean the wall surface of the bore 18 . the cleaning head 30 is formed of a compressible material that will not scratch or otherwise degradingly wear against the wall surface of the bore 18 and will compress and reduce in diameter as the cleaning head 30 is pulled through the bore 18 preferably , the cleaning head 30 is comprised of polyethylene . fig4 illustrates the relationship of the cleaning head 30 , both undeformed and before being pulled into the barrel ( shown in dotted lines ) and following being pulled into the bore 18 and in cleaning engagement with the bore . the engagement member 34 is generally hemispherical or cup - shaped and includes a forward end portion or nose 46 , a rearwardly open receptacle 48 , and an opening or hole 50 that extends centrally through the nose and receives and passes the pull cord 24 . in use , the nose 46 is centered with the opening 42 a on the end face 38 of the cleaning head 30 and driven by the knot member 36 against , at least in part , the end face 38 and into the opening 42 a of the central passage 42 . the knot member 36 is formed by the rearward end portion of the pull cord 24 and forms a stop member at the rearward end of the pull cord after it is threaded through the hole 50 . the knot member 36 is greater in cross - section than the cross - section of the opening 50 in the engagement member 34 and thus cannot be pulled therethrough but engages the engagement member 34 . the knot member 36 provides several functions . first , the knot member is releasable and functions as a stop member that captivates and retains the cleaning head 30 and engagement member 34 on the pull cord and when untied enables a dirtied cleaning head to be replaced , whereupon the pull cord is again formed into a knot . the knot member is received in the receptacle 48 and functions as a drive member that forces the engagement member 34 against the end face 38 of the cleaning head . referring , again , to fig3 a - 3c , the method of use of the cleaning device 10 is illustrated . in fig3 a , the firearm 12 is positioned with the barrel 16 pointing downwardly and the cleaning device 10 is positioned at upwardly disposed load opening 20 of the barrel . in fig3 b , the pull weight 32 is dropped into the opening 20 of the barrel 16 , passed through the bore 18 , and expelled ( i . e ., falls outwardly ) from the downwardly disposed discharge opening 22 of the barrel . the pull weight 32 draws the knot member 34 into the receptacle 48 , which forces the engagement member 34 against the cleaning head 30 and the cleaning head into position for entry into the upwardly disposed opening 22 . in fig3 c , the pull weight 32 is pulled by the shooter in a direction away from the barrel , causing the cleaning head 30 to be substantially simultaneously compressed and pulled through the bore with the outer surface 44 of the cleaning head being resiliently forced outwardly and into cleaning engagement with the inner wall of the bore . fig4 illustrates the cleaning head 30 being pulled through and cleaning the bore 18 of the barrel 16 . the dotted lines at 44 ′ indicate the cleaning head before entry into the bore 18 . the pull cord 24 pulls the knot 36 into the receptacle 48 of the engagement member 34 and the nose 46 into the passage opening 42 a of the cleaning head 30 . the outer surface 44 of the cleaning head 30 is partially compressed because of the difference in diameters and the driving engagement of the nose portion 46 into the opening 42 a and end face 38 of the cleaning head partially deforms a rearward end portion of the cleaning head , proximate to the end face 38 , to increase cleaning engagement of the surface 44 with and against the bore wall . in another preferred cleaning head configuration according to this first embodiment of the invention , referring to fig5 a and 5b , a cylindrical cleaning head 130 is longitudinally slit at 152 from end - to - end 138 and 140 and radially inwardly from the outer surface 144 to a center passage 142 . the cleaning head 130 is comprised of materials as described hereinabove for the head 30 and operates to clean the bore 18 in the same manner . in fig5 b , dashed lines illustrate that the longitudinal slit 152 in the cleaning head 130 enables body portions to expand and pass the pull cord 24 to be passed into the center passage 42 and thereby attach the cleaning head 130 to the pull cord . desirably , the slit enables ease of replacement of a dirtied cleaning head or fitment of a cleaning head having a different diameter or cross - section , depending on the bore to be cleaned . in another preferred configuration according to this invention , referring to fig6 , a cleaning head 230 is formed as a hollow frusto - conical member with forward and rearward ends 238 and 240 and a central passage 242 extending between the ends for receiving the pull cord . the forward end 240 is smaller in diameter than the rearward end 238 and enables centering of the cleaning head 230 with the bore 18 and permits use on bores wherein the diameter is not known exactly . that is , the frusto - conical shaped outer surface 244 ensures that the cleaning head 230 will increase in diameter and function as a one size fits all cleaning head as regards the diameter and bore to be cleaned . in another preferred configuration for the cleaning head of the first embodiment and according to this invention , referring to fig7 , the rearward end face 338 of the cleaning head 330 is provided with a hemispherical receptacle 354 , centered on the passage 342 . the receptacle 354 has a contour or surface that is complementary with and adapted to receive , seat and center the nose ( not shown ) of the engagement member , in a manner described hereinabove . depending on the diameter of the bore , the engagement member will operate to ensure that the cleaning head expands into contact with the bore when the cleaning head 330 is pulled through the barrel . referring now to fig8 , there is shown a further configuration of a cleaning head in accordance herewith , denoted generally at 410 . the cleaning head 410 is an integrally formed , substantially cylindrical , compressible and expansible , two - part or two - sectioned body 412 having a first scraping portion 414 and a second smoothing and cleaning portion 416 . the scraping portion or section 414 is an open - celled foraminous structure which scrapes the interior wall of the barrel . the second portion 416 , being smooth , cleans the barrel of the scraped debris . this cleaning head is an integrally formed molded product formed from any of the materials defined hereinbove and manufactured by methods well - known to the skilled artisan . shown in fig1 is yet another configuration of a cleaning head in accordance herewith , denoted generally at 1010 . the cleaning head 1010 is an integrally formed , substantially cylindrical , compressible and expansible , three - part or three - sectioned body 1012 having a first smoothing and cleaning portion 1014 , a medial scraping portion 1016 , and a second smoothing and cleaning portion 1014 ′. as shown , the scraping portion 1016 is positioned between the two smoothing and cleaning portions , 1014 and 1014 ′. the scraping portion 1016 is an open - celled foraminous structure which scrapes the interior wall of the barrel and provides a substantial portion of the cleaning . the medial smoothing and cleaning portions 1014 , 1014 ′ clean the barrel of the scraped debris . the medial smoothing and cleaning portions 1014 , 1014 ′ are also formed from a denser and firmer material than the scraping portion 1016 , and the smoothing and cleaning portions 1014 , 1014 ′ provide a suitable surface for applying the force necessary to force the cleaning head through the bore of the firearm barrel . this cleaning head 1010 is an integrally formed molded product formed from any of the materials defined hereinbove and manufactured by methods well - known to the skilled artisan . referring now to fig9 - 16 there is depicted therein a second embodiment hereof . according to this embodiment , the pull cord comprises a rigid cable having a free grasping end and a second end secured to a cable stop disposed rearwardly of the engagement member . the cable stop is formed from a heavy metal or other suitable material and is urged into contact with the engagement member by pulling on the free end of the cable . this embodiment eliminates the need for the pull weight as described hereinafter . generally , and as shown in fig9 through 14 , the engagement member used herein is a substantially cylindrical member which is adapted and dimensioned at least partially removably insertable , completely insertable or non - insertable into an opening on the rear face of the cleaning head depending on the size of bore and the type of firearm . the engagement member has a central passage through which is past the rigid cable . the engagement member typically has a length less than that of the cleaning head . the engagement member can be removed from the central passage by pulling on it and separating it and removing it therefrom . this enables removal and disposal of the cleaning head and the changing thereof . while many materials are suitable , the engagement member 34 is durable , relatively rigid , and capable of withstanding compression loads . preferably , the engagement member is comprised of a polymer , such as an hdpe , polystyrene , polyester polyurethane or similar plastic . similarly , the cable stop is , preferably , a heavy object such as a steel cylinder . referring again , particularly now to fig9 through 15 there is depicted therein various alternate configurations for the engagement member and cable stop used in this embodiment . referring first to fig9 , an engagement member comprises a substantially cylindrical member , generally , denoted at 510 . the cylindrical member 510 has a central passage 512 through which a cable 514 is passed . the member 510 has a rearward end 518 and a forward end 520 . a first flange 516 is disposed and formed integrally with the member 510 on the rearward end 518 . a second flange 522 is formed at the forward end 520 of the member 510 . each flange has a central opening 524 , 524 ′ to enable the cable 514 to be threaded or passed therethrough a cable stop 514 . the cable 514 has a free end ( not shown ) and a second end 514 . a cable stop 526 is disposed rearwardly of the member 510 and has the second end 514 of the cable secured thereto . the end 514 is secured by any suitable means , such as by crimping or the like . the cable stop 526 comprises a weighted cylindrical member formed of any suitable material such as steel , lead or the like . according to this embodiment an abrasive washer 528 is journaled onto the cable 514 proximate the forward end 522 of the member 510 . the washer 528 has a central opening 530 slightly larger than the diameter of the cable 514 to enable the washer to frictionally slide thereon and into abutment with the forward end 520 of the member 510 . in use , when the free end of the cable is pulled on , the cable stop 526 is drawn into the interior of the member 510 . the washer 528 engages the rearward end or face of the cleaning head ( not shown ) to prevent the engagement member from penetrating the cleaning head . rather , the engagement member urges the cleaning head through the barrel of the firearm . referring now to fig1 , an engagement member 610 comprises a cylindrical member or body 612 having a rearward section 614 and a forward section comprising 616 a “ bullet - like ” configuration end . as with the other embodiments , a central passage 618 enables a cable 620 to extend therethrough . as shown , the engagement member 610 has a forward end 622 and a rearward end 624 . a rear flange 626 having a central opening 626 which communicate with the passage 618 is integrally formed with the member 612 and serves to direct the cable stop into the passage 618 . a second flange 628 is provided medially of the member 610 and has a larger diameter than that of the rear flange and is dimensioned to engage the barrel wall ( not shown ). the forward bullet end 616 of the member 612 cooperates with the medial flange 628 to limit penetration of the member or stem 610 into the cleaning head ( not shown ). according to the embodiment , an abrasive washer is also deployed and journaled onto the cable as described above . referring now to fig1 depicted therein is a still yet further configuration of the engagement member used in the second embodiment of the present invention and , generally , denoted at 650 . as with the previous embodiments the configuration member comprises a first cylindrical section 652 and a second reduced diameter forward section 654 . the forward section 654 has a hollow interior to define a passageway 656 therethrough through which a cable may be passed or strung through as discussed hereinbelow . the first section 652 similarly has an internal passage 658 . the internal passage 658 communicates with , but is larger in diameter than that of the passage 656 . the first section 652 is bounded by a pair of flanges 660 , 662 , respectively . the flange 662 is a rearward flange and has a central opening 664 sufficient to permit a cable stop 668 to project therethrough . the forward flange 660 has a central opening 661 smaller than that of the passage 658 and does not permit a cable stop 668 to pass therethrough . as with the other configurations , a cable 666 is secured to the cable stop 668 . likewise , a washer 670 is journaled onto the cable 666 proximate the free end of the reduced diameter section 654 of the engagement member . in use , the cable 668 , when pulled upon , enables the cable stop to be inserted only into the first section 652 . because of the reduced diameter in the flange 660 the cable stop cannot go therepast . similarly , the flange 660 in , combination with the washer 670 , precludes the first or rearward section of the engagement member from penetrating into a cleaning head . the forward section 654 , preferably , is dimensioned to project entirely through a reduced diameter cleaning head ( not shown ). in all other respects this embodiment is similar to those previously described . referring now to fig1 there is depicted therein a further configuration of an engagement member for use herein and generally denoted at 710 . as with the previous embodiments the engagement member comprises a substantially cylindrical member or body 712 . the cylindrical member has an internal passage 714 . as with the other embodiments the cylindrical member has a rear face 716 and a forward face 718 . the internal passage 714 extends from the rear face 716 through the member , but has a reduced diameter portion formed therewithin as at 720 . the reduced diameter portion , as will be detailed below , acts as a stop to limit the movement of a cable stop , shown at 722 , within the engagement member while permitting a cable or cord 724 to project clear through . as shown in fig1 , the engagement member 710 , comprises a first or rearward section 726 which is bounded by a pair of spaced apart flanges 728 and 730 . each of the flanges has a central opening 732 and 734 , respectively , to enable the cable stop 722 to pass therethrough . the body 712 include a second elongated bullet - like section 732 forward of the flange 728 . the section 732 has a face 718 terminates at an arcuate tip . again , as with the previous embodiments a washer 736 is journaled onto a cable 738 and is disposed in abutment with the end or face 718 of the engagement member . here , the washer has a diameter sufficient to permit the forward section 732 of the engagement member 712 to be inserted into a cleaning head ( not shown ), while acting as a barrier in conjunction with the flange 728 to permit the first section 732 only to be inserted into a cleaning head . this embodiment enjoys utility with long cleaning heads . referring now to fig1 there is still a further embodiment of the engagement member hereof . here , the embodiment shown , generally , at 750 includes a first section or rearward section 752 and a forward section 754 integrally formed therewith . as shown , the forward section 754 is a reduced diameter portion or section which is substantially cylindrical . the forward section 754 can be longer than , the same length as , or shorter than the cleaning head 130 . the first or rearward section 752 has an internal passage having a diameter sufficient to permit the insertion of a cable stop 756 thereinto . as with the embodiment of fig1 , the first or rearward section 752 is bounded by a pair of spaced apart flanges 756 and 758 . the rearward most flange 758 has a central opening 760 of sufficient diameter to permit the insertion of a cable stop 756 therepast . the forward most flange 756 has a reduced diameter central opening 760 the diameter of which is small enough to prevent the passage of the cable stop therepast . the opening 760 is coaxial with the hollow interior of the first section 754 to enable a cable 764 to pass therethrough . as with the other configuration a washer 766 which is , preferably , an abrasive washer , is journaled onto the cable 764 and into abutment with the free end of the first section 754 of the engagement member , as shown . referring now to fig1 there is depicted therein a further configuration of an engagement member useful in the practice of the present invention and , generally , denoted at 810 . here the engagement member 810 comprises a substantially cylindrical member or body 812 having an internal passageway 814 . the member 812 has a first or free end 814 and a second or rear end 816 . a toroidal flange 818 is integrally formed with the cylindrical member at the rear end 816 . the flange 818 has a diameter larger than that of the cylindrical member 810 but is small enough to be able to be passed through a barrel of a firearm . as shown , a seat 820 is formed internally in the cylindrical member 812 proximate the rear end 816 . the seat is , preferably , parabolic in shape , as shown . the parabolic seat as an opening 822 provided at the apex 824 thereof . a spherical cable stop , generally , denoted at 826 is dimensional to removably seat in the seat 820 . a cable cord 828 is secured to a spherical cable stop 826 and projects through the opening 822 and the passage 814 in a manner similar to that herebefore described . the seat 822 removably nests or seats the stop 826 as it is pulled thereinto . the cylindrical member 812 may be dimensioned to either project into a cleaning head or to abut thereagainst , as desired , and depending upon the nature of the firearm barrel to be cleaned . referring now to fig1 there is depicted a further embodiment of the engagement member , generally , denoted at 910 . herein , the engagement member is a cylindrical member 912 having a first end 914 and a second rearward end 916 . the member 912 has a central passage or opening 918 . a cable or pull cord 920 has a diameter sufficiently small to enable it to be passed through the opening or passage 918 . the cable has a first or free end 922 which is dropped through the barrel as described hereinabove . a second or opposite end 924 is secured to a cable stop 926 . here , the cable stop 926 is a spherical or elliptical member which has a diameter greater than that of the passage 918 . in use , the engagement member has a diameter greater than that of a cleaning head and , thus , only abuts against the rearward end thereof . in all other respects this embodiment of the engagement functions as hereinabove described . in fig1 there is depicted a handle 75 for use in connection with the present cleaning system . the handle 75 is a cylindrical member 77 having a hollow interior 79 . a plurality of openings 81 , 83 and 85 are formed in the cylindrical member and are in communication and or registry with the interior . any cable used in the practice of the present invention can be threaded or otherwise laced through the holes and tied off to thereby provide a means for grasping the cable 77 . in use , the cable is dropped through a barrel and its free end is laced through the handle externally of the barrel . once laced , the handle is then grasped and pulled on to draw a cable stop into contact with an engagement member which , in turn , engages a cleaning head . continued pulling on the handle causes the assembly of cable stop , engagement member and cleaning head , with or without a washer , to traverse the interior of a barrel to clean and / or lubricate same . the same method is used even without the handle by pulling on the cable . as can be appreciated herein , the cleaning device according to this invention enables different cleaning heads to be used , the heads being of different cross - sectional shapes , diameters , and materials and possibly provided with lubricating and cleaning oils to clean residue from the barrel without marring or damaging the surface . replacement can be done in the field and cleaning heads may be replaced to effect different types of treatments . although depicted in the drawings with respect to a shotgun , the cleaning device of the invention herein can be extended to the cleaning of the barrels of other firearms and weapons with various sized bores . the soft conformable nature of the cleaning head will ensure that the inner bore will remain unmarred for maximum barrel life and accuracy for both rifled and smooth bore firearms . | 5 |
referring first to fig1 and 2 , numeral 4 designates a preceding processing unit or shot blast rear table connected to a flaw detecting apparatus by way of a rope transfer 5 and a chain transfer 6 . the flaw detecting apparatus includes an end positioning table unit 7 and a turning roller table unit 8 which are arranged in parallel to each other , and the apparatus further includes a flaw detection rear table 9 arranged in parallel and connected to the following processing equipment , e . g ., a grinding equipment . the apparatus further includes an extractor 10 which is movable in a direction at right angles to the table units 7 , 8 and 9 , whereby the round billets moved in a transverse direction by the chain transfer 6 are moved , one at a time , onto the end positioning table unit 7 from which the billet is moved onto the turning roller table 8 and further onto the rear table 9 . the end positioning table unit 7 includes a hydraulic cylinder piston unit 11 whereby one end of a billet 1 , upon entering the table unit 7 , is pushed and located in a predetermined position . installed above the turning roller table unit 8 is a supporting girder unit 12 , and two carriages 13a and 13b are movably hanged on the girder unit 12 . sensor blocks 14a and 14b are respectively suspended from the carriages 13a and 13b so as to be raised and lowered by pressure units or hydraulic cylinder - piston units 3 just above the turning roller table unit 8 . disposed on the extension of the turning roller table unit 8 and within the extent of the girder unit 12 is a calibration turning roller unit 15 which calibrates the sensor characteristics . with the illustrated embodiment , the two carriages 13a and 13b are suspended from the supporting girder unit 12 and their sensor blocks 14a and 14b respectively inspect for defects the halves of the length of the round billet 1 with a small amount of overlapping , thus reducing to half the time required for inspecting the entire length of the billet 1 for defects . in the figures , the left end of the round billet 1 is located in the predetermined position by the end positioning table unit 7 and simultaneously its length is measured . then , the extractor 10 moves the round billet 1 parallely onto the turning roller table unit 8 where the billet 1 is rotated at a predetermined constant peripheral speed . the supporting girder unit 12 includes a position sensor , e . g ., limit switch ( not shown ) at a position corresponding to the predetermined end position as well as at each of a plurality of middle points , whereby the carriage 13a is stopped at the predetermined left end position detected by the corresponding position sensor and the other carriage 13b is stopped at a position which is deviated to the left by an amount corresponding to a predetermined overlap from the central position detected by one of the position sensors at the plurality of middle points which is selected in accordance with the result of the previous measurement of the length , thus placing the carriages 13a and 13b in condition for initiating flaw detection . in this ready condition , the sensor blocks 14a and 14b respectively suspended from the carriages 13a and 13b are brought into contact with the surface of the round billet 1 , and the end of the round billet 1 is inspected for defects by its rotation over one revolution to reduce the uninspected end portion . thereafter , the outer surface of the round billet 1 is spirally scanned entirely as the carriages 13a and 13b are moved to the right . each of the sensor blocks is constructed as shown in fig3 and 4 , that is , it comprises a base member 18 which is suspended from the carriage by a vertically movable press shaft 16 coupled to the piston rod of a hydraulic cylinder - piston unit 3 and attached to the carriage and guide shafts 17 for vertically guiding the base member 18 relative to the carriage , and attached to the base member 18 is a slide base plate 20 which is slidable in a horizontal direction vertical to the direction of travel of the carriage by means of sliders 19 so as to cause the base member 18 to follow the oscillation of the round billet 1 due to it bend . a follow - up base plate 22 is suspended from the slide base plate 20 by means of coil springs 21 , and a sensor holder 25 is suspended from the base plate 22 by means of another springs 23 ( volute springs ) by way of a hinge 24 . in other words , the sensor holder 25 is rotatable about the hinge 24 in a plane along the direction of travel of the carriage relative to the base member 18 . the coil holder 25 is further adapted to receive the pressing force applied by the vertically movable press shaft 16 through the springs 21 and 23 . disposed inside the sensor holder 25 are a plurality of eddy - current flaw detecting coils 29a , 29b , 29c , 29d , 29e , 29f , 29g , 29h and 30 and a distance detecting coil 31 which are arranged in a line in the direction of movement by the carriage or in the lengthwise direction of the round billet 1 and held in place to face downward , and consequently the lower surface of each coil is opposite to the outer surface of the round billet 1 with a predetermined gap therebetween . as a result , by virtue of the rotation of the round billet 1 and the movement in the lengthwise direction of the round billet 1 of the sensor block 14a or 14b caused by the carriage , the surface of the round billet 1 will be spirally scanned by the coils 29a to 29h and 30 at a pitch corresponding to the total widthwise dimension of these coils . shafts 26 are guide shafts which are secured at their lower ends to the hinge 24 and slidably extended through the base plates 20 and 22 . mounted respectively to the front and rear parts of the base plate 22 are two pairs of follow - up guide wheels 27 and 27 &# 39 ; which are respectively arranged on both sides of the direction of movement so as to be spaced away from each other , and in this way each pair of the guide wheels are pressed against the sides of the outer surface of the round billet 1 with its top interposed between the wheels as shown in fig4 . a pair of turning wheels 28 and 28 &# 39 ; are respectively mounted to the front and rear parts of the sensor holder 25 positioned inside the area enclosed by the four guide wheels 27 and 27 &# 39 ;, and in this way the dimension of the gap between the lower surface of the interposed eddy - current flow detecting coils 29a to 29h and 30 and the distance detecting coil 31 and the surface of the round billet 1 is maintained at a predetermined value of 5 mm , for example . these coils are fixedly mounted to the sensor holder 25 by means of a holder 32 made of a nonmagnetic material , and proximity switches 33 and 34 are also mounted at a predetermined spacing to the front part of the sensor holder 25 so as to detect the position of the round billet end . as shown in fig5 the round billet 1 usually includes concave ovals 35a or convex ovals 35b , so that when the oval approaches the lower part of the coils by the rotation of the round billet 1 , with the sensor block described above the turning wheels 28 and 28 &# 39 ; of the holder 25 follow up the oval and consequently the gap below the coils is maintained at a constant value , thus preventing the oval projections from damaging the coils and always maintaining the gap between the coils and the billet outer surface at the constant value with the resulting prevention of any change in the detection characteristics . also provided at the end of the holder 25 located on the side of the round billet end , is a protector 36 which projects beyond the lower surface of the coils and positioned above the lower end of the turning wheel so as to protect the coils from being damaged by the edge of the billet end in the event that the turning wheel 28 falls off the round billet end . the first and second proximity switches 33 and 34 are provided to detect the round billet end prior to the coils , and the sequence is determined so that the carriage travel speed is decreased in response to the detection of the billet end by the first proximity switch 33 , the travel speed is further decreased , and then when the billet end is detected by the second proximity switch 34 , after a predetermined delay the movement of the carriage is stopped with the turning wheel 28 being located at the billet end . fig6 shows the basic construction of a flaw detecting circuit in which a reference frequency signal generator 37 applies an ac signal to an eddy - current flaw detecting coil 29 through an amplifier 38 to produce eddy - currents in a round billet , whereby a change in the eddy currents associated with a defect is detected as a change in the coil impedance and a flaw detection output signal is generated from a phase detector 39 . in the figure , numeral 40 designates a phase shifter for generating synchronizing signals for phase detection purposes . in this case , if e in represents the input voltage or reference signal to the amplifier 38 and z 1 and z 2 represent the impedance of the two coil elements constituting the flaw detecting coil , the resulting output signal e out is given by ## equ1 ## where g is the gain of the amplifier 38 . by suitably selecting the value of the coil impedances z 1 and z 2 under the reference condition , it is possible to change the feedback ratio of the circuit , and also by changing the amplification degree of the amplifier 38 and the flaw detecting phase , it is possible to change the range in which an output having a good linearity with respect to the depth of defects can be produced . as a result , by selecting the flaw detecting coils 29a to 29h as small and medium flaw coils which show the desired linearity for all defects which are 5 mm deep or smaller and selecting the flaw detecting coil 30 as a large flaw coil which shows the desired linearity for defects over 5 mm deep , it is possible to discriminate the degree of defects . further , since the coil shape changes this characteristic , the large flaw coil alone may be increased in shape . with the circuit of fig6 the distance detecting coil 31 is connected to a distance detecting circuit which performs linear detection instead of phase detection and its output is used as a control signal in an automatic gain control amplifier circuit ( an agc circuit ) following the detector output in the figure . with the embodiment shown in fig3 if the coils 29a to 29h each has a width of 18 mm or a total width of 144 mm and if the ( flaw detecting pitch ) distance of travel of carriage 13a , 13b , during one revolution of billet is selected as 135 mm or the flaw detecting lap percentage is selected ( 144 - 135 )/ 144 = 0 . 06 ( 6 %) and the peripheral speed for the rotation of the round billet by the turning rollers is held constant at 500 mm / sec , the carriage travel speed v is determined by the round billet outer diameter d ( mm ), and vr , is the rotational speed of billet as shown by the following equation ## equ2 ## v is so determined as to be in inverse proportion to d . although not shown , the carriage drive unit includes a control unit whereby the carriage travel speed is controlled automatically according to this equation by establishing the outer diameter of the billet entered . as shown in fig4 each of the sensor blocks 14a and 14b is provided with marking paint spraying nozzles 85 which are for example supported by the holder 25 in such a manner that each nozzle is directed to the round billet surface delayed a predetermined distance from just below the coil with respect to the direction of rotation of the round billet . this predetermined distance is determined in accordance with the peripheral speed of the billet rotated by the turning rollers , and it is so designed that the area detected by the coil arrives just below the nozzle after a certain delay time in the signal system and the working system . for example , it may be arranged so that when a defect is detected by any of the coils 29a to 29b , white paint is sprayed from the nozzle mounted in a position corresponding to the coil , and when a defect is detected by the large flaw coil 30 , red paint is sprayed from another nozzle mounted in a position corresponding to the coil 30 . in fig4 a pipe line 79 connected to the nozzle 85 is a paint line , and a pipe line 84 is a compressed air line . although not shown , a paint tank and a pump are connected through a solenoid valve to the paint line 79 , and a compressed air source is connected to the air line 84 thus allowing the air line 84 to serve an additional function of always blowing air and removing dust and the like on the outer surface of round billets . the solenoid valve is actuated by a flaw signal detected by the coil so that paint is supplied to the nozzle and the paint is sprayed from the nozzle at the instant that the detected defect area arrives just below the nozzle . fig7 shows the construction of a more elaborate flaw detecting circuit , and basically describing its operation with respect to the eddy - current flaw detecting coil 29a there is provided a flaw signal detection circuit 51 in which an ac signal is applied to the coil 29a through an amplifier 38 from an oscillator 37 for generating a reference frequency signal to produce eddy - currents in a round billet , whereby a change in the eddy - currents caused by a defect is detected as a change in the coil impedance and a flaw signal is generated through a phase detector 39 and an automatic gain control amplifier 42 . in the figure , numeral 40 designates a phase shifter for generating synchronizing signals for the purpose of phase detection , and 52 to 58 and 60 flaw signal detection circuits which are respectively associated with the coils 29b to 29h and 30 and identical in construction with the previously mentioned circuit 51 . in this case , if e in represents the input signal or reference signal to the amplifier 38 and z 1 and z 2 designate the coil impedance of the two coil elements constituting the coil , then the output signal e out is given by the following equation as mentioned previously . ## equ3 ## where g is the gain of the amplifier 38 . by suitably selecting the value of the coil impedances z 1 and z 2 under the reference condition it is possible to change the feedback ratio of the circuit , and by changing the amplification degree of the amplifier 38 and the flaw detection phase it is possible to change the range in which an output with a good linearity with respect to the depth of defects can be obtained . as a result , with the case shown in fig7 by selecting the flaw detecting coils 29a to 29h as small and medium flaw coils which show the desired linearity for all defects 5 mm deep or smaller and selecting the flaw detecting coil 30 as a large flaw coil which exhibits the desired linearity for defects over 5 mm deep , it is possible to discriminate defects of large size . in this connection , the coil shape also changes this characteristic and consequently the large flaw coil alone may be increased in size . in the circuit of fig7 the distance detecting coil 31 is connected to a distance detecting circuit 59 comprising a feedback amplifier 38 &# 34 ; and a detector 41 which performs linear detection in place of phase detection , and the output of the detector 41 is used as a gain control signal in the automatic gain control amplifiers 42 ( agc circuits ) following the output of the respective phase detectors in fig7 . in the figure , a large flaw detecting circuit 60 comprises the similar feedback amplifier 38 &# 39 ; and phase detector 39 &# 39 ; and an agc amplifier 42 &# 39 ;, and the agc amplifier 42 &# 39 ; alone is subjected to automatic gain control in response to a separately applied preset input 43 . in the figure , numerals 85y and 85 &# 39 ; y designate marking nozzles for spraying medium flaw marking yellow paint , 85w and 85 &# 39 ; w marking nozzles for spraying small flaw marking white paint , and 85r a marking nozzle for spraying large flaw marking red paint . the nozzles 85y and 85w are mounted on the sensor block so as to be adjacent to each other and placed in positions corresponding to the coils 29a , 29b and 29c , 29d , respectively , as in the case shown in fig4 and in the like manner the nozzles 85 &# 39 ; y and 85 &# 39 ; w are mounted on the sensor block in positions corresponding to the coils 29e , 29f and 29g , 29h , respectively , and the nozzle 85r is mounted on the sensor block in a position corresponding to the coil 30 . in the figure , numeral 76 designates a pulse generator for measuring the peripheral speed of a round billet and its output pulses has a period corresponding to the peripheral speed of the round billet . each nozzle sprays the paint at the instant that the defect area detected by the associated coil arrives just below the nozzle after a delay time in the signal system and the working system . as regards the outputs of the respective flaw signal detecting circuits , the outputs of the detecting circuits 51 to 54 are applied to a maximum value detecting circuit 44 ( analog or circuit ) and the outputs of the detecting circuits 55 to 58 are applied to another similar maximum value detecting circuit 45 , thus providing two channels for the two groups each including the four small and medium flaw coils . the maximum value detecting circuits 44 and 45 each generates an output which is the flaw signal having the highest amplitude among the input signals , and their outputs are respectively branched and applied to medium flaw comparison circuits 47 and 47 &# 39 ; and to small flaw comparison circuits 48 and 48 &# 39 ;. these comparison circuits compare the amplitude of flaw signal inputs with a reference medium level or small level through adders 64 and 65 in accordance with set signals applied by a digital set input 68 through a d - a converter 50 and a medium flaw comparison level input 66 and a small flaw comparison level input 67 , whereby when there is for example an input corresponding to a defect smaller than 2 mm deep , an output is generated from the small flaw comparison circuit 48 or 48 &# 39 ;, and when there is an input corresponding to a defect greater than 2 mm but smaller than 5 mm deep , an output is generated from the medium flaw comparison circuit 47 or 47 &# 39 ; and at the same time the output of the small flaw comparison circuit 48 or 48 &# 39 ; is cancelled by means of an adder 86 or 86 &# 39 ;. in the figure , numeral 46 designates a recoder for recoding the flaw detection outputs from the two channels and the large flaw signal detection circuit 60 and the gap signal output of the distance detecting circuit 59 . also in the figure , the flaw signal from the large flaw signal detection circuit 60 is applied to the similar large flaw signal level comparison circuit 49 and consequently the amplitude of the large flaw signal is compared through an adder 70 in accordance with a set signal applied by a digital set input 72 through a d - a converter 69 and a large flaw comparison level input 71 so as to discriminate defects greater than 5 mm deep . numerals 61 , 62 , 61 &# 39 ;, 62 &# 39 ; and 63 designate signal delay circuit , so that the delay circuits 61 and 61 &# 39 ; receive the medium flaw outputs from the channels , the delay circuits 62 and 62 &# 39 ; the small flaw outputs from the channels and the delay circuit 63 the large flaw output . the peripheral speed pulses from the pulse generator 76 are applied through a reshaping circuit 77 and marking distance preset circuits 73 , 74 , 73 &# 39 ;, 74 &# 39 ; and 75 to the delay circuits , and consequently when the flaw output is applied to one of the delay circuits , an energization signal is applied to the solenoid of corresponding one of solenoid valves 80 , 81 , 80 &# 39 ;, 81 &# 39 ; and 82 connected respectively to the outputs of the delay circuits 61 , 62 , 61 &# 39 ;, 62 &# 39 ; and 63 . in other words , the supply of paint from paint tanks 78y , 78w and 78r to the nozzles 85y , 85w , 85 &# 39 ; y , 85 &# 39 ; w and 85r , respectively , is controlled by the solenoid valves so that when the flaw signal is applied to the delay circuit , the paint is sprayed after a delay time including a delay time in the operation of the paint supply system and determined in accordance with the round billet peripheral speed measured by the pulse generator 76 and the nozzle to coil distance . in the figure , the nozzles 85y and 85 &# 39 ; y are respectively controlled by the solenoids 80 and 80 &# 39 ; connected to the tank 78y through a pipe line 79y , and consequently the nozzles 85y and 85 &# 39 ; y are respectively responsive to the medium flaw outputs from the two channels to respectively spray the yellow marking paint just below the coils 29a , 29b and 29 e , 29f , respectively . on the other hand , the nozzles 85w and 85 &# 39 ; w are respectively controlled by the solenoid valves 81 and 81 &# 39 ; connected to the tank 78w through a pipe line 79w , and consequently the nozzles 85w and 85 &# 39 ; w respectively spray the white marking paint just below the coils 29c , 29d and 29g , 29h in response to the small flaw outputs of the two channels . similarly , the nozzle 85r is controlled by the solenoid valve 82 connected to the tank 78r through a pipe line 79r , and consequently the nozzle 85r sprays the red marking paint just below the coil 30 in response to the large flaw output . in the figure , numeral 83 designates a compressed air source for the nozzles , and 84 an air pipe line , whereby compressed air is supplied to the respective nozzles even when there is no supply of paint thereto , and consequently the nozzles always blow air to prevent clogging of the nozzles . | 6 |
referring to fig1 , a portable viewer 140 is used to play a television program that a user previously downloaded to the viewer . the portable viewer 140 is battery operated and includes a built - in screen 150 for displaying the video for the program and a built - in speaker 148 for playing the audio for the program . fig1 shows one version of the viewer , illustrated approximately to scale and at actual size . overall , this version of the viewer is approximately six inches high and four inches wide , thereby making it suitable for hand - held use . optional or removable handles 144 protrude from the sides of the viewer to make it easier for a user to hold . the user controls the portable viewer 140 using an on - off switch 146 , which optionally also controls the volume of the audio played on the speaker 148 , and a brightness control 142 , that controls the brightness of the video displayed on the screen 150 . the portable viewer 160 also includes a keyboard 160 , which includes both alphabetic and numeric keys , through which the user enters commands or other information . as is discussed further below with reference to operation of the device , these commands include requests to display particular downloaded programs if multiple programs have been downloaded to the player . referring to fig2 , the user 100 downloads television programs from a cable television system 110 to the portable viewer 140 . in normal viewing of television programs , the user 100 uses a standard remote control 125 which controls a cable box 120 and a television set 130 to present television programs to the user 100 . for example , the user 100 uses the remote control to select a desired station on the cable box 120 and uses the remote control to adjust the audio volume on the television set 130 . in addition to standard features , cable box 120 communicates with the portable viewer 140 to download data that encodes a television program to the portable viewer . furthermore , the cable box 120 receives commands sent by the user 100 using the remote control 125 that cause the cable box 120 to download particular programs to the portable viewer . for example , one such command causes the cable box 120 to download the television program that is currently being presented on the television set 130 to the portable viewer 140 . this can be useful if the user 100 cannot watch the end of a program because the user can then command the cable box to download the remainder of the program so that he or she can later view it on the portable viewer 140 . after the program is downloaded to the portable viewer 140 , the user 100 takes the viewer with him or her away from the cable box 120 , for example , to another room in the house or a trip in a car . while away , the user 100 uses the portable viewer 140 to watch the downloaded program . 2 downloading programs to the portable viewer 140 ( fig3 a through 3c ) referring to fig3 a , the first version of the portable viewer 140 uses a cradle 122 for communicating with the cable box 120 . the cradle 122 has a slot 124 into which the portable viewer 140 is inserted so that the cable box can download programs to the viewer . the slot includes the ends of wires leading to the cable box over which the downloaded television program is sent to the viewer , and the viewer includes wires that touch the wires in the cradle when it is inserted so that it can receive the downloaded television program . in fig3 a , the cradle 122 is shown as a being separate from the cable box 120 . in another version of the system the slot 124 can be built into the cable box so that the portable viewer 140 can be inserted directly into the cable box . there are other ways in which the downloaded television program can be sent to other versions of the portable viewer 140 . referring to fig3 b , the portable viewer 140 can be placed close to the cable box 120 without actually plugging it in or inserting it into a slot or cradle . the downloaded television program is then sent through the air from a transmitter 128 on the cable box to a receiver 148 on the portable viewer 148 . for example , such wireless communication can work like a remote control so that the cable box shines a light that carries the television program to the portable viewer . this could also work like a radio so that the receiver 148 has a small radio receiver for receiving the television program transmitted from the cable box . referring to fig3 c , another version of the portable viewer 140 uses a small cartridge 190 , which is similar to a gameboy ® cartridge . in this version of the system , there is again a cradle 122 as was shown in fig3 a , but rather than inserting the entire portable viewer 140 into a slot , the cartridge 190 is inserted into another kind of slot 126 . the television program is sent from the cable box 120 to the cartridge 190 . the user then takes the cartridge out of the cradle 126 and inserts it into the portable viewer 140 . 3 using the portable viewer 140 ( fig4 ) referring to fig4 , operation of the system generally follows a sequence of steps shown in the figure . first , the user sends a command to the step - top box to select the program to download ( step 210 ). this command can take a number of forms , including a command to download the current television program being viewed by the user , or a command to download a particular program at a later time . choosing such a later program can involve browsing through a program guide that is displayed on the television set and selecting the program on the display . the user leaves the portable viewer 140 connected to the cable box 120 . when the television program is available , the cable box 120 converts the television program so that it can be downloaded into the portable viewer 140 ( step 220 ). in general , the screen 150 of the portable viewer has less resolution ( for example , a fewer number of dots on the screen , fewer different colors that can be concurrently displayed , or fewer images per second ) than a television set , so the video of the television program is converted so that it can be displayed at that lower resolution . also , the portable viewer may have a limited amount of space to store the television program , so the cable box may have to convert the program so that it does not take up as much space using a digital compression approach , for example , also reducing the resolution . the audio part of the television program may also be converted so that it has an appropriate format and size for downloading to the portable viewer 140 . the cable box then downloads the converted television program to the portable viewer 140 using one of the types of mechanisms that are shown in fig3 a - 3c . the user then takes the portable viewer 140 with him or her , for example on a trip ( step 230 ). the portable viewer 140 does not need to be turned on to keep the program stored in it . later , when the user wants to watch a downloaded television program , he or she turns on the portable viewer 140 using the on - off switch 146 and selects which program he or she wants to watch , for example , by typing the name of the television program on the keyboard 160 of the portable viewer 140 ( step 240 ). in response to the user &# 39 ; s input that selects the program , the portable viewer 140 plays the downloaded television program using the screen 150 and the speaker 148 in the portable viewer ( step 250 ). the user can also input commands to pause or rewind the program , and can adjust the brightness of the screen using the brightness knob 142 . referring to fig5 , portable viewer 140 includes a number of internal components . the viewer includes a communication port 330 through which downloaded television programs pass from the cable box 120 to other components inside the portable viewer 140 . in the version of the portable viewer that plugs into a slot 124 in a cradle 122 ( see fig3 a ), the communication port 330 includes the wires and circuits that connect to the wires in the cradle . the portable viewer 140 includes a computer processor ( also referred to as a central processing unit , or cpu ) 370 that runs a program that controls operation of the portable viewer . it uses a program that is stored in a memory 340 . one program that the cpu 370 runs is used to receive the downloaded television program from the communication port 330 and to store it in the memory 340 . another program that the cpu 370 runs lets the user choose the downloaded program to play . the cpu 370 can tell what the user is typing on the keyboard 160 using a keyboard interface 360 that includes electronic circuits that are connected to the keys of the keyboard . based on the commands that the user types , the program gets the stored television program from the memory 340 . the stored television program needs to be converted so that it can be played on the screen 150 and speaker 148 . the portable viewer includes an audio / video decoder 350 , which includes specialized electronics for converting the stored television program into the appropriate form for playing . in the versions of the portable viewer 140 that use a removable cartridge 190 ( see fig3 c ), the cartridge becomes part of the memory 340 when it is inserted in the portable viewer 340 so that the cpu 370 can get the stored television program to pass through the audio / video decoder 350 . the cable box 120 includes a transceiver / tuner 310 that is used to communicate with the rest of the cable television system . for example , the transceiver / tuner includes the electronic circuits that tune the box to a chosen television station . the television programs come from the cable television system and are received by the transceiver / tuner before being passed to other components in the cable box 120 . for playing television programs on the television set , the cable box includes a decoder 315 that converts the television program into the appropriate format so that it can be played on an attached television set . for example , the decoder makes it look like the television program is coming in on channel 3 even through the cable box 120 is tuned to channel 25 . in addition to these standard components , the cable box 120 includes an encoder 320 . recall that the cable box 120 generally needs to convert the format of the television program so that it can be downloaded to the portable device . the encoder 320 is that part of the cable box that does this conversion . the components of the cable box 120 are illustrated without showing whether they are implemented using electronic circuits , computer programs , or both . in general , they are implemented using a combination of specialized circuits and a computer processor that runs a program inside the cable box . the versions of the portable viewer 140 described above can be specially built for playing television programs . another version of the system uses portable devices that were designed for another purpose . one such version uses a portable game player , such as a nintendo gameboy color ® or a gameboy advance ®. this version of the system is like the version shown in fig3 c with the cartridge being compatible for insertion into a gameboy . because the gameboy was not designed to play television programs , part of the program that controls how the television programs are played is also stored on the gameboy cartridge . another version of the system uses a portable viewer 140 that is built to play television programs . in addition , it has a slot so that a game cartridge , such as a gameboy cartridge , can be plugged in and the portable viewer can be used to play a game . with this version , the user does not need two separate devices if he or she wants to both play games and view television programs on a trip . if a cartridge version of the portable viewer becomes popular , stores could sell or rent cartridges to users so that they can view the programs that have already been downloaded to the cartridges . another version of the portable viewer 140 has a built - in television tuner so that the user can watch locally broadcast television programs that he or she did not download . another version of the viewer is meant for use in a car , and plugs into a cigarette lighter to get its power without running down its batteries . another version for a car is built in and uses cartridges that are plugged into it . other versions of the viewer can be larger or smaller than the one shown in fig1 . the screen can be about two inches by two inches in size , or larger or smaller , and can be the same type that is used on laptop computers ( for example , a liquid crystal display , lcd ). also , the arrangement of controls can be different than shown in fig1 . for example , the brightness knob 142 can be hidden behind a door so that it is not accidentally adjusted . also , instead of a keyboard , other kinds of buttons with arrows or markings . another version of the system uses television programs that have already been recorded in a recorder in the user &# 39 ; s house . for example , if the user has already recorded a program in a personal video recorder ( pvr ), such as a tivo ® record , the pvr rather than the cable box communicates with the personal viewer and downloads an appropriately formatted program into the portable viewer . the approach described above can work equally well with a satellite television system as with a cable television system . the function of the cable box could also be performed by a personal computer that receives television programs and movies over a network such as the internet . the approach described above is equally applicable to television programs , including cartoons , as well as live people , as well as movies . | 7 |
referring now to the drawings , an explanation will be given of one embodiment of the present invention . fig2 shows the basic arrangement for explaining the operation and function of one embodiment of the present invention shown in fig1 . in fig2 facility drawing data is stored in a file device 203 . the facility drawing data may include graphic or figure data of topography , tube ( i . e ., pipe ) paths , and the like , and attribute data ( the name of a town , the name of an individual , the diameter of a tube , the kind ( e . g . vinyl ) of the tube , etc .) expressed by characters and numerical values relative to the graphic representation . the graphic data to be stored in file device 203 is supplied from a drawing input device 204 , which operates in such a manner that a drawing drafted on a sheet of paper is scanned at regular intervals in accordance with the light and dark areas of the read data so that a digital image thus obtained provide encoded data . the facility drawing may be composed of a plurality of drawings , such as shown in fig3 a , which are individually separated to provide graphic data files . the graphic data is expressed on rectangular coordinates as shown in fig3 b . the lengths in the x and y directions are determined by the size of the drawing concerned . this graphic data is expressed in such a way that it is separated in plural levels such as , a level 42 including road data 45 ( fig4 b ), a level 43 including house corner data ( fig4 c ) and a level 44 including tube path data 47 ( fig4 d ). the data located at these levels when superposed as required to provide the entire graphic data is shown as a level 41 ( fig4 a ). on the other hand , the attribute data is supplied to the file device 203 from a data inputting device , which collectively supplies data from a keyboard 206 or a floppy disk 208 . an operator manipulates a mouse 207 to display the drawing on a display device ( crt ) 205 as follows . first , the operator manipulates the mouse 207 to move a cursor cu to one of a plurality of icons for selecting functions displayed on the crt screen so that the function intended is specified . if the icon for ` drawing retrieval ` is specified , a central processing unit ( cpu ) searches the drawing data concerned ( composed of graphic data and related attribute data ) to be temporarily stored in a main memory 202 . the main memory 202 operates to store the programs for executing the processings , such as search and editing of the drawing data , as well as the drawing data being processed . the drawing data temporarily stored in the main memory 202 is edited by the cpu 201 in accordance with the valid display coordinate that is a display region of the crt 205 , and thereafter the edited data is displayed on the crt 205 . the operator can recognize the contents of a desired or objective drawing from the displayed image . further , in order to recognize the details of the drawing , the image is displayed so as to be partially enlarged . to this end , the cursor cu is moved using the mouse 207 to specify any square region within the crt display region in terms of ends of a diagonal line so that a part of the drawing is enlarged or reduced . actually , a part of the drawing data concerned stored in the main memory 202 is edited in an enlarged or reduced way , and the drawing data thus edited is displayed on the crt 205 . an explanation will be given of the level display with priorities that permits a desired drawing to be displayed within a predetermined time . fig1 shows a block diagram of one embodiment of the present invention in which the cpu 201 executes the processing of level display with priorities . in fig1 the display screen or field 101 is composed of an icon region 102 where the mouse is manipulated to select the function of retrieval or searching and displaying a desired drawing , and a drawing displaying region 103 where the drawing retrieved by mouse manipulation is displayed . the mouse 207 is used to select the function from the icon region 102 and to specify the location of the drawing to be displayed on the drawing displaying region 103 . the keyboard 206 is used to set the condition of searching a drawing . the data inputted from the keyboard 206 and the mouse 207 are supplied to an operation input unit 104 in the cpu 201 . the drawing data is previously stored in the file device 203 . an explanation will be given of the relationship between the function of each of the functional units within the cpu 201 , and an operation of manipulation and display . a desired drawing is retrieved or searched using an index drawing , drawing number , etc . and thereafter is displayed on the display device . the operation of the cpu 201 in such a display processing process will be explained below . first , using the mouse 207 , the item ` drawing retrieval ` is selected or designated on the icon region 102 for mouse manipulation . this selective designation is inputted to a manipulation input section 104 thereby to activate a priority display control section 105 . the priority display control section 105 directs a graphic retrieval section 106 to retrieve the desired drawing ( data ). further , when the level to be displayed in the graphic data retrieved from the graphic file 203 is changed , the priority display control section 105 serves to automatically change the priority level for the corresponding level on the display priority table previously defined in accordance with the changing history of the level concerned . specifically , as shown in fig1 , the priority allotted for each level number is changed in accordance with the history of the operation of changing the level to be displayed . if the operation is directed to addition of the level to be displayed , the priority of the level number concerned is decreased by 1 , and if it is directed to cancellation of the level to be displayed , the priority is increased . it should be noted that the amount of changing the priority must be limited in the range between a minimum value and a maximum value which are previously defined . fig1 shows the flow of the processings illustrated in fig1 . first , in step 1101 , when the operator initiates the operation of selecting the level to be displayed , the presence or absence of addition / cancellation of the level to be displayed is designated for the level number concerned on the display priority table . in step 1102 , the amount of changing the priority for each level number is calculated as - 1 or + 1 in accordance with the presence or absence of the addition / cancellation of the level to be displayed . in step 1103 , the priority due to the history of changing the level to be displayed is calculated on the basis of the above calculation result . in step 1104 , the priority after the history change is checked to see if it is within the allowable range . if it is within the allowable range , in step 1105 , the priority after the history changing is directly written in the display priority table . if it is outside the range , in step 1106 , where it is smaller than the minimum limit , the allowable minimum priority is written in the display priority table , and where it is larger than the upper limit , the allowable maximum priority is written in the display priority table . the method of defining the display priority table of fig5 during a displaying time will be explained below . fig1 shows the process of making the display priority table of fig5 during the displaying time . first , in step 1201 , a table of the capacity of the graphic data for each level as shown in fig9 a is made for any drawing specified by the operator . in step 1202 , using the graphic data capacity table for each level , the time required for display is calculated on the basis of the amount of data displayed per unit time . in step 1203 , a graph ( fig1 a ) showing the distribution of the frequency for each level which depends on an individual time slot is formed . in step 1204 , a graph showing the total display time as shown in fig1 b is made on the basis of the above graph showing the distribution . in step 1205 , the display priority levels at e . g . five stages are successively allotted on the graph showing the total display time in accordance with the total display times . in step 1206 , the average display times corresponding to the display priority levels at five stages are calculated . specifically , the total display time corresponding to each priority level is divided by its frequency to calculate the average display for each priority level . finally , in step 1207 , a priority is allotted to the level corresponding to the average display time and the priority is written on the display priority table . returning to fig1 again , when the graphic retrieval section 106 has retrieved the drawing data , a priority display processing section 107 is activated . then , the amount of data which can be displayed during the display time previously set by a user or operator is calculated , and the amount of data is reported to the priority display processing section 107 . the graphic retrieval section 106 retrieves the drawing data from the drawing files in the file device 203 on the basis of the number of the desired drawing and stores the retrieved drawing data in the main memory 202 ; it sends the data to the priority display processing section 107 immediately after retrieval of all the desired data has been completed . the priority display processing unit 107 takes in the drawing data and sequentially sends the drawing data at the level to be displayed to a display editing section 110 on the basis of a display priority table ( fig5 ) and the amount of data to be displayed within the prescribed time . the display editing processing section 110 draws the desired drawing on the drawing display region 103 on the basis of the drawing data sent . fig5 shows display priority tables on which the numbers of levels and their priority are stored . in this table , the smaller number of priority is defined as having a higher priority , but may be defined in a way reverse thereto . fig6 a , 6b and 6c show examples of drawings displayed for individual priorities . fig6 a shows a drawing 61 displayed with the priority of 1 in which the most important level group including a road 64 , a water supply tube path 65 and a symbol 66 on the water supply tube path 66 is displayed . fig6 b shows a drawing 62 displayed with the priority of 2 in which a house corner level 67 is superposed on the graphic data with the priority of 1 . fig6 c shows a drawing 63 with the priority of 3 in which the level relative to water supply devices 67 is superposed on the graphic data with the priorities of 1 and 2 . fig7 shows the processing flow in the priority display control section 105 . first , in step 701 , the amount of data that can be displayed during a prescribed display time t is calculated using the following equation : where d max : the largest amount of data which can be displayed during the time t d 0 : the amount of data displayed during a unit time in step 702 , the amount of displayed data corresponding to a priority i is calculated , and in step 703 , the request of data display with the priority of i is reported to the priority display processing section 107 . finally , in step 704 , the total amount of displayed data up to the priority of i is calculated and the calculated amount of data is compared with the largest amount of data that can be displayed . if the former is within the range of the latter , the processing for the succeeding priority of i + 1 is repeated . fig8 shows the processing flow in the priority display processing section 107 . first , in step 801 , the level corresponding to the priority of i is retrieved from the display priority table . in step 802 , the display data corresponding to the level concerned is retrieved from the graphic retrieval section 106 and the retrieval result is supplied to the graphic editing section 110 . in this way , only the graphic data corresponding to the prescribed retrieval time can be automatically selected so that the drawing data with a high priority can be retrieved without being influenced by the complexity of the drawing concerned . in designating the item ` drawing retrieval `, in order to previously recognize the data capacity corresponding to the drawing data , a process reflecting the approximate data capacity of the drawing concerned on the icon to be retrieved will be performed as follows . the mouse 207 is manipulated to move the cursor cu to the icon region 102 so that the icon of the item ` capacity three - dimensional display ` is selected or designated on the icon region 102 . this selective designation is inputted to the manipulation input section 104 of the cpu 201 , and thereafter a request for the capacity of the three - dimensional display is reported to an icon three - dimensional display processing section 109 . in previously registering drawing data in graphic files of the file device 105 , a graphic data amount calculating section 108 calculates the capacity of the graphic data for each level and stores the calculation result on the main memory 202 as shown in fig9 a . the icon three - dimensional display section 109 forms the icon shape on the basis of the total capacity of data calculated by the graphic data amount calculation section 108 using the table of graphic data capacities ( fig9 a ) on the main memory 202 in accordance with the level of the desired drawing to be displayed . as seen from fig9 b , the icon shape is formed so that the depth of the three - dimensional icon corresponds to the capacity of the graphic data . the depth of the icon is converted from the maximum value of graphic data capacity previously defined as 100 %. the three - dimensional icon is edited by the display editing section 110 as drawing data on the icon region 102 and the edited drawing data is displayed on the drawing display region 103 . in this way , the approximate data capacity of the drawing can be easily determined from the icon shape prior to the drawing retrieval so that the time taken for the retrieval and data processing can be recognized swiftly and easily . the present invention can be applied to a so - called navigation device mounted in a car which can quickly display road traffic information on a display device . | 6 |
a low - e housewrap is described . in the following description , for purposes of explanation , numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the exemplary embodiments . it is apparent to one skilled in the art , however , that the present invention can be practiced without these specific details or with an equivalent arrangement . referring now to the drawings , wherein like reference numerals designate identical or corresponding parts throughout the several views , fig1 illustrates a top view of low - e housewrap materials according to one disclosed embodiment of the present invention . by way of example , two pieces of the low - e housewrap materials 10 , 12 are shown . each of the two pieces of low - e housewrap materials 10 , 12 may comprise flap portions 14 , 16 , respectively , at one end thereof . at another end the low - e housewrap material may include an adhesive strip 18 such as that provided on low - e housewrap material 10 . in a preferred embodiment , the top surface 20 , 22 of the low - e housewrap materials 10 , 12 , respectively , is a reflective material such as a layer of reinforced foil material . turning to fig2 , a cross - section of the low - e housewrap material 12 is shown . the low - e housewrap material 12 may comprise an assembly of product component parts including , for example , a reflective foil material 34 , foil reinforcement 26 , and a foam material 28 . in one embodiment , the reflective material may comprise a facing of approximately 99 . 4 % polished aluminum . it is noted that the reflective material may comprise a facing having any suitable amount of aluminum , for example , greater than about 90 %, preferably between about 90 % and about 99 . 9 %, even more preferably between about 99 . 0 % and about 99 . 9 %. the reflective foil material 34 may be non reinforced on one side . on the other side , the reflective foil material 34 may comprise a foil reinforcement 26 including , for example , a scrim foil reinforcing 30 ( e . g ., see fig3 ). scrim is a term known in the art to consist of crossed lines of plastics material which serve to strengthen the overall product and to prevent stretching damage to the layers . the reflective foil material 34 and foil reinforcement 26 may be applied over and bonded to the foam material 28 . the scrim foil reinforcing 30 is sufficient to provide a tensile strength of approximately 23 pounds per inch width in a machine direction and 25 pounds per inch width in a cross machine direction on a low - e housewrap material test specimen cut approximately 1 ″ wide by 9 ″ long in standard ambient lab conditions . the foam material 28 serves as a polyolefin thermal break such as one comprising a closed cell polyethylene foam . in a preferred embodiment , the nominal thickness of the polyolefin thermal break is approximately ¼ ″ ( 0 . 25 ″). it is noted that the nominal thickness of the polyolefin thermal break may be any suitable thickness , for example , greater than about ⅛ ″ ( 0 . 125 ″) and less than about ⅜ ″ ( 0 . 375 ″). thicknesses above about ¼ ″ are within the scope of the present invention . it is noted that a thickness greater than about ¼ ″ may require use of 2 × 6 framing instead of the more traditional 2 × 4 framing . the low - e housewrap 12 may also incorporate a self adhered drainage plane 24 feature as further described below . thus , the invention includes a layer of polyethylene foam which serves as a support for the other added component layers . polyethylene foam or equivalent polypropylene foam may be utilized , both being in the chemical family designated as polyolefins . a thin layer of aluminum foil is bonded indirectly to one or both sides of said foam layer . thin polyethylene layers are placed between the aluminum foil and the foamed layer . the thin polyethylene is bonded to the aluminum foil layer to greatly improve its resistance to tearing . this strengthening feature means that the end product has a much wider use than has been known in the art . a layer of strengthening scrim may be added to further enhance the product integrity . in practice of the invention , the various layers adjoin one another after being flame or heat roller laminated together . in certain embodiments and in practice of the invention , both sides of the foam layer may be covered with layers as described above . the end product may thus appear identical on either side with the aluminum foil layers being externally located . thus , use and installation is simplified since the product may be used with either side facing out since both external faces are identical . the resulting bonded layers are easily rolled , transported and installed without requiring special tools or environmental precautions which must be taken with many other prior art insulations . turning to fig3 , the low - e housewrap 12 comprises perforations 32 sufficiently spaced to ensure that the low - e housewrap material does not act as a vapor barrier . in one preferred embodiment , the perforations in the low - e housewrap are generated from perforation system consisting of 1 / 16 ″ punchers placed in four holes per 1 . 25 square inch sequence on a collar mechanism . the collar mechanism is mounted to a drive roll assembly for perforation of the low - e housewrap wherein a 1 . 25 square inch perforation pattern is achieved on the finished product . a perforation pattern of 1 . 25 square inch allows low - e housewrap 12 to meet the criteria for perms , water vapor transmission and water resistance while maintaining an effective emissivity rating . this is unique and contrary to industry standards wherein in many applications , micro perforations are generated in housewraps using needles for vapor penetration . however , in such convention applications , the micro perforations are susceptible to resealing when exposed to higher temperatures . this affect may trap moisture and induce undesirable results such as mold and rot . in contrast , the present perforation pattern of the prescribed invention eliminates the possibility resealing when exposed to higher temperatures . spaced in approximately 1 . 25 ″ square perforations , the low - e housewrap material achieves a preferred permeance and water vapor transmission of approximately 7 perm or 40 g / day / m 2 . as such , the present low - e housewrap material performs within the optimal permeance and water vapor transmission range of about 5 to about 20 perm . the present low - e housewrap material meets the standard specification for reflective insulation , c 1224 - 03 , section 6 , 6 . 1 , which states that “ low emittance materials shall have a surface with an emittance of 0 . 10 or less , in accordance with test method c 1371 .” specifically , the present low - e housewrap material achieves an emittance of 0 . 10 or less , more specifically within a range of about 0 . 03 to about 0 . 05 , in accordance with test method c 1371 . accordingly , the product low - e housewrap material of the present invention is constructed to include the following approximate performance characteristics : although the use of 1 / 16 ″ punchers at a rate of four holes per 1 . 25 square inch is described above and represents one of many preferred embodiments of the present invention , other size punchers may be used and other rates of holes per given area are within the scope of the present invention . for example , the diameter of the puncher may be varied to any suitable size and the rate may be modified to achieve the particular permeance and emittance standards required by a particular building code , specification or other requirement . the system u - values described in the evaluation of thermal resistance of a building envelope assembly demonstrates the performance of wood framed walls ( 2 × 4 construction 16 ″ on center ). the u - value calculations are based on methods outlined by the ashrae handbook of fundamentals . the u - value performance of these systems achieve a u - value between 0 . 051 ( brick ), 0 . 056 ( vinyl ) and 0 . 063 ( stone ) satisfying or exceeding requirements for zones 1 - 7 established by 2010 iecc code table 402 . 1 . 3 or equivalent ua alternative values established by other code bodies . flap portion 16 is illustrated in fig3 . this overlapping flange serves as a self adhered drainage plane 24 . during assembly of one or more low - e housewrap sections , the flap portion 16 may be assembled to cover an edge of an abutting portion of another low - e housewrap material section in order to seal the edge . for example , turning to fig4 and 5 , a first section 10 of low - e housewrap material is positioned near a second section 12 of low - e housewrap material . the flap portion 16 of the second section 12 of low - e housewrap material may be disposed over an edge portion 38 of the first section 10 of low - e housewrap material . in one embodiment , the aforementioned edge portion 38 may include an adhesive strip 18 for retaining the flap portion 16 thereon . the adhesive strip 18 may be employed on the top surface 20 such as on the reflective foil material 34 . while the adhesive strip 18 has been described and shown in the drawings for illustrative purposes , any means may be employed which is suitable for retaining the flap portion 14 over the edge portion 38 in order to provide a water resistive barrier between the abutting sections of low - e housewrap materials . turning to fig6 and 7 , a protective film is removed to expose the adhesive strip 18 in preparation for securing the flap portion 16 over the edge portion 38 . the flap portion 16 is contacted to the adhesive strip 18 and secured over the edge portion as illustrated in fig8 . this assembly serves to provide a water resistive barrier between two abutting sections of low - e housewrap materials of the present invention to effectively seal their respective edges and allow water runoff from one low - e housewrap material section to another low - e housewrap material section . a bottom view vantage point of abutting low - e housewrap materials is illustrated in fig9 - 10 . again , the first section 10 of low - e housewrap material is positioned near the second section 12 of low - e housewrap material . the flap portion 16 of the second section 12 of low - e housewrap material is disposed over an edge portion 38 of the first section 10 of low - e housewrap material . edge portion 38 may include an adhesive strip 18 for retaining the flap portion 16 thereon . as a sufficient force is applied , for example , to flap portion 16 to contact the adhesive strip 18 , the flap portion 16 is held in retention over the edge portion 38 as shown , for example , in fig1 . it is clear from fig1 that , in a final assembly arrangement , a foam edge portion 56 of a first low - e housewrap material 10 abuts a foam edge portion 58 of a second low - e housewrap 12 . accordingly , the assembled sections serve to provide a water resistive barrier between two abutting sections of low - e housewrap materials of the present invention . in order to improve the energy efficiency of new and existing building structures , application of the herein described low - e housewrap serves to cover the exterior wall sheathing with an infiltration barrier , for example , prior to installation of a covering material or exterior finish such as siding , brick , stone , masonry , stucco and concrete veneers , for examples . the herein described low - e housewrap also serves to protect against air infiltration and damaging moisture build - up . air infiltration may occur in typical construction through , among other places , sheathing seams and cracks around windows and doors . moisture build - up can occur externally in the wall cavity from , for example , leaking exterior finishes or coverings , and cracks around windows and doors . the low - e housewrap of the present invention does not trap the water , but rather allows it to flow downward so as to exit the wall system . installation procedures of the presently described low - e housewrap include those as described , for example , in the technical manual for esp low - e ® housewrap utilized on exterior walls and under a primary barrier . the technical manual for esp low - e ® housewrap is submitted herewith and is hereby fully incorporated herein by reference . turning to fig1 , an exemplary exterior wall assembly 40 is constructed and prepared for receiving the low - e housewrap material of the present invention . in the illustrated example , a window opening 42 is shown . in a preferred embodiment , the low - e housewrap is employed after the walls have been construction and all sheathing and flashing details have been installed . the low - e housewrap material is preferably applied before doors and windows have been set inside framed openings and prior to the installation of the primary wall covering . turning to fig1 , a first low - e housewrap material is applied to the wall assembly 40 . the reflective side of the low - e housewrap material is installed facing outwardly . in one preferred embodiment , a roll of low - e housewrap material is unrolled horizontally starting at the corner of a preferred exterior wall 40 . the flange side or flap portion ( e . g ., 14 , 16 of fig1 ) of the roll is installed facing downwardly . the low - e housewrap material is secured to the exterior wall with fasteners 48 such as staples or cap nails ( or any other suitable fasteners ) at preferably every 8 - 12 ″. when applying another horizontal run of low - e housewrap material 44 , the foam ends of each applied section of rolled low - e housewrap material abut together such that the flange 52 of the additionally applied low - e housewrap material 44 is allowed to overlap the outside edge 50 of the adjacent low - e housewrap material 46 . this installation ensures that any intruding water is encouraged by the drainage plane ( e . g ., 24 of fig2 ) to flow downwardly . in a preferred embodiment , the flange 52 is installed to overlap the abutting foam edge by approximately 2 ″. the low - e housewrap material is installed to extend over all of the sill plates by a minimum of approximately 1 ″. the vertical and horizontal seam areas are sealed with suitable low - e foil tape . the low - e housewrap material may be trimmed around each framed opening with additional appropriate detailing applied as per window / door manufacturer and / or code standards . once installed , an appropriate exterior covering may be applied / installed over the low - e housewrap . such covering may include , but not limited to , siding , brick , stone , masonry , stucco and concrete veneers . the utilization of the herein described low - e housewrap provides , inter alia , a protective wrap that not only improves energy efficiency in accordance with newly implemented industry - wide energy / code regulations , but enhances drainage of damaging moisture build - up while protecting against air infiltration . moreover , other implementations of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practice of the invention disclosed herein . various aspects and / or components of the described embodiments may be used singly or in any combination . it is intended that the specification and examples be considered as exemplary only , with a true scope and spirit of the invention being indicated by the following claims . | 8 |
referring now to the drawings , the numerals in fig1 and 5 identify identical or corresponding parts . numeral 100 indicates a die guide made of an extremely hard material such as diamond , sapphire , etc . ; 101 , a support member similar to the one in the prior art , surrounding the die guide 100 and composed of a sintered powdered metal ; and 103 a collar made of ceramic and having a conical guide surface which gradually decreases in diameter toward the die guide 100 . numeral 102 indicates a metallic support or casing which contains the die guide 100 , support member 101 and collar 103 . the die guide 100 and the support member 101 are manufactured by processes similar to those of the prior art and fixed to the case 102 by brazing , bonding with epoxy resin adhesive , etc . the collar 103 is separately formed by sintering alumina , silicon nitride or other ceramics having electrical insulating properties , using a mold , or by turning ceramic of low hardness and having electrical insulating properties . the collar is then secured to the case 102 by bonding with epoxy resin adhesive , etc . or by caulking to the case 102 . in this case , the collar 103 , the die guide 100 and the support member 101 may all be bonded with epoxy adhesive , etc . since the collar 103 and the die guide 100 are machined in different processes and then combined , there cannot be guaranteed a continuous curve at their abutment due to dimensional variations . as shown in fig2 therefore , it is desirable to make the minimum diameter at the die guide side of the collar slightly smaller in dimension ( diameter difference : 0 . 1 mm or less ) than the maximum opening diameter of the die guide introducing portion so that there will be no reverse step in the insertion direction . in addition , providing a straight area ( 0 . 5 mm or less ) on the die guide side of the collar instead of a sharp edge allows easier dimensional management and makes slightly fragile ceramic more difficult to crack during manufacture and use . since the collar is made of ceramic that has electrical insulating properties and chemical corrosion resistance as described above , the wire guide is not subjected to electrical or chemical corrosion , the profile and surface roughness of the conical guide surface remain unchanged over a long period , the wire electrode can be inserted smoothly , and the wire guide can be manufactured easily . it will be appreciated that the collar 103 located on the inlet side of the wire electrode may also be located on the outlet side as shown in fig3 so as not to expose the support member and thereby prevent the die guide from dropping due to corrosion of the support member on the outlet side . in this case , as a matter of course , it is desirable to set the diameters of the collar and the die o guide on the top side to be in the relationship as shown in fig2 and the diameters of the collar and the die guide 100 on the bottom side to be in the opposite relationship i . e ., the minimum diameter of the bottom collar 103 being slightly larger than the maximum opening diameter of the die guide , to prevent a reverse step from being produced between the die guide 100 and collar 103 . it will be appreciated that the ceramic material used for the entire collar 103 in the pictured embodiment may be used only on the guide surface itself and still allow the primary purpose to be achieved . that is , a conical sleeve formed of a ceramic material may be fitted into a support member made of a wc - co material or the like for use as a guide surface for the wire electrode . it will be appreciated also that the ceramic material used for the collar may be replaced with other materials having characteristics equivalent to the ceramic . it will be appreciated further that , in a wirecut edm , the present invention is readily applicable to the guiding wire guides which introduce the wire electrode into its insertion path or to the pressing wire guides 6 and 10 , shown in fig4 for pressing the wire electrode against the power supply elements or energizers which supply edming power , as well as to the pair of die guides used at the top and bottom of the workpiece . the invention is also applicable broadly o outside of the edm area , in any situation where a wire guide may be desirable . the edm environment of the preferred embodiment is an exemplar only , and not a limitation on the invention . it will be apparent that the invention , as described above , provides collars made of ceramic , etc . at least on the inlet side of the die guides so as to prevent the occurrence of a reverse step and deterioration of the surface roughness resulting from profile changes influenced by electrical o chemical corrosion of the conical guide surface , to allow smooth and reliable insertion of the wire electrode , especially in the case of insertion by means of an automatic wire electrode supplier . the wire guides may be manufactured easily at low cost because they can be made by combining die guides and collars manufactured by different processes . | 1 |
fig1 shows a prior art embodiment of a battery . typically , batteries have a cathode 18 and an anode 20 separated by a separator 14 . inactive components may consist of electrolyte , binder , and carbon . the battery may also include current collectors 12 and 16 . for current electric vehicle ( ev ) applications , large batteries are produced by stacking many layers of conventional thin electrodes . this results in a large proportion of inactive components , contributing to the costs and low volumetric energy density . fig2 shows how li - ion transport path 22 occurs through a portion 20 of the electrolyte 24 . the path is torturous and affects the efficiency of the battery . as discussed in u . s . patent application ser . no . 13 , 727 , 960 , it is possible to form lithium structures having microstructures that allow for faster lithium transport using pore channels . this can be applied to the higher energy densities of li — s batteries and solid electrolytes for safety considerations . fig3 shows an embodiment of such a battery 50 . the battery 50 has a current collector 56 adjacent an anode 60 , lithium anode . the separator 54 is arranged between the anode 60 and the cathode 58 . the cathode consists of interdigitated stripes or strips of material . looking at the region of the material 70 , one can see that the first material has thicker stripes than the second material . the first material here contains sulfur , graphite , and solid electrolyte 62 in fig4 . the relatively small amount of solid electrolyte is added to the first material , which acts as a binder . in order for the material to form a lithium pore channel , the material will most likely be lithium sulfur such as lithium sulfur or lithium superionic sulfide ( lss ). the second material will consists of a solid electrolyte 64 in fig4 . in some embodiments , the electrolyte is a polymer , in others it is a glass , ceramic , or a glass / ceramic blend . polymer electrolytes are suitable for thin - film based devices and flexible battery designs , while inorganic ceramic electrolytes are suitable for rigid battery designs . the solid electrolytes are safer because they are non - flammable and also improve battery lifetime by reducing sulfur migration into the lithium anode . this prevents the formation of insoluble polysulfide species . the electrolytes may consist of several different types of materials . for example , the glass / ceramic materials may consist of : li 2 s — p 2 s 5 glass ; li 2 s — p 2 s 5 glass - ceramic ; li 2 s - p 2 s 5 — li 4 sio 4 ; li 2 s — sis 2 + li 2 sio 4 ; and li 2 s — ga 2 s 5 - ges 2 . the polymer electrolyte may consist of either a solid or a gel electrolyte . an example of a solid polymer electrolyte is poly ( ethylene oxide ). examples of gel polymer electrolyte materials include poly ( vinylidine fluoride ), a room temperature ionic liquid , poly ( methyl methacrylate ), poly ( acrylonitrile ) and ethylene glycol based polymers . these materials are used to form the solid battery structures , either rigid or thin - film . fig5 shows an embodiment of a process to form li — s batteries . as shown in fig5 , the active material , typically sulfur , carbon , and solid electrolyte is mixed with a solvent to form an extrudable paste or liquid at 80 . the relatively small amount of solid electrolyte is added into the first material , which acts as a binder . similarly , the solid electrolyte material is also mixed with a solvent to allow it to be extruded at 82 . the two materials are then fed into a co - extrusion head and extruded in interdigitated , alternating stripes of materials at 84 . the solvent is then removed from the materials at 86 . the materials then solidify to form a solid battery cathode . once the cathode is formed , a separator is placed adjacent the cathode at 88 . the lithium anode is then placed adjacent the anode to form a battery at 90 . the resulting batteries have better energy densities than traditional lithium cobalt oxide batteries , and are safer than batteries with liquid electrolytes . the solid electrolytes also reduces the migration of the sulfur species into the lithium anode electrode . the ionic conductivity is comparable to ionic conductivity of organic carbonate liquid electrolyte . it will be appreciated that several of the above - disclosed and other features and functions , or alternatives thereof , may be desirably combined into many other different systems or applications . also that various presently unforeseen or unanticipated alternatives , modifications , variations , or improvements therein may be subsequently made by those skilled in the art which are also intended to be encompassed by the following claims . | 7 |
referring first to fig1 an optical system according to the present invention is shown in simplified form . in a presently preferred embodiment , a coherent light source 10 , such as a laser diode or similar device , illuminates a surface 15 with coherent light . the surface , which may be the surface of a desk or a piece of conventional paper diffusely scatters light , some of which passes through an aperture d and thence through a lens 20 . the light is focused by the lens 20 onto a sensor 25 , where a speckled image 30 is formed . the image 30 comprises a series of spots on a contrasting background , such as dark spots on a light background , essentially of the same type as described in u . s . patent application ser . no . 08 / 424 , 125 , noted above . the distance from the surface 15 to the lens 20 is indicated by the dimension &# 34 ; a &# 34 ;, while the distance from the lens to the detector 25 is indicated by the dimension &# 34 ; b &# 34 ;. in this arrangement , the average speckle size &# 34 ; s &# 34 ; is determined by the wavelength λ , the lens aperture d and the image distance &# 34 ; b &# 34 ; through the relation s ≈ λb / d . more particularly , in an exemplary embodiment the value of &# 34 ; a &# 34 ; varies between 5 mm to 20 mm , while the value of &# 34 ; b &# 34 ; varies between 5 mm and 20 mm , the value of d varies between 0 . 2 mm and 2 mm , while the value of &# 34 ; s &# 34 ; varies between 10 μm and 100 μm and the value of λ varies between 600 nm and 990 nm . in an alternative embodiment of the device shown in fig1 a coherent light source is not required , and a patterned or speckled surface is used to create the speckled image 30 on the sensor 25 . the sensor 25 is described in greater detail in fig2 a . referring next to fig2 a , a comb photodetector which is a significant feature of the present invention is shown . in particular , the comb photodetector 50 comprises an array of photodetector elements 55a - 55n arranged so that the output of every fourth element is connected together , forming what is essentially a quadruple array . the array may have an overall length l , a height s , and a distance λ from the first to the fourth element , essentially forming the period of the array . for an exemplary embodiment , typical values of λ vary between 20 μm and 100 μm , while the value of l varies between 0 . 2 mm and 5 mm , and the value of s varies between 0 . 1 mm and 1 mm . the output 60 of the first group of elements may be represented as a + b sin ( 2πx / λ ), while the output 65 of the second group can be represented as a + b cos ( 2πx / λ ), while the output 70 of the third group can be represented as a - b sin ( 2πx / λ ), and the output 75 of the fourth group can be represented as a - b cos ( 2πx / λ ). the spectral and statistical properties of the detector signal depend on the size &# 34 ; s &# 34 ; of the speckles compared with the geometrical dimensions of the detector array . the comb array detector 50 acts as a spatial frequency filter where the filter characteristic for the differential detector signal a + b sin ( 2πx / λ )!- a - b sin ( 2πx / λ )!= 2b sin ( 2πx / λ ) is shown in fig2 b . it can be seen to consist of peaks at the odd ( 1st , 3rd , 5th , . . . ) orders of the spatial frequency 1 / λ corresponding to the period λ of the array 50 . the power spectrum of the spatial distribution of the intensity in the speckle pattern is given by the autocorrelation function of the lens aperture d , which is shown in fig2 b for a circular aperture , and the image distance &# 34 ; b &# 34 ;. the correlation is lost for movements in both the x and y directions when an entirely new set of speckles appears within the detector area . the sinusoidal properties of the differential detector signal a + b sin ( 2πx / λ )!- a - b sin ( 2πx / λ )!= 2b sin ( 2πx / λ ) is obtained through optical matching which is one of the significant features of the present invention . optical matching is achieved when the power spectrum of the spatial distribution of the intensity in the speckle pattern has no power at spatial frequencies equal to the odd multiples of the spatial frequency 1 / λ , except at frequency 1 / λ . since the power spectrum of the speckle pattern has no energy at frequencies above d / λb , optical matching is achieved when d / λb ≦ 3 / λ , typically by choosing the aperture d = 3bλ / λ . the operation of the array 50 to generate quasi - quadrature signals may be better appreciated from fig3 a . the array 50 is again shown as having four current outputs as in fig2 a . in this instance , the first output 60 is shown connected to the positive input of a current summing circuit 80 , while the third output 70 is shown connected to the inverting or negative input to the summing circuit 80 . similarly , the second output 65 is connected to the positive input of a current summing circuit 85 , while the fourth output 75 is connected to the negative or inverting input to the summing circuit 85 . the output 90 of summing circuit 80 is provided to a current comparator 95 , while the output 100 of the summing circuit 85 is provided to a current comparator 105 . the current comparators 95 and 105 each have a symmetrical hysteresis around zero and a voltage output of 0 v or 5 v . the output of the comparator 95 is the in - phase signal p , while the output of the comparator 105 is the quadrature signal q . the signals 90 and 100 represent the differential current outputs of the various phases of the detector array 50 . at any time , the current is the response of the sensor to the optically filtered speckle pattern . when the pattern is moving at velocity &# 34 ; v &# 34 ; with respect to the sensor , a sinewave - like signal is generated at a temporal frequency ( in hertz ) of v / λ . a characteristic waveform is shown in fig3 b . as a result , an estimate of the displacement may be obtained by counting the number of periods the signal achieves during displacement . the quasi - sinewave nature of the signal shown in fig3 b is due to the optical matching discussed above which reduces the number of frequency lines to a single line . it is presently believed that the best results are given when the length l of the array is chosen so that the sinusoidal signal has a correlation length of several periods , for example l & gt ; 5λ , and in an exemplary embodiment may have l = 25λ . the width or height s of the detector array 50 is chosen so that the correlation of the sinusoidal signal is not reduced too much by a transverse displacement component ; i . e ., typically s / l ≧ 0 . 1 . finally , the size of the illuminated spot on the surface 15 is chosen so that its image corresponds best to the detector array size in the image . the purpose of the comparators 95 and 105 is to generate digital signals from the sinewave - like signals shown in fig3 b , which facilitates interfacing the output signals p and q to digital counters for measurement of period count . the phase and quadrature signals ( p and q ) may be combined , as shown in fig3 c . more specifically , the signal p is provided to the input of a first schmitt trigger 125 and also to one input of a nand gate 130 . the signal q is provided to the input of a second schmitt trigger 135 and also to one input of a nand gate 140 . the output of the schmitt trigger 125 provides the second input to the nand gate 140 and also provides a first input to another nand gate 145 . the output of the schmitt trigger 135 provides the second input to the nand gate 130 and also provides the second input to the nand gate 145 . the output of the nand gate 145 provides the input to a third schmitt trigger 150 , the output of which is a count signal . the output of the nand gate 130 provides an inverted clear signal to a d flipflop 155 , the d and clock inputs of which are tied high . the output of the nand gate 140 provides an inverted set signal to the flipflop 155 . the noninverting output q of the flipflop 155 provides and indication of direction , or up / down . the combination of the count and up / down signals may be used to drive a digital up / down counter in an otherwise conventional manner . since one quadrature array 50 is intended to detect displacement only along its length , multiple arrays 50 are required to detect motion of the speckled surface in two dimensions . in this regard , fig4 shows in schematic block diagram form an implemention of the present invention using two photodetector arrays ( arranged at ninety degrees relative to one another ) to detect motion in two dimensions , with one array to detect motion in the x direction and the second to detect motion in the y direction . in particular , a first array 150 supplies signals p1 and q1 to a quadrature encoder 160 such as shown in fig3 c . the up / down and count signals from the encoder 160 control a four - bit up / down counter 170 , which has a tri - state output 175 . similarly , a second array 180 supplies p2 and q2 to a quadrature encoder 185 , which supplies up / down and count inputs to another four bit up / down counter 190 . the counter 190 has a tri - state output 195 . the microprocessor 200 can selectively read , on a periodic basis , the values of the counters 170 and 190 by selectively enabling signals oe1 and oe2 , to cause the output value of the respective counter appear on the tri - state bus 205 . the values of the counters 170 and 190 are combined in accordance with the algorithm described below to generate a displacement report , which can then be formatted in any suitable manner for transmission to a host , such as rs232 , ps / 2 or adb . communication with the host is facilitated through a line interface 210 , which typically provides for bidirectional communication . the microprocessor 200 can also control the switching of the led 10 ( fig1 ), as well as read the value of switches 215a - c . the microprocessor 200 typically reads the counters 170 and 190 frequently enough to avoid overflow of the counters . the algorithm for combining the values of the counters 170 and 190 involves determining the difference , over time , in the values of the respective counters . thus , the variable c1 represents the current value of the counter 170 , while the variable c2 represents the current value of the counter 190 . the value c1 old represents the previous value from counter 170 , while the value of c2 old represents the previous value from counter 190 . the value δc1 is the difference between c1 and c1 old and represents the displacement from sensor 1 , while the value δc2 is the difference between c2 and c2 old , and represents the displacement from sensor 2 . the value δx represents accumulated displacement in direction x , while δy represents accumulated displacement in direction y . this leads to the total displacement reported to the host is r x and r y , where r x = δx / n and r y = δy / n , where n is typically on the order of eight to reduce resolution to an acceptable range . after transmission , the accumulators δx and δy are updated such that while the two sensor arrangement of fig4 is an acceptable implementation of the present invention in at least some instances , somewhat better performance may be expected in other instances by the use of more than two photodetector arrays . for example , two additional oblique sensors is presently believed to provide better tolerance to momentary fadeout of the sensor signals . such fadeout can translate into underestimation of the displacements , since fadeout means the signal does not overcome the hysteresis of the comparators 95 and 105 ( fig3 a ), which results in fewer counts . fig5 a - 5c thus illustrate alternative arrangements which use a plurality of detectors 50 . for example , fig5 a shows four photodetector arrays 250a - d , with the sensor front end indicated by a thicker black line . similarly , fig5 b shows eight arrays 260a - 260h , with the front end again indicated by a thicker black line . in addition , fig5 c shows the use of multiple images from a single light source , supplied to multiple detectors d1 and d2 , with the arrangement of each detector also shown including a thicker black line indicated the front . referring next to fig6 an implementation of the four sensor arrangement of fig5 a is shown and can be seen to be an expansion of fig4 . like devices are shown with like reference numerals . the third sensor 300 supplies signals p3 and q3 to a quadrature encoder 305 , which in turn supplies up / down and count signals to a four bit up / down counter 310 having a tri - state output 315 . the fourth sensor 325 similarly supplies p4 and q4 signals to another quadrature encoder 330 , which again supplies up / down and count signals to a fourth four bit up / down counter 335 with a tri - state output 345 . the microprocessor 200 now includes lines oe3 and oe4 , in addition to lines oe1 and oe2 shown in fig4 which allows the processor 200 to selectively address the counters 310 and 335 , thereby placing their counts on the bus 205 . the algorithm for incorporating the input from the additional sensors is a straightforward expansion of that discussed above in connection with fig4 . thus , c3 represent the value from counter 3 , and c4 represents the value from counter 4 , while c3 old represents the previous value of c3 and c4 old represents the previous value of c4 . δc3 is thus c3 minus c3 old , and δc4 is thus c4 minus c4 old . likewise , it will be understood that displacement is a weighted average from the readings of the counter c1 through c4 . it should also be noted that displacement in the y direction yields no change in the value of δx since the displacements from sensors 2 and 3 ( 250b and 250c , respectively ) cancel out . the same is also true for displacement in the x direction when reading δy . the reports r x and r y are calculated in the same way as for fig4 as are the updates of δx and δy . referring next to fig7 a - 7b , the firmware for operation of a mouse or other pointing device in accordance with the present invention may be better understood . in particular , the process starts at step 400 by resetting and initializing , and enabling interrupts . the process continues at step 410 by determining whether sleep mode is appropriate ; if yes , the electronics go into sleep mode at step 420 until a displacement is detected in a periodic interrupt routine or a timeout occurs . if not , the process skips to step 430 and the switchs 215a - c are read . the process continues at step 440 by determining whether the mouse is moving . if not , sleep mode is enabled at step 550 ; if the mouse is moving , total displacement is computed at step 650 and that displacement is sent to the host at step 670 . the process then loops to step 610 . similarly , in fig7 b , the periodic interrupt service routine can be better understood . the interrupt service routine is accessed at step 500 whenever a timer function from the microprocessor generates an interrupt , although other methods of generating an interrupt are also acceptable in at least some embodiments . the process to step 510 where the interrupt is acknowledged . the process then moves to step 520 where the outputs of the four counters are obtained , the δx and δy values are updated , and where a non - zero computed displacement brings the system out of the sleep mode . the process then moves to step 530 , where the time until the next interrupt is computed . finally , the process returns from the interrupt at step 540 . from the foregoing , it will be appreciated that a new and novel design has been disclosed for an optical pointing device having no mechanical moving parts but still capable of operation on a surface having suitable diffuse scattering of a coherent light source . having fully described a preferred embodiment of the invention and various alternatives , those skilled in the art will recognize , given the teachings herein , that numerous alternatives and equivalents exist which do not depart from the invention . it is therefore intended that the invention not be limited by the foregoing description , but only by the appended claims . | 6 |
the present system is most readily realized in a network communications system . a high level block diagram of an exemplary network communications system 100 is illustrated in fig1 . the illustrated system 100 includes one or more analyst terminals 102 , one or more securitization servers 104 , and one or more asset databases 106 . each of these devices may communicate with each other via a connection to one or more communications channels 108 such as the internet or some other data network , including , but not limited to , any suitable wide area network or local area network . it will be appreciated that any of the devices described herein may be directly connected to each other instead of over a network . the securitization server 104 stores a plurality of files , programs , and / or web pages in one or more asset databases 106 for use by the analyst terminals 102 . the asset database 106 may be connected directly to the securitization server 104 or via one or more network connections . the asset database 106 preferably stores asset data . one securitization server 104 may interact with a large number of analyst terminals 102 . accordingly , each securitization server 104 is typically a high end computer with a large storage capacity , one or more fast microprocessors , and one or more high speed network connections . conversely , relative to a typical securitization server 104 , each analyst terminal 102 typically includes less storage capacity , a single microprocessor , and a single network connection . a more detailed block diagram of a analyst terminal 102 is illustrated in fig2 . the analyst terminal 102 may include a personal computer ( pc ), a personal digital assistant ( pda ), an internet appliance , a cellular telephone , or any other suitable communication device . the analyst terminal 102 preferably includes a main unit 202 which preferably includes one or more processors 204 electrically coupled by an address / data bus 206 to one or more memory devices 208 , other computer circuitry 210 , and one or more interface circuits 212 . the processor 204 may be any suitable processor , such as a microprocessor from the intel pentiurm ® family of microprocessors . the memory 208 preferably includes volatile memory and non - volatile memory . preferably , the memory 208 stores a software program that interacts with one or more of the other devices in the system 100 as described below . this program may be executed by the processor 204 in any suitable manner . the memory 208 may also store digital data indicative of documents , files , programs , web pages , etc . retrieved from one or more of the other devices in the system 100 and / or loaded via an input device 214 . the interface circuit 212 may be implemented using any suitable interface standard , such as an ethernet interface and / or a universal serial bus ( usb ) interface . one or more input devices 214 may be connected to the interface circuit 212 for entering data and commands into the main unit 202 . for example , the input device 214 may be a keyboard , mouse , touch screen , track pad , track ball , isopoint , and / or a voice recognition system . one or more displays , printers , speakers , and / or other output devices 216 may also be connected to the main unit 202 via the interface circuit 212 . the display 216 may be a cathode ray tube ( crts ), liquid crystal displays ( lcds ), or any other type of display . the display 216 generates visual displays of data generated during operation of the analyst terminal 102 . for example , the display 216 may be used to display web pages received from the securitization server 104 . the visual displays may include prompts for human input , run time statistics , calculated values , data , etc . one or more storage devices 218 may also be connected to the main unit 202 via the interface circuit 212 . for example , a hard drive , cd drive , dvd drive , and / or other storage devices may be connected to the main unit 202 . the storage devices 218 may store any type of data used by the analyst terminal 102 . the analyst terminal 102 may also exchange data with other network devices 220 via a connection to the network 108 . the network connection may be any type of network connection , such as an ethernet connection , digital subscriber line ( dsl ), telephone line , coaxial cable , etc . users of a analyst terminal 102 may be required to register with the securitization server 104 . in such an instance , each user of a analyst terminal 102 , may choose a user identifier ( e . g ., e - mail address ) and a password which may be required for the activation of services . the user identifier and password may be passed across the network 108 using encryption built into the analyst terminal 102 browser . alternatively , the user identifier and / or password may be assigned by the securitization server 104 . a more detailed block diagram of a securitization server 104 is illustrated in fig3 . like the analyst terminal 102 , the main unit 302 in the securitization server 104 preferably includes one or more processors 304 electrically coupled by an address / data bus 306 to a memory device 308 and a network interface circuit 310 . the network interface circuit 310 may be implemented using any suitable data transceiver , such as an ethernet transceiver . the processor 304 may be any type of suitable processor , and the memory device 308 preferably includes volatile memory and non - volatile memory . preferably , the memory device 308 stores a software program that implements all or part of the method described below . in particular , the memory 308 preferably stores an expression creation module 312 , a run - time expression evaluation module 314 , a deal specific expression module 316 , an automatic pool creation module 318 , an equitable deal treatment module 320 and a change audit trail module 322 . the expression creation module 312 may allow an analyst at an analyst terminal 102 to create expressions for assets . the analyst may create an expression that performs a calculation on pre - existing asset properties and the expression may create a new property for an asset . for example , the expression may take an asset &# 39 ; s “ driver credit rating ” and “ balance ” and create a new property “ risk - adjusted balance ” equal to the “ driver credit rating ” divided by a value such as 800 and multiplied by the “ balance .” the expression may be stored in the asset database 106 , or another suitable storage device , associated with a corresponding asset . the run - time expression evaluation module 314 may evaluate the expressions at run - time . for example , at run - time the expression may call for retrieving external data such as an interest rate , the module 314 may cause the securitization server 104 to retrieve the information from a connected server , through the internet or other network 108 , etc . this allows for expressions that include external and up - to - date information . the deal specific expression module 316 may store the expressions for assets based on deals . an analyst may wish to use different data sources for expressions based on what a deal requires , and therefore the deal specific expression module 316 may store in the asset database 106 , or another suitable storage device , data associating deals with expression definitions . for example , the “ securitized value ” of an asset may be defined as the “ balance ” of an asset for deal 1 and defined as “ risk adjusted balance ” for deal 2 . the automatic pool creation module 318 may automatically create pools of assets based on criteria defined by the analyst at run - time . the automatic pool creation module 318 may use artificial intelligence to determine which assets to include in a pool . the system may create a large number of pools based on a great number of criteria . the automatic pool creation module 318 may use the expressions stored in the asset database 106 , or another suitable storage device , when creating the pools . the equitable deal treatment module 320 may ensure that multiple deals run simultaneously will be treated fairly . for example , when multiple deals are run there is a risk that certain deals will be fulfilled before others . the equitable deal treatment module 320 may ensure that one deal is not favored over others and that each deal is treated fairly . for example , the equitable deal treatment module 320 may make multiple passes over the deals to ensure fairness and to maximize the value of assets that are included across all deals . the change audit trail module 322 may store a history of changes made to expressions for auditing purposes . for example , when an analyst creates or changes an existing expression , the change audit trail module 322 may store the changes to the expressions in the asset database 106 or another suitable storage device . the change audit trail module 322 may also store the changes in the actual values of the evaluated expressions for auditing purposes in the asset database 106 or another suitable storage device . a flowchart of an example process 400 for building securitization pools is illustrated in fig4 . although the process 400 is described with reference to the flowchart illustrated in fig4 , it will be appreciated that many other methods of performing the acts associated with process 400 may be used . for example , the order of many of the acts may be changed , and some of the acts described may be optional . in addition , it will be appreciated that this entire process may be repeated on a frequent - and - recurring basis , typically daily , weekly or monthly . for instance , the analyst may create a new pool of assets each month , such that all assets in a deal will be represented by a number of pools . this recurring process ensures that the issuer maximizes its investment in the securitization deal and helps ensure ongoing compliance with the terms , conditions and stipulations of the deal . in this example , the analyst retrieves information from the asset database 106 in block 402 . for example , an analyst may select a set of assets that he wishes to create a securitization pool from and the asset database 106 may transmit the information to the analyst terminal 102 . in block 404 , the analyst creates expressions . for example , the analyst may use an expression editor program to create or update a library of expressions which define new properties of the assets . the expressions may be based on existing properties , outside data or a combination of both . for example , the expressions may take an asset &# 39 ; s “ driver credit rating ” and “ balance ” and create a new property “ risk - adjusted balance ” equal to the “ driver credit rating ” divided by a value such as 800 and multiplied by the “ balance .” in another example , the expression may use an outside data source such as an interest rate . in block 406 , the expressions are stored . for example , the deal specific expression module 316 stores the deal - specific expressions in the asset database 106 . the change audit trail module 322 may store all changes and additions of expressions . for example , the change audit trail module 322 may store a change history in the asset database 106 . additionally , changed property values may also be stored in the asset database 106 . in block 408 , the expressions are evaluated at run - time . for example , expressions may be run against asset objects and the values of the new properties may be injected into the objects as newly defined properties . in block 410 pools consisting of a subset of the assets retrieved from the database in block 402 may be automatically created . for example , the automatic pool creation module 318 may create pools of assets in real - time , using the values of the expressions evaluated in block 408 , such that the deal &# 39 ; s criteria as entered by the analyst are met . if multiple deals are being evaluated , the equitable deal treatment module 320 may ensure that the deals are being treated fairly . for example , the equitable deal treatment module 320 may run multiple passes over the deals to ensure that one deal &# 39 ; s criteria are not met before other deals . a high level block diagram of an example securitization process is illustrated in fig5 . the process may have an asset database 106 and an analyst terminal 102 . the analyst may create expressions 508 and use the expressions as criteria in creating the initial pool of assets 506 from which to select in the securitization process 514 . for example , based on certain properties the analyst at the analyst terminal 102 may select an initial pool of assets . the analyst at the analyst terminal 102 may create expressions 508 and use the expressions to inject new properties into the assets 506 . for example , the analyst may use an expression editor to create expressions based on an asset &# 39 ; s existing properties or external information 510 as is described in relation to block 404 . the external information 510 may be incorporated at run time to obtain values for the expressions . the assets with the updated expressions 512 may then be utilized in the securitization process 514 . a high level block diagram of an example securitization process with a plurality of deals is illustrated in fig6 . the process may have an asset database 106 , an analyst terminal 102 , expressions 508 and an asset pool 506 . an analyst at an analyst terminal 102 may specify details for a number of deals to create a plurality of deals 602 . for example , an expression may be deal specific or may apply to all deals . a criterion may also be deal specific or apply to all deals . criteria may be based on the properties and expressions of an asset . for example , a criterion may return all assets where the driver &# 39 ; s credit rating is above 700 . a deal may include a plurality of criteria . the plurality of deals 602 may then be sent to the securitization process 514 to create deal specific pools 606 . for example , the process may perform multiple passes 604 over the plurality of deals 602 , distributing the available assets among the deals so as to maximize the value of the assets assigned to each deal , and employing the equitable deal treatment module 320 to ensure that each deal is treated equitably . further , this process may be repeated on a periodic basis over time , such that the process of selecting assets for a pool will be repeated daily , weekly or monthly . it should be understood that various changes and modifications to the presently preferred embodiments described herein will be apparent to those skilled in the art . such changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present subject matter and without diminishing its intended advantages . it is therefore intended that such changes and modifications be covered by the appended claims . | 6 |
the invention provides a means for the vaporization or gasification of liquids which is simple in form , efficient , dependable and inexpensive to manufacture . the instant invention can be used as a means for gasification of liquid fuel to achieve greater combustion efficiency in an internal combustion engine or furnace . in addition , the same device can be used for non - combustion applications in any process that requires liquid to be vaporized or gasified at a specific point in the application . to accomplish this , a liquid injection means such as a gasoline fuel injector , liquid atomizer nozzle or ultrasonic nozzle is affixed to an electrically powered heat exchanger . the electrically powered heat exchanger is constructed of a 3 - dimensionally porous ceramic having a positive temperature coefficient of electrical resistance called in the art a ptc thermistor . the thermistor is connected to a power source . ptc thermistors have a unique characteristic that makes them ideally suited for many heating element applications and in particular for the heat exchanger in the instant invention . ptc thermistors are ceramic semiconductors generally based on the material barium titanate to which small quantities of ions are added to modify the resistance - temperature properties of the device . as the thermistor becomes heated due to the flow of electric current through it , its electrical resistance increases dramatically by several orders of magnitude over a short temperature span increase of for instance 50 ° to 100 ° centigrade . this tremendous increase in electrical resistance causes the amperage flow through the element to decrease proportionately whereby the components &# 39 ; temperature will autostabilize consuming just enough power to replace the heat which is lost to the medium being warmed . if the medium to be heated is gasoline and additional gasoline is injected into the porous ptc thermistor , the device will become cooled causing its electrical resistance to lower , thereby allowing more amperage to flow through the device heating it back to its autostabilized temp . conversely , the opposite is true if the quantity of gasoline injected into the thermistor is decreased whereby the device tends to warm , causing its electrical resistance to increase and the amperage flow through it to decrease . through this mechanism a properly designed ptc thermistor can maintain itself at a predetermined temperature , ranging from about 10 ° centigrade to 204 ° centigrade , regardless of the changing quantities of liquid passing through it . if the thermistor is designed to autostabilize at a temperature at which a specific liquid vaporizes or turns to gas it is apparent that this is an ideal means for the purpose intended in the instant invention . modern ptc thermistor materials have a great deal of flexibility and can be designed to have a &# 34 ; switching temperature &# 34 ;, or temperature at which electrical resistance increases greatly , at a wide range from 0 ° centigrade to 300 ° centigrade making these materials very adaptable for use in the instant invention . additionally , a ptc thermistor that is constructed to be of a 3 - dimensionally porous nature is a very efficient heat exchanger in that a liquid injected into it must travel a torturous path through the porous ceramic where it will make a great deal of surface contact through a relatively short distance . the liquid injection means as in the case of a gasoline fuel injector , is arranged to inject atomized fuel into the porous thermistor , whereupon contacting the hot ceramic the fuel is expanded into a gas . the liquid fuel having gone through the transformation to a gaseous state causes an increase of pressure inside the porous thermistor whereby the gas escapes through the pores of the element . the pore size incorporated in the thermistor design can be varied greatly to suit the application . several factors influencing pore size are liquid to be gasified or vaporized , quantity of liquid , vaporization temperature , and wattage restraints . two important considerations in the design of the porous thermistor are the watt density capabilities of the material and the &# 34 ; electroding &# 34 ; or electrical connection of the thermistor to its power surface . generally , the power carrying capabilities of ptc ceramics are considered to be in the range of 50 - 100 watts per square inch at zero degrees centigrade . the power carrying capability of a thermistor will decrease as increasing levels of porosity are introduced into the ceramic for the heat exchanger of the instant invention . the electrical resistance of the porous thermistor can be made to vary greatly by changes in its size , shape , porosity , composition and electroding . varying design criteria can be expected to produce thermistor materials having a specific resistivity in the range of about 50 ω cm to about 100m ω cm . the aforementioned variables can be utilized to good advantage when designing the porous thermistor of the instant invention for specific applications . a widely used means for electroding ptc thermistors is to metalize two opposing surfaces and then to use these metalized surfaces as a means of electrical connection to the power source . it is necessary to metalize opposing surfaces as opposed to adjacent surfaces so as to get power to flow through the entire component . this metalizing process can be used to great advantage in the construction of the porous thermistor . in addition to electroding the element the metalization process can be made to close the pores of the ceramic component at a desired location or locations forcing the expanding gas to seek an exit from the thermistor at a more advantageous location . numerous thermistor shapes and electroding combinations can be employed with various liquid injection means in the instant invention . cylinders , tapered cylinders and partial hemispheres can be used that are electroded by means of metalized surfaces at the opposing ends of the porous thermistor , thereby allowing current to flow axially through the component . hollow cylinders , hollow tapered cylinders , hollow hemispheres and flat discs having a void in the center are other examples of possible thermistor designs . these shapes can be electroded by metalizing the inside surface or the inside of a hole in the center of the part . through this arrangement current can be made to flow radially through the porous thermistor . as will be obvious to a person skilled in the art , there are many variations of this concept that are still within the spirit of the instant invention . location of the porous thermistor relevant to the liquid injection means can be accomplished through numerous methods . mechanical attachment of the thermistor to the liquid injection device can be accomplished by way of fasteners , adhesives or threading the components together . the liquid injection means and porous thermistor can both be retained in a housing whereby in addition to locating the two components relative to each other the housing can act as a nozzle for exiting gas . porous thermistor elements that incorporate a relatively large void area in the center can utilize an impingement deflector extending close to the point at which liquid is injected thereby causing better dispersal of the liquid within the thermistor . in addition to improving liquid dispersal , dead air space within the thermistor can be reduced , thereby improving responsiveness of the device to increases of the liquid injected . in some applications , it will be desirable to provide electrical or thermal insulation between the porous thermistor , the liquid injection means and , if used the nozzle type cover . use of insulating material in the instant invention will facilitate the attachment of power supply leads particularly in designs that utilize voltages too high to allow the nozzle cover to be used as one leg of the power circuit . it may be desirable to dispose a thermal insulator between the fuel injector and porous thermistor in an automotive gasoline throttle body fuel injection system in order to avoid overheating gasoline returning to the fuel tank . the liquid injector porous thermistor combination of the instant invention in addition to vaporizing or gasifying liquid will also disburse the gas efficiently . in addition due to the fact that in a fuel vaporization application the thermistor will be highly saturated with fuel , a porosity size ranging from about 5 microns to about 500 microns , can be chosen that will not permit fuel to burn inside the device causing a flame arrestor effect in the event of an engine backfire . the aforementioned invention when located in a throttle body or within an intake manifold associated with an internal combustion engine or furnace would improve fuel burning efficiency and reduce exhaust pollutants . hereinafter , the embodiments of the present invention will be explained in detail with reference to the drawings . in the first embodiment shown in fig1 and 1a , a fuel injector body 10 having a fuel inlet tube 11 and electrical power leads 12 and 13 has a 3 - dimensionally porous ptc thermistor 14 located coaxially relevant to the point of fuel injection by atomizer 15 . porous thermistor 14 is metalized at two opposing surfaces 20 for the purpose of connecting electrical power leads 12 and 13 which are in turn connected to electrical power source which is not shown . insulator 16 is provided between porous thermistor 14 and fuel injector body 10 . a nozzle cover 17 with a reduced exit hole surrounds thermistor 14 and a portion of fuel injection body 10 where it is secured to fuel injector body 10 by threaded fasteners 18 . insulator 19 is provided between porous thermistor 14 and nozzle cover 17 . in this embodiment electric current flows axially through the porous thermistor heating it . as fuel or any preferably non - electrically conductive liquid is injected into the void in the center of the thermistor , the liquid is vaporized where it expands and diffuses radially through the porous ceramic . the nozzle cover 17 directs the vaporized gas into a common flow . fig1 a illustrates from a bottom view the motion of the fluid vapor as it exits the thermistor 14 into the interior of the nozzle cover 17 . the direction of the motion of the fluid vapor is indicated by the arrows . in the second embodiment shown in fig2 and 2a an electronic fuel injector body 21 having a fuel inlet tube 11 , injector control leads 23 and 24 and thermistor lead 25 has a 3 - dimensionally porous ptc thermistor 26 located coaxially relevant to the point of fuel injection by atomizer 27 . porous thermistor 26 is metalized at two opposing surfaces 20 for the purpose of connecting thermistor lead 25 at one end and for the purpose of electrically grounding to projections on nozzle cover 28 at its opposing end . thermistor power lead 25 is connected to electrical power source which is not shown . the grounded fuel injector body 21 constitutes the other leg of the thermistor power circuit . insulator 29 is provided between porous thermistor 26 and fuel injector body 21 . nozzle cover 28 is secured to fuel injector body 21 by threaded fasteners 18 . an &# 34 ; o &# 34 ;- ring 31 is provided to hold fuel injector body 21 into a hole in intake manifold which is not shown . this embodiment has the same mode of operation as the embodiment in fig1 with the exception that the fuel injector body becomes one leg of the electrical circuit for the porous thermistor . fig2 a illustrates from a bottom view the motion of the fluid vapor as it exits the thermistor 26 into the interior of the nozzle cover . the direction of the motion of the fluid vapor is indicated by the arrows . in the third embodiment shown in fig3 and 3a , a liquid injector having a body 33 , a liquid inlet tube 11 and electrical power leads 35 and 36 has a 3 - dimensionally porous ptc thermistor 37 located coaxially relevant to the point of liquid injection by atomizer 38 . porous thermistor 37 is metalized at its outside diameter and has a metal filled void in its center which extends sufficiently close to the point of liquid injection where it will act as an impingement deflector . the metalized outside diameter of the thermistor and metal filled void in the center of the thermistor are connected to electrical power leads 35 and 36 which are in turn connected to electrical power source which is not shown . electrical insulator 39 is provided between porous thermistor 37 and liquid injector body 33 . electrical insulator 40 is provided between porous thermistor 37 and nozzle cover 41 which is secured to liquid injector body 33 by threaded fasteners 18 . in this embodiment , electric current flows radially through the porous thermistor heating it . as fuel or any preferably non - electrically conductive liquid is injected into the void between the porous thermistor and insulator 39 , it becomes vaporized and expands upon contact with the hot thermistor and diffuses axially through the porous ceramic . the nozzle cover 41 directs the vaporized gas into a common flow . in the fourth embodiment shown in fig4 a liquid injector with a body 43 having a liquid inlet tube 44 and electrical power lead 45 has a 3 - dimensionally porous ptc thermistor 46 located coaxially relevant to the point of liquid injection by atomizer 47 . porous thermistor 46 has a hollow hemispherical shape and is metalized at the annular surface that contacts injector body 43 . porous thermistor 46 has a conical void in its bottom which is metal filled 48 and extends sufficiently close to the atomize orifice so as to act as an impingement deflector . electrical power lead 45 is connected to metal cone shaped deflector 48 . annular metalized porous thermistor surface makes electrical contact with injector body 43 to complete the electrical circuit to the power source which is not shown . outer sleeve 49 fits over injector body 43 holding thermistor in place relevant to the means of liquid injection . retaining ring 50 secures outer sleeve 49 to injector body 43 . an &# 34 ; o &# 34 ; ring 51 is provided to hold injector body into a hole in an inlet manifold which is not shown . in this embodiment electric current flows axially through the porous thermistor heating it . as any preferably non - electrically conductive liquid is injected against the inside spherical surface of the porous thermistor , it becomes vaporized and expands diffusing radially through the porous ceramic . in the fifth embodiment shown in fig5 a liquid injection means with a body 43 having a liquid inlet tube 44 and electrical power lead 45 has a 3 - dimensionally porous ptc thermistor located coaxially relevant to the point of liquid injection by atomizer 47 . porous thermistor 53 has a tapered cylindrical shape with a concave surface facing liquid atomizer 47 . the outside diametrical surface of porous thermistor 53 is metalized and when mechanically retained by outer sleeve 54 will become electrically grounded to the liquid injection means constituting one leg of the electrical circuit to the power supply source which is not shown . retaining ring 50 secures outer sleeve 54 to body 43 . electrical power lead 45 from power source extends through a metalized hole in the center of porous thermistor 53 to a point sufficiently close to the atomizer orifice 47 so as to act as an impingement deflector . &# 34 ; o &# 34 ; ring 51 is provided to secure assembly into intake manifold not shown . in this embodiment electric current flows radially through the porous thermistor heating it . as any preferably non - electrically conductive liquid is injected against the concave surface of the heated porous thermistor it becomes vaporized and expands diffusing axially through the porous ceramic . in the sixth embodiment shown in fig6 an ultrasonic nozzle assembly 56 having a liquid inlet tube 11 transducer power leads 57 and 58 and thermistor power lead 59 has a convex shaped 3 - dimensionally porous ptc thermistor 60 located coaxially relevant to the point of atomized liquid injection by ultrasonic nozzle orifice 61 . an insulator 62 is provided between ultrasonic nozzle assembly 56 and porous thermistor 60 . lock nut 63 holds porous thermistor 60 and insulator 62 in place relevant to the point of liquid injection by ultrasonic nozzle orifice 61 . porous thermistor 60 is metalized at the convex surface adjacent to insulator 62 and also metalized at the opposing concave surface which becomes grounded by contact with lock nut 63 providing one leg of the power circuit for the porous thermistor 60 . the remaining leg of the thermistor power circuit is through thermistor lead 59 which is connected to power source which is not shown . in this embodiment electric current flows axially through the porous thermistor heating it . ultrasonic nozzle assembly 56 injects atomized liquid into the cylindrical void in the center of porous thermistor 60 . as atomized liquid contacts the heated thermistor it vaporizes and expands whereupon the vaporized gas diffuses radially through the porous thermistor due to an increase of pressure within the component . in this embodiment as in the five previous examples , it will be apparent to a person skilled in the art that there are many configurations possible utilizing porous thermistors in combination with liquid injection devices that are still within the spirit of the present invention . it is not the intention of the inventor to limit the scope of the instant invention to the details set forth in the previous examples . the efficiency of the instant invention can be further improved by locating the device within a venturi area of an intake pipe thereby producing a reduced pressure at or near the point at which gas exits the porous thermistor or nozzle cover exit hole . in fig7 a liquid vaporizer and diffuser 65 is located within a burner inlet pipe 66 . burner inlet pipe 66 is secured to burner combustion chamber wall 67 . liquid fuel is supplied through fuel inlet tube 11 . electrical power is supplied to the porous thermistor through power leads 68 and 69 . in this application the liquid vaporizer and diffuser supplies vaporized liquid fuel to a burner for improved combustion efficiency . in fig8 a liquid vaporizer and diffuser 71 is located within the venturi section of a throttle body housing 72 . electric power to heat the porous thermistor is supplied through power lead 73 and through grounded throttle body housing . an air inlet valve 74 is provided in throttle body throat . liquid fuel is supplied to fuel nozzle through fuel inlet tube 11 . in this application the liquid vaporizer and diffuser supplies vaporized liquid fuel to an internal combustion engine for improved combustion efficiency . in still another embodiment , the device of the instant invention is also used for coating , heating , fogging , disbursing and humidifying any liquid especially non - electrically conductive liquids such as , but not limited to , insecticides , germicides , and manufacturing process chemicals . | 8 |
referring first to fig2 an ink donor film 17a withdrawn from the supply roll 13 in the first recording station 22 travels past a guide roll 25 , a thermal recording head 11 and another guide roll 26 , and is then wound on the take - up roll 15 . likewise , an ink donor film 18a in the second recording station 23 travels past a pair of guide rolls 27 and 28 positioned on the opposite sides of a thermal recording head 12 , and is wound on the take - up roll 16 . the guide roll 26 is positioned in the vicinity of the second recording station 23 as shown in fig2 and 3 . the transportation of the recording paper 2 from the first thermal recording head 11 to the second thermal recording head 12 is carried out by the ink donor film 17a from which information has already been transferred onto the paper . this transportation is performed reliably , since the molten ink maintains the recording paper 2 in intimate contact with the film 17a , as hereinabove described . the ink donor film 17a is folded back at an acute angle around the guide roll 26 , as shown in fig3 . the recording paper 2 , however , so stiff that it is not folded back , irrespective of whether its leading edge has a portion which does not intimately contact the film 17a ( or which does not carry any image recorded thereon ). it moves forward , and is caught by the back roll 21 , whereby the paper 2 is probably separated from the ink donor film 17a . in order to further ensure the separation of the paper from the film , it may be useful to provide a guide member 29 in the vicinity of the guide roll 26 as shown in fig4 . according to this invention , the transportation of recording paper to a region immediately in front of each thermal recording head in the second recording station or any further recording station following it is carried out by the ink donor film in the immediately preceding recording station with which the ink thereon maintains the paper in intimate contact , as hereinabove described . this feature of the invention permits prevention of any skew on the recording paper during its transportation , and of any resulting displacement of the image transferred onto the paper . although the embodiment as hereinabove described is directed to a two - color recording apparatus having two recording stations , this invention is also applicable to a multicolor recording apparatus including a further recording station or stations and no positional deviation of the recording paper 2 will be caused before the final recording station if an additional ink donor film or films are provided . | 7 |
referring more particularly to the drawings , fig1 shows a multiple stage composite &# 34 ; whirlo &# 34 ; compressor and vaporizer unit having a central rotor 22 and a housing made up of a principal housing member 24 and a secondary housing unit 26 which encloses the rotor from the right - hand side as shown in fig1 following assembly of the rotor unit 22 in position . the compressor and vaporization unit of fig2 essentially includes two back - to - back units , with the unit on the left providing compressed air and vaporized water or steam , and the right - hand side as shown in fig1 providing compressed air and vaporized fuel , such as gasoline , diesel fuel , kerosene or the like . the air , fuel , and water meter valve or carburetion unit 28 is shown located to the right in fig1 and this unit will be shown in greater detail below . around the periphery of the compressor and vaporization unit , is an optional water jacket 30 , which may be employed to provide additional cooling for the dual compressor and vaporization unit . input air is supplied through the openings 32 and 34 located near the center of the unit . the flow of air to the input 34 on the fuel side of the unit is controlled by the rotation of the circular vane 36 forming part of the flow control apparatus . this vane is of assistance in maintaining the desired stoichiometric ratio of fuel to air , as discussed in greater detail below . as best shown in fig2 the water and fuel , such as gasoline , are supplied through the input orifices 38 near the periphery of the unit . the compression is accomplished in four stages , with the initial centrifugal stage being accomplished in the zone 40 under the force of the rotating impeller blades 42 as shown , for example , in fig2 . the second stage involves the peripheral channels 44 into which a series of three or more ( as desired ) vanes 46 may extend to provide positive displacement through the openings 48 into the third compression stage chamber 50 . preferably an odd number of vanes are employed and the number will depend on the size of the compressor . the vanes 46 may be shaped as shown in fig8 and 9 , rotatably mounted into the rotor 22 on pins 47 ( see fig2 ). when the rotor 22 is assembled with the housing numbers 24 and 26 , the vanes 46 are oriented nearly parallel to the circumference so that they will pass the lip of the channel 44 . thereafter , in operation the blades rotate to a radial position within channel 44 and are held in this position by air pressure as the impeller 22 rotates and by stops included in the pivot arrangements for vanes 46 . alternatively , if desired , vanes such as blades 46 , but fixed against rotation , may be inserted through openings such as that closed by cover plate 47 one on each side , as shown in fig1 . incidentally , the vanes 46 rotate with the small transverse extension 49 forward , to assist the positive displacement action of vanes 46 in forcing the compressed air outward from the channels 44 through the openings 48 . in the third stage chambers 50 , the air is further compressed and is continuously whirled by the action of the shorter vanes 52 which terminate along a line co - extensive with the normal edge of the impeller or rotor 22 , as well as through the operation of occasional vanes 54 which extend across the full width of the peripheral chambers 50 . now , referring to fig2 liquid , either water or fuel , depending on whether the left or right side of the compressor is being considered , is supplied through the opening 38 . with the compressor rotor rotating at high speeds in the counterclockwise direction as shown in fig2 the liquid supplied through the opening 38 is soon broken up into droplets and rapidly vaporized as it makes the transit around the compressor from the inlet openings 38 to the exhaust passageways 56 . incidentally , the metal web or channel 58 as shown in both fig1 and 2 forces the entrapped compressed air and vaporized liquid to flow into the exhaust passageways 56 . concerning another aspect of the compressor and vaporization apparatus of fig1 and 2 , the compression of air would normally produce a very substantial increase in temperature . however , much of the temperature which would otherwise be generated and which would appear in the gases at the output from the unit , is absorbed by the heat of vaporization of the water in the left - hand side of the unit as shown in fig1 . this feature by which the back - to - back compressors cooperate to produce substantially isothermal compression , is an important factor contributing to the overall efficiency of the present turbine system . various details of the three - way flow carburetion or meter valve unit 28 shown to the right in fig1 will now be considered in connection with fig3 and 5 of the drawings . the cross - sectional view of fig3 is taken at right angles to the plane of the paper in fig1 . more specifically , the three - way meter valving unit of fig3 includes a fuel control arrangement involving the input 62 , the output 64 and a valving arrangement including the disks 66 and 68 . the air flow control element 36 rotates through 90 degrees from the position shown in fig3 in which most of the air flow through the air channel 70 is blocked , to a position in which the vane is rotated by 90 degrees about the axis of the rod 72 so that it is parallel to the direction of air flow through channel 70 . finally , the water flow is controlled synchronously with the control of fuel and air between the water input orifice 74 and the output 76 . the water valve includes fixed member 76 and a rotatable disk 78 operating in a manner similar to the two elements 66 and 68 associated with fuel flow . the control shaft 80 is connected to a crank arm secured to the shaft 72 , and rotation of shaft 72 synchronously controls the flow of fuel , air and water to the compressor and vaporization units disclosed hereinabove in connection with fig1 and 2 . more specifically , the control disk 36 is pinned to the rotatable shaft 72 , as are the disks 68 and 78 , controlling fuel and water flow , respectively . it may be noted that both the fuel and the water valve arrangements include annular chambers for supplying and receiving the liquid . in the case of the fuel , the fixed element 66 is provided with a sector 82 which is cut away from the full periphery . the fixed element 76 for the water control is formed in the same manner . the movable element 68 and 78 , for fuel and water , respectively , has a configuration as shown at fig5 with a corresponding cut - away sector 84 , and an idle orifice 86 . with the vane 36 oriented in the blocking configuration for idle operation of the turbine system , the orifice 86 will overly the sector 82 of the fixed element , and only a small amount of liquid , either fuel or water , will pass through the valves . on the other hand , when the rod 80 connected to the accelerator is actuated to turn the shaft 72 by 90 degrees to the full power output position , disk 36 will be rotated to a position parallel with the air channel so that full flow of air is facilitated and the two cut - away portions 84 and 82 will be lined up to permit high volumes of fuel and water to be supplied to the input orifices 38 , as shown in fig2 . in all cases , the fuel and air valves are arranged to provide a substantially stoichiometric ratio of fuel to air . this ratio is about eighteen to one , or about 0 . 06 by weight of gasoline to air for complete combustion . similarly , a water - to - fuel weight ratio in the order of approximately two or three to one , or more is preferred in order to obtain substantially isothermal compression , and to permit the generation of superheated steam under all operating conditions . slight variations of the shaping of the cut - away sectors 82 and 84 as shown in fig4 and 5 , may be required in order to maintain optimum operating conditions throughout the power range of the present turbine system . as mentioned above , output fuel and water are separately coupled from the output orifices 64 and 76 associated with the carburetion or meter - valve unit 28 to the inputs 38 on the right and left - hand sides of the compressor and vaporization unit of fig1 and 2 . before proceeding to a consideration of the combustion unit , reference is made to fig6 which is a view , unfolded in nature , looking inward toward the axis of the compressor and vaporization unit from within the outer chambers 50 . in fig6 the outer housing walls 24 and 26 may be noted and the central rotor 22 as well as the angled slots 48 through which air is forced by the rotation of the vanes of 46 . the inlet holes 48 to the third compression stage ( 50 ) start at the bottom of the compressors and extend for 90 degrees to 180 degrees , and are sufficiently large to permit full flow into the third stage and to vaporize the fuel or water supplied through openings 38 . in fig6 two different configurations of the vanes 52 and 54 are shown . above the center line of the rotor 22 , the shorter vanes 52 - 1 and the longer vanes 54 - 1 are oriented perpendicular to the center line of the rotor . however , in the showing below the center line of rotor 22 , the shorter rotor blades 52 - 2 , and the longer rotor blades 54 - 2 are angled at 45 degrees relative to the center line of the rotor . either of these two angles will be effective , and other intermediate angles , such as 30 degrees , from the orientation of blades 52 - 1 , for example , could also be employed effectively . the extended blades 54 may either be formed as an integral part of the impeller 22 , or may be welded to it , as indicated in fig7 . the purposes of the extended vanes 54 are to create suction , to increase the pressure head , and to clear the flow path . now , turning to the triad combustion chamber , as shown in fig1 through 12 , it includes a central combustion compartment or chamber 92 , having an input 94 connected to receive the compressed air and vaporized fuel from one of the exhausts 56 - 1 of the compressor and vaporization unit ; and a superheat chamber 96 in heat coupling relation with the combustion chamber 92 , and having an input 98 coupled to receive compressed air and water vapor or steam from the exhaust 56 - 2 of the compressor / vaporization unit ; and a mixing chamber 102 in which the gases from chambers 92 and 96 are mixed as a result of the intercoupling openings 104 . incidentally , the chamber 96 includes partitions 106 which force the helical passage of the compressed air and water vapor around and along the length of the combustion chamber 92 . in the process of flow of steam and compressed air through the helical chamber 96 , the water vapor or steam becomes superheated and its temperature is further increased , with the concurrent increase of energy content of the gases . after passing about two - thirds of the way down the combustion chamber 92 , mixing is permitted by the provisions of the openings 104 . if desired , the combustion chamber may be mounted centrally with respect to the drive shaft of the turbine which is shown passing through the unit at reference numeral 108 . considering the construction of the &# 34 ; triad &# 34 ; combustion unit in some detail , it includes the outer wall 110 enclosing the outer superheat chamber 96 , and the inner concentric wall 112 which separates the central combustion chamber 92 from the superheat chamber 96 , and also includes apertured baffle plates 114 along the length of the central combustion chamber and radiating fins 116 for energy transfer between the combustion chamber 92 and the superheat chamber 96 . stoichiometric combustion normally takes place at a temperature of approximately 3600 degrees f . locating the combustion chamber 92 within the superheat chamber or jacket 96 allows heat from the combustion chamber to be absorbed by the water vapor , which becomes superheated steam , instead of wasting the heat by radiation into the atmosphere . concerning ignition , a glow plug 118 or a red hot wire and a starter fuel inlet 120 appear at the upper right - hand side of fig1 , and are provided to ignite the stoichiometric fuel - air mixture . the chamber 122 is a glow chamber which also facilitates re - ignition of the unit in case of accidental flame - out or cessation of combustion . following mixing in chamber 102 , the combined combustion products and energetic superheated steam and compressed air are supplied to the conduit 124 for coupling to the turbine . referring now to the turbine of fig1 , it is a transverse flow , pressure stage - impulse turbine . the turbine has seventeen active stages and one augmenting stage . it is an integrated partial admission configuration . every stage has partial admission , yet the total circumference of the rotors is covered and there are no blank spaces . now , proceeding to a consideration of the detailed structure , it includes a stator structure having two end support members 132 and 134 , a central stator portion 136 carrying stationary gas nozzle vanes 138 and 140 , and a central rotor structure 142 carrying sets of radially extending rotor blades 144 , 146 and 148 . the turbine inlet 150 is connected to receive the high energy gases from the outlet 124 of the combustion chamber of fig1 . after many transits back and forth through the stationary nozzles and the rotating blades of the turbine structure , as described below , the exhaust gases exit from the turbine structure at conduit 152 , which in turn is provided with a vane 154 which is synchronously operated with the accelerator controlling the input flow to the compressor unit . this is accomplished by the pivot shaft 156 on which the control vane 154 is mounted ; and the orientation of the shaft 156 is controlled in turn by rod 158 connected to a crank on shaft 156 . the purpose of the control vane or valve element 154 is to reduce exhaust gas flow when the amount of fuel is reduced under less than full power operation . as the vane 154 shifts toward the closed position under lighter load conditions , the turbine blade passageways will be kept full , and turbulence will thereby be eliminated , with efficiency being kept at or about design point efficiency . the flow through the stationary nozzles and the rotating blades of the turbine is somewhat complex , and may usefully be described in connection with fig1 a , fig1 , and fig1 and 16 . in a general way , the transverse flow turbine operates as follows : first , the gases supplied through input 150 are directed by the nozzle vanes 162 toward a circumferential path which also has a substantial axial component , as indicated by fig1 . the gases then impinge on the vanes 144 which are secured to the rotor , and this imparts torque to drive the rotor 142 . the gases from the rotor blades 144 impinge on the stationary nozzle vanes 164 which redirects them to drive the next successive set of rotor vanes 146 . as shown in fig1 and 14 , the next set of stationary nozzle blades are designated by reference numeral 166 , the subsequent rotor blades by the reference numeral 148 , and the guide vanes 168 direct the exhaust gases outwardly parallel to the axis of the rotor into the guide channel 170 . the curvature of the guide channel 170 directs the gases as indicated by arrow 172 to the input nozzles 174 at the outer zone of the turbine . the high pressure gases then go back across the outer driving zone of the turbine , successively impinging on the outer ends of the blades 148 , the outer portion of the nozzle vanes 166 , the outer area of the rotor vanes 146 , and then impinge on nozzle vanes 164 and rotor vanes 144 . incidentally , the cross - sections of the rotating blades , and the intermediate nozzles remain the same throughout their radial extent , both at the inner and outer active areas . this is a result of the turbine being pressure staged . by this time , with the rotation of the rotor , the gases are displaced around the circumference of the turbine , and are re - directed toward the inner portion of the turbine blades and nozzles by the guide channel 176 in a zone circumferentially displaced from the turbine inlet 150 . the diagram of fig1 a shows diagrammatically the flow path of the high pressure gases as they successively transit the turbine blades between the two peripheral guide channels 170 and 176 . fig1 and 16 are schematic showings of the relative angular orientation of the successive stages of nozzle and turbine blades interaction . fig1 and 16 are both taken looking from left to right in fig1 , with fig1 being taken at the left hand side of fig1 , and fig1 being taken through the rotor near the right hand side of fig1 , with the rotor rotating in the clockwise direction . from turbine inlet 150 ( fig1 ) the gases drive stage 1 at the inner blade area on blade 144 ( see fig1 ), and then the second stage ( not shown in fig1 and 16 ), then proceeding to inner stage 3 and outer stage 4 ( see fig1 ), then in fig1 , stage 7 may be seen , shifted angularly with the rotation of the rotor . to follow this progression , note that the stage numbers set forth on fig1 and 16 correspond to the small arabic numbers 1 through 18 which appear on the turbine nozzles and blades in the lower portion of the turbine as shown in fig1 . following the successive transits back and forth across the turbine blades as indicated in the diagrams of fig1 and 16 , the gases are exhausted through the channel 152 , which is of considerable angular extent to couple all of the exhaust gases . from the turbine exhaust channel 152 , the exhaust gases are coupled to the &# 34 ; floating &# 34 ; muffler , as shown in fig1 , 18 and 19 . the muffler of fig1 through 19 , is preferably made of stainless steel , and includes an outer fixed housing 174 having an input 176 and an output 178 . mounted for rotation within the housing 174 is a cylindrical rotatable inner channel 186 , which is mounted for rotation at bearing points 182 and 184 . except for the initial input portion of its length , the inner tube 186 is provided with a series of apertures 188 , to facilitate mixing of the exhaust admitted through channel 176 and ambient air supplied through the openings 192 between the support vanes 194 . mounted on the rotating member 186 are a series of angled vanes 196 which have the effect of further intermixing the exhaust and the ambient air by causing rotation and turbulence within the chamber 174 . as indicated in fig1 , the output end of the muffler shows the reduced end portion 198 of the rotating cylinder 186 , which is mounted on the bearing 184 . the output end of the muffler is virtually open , with the bearing 184 being supported from three support members 202 extending from the reduced diameter cylinder 204 into the bearing structure ; and a drainage hole 205 is located near the output end of the muffler . the final figure of the drawings , fig2 , is a diagrammatic showing of a complete engine illustrating the principles of the present invention . in fig2 , the outer housing 174 of the floating muffler is shown at the lower left . proceeding from left to right , the load 208 is coupled to the shaft of the turbine 210 , and to the right of the turbine is shown the &# 34 ; triad &# 34 ; combustion chamber including the combustion zone 92 , the superheat chamber 96 , and the mixing chamber 102 . to the right of the combustion chamber is the gear box or speed changing unit 211 , which drives the compressor / vaporizer unit 212 through the shaft 214 at the optimum operating speed . the carburetor or meter valve unit 28 is shown at the right of the dual compressor / vaporizer unit 212 . the water jacket 30 , which is optional , may be connected to a radiator 214 , and can also serve as a water tank or reserve water tank . water and fuel are supplied to the carburetor or meter valve unit 28 from the supply tanks 216 and 218 , respectively . a fan 220 may provide supplemental cooling and additional air directed to the carburetor or metering valve unit 28 . now that a step - by - step description of one turbine engine system embodying the principles of the invention has been completed , it is useful to mention some other aspects of the invention . in general , it is to be noted that , while conventional turbines operate at temperatures above 1500 degrees f ., and at speeds of many thousands of revolutions per minute , the turbine of the present invention operates at lower temperatures , in the order of 500 to 1500 degrees f . and preferably 600 to 800 degrees f ., and at speeds of only a few thousand , such as four thousand rpm or less . for automotive applications , it is contemplated that the turbine unit will have a steady state temperature in the order of about 600 to 700 degrees f . as discussed in detail above , many of the advantages of the present invention arise from the use of substantial quantities of water , which may be in the order of two or three or more times the weight of the fuel which is employed . by utilizing the cooling water in the dual compressor , it is estimated that the specific fuel consumption of the engine will be about 0 . 10 to 0 . 12 pounds per horsepower per hour , as compared to about 0 . 50 for a gas turbine , and about 0 . 75 and up for a conventional internal combustion piston engine . at this rate of combustion it is estimated that the engine system of the present invention will yield in the order of 75 to 100 miles per gallon or more in automotive applications , depending on the size of the automobile and the power level of the engine . it may also be noted that the present invention has a number of significant advantages for automotive applications , particularly as compared with internal combustion engines , and the high temperature , high speed turbine engines which have been previously proposed . specifically , as compared with conventional piston - type automotive internal combustion engines , there will be no tuneups , no distributor , no points , and no carburetor to be adjusted at very short intervals . further , the present engine system includes no cam shaft , no crank shaft and associated balancing weights , and no torsional vibration . the engine does not require any regeneration , and accordingly , none of the bulky regenerator rotors with their power - wasting gearing systems are required . further , because of the lower speed , it will not have a high pitched whine and no need for noise insulation . in view of the low temperature operation and the geometry of the triad combustion chamber , there will be no need for heat insulation . the low temperature operation also has the advantage that no significant nitrogen oxide compounds will be present in the exhaust . the relatively low speed of the engine , in the order of 4 , 000 revolutions per minute or less means that no extreme precision or special machining accuracy or tolerances are required for the engine . the problem often encountered in turbine engines known as &# 34 ; turbine - lag &# 34 ; will not be present , in view of the positive displacement arrangements in the compressor , and the turbine exhaust control which maintains proper operating pressure and low turbulence within the turbine . the excess energy involved in the difference between the combustion temperature of approximately 3600 degrees f . and the turbine flow temperature which may be 600 degrees to 800 degrees or thereabouts , will be absorbed as superheated steam which will enhance the performance and efficiency of the system and avoid radiation losses which would otherwise occur . the superheated steam will increase the density of vapor flow , thus increasing the impetus transferred to the turbine rotor and further increasino the performance of the system . as a collateral feature , the floating muffler will be instrumental in diffusing the steam content of the exhaust and preventing fogging at the exhaust . as a further collateral feature , the compressor is operated from the turbine through a speed changing unit 211 so that their speeds can be individually optimized without stress and vibration problems . the turbine engine system of the present invention has been designed to operate over a broad range of relatively low temperatures and low rotational speeds . in accordance with one of a number of design calculations , a speed of 4300 revolutions per minute , and an input temperature of the gases to the turbine of about 1100 degrees f . were selected . the turbine design for these parameters includes a blade pitch diameter ( p . d .) for the inner stages of approximately 15 . 25 inches and of about 16 . 50 inches for the outer stages . the operative blade height is approximately one - half inch for the inner stages and also one - half inch for the outer stages , with about one quarter inch separation . the temperature drops about 35 degrees f . in each inner stage and about 44 degrees f . in each outer stage , with u / v being held substantially constant . the resulting output temperature of the exhaust gases is in the order of 400 degrees f . incidentally , with lower input temperatures to the turbine , in the order of 600 to 700 degrees f ., the turbine rotor speed would be in the order of 2500 to 3000 rpm . although the design parameters for the compressor and combustion chamber may vary substantially , it is contemplated that the combustion chamber could have an outer diameter of eight inches or less , and that the dual compressor could have a diameter of ten inches or less , and a thickness of about four inches . incidentally , if conventional design methods for the turbine were employed to operate on the output from the combustion chamber , one design would yield a turbine with two disks or rotors ( two stages ), with each having an o . d . of about 3 . 5 to 4 . 0 inches , with operative blade heights of about one - quarter inch or less , and operating at a speed of about 70 to 80 thousand r . p . m . ; or alternatively , a design with eighteen stages , each using a separate rotor , but involving partial admission turbine arrangements . in both alternatives , the losses would have been very high . of course , the arrangements of the present invention avoid these losses and inefficiencies , as well as permitting operation at lower temperatures and speeds all as discussed hereinabove , through the use of the transverse flow principles and using only two or three disks . in conclusion , it is understood that the invention is not limited to that precisely as illustrated and described hereinabove . instead of the specific compressor and vaporization arrangements disclosed herein , other arrangements could be provided in which heat transfer between compressed and vaporized fuel , and compressed and vaporized water are provided . similarly , other arrangements could be employed for initially burning the fuel in isolation from the compressed air and superheated water vapor and subsequently combining them ; and alternative multistage turbine arrangements could be employed . also a series of disks may be mounted on the turbine shaft , instead of using a single disk . turbine vanes can be attached to the disks by the fir - tree type of attachment by welding , by forming the vanes integral with the disk , or they may be assembled by any other suitable method to suit the design . accordingly , the invention is clearly not limited to that precisely as disclosed herein . | 5 |
as noted above , this invention provides compounds of formula i which interact with dopamine subtypes . preferred compounds of formula i are those where r 1 and r 2 are hydrogen . more preferred compounds of formula i are those wherein r 1 and r 2 are hydrogen and ar is not unsubstituted phenyl , i . e ., phenyl substituted with at least one non - hydrogen substituent . particularly preferred compounds of formula i are those where ar is phenyl or naphthyl , each of which is optionally substituted with up to three of the groups listed above . in these particularly preferred compounds , when ar is phenyl and r 1 and r 2 are hydrogen , r 3 , r 4 , and r 6 may not all be hydrogen simultaneously . other preferred compounds of formula i are those where r 7 , r 8 , r 9 , and r 10 are hydrogen or c 1 - c 2 alkyl . in preferred compounds , when ar is phenyl and two or three of r 3 , r 4 , and r 6 are methoxy or ethoxy , no two methoxy groups may be methoxy groups positioned ortho to each other ; more preferably no methoxy group may be positioned ortho to another methoxy group or to an ethoxy group . even more preferably , when ar is phenyl and two or three of r 3 , r 4 , and r 6 are methoxy or ethoxy , no methoxy or ethoxy group may be in an ortho position on the phenyl ring with respect to another methoxy or ethoxy group . highly preferred compounds of the invention include those where one and only one of r 3 , r 4 , and r 6 is c 1 - c 6 alkoxy when ar is phenyl . more preferred compounds of formula i are those where ar is r 1 and r 2 are the same or different and represent hydrogen , halogen , c 1 - c 6 alkyl , c 1 - c 6 alkoxy , c 1 - c 6 alkylthio , hydroxy , amino , mono - or di ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkylamino , cyano or trifluoromethyl ; r 3 and r 4 are the same or different and represent hydrogen , halogen , hydroxy , c 1 - c 6 alkyl , trifluoromethyl , trifluoromethoxy , or so 2 nh 2 , provided that not both r 3 and r 4 are hydrogen simultaneously ; and r 5 represents hydrogen or c 1 - c 6 alkyl . preferred compounds of formula ii include those where r 5 is hydrogen . other preferred compounds of formula ii include those where r 5 is hydrogen , and r 3 is halogen or c 1 - c 6 alkyl . more preferred compounds of formula ii are where r 4 is halogen , r 5 is hydrogen , and r 3 is halogen or c 1 - c 6 alkyl . particularly preferred compounds of formula ii are those where r 1 and r 2 are hydrogen , r 4 is halogen , r 5 is hydrogen , and r 3 is halogen or c 1 - c 6 alkyl . a highly preferred group of compounds are those where r 4 is halogen in the meta position of the phenyl ring , r 5 is hydrogen , and r 3 is halogen or c 1 - c 6 alkyl . highly preferred compounds of formula ii are those where the phenyl carrying r 3 and r 4 is selected from : r 1 and r 2 are the same or different and represent hydrogen , halogen , c 1 - c 6 alkyl , c 1 - c 6 alkoxy , c 1 - c 6 alkylthio , hydroxy , amino , mono - or di ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkylamino , cyano or trifluoromethyl ; r 6 represents hydrogen , halogen , hydroxy , c 1 - c 6 alkyl , trifluoromethyl , trifluoromethoxy , or so 2 nh 2 ; and r 5 represents hydrogen or c 1 - c 6 alkyl . preferred compounds of formula iii include those where r 5 is hydrogen . other preferred compounds of formula iii include those where r 5 is hydrogen , and r 6 is hydrogen , halogen or c 1 - c 6 alkyl . more preferred compounds of formula iii are where r 6 is hydrogen . particularly preferred compounds of formula iii are those where r 1 , r 2 , and r 5 are hydrogen . the invention also provides intermediates useful in preparing compounds of formula i . these intermediates have formulae iv and v . where r 1 and r 2 are defined as above for formula i ; and z is a leaving group , such as halogen . preferred compounds of formula iv are where r 1 and r 2 are hydrogen , methyl or ethyl ; and z is chloro . where r 1 , r 2 , and r 7 - r 10 are defined as above for formula i . preferred compounds of formula v are where r 1 and r 2 are hydrogen . particularly preferred compounds of formula v are those where r 1 , r 2 , and r 7 - r 10 are hydrogen , methyl , or ethyl . in certain situations , the compounds of formula i may contain one or more asymmetric carbon atoms , so that the compounds can exist in different stereoisomeric forms . these compounds can be , for example , racemates or optically active forms . in these situations , the single enantiomers , i . e ., optically active forms , can be obtained by asymmetric synthesis or by resolution of the racemates . resolution of the racemates can be accomplished , for example , by conventional methods such as crystallization in the presence of a resolving agent , or chromatography , using , for example a chiral hplc column . representative compounds of the present invention , which are encompassed by formula i , include , but are not limited to the compounds in table i and their pharmaceutically acceptable acid addition salts . in addition , if the compound of the invention is obtained as an acid addition salt , the free base can be obtained by basifying a solution of the acid salt . conversely , if the product is a free base , an addition salt , particularly a pharmaceutically acceptable addition salt , may be produced by dissolving the free base in a suitable organic solvent and treating the solution with an acid , in accordance with conventional procedures for preparing acid addition salts from base compounds . non - toxic pharmaceutical salts include salts of acids such as hydrochloric , phosphoric , hydrobromic , sulfuric , sulfinic , formic , toluenesulfonic , methanesulfonic , nitric , benzoic , citric , tartaric , maleic , hydroiodic , alkanoic such as acetic , hooc —( ch 2 ) n — cooh where n is 0 - 4 , and the like . those skilled in the art will recognize a wide variety of non - toxic pharmaceutically acceptable addition salts . the present invention also encompasses the acylated prodrugs of the compounds of formula i . those skilled in the art will recognize various synthetic methodologies which may be employed to prepare non - toxic pharmaceutically acceptable addition salts and acylated prodrugs of the compounds encompassed by formula i . where a compound exists in various tautomeric forms , the invention is not limited to any one of the specific tautomers . the invention includes all tautomeric forms of a compound . by “ c 1 - c 6 alkyl ” or “ lower alkyl ” in the present invention is meant straight or branched chain alkyl groups having 1 - 6 carbon atoms , such as , for example , methyl , ethyl , propyl , isopropyl , n - butyl , sec - butyl , tert - butyl , pentyl , 2 - pentyl , isopentyl , neopentyl , hexyl , 2 - hexyl , 3 - hexyl , and 3 - methylpentyl . preferred c 1 - c 6 alkyl groups are methyl , ethyl , propyl , butyl , cyclopropyl and cyclopropylmethyl . by “ c 1 - c 6 alkoxy ” or “ lower alkoxy ” in the present invention is meant straight or branched chain alkoxy groups having 1 - 6 carbon atoms , such as , for example , methoxy , ethoxy , propoxy , isopropoxy , n - butoxy , sec - butoxy , tert - butoxy , pentoxy , 2 - pentyl , isopentoxy , neopentoxy , hexoxy , 2 - hexoxy , 3 - hexoxy , and 3 - methylpentoxy . by the term “ halogen ” in the present invention is meant fluorine , bromine , chlorine , and iodine . by aryl or “ ar ” is meant an aromatic carbocyclic group having a single ring ( e . g ., phenyl ), multiple rings ( e . g ., biphenyl ), or multiple condensed rings in which at least one is aromatic , ( e . g ., 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 - tetrahydronaphthyl , naphthyl , anthryl , or phenanthryl ), which is optionally mono -, di -, or trisubstituted with , e . g ., halogen , lower alkyl , lower alkoxy , lower alkylthio , trifluoromethyl , lower acyloxy , aryl , heteroaryl , and hydroxy . preferred ar groups are phenyl and 2 - naphthyl . by aryl or “ ar ” is also meant heteroaryl groups where heteroaryl is defined as 5 , 6 , or 7 membered aromatic ring systems having at least one hetero atom selected from the group consisting of nitrogen , oxygen and sulfur . examples of heteroaryl groups are pyridyl , pyrimidinyl , pyrrolyl , pyrazolyl , pyrazinyl , pyridazinyl , oxazolyl , furanyl , quinolinyl , isoquinolinyl , thiazolyl , and thienyl , which can optionally be substituted with , e . g ., halogen , lower alkyl , lower alkoxy , lower alkylthio , trifluoromethyl , lower acyloxy , aryl , heteroaryl , and hydroxy . as noted above , r 3 and r 4 may be connected together to form another ring with the atoms to which they are attached on the parent aryl or heteroaryl group . thus , r 3 and r 4 may represent an alkylene , alkenylene , alkyleneoxy , alkylenedioxy , alkyleneazo , or alkylenediazo chain that together with the atoms to which they are attached form a ring having 5 - 7 atoms . for example , ar may be an optionally substituted naphthyl group or a bicyclic oxygen - containing group of the formula wherein the heterocyclic oxygen containing ring has a total of from 5 to 7 ring members , the heterocyclic ring being saturated or unsaturated , and optionally substituted . as an additional example , ar may be a bicyclic nitrogen - containing group of the formula wherein e is methylene or nitrogen and the heterocyclic oxygen containing ring has a total of from 5 to 7 ring members , the heterocyclic ring being saturated or unsaturated , and optionally substituted . representative 1 -( benzothiazol - 2 - yl )- 4 -( 1 - phenylmethyl ) piperazines of the present invention are shown in table 1 . the number below each compound is its compound number . the invention also pertains to the use of compounds of general formula i in the treatment of neuropsychological disorders . the selective interaction of compounds of the invention with dopamine receptors results in the pharmacological activity of these compounds . the compounds of general formula i may be administered orally , topically , parenterally , by inhalation or spray or rectally in dosage unit formulations containing conventional non - toxic pharmaceutically acceptable carriers , adjuvants and vehicles . the term parenteral as used herein includes subcutaneous injections , intravenous , intramuscular , intrasternal injection or infusion techniques . in addition , there is provided a pharmaceutical formulation comprising a compound of general formula i and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier . one or more compounds of general formula i may be present in association with one or more non - toxic pharmaceutically acceptable carriers and / or diluents and / or adjuvants and if desired other active ingredients . the pharmaceutical compositions containing compounds of general formula i may be in a form suitable for oral use , for example , as tablets , troches , lozenges , aqueous or oily suspensions , dispersible powders or granules , emulsion , hard or soft capsules , or syrups or elixirs . compositions intended for oral use may be prepared according to any method known to the art for the manufacture of pharmaceutical compositions and such compositions may contain one or more agents selected from the group consisting of sweetening agents , flavoring agents , coloring agents and preserving agents in order to provide pharmaceutically elegant and palatable preparations . tablets contain the active ingredient in admixture with non - toxic pharmaceutically acceptable excipients which are suitable for the manufacture of tablets . these excipients may be for example , inert diluents , such as calcium carbonate , sodium carbonate , lactose , calcium phosphate or sodium phosphate ; granulating and disintegrating agents , for example , corn starch , or alginic acid ; binding agents , for example starch , gelatin or acacia , and lubricating agents , for example magnesium stearate , stearic acid or talc . the tablets may be uncoated or they may be coated by known techniques to delay disintegration and absorption in the gastrointestinal tract and thereby provide a sustained action over a longer period . for example , a time delay material such as glyceryl monosterate or glyceryl distearate may be employed . formulations for oral use may also be presented as hard gelatin capsules wherein the active ingredient is mixed with an inert solid diluent , for example , calcium carbonate , calcium phosphate or kaolin , or as soft gelatin capsules wherein the active ingredient is mixed with water or an oil medium , for example peanut oil , liquid paraffin or olive oil . aqueous suspensions contain the active materials in admixture with excipients suitable for the manufacture of aqueous suspensions . such excipients are suspending agents , for example sodium carboxymethylcellulose , methylcellulose , hydropropylmethylcellulose , sodium alginate , polyvinylpyrrolidone , gum tragacanth and gum acacia ; dispersing or wetting agents may be a naturally - occurring phosphatide , for example , lecithin , or condensation products of an alkylene oxide with fatty acids , for example polyoxyethylene stearate , or condensation products of ethylene oxide with long chain aliphatic alcohols , for example heptadecaethyleneoxycetanol , or condensation products of ethylene oxide with partial esters derived from fatty acids and a hexitol such as polyoxyethylene sorbitol monooleate , or condensation products of ethylene oxide with partial esters derived from fatty acids and hexitol anhydrides , for example polyethylene sorbitan monooleate . the aqueous suspensions may also contain one or more preservatives , for example ethyl , or n - propyl p - hydroxybenzoate , one or more coloring agents , one or more flavoring agents , and one or more sweetening agents , such as sucrose or saccharin . oily suspensions may be formulated by suspending the active ingredients in a vegetable oil , for example arachis oil , olive oil , sesame oil or coconut oil , or in a mineral oil such as liquid paraffin . the oily suspensions may contain a thickening agent , for example beeswax , hard paraffin or cetyl alcohol . sweetening agents such as those set forth above , and flavoring agents may be added to provide palatable oral preparations . these compositions may be preserved by the addition of an anti - oxidant such as ascorbic acid . dispersible powders and granules suitable for preparation of an aqueous suspension by the addition of water provide the active ingredient in admixture with a dispersing or wetting agent , suspending agent and one or more preservatives . suitable dispersing or wetting agents and suspending agents are exemplified by those already mentioned above . additional excipients , for example sweetening , flavoring and coloring agents , may also be present . pharmaceutical compositions of the invention may also be in the form of oil - in - water emulsions . the oily phase may be a vegetable oil , for example olive oil or arachis oil , or a mineral oil , for example liquid paraffin or mixtures of these . suitable emulsifying agents may be naturally - occurring gums , for example gum acacia or gum tragacanth , naturally - occurring phosphatides , for example soy bean , lecithin , and esters or partial esters derived from fatty acids and hexitol , anhydrides , for example sorbitan monoleate , and condensation products of the said partial esters with ethylene oxide , for example polyoxyethylene sorbitan monoleate . the emulsions may also contain sweetening and flavoring agents . syrups and elixirs may be formulated with sweetening agents , for example glycerol , propylene glycol , sorbitol or sucrose . such formulations may also contain a demulcent , a preservative and flavoring and coloring agents . the pharmaceutical compositions may be in the form of a sterile injectable aqueous or oleaginous suspension . this suspension may be formulated according to the known art using those suitable dispersing or wetting agents and suspending agents which have been mentioned above . the sterile injectable preparation may also be sterile injectable solution or suspension in a non - toxic parentally acceptable diluent or solvent , for example as a solution in 1 , 3 - butanediol . among the acceptable vehicles and solvents that may be employed are water , ringer &# 39 ; s solution and isotonic sodium chloride solution . in addition , sterile , fixed oils are conventionally employed as a solvent or suspending medium . for this purpose any bland fixed oil may be employed including synthetic mono - or diglycerides . in addition , fatty acids such as oleic acid find use in the preparation of injectables . the compounds of general formula i may also be administered in the form of suppositories for rectal administration of the drug . these compositions can be prepared by mixing the drug with a suitable non - irritating excipient which is solid at ordinary temperatures but liquid at the rectal temperature and will therefore melt in the rectum to release the drug . such materials are cocoa butter and polyethylene glycols . compounds of general formula i may be administered parenterally in a sterile medium . the drug , depending on the vehicle and concentration used , can either be suspended or dissolved in the vehicle . advantageously , adjuvants such as local anesthetics , preservatives and buffering agents can be dissolved in the vehicle . dosage levels of the order of from about 0 . 1 mg to about 140 mg per kilogram of body weight per day are useful in the treatment of the above - indicated conditions ( about 0 . 5 mg to about 7 g per patient per day ). the amount of active ingredient that may be combined with the carrier materials to produce a single dosage form will vary depending upon the host treated and the particular mode of administration . dosage unit forms will generally contain between from about 1 mg to about 500 mg of an active ingredient . it will be understood , however , that the specific dose level for any particular patient will depend upon a variety of factors including the activity of the specific compound employed , the age , body weight , general health , sex , diet , time of administration , route of administration , and rate of excretion , drug combination and the severity of the particular disease undergoing therapy . a representative synthesis of the 1 -( benzothiazol - 2 - yl )- 4 -( 1 - phenylmethyl )- piperazines of the invention is presented in scheme i . wherein ar , r 1 , r 2 , r 7 , r 8 , r 9 , and r 10 are as defined above for formula 1 . as shown in scheme i , a 2 - chlorobenzothiazole iv may be condensed with an appropriately substituted piperazine to provide a 1 -( benzothiaol - 2 - yl ) piperazine v . piperazine v may then be reductively alkylated with an arylaldehyde vi using , for example , sodium cyanoborohydride to provide a 1 -( benzothiaol - 2 - yl )- 4 -( 1 - phenylmethyl ) piperazine of formula i . alternatively , compounds of formula i may be prepared according to the scheme ii . wherein ar , r 1 , r 2 , r 7 , r 8 , r 9 , and r 10 are as defined above for formula 1 , and x represents a leaving group , e . g ., a halide . as illustrated in scheme ii , a 1 -( benzothiaol - 2 - yl ) piperazine v may be alkylated using an appropriate arylmethyl compound vii where x is a halide , sulphonate ester or the like to provide a 1 -( benzothiaol - 2 - yl )- 4 -( 1 - phenylmethyl ) piperazine of formula 1 . in either of these approaches to the compounds of formula i , those having skill in the art will recognize that the starting materials may be varied and additional steps employed to produce compounds encompassed by the present invention . the disclosures of all articles and references mentioned in this application , including patents , are incorporated herein by reference . the preparation of the compounds of the present invention is illustrated further by the following examples which are not to be construed as limiting the invention in scope or spirit to the specific procedures and compounds described in them . the starting materials and various intermediates may be obtained from commercial sources , prepared from commercially available organic compounds , or prepared using well known synthetic methods . a solution of 2 - chlorobenzothiazole ( 5 g ) in 20 ml of toluene is added dropwise to a refluxing solution of piperazine ( 20 g ) in 150 ml of toluene . the solution is heated for an additional 24 hours , and after cooling at 0 ° c . for about 30 minutes , filtered . the filtrate is extracted with 10 % acetic acid and the aqueous extracts are washed with ether , basified and extracted with dichloromethane . the dichloromethane layer is washed with water , dried and concentrated . the concentrated material is placed under vacuum overnight ( 6 . 8 g , m . p . 63 - 64 ° c .). 1 h nmr ( cdcl 3 ) 7 . 62 ( d , j = 8 . 0 hz , 1h ), 7 . 55 ( d , j = 8 . 0 hz , 1h ), 7 . 29 ( td , j = 7 . 6 , 1 . 2 hz , 1h ), 7 . 07 ( t , j = 8 . 0 hz , 1h ), 3 . 61 ( t , j = 5 . 2 hz , 4h ), 3 . 00 ( t , j = 5 . 2 hz , 4h ). a solution of 1 -( benzothiazol - 2 - yl ) piperazine ( 220 mg , 1 . 0 mmol ) and 3 - chlorobenzaldehyde ( 150 mg ) in methanol ( 10 ml ) is made and the ph adjusted to about 4 using acetic acid . sodium cyanoborohydride ( 500 mg ) is then added and the reaction mixture stirred at room temperature overnight during which time a white precipitate forms . the precipitate , 1 -( benzothiazol - 2 - yl )- 4 -( 1 -[ 3 - chlorophenyl ]- methyl ) piperazine ( compound 5 ), is collected by vacuum filtration and washed with methanol . the hydrochloride salt , compound 5a , is obtained from an isopropanol solution ( 320 mg , 88 %, m . p . 238 - 241 ° c .). 1 h nmr ( dmso ) 7 . 82 ( d , j = 7 . 3 hz , 1h ), 7 . 76 ( s , 1h ), 7 . 58 ( d , j = 7 . 3 hz , 1h ), 7 . 51 ( m , 4h ), 7 . 31 ( td , j = 7 . 3 , 1 . 2 hz , 1h ), 7 . 12 ( t , j = 7 . 3 hz , 1h ), 4 . 38 ( s br , 2h ), 4 . 15 ( d br , j = 12 . 8 hz , 2h ), 3 . 66 ( t br , j = 12 . 2 hz , 2h ). 3 . 39 ( d br , j = 11 . 6 hz , 2h ), 3 . 20 ( s br , 2h ). a solution of 1 -( benzothiazol - 2 - yl ) piperazine ( 220 mg , 1 . 0 mmol ) and 4 - chlorobenzyl chloride ( 180 mg ) in acetonitrile ( 10 ml ) containing potassium carbonate ( 500 mg ) is strirred and heated at 60 ° c . for 4 h . after cooling , the reaction is partitioned between ether and water and the organic layer is extracted with 1 n hcl . the combined acid extracts are basified and extracted with chloroform . the organic layer is dried and concentrated to provide the product as a white solid ( compound 1 , 300 mg , 87 %). the oxalate salt , compound 1a , is obtained from an isopropanol solution ( m . p . 216 - 218 ° c .). 1 h nmr ( dmso ) 7 . 75 ( d , j = 7 . 3 hz , 1h ), 7 . 40 ( m , 5h ), 7 . 29 ( t , j = 7 . 6 hz , 1h ), 7 . 06 ( t , j = 7 . 2 hz , 1h ), 3 . 65 ( s br , 2h ), 3 . 36 ( s br , 4h ), 2 . 60 ( s br , 4h ). the following compounds are prepared essentially according to the methods set forth above in examples 1 and 2 : the utility of compounds of this invention is indicated by the assays for dopamine receptor subtype affinity described below . pellets of cos cells containing recombinantly produced d 2 or d 4 receptors from african green monkey were used for the assays . the sample is homogenized in 100 volumes ( w / vol ) of 0 . 05 m tris hcl buffer at 4 ° c . and ph 7 . 4 . the sample is then centrifuged at 30 , 000 × g and resuspended and rehomogenized . the sample is then centrifuged as described and the final tissue sample is frozen until use . the tissue is resuspended 1 : 20 ( wt / vol ) in 0 . 05 m tris hcl buffer containing 100 mm nacl . incubations are carried out at 48 ° c . and contain 0 . 4 ml of tissue sample , 0 . 5 nm 3 h - ym 09151 - 2 ( nemonapride , cis - 5 - chloro - 2 - methoxy - 4 -( methylamino )- n -( 2 - methyl - 2 -( phenylmethyl )- 3 - pyrroli - dinyl ) benzamide ) and the compound of interest in a total incubation of 1 . 0 ml . nonspecific binding is defined as that binding found in the presence of 1 mm spiperone ; without further additions , nonspecific binding is less than 20 % of total binding . binding characteristics for representative compounds of the invention for the d 2 and d 4 receptor subtypes are shown in table 2 . the above data are representative of the k i values for compounds of the invention ; all compounds of the invention are active in the above assay . further , compounds of the invention generally possess a ki value for the dopamine d 4 receptor subtype of below about 100 nm . the binding constants of compounds of formula i for the d 4 receptor , expressed in nm , generally range from about 5 nanomolar ( nm ) to about 100 nanomolar ( nm ). these compounds typically have binding constants for the d 2 receptor of from about 500 nm to at least 4000 nm . thus , the compounds of the invention are generally at least about 5 time more selective for the d 4 receptor than the d 2 receptor . preferably , these compounds are at least 10 , and more preferably at least 20 - 50 , times more selective for the d 4 receptor than the d 2 receptor . most preferably , these compounds are at least 100 times more selective for the d 4 receptor than the d 2 receptor . the invention and the manner and process of making and using it , are now described in such full , clear , concise and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains , to make and use the same . it is to be understood that the foregoing describes preferred embodiments of the present invention and that modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention as set forth in the claims . to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter regarded as invention , the following claims conclude this specification . | 2 |
the starches which are suitable for the starch granule of the present invention can be made from raw starch or a modified starch derived from tubers , legumes , cereal and grains , for example corn starch , wheat starch , rice starch , waxy corn starch , oat starch , cassaya starch , waxy barley , waxy rice starch , sweet rice starch , amoica , potato starch , tapioca starch , oat starch , cassaya starch , and mixtures thereof . modified starches suitable for use include , hydrolyzed starch , acid thinned starch , starch esters of long chain hydrocarbons , starch acetates , starch octenyl succinate , and mixtures thereof . the term “ hydrolyzed starch ” refers to oligosaccharide - type materials such as cornstarch , maltodextrins and corn syrup solids . the organic compound used for inhibiting migration of the oil to the granule surface is preferably an amidoamine having the following formula : wherein r 1 ═ c 12 to c 30 alkyl or alkenyl , r 2 ═ riconh ( ch 2 ) m , r 3 ═( ch 2 ch 2 o ) p h , ch 3 or h , n = 1 to 5 , m = 1 to 5 , and p 1 to 10 . r 1 ═ c 16 to c 22 alkyl , n = 1 to 3 , m = 1 to 3 , and p = 1 . 5 to 3 . 5 . in the above formulas , r 1 and r 2 are each , independently , long chain alkyl or alkenyl groups having from 12 to 30 carbon atoms , preferably from 16 to 22 carbon atoms , such as , for example , dodecyl , dodecenyl , octadecyl , octadecenyl . typically , r 1 and r 2 will be derived from natural oils containing fatty acids or fatty acid mixtures , such as coconut oil , palm oil , tallow , rape oil and fish oil . chemically synthesized fatty acids are also usable . the saturated fatty acids or fatty acid mixtures , and especially hydrogenated tallow ( h - tallow ) acid ( also referred to as hard tallow ), are preferred . generally and preferably r 1 and r 2 are derived from the same fatty acid or fatty acid mixture . r 3 represents ( ch 2 ch 2 o ) p h , ch 3 or h , or mixtures thereof may also be present . when r 3 represents the preferred ( ch 2 ch 2 o ) p h group , p is a positive number representing the average degree of ethoxylation , and is preferably from 1 to 10 , especially 1 . 5 to 6 , and most preferably from about 2 to 4 , such as 2 . 5 , n and m are each integers of from 1 to 5 , preferably 2 to 4 , especially 2 . the compounds of formula ( i ) in which r 3 represents the preferred ( ch 2 ch 2 o ) p h group are broadly referred to herein as ethoxylated amidoamines , and the term “ hydroxyethyl ” is also used to describe the ( ch 2 ch 2 o ) p h group . the laundry detergent compositions of the invention may contain one or a mixture of surfactants from the group consisting of anionic and nonionic surfactants . any suitable nonionic detergent compound may be used as a surfactant in the present laundry detergent compositions , with many members thereof being described in the various annual issues of detergents and emulsifiers , by john w . mccutcheon . such volumes give chemical formulas and trade names for commercial nonionic detergents marketed in the united states , and substantially all of such detergents can be employed in the present compositions . however , it is highly preferred that such nonionic detergent be a condensation product of ethylene oxide and higher fatty alcohol ( although instead of the higher fatty alcohol , higher fatty acids and alkyl [ octyl , nonyl and isooctyl ] phenols may also be employed ). the higher fatty moieties , such as the alkyls , of such alcohols and resulting condensation products , will normally be linear , of 10 to 18 carbon atoms , preferably of 10 to 16 carbon atoms , more preferably of 12 to 15 carbon atoms and sometimes most preferably of 12 to 14 carbon atoms . because such fatty alcohols are normally available commercially only as mixtures , the numbers of carbon atoms given are necessarily averages but in some instances the ranges of numbers of carbon atoms may be actual limits for the alcohols employed and for the corresponding alkyls . the ethylene oxide ( eto ) contents of the nonionic detergents will normally be in the range of 3 to 15 moles of eto per mole of higher fatty alcohol , although as much as 20 moles of eto may be present . preferably such eto content will be 3 to 10 moles and more preferably it will be 6 to 7 moles , e . g ., 6 . 5 or 7 moles per mole of higher fatty alcohol ( and per mole of nonionic detergent ). as with the higher fatty alcohol , the polyethoxylate limits given are also limits on the averages of the numbers of eto groups present in the condensation product . examples of suitable nonionic detergents include those sold by shell chemical company under the trademark neodol ®, including neodol 25 - 7 , neodol 23 - 6 . 5 and neodol 25 - 3 . other useful nonionic detergent compounds include the alkylpolyglycoside and alkylpolysaccharide surfactants , which are well known and extensively described in the art . the detergent composition may contain a linear alkyl benzene sulfonate anionic surfactant wherein the alkyl radical contains from about 10 to 16 carbon atoms in a straight or branched chain and preferably 12 to 15 carbon atoms . examples of suitable synthetic anionic surfactants are sodium and potassium alkyl ( c 4 - c 20 ) benzene sulfonates , particularly sodium linear secondary alkyl ( c 10 - c 15 ) benzene sulfonates . other suitable anionic detergents which are optionally included in the present liquid detergent compositions are the sulfated ethoxylated higher fatty alcohols of the formula ro ( c 2 h 4 o ) m so 3 m , wherein r is a fatty alkyl of from 10 to 18 carbon atoms , m is from 2 to 6 ( preferably having a value from about ⅕ to ½ the number of carbon atoms in r ) and m is a solubilizing salt - forming cation , such as an alkali metal , ammonium , or a higher alkyl benzene sulfonate wherein the higher alkyl is of 10 to 15 carbon atoms . the proportion of ethylene oxide in the polyethoxylated higher alkanol sulfate is generally from 1 to 11 ethylene oxide groups and preferably 2 to 5 moles of ethylene oxide groups per mole of anionic detergent , with three moles being most preferred , especially when the higher alkanol is of 11 to 15 carbon atoms . the most highly preferred water - soluble anionic detergent compounds are the ammonium and substituted ammonium ( such as mono , di and tri ethanolamine ), alkali metal ( such as , sodium and potassium ) and alkaline earth metal ( such as , calcium and magnesium ) salts of the higher alkyl benzene sulfonates , and higher alkyl sulfates . builder materials are essential components of the liquid detergent compositions of the present invention . in particular , from about 2 % to about 15 % of an alkali metal carbonate , such as sodium carbonate , and preferably from about 3 % to about 10 %, by weight . a phosphate builder , and in particular an alkali metal ( sodium ) polyphosphate in an amount of from about 5 % to about 30 %, by weight , is an integral component of the present liquid detergent compositions . the amount of such polyphosphate builder is preferably from about 8 % to about 20 %. examples of suitable phosphorous - containing inorganic detergency builders include the water - soluble salts , especially alkali metalpyrophosphates , orthophosphates , and polyphosphates . specific examples of inorganic phosphate builders include sodium and potasium tripolyphosphates , phosphates and hexametaphosphates . zeolite a - type aluminosilicate builder , usually hydrated , may optionally be included in the compositions of the invention . hydrated zeolites x and y may be useful too , as may be naturally occurring zeolites that can act as detergent builders . of the various zeolite a products , zeolite 4a , a type of zeolite molecule wherein the pore size is about 4 angstroms , is often preferred . this type of zeolite is well known in the art and methods for its manufacture are described in the art such as in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 114 , 603 . ( na 2 o ) x . ( al 2 o 3 ) y . ( sio 2 ) z . w h 2 o wherein x is 1 , y is from 0 . 8 to 1 . 2 , preferably about 1 , z is from 1 . 5 to 3 . 5 , preferably 2 or 3 or about 2 , and w is from 0 to 9 , preferably 2 . 5 to 6 . the crystalline types of zeolite which may be employed herein include those described in “ zeolite molecular series ” by donald breck , published in 1974 by john wiley & amp ; sons , typical commercially available zeolites being listed in table 9 . 6 at pages 747 - 749 of the text , such table being incorporated herein by reference . the zeolite builder should be a univalent cation exchanging zeolite , i . e ., it should be aluminosilicate of a univalent cation such as sodium , potassium , lithium ( when practicable ) or other alkali metal , or ammonium . a zeolite having an alkali metal cation , especially sodium , is most preferred , as is indicated in the formula shown above . the zeolites employed may be characterized as having a high exchange capacity for calcium ion , which is normally from about 200 to 400 or more milligram equivalents of calcium carbonate hardness per gram of the aluminosilicate , preferably 250 to 350 mg . eg ./ g ., on an anhydrous zeolite basis . a preferred amount of zeolite is from about 8 % to about 20 % other components may be present in the detergent compositions to improve the properties and in some cases , to act as diluents or fillers . illustrative of suitable adjuvants are enzymes to further promote cleaning of certain hard to remove stains from laundry or hard surfaces . among enzymes , the proteolytic and amylolytic enzymes are most useful . other useful adjuvants are foaming agents , such as lauric myristic diethanolamide , when foam is desired , and anti - foams , when desired , such as dimethyl silicone fluids . also useful are polymers , anti - redeposition agents , bleaches , fluorescent brighteners , such as stilbene brighteners , colorants such as dyes and pigments and perfume . solid phase microextraction ( spme ; almirall , j . r . ; furton , k . g . in solid phase microextraction ; a practical guide ; scheppers - wercinski , s ., ed ; marcel dekker ; new york , 1999 , pp . 203 - 216 ) is a solventless extraction technique through which analytes are extracted from a matrix ( such as fabric ) into a polymer or other phase , coated on a fused silica fiber . the spme is coupled with gas chromatography ( gc ) for desorption and analyses of the analytes . 1 . gas chromatograph with ion trap mass spec detection and spme 0 . 75 mm id inlet liner . 3 . spme fiber : 100 micro meter polydimethlysiloxane ( supelco 57300 - u ( manual ) or 57301 ( automated )). 4 . 10 ml head space vials with crimp top and septa varian mla201000 and mla200051ml 1 . using clean dry scissors , cut ( 3 ) 1 gram swatches ( 2 g for malodor ) from the terry cotton towel to be analyzed . 2 . using a glass rod insert each swatch into a 10 ml head space vial , being careful to insert far enough to not damage spme fiber . 3 . cap vials and allow to equilibrate at room temperature for at least 24 hours . 4 . equilibrate vials at 50 ° c . for at least 30 minutes in autosampler . 5 . insert fiber and expose for 25 minutes at 50 ° c . 6 . inject into gas chromatograph and desorb for 30 minutes at 250 ° c . injector temperature : 250 ° c . column flow : 1 ml / min column oven : temp (° c .) rate ( c / min ) hold ( min ) 50 0 5 200 5 5 220 5 1 total run time : 45 minutes for all sample evaluations 24 new hand terry towels ( 86 % cotton , 14 % polyester ) were prepared in a 17 gallon top loading washing machine set for hot wash ( 120 ° f . ), with extra large setting , in tap water . two wash cycles with 100 g fragrance free mexican viva 2 powder detergent , one wash with water only , extra rinse switch was on , was used for all washes . after all three wash cycles were over , the towels were dryer dried in an electric clothes dryer , and laid flat for storage . all fabric ballast used for the tests was processed the same way as towels between each use . the starch / aa . granules were prepared employing capsul starch ( commercial product from national starch ). capsul is a dextrinized waxy maize starch octenyl succinate . the dextrinization process to degrade the starch is what differentiates the capsul starch from other types of starches following procedure was used to prepare starch / aa granules : pre - blend 33 % capsul starch in water , at least a day ahead of time using a greerco model no . il mixer . allow the air to settle out . take the required amount from this and add fragrance oil and melted amidoamine mixture and homogenize using a silverson model l4r mixer . pour this mixture into the armfield ft80 tall form spray dryer and spray dry at 190 ° c . with 0 . 5 to 1 . 0 bar atomizing pressure . the composition of starch granules ( amounts shown are the weight percentages ) is as follows ( table 2 ) used to prepare compositions shown in table 4 : a study indicates that the hydrophobic additive aa significantly reduces the amount of perfume ( dinasty fragrance ) at the surface of the dried starch capsules from 1 . 24 % ( no aa ) to 0 . 02 % ( table 3 ). in contrast to aa , another study reveals that a hydrophobically modified silica ( aerosil r974 ; preferred additive of prior art , patent application wo 01 / 05926 ) does not reduce the amount of surface oil to the same extent as does the amidoamine ( table 3 ). the aerosil reduces the amount of surface oil ( dinasty perfume ) at the starch granule from 0 . 85 % ( no aerosil ) to 0 . 77 % ( with aerosil ). surface oil was measured by extraction of the encapsulated particle with hexane at room temperature and atmospheric pressure , followed by gas chromatography . the hexane extracts only the fragrance oil on the surface of the particle , not the oil encapsulated within the particle . as shown in table 5 , the use of fragrance granules ( composition 2 , table 4 ) deposits significantly more fragrance onto the fabric surface as compared to a control ( composition 1 , table 4 ). | 2 |
as illustrated , by way of example with reference to fig1 one preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a saw device 10 which contains a langanite substrate 12 on the surface 14 of which an input interdigital transducer and an output interdigital transducer ( idt ) are placed . the surface 14 of the langanite substrate 12 is perpendicular to axis z &# 39 ;, electrodes 20 , 22 of idt &# 39 ; s 16 , 18 respectively , are perpendicular to axis x &# 39 ; and are parallel to axis y &# 39 ;. as illustrated with reference to fig2 axes x &# 39 ;, y &# 39 ; and z &# 39 ; are defined by euler angles with respect to crystal axes x , y and z of the langanite substrate 12 . for the preferred embodiment of the present invention , angle φ is in the range - 5 ° to 5 °; angle θ in the range of 130 ° to 150 °; and angle ω in the range of 15 ° to 35 °. the crystal cut of langanite with euler angles φ = 0 ± 5 °, θ = 140 °± 10 °, and ω = 25 °± 10 °, provide improved performance for saw devices . specifically , the crystal cut provides a near simultaneous optimization of three critical saw propagation parameters and a favorably value of a fourth parameter . this fourth parameter is the coupling constant k 2 , which varies between 0 . 25 % and 0 . 35 % as compared to 0 . 12 % for st - quartz crystal . the three saw propagation parameters are the pfa , γ and tcd , which , as earlier described , are the power flow angle , the diffraction coefficient , and the temperature coefficient of delay , respectively . pfa is also known as φ , the beam steering angle , and is the angle between the saw wave vector , which is normal to the tap electrodes , and the direction of the power flow , as illustrated again with reference to fig1 . ideally , the pfa would be zero . γ is a measure of the diffraction or beam spreading . normally , as a saw propagates on a substrate , the beam profile will change and broaden . this beam spread causes diffraction loss and distortion to the filter response . for isotropic materials , the value of γ is zero , and diffraction is a moderately serious problem . diffraction is minimized when γ =- 1 , and this is the case for yz li nb o 3 and a special mdc ( minimum diffraction cut ) of li ta o 3 . for st - quartz , γ =+ 0 . 38 , and diffraction is worse than the isotropic case . there is a range of angles within the designated range of this disclosure for which γ =- 1 , which is ideal . likewise there is a range of angles for which the tcd is zero . ( tcd is the relative change in delay per degree centigrade .) the desired parameter values are obtained for each parameter within the restricted range of angles of this disclosure ; but since the angles associated with the values form a locus of points in a two - dimensional angle space ( over θ and ω ), it is very difficult to find a point at which the three loci intersect . that means it is possible to achieve a desired performance in two of the three parameters and nearly ideal performances for all three parameters . therefore , within this range , the optimal choice of angles would still be dependent upon the application , and in fact are intermediate points that minimize the problem of all three parameters . this is the reason for the spread of angles disclosed herein . the euler angle convention used is as described by slobodnik et al . in &# 34 ; microwave acoustic handbook ,&# 34 ; vol . 1 , surface wave velocities , afcrl - 70 - 0164 , march 1970 , physical sciences research papers , no . 414 , office of aerospace research , usaf . consider a semiconductor wafer outline on a surface normal to the axis z &# 39 ;. now construct a flat plane along one edge of the wafer which is normal to the axis x &# 39 ;. the direction of saw propagation is parallel to axis x &# 39 ;. now assume that the crystal axes x , y , z are coincident with the wafer outline axes x &# 39 ;, y &# 39 ;, z &# 39 ;, respectively . with no rotation , the wafer is considered a z cut ( the wafer is cut with the polished surface normal to z ) and x propagating ( the saw propagates in a direction parallel to the x axis ). with any subsequent rotation , the wafer axes x &# 39 ;, y &# 39 ;, z &# 39 ; are rotated , and the crystal axes x , y , z are assumed to be fixed . now , by way of example , consider the euler angles ( φ , θ , ω )=( 0 °, 140 °, 25 °), which is a case near the middle of the designated range . the first rotation would rotate around z &# 39 ; ( x &# 39 ; toward y &# 39 ;) by φ . since φ = 0 °, there is no rotation for this case . the next rotation is around the &# 34 ; new &# 34 ; x &# 39 ; ( the &# 34 ; new &# 34 ; axes are always tied to the wafer so that any rotation is around a wafer axis that includes all previous rotations ) by θ ( which is 140 °) ( y &# 39 ; toward z &# 39 ; for a positive angle rotation ). finally , rotate around z &# 39 ; ( x &# 39 ; toward y &# 39 ;) by ω , which for the case herein described is 25 °. fig3 - 7 illustrate saw velocity , pfa φ , electro - mechanical coupling k s 2 , anisotropy parameter γ , and temperature coefficient versus euler angle ω for selected values , by way of example , of angle θ and for φ = 0 °. these same parameters are illustrated versus ω for θ = 1405 ° in fig8 - 12 for various values of φ . again with reference to fig1 and by way of example , one preferred embodiment of the present invention includes the saw device 10 containing the langanite substrate 12 , and idt &# 39 ; s 16 , 18 and reflecting electrodes 24 , 26 . as earlier described , the axis z &# 39 ; is normal to the substrate surface 14 , the axis x &# 39 ; is normal to electrodes 20 , 22 , and the y &# 39 ; axis is parallel to the electrodes 20 , 22 . these axes x &# 39 ;, y &# 39 ; and z &# 39 ; are defined with respect to crystal axes as follows : φ =- 5 ° to 5 °; θ = 130 ° to 150 °, ω = 15 ° to 35 °, where φ , θ , ω are the euler angles . with reference again to fig2 φ is the angle between crystal axis x and auxiliary axis x &# 34 ;, which is the axis of rotation of the plane xy ( up to required orientation of the substrate surface ). θ is the angle between axis z and the normal z &# 39 ; to the substrate surface 14 . ω is the angle between axis x &# 34 ; and axis x &# 39 ;, x &# 39 ; is perpendicular to electrodes of udt &# 39 ; s 20 , 22 . as a consequence , the temperature stability is improved as compared to the prior works completed on langanite . with reference again to fig3 - 7 and 8 - 12 , it is shown that in the present invention , the pfa , φ is less than 5 ° and the electromechanical coupling coefficient is more than 0 . 2 % with the maximum value 0 . 45 %. consequently for the orientations of the present invention , the electromechanical coupling coefficient k 2 is more than twice , and for some cases up to four times , that of earlier devices on st - quartz . there are several selections of orientations for which the pfa is substantially zero and the diffraction parameter γ is near the optimal value of - 1 . additionally , the tcd in this range of orientations is at or near zero . while specific embodiments of the invention have been described in detail herein above , it is to be understood that various modifications may be made from the specific details described herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims . having now described the invention , the construction , the operation and use of preferred embodiments thereof , and the advantageous new and useful results obtained thereby , the new and useful constructions , methods of use and reasonable mechanical equivalents thereof obvious to those skilled in the art , are set forth in the appended claims . | 7 |
the following illustrative embodiments are provided to illustrate the disclosure of the present invention , these and other advantages and effects can be apparently understood by those in the art after reading the disclosure of this specification . the present invention can also be performed or applied by other different embodiments . the details of the specification may be on the basis of different points and applications , and numerous modifications and variations can be devised without departing from the spirit of the present invention . please refer to fig1 , which is an application architecture diagram of an expandable exchange apparatus 1 according to the present invention . the expandable exchange apparatus 1 of the present invention is applicable to a network architecture 2 that consists of a plurality of terminal devices 301 ˜ 312 . in the present embodiment , the network architecture 2 is a local area network ( lan ) under ethernet architecture , which provides a plurality of terminal devices 301 ˜ 302 through the expandable exchange apparatus 1 of the present invention with the capability of interconnections and / or traffic transmission with terminal devices of far end . in the present embodiment , the traffic is in terms of the messages sent by the server or received from other server and / or far end terminal device , wherein , the terminal devices 301 ˜ 312 are , e . g . blade servers . the expandable exchange apparatus 1 comprises an exchanger 11 , a signal exchange unit 12 , and a connection unit 16 . the signal exchange unit 12 is , e . g . a processor chip of a 10 gb ethernet switch ( or switch hub ), which provides the terminal devices 301 ˜ 312 in the local area network with the capability of exchanging data with one another . the signal exchange unit 12 has twelve connection ports 122 , eleven of which ( terminal connection ports ) are connected with the terminal devices 301 ˜ 311 , and the remaining one of which ( network connection port ) serves as a connection port for an external connection . since the connection port 122 that is for the external connection is connecting with the exchanger 11 that is also connecting with the terminal device 312 , therefore , selectively the twelve terminal devices 301 ˜ 312 can become an internal network via the signal exchange unit 12 or become capable of connecting with an external network architecture 2 via the connection port 122 that is for the external connection . based on the current traffic through network connection ports 122 , the signal exchange unit 12 first judges the transmission demand of the terminal devices 301 ˜ 312 connected to the connection ports 122 and then executes the internal or external data transmission . in the present embodiment , the signal exchange unit 12 has twelve connection ports 122 , one of the twelve connection ports 122 serves as an external connection port 122 and connects with the exchanger 11 , and the exchanger 11 separately connects with terminal device 312 and connection unit 16 that is connecting with network architecture 2 , therefore , therefore , through the exchanger 11 that is connecting with the network architecture 2 , the signal exchange unit 12 provides the twelve terminal devices 301 ˜ 312 with the capability to use 10 gb ethernet to execute transmission ; therefore , the expandable exchange apparatus 1 according to the present invention provides the only eleven internal connection ports 122 with the capability of supplying twelve terminal devices 301 ˜ 312 to use 10 gb ethernet to execute transmission please refer to fig2 , which is an application architecture diagram of the backup system of the expandable exchange apparatus 1 according to the present invention . the backup system comprises a first exchange apparatus 3 and a second exchange apparatus 3 ′, and the first exchange apparatus 3 and the second exchange apparatus 3 ′ connect with each other via the network architecture 2 , the present embodiment provides a network exchange apparatus backup mechanism that prevents the internal or external network data transmission processing of the terminal devices from being affected by the breakdown of a single expandable exchange apparatus , in the present embodiment , in addition to the original elements in fig1 , additionally there are a second exchanger ( 331 , 331 ′) and a third exchanger ( 332 , 332 ′), and the connection pattern between the terminal devices 301 ˜ 312 with the first and the second exchange apparatuses ( 3 , 3 ′) is different from that in fig1 , otherwise the rest operational relation is the same as in fig1 , therefore there is no need of repeated description herein . each of the terminal devices 301 ˜ 312 has a main connection port 300 a and a corresponding backup connection port 300 b , as in the present embodiment , the connection ports ( 300 a , 300 b ) are the connection ports of 10 gb ethernet , and each of the terminal devices 302 ˜ 311 individually and directly connects at its own connection ports ( 300 a , 300 b ) to the connection ports ( 322 , 322 ′) of the first and the second exchange apparatuses ( 3 , 3 ′), only the terminal device 301 and terminal device 312 individually but indirectly connect at its own connection port ( 300 a , 300 b ) to the connection ports ( 322 , 322 ′) of the first and the second exchange apparatuses ( 3 , 3 ′), wherein , each of the terminal device 301 and terminal device 312 has its own notice signal line 300 c that notifies the first and the second exchange apparatuses ( 3 , 3 ′) whether it is connecting to the exchange apparatus or not , in other words , when the main connection port 300 a or backup connection port 300 b of the two terminal devices , terminal device 301 and the terminal device 312 , connects with the first exchange apparatus 3 or the second exchange apparatus 3 ′, the notice signal line 300 c of the terminal device 301 or the terminal device 312 sends a signal to the first exchange apparatus 3 or the second exchange apparatus 3 ′, and then the first exchange apparatus 3 or the second exchange apparatus 3 ′ gets to know whether it is connecting with the terminal device ( 301 or 312 ) or not , meanwhile , set the first exchange apparatus 3 or the second exchange apparatus 3 ′ as a main exchange apparatus or a backup exchange apparatus , as in the present embodiment , the main connection ports 300 a of both the terminal device 301 and the terminal device 312 are connecting with the first exchange apparatus 3 , the first exchange apparatus 3 serves as the main exchange apparatus ; and the backup connection ports 300 b of both the terminal device 301 and the terminal device 312 are connecting with the second exchange apparatus 3 ′, therefore , the second exchange apparatus 3 ′ serves as the backup exchange apparatus . generally , each of the terminal devices 301 ˜ 312 has only a main connection port 300 a that provides each of the terminal devices 301 ˜ 312 for connection purpose with the first exchange apparatus 3 , at the time that the first exchange apparatus 3 has a breakdown , the second exchange apparatus 3 ′ that is connecting with the backup connection ports 300 b takes charge of the tasks of the first exchange apparatus 3 and fulfills its backup purpose . wherein , it is by the means of the notice signal lines of both the terminal device 301 and the terminal device 312 to notify the first or the second exchange apparatus ( 3 or 3 ′) that is capable of normal operation to execute the switch tasks and then take over the jobs of the exchange apparatus that has a breakdown , as in the present embodiment , it is the notice signal line 300 c of the terminal device 312 that connects with the first exchangers ( 330 , 330 ′) to timely switch the tasks of the main and the backup exchange apparatuses ( 3 , 3 ′). furthermore , under the situation that the connection relation between the first exchangers ( 330 , 330 ′), the second exchangers ( 331 , 331 ′), and the third exchangers ( 332 , 332 ′) as well as the first and the second exchange apparatuses ( 3 , 3 ′) are at normal state , if the terminal device 312 is unset , namely , the terminal device 312 is not connecting with either the first exchange apparatus 3 or the second exchange apparatus 3 ′, the terminal device 301 can directly switch to the external network architecture 2 by using its own connection ports ( 300 a or 300 b ) via the second exchanger ( 331 , 331 ′) and the third exchanger ( 332 , 332 ′), it does not require the first exchanger ( 330 , 330 ′) to notify the third exchanger ( 332 , 332 ′) to execute the transmission path switch operation , therefore , the terminal device 301 can directly use the 10 gb ethernet via the second exchanger ( 331 , 331 ′) and the third exchanger ( 332 , 332 ′). the switch mode is that the second exchangers ( 331 , 331 ′) and the third exchangers ( 332 , 332 ′) execute the switching tasks based on the signals sent by the notice signal line 300 c of the terminal device 312 that is connecting with the first exchangers ( 330 , 330 ′). in the present embodiment , the first exchange apparatus 3 and the second exchange apparatus 3 ′ connect with each other via the network architecture 2 , and also connect with the terminal devices 301 ˜ 312 that each consists of a main and a backup connection ports ( 300 a , 300 b ), provide the terminal devices 301 ˜ 312 with the capability to switch to the normal operation exchange apparatus at the time that the first or the second exchange apparatus ( 3 or 3 ′) has a breakdown , thereby , reducing the interruption of connection between the terminal devices 301 ˜ 312 and the network architecture 2 caused by the breakdown of the first or the second exchange apparatus ( 3 or 3 ′). furthermore , in the present embodiment , the first and the second exchange apparatuses ( 3 , 3 ′) provide the plurality of the terminal devices with the application flexibility of external network connection , especially when applied in blade servers , it does not need to match with the current 10 gb ethernet exchanger that provides twelve connection ports and can allow only eleven of the twelve blade server units ( namely , the terminal devices ) of a blade server to use external network , therefore , the expandable exchange apparatus and its backup system according to the present invention increases , the products value of , e . g . blade server , and its external network connection transmission power . the foregoing descriptions of the detailed embodiments are only illustrated to disclose the features and functions of the present invention and not restrictive of the scope of the present invention . it should be understood to those in the art that all modifications and variations according to the spirit and principle in the disclosure of the present invention should fall within the scope of the appended claims . | 7 |
the term &# 34 ; pharmaceutically acceptable salts &# 34 ; shall mean non - toxic salts of the compounds of this invention which are generally prepared by reacting the free base with a suitable organic or inorganic acid . representative salts include the following salts : acetate , benzenesulfonate , benzoate , bicarbonate , bisulfate , bitartrate , borate , bromide , calcium edetate , camsylate , carbonate , chloride , clavulanate , citrate , dihydrochloride , edetate , edisylate , estolate , esylate , fumarate , gluceptate , gluconate , glutamate , glycollylarsanilate , hexylresorcinate , hydrabamine , hydrobromide , hydrochloride , hydroxynapthoate , iodide , isothionate , lactate , lactobionate , laurate , malate , maleate , mandelate , mesylate , methylbromide , methylnitrate , methylsulfate , mucate , napsylate , nitrate , oleate , oxalate , pamaote , palmitate , panthothenate , phosphate / diphosphate , polygalacturonate , salicylate , stearate , subacetate , succinate , tannate , tartrate , teoclate , tosylate , triethiodide , valerate . the term &# 34 ; pharmaceutically effective amount &# 34 ; means that amount of a drug or pharmaceutical agent that will elicit the biological or medical response of a tissue , system or animal that is being sought by a researcher or clinician . the term &# 34 ; anti - coagulant &# 34 ; includes heparin , and warfarin . the term &# 34 ; thrombolytic agent &# 34 ; includes streptokinase and tissue plasminogen activator . the term &# 34 ; platelet anti - aggregation agent &# 34 ; includes aspirin and dipyridamole . the term &# 34 ; aryl &# 34 ; means a mono - or polycyclic system composed of 5 - and 6 - membered aromatic rings containing 0 , 1 , 2 , 3 , or 4 heteroatoms chosen from n , o or s and either unsubstituted or substituted with r 4 or r 5 . the term &# 34 ; alkoxy &# 34 ; includes an alkyl portion where alkyl is as defined above . the terms &# 34 ; arylalkyl &# 34 ; and &# 34 ; alkylaryl &# 34 ; include an alkyl portion where - alkyl is as defined above and to include an aryl portion where aryl is as defined above . the c 0 - n or c 1 - n designation where n may be an integer from 1 - 10 or 2 - 10 respectively refers to the alkyl component of the arylalkyl or alkylaryl unit . the designation &# 34 ; aa &# 34 ; refers to members of the group of l -- or d -- amino acids represented by : alanine , arginine , asparagine , aspartic acid , cysteine , glutamic acid , glutamine , glycine , histidine , isoleucine , leucine , lysine , methionine , phenylalanine , proline , serine , threonine , tryptophan , tyrosine , valine . under standard nonmenclature used throughout this disclosure , the terminal portion of the designated side chain is described first followed by the adjacent functionallity toward the point of attachment . for example , a c 1 - 6 alkyl substituted with c 1 - 6 alkylcarbonylamino is equivalent to ## str11 ## in the schemes and examples below , various reagent symbols have the following meanings : ______________________________________boc ( boc ): t - butyloxycarbonyl . pd -- c : palladium on activated carbon catalyst . dmf : dimethylformamide . dmso : dimethylsulfoxide . cbz : carbobenzyloxy . ch . sub . 2 cl . sub . 2 : methylene chloride . chcl . sub . 3 : chloroform . etoh : ethanol . meoh : methanol . etoac : ethyl acetate . hoac : acetic acid . bop : benzotriazol - 1 - yloxytris ( dimethylamino )- phosphonium , hexafluorophosphate . edc : 1 -( 3 - dimethylaminopropyl )- 3 - ethylcarbodi - imideoxone : potassium peroxymonosulfatelda : lithium diisopropylamidenmm : n - methylmorpholine______________________________________ the compounds of the present invention can be administered in such oral forms as tablets , capsules ( each of which includes sustained release or timed release formulations ), pills , powders , granules , elixers , tinctures , suspensions , syrups , and emulsions . likewise , they may be administered in intravenous ( bolus or infusion ), intraperitoneal , subcutaneous , or intramuscular form , all using forms well known to those of ordinary skill in the pharmaceutical arts . an effective but non - toxic amount of the compound desired can be employed as an anti - aggregation agent . compounds of the invention may be administered to patients where prevention of thrombosis by inhibiting binding of fibrinogen to the platelet membrane glycoprotein complex iib / iiia receptor is desired . they are useful in surgery on peripheral arteries ( arterial grafts , carotid endarterectomy ) and in cardivascular surgery where manipulation of arteries and organs , and / or the interaction of platelets with artificial surfaces , leads to platelet aggregation and consumption . the aggregated platelets may form thrombi and thromboemboli . compounds of the invention may be administered to these surgical patients to prevent the formation of thrombi and thromboemboli . extracorporeal circulation is routinely used for cardiovascular surgery in order to oxygenate blood . platelets adhere to surfaces of the extracorporeal circuit . adhesion is dependent on the interaction between gpiib / iiia on the platelet membranes and fibrinogen adsorbed to the surface of the circuit . ( gluszko et al ., amer . j . physiol ., 252 ( h ), 615 - 621 ( 1987 )). platelets released from artificial surfaces show impaired hemostatic function . compounds of the invention may be administered to prevent adhesion . other applications of these compounds include prevention of platelet thrombosis , thromboembolism and reocclusion during and after thrombolytic therapy and prevention of platelet thrombosis , thromboembolism and reocclusion after angioplasty of coronary and other arteries and after coronary artery bypass procedures . they may also be used to prevent myocardial infarction . the dosage regimen utilizing the compounds of the present invention is selected in accordance with a variety of factors including type , species , age , weight , sex and medical condition of the patient ; the severity of the condition to be treated ; the route of administration ; the renal and hepatic function of the patient ; and the particular compound or salt thereof employed . an ordinarilly skilled physician or veterinarian can readily determine and prescribe the effective amount of the drug required to prevent , counter , or arrest the progress of the condition . oral dosages of the present invention , when used for the indicated effects , will range between about 0 . 01 mg per kg of body weight per day ( mg / kg / day ) to about 100 mg / kg / day and preferably 1 . 0 - 100 mg / kg / day and most preferably 1 - 20 mg / kg / day . intravenously , the most preferred doses will range from about 1 to about 10 μg / kg / minute during a constant rate infusion . advantageously , compounds of the present invention may be administered in divided doses of two , three , or four times daily . furthermore , preferred compounds for the present invention can be administered in intranasal form via topical use of suitable intranasal vehicles , or via transdermal routes , using those forms of transdermal skin patches well known to those of ordinary skill in that art . to be administered in the form of a transdermal delivery system , the dosage administration will , or course , be continuous rather that intermittant throughout the dosage regime . in the methods of the present invention , the compounds herein described in detail can form the active ingredient , and are typically administered in admixture with suitable pharmaceutical diluents , excipients or carriers ( collectively referred to herein as &# 34 ; carrier &# 34 ; materials ) suitably selected with respect to the intended form of administration , that is , oral tablets , capsules , elixers , syrups and the like , and consistent with conventional pharmaceutical practices . for instance , for oral administration in the form of a tablet or capsule , the active drug component can be combined with an oral , non - toxic , pharmaceutically acceptable , inert carier such as lactose , starch , sucrose , glucose , methyl cellulose , magnesium sterate , dicalcium phosphate , calcium sulfate , mannitol , sorbitol and the like ; for oral administration in liquid form , the oral drug components can be combined with any oral , non - toxic , pharmaceutically acceptable inert carrier such as ethanol , glycerol , water and the like . moreover , when desired or necessary , suitable binders , lubricants , distintegrating agents and coloring agents can also be incorporated into the mixture . suitable binders include starch , gelatin , natural sugars such as glucose or beta - lactose , corn - sweeteners , natural and synthetic gums such as acacia , tragacanth or sodium alginate , carboxymethylcellulose , polyethylene glycol , waxes and the like . lubricants used in these dosage forms include sodium oleate , sodium sterate , magnesium sterate , sodium benzoate , sodium acetate , sodium chloride and the like . disintegrators include , without limitation , starch methyl cellulose , agar , bentonite , xanthan gum and the like . the compounds of the present invention can also be administered in the form of liposome delivery systems , such as small unilamellar vesicles , large unilamellar vesicles and multilamellar vesicles . liposomes can be formed from a variety of phospholipids , such as cholesterol , stearylamine or phosphatidylcholines . compounds of the present invention may also be delivered by the use of monoclonal antibodies as individual carriers to which the compound molecules are coupled . the compounds of the present invention may also be coupled with soluble polymers as targetable drug carriers . such polymers can include polyvinlypyrrolidone , pyran copolymer , polyhydroxypropyl - methacrylamide - phenol , polyhydroxyethylaspartamide - phenol , or polyethyleneoxide - polylysine substituted with palmitoyl residues . furthermore , the compounds of the present invention may be coupled to a class of biodegradable polymers useful in achieving controlled release of a drug , for example , polylactic acid , polyglycolic acid , copolymers of polylactic and polyglycolic acid , polyepsilon caprolactone , polyhydroxy butyric acid , polyorthoesters , polyacetals , polydihydropyrans , polycyanoacrylates and cross linked or amphipathic block copolymers of hydrogels . the compounds of the present invention can also be co - administered with suitable anti - coagulation agents or thrombolytic agents such as plasminogen activators or streptokinase to achieve synergystic effects in the treatment of various vascular pathologies . they may also be combined with heparin , aspirin , or warfarin . the novel compounds of the present invention were prepared according to the procedure of the following schemes and examples , using appropriate materials and are further exemplified by the following specific examples . the most preferred compounds of the invention are any or all of those specifically set forth in these examples . these compounds are not , however , to be construed as forming the only genus that is considered as the invention , and any combination of the compounds or their moieties may itself form a genus . the following examples further illustrate details for the preparation of the compounds of the present invention . those skilled in the art will readily understand that known variations of the conditions and processes of the following preparative procedures can be used to prepare these compounds . all temperatures are degrees celcius unless otherwise noted . in addition to the following preparative procedures , several examples of in - vitro bioactivity of compounds within the scope of the present invention are indicated . to illustrate , one test which is used to evaluate fibrinogen receptor antagonist activity is based on evaluation of inhibition of adp - stimulated platelets . aggregation requires that fibrinogen bind to and occupy the platelet fibrinogen receptor site . inhibitors of fibrinogen binding inhibit aggregation . in the adp - stimulated platelet aggregation assay used to determine inhibition associated with the compounds claimed in the instant invention , human platelets are isolated from fresh blood , collected into acid citrate / dextrose by differential centrifugation followed by gel filtration on sepharose 2b in divalent ion - free tyrode &# 39 ; s buffer ( ph 7 . 4 ) containing 2 % bovine serum albumin . platelet aggregation is measured at 37 ° c . in a chronolog aggregometer . the reaction mixture contains gel - filtered human platelets ( 2 × 10 8 per ml ), fibrinogen ( 100 micrograms per ml ( ug / ml )), ca 2 + ( lmm ), and the compound to be tested . the aggregation is initiated by adding 10μm adp 1 minute after the other components are added . the reaction is then allowed to proceed for at least 2 minutes . the extent of inhibition of aggregation is expressed as the percentage of the rate of aggregation observed in the absence of inhibitor . the ic 50 is the dose of a particular compound inhibiting aggregation by 50 % relative to a control lacking the compound . scheme 1 outlines a procedure for preparing exemplary compounds of the present invention . procedures for preparing alternative compounds within the scope of the present invention would be obvious to persons skilled in the art , in view of the process strategy described in scheme 1 . ## str12 ## a solution of 1 - 1 ( 2 . 61 g , 0 . 017 moles ) and ( n - boc - 4 - piperidin - 4 - yl ) butyl bromide ( european publication 478 , 363 ) in dmf ( 65 ml ) was cooled at 0 °- 5 ° c . and treated with nah ( 0 . 48 g , 0 . 020 moles ) in one portion . the resulting mixture was stirred at 0 ° for 1 hr . and then for 16 hrs at room temperature . the solvent was removed (& lt ; 30 °) and the residue was taken up in h 2 o ( 75 ml ) and extracted with et 2 o . this ether extract was washed with brine , dried ( na 2 so 4 ) and the solvent was removed . the resulting residue was purified by flash chromatography on silica gel eluting with 15 % etoac / hexane to give pure 1 - 2 as an oil . 1 h nmr ( 300 mhz , cdcl 3 ) δ 1 . 10 ( 2h , m ), 1 . 32 ( 4h , m ), 1 . 48 ( 9h , s ), 1 . 60 - 1 . 84 ( 5h , m ), 2 . 67 ( 2h , m ), 3 . 55 ( 2h , s ), 3 . 68 ( 3h , s ), 3 . 92 ( 2h , m ), 4 . 09 ( 2h , m ), 6 . 95 ( 2h , d ), 7 . 18 ( 2h , d ). ## str13 ## 1 - 2 ( 8 . 1 g , 0 . 020 moles ) was added at - 70 ° c . to a thf solution ( 150 ml ) of lithum diisopropylamide prepared at 0 ° from diisopropylamine ( 4 . 05 g , 0 . 04 moles ) and butyllithium . the resulting clear yellow solution of the ester was stirred at - 70 ° for 1 hour and then a solution of allyl bromide ( 3 . 62 g , 0 . 03 moles ) in thf ( 5 ml ) was added dropwise . the resulting reaction mixture was stirred at - 70 ° for 1 hr . and then at room temperature for 8 hrs . the reaction was quenched with 10 % khso 4 solution ( 5 ml ) and the solvent was removed . the residue was taken up in et 2 o ( 600 ml ) and washed with h 2 o ( 100 ml ). 10 % khso 4 solution , brine and dried ( na 2 so 4 ). the solvent was removed and the residue was purified by flash chromatography on silica gel eluting with 15 % etoac / hexane to give pure 1 - 3 as an oil . 1 h nmr ( 300 mhz . cdcl 3 ) δ 1 . 04 ( 2h , m ), 1 . 32 ( 3h , m ), 1 . 46 ( 9h , s ), 1 . 65 ( 2h , d ), 1 . 77 ( 2h , d ), 2 . 49 ( 1h , m ), 2 . 48 ( 2h , t ), 2 . 78 ( 1h , m ), 3 . 56 ( 2h , m ), 3 . 65 ( 3h , s ), 3 . 93 ( 3h , t ), 4 . 10 ( 2h , m ), 5 . 02 ( 2h , m ), 5 . 70 ( 1h , m ), 6 . 82 ( 2h , d ) 7 . 02 ( 2h , d ). ## str14 ## a solution of 1 - 3 ( 3 . 2 g , 0 . 007 moles ) in thf ( 1 )/ meoh ( 1 )/ h 2 o ( 1 ) ( 90 ml ) was treated with lioh • h 2 o ( 0 . 944 g , 0 . 022 moles ) at room temperature with stirring for 16 hours . the reaction mixture was concentrated to a volume of 30 ml and this was diluted with 170 ml h 2 o and acidified to ph 2 - 3 with 10 % khso 4 solution . this was extracted with etoac and this extract was washed with h 2 o brine and dried ( na 2 so 4 ). solvent removal gave 1 - 4 as a viscous oil 1 h nmr ( 300 mhz , cdcl 3 ) δ 1 . 03 ( 2h , m ), 1 . 28 ( 3h , m ), 1 . 48 ( 9h , s ), 1 . 63 ( 2h , d ), 1 . 75 ( 2h , m ), 2 . 50 ( 1h , m ), 2 . 65 ( 2h , t ), 2 . 79 ( 1h , m ), 3 . 58 ( 1h , m ), 3 . 92 ( 2h , t ), 4 . 05 ( 2h , m ), 5 . 02 ( 2h , m ), 5 . 70 ( 1h , m ), 6 . 83 ( 2h , d ), 7 . 20 ( 2h , d ). ## str15 ## a solution of 1 - 4 ( 1 . 51 g , 0 . 0035 moles ) in dmf ( 25 ml ) was treated with benzylamine ( 0 . 407 g , 0 . 0038 moles ) and hobt ( 0 . 54 g , 0 . 004 moles ). this solvent was cooled to 0 °- 5 °, n - methylmorpholine ( 0 . 708 g , 0 . 007 moles ) was added , followed by edc ( 0 . 786 g , 0 . 0041 moles ), and the resulting solution was stirred at 0 ° for 1 hr and then at room temperature for 16 hrs . the solvent was then removed in vacuo and the residue taken up in h 2 o ( 100 ml ) and extracted with etoac . the etoac extract , was washed with 10 % khso 4 solution , h 2 o , saturated nahco 3 solution , brine , and dried ( na 2 so 4 ). solvent removal gave a residue that was purified by flash chromatography on silica gel eluting with hexane ( 7 ) - etoac ( 3 ) to give 1 - 5 as a viscous residue . r f 0 . 35 . 1 h nmr ( 300 mhz , cdcl 3 ) δ 1 . 04 ( 2h , m ), 1 . 36 - 1 . 44 ( 3h , m ), 1 . 47 ( 9h , s ), 1 . 65 ( 2h , d ), 1 . 74 ( 2h , m ), 2 . 52 ( 1h , m ), 2 . 67 ( 2h , t ), 2 . 93 ( 1h , m ), 3 . 39 ( 1h , t ), 3 . 92 ( 1h , t ), 4 . 08 ( 2h , m ), 4 . 40 ( 2h , m ), 5 . 00 ( 2h , m ), 5 . 68 ( 2h , m ), 6 . 84 ( 2h , d ), 7 . 13 - 7 . 32 ( 7h , m ). ## str16 ## to a solution of kmno 4 ( 0 . 316 g , 0 . 002 moles ) in h 2 o ( 3 ml ) cooled to 0 - 5 ° was added a solution of 1 - 5 ( 0 . 26 g , 0 . 0005 moles ) in ch 2 cl 2 ( 3 ml ) followed by acetic acid ( 0 . 5 ml ) and aliquat - 336 ( 2 drops ). the resulting mixture was vigorously stirred in an ice bath for 5 hrs . and then quenched by the addition of 1 g of na 2 so 3 . this was acidified with 10 % khso 4 solution , diluted with 50 ml h 2 o and extracted with ch 2 cl 2 . the ch 2 cl 2 extract was washed with brine , dried ( na 2 so 4 ) and the solvent removed . the resulting residue was purified by flash chromatography on silica gel eluting with chcl 3 ( 97 )/ meoh ( 3 )/ hoac ( 1 ) to give pure 1 - 6 , r f 0 . 3 . 1 h nmr ( 300 mhz , cdcl 3 ) δ 1 . 04 ( 2h , m ), 1 . 23 - 1 . 30 ( 3h , m ), 1 . 45 ( 9h , s ), 1 . 66 ( 2h , d ), 1 . 75 ( 2h , m ), 2 . 58 - 2 . 75 ( 3h , m ), 3 . 30 ( 1h , m ), 3 . 90 ( 3h , m ), 4 . 06 ( 2h , m ), 4 . 29 - 4 . 50 ( 2h , m ), 5 . 87 ( 1h , t ), 6 . 82 ( 2h , d ), 7 . 10 - 7 . 33 ( 7h , m ). ## str17 ## 1 - 6 ( 0 . 11 g ) was dissolved in etoac ( 30 ml ), cooled to - 25 ° c . and treated with hc 1 gas for 30 minutes . the reaction flask was then stopped and the reaction mixture was stirred at 0 ° for 1 hr . the solvent was removed at & lt ; 10 ° and the resulting residue was triturated with et 2 o to provide 1 - 7 as a white solid . 1 h nmr ( 300 mhz , cd 3 od ) δ 1 . 37 ( 4h , m ), 1 . 45 - 1 . 70 ( 3h , m ), 1 . 77 ( 2h , m ), 1 . 95 ( 2h , m ), 2 . 60 ( 1h , dd ), 2 . 94 ( 2h , dt ), 3 . 13 ( 1h , m ), 3 . 18 - 3 . 40 ( 4h , m ), 3 . 95 ( 3h , m ), 4 . 31 ( 2h , m ), 6 . 93 ( 2h , d ), 7 . 11 - 7 . 28 ( 7h , m ). analysis calcd . for c 26 h 34 n 2 o 4 • hcl • 1 / 2 h 2 o : c , 64 , 51 ; h , 7 . 50 ; n , 5 . 79 . in a similar fashion to that described for 1 - 7 , the following compounds can be prepared : __________________________________________________________________________ ## str18 ## r . sup . 1 r . sup . 2 r . sup . 3 x y__________________________________________________________________________ch . sub . 3 nh ## str19 ## h ## str20 ## o ## str21 ## ## str22 ## ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 5 ch . sub . 2 ## str23 ## ## str24 ## h ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 3 oh . sub . 2 n ## str25 ## nhso . sub . 2 ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 4 ophch . sub . 2 nh ## str26 ## h ## str27 ## ch . sub . 2 ## str28 ## ## str29 ## ## str30 ## ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 3 so . sub . 2__________________________________________________________________________ the test procedures employed to measure the anti - platelet aggregating activity of the compounds of the present invention are described below . blood was drawn into 0 . 1 ml volumes of acid citrate - dextrose ( 85 mm sodium citrate , 64 mm citric acid , 110 mm dextrose ) by venipuncture from normal human volunteers . platelet - rich plasma was prepared by centrifugation at 400 × g for 12 minutes . pge1 ( 5mg / ml ) was added and platelets were collected by centrifugation at 800 × g for 12 minutes . the platelet pellet was resuspended into human platelet buffer ( 140 mm nacl 7 . 9 mm kcl 3 . 3 mm na 2 hpo 4 , 6 mm hepes , 2 % bovine serum albumin , 0 . 1 % dextrose , ph 7 . 2 ) and filtered over sepharose 2b that was previously equilibrated in human platelet buffer . human fibrinogen ( 10 - 100 mg / ml ) and ca cl 2 ( lmm ) were added and aggregation was initiated by the addition of 10 mm adp . aggregation was monitored by the initial rate of increase of light transmittance . compounds of the invention may be used for inhibiting integrin protein - complex function relating to cell attachment activity . they may be administered to patients where inhibition of human or mammalian platelet aggregation or adhesion is desired . compounds of the invention are particularly useful in inhibiting platelet aggregation in situations where a strong antithrombotic of short duration or effectiveness is needed . thus , they may find utility in surgery on peripheral arteries ( arterial grafts , carotid endaterectomy ) and in cardiovascular surgery where manipulation of arteries and organs , and / or the interation of platelets with artificial surfaces , leads to platelet aggregation and consumption . the aggregated platelets may form thrombi and thromboemboli . compounds of the invention may be administered to these surgical patients to prevent the formation of thrombi and thromboemboli . extracorporeal circulation is routinely used for cardiovascular surgery in order to oxygenate blood . platelets adhere to surfaces of the extracorporael circuit . adhesion is dependent on the interaction between gpiib / iiia on the platelet membranes and fibrinogen adsorbed to the surface of the circuit . ( lluszko et al ., amer . j . physiol ., 252 : h , 615 - 621 ( 1987 ). platelets released from artificial surfaces show impaired hemostatic function . compounds of the invention may be administered to prevent adhesion . other applications of these compounds include prevention of platelet thrombosis , thromboembolism and reocclusion during and after thromboembolytic therapy and prevention of platelet thrombosis , thromboembolism and reocclusion after angioplasty of coronary and other arteries and after coronary artery bypass procedures . compounds of the invention may also be used to prevent myocardial infarction . these compounds may be administered by any convenient means which will result in its delivery into the blood stream in substantial amount including continuous intravenous or bolus injection or oral methods . compositions of the invention include compounds of the invention and pharmaceutically acceptable carriers , e . g . saline , at a ph level of for example 7 . 4 , suitable for achieving inhibition of platelet aggregation . they may also be used in combination with anticoagulants such as heparin or warfarin . in one exemplary application , a suitable amount of compound is intravenously administered to a heart attack victim undergoing angioplasty . administration occurs during or several minutes prior to angioplasty , and is in an amount sufficient to inhibit platelet aggregation , e . g . an amount which achieves a steady state plasma concentration of between about 0 . 01 - 30um , preferably between about 0 . 03 - 3 um . when this amount is achieved , an infusion of between about 0 . 1 - 100 g per kilo per min ., preferably between about 1 - 20 μg per kilo per min . is maintained to inhibit platelet aggregation . should the patient need to undergo bypass surgery , administration may be stopped immediately . under these conditions the fibrinogen receptor antagonists will not cause complications during surgery , as compared to other therapies such as aspirin or monoclonal antibodies , the effects of which last hours after cessation of administration . the present invention also includes a pharmaceutical composition comprising compounds of the present invention and tissue type plasminogen activitor or streptokinase . the invention also includes a method for promoting thrombolysis and preventing reocclusion in a patient which comprises administering to the patient an effective amount of compositions of the invention . the present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirt or essential attributes thereof . thus , the specific examples described above should not be interpreted as limiting the scope of the present invention . while the invention has been described and illustrated in reference to certain preferred embodients thereof , those skilled in the art will appreciate that various changes , modification and substitutions can be made therein without departing from the spirt and the scope of the invention . for example , effective dosages other than the preferred doses as set fourth hereinabove may be applicable as a consequence of variations in the responsiveness of the mammal being treating for severity of clotting disorders or emboli , or for other indications for the compounds of the invention indicated above . likewise , the specific pharmacological responses observed may vary according to and depending upon the particular active compound selected or whether there are present pharmaceutical carriers , as well as the type of formulation and mode of administration employed , and such expected variations or differences in the results are contemplated in accordance with the objects and practices of the present invention . it is intended , therefore , that the invention be limited only by the scope of the claims which follow and that such claims be intepreted as broadly as is reasonable . | 2 |
methods and structures for elevating one or more platforms above a substrate and for controlling the tip , tilt and piston motion of those platforms with high precision are hereinafter described . several embodiments are described in which a plurality of such platforms are tiled to form a large - stroke segmented piston - tip - tilt deformable mirror fig3 a shows a partial cutaway perspective view of a first embodiment of a dm incorporating the improved methods and structures . the dm is formed on a substrate 300 , which may be a silicon wafer or chip containing embedded addressing and sensing circuits ( not shown ). on top of the substrate 300 are formed a number of control electrodes 370 that are electrically isolated from one another and electrically connected to the embedded addressing and sensing circuits . in the first embodiment , the control electrodes 370 are arranged in groups of three and are rhombic in shape , so that the footprint of each group is essentially hexagonal . disposed around each group of three control electrodes 370 , are three conductive ground pads 310 , fabricated from the same material as the control electrodes 370 . the ground pads 310 are electrically isolated from the control electrodes 370 and electrically connected to a ground plane or to circuits embedded in the substrate 300 . attached to one end of each ground pad 310 is a first anchor portion 350 of a flexure 320 . the flexure , in the first embodiment comprises two layers , a first flexure layer 330 formed from conductive polycrystalline silicon and a second flexure layer 340 formed from silicon nitride ( sixny ). the first anchor portion 350 is both mechanically and electrically connected to the ground pad 310 so that the conductive first flexure layer 330 is held at the same electrical potential as the ground pad 310 . the second flexure layer 340 is rigidly attached to the underside of the first flexure layer 330 and extends over a portion of the length of the flexure 320 . the purpose of the second flexure layer is to provide a residual stress difference between the top and bottom portions of the flexure 320 , causing the flexure 320 to bend up out of the plane of the substrate 300 . the end of the flexure 320 opposite the first anchor portion 350 terminates in a second anchor portion 360 . fig3 b is a detail perspective view of one flexure 320 , showing the first anchor portion 350 , the second anchor portion 360 , the first flexure layer 330 , the second flexure layer 340 , and the ground pad 310 underlying the flexure . referring again to fig3 a , the second anchor portion 360 is mechanically and electrically connected to the underside of a mirror segment 380 . the mirror segment is any one individual mirror of the dm device . thus the mirror segment 380 is held at some elevation above the substrate 300 . in the first embodiment , this elevation is on the order of 50 micrometers . the mirror segment is electrically conductive and therefore is held at the same potential as the ground pad 310 . in the first embodiment , the mirror segment 380 is hexagonal in shape and is formed from a 20 micrometer - thick layer of single crystal silicon and is coated on its top surface with an optical coating , which may be a highly reflective metal layer . the mirror segment diameter in the first embodiment is on the order of 500 micrometers . for the sake of clarity , fig3 a shows only three mirror segments 380 . however , an exemplary embodiment of the dm comprises an array of 121 nominally identical elevated mirror segments 380 disposed over the substrate so as to form a larger , segmented mirror surface , approximately circular in outline and having inter - segment gaps of 5 micrometers . the following is a general overview of the process of the current invention for fabricating the first embodiment of the dm . the process involves separately fabricating the mems structure and the addressing and sensing circuits on two separate wafers , then assembling them together as shown in fig4 a and 4b . fig4 a is a process flow diagram and fig4 b illustrates the corresponding structure at each step . as shown at step 400 , each mirror segment 380 is fabricated by reactive ion etching ( rie ) the top single crystal silicon “ device ” region of a bonded silicon - on - insulator wafer ( bsoi ). at step 405 , the wafer is then coated with a sacrificial layer to fill the trenches left by the previous etch , provide a temporary support for various mechanical structures of the dm , and optionally to act as a dopant source for undoped polysilicon regions . this sacrificial layer might typically be phosphorus - doped silicate glass deposited by low pressure chemical vapor deposition ( lpcvd ). alternatively , in cases where the sacrificial layer is not required to act as a dopant source , silicon oxide deposited by a tetraethoxysilane ( teos ) process might be used . as shown at step 410 , the psg region is next patterned to define the attachment points for the second anchor portions 360 of the flexures ; in some instances the patterning may include an etching step . at step 415 , a one micron undoped amorphous polysilicon layer and a psg layer are deposited by lpcvd and annealed at 950 ° c . for six hours to dope and tune the residual stress of the polysilicon layer to approximately − 40 mpa , where the negative sign denotes compressive stress . the top psg layer is then removed at step 420 using a wet hydrofluoric ( hf ) acid etch and the polysilicon layer is patterned and etched to define the first flexure layer 330 at step 425 . silicon nitride ( sixny ) is then deposited by lpcvd at step 430 , and patterned and etched to define the second flexure layer 340 at step 435 . at step 437 , conductive metal pads are deposited , for example by electroplating , on to the first anchor portion 350 of the flexures . these metal pads will serve as the electrical and mechanical attachment points between the flexures and the substrate 300 . fig5 schematically illustrates a cross - section through the mems structure 500 supporting a single mirror segment , completed up to this point and including the mirror segment 380 , flexure 320 and the sacrificial layer 515 , typically phosphorus - doped silicate glass ( psg ). as compared with the structure shown at the last step 437 of fig4 b - 1 , the structure shown in fig5 has been inverted in preparation for bonding to the electronics chip . in the first embodiment , the flexure 320 is a two - layer structure with a first flexure layer 330 of phosphorus - doped polysilicon , and a second flexure layer 340 of sixny . although not required in all embodiments , the mems device in the first embodiment includes a temporary handle wafer ( not shown in fig5 ), typically 300 to 500 micrometers thick , used to support the mems structure prior to release in a manner known in the art . continuing again with reference to process steps 445 onwards , shown in fig4 a and 4b , drive circuitry in the form of an integrated circuit is now introduced . this integrated circuit is the substrate 300 on which the flexures and mirror segments will be mounted . the substrate 300 is typically fabricated through separate processing in a conventional manner , for example using silicon cmos techniques not shown here , and well known in the art . as shown at step 445 in fig4 , the substrate 300 is typically coated with a passivation layer to protect it from the mems release agent , which may for example be hydrofluoric acid . as shown in step 447 of fig4 , the passivation layer is patterned and etched to expose bond sites on the substrate 300 that are electrically connected to a ground plane or to underlying circuits . an electrically conductive bonding agent 610 is then deposited on these bond sites . fig6 is a schematic cross - section through the substrate at the end of step 447 , showing the locations of the control electrodes 370 , the bonding agent 610 and the wiring layer 625 . continuing to refer to fig4 , at step 450 the mems structure 500 , constructed as described above , is disposed over the substrate 300 and the two are then bonded together . at this point the mems structure 500 still includes the sacrificial layer 515 . at step 455 the handle wafer of the bsoi wafer is etched away from the mems mirror segment , after which the sacrificial layer is released from the mems structure as shown at step 460 . the ic passivation layer is removed at step 465 , typically using an o2 plasma or appropriate solvent . finally , an optical coating is deposited on the top surface of the mirror segments , for example using a shadow - masked metal evaporation , in step 470 . the resulting device is a completed , integrated dm . fig7 a shows a cross - section through a single mirror segment and underlying structures , after removal of the handle wafer at step 455 . fig7 b shows a cross section through the same structure at the end of the fabrication process , after the mems sacrificial layer 515 and circuitry passivation layer have been removed . the device includes the following elements : ic portion or substrate 300 and mems structure 500 ; on the ic portion are shown a control electrode 370 , the bonding agent 610 and a wiring layer 625 . on the mems portion 500 are shown the mirror segment 380 and flexure 320 , comprising the first flexure layer 330 and second flexure layer 340 . one important aspect of the present invention is the above - described passivation layer . in the first embodiment of the invention , an electrically - conductive contact must be established through the passivation layer at the points where the mems structure 500 is bonded to the substrate 300 . the bonding process can be any suitable process that results in a conductive bond , for example gold to gold bonding . to allow the bond material to be deposited onto the ic substrate 300 , the passivation layer is preferably patternable . in an exemplary arrangement , the passivation layer is completely removable after the mems structure is released in a manner that will not damage the mems structure . this passivation material may be a protective polymer material such as a polyimide or parylene . alternatively , the passivation material can be conductive so that upon removal from the exposed surfaces , electrical contact between the ics and mems element is maintained . the passivation material need not be patterned before bonding as it is selectively removed , where not bonded to the mems structures , in the passivation layer removal process . a conductive polymer or epoxy can be used , for example , epo - tek oh108 - 1 or other similar conductive epoxy made by epoxy technology , inc ., of billerca , mass . the present invention differs significantly from the prior art in that it relies on the influence of irs ( as opposed to cte ) in the flexures to elevate the mirror segments above the substrate plane , to a much greater degree than has been found in the prior art . the “ coefficient of thermal expansion ” (“ cte ”) describes the linear change in size of a material as a function of temperature , while “ intrinsic residual stress ” ( irs ) describes the stress in a material , which is dependent on the grain morphology and crystalline defects of a material . this means that the elevation of the segments above the substrate can be far less sensitive to changes in temperature than for comparable prior art devices . the deflection at the elevated end of each flexure is essentially proportional to the curvature of the flexure , which may be written as the sum of two components ; a first component proportional to the intrinsic residual stress in the flexure and a second component proportional to the cte mismatches in the flexure . in the first embodiment of the invention , the first flexure layer is composed of polysilicon and the second flexure layer is composed of silicon nitride . this provides a flexure for which the irs component is larger than the cte component by a factor of approximately one thousand at normal operating temperatures , for example in the range 0 - 100 degrees celcius . many alternative embodiments of the flexure are possible in which the second flexure material is one with a cte similar to that of the first flexure material . if that first material is polysilicon , the second material can be a ceramic , such as sic , or silicon nitride ( sixny ), or even polysilicon itself , deposited under different conditions so as to induce a different grain structure and crystal defect concentration , and thus different irs . fig8 is a table that lists the cte of some example materials . in contrast to the prior art usage of nickel , sixny is advantageous because it does not contaminate etchers as ni does . sixny is also easier to process because it is a standard ic material deposited by lpcvd . the residual stress of sixny can be controlled by varying the ratios of the reactant gasses , deposition pressure , and the deposition temperature . for example , a layer deposited with a gas flow ratio of 1 : 3 dichlorosilane to ammonia at 125 mtorr and 800 will yield a stoichiometric film ( si3n4 ) with approximately 1 gpa of residual tensile stress , while 4 : 1 gas ratio at 140 mtorr and 835 ° c . will yield a film composition near si3n3 with approximately 280 mpa of residual tensile stress . to achieve the desired radius of curvature of the flexure , different sixny stoichiometries can be used , the appropriate choice for which may be application - specific . the first embodiment of the dm comprises a tiled array of mirror segments , supported on flexures and elevated approximately 50 micrometers above the substrate . as described , the substrate contains electronic circuits used for controlling and sensing the tip , tilt and piston motion of the segments . the circuits are controlled via electrical signals transmitted , for example , through bond pads on the substrate and generated , for example , by a microprocessor in a manner well known in the art . the control signals typically contain information , generated by a wavefront reconstructor , about the combination of tip , tilt and piston motions for each mirror segment needed to compensate for the wavefront aberrations at a given time . “ piston movement ” is one of three types of movement used to describe actuation of a mirror segment , and describes translation normal to the plane of the dm aperture . “ tilt ”, the second type of movement , is movement about any first axis that is parallel to the plane of the dm aperture . “ tip ”, the third type of movement , is movement about any second axis ( not parallel to the first axis ) that is also parallel to the substrate . the circuits embedded in the substrate 300 decode this information and translate it into a corresponding set of voltages that are applied to the control electrodes disposed under each mirror segment . the electrical potential difference and resulting electrostatic force between each mirror segment and its three control electrodes causes it to move in tip , tilt and piston , and assume a position and orientation determined by the voltages applied to the three electrodes . this ability to independently orient and position each segment allows spatially complex wavefront aberrations to be corrected by the dm . in some implementations of the first embodiment , the substrate also contains sense electronics that detect the tip , tilt and piston of each segment , for example by measuring the capacitance between the segment and its three control electrodes . incorporation of sense electronics can improve the resolution with which the segments can be controlled . because the attractive force between a segment and its control electrodes increases rapidly as the gap between them diminishes , the control voltages must be limited to avoid pulling segments into contact with the electrodes . typically , the maximum operation voltage is chosen to be the voltage that causes a segment to travel 25 % of the elevation produced by the flexures . therefore , the flexure elevation of 50 micrometers described in the first embodiment results in a useable mirror stroke of approximately 12 micrometers . in a second embodiment of the invention , the structure of the dm is identical to the structure of the first embodiment , except that the ground pads and control electrodes are formed on the mems part rather than the cmos part . the appearance of the completed device is essentially identical to that of the first embodiment , illustrated in fig3 a . fabrication of the second embodiment proceeds in a manner identical to that used for the first embodiment up to step 435 of fig4 b . a sacrificial layer is then deposited , patterned and etched to open up anchor points where the ground pads 310 will attach to the first anchor regions 350 of the flexures . a layer of polysilicon is then deposited , patterned and etched to define the ground pads 310 and the control electrodes 370 . a layer of metal is then deposited , patterned and etched so that it coats the surfaces of the ground pads 310 and control electrodes 370 , but does not bridge unconnected structures . the cmos portion 300 of the device is fabricated in the same way as for the first embodiment , but has bond sites in locations that correspond to both the ground pads 310 and the control electrodes 370 of the mems structure . the ground pad bond sites are electrically connected to a ground plane or to circuits in the substrate 300 , while the control electrode bond sites are connected to the appropriate control and sense circuits within the substrate 300 . the mems portion and the cmos portion are bonded together using a film of anisotropic conductive polymer that conducts only in a direction normal to the plane of the film . in this embodiment , the anisotropic conductive polymer acts as both a bonding agent and a cmos passivation layer . after bonding , the mems structures are mechanically released , for example by hf etching , as in the first embodiment . because of the anisotropic nature of the polymer , it does not need to be removed from the dm and so the passivation layer removal step is omitted for this embodiment . as for the first embodiment , the final step is the deposition of an optical coating on the top surface of the mirror segments . the method of operation for the second embodiment is identical to that for the first embodiment . fig9 shows the mechanical structure of a dm according to the third embodiment of the invention , in a partially exploded perspective view . for the sake of clarity , fig9 shows only a single piston - tip - tilt mirror segment . however , it will be clear to one skilled in the art that multiple such mirrors may be fabricated side - by - side on a single substrate to form a segmented dm , as was described for the first embodiment . the third embodiment of the dm comprises a substrate 900 , which may be a silicon wafer . on top of the substrate 900 are formed a number of control electrodes 960 that are electrically isolated from one another and electrically connected to conductive traces ( not shown in fig9 ) that may either be embedded in the substrate 900 or attached to the surface of the substrate 900 . these traces electrically connect the control electrodes 960 directly to bond pads ( not shown in fig9 ) that may be disposed around the perimeter of the dm chip . the control electrodes 960 are arranged in groups of three and are rhombic in shape , so that the footprint of each group is essentially hexagonal . disposed around each group of three control electrodes 960 , are three conductive ground pads 910 , fabricated from the same material as the control electrodes 960 . the ground pads 910 are electrically isolated from the control electrodes 960 and electrically connected to a ground plane embedded in the substrate 900 . attached to one end of each ground pad 910 is a first anchor portion 950 of a flexure 920 . the flexure , in the third embodiment comprises two layers , a first flexure layer 930 formed from conductive polycrystalline silicon and a second flexure layer 940 formed from silicon nitride . the first anchor portion 950 is both mechanically and electrically connected to the ground pad 910 so that the conductive first flexure layer 930 is held at the same potential as the ground pad 910 . the second flexure layer 940 is rigidly attached to the top side of the first flexure layer 930 and extends over a portion of the length of the flexure 920 . the purpose of the second flexure layer is to provide a residual stress difference between the top and bottom portions of the flexure 920 , causing the flexure 920 to bend up out of the plane of the substrate 300 . the end of the flexure 920 opposite the first anchor portion 950 is electrically and mechanically connected to a hexagonal platform 980 . a platform bond site 990 , fabricated from a metal , is electrically and mechanically connected to the platform . this platform bond site matches up with a corresponding segment bond site , also fabricated from a metal , on the underside of a mirror segment 970 . the segment bond site is not visible in fig9 , since it is on the underside of the mirror segment 970 . in the fully assembled dm , the mirror segment 970 is mechanically and electrically connected to the platform 980 via these bond sites . thus the mirror segment 970 is held at some elevation above the substrate 900 . in the first embodiment , this elevation is on the order of 50 micrometers . the mirror segment is electrically conductive and therefore is held at the same potential as the ground pad 910 . in the third embodiment , the mirror segment 970 is hexagonal in shape and is formed from a 20 micrometer - thick layer of single crystal silicon and is coated on its top surface with an optical coating , which may be a highly reflective metal layer . the mirror segment diameter in the third embodiment is on the order of 500 micrometers . in the third embodiment , the dm does not incorporate drive and sense electronics , but does incorporate the improved bimorph flexure . the actuator substrate 900 is fabricated in a method similar to that used to fabricate the mems portion of the first embodiment , but where the starting material is a standard silicon wafer rather than a bonded soi wafer . the ground pads 910 , control electrodes 960 , electrical traces and bond pads are defined in a first undoped polysilicon layer , deposited on an insulating silicon nitride layer . alternatively , the traces could be fabricated in a buried layer beneath the electrodes that is electrically isolated in all regions except areas that contact the electrical traces to electrodes and bond pads . a phosphorous - doped silicate glass ( psg ) sacrificial layer is then deposited , patterned and etched to open up regions where the first anchor portion 950 of the flexures will connect to the ground pads 910 . a second undoped amorphous polysilicon layer is then deposited followed by a psg layer . the wafer is annealed at 950 ° c . for six hours to dope and tune the residual stress of the second polysilicon layer to approximately − 40 mpa . in this step , the sacrificial psg layer also dopes the first layer of polysilicon . the top psg layer is then removed using a wet hf acid etch and the second polysilicon layer is patterned and etched to define the first flexure layers 930 and platforms 980 . a layer of silicon nitride is then deposited , patterned and etched to define the second flexure layers 940 , after which a low - temperature oxide ( lto ) is deposited by lpcvd to protect the structures from a later etch . the lto layer is etched and a metal layer is selectively deposited , for example by electroplating , to form the bond sites 990 and bond pads disposed around the perimeter of the dm chip . the mirror segments 970 are formed on a separate wafer , typically a bsoi wafer with a 20 micrometer thick device layer . the mirror segments are defined using deep reactive ion etching , followed by deposition of a sacrificial layer ( typically psg ) that refills the trenches between the segments . the sacrificial layer is then patterned and etched to clear access holes for bond sites that match those deposited on the actuator substrate 900 . a metal layer is then selectively deposited , for example by evaporation and lift - off , to form the segment bond sites that will be joined to the corresponding platform bond sites 990 . the actuators and mirror segments are then assembled and bonded together , for example using gold to gold bonding . the mirror - segment handle wafer is then removed in a manner known to those skilled in the art , and the sacrificial layers are removed , for example by hf etching , to allow the flexures to lift the mirror segments 970 above the substrate 900 . finally , an optical coating is deposited on the top surface of the mirror segments . the third embodiment is operated in a manner similar to the first embodiment , with the exception that the control voltages used to set the orientation and piston of the mirror segments are generated by driver electronics on a chip or board that is physically separate from the dm chip . the control electrodes for each mirror segment are connected to the outputs of the drive electronics for example via bond wires electrically connected to the bond pads disposed around the edges of the dm chip . accordingly , the invention provides improved methods and structures for elevating a number of platforms above a substrate and for controlling the piston , tip and tilt motions of those platforms . the resulting structures feature low temperature dependence , small size and power consumption and high control precision . the methods and structures may be used to construct an improved deformable mirror ( dm ) that features low temperature dependence , high fill - factor , high control resolution and large stroke , and which can be fabricated in a small form - factor at low cost . the ability to integrate drive and sense electronics on the same chip as the mirror segments allows dms with large numbers of actuators to be realized . the structures and methods for producing temperature - insensitive elevated mirror segments and the structures and methods for assembling the mirror segments on to control and sense electronics can be applied separately or in combination . although the description above contains many specificities , these should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention but as merely providing illustrations of some of the possible embodiments of this invention . for example , the mirror segments can have other shapes , such as square , rectangular , triangular etc . ; the mirror segments can be supported by different numbers of flexures ; the flexures can be constructed from any number of materials and comprise any number of layers , provided their curvature is predominantly caused by irs , rather than cte differences ; the tip , tilt and piston of the mirror segments can be controlled by varying the duty cycle of an ac signal applied to the control electrodes rather than the magnitude of an applied dc signal ; the thicknesses of the layers that comprise the dm can be varied ; the diameters or widths of features such as the mirror segments , flexures and control electrodes can be varied ; the number and placement of the control electrodes under each segment can be changed ; the elevation of the mirror segments above the substrate can be altered ; the actuators need not be electrostatic but could be , for example , piezoelectric or magnetic ; the gaps between mirror segments can be changed ; different reflective coatings including both metallic and dielectric coatings can be deposited on the top surface of the segments ; different materials and methods can be used to bond the mems portion to the cmos portion ; different passivation materials can be used to protect the cmos circuits during mems release ; the number of mirror segments comprising the dm can be varied , etc . while numerous specific details have been set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention , numerous aspects of the present invention may be practiced with only some of these details . in addition , certain process operations and related details which are known in the art have not been described in detail in order not to unnecessarily obscure the present invention . thus the scope of the invention should be determined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents , rather than by the examples given . the foregoing detailed description of the invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description . it is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed . many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching . the described embodiments were chosen in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical application to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated . it is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the claims appended hereto . | 6 |
referring to the figure of the drawing , a primary electrochemical cell embodying the present invention is designated generally by the reference numeral 10 . the primary electrochemical cell 10 is comprised of a cylindrical outer casing 12 which is closed at one end and which serves to contain the desired electrochemical system . in many configurations , the outer casing 12 is formed of a conductive material and acts as a first terminal of the primary electrochemical cell 10 . in this embodiment , a layer of anode material 14 is disposed in mechanical and electrical contact with the conductive outer casing 12 throughout the major portion of the internal length and circumference of the casing 12 . in certain configurations , the anode also is in contact with the bottom of the casing 12 . a thin porous separator 16 is disposed internally of and coextensive with the annulus of anode material 14 to insure electrical isolation between the cathode and anode materials . in the center of the primary electrochemical cell 10 , there is located a quantity of carbon cathode material globules 18 according to the present invention . diffused throughout the cathode material globules 18 and the separator 16 , there is an electrolytic solution suitable for use with the particular electrochemical system in the cell 10 . the individual globules 18 each have a multitude of minute pores for allowing the electrolytic solution to contact the individual cathodic particles . in addition , larger channels 36 are formed between the globules 18 . these channels serve to insure that the electrolytic solution can diffuse throughout the cathode material and contact the cathodic particles regardless of the size of the cell . a cathode current collector 20 is impressed into the cathode material globules 18 over a major portion of its length . a top portion 24 of the cathode current collector 20 is specially provided for affixing the cathode current collector 20 to a metal cathode terminal cap 22 . the cathode terminal cap 22 is fitted within the open end of the outer casing 12 and is insulated electrically therefrom by means of an insulating ring 30 . the insulating ring 30 rides against an internal shoulder 32 formed in the outer casing 12 above the cell &# 39 ; s electrochemical materials . the ring 30 supports the cathode terminal cap 22 by receiving a radially extending lower rim 26 of the cap 22 in an internal groove 28 . a top lip 34 of the outer casing 12 is rolled or crimped over the upper surface of the ring 30 to bring the various mating surfaces into sealing contact . a cathode current collector which may be incorporated into the cathode of the present invention is disclosed in a copending patent application entitled &# 34 ; primary electrochemical cell and improved cathode current collector therefor ,&# 34 ; by f . goebel and n . marincic , filed jan . 9 , 1975 , ser . no . 539 , 750 , now abandoned , which application is assigned to the assignee of the present application . the cathode material globules according to the present invention have the following general composition : from about 40 to 99 weight percent of carbon black , at least 1 weight percent of a binder which is inert in the primary electrochemical cell , and the remainder being graphite . the following table provides a number of examples of specific preformed carbon cathode compositions according to the present invention . ______________________________________ carbon fluorocarbonexample graphite black polymer binderno . wt . % wt . % wt . % ______________________________________ 1 0 99 1 . 0 2 0 98 2 . 0 3 0 95 5 . 0 4 2 . 5 95 2 . 5 5 3 . 5 93 3 . 5 6 5 . 0 90 5 . 0 7 10 85 5 . 0 8 15 80 5 . 0 9 20 70 10 . 010 23 74 3 . 011 25 68 7 . 012 25 70 5 . 013 30 65 5 . 014 34 60 6 . 015 38 57 5 . 016 40 55 5 . 017 45 50 5 . 018 50 42 8 . 019 50 40 10 . 020 58 40 2 . 0______________________________________ the graphite and carbon black utilized in the formation of the cathode material globules are preferably of commercial grade or better purity . the graphite particle size is preferably maintained below 650 mesh and the carbon black utilized is preferably compressed about 50 %. these preferred specifications for the graphite and carbon black are selected to insure a homogeneous product which will not contribute to a deterioration of the discharge parameters of the cell through the incorporation of reactive impurities in the cell . the preferred binder for utilization in the cathode material of the present invention is a fluorocarbon polymer which is inert in the primary electrochemical cell of the invention . two examples of preferred fluorocarbon polymers of particular utility in the present invention are those identified by the tradenames teflon and kel - f . teflon is a registered trademark of e . i . dupont de nemours and company for tetrafluoroethylene fluorocarbon polymers and fluorinated ethylene - propylene resins . kel - f is a registered trademark of the 3m company for a series of fluorocarbon products including polymers , of chlorotrifluoroethylene and certain copolymers . the examples of the foregoing table may be utilized with either of these commercially available fluorocarbon polymers with essentially equivalent results . the function of the fluorocarbon polymer in the present invention is to stabilize the mechanical strength of the cathode material globule by forming chain - like connections between the various particles of graphite and carbon black to form a binding network so that a semi - rigid configuration may be achieved for the cathode material globules . the particular compositions for the cathode material which are preferred are given in weight percent for the resulting article : the particular composition chosen results in a cathode material having varying porosity characteristics . this variance in porosity is beneficial because it permits a concomitant variance in the discharge rates available from the resulting primary electrochemical cells . the combination of the porous globules of cathode material 18 and the network of larger channels 36 throughout the cathode of a primary electrochemical cell insures that the deposit of reaction products in the pores will not prevent the cell from fulfilling its complete useful life . the reaction products do not accumulate rapidly enough to cause blockage of the larger channels 36 . therefore , this type of cathode structure may find application in any size electrochemical cell ; however , particular utility is found in larger cells such as &# 34 ; d &# 34 ; size and larger in which thick cathode structures are utilized . the preformed cathode of the present invention may be produced according to a method which also is a part of that invention . as a specific example of that method , the following procedure is provided . about 350 grams of carbon black are dry mixed with about 35 grams of graphite for about 15 hours . approximately 1 . 5 liters of a 50 % isopropanol solution in water is added to the dry mixed carbon and graphite . this is mixed for about 2 additional hours . teflon in suspension and in an amount of approximately 5 % by weight of the dry mix , is added to the slurry of carbon and graphite as a binder and mixing continuted to disperse the teflon uniformly through the slurry . the remainder is now in the form of a dough which is dried initially for about 15 hours at room temperature . the dried material is crumbled to form small particles . the particles are then cured at approximately 300 ° c . for about 2 to 3 hours to form the globules of porous carbon cathode material for placement in the primary electrochemical cell . the relative concentrations of the carbon black , graphite and binder may be varied according to the ranges set forth hereinabove . the dry mixing of the carbon black and graphite is done to achieve a uniform distribution between the carbon and graphite particles . the time required for this procedure is largely a function of the equipment used . in fact , is those instances where no graphite particles are used or in which sufficient wet mixing time is used , the dry mixing step may be eliminated : however , it remains in the presently preferred method . the liquid is a matter of choice so long as it succeeds in wetting the carbon and graphite particles . the quantity of liquid to be utilized varies according to the choice of liquid and the relative proportions of grahite and carbon black . a determination of such effective quantities is standard to one of ordinary skill in the art . preferably , the suitable liquid chosen in one which volatilizes completely so that no contamination residue is left in the cathode . however , if such a residue is inert to the chemicals in the electrochemical cell , a non - totally volatilized liquid may also be used so long as the residue does not significantly affect the cathode composition . the following are utilizable as liquids in the practice of the invention : glycols , such as ethylene glycol , butylene glycol and 2 , 3 - hexandiol ; alcohols , particularly lower molecular weight alcohols , such as methanol , ethanol , and isopropanol ; ketones , such as acetone , methyl - ethyl - ketone , and diethyl ketone ; alkony - substituted alcohols , such as 2 - ethoxy - ethanol , 2 - butoxy - ethanol , and 2 - methoxy - ethanol ; amides , such as formamide ; amines , such as isobutylamine and terbutylamine ; water ; and mixtures thereof , particularly mixtures of water with other liquids . however , water , glycols , alcohols and mixtures thereof form the presently preferred group from which the liquid may be selected . the wet mixing time is that period which is required to form a uniform slurry of the various ingredients . that period is affected by the particular equipment used , the liquid selected , and the blend of ingredients in the slurry . the drying time and temperature are determined by the volatility of the liquid , the quantity used , and practicality . the drying time and temperature are , of course , interrelated . room temperature is usually suitable ; however , an elevated temperature may be used so long as the temperature is below the minimum temperature required to cure the binder . in the curing step of the procedure , the binder is cured so that the binder particles become linked thereby capturing the carbon particles within a resulting highly porous matrix . the temperature selected is a function of the binder chosen and causes the particles of dried slurry to form globules of varying size . the globules are individual semi - rigid bodies of material which may be emplaced in primary electrochemical cells . in addition to the foregoing method , the cathode materials of the present invention may be produced by mixing only enough of the liquid with the dry mixed materials to cause those materials to form small spherical shapes . these spherical masses are then directly cured to form the globules . also , the crumbling step in the former procedure may be eliminated and the material broken apart after curing . the aforementioned procedures produce generally differently shaped particles of cathode material which are respectively flakes , spheres and irregular polyhedrons . in the present context globules should be understood to include all such shapes . the cathode material of the present invention is for use especially in primary electrochemical cells which have cathode depolarizers that can be electrochemically reduced on a high surface area carbon cathode , especially those cells having an alkali metal anode and a non - aqueous electrolytic solution . included in the former groups are the familiar carbon - zinc cells . in the latter group are included a relatively recently developed class of cells wherein the electrolytic solution includes an inorganic oxyhalide of sulfur or phosphorus as the solvent material and a solute dissolved therein to make the solution ionically conductive . suitable oxyhalide solvents are phosphorus oxychloride , thionyl chloride , sulfuryl chloride , or mixtures thereof . such oxyhalide solvent materials additionally function as cathode depolarizers as they are electrochemically reduced on the surface of the cathode material during operation of the cell . suitable electrochemical systems ( i . e ., anode , cathode and solutes ) are set forth in copending application ser . no . 685 , 214 , filed 5 / 11 / 76 , the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference . the most promising of this type of cell has a lithium anode and a solvent / depolarizer which is selected from the group set forth above . primary electrochemical cells having a lithium anode and an electrolytic solution as described above have been found to be particularly suitable for use with the carbon cathode materials especially when combined with a metallic current collector . such cells provide better and more uniform contact between the cathode material and the current collector since the cathode material expands during discharge thereby improving contact between the cathode material and collector and filling the space between the anode and the cathode . the probability of intracellular shorting is reduced greatly over prior art types of primary electrochemical cells since the cathode material is of a definite shape and cannot diffuse through a separator to contact the anode material . therefore , the separator used in cells having the globular cathodes of the present invention may be very thin thereby greatly reducing the internal cell resistance . while there have been shown and described what are considered to be preferred embodiments of the present invention , it will be obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims . | 7 |
as used herein , the term “ ligand ” refers to an agent that binds a target molecule . according to the present invention , a ligand is not limited to an agent that binds a recognized functional region of the target protein e . g . the active site of an enzyme , the antigen - combining site of an antibody , the hormone - binding site of a receptor , a cofactor - binding site , and the like . in practicing the present invention , a ligand can also be an agent that binds any surface or conformational domains of the target protein . therefore , the ligands of the present invention encompass agents that in and of themselves may have no apparent or known biological function , beyond their ability to bind to the target protein in the manner described above . as used herein , the term “ test ligand ” refers to an agent , comprising a compound , molecule or complex , which is being tested for its ability to bind to a target molecule . test ligands can be virtually any agent , including without limitation metals , peptides , proteins , lipids , polysaccharides , nucleic acids , small organic molecules , and combinations thereof . complex mixtures of substances such as natural product extracts , which may include more than one test ligand , can also be tested , and the component that binds the target molecule can be purified from the mixture in a subsequent step . as used herein , the term “ target protein ” refers to a peptide , protein or protein complex for which identification of a ligand or binding partner is desired . target proteins include without limitation peptides or proteins known or believed to be involved in the etiology of a given disease , condition or pathophysiological state , or in the regulation of physiological function . target proteins may be derived from any living organism , such as a vertebrate , particularly a mammal and even more particularly a human . for use in the present invention , it is not necessary that the protein &# 39 ; s biochemical function be specifically identified . target proteins include without limitation receptors , enzymes , oncogene products , tumor suppressor gene products , vital proteins , and transcription factors , either in purified form or as part of a complex mixture of proteins and other compounds . furthermore , target proteins may comprise wild type proteins , or , alternatively , mutant or variant proteins , including those with altered stability , activity , or other variant properties , or hybrid proteins to which foreign amino acid sequences , e . g . sequences that facilitate purification , have been added . as used herein , “ test combination ” refers to the combination of a test ligand and a target protein . “ control combination ” refers to the target protein in the absence of a test ligand . as used herein , “ screening ” refers to the testing of a multiplicity of molecules or compounds for their ability to bind to a target molecule . as used herein , the term “ lead molecule ” refers to a molecule or compound , from a combinatorial library or other collection , which displays relatively high affinity for a target molecule . high affinity is detected by this invention through the heat released in a chemical reaction . the terms “ lead compound ” and “ lead molecule ” are synonymous . as used herein , the term “ target molecule ” encompasses peptides , proteins , nucleic - acids , protein - nucleic acid complexes and other receptors . the term encompasses both enzymes and proteins which are not enzymes . the term encompasses monomeric and multimeric proteins . multimeric proteins may be homomeric or heteromeric . the term encompasses nucleic acids comprising at least two nucleotides , such as oligonucleotides . nucleic acids can be single - stranded , double - stranded , or triple - stranded . the term encompasses a nucleic acid which is a synthetic oligonucleotide , a portion of a recombinant dna molecule , or a portion of chromosomal dna . the term target molecule also encompasses portions of peptides , secondary , tertiary , or quaternary structure through folding , with substituents including , but not limited to , cofactors , coenzymes , prosthetic groups , lipids , oligosaccharides , or phosphate groups . as used herein , the term “ molecule ” refers to the compound , which is tested for binding affinity for the target molecule . this term encompasses chemical compounds of any structure , including , but not limited to nucleic acids and peptides . more specifically , the term “ molecule ” encompasses compounds in a compound or a combinatorial library . the terms “ molecule ” and “ ligand ” are synonymous . as used herein , the term “ thermal change ” encompasses the release of energy in the form of heat or the absorption of energy in the form of heat . as used herein , the term “ contacting a target molecule ” refers broadly to placing the target molecule in solution with the molecule to be screened for binding . less broadly , contacting refers to the turning , swirling , shaking or vibrating of a solution of the target molecule and the molecule to be screened for binding . more specifically , contacting refers to the mixing of the target molecule with the molecule to be tested for binding . mixing can be accomplished , for example , by repeated uptake and discharge through a pipette tip or by deposition by robotic means . preferably , contacting refers to the equilibration of binding between the target molecule and the molecule to be tested for binding . as used herein , the term “ biochemical conditions ” encompasses any component , thermodynamic property , or kinetic property of a physical , chemical , or biochemical reaction . specifically , the term refers to conditions of temperature , pressure , protein concentration , ph , ionic strength , salt concentration , time , electric current , potential difference , and concentrations of cofactor , coenzyme , oxidizing agents , reducing agents , detergents , metal ion , ligands , buffer components , co - solvents including dmso ( dimethyl sulfoxide ), glycerol , and related compounds , enhancers , and inhibitors . as used here in the term “ lead profiling assay ” encompasses the testing for reaction of a compound or a series of compounds with known binding activity towards a desired target against a plurality of other targets so as to determine a reactivity profile for said compound of compounds . the present invention encompasses nanocalorimeters and nanocalorimeter arrays that enable measurement of enthalpic changes , such as enthalpic changes arising from reactions , phase changes , changes in molecular conformation , and the like . furthermore , the present invention encompasses combinatorial methods and high - throughput screening methods that use nanocalorimeters in the study , discovery , and development of new compounds , materials , chemistries , and chemical processes , as well as high - throughput monitoring of compounds or materials , or high - throughput monitoring of the processes used to synthesize or modify compounds or materials . the present invention also relates to compounds or materials identified by the above methods and their therapeutic uses ( for diagnostic , preventive or treatment purposes ), uses in purification and separation methods , and uses related to their novel physical or chemical properties . for the purposes herein , a nanocalorimeter refers to a device capable of measuring heats of reaction in the range of nanocalories . as an example , the present invention encompasses high - throughput screening methods for identifying a ligand that binds a target protein . if the target protein to which the test ligand binds is associated with or causative of a disease or condition , the ligand may be useful for diagnosing , preventing or treating the disease or condition . a ligand identified by the present method can also be one that is used in a purification or separation method , such as a method that results in purification or separation of the target protein from a mixture . the present invention also relates to ligands identified by the present method and their therapeutic uses ( for diagnostic , preventive or treatment purposes ) and uses in purification and separation methods . in practicing the present invention , the test ligand is combined with a target molecule , and the mixture is maintained under appropriate conditions and for a sufficient time to allow binding of the test ligand to the target molecule . experimental conditions are determined empirically for each target molecule . when testing multiple test ligands , incubation conditions are usually chosen so that most ligand : target molecule interactions would be expected to proceed to completion . in high - throughput screening applications , the test ligand is usually present in molar excess relative to the target molecule . the target molecule can be in a soluble form , or , alternatively , can be bound to a solid phase matrix . the matrix may comprise without limitation beads , membrane filters , plastic surfaces , or other suitable solid supports . binding to a given target is a prerequisite for pharmaceuticals intended to modify directly the action of that target . thus , if a test ligand is shown , through use of the present method , to bind a target that reflects or affects the etiology of a condition , it may indicate the potential ability of the test ligand to alter target function and to be an effective pharmaceutical or lead compound for the development of such a pharmaceutical . alternatively , the ligand may serve as the basis for the construction of hybrid compounds containing an additional component that has the potential to alter the target &# 39 ; s function . for example , a known compound that inhibits the activity of a family of related enzymes may be rendered specific to one member of the family by conjugation of the known compound to a ligand , identified by the methods of the present invention , that binds specifically to that member at a different site than that recognized by the known compound . the fact that the present method is based on physicochemical properties common to most targets gives it widespread application . the present invention can be applied to large - scale systematic high - throughput procedures that allow a cost - effective screening of many thousands of test ligands . once a ligand has been identified by the methods of the present invention , it can be further analyzed in more detail using known methods specific to the particular target used . also , the ligand can be tested for its ability to influence , either positively or negatively , a known biological activity of the target . in the drug discovery process , a drug target protein is screened for reactivity against a large number ( 500 , 000 ) of compounds from a drug library of compounds . often it is desirable to screen several different drug target proteins against the same library of proteins if the target proteins are thought to have a similar function such as the enzymatic function of a kinase . turning to fig1 there is shown an embodiment of a conventional drug screening process , a competitive screen , using a fluorescent assay . in a competitive screen , the reaction of the drug library compound with the target protein prevents the reaction of a second known reactive compound that contains a detectable label such as , in the case of a fluorescent assay , a fluorescent label . the level of reactivity of the drug library compound is inferred by detecting the fluorescence coming from the bound labeled compound . several types of fluorescent assays are currently utilized in the art , but the two most practiced are fluorescence intensity and fluorescence polarization . in a fluorescence intensity assay , a labeled ligand 1130 at a low concentration and one or more drug library compounds 1150 at a higher concentration ( 5 μm ) are mixed with a target protein 1110 . the labeled ligand 1130 is known to react strongly with the target protein 1110 and is often the natural ligand . the receptor of the target protein 1110 is immobilized to the container and incubated with the mixture of labeled ligand and drug library compounds at step 1140 . the label on the ligand in this example is a molecule that fluoresces in a particular way when stimulated by light such as a laser or an ultraviolet light source . radioactive compounds can also be used as labels . following the incubation step 1152 , the free ligand is removed by washing at step 1155 and the amount of bound , labeled ligand is measured by detecting the amount and nature of the light emitted from the fluorescent label attached to ligand 1130 at step 1160 . if the fluorescence is reduced , then a reaction with a drug library compound has occurred , as shown at step 1180 . the reaction will reduce the amount of labeled ligand that reacts by a predicted amount ranging from 20 % to 50 % or more . if the fluorescence is not reduced , then a reaction has not occurred , as shown at step 1170 , since the labeled ligand reaction is not inhibited . the variation in the amount of fluorescent light for uninhibited binding is approximately 10 %, resulting in an acceptable signal to noise ratio . for the fluorescence polarization approach , the labeled ligand is incubated with the receptor and the drug library compounds but the receptor does not need to be immobilized . here the assay relies on the observation that fluorescence from the labeled ligand bound to the receptor is substantially more polarized than the fluorescence from an unbound labeled ligand . again in this approach , the signal produced is maximum when no the drug library compounds bind to the target receptor and is reduced by binding . in both straight fluorescence and fluorescence polarization , reaction of the target protein and a labeled ligand is required for the assay . for competitive assays , a compound is required that strongly interacts with the protein target . this compound is often the ligand that reacts with the protein target in nature . in the fluorescent assays described here , this ligand must have an attached molecule that serves as a fluorescent label . the label must be attached in a manner that does not affect the ligand reaction to the protein target . developing a competitive assay by creating such a labeled ligand is a costly , time - consuming effort . lead profiling identifies and prioritizes a portfolio of compounds that have the best chance of success in clinical development . assays can range from relatively simple ligand - receptor interaction to cell - based assays using genetically modified cells with multiple endpoints or reporter genes . the choice for a specific assay is determined by factors such as the desired target profile , sensitivity , robustness , and ease of automation . drug leads are screened against other naturally occurring proteins to determine the level of interaction with these other targets . to become a drug lead , the protein must not only interact with the desired target but must not interact with other possibly similar proteins . leads that do not affect proteins other than their target protein are more likely to not be toxic . alternatively , a specific profile of interaction with more than one target may be desired , and specific other targets definitely excluded . testing for interactions with these other proteins using existing technology requires a unique assay for each protein . in many cases , screening against other proteins can require many different assay formats and reagent development and consequently be costly and time - consuming . for competitive assays this requires a high affinity interaction between the protein and a labeled ligand . however , with the device taught herein , there is no need to develop a specific assay for each target , since a direct measurement of the heat of interaction is made utilizing calorimetry . turning now to fig2 there is shown an embodiment of the nanocalorimeter as used for a lead profiling assay . in fig1 , a target substance to be screened , for example a protein , 1210 is combined at step 1220 with one or more drug library compounds 1230 , which had reacted with an original target protein . for example , with a kinase inhibitor , the drug lead is tested for reaction with other kinases as well as other key proteins to test activity level . the enthalpy of this reaction is measured at step 1240 . the enthalpy of this reaction is then compared with the enthalpy for a reaction with no inhibitor . if there is a reaction , it is identified at step 1260 ; if a reaction is not present , it is identified at step 1250 . while the present invention has been illustrated and described with reference to specific embodiments , further modification and improvements will occur to those skilled in the art . it is to be understood , therefore , that this invention is not limited to the particular forms illustrated and that it is intended in the appended claims to embrace all alternatives , modifications , and variations which do not depart from the spirit and scope of this invention . | 8 |
the rearrangement reaction of this invention is a simple , high yield , thermal rearrangement . it is surprising that such a reaction would occur , and especially that it would occur so smoothly . the reaction can be carried out batchwise under autogenous pressure , but it is preferable to conduct it continuously in the vapor phase by passing the dioxole through a hot tube . in the examples which are a part of this specification , batch reactions show yields as high as 83 % and continuous reactions show yields as high as 93 %. these yields are quite surprising , especially in view of the fact that handling losses are magnified when such small amounts of material as are used in the examples are reacted . the reaction temperature for the rearrangement is 100 °- 400 ° c ., preferably 225 °- 350 ° c . longer reaction times are required at lower temperatures . the reaction pressure is not critical . it is convenient to operate continuously at atmospheric pressure and to use autogenous pressure for batch reactions . diluents are not needed , but diluents which do not react with starting materials or products can be employed . suitable diluents include perfluorocarbons and cf 2 cl -- cfcl 2 . it is desirable to keep moisture out of the reaction mixture . the esterification of acid halides , as produced herein , is well known in the art . esterification with methanol can be carried out at - 50 ° c . to 100 ° c ., preferably - 10 ° c . to 25 ° c . the conversion of one acid halide to another acid halide is well known in the art . thus , e in the aforesaid formula for the epoxide can be converted from one halogen to another halogen . however , it is surprising and unexpected that a halogen exchange can be carried out without opening the epoxide ring . hydrolysis of the ester group may be carried out under mild conditions without attack on the epoxide group . the direct bromination of 2 , 2 - bis - trifluoromethyl - 1 , 3 - dioxolane can be carried out with bromine in the presence of cupric bromide , for example , as demonstrated in examples 15 and 16 . the temperature can be 100 ° c . to 350 ° c , preferably 175 ° c . to 300 ° c . the time required can range from 15 seconds to 8 hours , depending on the temperature , the extent of bromination desired , and whether the reaction is batch or continuous . up to three bromine atoms can be introduced by direct bromination . to obtain the tetrabromodioxolane ( xx ), hbr was removed from the tribromodioxolane ( xviii ) of example 16 , using 50 % aqueous naoh and a quaternary ammonium salt . this gave the dibromodioxole ( xix ) of example 17 , to which bromine was added in the presence of light to give the tetrabromodioxolane ( xx ) of example 18 . one of the bromine atoms in the tetrabromodioxolane ( xx ) was replaced with f by reaction with hf and antimony pentachloride under conventional fluorination conditions , as described in example 19 . the resulting compound ( xxi ) of example 19 was treated with zn and bromine in dimethyl formamide to remove bromine and yield bis - 2 , 2 - trifluoromethyl - 4 - bromo - 5 - fluoro - 1 , 3 - dioxole ( xxii ), example 20 . removal of hbr from the bis - 2 , 2 - trifluoromethyl - 4 , 5 - dibromodioxolane ( xvii ) of example 16 to give the corresponding 4 - bromodioxole ( xxiii ) was carried out with 50 % aqueous naoh and a quaternary ammonium salt at room temperature ( example 21 ). examples 22 - 26 disclose conditions under which the known 2 , 2 - bis - trifluoromethyl - 4 - hydroxymethyl - 1 , 3 - dioxolane can be converted by known reactions to 2 , 2 , 4 - tris - trifluoromethyl - 5 - fluoro - 1 , 3 - dioxole ( xxviii ), which can be rearranged according to the present invention ( example 27 ). the dioxole of the formula ## str4 ## in which d is selected from h , f , br and cf 3 , and e is f or br ; the epoxide of the formula ## str5 ## in which each of a and b is independently selected from cf 3 , cclf 2 , and c 2 f 5 ; d is selected from h , cf 3 , f , cl , and br ; and e is selected from f , cl , br , coor wherein r is lower alkyl , cooh , and coom wherein m is alkali metal ; and ( a ) each of d , d &# 39 ; and e is br and e &# 39 ; is f ; ( c ) each of d , d &# 39 ; e is br and e &# 39 ; is h ; ( d ) each of d , d &# 39 ; and e &# 39 ; is h and e is br ; ( e ) each of d and e is br and each of d &# 39 ; and e &# 39 ; is h ; ( f ) each of d , d &# 39 ; and e is h and e &# 39 ; is cooh ; ( g ) each of d , d &# 39 ; and e is h and e &# 39 ; is cf 3 ; ( h ) each of d , d &# 39 ; and e is cl and e &# 39 ; is cf 3 ; or ( i ) each of d and e is cl , d &# 39 ; is f and e &# 39 ; is cf 3 . it is particularly surprising and unexpected that , in the aforesaid formula for the bis - 2 , 2 - trifluoromethyldioxole , when d is cf 3 and e is f , the rearrangement product is an epoxy acid fluoride rather than the expected epoxy ketone . a one inch ( 2 . 5 cm ) diameter glass tube twelve inches ( 30 . 5 cm ) long was filled with glass beads , dried , heated to 280 and 17 . 4 g . of bis - 2 , 2 - trifluoromethyl - 4 , 5 - difluoro - 1 , 3 - dioxole was added at a rate of 0 . 48 ml per minute to give 15 . 0 g . of a colorless liquid , boiling at 35 .. the infrared spectrum [ c = 0 1887 cm . - 1 , oxirane 1462 cm - 1 ] and the 19 f nmr spectrum [+ 28 . 7 ( 1f ), - 68 . 9 ( 3f ), - 71 . 1 ( 3f ), - 148 . 6 ( 1f )] are consistent with structure ( i ). anhydrous methanol , 10 ml , was added to 18 g . of cold ( i ). the reaction mixture was washed with 200 ml water and the lower layer distilled to give 12 . 0 g . ( ii ), boiling at 91 . the infrared spectrum [ c = 0 1792 cm . - 1 , oxirane 1464 cm - 1 ] and the nmr spectra [ 1 h 3 . 80 ; 19f - 68 . 6 ( 3f ), - 71 . 3 ( 3f ), - 145 . 8 ( 1f )] are consistent with structure ( ii ). in the same manner as in example 1 , 48 . 7 g . of bis - 2 , 2 - trifluoromethyl - 4 , 5 - dichloro - 1 , 3 - dioxole was added at a rate of 0 . 48 ml per minute to give 47 . 2 g . of product . the combined product of two runs was distilled to give 87 . 0 g . ( iii ) boiling at 92 °. the infrared spectrum [ c = 0 1821 cm . - 1 , oxirane 1418 cm . - 1 ] and the 19 f nmr spectrum [- 66 . 5 q ., - 69 . 3 q . j = 8 . 5 hz .] were consistent with structure ( iii ). in the same manner as in example 2 , 87 . 0 g . ( iii ) was treated with 50 ml anhydrous methanol to give 72 . 0 g . ( iv ), boiling at 120 °. the infrared spectrum [ c = 0 1805 cm . - 1 , oxirane 1445 cm . - 1 ] and nmr spectrum [ 1 h 3 . 83 ; 19 f - 66 . 3 ( 3f ), - 70 . 5 ( 3f )] were consistent with structure ( iv ). ( a ) a sealed glass tube containing 1 . 7 g . bis - 2 , 2 - trifluoromethyl - 4 - fluoro - 5 - chloro - 1 , 3 - dioxole was heated at 200 ° for 16 hours . the 1 . 6 g . product contained 88 % ( v ). the infrared spectrum [ c = 0 1887 cm . - 1 , oxirane 1431 cm . - 1 ] and the 19 f nmr spectrum [+ 25 . 0 ( 1f ), - 67 . 6 ( 3f ), - 71 . 2 ( 3f )] were consistent with the proposed structure . reaction of ( v ) with methanol gave ( iv ) as the only product . ( b ) in the same manner as in example 1 , 12 . 8 g . of bis - 2 , 2 - trifluoromethyl - 4 - fluoro - 5 - chloro - 1 , 3 - dioxole was added at a rate of 0 . 48 ml per minute to give 12 . 4 g . of product containing 96 % ( v ). in the same manner as in example 1 , 11 . 7 g . of bis - 2 , 2 - trifluoromethyl - 4 - fluoro - 1 , 3 - dioxole was added at a rate of 0 . 48 ml per minute to give 10 . 8 g . of product . distillation gave 7 . 8 g . of ( vi ) boiling at 73 °. the infrared spectrum [ c = 0 1894 , 1869 cm . - 1 , oxirane 1460 cm . - 1 ] and nmr spectrum [ 1 h 4 . 18 ; 19 f + 37 . 8 ( 1f ), - 69 . 8 ( 3f ), - 74 . 5 ( 3f )] were consistent with structure ( vi ). in the same manner as in example 2 , 1 . 18 g . ( vi ) was treated with one ml methanol to give 1 . 25 g . ( vii ) boiling at 106 °. the infrared spectrum [ c = 0 1786 cm . - 1 , oxirane 1449 cm . - 1 ] and the nmr spectrum [ 1 h 3 . 74 ( 3h ), 4 . 13 ( 2h ); 19 f - 70 . 0 ( 3f ), - 74 . 3 ( 3f )] were consistent with structure ( vii ). in the same manner as in example 1 , 23 . 5 g . bis - 2 , 2 - chlorodifluoromethyl - 4 , 5 - dichlorodioxole was added at 300 ° at the rate of 0 . 64 g . per minute to give 23 . 0 g . of a pale yellow liquid . distillation yielded 20 . 2 g . ( viii ) boiling at 147 °. the infrared spectrum [ c = 0 1792 cm . - 1 , oxirane 1404 cm . - 1 ] was consistent with structure ( viii ). in the same manner as in example 2 , 4 . 9 g . ( viii ) was treated with three ml of anhydrous methanol to give 4 . 0 g . ( ix ) boiling at 179 °. the infrared spectrum [ c = 0 1776 cm . - 1 , oxirane 1447 cm . - 1 ] and the nmr spectrum [ 1 h 3 . 85 ; 19f - 54 . 0 ] were consistent with structure ( ix ). a mixture of 31 . 5 g . bis - 2 , 2 - trifluoromethyl - 1 , 3 - dioxole and 96 g . bromine was heated at 250 . for one hour . the product was distilled to give 3 . 2 g . of material boiling at 54 ° at 50 torr which contained 52 mole percent ( x ). the infrared spectrum [ c = 0 1800 cm . - 1 , oxirane 1420 cm . - 1 ] and the 19 f nmr spectrum [- 66 . 1 ( 3f ) and - 68 . 2 ( 3f )] were consistent with structure ( x ). in the same manner as in example 1 , 10 . 6 g . of bis - 2 , 2 - trifluoromethyl - 4 , 5 - dibromo - 1 , 3 - dioxole was added at a rate of 0 . 57 ml per minute to give 8 . 86 g . of product mixture containing ( x ). treatment with methanol as in example 2 yielded 6 . 0 g . of material . distillation gave 2 . 5 g . ( xi ) boiling at 135 °. the infrared spectrum [ c = 0 1791 cm . - 1 , oxirane 1445 cm . - 1 ] and the nmr spectrum [ 1 h 3 . 97 ; 19f - 65 . 8 ( 3f ), - 70 . 1 ( 3f )] were consistent with structure ( xi ). a sealed glass tubing containing 1 . 0 g . bis - 2 , 2 - pentafluoroethyl - 4 , 5 - difluoro - 1 , 3 - dioxole was heated at 220 for 15 . 5 hours . the 0 . 5 g . liquid product was mostly ( xii ). the infrared spectrum [ c = 0 1894 cm . - 1 , oxirane 1435 cm . - 1 ] and 19 f nmr spectrum [+ 28 ( 1f ), - 82 ( 6f ), - 113 ( 4f ), - 146 ( 1f )] were consistent with structure ( xii ). the product ( xii ) of example 12 was treated with methanol in the manner of example 2 . the major component of the product , ( xiii ), was separated chromatographically . the 19 f nmr of this material [- 75 . 3 ( 3f ), - 76 . 0 ( 3f ), - 107 . 6 ( complex ) ( 4f ), - 136 . 4 ( 1f )] was in agreement with structure ( xiii ). ( a ) a tube containing 14 . 5 g . bis - 2 , 2 - trifluoromethyl - 4 , 5 - difluoro - 1 , 3 - dioxole was heated at 100 ° for 30 minutes , 150 for 30 minutes and 200 ° for 30 minutes . the major component of the crude product was ( i ). the product was shaken with 5 % aqueous sodium bicarbonate , extracted with cfc - 113 , trichlorotrifluoroethane , acidified with aqueous hydrochloric acid and extracted with ether . the ether layer was distilled to give ( xiv ) boiling at 74 ° at 50 torr . the infrared spectrum [ c = 0 1754 cm . - 1 ] and the 19 f nmr spectrum [- 68 . 5 ( 3f ), - 70 . 8 ( 3f ), - 146 . 8 ( 1f )] were consistent with structure ( xiv ). ( b ) the above acid , ( xiv ), was dissolved in 10 ml water , neutralized with 1 . 0 n sodium hydroxide and the water was evaporated to give a white solid , ( xv ). the 19 f nmr spectrum [- 65 . 7 ( 3f ), - 68 . 5 ( 3f ), - 142 . 9 ( 1f )] was consistent with structure ( xv ). a mixture of 3 . 0 g . cupric bromide , 16 . 0 g . bromine and 21 . 0 g . bis - 2 , 2 - trifluoromethyl - 1 , 3 - dioxolane was heated at 225 ° for two hours . the crude product was added to water , washed with aqueous sodium bisulfite and distilled to give 1 . 0 g . ( xvi ) boiling at 52 ° at 50 torr . the infrared and 1 h nmr spectrum [ 4 . 85 ( 2h ), 6 . 67 ( 1 h )] were consistent with structure ( xvi ). ( a ) a mixture of 3 . 0 g . cupric bromide , 10 . 5 g . bis - 2 , 2 - trifluoromethyl - 1 , 3 - dioxolane and 32 . 0 g . bromine was heated at 225 ° for two hours . the crude product was added to water and washed with aqueous sodium bisulfite to give 14 . 7 g . of a colorless liquid . distillation yielded 1 . 1 g . ( xvii ) boiling at 67 ° at 50 torr and 6 . 3 g . ( xviii ) boiling at 88 ° at 50 torr . the infrared spectrum and nmr spectrum [ 1 h 6 . 95 ; 19f - 78 . 3 ] were consistent with structure ( xvii ). the infrared spectrum and nmr spectrum [ 1 h 7 . 43 ; 19f - 77 . 2 ( 3f ), - 78 . 3 ( 3f )] were consistent with structure ( xviii ). ( b ) a 15 . 6 g . mixture of bis - 2 , 2 - trifluoromethyl - 1 , 3 - dioxole ( 65 %) and bis - 2 , 2 - trifluoromethyl - 4 - chloro - 1 , 3 - dioxole ( 35 %) and excess bromine was irradiated with a sun lamp for 25 minutes . the excess bromine was destroyed by reaction with aqueous sodium bisulfite and the 24 . 3 g . product was distilled to give ( xvii ) boiling at 69 ° at 50 torr . and whose infrared and nmr spectra were the same as those of ( xvii ) prepared above . bis - 2 , 2 - trifluoromethyl - 4 , 5 - dibromo - 5 - chloro - 1 , 3 - dioxolane boiling at 78 ° at 50 torr . was isolated from the higher boiling material . the structure of this material was consistent with the nmr spectrum [ 1 h 7 . 29 ; 19f - 77 . 6 ( 3f ), - 78 . 4 ( 3f )]. a mixture of 85 ml 50 % aqueous sodium hydroxide , 82 . 0 g . ( xviii ) and five drops ( ch 3 -- choh -- ch 2 ) 2 n ( ch 2 c 6 h 5 ) c 12 h 25 + cl - was stirred at room temperature for 18 hours . the reaction mixture was added to water and the lower layer washed with an equal volume of water to give 54 . 2 g . product . distillation yielded 51 . 9 g . ( xix ), b . p . 62 ° at 100 mm . the infrared spectrum and 19 f nmr spectrum [- 82 . 3 ] were consistent with structure ( xix ). bromine was slowly added to 51 . 5 g . ( xix ) while irradiating with a sun lamp . excess bromine was added and the irradiation continued for 20 minutes . the remaining bromine was destroyed with aqueous sodium bisulfite and the product was distilled to give ( xx ) boiling at 86 ° at 10 torr . the infrared and 19 f nmr spectra [- 75 . 0 ] were consistent with structure ( xx ). a mixture of 20 . 0 g . ( xx ), 1 . 0 g . antimony pentachloride and 10 g . anhydrous hydrogen fluoride was heated at 70 ° for one hour and 100 for one hour . the reaction mixture was added to water and the lower layer was distilled to give ( xxi ) boiling at 48 ° at 10 torr and unconverted ( xx ). the 19 f nmr [- 27 . 5 ( 1f ), - 77 . 3 ( 3f ), - 78 . 7 ( 3f )] was consistent with structure ( xxi ). a mixture of 5 . 0 g . zinc and 30 ml dimethylformamide was stirred at 27 ° and 0 . 5 g . bromine was added . the mixture was cooled to room temperature and 23 . 2 g . ( xxi ) was added . the temperature rose to 75 °. the mixture was cooled to room temperature and distilled to give 7 . 5 g . of product containing 43 % ( xxii ) which was isolated chromatographically . the infrared spectrum [ 1790 cm . - 1 ] and the 19 f nmr spectrum [- 83 . 4 ( 6f ), - 149 7 ( 1f )] were consistent with structure ( xxii ). a mixture of 15 . 6 g . ( xvii ), 15 ml 50 % aqueous sodium hydroxide and 3 drops ( ch 3 -- choh -- ch 2 ) 2 n ( ch 2 c 6 h 5 ) c 12 h 25 + cl - was stirred at room temperature for 17 hours . the reaction mixture was added to water and the lower layer was washed with an equal volume of water to give 6 . 9 g . product . ( xxiii ) was separated chromatographically from the mixture and the infrared and nmr spectra [ 1 h 6 . 69 ; 19 f - 82 . 3 ] were consistent with the dioxole structure ( xxiii ). a mixture of 48 . 0 g . 2 , 2 - bis - trifluoromethyl - 4 - hydroxymethyl - 1 , 3 - dioxolane ( made according to either u . s . pat . no . 3 , 758 , 510 or u . s . pat . no . 3 , 795 , 682 ), 180 ml water and 36 . 0 g . sodium carbonate was stirred and 63 . 2 g . of potassium permanganate was added slowly while the temperature was kept below 30 °. after stirring at room temperature for 16 hours sodium bisulfite was added to reduce the excess potassium permanganate to manganese dioxide . the resulting mixture was filtered , the filtrate was made basic with saturated sodium carbonate solution , extracted with ether , neutralized with hydrochloric acid , extracted with ether and the solvent was removed to give 28 . 0 g . ( xxiv ), m . p . 62 °- 63 °. the nmr spectra [ 19 f - 79 . 8 , - 80 . 3 ; 1 h 10 . 3 , 5 . 22 , 4 . 83 , 4 . 59 ] were consistent with structure ( xxiv ). a mixture of 12 . 7 g . ( xxiv ), 16 . 2 g . sulfur tetrafluoride and 10 g . anhydrous hydrogen fluoride was heated at 85 ° for 6 hours . the product was distilled to give 8 . 0 g . ( xxv ), boiling at 36 ° at 110 torr . the nmr spectra [ 19 f - 79 . 0 ( 3f ), - 80 . 7 ( 3f ), - 81 . 5 ( 3f ) ; 1 h 4 . 42 ( 2h ), 4 . 73 ( 1 h )] were consistent with structure ( xxv ). chlorine was added to 20 g . ( xxv ) at approximately 120 ° while irradiating with a sunlamp until there was no further reaction . the product was distilled to give 24 . 0 g . ( xxvi ) as a colorless liquid boiling at 80 ° at 160 torr . the 19 f nmr spectrum [- 74 . 2 ( 3f ), - 78 . 0 ( 3f ), - 78 . 5 ( 3f )] was consistent with structure ( xxvi ). a mixture of 21 . 0 g . ( xxvi ), 13 . 6 g . antimony trifluoride , and 8 . 5 g . antimony pentachloride was heated at 100 °- 110 for 8 hours . the product was distilled at 40 ° at 32 torr . and washed with saturated aqueous sodium bicarbonate to give 14 . 0 g . ( xxvii ). the 19 f nmr spectrum [ trans isomer - 40 . 7 ( 1f ), - 77 . 3 ( 3f ), - 79 . 5 ( 3f ), - 80 . 7 ( 3f ); cis isomer - 54 . 3 ( 1f ), - 77 . 0 ( 3f ), - 79 . 2 ( 3f ), - 80 . 7 ( 3f )] was consistent with structure ( xxvii ). a suspension of 2 . 5 g . lithium aluminum hydride in 40 ml tetrahydrofuran was cooled and treated with 3 . 12 g . titanium tetrachloride . the mixture was heated to reflux for 30 minutes , cooled and 12 . 0 g . ( xxvii ) added slowly to keep the reaction temperature between 27 ° and 35 °. the reaction mixture was distilled , and the distillate was washed with water to obtain 8 . 5 g . ( xxviii ) boiling at 42 °. the 19 f nmr [- 68 . 6 ( 3f ), - 84 . 2 ( 6f ), - 136 . 8 ( 1f )] was consistent with structure ( xxviii ). a sealed glass tube containing 2 . 0 g . ( xxviii ) was heated at 200 ° for 15 minutes and 240 ° for 30 minutes . the 19 f nmr of the product showed that no ( xxviii ) remained . ( xxix ) was the sole product , 19 f nmr [+ 37 . 7 ( 1f , cof ), - 66 . 7 ( 3f ), - 68 . 0 ( 3f ), - 71 . 3 ( 3f )]. a one inch ( 2 . 5 cm ) diameter glass tube twelve inches ( 30 . 5 cm ) long was filled halfway with potassium fluoride powder , dried in a stream of nitrogen at 100 ° for 12 hours , then at 250 ° and 13 . 2 g . bis - 2 , 2 - trifluoromethyl - 4 , 5 - dichloro - 1 , 3 - dioxole added at 250 ° in 4 . 95 minutes . the product was a mixture of the starting dioxole , ( iii ) and ( v ). addition of methanol to an aliquot of the product gave ( iv ) and the starting dioxole . a mixture of 5 . 8 g . potassium fluoride , 35 ml diglyme and 11 . 1 g . of the above product containing the starting dioxole , ( iii ) and ( v ) was heated to give 8 . 2 g . of distillate which was a mixture of the starting dioxole and ( v ). no ( iii ) remained . a 2 . 2 g . sample of the starting dioxole and ( v ) from the previous reaction was heated in a sealed tube at 275 ° for one hour . the product contained only ( iii ) and ( v ). no starting dioxole remained . this example shows that ## str25 ## can be reacted with kf to give ## str26 ## without opening of the epoxide ring . | 2 |
the activity determination of factor iia ( fiia ) was carried out photometrically in 50 mm tris - hcl buffer , ph 8 . 0 , 300 mm nacl , 0 . 5 % albumin , 7 . 5 mm edta , at 37 ° c . the fiia specific chromogenic substrate acoh - h - d - chg - ala - arg - pna ( obtainable from pentapharm ) at a concentration of 0 . 2 mm was used as the substrate . para - nitroanilin ( pna ) released from the substrate by enzymatic hydrolysis was photometrically determined in dependence on the time at 405 nm . by using a fiia concentration standard ( of immuno ag ), the activity of the sample was determined from the speed of the hydrolysis of the substrate . the activity determination of factor xa ( fxa ) was effected photometrically in 50 mm tris - hcl buffer , ph 7 . 8 , 0 . 5 % albumin , at 37 ° c . the fxa - specific chromogenic substrate bz - ile - glu ( piperidyl )- gly - arg - pna ( seq id no : 1 ) ( obtainable from chromogenix ) at a concentration of 0 . 3 mm was used as the substrate . pna released from the substrate by enzymatic hydrolysis was photometrically determined in dependence on the time at 405 nm . by using an fxa concentration standard ( of immuno ag ), the activity of the sample was determined from the speed of the hydrolysis of the substrate . the protein determination for natural factor ii and recombinant factor ii ( fii / rfii ) and for fiia / rfiia , respectively , was effected by measuring the absorption at 280 nm by using the extinction coefficient ( 1 %, 1 cm ) of 13 . 8 and 17 . 9 , respectively ( human protein data , ed . by a . haeberli , vch weinheim , new york , 1992 ). the protein determination for fx and fxa , respectively , was effected by measuring the absorption at 280 nm by using an extinction coefficient ( 1 %, 1 cm ) of 12 . 4 ( human protein data , ed . by a . haeberli , vch weinheim , new york , 1992 ). the determination of the protein concentrations of protein mixtures was effected by means of the bradford method ( m . bradford , anal . biochem ., 72 ( 1976 ), 248 - 254 ) by using a commercially available system of bio - rad . activation of prothrombin to thrombin by immobilized trypsin in dependence on the period of contact between protease and pro - protein 4 ml of recombinant prothrombin ( recombinant factor ii , rfii ) at a concentration of 0 . 5 mg / ml ( activity 4 i . u . fii / ml ) in 20 mm tris / hcl buffer , ph 8 . 0 , 150 mm nacl , were admixed with 0 . 1 ml of immobilized trypsin - agarose gel ( sigma , usa ; 80 units of trypsin / ml gel ) and stirred at room temperature . samples were taken after 1 min and after 5 min and assayed for their content of recombinant thrombin ( recombinant factor iia , rfiia ) ( for data , cf . table 1 ). table 1______________________________________sample rfiia activity ( i . u ./ ml ) ______________________________________starting sample -- rfii , 0 . 4 mg / ml , 4 ml 500trypsin digestion 1 minuterfiia , 0 . 4 mg / ml , 4 mltrypsin digestion 5 minutes 40rfiia , 0 . 4 mg / ml , 4 ml______________________________________ the samples obtained were assayed for their protein composition by means of denaturing electrophoresis ( laemmli , nature , vol . 227 : 680 - 685 , ( 1970 )). the results are illustrated in fig1 the molecular weight marker being illustrated in lane a , the 1 - minute trypsin digestion being illustrated in lane b , and the 5 - minute trypsin digestion being illustrated in lane c . from these results there follows that rfii was converted to rfiia by the digestion with trypsin . after as little as 1 minute of trypsin action on rfii with an activity of 4 i . u ./ ml , rfiia was formed therefrom with an activity of 500 i . u ./ ml . yet at a period of action of 5 minutes , the detectable activity of rfiia was very low . electrophoretic analysis shows that a trypsin action on rfii of 1 minute only , a protein mixture having molecular weights ( in da ) of between 70000 and 20000 is present , a protein having the molecular mass of between 31000 and 36000 being dominant . since , as is known , thrombin has a molecular mass of 33000 in electrophoresis , it may be assumed that the protein having the molecular mass of 31000 - 36000 is thrombin that has formed . however , residues of non - activated rfii ( molecular weight 70000 ) are also still present . however , when incubating rfii with trypsin for 5 minutes , only low - molecular peptides were detected in the electrophoresis . this suggests a nearly complete digestion of the rfii by trypsin , yet without rfiia accumulating . a glass column ( diameter 1 cm ) was filled with 0 . 1 ml of immobilized trypsin - agarose gel ; this corresponds to a gel height of 1 . 25 mm . rfii was pumped at different flow rates through this trypsin - agarose gel . rfii was dissolved at 0 . 5 mg / ml ( 3 . 5 i . u ./ ml ) in 20 mm tris / hcl buffer , ph 8 . 0 , 150 mm nacl . the flow rate of the rfii solution through the gel was varied between 0 . 05 ml / minute and 1 . 0 ml / minute . the individual eluates were assayed for their content of thrombin activity ( cf . fig2 ) and for their protein composition by means of electrophoresis ( cf . fig3 ). from the flow rates and the dimension of the trypsin - agarose gel column ( volume , 0 . 1 ml gel ; diameter of the column , 1 cm ; layer thickness , 1 . 25 mm ) there result average periods of contact of 6 seconds , 10 seconds , 15 seconds , 30 seconds , 60 seconds and 120 seconds at corresponding flow rates of 1 . 0 ml / minute , 0 . 6 ml / minute , 0 . 4 ml / minute , 0 . 2 ml / minute . 0 . 1 ml / minute and 0 . 05 ml / minute , between rfii and the immobilized trypsin . the electrophoretic lanes illustrated in fig3 were loaded with the following samples : from the results there follows that the formation of rfiia from rfii by trypsin digestion depends very much on the flow rate , i . e . on the period of contact between rfii and immobilized trypsin . the highest activities of rfiia were achieved with a flow rate of 0 . 4 ml / minute . at higher flow rates ( 0 . 6 ml / minute and 1 ml / minute ), the yields of rfiia decrease again . electrophoresis shows that at these flow rates , not the entire rfii was proteolytically converted to rfiia by trypsin . at lower flow rates ( 0 . 05 ml / min to 0 . 2 ml / min ), the amount of rfiia also decreases . the electrophoretic assay shows that only slight amounts of active thrombin accumulate on account of the increased periods of contact between rfii and immobilized trypsin , and with a decreasing flow rate , inactive , low - moleular peptides form . activation of recombinant prothrombin to thrombin by immobilized trypsin , and recovery of the thrombin by affinity chromatography on hirudin - thiol sepharose . 4000 antithrombin units ( atu ) of hirudin ( obtainable from pentapharm ) were reduced , and subsequently they were coupled to 1 ml of activated thiol - sepharose ( pharmacia ) according to the producer &# 39 ; s instructions . hirudin - thiol sepharose ( hts ) was filled into a glass column ( diameter 1 cm ). the outlet of a glass column ( diameter 1 cm ) which contained 0 . 1 ml of immobilized trypsin - agarose gel ( tag ) was connected with the inlet of the hts column by a direct hose connection . the outlet of the hts column was connected with the inlet of the tag column via a valve and a pump , whereby a liquid circulation was formed . both columns were equilibrated with 20 mm tris / hcl buffer , ph 8 . 0 . rfii was dissolved at 0 . 4 mg / ml ( activity : 3 . 5 i . u ./ ml ) in 4 ml 20 mm tris / hcl buffer , ph 8 . 0 , and pumped through the tag column at a flow rate of 0 . 8 ml / min . from there , the liquid flow was directly guided to the hts column without interruption , and after passage of the hts column , it was pumped for a second time through the tag column and the hts column by means of a pump . subsequently , the hts column was separated from the tag column , flushed with 50 mm citrated buffer , ph 6 . 5 ( to remove material that had not been bound ) and then washed with 50 mm na citrated buffer , ph 6 . 5 , 500 mm nacl ( 0 . 5 m nacl eluate ). subsequently , the hts column was eluted with 1 . 5 m kscn in 50 mm citrated buffer , ph 6 . 5 ( 1 . 5 m kscn eluate ). the fractions obtained during activation were assayed for thrombin activity ( i . u ./ ml ), total activity ( i . u .) and specific activity ( thrombin activity / mg protein ). in table 2 , the results of the rfii activation from example 3 are listed . table 2______________________________________ rfiia specific rfiia activity activitysample ( i . u ./ ml ) ( i . u . total ) ( i . u ./ mg protein ) ______________________________________starting material 0 0 0non - bound material 0 0 00 . 5 m nacl eluate 50 100 3001 . 5 m kscn eluate 390 2150 3400______________________________________ fig4 shows the electrophoretic assay of the activation described , wherein in lane a the starting material ( rfii ), in lane b the 1 . 5 m kscn eluate ( rfiia ) and in lane c a molecular weight marker has been separated . the results show that by the method described in example 3 , rfii was effectively converted to rfiia . rfiia formed accumulated on the hts column and was obtained in electrophoretically pure form with a molecular weight of 33000 and with a very high specific activity by specific elution of the hts column . more than 150 i . u . of pure rfiia could be recovered from 1 i . u . of rfii by the method described . this corresponds to a substantially quantitative conversion . activation of recombinant prothrombin to thrombin by immobilized trypsin , and recovery of the thrombin by affinity chromatography on thiol - peptid - thiol sepharose . 20 mg of a peptide ( thiol peptide , tp ) having the amino acid sequence nh 2 - cys - lys - pro - gln - ser - his - asn - asp - gly - asp - phe - glu - glu - ile - pro - glu - glu - tyr - leu - gln - cooh ( seq id no : 2 ) were coupled to 1 ml of activated thiol sepharose ( obtainable from pharmacia ) according to the producer &# 39 ; s instructions . thiol - peptide - thiol sepharose ( tpts ) was filled into a glass column ( diameter 1 cm ). the outlet of a glass column ( diameter 1 cm ) which contained 0 . 1 ml immobilized trypsin - agarose gel ( tag ) was connected via a direct hose connection with the inlet of the tpts column . the outlet of the tpts column was connected with the inlet of the tag column via a valve and a pump , whereby a liquid circulation was formed . both columns were equilibrated with 20 mm tris / hcl buffer , ph 8 . 0 . rfii was dissolved at 0 . 4 mg / ml ( activity 3 . 5 i . u ./ ml ) in 4 ml 20 mm tris / hcl buffer , ph 8 . 0 , and pumped through the tag column at a flow rate of 0 . 8 ml / min . from there , the liquid flow was directly guided to the tpts column without interruption , and after passage of the tpts column , it was pumped for a second time through the tag column and the tpts column by means of a pump . subsequently , the tpts column was separated from the tag column , flushed with 50 mm citrated buffer , ph 6 . 5 ( to remove material that had not been bound ) and then washed with 50 mm na citrated buffer , ph 6 . 5 , 500 mm nacl ( 0 . 5 m nacl eluate ). subsequently , the tpts column was eluted with 1 . 5 m kscn in 50 mm citrated buffer , ph 6 . 5 ( 1 . 5 m kscn eluate ). the fractions obtained during activation were assayed for thrombin activity ( i . u ./ ml ), total activity ( i . u .) and specific activity ( thrombin activity / mg protein ). in table 3 , the results of the rfii activation obtained are listed . table 3______________________________________ rfiia specific rfiia activity activitysample ( i . u ./ ml ) ( i . u . total ) ( i . u ./ mg protein ) ______________________________________starting material 0 0 0non - bound material 0 0 00 . 5 m nacl eluate 45 100 3001 . 5 m kscn eluate 380 2250 3250______________________________________ fig5 shows the electrophoretic analysis of the activation of rfii to rfiia by immobilized trypsin and the recovery of the thrombin by affinity chromatography on thiol - peptide - thiol sepharose , wherein in lane a the molecular weight marker , in lane b the starting material ( rfii ) and in lane c the 1 . 5 m kscn eluate ( rfiia ) have been applied . the results show that by the method described , rfii was effectively converted to rfiia . rfiia formed accumulated on the tpts column and was obtained in electrophoretically pure form with a molecular weight of 33000 and with a very high specific activity by specific elution of the tpts column . more than 150 i . u . of pure rfiia could be recovered from 1 i . u . of rfii by the method described . activation of recombinant prothrombin to thrombin by immobilized trypsin , and recovery of the thrombin by affinity chromatography on amino - peptide - ch sepharose . 20 mg of a peptide ( amino peptide , ap ) having the amino acid sequence nh 2 - lys - pro - gly - pro - gly - ser - his - ala - asp - gly - asp - phe - glu - glu - ile - pro - glu - glu - tyr - leu - cooh ( seq id no : 3 ) were coupled to 1 ml of activated ch sepharose ( pharmacia ) according to the producer &# 39 ; s instructions . amine - peptide - ch sepharose ( apchs ) was filled into a glass column ( diameter 1 cm ). the outlet of a glass column ( diameter 1 cm ) which contained 0 . 1 ml immobilized trypsin - agarose gel ( tag ) was connected via a direct hose connection with the inlet of the apchs column . the outlet of the apchs column was connected with the inlet of the tag column via a valve and a pump , whereby a liquid circulation was formed . both columns were equilibrated with 20 mm tris / hcl buffer , ph 8 . 0 . rfii was dissolved at 0 . 4 mg / ml ( activity 3 . 5 i . u ./ ml ) in 4 ml 20 mm tris / hcl buffer , ph 8 . 0 , and pumped through the tag column at a flow rate of 0 . 8 ml / min . from there , the liquid flow was directly guided to the apchs column without interruption , and after passage of the apchs column , it was pumped for a second time through the tag column and the apchs column by means of a pump . subsequently , the apchs column was separated from the tag column , flushed with 50 mm citrated buffer , ph 6 . 5 ( whereby material that had not been bound was removed ) and then washed with 50 mm na citrated buffer , ph 6 . 5 , 500 mm nacl ( 0 . 5 m nacl eluate ). subsequently , the apchs column was eluted with 1 . 5 m kscn in 50 mm citrated buffer , ph 6 . 5 ( 1 . 5 m kscn eluate ). the fractions obtained during activation were assayed for thrombin activity ( i . u ./ ml ), total activity ( i . u .) and specific activity ( thrombin activity / mg protein ). in table 4 , the results of the rfii activation obtained are listed . table 4______________________________________ rfiia specific rfiia activity activitysample ( i . u ./ ml ) ( i . u . total ) ( i . u ./ mg protein ) ______________________________________starting material 0 0 0non - bound material 0 0 00 . 5 m nacl eluate 55 110 2801 . 5 m kscn eluate 320 2400 3500______________________________________ fig6 shows the electrophoretic analysis of the activation of rfii to rfiia by immobilized trypsin and the recovery of the thrombin by affinity chromatography on amino - peptide - ch sepharose , wherein in lane a the molecular weight marker , in lane b the starting material ( rfii ) and in lane c the 1 . 5 m kscn eluate ( rfiia ) have been separated . the results show that by the method described in example 5 , rfii was effectively converted to rfiia . rfiia formed accumulated on the apchs column and was obtained in electrophoretically pure form with a molecular weight of 33000 and with a very high specific activity by specific elution of the apchs column . more than 150 i . u . of pure rfiia could be recovered from 1 i . u . of rfii by the method described . activation of recombinant prothrombin to thrombin by immobilized trypsin , and recovery of the thrombin by affinity chromatography on benzamidine sepharose 2 ml benzamidine sepharose ( bas , pharmacia ) were filled into a glass column ( diameter 1 cm ). the outlet of a glass column ( diameter 1 cm ) which contained 0 . 1 ml of immobilized trypsin - agarose gel ( tag ) was connected with the inlet of the bas column by a direct hose connection . the outlet of the bas column was connected with the inlet of the tag column via a valve and a pump , whereby a liquid circulation was formed . both columns were equilibrated with 20 mm tris / hcl buffer , ph 8 . 0 . rfii was dissolved at 0 . 4 mg / ml ( activity : 3 . 5 i . u ./ ml ) in 4 ml 20 mm tris / hcl buffer , ph 8 . 0 , and pumped through the tag column at a flow rate of 0 . 8 ml / min . from there , the liquid flow was directly guided to the bas column without interruption , and after passage of the bas column , it was pumped for a second time through the tag column and the bas column by means of a pump . subsequently , the bas column was separated from the tag column , flushed with 50 mm citrated buffer , ph 6 . 5 ( to remove material that had not been bound ) and then washed with 50 mm na citrated buffer , ph 6 . 5 , 150 mm nacl ( 0 . 15 m nacl eluate ). subsequently , the bas column was eluted with 0 . 1 m benzamidine in 50 mm citrated buffer , ph 6 . 5 ( 0 . 1 m benzamidine eluate ). the fractions obtained during activation were assayed for thrombin activity ( i . u ./ ml ), total activity ( i . u .) and specific activity ( thrombin activity / mg protein ). in table 5 , the results of the rfii activation are listed . table 5______________________________________ rfiia specific rfiia activity activitysample ( i . u ./ ml ) ( i . u . total ) ( i . u ./ mg protein ) ______________________________________starting material 0 0 0non - bound material 0 0 00 . 15 m nacl eluate 0 0 00 . 1 m benzamidine 670 2100 360eluate______________________________________ fig7 shows the electrophoretic analysis of the activation of rfii to rfiia by immobilized trypsin and the recovery of the thrombin by affinity chromatography on benzamidine sepharose , wherein in lane a the starting material ( rfii ), in lane b the 0 . 1 m benzamidine eluate ( rfiia ) and in lane c a molecular weight marker have been applied . the results show that by the method described in example 6 , rfii was effectively converted to rfiia . rfiia formed accumulated on the bas column and was obtained in electrophoretically pure form with a molecular weight of 33000 and with a very high specific activity by specific elution of the bas column . more than 150 i . u . of pure rfiia could be recovered from 1 i . u . of rfii by the method described . activation of recombinant prothrombin to thrombin by immobilized trypsin , and recovery of the thrombin by affinity chromatography on heparin sepharose . 2 ml of heparin - sepharose fast flow ( hs , pharmacia ) were filled into a glass column ( diameter 1 cm ). the outlet of a glass column ( diameter 1 cm ) which contained 0 . 1 ml of immobilized trypsin - agarose gel ( tag ) was connected with the inlet of the hs column by a direct hose connection . the outlet of the bas column was connected with the inlet of the tag column via a valve and a pump , whereby a liquid circulation was formed . both columns were equilibrated with 20 mm tris / hcl buffer , ph 8 . 0 . rfii was dissolved at 0 . 4 mg / ml ( activity : 3 . 5 i . u ./ ml ) in 4 ml 20 mm tris / hcl buffer , ph 8 . 0 , and pumped through the tag column at a flow rate of 0 . 8 ml / min . from there , the liquid flow was directly guided to the hs column without interruption , and after passage of the hs column , it was pumped for a second time through the tag column and the hs column by means of a pump . subsequently , the hs column was separated from the tag column , flushed with 50 mm citrated buffer , ph 6 . 5 ( to remove material that had not been bound ) and then washed with 50 mm na citrated buffer , ph 6 . 5 , 150 mm nacl ( 0 . 15 m nacl eluate ). subsequently , the hs column was eluted with 0 . 5 m nacl in 50 mm citrated buffer , ph 6 . 5 ( 0 . 5 m nacl eluate ). the fractions obtained during activation were assayed for thrombin activity ( i . u ./ ml ), total activity ( i . u .) and specific activity ( thrombin activity / mg protein ). in table 6 , the results of the rfii activation from example 7 are listed . table 6______________________________________ rfiia specific rfiia activity activitysample ( i . u ./ ml ) ( i . u . total ) ( i . u ./ mg protein ) ______________________________________starting material 0 0 0non - bound material 1 10 50 . 15 m nacl eluate 0 0 00 . 1 m nacl eluate 400 2110 2670______________________________________ fig8 shows the electrophoretic analysis of the activation of rfii to rfiia by immobilized trypsin and the recovery of the thrombin by affinity chromatography on heparin sepharose , wherein in lane a the starting material ( rfii ), in lane b the 0 . 5 m nacl eluate ( rfiia ) and in lane c the molecular weight marker have been applied . the results show that by the method described in example 7 , rfii was effectively converted to rfiia . rfiia formed accumulated on the hs column and was obtained in electrophoretically pure form with a molecular weights of 33000 and 35000 and with a very high specific activity by specific elution of the hs column . more than 150 i . u . of pure rfiia could be recovered from 1 i . u . of rfii by the method described . activation of recombinant prothrombin to thrombin in a protein mixture by immobilized trypsin , and recovery of the thrombin by affinity chromatography on amino - peptide - ch sepharose . an amino - peptide - ch sepharose column ( apchs column ) was prepared as described in example 5 . the outlet of a glass column ( diameter 1 cm ) which contained 0 . 1 ml of immobilized trypsin - agarose gel ( tag ) was connected with the inlet of the apchs column by a direct hose connection . the outlet of the apchs column was connected with the inlet of the tag column via a valve and a pump , whereby a liquid circulation was formed . both columns were equilibrated with 20 mm tris / hcl buffer , ph 8 . 0 . 4 ml of a protein mixture ( protein concentration 1 . 7 mg / ml ) which contained rfii ( activity 3 . 5 i . u ./ ml ) in 20 mm tris / hcl buffer , ph 8 . 0 , were pumped through the tag column at a flow rate of 0 . 8 ml / min . from there , the liquid flow was directly guided to the apchs column without interruption , and after passage of the apchs column , it was pumped for a second time through the tag column and the apchs column by means of a pump . subsequently , the apchs column was separated from the tag column , flushed with 50 mm citrated buffer , ph 6 . 5 ( to remove material that had not been bound ) and then washed with 50 mm na citrated buffer , ph 6 . 5 , 500 mm nacl ( 0 . 5 m nacl eluate ). subsequently , the apchs column was eluted with 1 . 5 m kscn in 50 mm citrated buffer , ph 6 . 5 ( 1 . 5 m kscn eluate ). the fractions obtained during activation were assayed for thrombin activity ( i . u ./ ml ), total activity ( i . u .) and specific activity ( thrombin activity / mg protein ). in table 7 , the results of the rfii activation from example 8 are listed . table 7______________________________________ rfiia specific rfiia activity activitysample ( i . u ./ ml ) ( i . u . total ) ( i . u ./ mg protein ) ______________________________________starting material 0 0 0non - bound material 0 0 00 . 5 m nacl eluate 44 120 2301 . 5 m kscn eluate 305 2250 3300______________________________________ fig9 shows the electrophoretic analysis of the activation of rfii to rfiia in a protein mixture by immobilized trypsin and the recovery of the thrombin by affinity chromatography on amino - peptide - ch sepharose , wherein in lane a the starting material ( protein mixture ), in lane b the 1 . 5 m kscn eluate ( rfiia ) and in lane c a molecular weight marker have been applied . the results show that by the method described in example 8 , in a protein mixture rfii was effectively converted to rfiia . rfiia formed accumulated on the apchs column and was obtained in electrophoretically pure form with a molecular weight of 33000 and with a very high specific activity by specific elution of the apchs column . more than 150 i . u . of pure rfiia could be recovered from 1 i . u . of rfii by the method described . activation of human prothrombin to thrombin by immobilized trypsin , and recovery of the thrombin by affinity chromatography on benzamidine sepharose . 2 ml of benzamidine sepharose ( bas , pharmacia ) were filled into a glass column ( diameter 1 cm ). the outlet of a glass column ( diameter 1 cm ) which contained 0 . 1 ml of immobilized trypsin - agarose gel ( tag ) was connected with the inlet of the bas column by a direct hose connection . the outlet of the bas column was connected with the inlet of the tag column via a valve and a pump , whereby a liquid circulation was formed . both columns were equilibrated with 20 mm tris / hcl buffer , ph 8 . 0 . human factor ii ( hfii ) was dissolved at 0 . 5 mg / ml ( activity : 4 i . u ./ ml ) in 4 ml 20 mm tris / hcl buffer , ph 8 . 0 , and pumped through the tag column at a flow rate of 0 . 8 ml / min . from there , the liquid flow was directly guided to the bas column without interruption , and after passage of the bas column , it was pumped for a second time through the tag column and the bas column by means of a pump . subsequently , the bas column was separated from the tag column , flushed with 50 mm citrated buffer , ph 6 . 5 ( whereby material that had not been bound was removed ) and then washed with 50 mm na citrated buffer , ph 6 . 5 , 150 mm nacl ( 0 . 15 m nacl eluate ). subsequently , the bas column was eluted with 0 . 1 m benzamidine in 50 mm citrated buffer , ph 6 . 5 ( 0 . 1 m benzamidine eluate ). the fractions obtained during activation were assayed for thrombin activity ( i . u ./ ml ), total activity ( i . u .) and specific activity ( thrombin activity / mg protein ). in table 8 , the results of the hfii activation from example 9 are listed . table 8______________________________________ hfiia specific hfiia activity activitysample ( i . u ./ ml ) ( i . u . total ) ( i . u ./ mg protein ) ______________________________________starting material 0 0 0non - bound material 0 . 5 3 1 . 70 . 15 m nacl eluate 0 0 00 . 1 m benzamidine 491 2450 3270eluate______________________________________ fig1 shows the electrophoretic analysis of the activation of hfii to fiia by immobilized trypsin and the recovery of the thrombin by affinity chromatography on benzamidine sepharose , wherein in lane a the molecular weight marker , in lane b the starting material ( hfii ), and in lane c the 0 . 1 m benzamidine eluate ( fiia ) have been applied . the results show that by the method described in example 9 , hfii was effectively converted to fiia . fiia formed accumulated on the bas column and was obtained in electrophoretically pure form with a molecular weight of 33000 and with a very high specific activity by specific elution of the bas column . more than 150 i . u . of pure fiia could be recovered from 1 i . u . of hfii by the method described . activation of recombinant prothrombin to thrombin by immobilized factor xa , and recovery of the thrombin by affinity chromatography on amino - peptide - ch sepharose . an amino - peptide - ch - sepharose column ( apchs - column ) was prepared as described in example 5 . 30 mg of the protease factor xa ( boehringer mannheim ) were coupled to 1 ml of cnbr - activated sepharose ( pharmacia ) according to the producer &# 39 ; s instructions and filled into a glass column ( diameter 1 cm ) ( xas - column ). the outlet of the xas - column was connected with the inlet of the apchs column by a direct hose connection . the outlet of the apchs column was connected with the inlet of the xas column via a valve and a pump , whereby a liquid circulation was formed . both columns were equilibrated with 20 mm tris / hcl buffer , ph 8 . 0 . rfii was dissolved at 0 . 4 mg / ml ( activity : 3 . 5 i . u ./ ml ) in 4 ml 20 mm tris / hcl buffer , ph 8 . 0 , and pumped through the xas column at a flow rate of 0 . 1 ml / min . from there , the liquid flow was directly guided to the apchs column without interruption , and after passage of the apchs column , it was pumped for a second time through the xas column and the apchs column by means of a pump . this procedure was repeated for three more times . subsequently , the apchs column was separated from the xas column , flushed with 50 mm citrated buffer , ph 6 . 5 ( to remove non - bound material ) and then washed with 50 mm na citrated buffer , ph 6 . 5 , 500 mm nacl ( 0 . 5 m nacl eluate ). subsequently , the apchs column was eluted with 1 . 5 m kscn in 50 mm citrated buffer , ph 6 . 5 ( 1 . 5 m kscn eluate ). the fractions obtained during activation were assayed for thrombin activity ( i . u ./ ml ), total activity ( i . u .) and specific activity ( thrombin activity / mg protein ). in table 9 , the results of the rfii activation from example 10 are summarized . table 9______________________________________ rfiia specific rfiia activity activitysample ( i . u ./ ml ) ( i . u . total ) ( i . u ./ mg protein ) ______________________________________starting material 0 0 0non - bound material 0 0 00 . 5 m nacl eluate 35 80 801 . 5 m kscn eluate 30 2230 3050______________________________________ fig1 shows the electrophoretic analysis of the activation of rfii to rfiia by immobilized factor xa and the recovery of the thrombin by affinity chromatography on amino - peptide - ch sepharose , wherein in lane a the molecular weight marker , in lane b the starting material ( rfii ), and in lane c the 1 . 5 m kscn eluate ( rfiia ) have been applied . the results show that by the method described in example 10 , rfii was effectively converted by the protease factor xa to rfiia . fiia formed accumulated on the apchs column and was obtained in electrophoretically pure form with a molecular weight of 33000 and with a very high specific activity by specific elution of the apchs column . more than 150 i . u . of pure rfiia could be recovered from 1 i . u . of rfii by the method described . activation of factor x to factor xa by immobilized trypsin , and recovery of the factor xa by affinity chromatography on benzamidine sepharose . 2 ml of benzamidine sepharose ( bas , pharmacia ) were filled into a glass column ( diameter 1 cm ). the outlet of a glass column ( diameter 1 cm ) which contained 0 . 1 ml of immobilized trypsin - agarose gel ( tag ) was connected with the inlet of the bas column by a direct hose connection . the outlet of the bas column was connected with the inlet of the tag column via a valve and a pump , whereby a liquid circulation was formed . both columns were equilibrated with 20 mm tris / hcl buffer , ph 8 . 0 . 2 ml of a solution of factor x ( fx , of boehringer mannheim ) were dissolved at 0 . 5 mg / ml in 20 mm tris / hcl buffer , ph 8 . 0 , and pumped through the tag column at a flow rate of 0 . 5 ml / min . from there , the liquid flow was directly guided to the bas column without interruption , and after passage of the bas column , it was pumped for a second time through the tag column and the bas column by means of a pump . subsequently , the bas column was separated from the tag column , flushed with 50 mm citrated buffer , ph 6 . 5 ( to remove non - bound material ) and then washed with 50 mm na citrated buffer , ph 6 . 5 , 150 mm nacl ( 0 . 15 m nacl eluate ). subsequently , the bas column was eluted with 0 . 1 m benzamidine in 50 mm citrated buffer , ph 6 . 5 ( 0 . 1 m benzamidine eluate ). the fractions obtained during activation were assayed for factor xa activity ( i . u ./ ml ), total activity ( i . u .) and specific activity ( activity / mg protein ). in table 10 , the results of the factor x activation from example 11 are listed . table 10______________________________________ fxa specific fxa activity activitysample ( i . u ./ ml ) ( i . u . total ) ( i . u ./ mg protein ) ______________________________________starting material 0 0 0non - bound material 20 100 300 . 15 m nacl eluate 0 0 00 . 1 m benzamidine 520 1560 2600eluate______________________________________ fig1 shows the electrophoretic analysis of the activation of fx to fxa by immobilized trypsin and the recovery of the fxa by affinity chromatography on benzamidine sepharose , wherein in lane a the starting material ( fx ), in lane b the 0 . 1 m benzamidine eluate ( fxa ), and in lane c the molecular weight marker have been applied . the results show that by the method described in example 11 , fx was effectively converted to fxa . fxa formed accumulated on the bas column and was obtained in electrophoretically pure form with a molecular weight of 32000 and with a very high specific activity by specific elution of the bas column . it is to be understood that the description , specific examples and data , while indicating exemplary embodiments , ar given by way of illustration and are not intended to limit the present invention . various changes and modifications within the present invention will become apparent to the skilled artisan from the discussion , disclosure and data contained herein . __________________________________________________________________________ # sequence listing - ( 1 ) general information :- ( iii ) number of sequences : 3 - ( 2 ) information for seq id no : 1 :- ( i ) sequence characteristics :# acids ( a ) length : 4 amino ( b ) type : amino acid ( d ) topology : linear - ( ii ) molecule type : peptide - ( xi ) sequence description : seq id no : 1 :- ile glu gly arg - ( 2 ) information for seq id no : 2 :- ( i ) sequence characteristics :# acids ( a ) length : 20 amino ( b ) type : amino acid ( d ) topology : linear - ( ii ) molecule type : peptide - ( xi ) sequence description : seq id no : 2 :- cys lys pro gln ser his asn asp gly asp ph - # e glu glu ile pro glu # 15 - glu tyr leu gln 20 - ( 2 ) information for seq id no : 3 :- ( i ) sequence characteristics :# acids ( a ) length : 20 amino ( b ) type : amino acid ( d ) topology : linear - ( ii ) molecule type : peptide - ( xi ) sequence description : seq id no : 3 :- lys pro gly pro gly ser his ala asp gly as - # p phe glu glu ile pro # 15 - glu glu tyr leu 20__________________________________________________________________________ | 2 |
reference now will be made in detail to the embodiments of the invention , one or more examples of which are set forth below . each example is provided by way of explanation of the invention , not limitation of the invention . in fact , it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention . for instance , features illustrated or described as part of one embodiment , can be used on another embodiment to yield a still further embodiment . thus , it is intended that the present invention cover such modifications and variations as come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents . other objects , features , and aspects of the present invention are disclosed in the following detailed description . it is to be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that the present discussion is a description of exemplary embodiments only and is not intended as limiting the broader aspects of the present invention , which broader aspects are embodied in the exemplary constructions . in describing the various figures herein , the same reference numbers are used throughout to describe the same material , apparatus or process pathway . to avoid redundancy , detailed descriptions of much of the apparatus once described in relation to a figure is not repeated in the descriptions of subsequent figures , although such apparatus or process is labeled with the same reference numbers . an embodiment of the present invention may be seen in reference to fig1 in which a conventional commode 10 having a reservoir tank 12 is situated on a base 14 . a lid 16 may be provided as is conventional within the art . a commode seat 20 defines an upper surface 22 , a lower surface 24 , lower surface 24 having a flexible gasket 25 which provides a substantially air tight seal between the seat and the rim 18 ( fig2 ) of the commode . seat 20 further provides an exterior edge 26 and an inner edge 28 , the inner edge 28 surrounding the opening 29 defined by seat 20 . as best seen in reference to fig4 the commode seat 20 is formed of two separate halves including an upper half 36 and a lower half 38 . upper half 36 and lower half 38 may be secured to each other by a plurality of dowels ( not illustrated ) which engage a plurality of aligned apertures 39 with the respective seat halves 36 and 38 . the provision of upper and lower seat halves facilitate the construction of the air pathways and placement of operative components as will best be described below . however , other conventional attachment mechanisms such as a snap - fit configuration , adhesives , or other joining hardware may be used between the respective halves . seat 20 defines an air intake that is preferably located along either an inner edge or bottom surface of seat 20 . in one embodiment , intake 30 comprises a slot defined along an inner edge 28 of the seat . however , as seen in fig2 a plurality of intakes 31 may be provided as an additional or sole means of air intake . the intake 30 is in communication with an air plenum 40 , the shape and direction of air plenum 40 best seen in reference to the directional arrows in fig3 and 4 . the directional arrows indicate the flow of air through plenum 40 , the air movement being controlled by a fan such as a blower motor 60 . the operation of blower motor 60 discharges air from a blower outlet through outlet 32 defined by seat 20 . the movement of air generated by blower 60 establishes a substantially circular air pathway of air entering intake 30 and continuing through plenum 40 . the pathway of plenum 40 passes the moving air through a first filter 50 . filter 50 is preferably a mesh - type pre - filter contained within a filter cartridge 52 . cartridge 52 designed to operatively place filter 50 within the pathway of air plenum 40 thereby forming a portion of the pathway when the filter is inserted . in a preferred embodiment , the airflow enters through a bottom of filter 50 and exits through an upper surface of the filter . the first filter 50 thereby provides a transition point from the air plenum 40 contained within the lower half 38 and upper half 36 . as best seen in reference to fig4 air entering the bottom of filter 50 exits the opposite side and continues along an arcuate portion of plenum 40 positioned within the upper half 36 of the commode seat 20 . the air path is in further communication with a second filter 50 and filter cartridge 52 configured similarly as to the filter previously described . the second filter 50 contains activated carbon to help in the removal of odors . as seen in reference to fig4 and 5 , the first and second filters 50 and cartridges 52 are adapted for being inserted into and received by a slot and housing defined within the interior of seat 22 . this removable cartridge facilitates the periodic replacement of the various filters 50 without the necessity of disassembling the seat . further , the edge - accessible cartridges provide easy access compared to rear mounted or bottom mounted filtering media . however , a variety of different filtering media may be used and having different configurations , so long as air flow through the filter is achieved and the filter composition has sufficient filtering qualities to remove or treat bathroom odors . upon exiting the second filter 50 , air is directed along plenum 40 to blower 60 . an intake of blower 60 receives the air and discharges the air from blower 60 through seat outlet 32 . as seen in reference to fig4 a battery source 70 is provided within a housing defined within the interior of seat 22 . power supply 70 may be provided by conventional batteries , including a rechargeable battery pack . if a rechargeable power supply is used , it is convenient to provide an access port 72 for a conventional connection for a re - charger . electrical leads 74 connect the power source 70 to blower motor 60 . further , switch 80 , seen here in the form of a rocker switch , may be provided to control the operation of the blower fan 60 . if desired , a pressure contact switch 82 may also be used to limit operation of the blower fan 60 to intervals when the seat 20 bears the weight of a seated individual . for either type of switch , it is desirable that the switch be responsive to a timer circuit so as to provide for a 10 - minute interval of operation before the blower motor is automatically turned off . use of the timer circuit conserves battery life and also provides for an interval of operation once the user has left the bathroom facility . the illustrated embodiment is constructed from a conventional wooden toilet seat . the air plenum 40 and associated housings for housing the battery supply 70 , the fan blower 60 , filters 50 , and other structures related to the operation of the air filtering system , may be milled or routed from the wood . one having ordinary skill in the art would be able to provide an equivalent structure from molded plastic or other materials . however , a wooden seat remains the material of choice for most consumers . further , the wood construction maintains the seat strength when constructed in accordance with this invention . the strength of the resulting seat is also enhanced by making use of both the upper and lower hemispheres to define the various compartments and air pathways so that the structural strength of the seat may be maintained . for instance , air plenum 40 is initially defined within the lower seat half 38 before engaging filter 50 . the air plenum 40 continues from filter 50 along the plenum pathway defined solely within the upper half 36 . this arrangement insures that air flow must pass through filter 50 along this pathway . the reverse arrangement occurs with respect to the second filter 50 which directs air passing from the upper to the lower surface of the filter through a portion of the air plenum now defined within lower seat half 38 . the illustrated embodiment set forth above uses two filter cartridges that are aligned in series along the inner pathway . it is understood and appreciated by those having ordinary skill in the art that depending upon the efficiency of the air filtration cartridge , a single cartridge may be operative to remove odors associated with the use of the commode . if desired , an existing cartridge or additional dispenser may be adapted or provided within the air flow to release a masking scent or air freshener . it has been found advantageous to use a blower motor such as a delta motor bf b0512h manufactured by delta motor company , long beach , calif . the delta blower motor is compact , very quiet in operation , and provides a sufficiently high volume of air flow and pressure drop to bring about the desired displacement of air from the bowl region of the commode and through the toilet seat air passage . the first filter 50 may be provided by a hepa filter such as aca 5030 available from duracraft corporation , south borough , mass . the combination of filters provide effective odor control , a sufficiently long service life , and have a compact design allowing them to fit within the confines of a conventional commode seat . the second filter 50 may be constructed of conventional activated carbon material and configured within the housing for receiving air along an upper surface of the filter and discharging the air along the lower surface of the filter and into the lower half of the commode seat . one suitable commode seat for practicing the present invention makes use of a beamis brand seat having model number 400 - bp available from beamis manufacturing , shegowgane falls , ml . this particular model is a wooden seat having a very thin profile . accordingly , by sizing the components to fit within a thin seat , allows the same design to be adapted for thicker seat structures . the power supply 70 may be removed along an access opening defined along the rear edge of the commode seat . the compartment housing the power source 70 is tightly configured so as when a fresh battery supply is inserted , the required electrical connections are reestablished as is conventional within the art of battery - operated devices such as cellular phones , calculators , and the like . an additional embodiment of a toilet seat is seen in reference to fig6 - 9 . the illustrated additional embodiment provides a more compact air plenum defined within a side portion of the seat as best seen in fig7 . while the additional embodiment is illustrated in the form of a continuous , round toilet seat , it is understood and appreciated that the compact nature of the present invention will also fit within a conventional horseshoe shaped seat . as best seen in reference to fig6 and 7 , a bottom 24 of the seat 20 defines a plurality of apertures 31 or other air inlet ( s ). the apertures 31 are positioned along an inner portion of seat bottom 24 relative to the gasket 25 positioned on the lower seat surface . the seat 20 is adapted for receiving , in response to a fan or other forced air flow means , a supply of air through the apertures 31 , the air being directed upwardly through the seat and through a carbon - activated filter seen in the form of filter 50 contained in cartridge 52 . upon exiting the filtration system , the filtered air flow , as indicated by the directional arrows , is conveyed along a plenum 40 that is partially formed within an interior length portion of the seat to an adjacent blower 60 . the blower 60 has an inlet 62 in communication with the air passageway and serves to pull air in through the air apertures 31 and filter 50 . the resulting filtered air flow exits the blower 60 along an outlet 64 . a seat air outlet 32 is defined along a rear edge of the seat through which the air is discharged . as best seen in reference to fig8 and in reference to yet another embodiment of fig1 , the toilet seat may be in the form of a conventional wooden seat . the seat is split along the median cross section so as to divide the seat into a solid upper half 36 and a solid lower half 38 , each upper and lower half having its own respective unitary character . as set forth in more detail below , the resulting cavities , air plenums , and component housings may then be milled or otherwise formed within the respective solid halves 36 and 38 . thereafter , the two halves may be joined using wooden dowels or other interlocking engagement means such as adhesives , engaging cams , fasteners , or friction fit engagement so as to provide an integral seat . in reference to fig8 the lower half 38 has defined therein an air passageway 40 that includes a first cavity 51 . the cavity is adapted for receiving a slide - in cartridge module 52 seen here in the form of a two - stage parallel filter element . the filter media of a granulated activated carbon may be contained within a cartridge or other housing to facilitate the insertion and removal of the filter element . the upper seat half 36 has a similarly positioned cavity 53 defined , which , when the toilet seat is operatively assembled , is positioned above the filter cavity 51 of the lower half 38 . the upper cavity 53 further defines a ledge 55 for receiving a resilient gasket 56 . the gasket 56 helps provide for an air tight seal about the filter and filter cartridge and thereby directs air flow into the adjacent position of air passageway 40 defined within the upper seat half and in communication with the upper cavity 51 . as seen in reference to fig7 and 8 , the air passageway 40 provides for air flow as seen by the directional arrows , the air passageway being in communication with an adjacent blower motor 60 . the blower motor 60 is positioned within a housing formed between adjacent surfaces of the upper seat half and the lower seat half . air exiting the blower is discharged along a portion of the air passageway 40 which may be defined by sections of both the upper and lower seat halves . as illustrated , the air exits through an outlet 32 defined by the seat such as lower seat half 38 . additional details of construction of the additional embodiments are similar in respect to the features described in the first embodiment . in addition , it has been further found useful to include a timer circuit 73 that automatically turns off the blower motor following the passage of a pre - selected time interval . a time interval of between 3 to 4 minutes has been found useful . given the quiet operation of the fan , the automatic cut - off switch is useful to prevent battery drain for users who may forget to manually disengage the unit . an aspect in the operation of the present invention is the ability to provide for a strong flow of air through the granulated carbon filter . a suitable blower motor such as a brushless blower by delta electronics , inc . ( taipei , taiwan ) model number bfb0505ha . a suitable blower provides an air flow rate of about 3 . 2 cubic feet per minute . this volume of air flow blower provides a sufficient flow of air through the seat including the attendant pressure drop across the filter . since the air passageway occupies a compact volume , the volume of air that needs to be moved is kept at a minimum , thereby increasing the efficiency of the air filtration process . it is also envisioned that the operative electronics , switches , filters , fan , and a defined air passageway including inlets and outlets may be provided within a single unitary cartridge or similar module . as such , the cartridge could be inserted into a conventional toilet seat that has an appropriate segment milled out or pre - molded for receipt of the unit . as seen in reference to fig1 through 13 is a third embodiment of a commode seat . in this embodiment the air flow passageways , filters , blower motors , and other components of the ventilation system are defined and housed within structures milled from the bottom surface of a solid commode seat . as seen in reference to fig1 , a commode seat 120 is provided having a lower surface 124 having a flexible gasket 125 which may extend around a circumference of the seat bottom and provides a substantially air tight seal between the seat and a rim of the commode . seat 120 defines an air intake 134 that is defined in a detachable cover 150 . cover 150 , as best seen in reference to fig1 , is sized and shaped so as to engage the underlying components and structures of the ventilation system and to provide for a substantially smooth and flush juncture with the surface of seat bottom 124 when engaged . while not separately shown , gasket 125 may extend across the surface of cover 150 . air intake 134 is positioned opposite a filter housing 151 which has been milled from the commode seat . filter housing 151 is adapted for engagement of a filter 152 , one surface of filter 152 opposite the intake and a second filter surface opposite an air plenum 140 that is defined below ( relative to the orientation seen in fig1 ) the filter housing 151 . as described in reference to other embodiments , filter 152 may be in the form of a slide - in cartridge that may be inserted and removed through an exterior edge portion of the commode seat . as best seen in reference to fig1 , air plenum 140 extends in a direction toward a rear of the seat to a point opposite a blower housing 161 which houses a blower motor 160 . as seen in fig1 , blower 160 defines an inlet 162 which is in communication with air plenum 140 . in operation , blower 160 directs air from air intake 134 , through filter 152 and into plenum 140 . the filtered air is then directed to inlet 162 , the air passing through blower 160 and exiting blower outlet 164 . air exiting outlet 164 is directed into an air passageway 142 before existing along a rear edge of the seat through outlet 132 . blower motor 160 is powered by a battery supply 170 which is positioned in a battery housing 171 . adjacent the battery supply 170 , a timer circuit 173 may also be provided which provides for automatically turning off the blower motor following the passage of a pre - selected time interval . a conduit 175 is also defined within the surface of the toilet seat , for containing electrical leads 174 which extend to blower motor 160 . in addition , leads 174 are in further electrical communication with a switch 172 , seen in the figures as a push button switch . switch 172 and a re - charger port 180 are positioned within a common housing 181 . as best seen in reference to fig3 housing 181 is in communication with respective openings defined within an exterior edge of seat 120 through which access to the re - charger port 180 and switch 172 may be provided . as best seen in reference to fig1 , the milled out portion of the commode seat also defines a recessed surface 190 which is defined a sufficient depth below the surface 124 of the seat so as to receive cover 150 in a substantially flush engagement and orientation with the surrounding portions of the seat bottom 124 . as best seen in reference to fig1 , an insert 155 is used in the assembly and construction of the commode seat . insert 155 defines a bridge including a filter seal region 157 which is adapted for forming a portion of the housing 151 for receiving filter 152 . as seen in reference to fig1 , the region 157 of insert 155 defines a portion of groove 153 , groove 153 adapted for receiving a gasket ( not illustrated ) to provide for an air tight seal between filter 152 and filter housing 151 . as further seen in reference to fig1 , air plenum 140 extends below insert 155 , insert 155 helping to define a portion of air plenum 140 in the region between filter housing 151 and blower housing 161 . by use of insert 155 , the integrity of the air plenum 140 is maintained and unwanted entrainment of air into plenum 140 is avoided when blower 160 is in operation . as a result , the overall integrity of the collective air flow passageways is maintained , preventing loss of pressure . blower efficiency is thus maintained by providing air passageways that which are essentially closed along their lengths . air enters the system only through the intake and exits at the outlet . no additional sources of air flow or entrainment are present , maintaining the high efficiency airflow which allows a rotary blower motor to develop the necessary pressure to draw air across the filter . the embodiment seen and described in fig1 through 13 affords highly efficient air flow properties while maintaining maximum strength of the commode seat . by milling the air passageways and component housings from a solid commode seat , the overall strength of the solid seat can be maintained . in addition , maximum efficiency of blower motor 160 is achieved by providing a well defined , air plenum 140 and passageways 142 in which filtered air is moved through an interior of the seat before being discharged through outlet 132 . by providing air flow passageways through the solid commode seat structure , unwanted air entrainment from surrounding regions is prevented . for instance , in a hollow commode seat environment , the large open volumes contributes to air entrainment and well as minimizes the necessary pressure drop needed to achieve the maximum air flow from the bottom of the commode seat through the ventilation system . further , other operational components of the ventilation system , such as the power supply , lead lines , and switches , are positioned in separate housings which also minimizes the air volume the blower motor may engage . by maintaining small housings which are spatially separated from the air flow pathways , a maximum air flow efficiency through the filter is obtained . it is preferred in one embodiment of the invention that the commode seat utilize a solid commode seat such as one made from wood . this allows the seat to have sufficient strength and rigidity following the milling of the appropriate cavities , air plenums , and housings such that the strength and operation of the seat is not impaired . however , a plastic toilet seat , including hollow plastic seats , could be equipped with a slide - in cartridge . alternatively , a plastic seat may be molded to include the appropriate cavities and housings that are described in the above embodiments . a useful process for manufacturing a commode ventilation seat includes : providing a solid toilet seat ; a cavity within the toilet seat , the cavity adapted for receiving a filter housing ; and , providing an air passage defined within an interior of the solid toilet seat , the air passage in communication with an inlet defined by the seat , the passage being in further communication with the cavity and with a fan housing defined by the seat , the fan housing being in further communication with an air outlet defined by the seat . an alternative manufacturing process can be provided by supplying a toilet seat ; defining within the toilet seat a cavity ; inserting within the cavity a cartridge , the cartridge defining an air passage in communication with an air inlet defined by a cartridge surface , the air inlet and air passage being in further communication with a filter element , the filter element being positioned within an air plenum or passage defined within the cartridge and operatively engaged by a blower motor , the blower motor positioned within the air plenum and adapted for directing a discharge of air through an air outlet defined by the cartridge ; the cartridge further defining a power source such as a re - chargeable battery for operating the blower motor , the blower motor responsive to a switch for selectively engaging the blower motor . as discussed , this type of cartridge , having all of the necessary components and passageways pre - defined , can be inserted into a conventional toilet seat in which an appropriate cavity is milled , molded , or otherwise provided . such a unitary cartridge insert can be used with virtually any type of toilet seat construction , including plastic seats which are molded so as to inter - engage the cartridge insert . although desired embodiments of the invention have been described using specific terms , materials , and methods , such description is for illustrative purposes only . the words used are words of description rather than of limitation . it is to be understood that changes and variations may be made by those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention which is set forth in the following claims . in addition , it should be understood that aspects of the various embodiments may be interchanged , both in whole or in part . | 0 |
the following description of the preferred embodiment is merely exemplary in nature and is in no way intended to limit the invention , its application , or uses . fig1 schematically depicts a partial pem fuel cell stack 10 having membrane - electrode - assemblies ( meas ) 14 , 16 separated from each other by a non - porous , electrically - conductive bipolar plate 20 . the meas 14 and 16 and bipolar plate 20 are stacked together between non - porous , electrically - conductive , bipolar plates 22 and 24 . flow - interfering media 26 , 28 , 30 and 32 which are porous , gas - permeable , and electrically conductive sheets press up against the electrode faces of the meas 14 and 16 and serve as primary current collectors for the electrodes . the flow - interfering media 26 , 28 , 30 and 32 also provide mechanical supports for the meas 14 and 16 , especially at locations where the meas are otherwise unsupported in the flow field . the flow - interfering media 26 , 28 , 30 and 32 further provide a fluid transport mechanism from the inlet manifold across the reactive face of the mea to the exhaust manifold . bipolar plates 22 and 24 press up against the primary current collector 26 on the reactive cathode face 14 c of the mea 14 and the primary current collector 32 on the reactive anode face 16 a of the mea 16 . the bipolar plate 20 presses up against the diffusion medium 28 on the reactive anode face 14 a of the mea 14 and against the primary current collector or diffusion medium 30 on the reactive cathode face 16 c of the mea 16 . an oxidant gas such as oxygen or air is supplied to the cathode side of the fuel cell stack 10 from an oxygen or air source 38 via appropriate supply plumbing 40 . similarly , a fuel such as hydrogen is supplied to the anode side of the fuel cell stack 10 from a hydrogen source 48 via appropriate plumbing 50 . with reference now to fig2 a , 3 b and 4 a a separator plate 60 according to the present invention will be described in greater detail . the separator plate 60 is configured to carry one of the reactant gases to a respective face of the mea 16 . it is appreciated that each bipolar plate 20 , 22 and 24 comprise two separator plates 60 lying in a back to back orientation ( fig5 a and 5b ). separator plate 60 includes a first array of electrically conductive spacers or disks 64 arranged along a gas - impermeable sheet 66 . an orifice 72 is formed through spacer 64 and sheet 66 . separator plate 60 also includes a second array of electrically conductive spacers or pillars 68 arranged along a gas - impermeable sheet 76 . as best seen in fig6 a and 6b , an inlet header 80 a , 80 c communicates reactant gas from the appropriate supply plumbing 40 , 50 into the separator plate 60 . an exhaust header 82 a , 82 c removes exhausted gas from the separator plate 60 as will be described . as presently preferred , the spacers 64 in the first array are circular disks having a diameter of approximately 0 . 375 ″ which are disposed on the first sheet 66 in a nested array such that the center of spacers 64 in adjacent rows / columns are offset with respect to one another . the orifice 72 formed through spacer 64 is about 0 . 050 ″ ( 50 mils ). spacers 64 are distributed on first sheet 66 at a density of about 6 . 25 spacers per square inch . as presently preferred , the pillars 68 in the second array are also circular disks having a diameter of approximately 0 . 125 ″ which are disposed on the first sheet 66 such that a subset of four pillars 68 are equiangularly superposed over at least a portion of the area defined by a subjacent spacer 64 . pillars 68 are distributed on first sheet 66 in a density of about 25 pillars per square inch . while the above - described configuration of spacers 64 and pillars 68 are presently preferred , one skilled in the art will recognize that the size , shape , density , distribution and location of the spacers and pillars within the fuel cell may be selected in accordance with the specification and operational parameters of a given fuel cell application . for example , as illustrated in fig5 a , spacers 64 ′ are configured as nested hexagons with an orifice 72 ′ formed therethrough . a set of pillars 68 ′ are configured as triangles with a subset of six triangles superposed over a portion of the area defined by a subjacent spacer 64 ′. in another example illustrated in fig5 b , spacers 64 ″ are configured as nested squares with an orifice 72 ″ formed therethrough . a set of pillars 68 ″ are configured as squares with a subset of four squares superposed over an area defined by multiple subjacent spacers 64 ″. the terms superposed and subjacent are used in relative terms herein , and one skilled in the art should recognize that the order of adjacent components within the fuel cell 60 may be inverted . with reference again to fig2 , 3 a - 3 b and 4 a - 4 d and fig6 a - 6b , the separator plate 60 will be described in greater detail . an inboard major face 84 of the first sheet 66 and an inboard major face 88 of the second sheet 76 define an inlet manifold 90 therebetween . fluid communication between the inlet manifold 90 and the inlet header 80 is established by a plurality of runners 92 formed in frame 122 . the height of the inlet manifold 90 is defined by the height of the pillars 68 . an exhaust manifold 100 is defined between an outer face 104 of the first sheet 66 and an adjacent face 108 of the diffusion medium 30 . in this manner , the inlet manifold 90 and the exhaust manifold 100 function as a plenum throughout which the pressure is substantially constant , i . e ., very little pressure differential within the manifold areas . fluid communication from the exhaust manifold 100 to the outside of the stack is achieved by direct connection of this manifold to the atmosphere . in other words , manifold 100 is open to atmosphere all along its perimeter . the height of the exhaust manifold 100 is defined by the height of the disks 64 . as presently preferred , the inlet header 80 is formed along one margin of the separator plate 60 . no exhaust header , other than the direct connection of the manifold 100 to the atmosphere exists . however , one skilled in the art will recognize that the inlet header and exhaust header may be configured in any suitable manner to provide fluid communication of the reactant gas into and out of the flow field . electrically conductive connectors 110 are disposed through vias 112 formed through the first sheet 66 , the pillars 68 and the second sheet 76 . the connectors 110 are aligned to electrically connect the pillars 68 with the corresponding disks 64 . the connectors 110 provide electrical continuity from the diffusion medium 30 to an outside face 116 of the second sheet 76 , thereby allowing current to be carried across the entire thickness of the separator plate 60 and consequently across the entire fuel cell stack 10 . the connectors 110 may comprise vias having conductive material disposed entirely therein or alternatively on an inner circumferential wall thereof for example . the conductive material may comprise graphite for example . with continued reference to fig4 b - 4d and 6 a - 6 b , the operation of the separator plate 60 will be described . the flow path of the reactant gas is characterized in three distinct flow segments namely , a delivery leg ( d ), an active area leg ( a ) and an exhaust leg ( e ). during the delivery leg ( d ), the reactant gas enters the separator plate 60 at the inlet header 80 and flows through the inlet manifold 90 . the reactant gas flows relatively freely ( i . e ., with no significant pressure drop and no predetermined path ) around the respective pillars 68 and is contained within a lateral boundary ( fig3 ) in the inlet manifold 90 defined by the interior edge 120 of a frame 122 . from the inlet manifold 90 , the reactant gas is directed through the respective orifices 72 in the disks 64 and the first sheet 66 . the active area leg ( a ) is designed to have a controlled pressure drop . because the active area leg ( a ) accounts for nearly all the pressure drop of the flow path , it includes a flow - interfering medium that has a well - controlled permeability , length and cross - sectional area . the flow - interfering medium has lower permeability relative to empty space in the inlet / exhaust manifolds 90 , 100 in order to guarantee that the pressure drop of the active area leg ( a ) is significantly higher than the delivery leg ( d ) and exhaust leg ( e ). during the active area leg ( a ), the reactant gas enters the flow - interfering - medium 30 from the orifice 72 passes across the face of the mea ( not shown ) and exits the flow - interfering medium 30 at an outer boundary 126 ( fig4 a ) of the spacer 64 . as shown in fig2 and 4 d , the active area leg ( a ) is radial from the orifice 72 adjacent the surface of spacer 64 . in this manner , a planar or 2 - dimensional flow field , as compared with a channeled or 1 - dimensional flow field , is provided which enables a differential flow distribution across the reactive face of the mea . the dimension of the spacer 64 establishes the length of the flow path ( a ). the number of spacers 64 establishes the number of parallel paths . thus , the planar flow field is similar to an interdigitated channel flow field but is much less susceptible to water blockage since the reactant gas is not constrained to flow in one dimension within the channel . this interdigitated - like flow field is beneficial because oxygen is carried through the primary current collectors by convection rather than diffusion allowing for significantly lower mass transport losses . the perimeter of spacer 64 multiplied by the diffusion medium thickness establishes the cross sectional area of the flow path ( a ). the permeability of the diffusion medium establishes the permeability of the flow path . hence , these parameters establish the pressure gradient and overall pressure drop of the active area leg ( a ) depending on the number of parallel paths over the active area . the degree to which an even flow distribution over each parallel path is achieved is determined by tolerances to which these parameters can be held . because the dimensional variations ( radius and thickness ) are most likely small compared with the variation in diffusion medium permeability , the permeability of the diffusion medium determines how evenly flow becomes distributed . the flow field of the present invention is very effective at removing water since the pressure drop is concentrated over a relatively short active area leg . as a result , the gas velocity in this segment of the flow path is very high so that liquid water will be forcefully moved away from the velocity of the mea and into the exhaust manifold where it can be expelled from the fuel cell . returning now to fig4 b and 4d , the exhaust path ( e ) is defined from the point at which the reactant flow leaves the flow - interfering medium 30 at the edge 126 of the spacer 64 to the point the flow exits the separator plate 60 through the exhaust header 82 . the exhaustive flow negotiates relatively freely ( i . e ., with no significant pressure drop or predetermined path ) around the outer boundaries 126 of the spacer 64 and is contained within a frame or seal 130 ( fig2 ). turning now to fig6 a and 6b , two separator plates 60 , as described herein , are arranged in a back to back configuration and make up the bipolar plate 20 . it is appreciated that the second sheet 76 as represented in fig4 a may comprise a single sheet when arranged in the bipolar plate 20 . for clarity , a second separator plate is shown having like components and are referenced by numerals incremented by 200 . in the configuration as shown , the separator plate 60 is arranged to deliver cathode reactant to the flow - interfering medium 30 and the separator plate 260 is arranged to deliver anode reactant to the flow - interfering medium 28 . the electrical connectors 110 align with complementary electrical connectors 210 to provide electrical communication between adjacent meas 14 and 16 . with reference now to fig7 , a method of making the separator plate 60 is graphically present in a flow chart generally at reference 300 . construction of the flow field is accomplished using flex - circuit materials and fabrication techniques . in step 302 , a first sheet of conductive material is laminated onto a gas impermeable polymeric film such as a polyimide film . the conductive material is preferably stainless steel having a thickness of 0 . 010 ″ ( 10 mils ) for example . the polyimide film is preferably 0 . 002 ″ ( 2 mils ) thick sheets of material . a suitable polyimide film includes kapton ® manufactured by the e . i . dupont corporation . in step 304 , the conductive material is etched into a desired pattern such as an array of disks . after etching , the array of disks preferably extend 0 . 010 ″ from the polyimide . in step 306 , the passages are formed in the disks . the passages may be formed by any suitable technique such as etching . in step 308 , a second sheet of conductive material is laminated onto a second sheet of gas - impermeable polymeric film . as presently preferred , the second sheet of conductive material is 0 . 010 ″ ( 10 mils ) stainless steel and the second sheet of polymeric film is 0 . 002 ″ ( 2 mils ) kapton ® film . in step 312 , the conductive layer is etched to form the pillars in a similar manner as described with respect to the disks . in step 318 , the pillar side of the second sheet of polyimide film is laminated onto the first sheet of polyimide film on a surface opposite the disks . the space created between the first and second polyimide sheets defines the delivery path or inlet manifold . in step 324 vias are incorporated into the separator plate and extend through the second sheet of polyimide , through each of the pillars and through the first sheet of polyimide . in step 330 , electrically conductive material is disposed through the vias to form electrically conductive paths . the electrically conductive paths may be formed by filling the vias entirely with conductive material or by coating the circumferential wall of the vias with conductive material . the electrically conductive paths allow current to be carried across the entire flow field as well as between adjacent separator plates and ultimately the fuel cell stack as a whole . those skilled in the art can now appreciate from the foregoing description that the broad teachings of the present invention can be implemented in a variety of forms . for example , the number of spacers 64 shown on the separator plate 60 establishes the number of parallel flow paths and may be configured with fewer or greater disks . the geometrical configuration of the spacers 64 may alternatively comprise other shapes such as rectangles , triangles or trapezoids for example . moreover , the pillars 68 defining the height of the inlet manifold 90 may comprise alternate shapes as described above . in addition , while it is shown that four pillars 68 compliment a single spacer 64 , other ratios may similarly be employed . therefore , while this invention has been described in connection with particular examples thereof , the true scope of the invention should not be so limited since other modifications will become apparent to the skilled practitioner upon a study of the drawings , the specification and the following claims . | 7 |
before explaining in detail the present invention , it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction or arrangement of parts illustrated in the accompanying drawings , since the invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or carried out in various ways . also , it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not limitation . as best can he seen by references to the drawings , and in particular to fig1 a - 1c , the leg massage apparatus that forms the basis of the present invention is designated generally by the reference numeral 1 , and includes a frame structure means i 0 , coupling means 20 , and user engagement means 30 . the frame structure means 10 may be structured in such a manner that it has a circular form into which the leg of the user may be placed . the components of the frame structure means 10 and the coupling means 20 are mounted together in such a manner that the apparatus may automatically adjust to different leg muscles sizes and contours . as may be seen in fig2 a - 2d , the frame structure means 10 may comprise at least two main support members 11 , user handle members 12 , and support coupling members 13 with coupling member openings 14 . the main support member 11 may be a relatively rigid structure having an outer surface and a curved inner surface . the curved inner surface supports user engagement means 30 . the user engagement means 30 may be a series of rounded nodule - like user engagement elements 31 which extend outward from the inner surface of the main support member 11 . they may be a molded part of the main support member 11 or they may be individually attached in some typical manner such as a screw . user handle member 12 may be an open area extending through main support member 11 which allows the user to more easily grasp and hold the main support member 11 with their hand . as further shown , main support member 11 has support coupling members 13 mounted at one end , with the support coupling member 13 having a coupling member opening 14 . coupling member opening 14 is an elongated shaft - like opening extending from one side of the main support member 11 to its opposite side . in the figures , user engagement means 30 has user engaging elements 31 which are rigidly mounted to the inner surface of main support member 11 . as mentioned , they may be individually mounted elements or molded to the inner surface of the main support member . they could also be part of a separate curved user engagement means which rigidly mounts to the inner surface of main support member 11 through a mounting element such as a screw . the figures also show a handle member 12 which extends as a curved opening through the main support member 11 , but the user handle member 12 could also be just an indented space extending a small distance into the main support member 11 . the handle member 12 could also be a separate component mounted at some location on main support member 11 . it is also possible for the user to just grasp each main support member 11 with their respective hand so that the members themselves function as a type of handle member , provided the members are sized to easily grasp . many variations of this apparatus are thus possible . as may be seen in fig3 a - 3d coupling means 20 comprises a generally elongated shaft member 21 with stop members 22 mounted on each end . stop members 22 are used to prohibit the main support members 11 from separating completely from one another as they move . the stop members 22 may be a type of locking cap which slide onto shaft member 21 and lock in place . shaft member 21 and stop members 22 may also be a type of bolt and screw assembly . fig3 d demonstrates how the coupling means 20 and frame structure means 10 mount together so that the main support members 11 may pivot about shaft member 21 . fig4 a and 4b demonstrate the basic configuration and operation of the apparatus . as shown , the support coupling members 13 of main support members 11 are coupled together by shaft members 21 and form a generally loop shaped structure . shaft members 21 extend through the coupling member openings 14 of each support coupling members 13 . as mentioned , stop members 22 re mounted on each end of shaft member 21 to limit the amount of separation possible between the two main support members 11 . the apparatus may include an optional resistance component 40 , such as a resistance band . as may be further seen , the user may operate the apparatus by grasping the apparatus with their hands using the user handle members 12 , while placing their leg within the open loop area created by the coupling of the two main support members 11 . shown in the fig4 c is a typical cross section of a human leg . using the handle members 12 , the user may grasp the apparatus and move it over the desired leg muscle , with the leg muscles being engaged by the user engaging members 31 of the user engagement means . as the apparatus moves along the respective leg muscle group , the user engaging members 31 will make contact with the respective muscles , providing a type of therapeutic message . as also shown , as the apparatus moves along the contour of the thigh or calf muscles , the main support structures 11 of the apparatus will pivot apart from one another as larger areas of the leg muscles are being engaged . they will pivot closer to one another as smaller portions of the leg muscles are being engaged . while moving the body therapy apparatus along the thigh or calf muscles of the leg , the user may also simultaneously rotate the apparatus in a circular pattern around the leg to provide an even better therapeutic action . for a smaller area that may need a heavy message , the user may want to rotate the apparatus in a back and forth circular motion only over that area of the leg needing the heavier message . this ability to engage the leg muscle in a linear or circular motion , either individually or simultaneously , makes the apparatus extremely flexible . as shown , the main support members 11 are guided as they pivot away and towards one another by shaft member 21 . optional resistance component 40 may be mounted at either end of main support member 11 , and may be utilized to provide a resistance to the pivoting motion of main support members 11 , while also pushing the main support members 11 back towards one another . when the resistance component 40 utilizes a conventional resistant band , different resistant band with different strengths may be used to provide different amount of resistance . these resistance bands 40 may be convention resistance bands found and used in various fitness equipment and may mount to main support members 11 through a typical securing means ch as a pin or bolt 41 . multiple resistance bands 40 may be utilized which mount to the main support members 11 at the top and bottom , and on both the front and back sides . when the resistance component 40 is not utilized , the resistance to separation and the pushing motion of the members back together may be accomplished manually by the hands of the user . it is also possible to disassemble the leg apparatus so that the individual main support structures 11 are utilized separate from one another . the user may grasp a single main support member 11 , either one at a tune or one in each hand and perform a therapy routine on parts of the body other than the leg muscles . for example , if the user is suffering from a sore arm bleep muscle , the user may grasp one of the main support members 11 with one hand , and move the user engaging elements 31 along the bicep muscle , in either a linear motion , circular motion , or both . this routine may be performed also on other parts or the body such as the stomach , hips , or buttocks . using an individual main support member 11 may also be performed on the leg muscles , but would not provide as much therapeutic action as the members would when coupled together . fig5 a demonstrates the leg massage apparatus using conventional roller bearings 32 as user engaging elements 31 . roller bearings 32 may be mounted within curved openings 33 , which are semi - spherical in shape and have a larger diameter than do the roller hearings 32 . this is to allow the roller bearings 32 to rotate within in any direction . the roller bearings 32 may be held in place by inner surface support 34 , which may have surface openings 35 which are smaller in diameter than the roller bearings 32 . the inner surface support 34 may be securely mounted to the arced inner surface of the main support member 11 through some common securing means , such as a screw , with the surface openings 35 of the inner surface support 34 being place over the roller bearings 32 . this allows roller bearings 32 to rotate , but keeps them from exiting out of curved openings 33 . in this instance , the user engagement means 30 is comprised of roller bearings 32 , curved openings 33 , inner surface support 34 , and surface openings 35 . fig5 demonstrates the leg massage apparatus utilizing multiple rows of user engaging elements 31 mounted to main support member 11 , instead of only a single row . multiple rows should allow for a better therapy message since multiple user engaging elements 31 will move over the same area . it may also prove better to have each row staggered from the one next to it , so that more contact is made with the muscles . the figues show three rows of user engaging members 31 , but many versions of the apparatus may be created having four , five , six , or even more rows , depending on what works best for the individual user . it may be possible to connect two or more apparatuses together , so that the number of rows in contact with the user muscles may be selectively varied . as mentioned previously , the user engaging elements 31 may be a molded part of main support member 11 , may be individually attached to main support member , or may be part of a separately attached user engagement means . the best configuration which is that shown , may prove to be a series of rows of roller bearings 32 mounted into curved openings 33 and held in place by inner surface support 34 having surface openings 35 . fig6 a and 6b demonstrate a leg therapy apparatus having the user engaging elements 31 incorporated into a user engagement means 30 which is a completely separate component from the main support member 11 . the user engaging members 31 may mounted upon or may be part of an engagement support structure 36 which may be pivotally mounted at its approximate center to the inner surface of main support member 11 . the engagement support structure 36 may be an arced structure having an outer and inner arced surface . as shown , the outer arc surface may be pivotally mounted at its proximate center to the the arced inner surface of main support member 11 , while the user engaging members 31 may mount upon the inner arced surface of engagement support structure 36 . the engagement support structure 36 may also be constructed with curved openings so that user engaging members 31 may be roller beatings , as has been discussed previously . as also shown , a alter ate configuration may be the resistance band 40 located near the coupling means 20 , instead of being located on the opposite end of the main support members . this configurational to the use to position the apparatus over the leg muscles , instead of the leg muscles having to be placed within , fig6 b shows a cross sectional area of a user leg placed with the apparatus , and demonstrates how the user engagement means 30 reacts when it engages the leg of the user . fig6 c and 6d show side vies of one type of user engagement means 30 for the muscle therapy apparatus . in this type , there is at least one row of user engaging members 31 mounted to the engagement support structure 36 . as may be seen , it is possible to have more than one , in this case , two engagement support structures 36 pivotally mounted to the inner surface and support member 11 such that they pivot independent of one another . this could prove useful for not only engaging a larger area of the leg of the user , but also allow better adjustment to the varying contours of the leg of the user . having more than one row of user engaging members 31 may also prove beneficially use with the multiple engagement support structures 36 . a second version of the leg massage apparatus i may be seen in fig7 a - 7c . as with the original version , the leg therapy apparatus is designated generally by the reference numeral 1 , and includes a frame structure means 10 , coupling means 20 , and user engagement means 30 . the frame structure means 10 be structured in such a manner that it has , circular far n into which the leg of the user may be placed . the components of the frame structure means 10 and the coupling means 0 are mounted together in such a manner that the apparatus may automatically adjust to different leg muscles sizes . as may be seen in fig8 a - 8d , the frame structure m 10 may again comprise at least two main support members 11 , user handle members 12 , and support coupling members 13 with coupling member openings 14 . the main support member 11 may be a relatively rigid structure having an outer surface and a curved inner surface . the curved inner surface supports r engagement means 30 . the user engagement means 30 may he rounded nodule - like user engagement elements 31 which extend outward from the inner surface of the main support member 11 . they may be a molded part of the main support member 11 , or they may be individually attached in some typical manner such as a screw . user handle member 12 may be an open area extending through main support member 11 which allows the user to more easily grasp and hold the main support member 11 with their hand . as further shown , main support member 11 has support coupling members 13 mounted at each end , with each support coupling member 13 having a coupling member opening 14 . coupling member opening 14 is an elongated shaft - like opening extending from the inner portion of the main support member 11 to its outer portion . as may be seen in fig9 a - 9d , coupling means 20 comprises a generally elongated shaft member 21 with stop members 22 mounted on each end . coupling means 20 may also comprise optional resistance spring members 23 , which are basically conventional coiled spring members located on each end of shaft member 21 , and are held in place by stop members 22 . stop members 22 are used to prohibit the main support members 11 from separating completely from one another as they move , whether the optional resistance springs 23 are utilized or not . the stop members 22 may be a type of locking cap which slide onto shaft member 21 and lock in place . shaft member 21 and stop members 22 may also be a type of bolt and screw assembly . as with the original version , the components of the frame structure means 10 , the coupling means 20 , and the user engagement means 30 , all function in similar manner and may also take on various configurations . the main difference in this version is that main support members 11 move away and toward one another along a linear path of motion , as opposed to an arced path of motion . fig1 a and 10b show a cross sectional area of a user leg placed within the apparatus . as may be seen , when various parts of the leg which are different in size are engaged by the user engaging members 31 the main support members will move accordingly . when a larger cross sectional area is engaged , the main support members ii move away from one another . when a small cross sectional area is engaged , the main support members 11 move towards one another . again , motion is along a linear path . as shown in fig1 c and 10d , optional resistance means 40 comprising optional resistant bands 41 may be also utilized with this version of the apparatus . as before , different resistant bands having different resistance strengths may be used to vary the amount of resistance . these resistance bands 40 may be convention resistance bands found and used in various fitness equipment and may mount to support coupling members 13 through a typical securing means such as a pin or bolt 42 . multiple resistance bands 41 may also be utilized which mount to the support coupling members 13 at the top and bottom of each main support member , and on both the front and back sides . when the resistance component 40 is not utilized , the resistance to separation and the pushing motion of the members hack together may be accomplished manually by the hands of the user . fig1 a and 11b demonstrate the second version of the leg massage apparatus having the user engaging elements 31 incorporated into a user engagement means which is a completely separate component from the main support member 11 . the user engaging members 31 may mount upon or may be part of an engagement support structure 36 , which may be pivotally mounted at its approximate center to the inner surface of main support member 11 . the engagement support structure 36 may be at arced structure having an outer and inner arced surface . as shown , the outer arc surface may be pivotally mounted at its proximate center to the the arced inner surface of main support member 11 , while the user engaging members 31 may mount upon the inner arced surface of engagement support structure 36 . the engagement support structure 36 may also be constructed with curved openings so that user engaging members 31 may be roller bearings , as has been discussed previously . fig1 a and 11b both demonstrates a cross sectional area of a user leg which has the apparatus placed within . fig1 a and 11b show a cross sectional area of a user leg placed within the apparatus , and demonstrates how the user engagement means 30 reacts when it engages the leg of the user . in any version , having the user engaging member 31 mounted on an engagement support structure 36 which is pivotally mounted as a separate component to the main support member 11 should provide a much more flexible body therapy apparatus . as also shown , the engagement support structure 36 may pivot both towards and away from the inner surface of main support member 11 . shown in the figures is a cross section of the human leg . when the apparatus is moved along a portion of the leg of the user , the pivoting motion of the engagement support structure 36 allows the user engaging members 31 to remain in better contact with the leg muscle of the user . this concept will make the apparatus more complicated and thus more expensive , but should provide more flexible and a better therapy routine . this concept may be incorporated into any of the versions described previously . as also mentioned previously , a single main support member 11 having this pivoting engagement support structure 36 may be used to provide therapy to other parts of the body , such as the biceps of the arm , the hips , the stomach , and the buttocks . fig1 a and 12b demonstrate a different construction feature for the second version of the leg massage apparatus 1 . in this version , the frame structure means 10 forms a more elliptical shape when coupled together by coupling means 20 , as opposed to the more circular shape shown previously . this elliptical shape may prove to provide better contact between user engagement means 30 and leg muscles which are larger in size than normal . this may prove true also for the original pivoting version , and also for the user engagement means when it is a separately attached component . fig1 a and 13b demonstrate another version of leg massage apparatus 1 having a frame structure means 10 with more than two main support members coupled together . in this instance , frame structure means 10 has four main support members coupled together by four coupling means 20 . in this version , each of the main support members comprises a quatter - arc shape , with all four quarter - arc shaped main support member creating a closed circular shaped frame structure means 10 when coupled together . fig1 c demonstrates this version having a separately mounted user engagement means 30 . fig1 a and 14b demonstrate a leg massage apparatus having an engagement support structure 36 which is both pivotally and linearly coupled to the main support member 11 . the engagement support structure 36 will not only pivot towards and away from the inner surface of the main support member 11 , but also move along a linear path towards and away from its inner surface . the main support member 11 thus serves as a type of guide bearing for guiding the engagement support structure 36 along a linear path of motion . in this case the handle member 12 would more than likely need to be an indented space into the main support member 11 instead of a through space . in this version , a spring member 23 may also be used to resist the movement of the engagement support structure 36 towards the inner surface of the main support member 11 will also push the engagement support structure back against the leg muscle of the user . therefore a spring member or some type of resistance band will not necessarily be used by the coupling means and the support coupling members as previously shown . instead of two or more main support members , the main structure means may now be constructed of only one arced or circular shaped main member , since the linear movement away and towards the leg muscle of the user is now done by the engagement support member , not the support coupling member and the coupling means . the main disadvantage with this version is that resistance may no longer be applied by the hands of the user . multiple main support beesmay still be utilized , but may now be rigidly connected together using a bolt and nut . however , an apparatus may still be constructed which has two or more main support members connected together using a coupling means , and also utilize a pivoting and linear moving engagement support structure . hence the combinations and variations of the body therapy apparatus derived from this capability are numerous . many variations of the leg massage apparatus exist , along with the configurations described above . while it will be apparent that the preferred embodiment of the invention herein disclosed is well calculated to fulfill the objects above stated , it will be appreciated that the invention is susceptible to modification , variation , and change without departing from the proper scope or fair meaning of the subjoined claims . | 0 |
reference will now be made in detail to exemplary embodiments of the present invention , examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawing figures , wherein like reference numerals refer to the like elements throughout . the exemplary embodiments are described below in order to explain the present invention by referring to the drawing figures . a band pass filter is described in detail below , which is one of the constituents of a duplexer according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention . an attenuation characteristic of a filter can be improved by connecting a certain resonator among resonators of the filter with a series or a shunt inductor . fig3 a is a diagram illustrating a structure of the band pass filter , in which shunt resonators are connected with tuning inductors in series . fig3 b is a graph illustrating the attenuation characteristic of the band pass filter according to inductance values of the tuning inductors of fig3 a . the band pass filter according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention , selects and outputs only a signal of a certain frequency band among signals input from an input end 60 a , and outputs the selected signal to an output end 60 b . the band pass filter includes four film bulk acoustic resonators ( fbars ) 61 , 62 , 63 and 64 in series and two fbars 65 and 66 in parallel as shown in fig3 a . the fbars are fabricated by depositing a lower electrode , a piezoelectric layer , and an upper electrode in that order . when a voltage is applied to the lower and upper electrodes , an electric field is generated between the two electrodes and the piezoelectric layer produces a piezoelectric effect which converts the applied electric signal into a mechanical energy in the form of an acoustic wave to thus generate a resonance . the band pass filter is implemented using the fbars according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention , but various resonators may be utilized . inductors 65 - 1 and 66 - 1 are respectively connected in series to the parallel fbars 65 and 66 . fig3 b is a graph of the attenuation characteristic of the filter when the inductors are not connected and inductances of the connected inductors are varied to 1 nh , 2 nh , 3 nh , and 4 nh . referring to fig3 b , solid lines indicate an insertion loss . the attenuation characteristic is considered to be good when the insertion loss in a frequency band to be used approaches to zero and abruptly increases in the vicinity of band - edge frequencies . the insertion loss rapidly increases around 1 . 98 ghz when the inductors are connected , as compared with the insertion loss when the inductors are not connected . in addition , the more the inductance value increases , the more the insertion loss rapidly increases . a signal of a frequency band to be transmitted can be selectively passed if the band pass filter is implemented by connecting inductors of appropriate inductance . according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention , inductance values are set to 3 ˜ 4 nh to implement the filter . a band pass filter at a receiving end has the same structure as the filer at the transmitting end . the difference lies in fbar and inductors which are formed to selectively output a signal of a frequency band different from the frequency band of the band pass filter at the transmitting end . fig4 illustrates a structure of a radio frequency ( rf ) duplexer according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention . referring to fig4 , the rf duplexer includes a printed circuit board ( pcb ) 100 , a transmitter band pass filter 200 , and a receiver band pass filter 300 . the transmitter and receiver band pass filters 200 and 300 , which include a plurality of fbars , are fabricated with a micro - chip through the semiconductor fabricating process . the transmitter and receiver band pass filters 200 and 300 are implemented as a single - chip duplexer by bonding with pads formed on the pcb 100 using a bumping method . if using a conventional wire bonding , there are problems such as limitation in expanding lead ( a passage for transmitting an electrical signal ) and loss at the wire , while the bumping can address these problems . the bumping method is performed by forming conductive bumps which are external terminals in the form of a protrusion having a size from tens of μm to hundreds of μm , on the pads with a metal material such as gold or solder and connecting the pads with the filters by use of the bumps . conductive bumps connect the transmitter and receiver band pass filter 200 and 300 with the pads on the pcb 100 through the bumping . hence , paths of the electrical wiring are shortened , and an electrical resistance and noise are lessened to thus enhance the electrical performance . the bumping can be divided into an electroplating method which extracts metal by using a rectifier , and an electroless plating method which extracts metal by using a reducing agent . according to the metal material in use , the bumping may be classed into a gold ( au ) bumping method , a solder bumping method , and a ni / cu bumping method . the gold ( au ) bumping method is classified into a gold ( au ) electroplating bumping method and an au stud bumping method . the solder bumping method is classed into a vapor deposition method , an electroplating method , a printing method , and a robotic ball placement method . advantageously , the electroplating method of the solder bumping method may be used , which is suitable for the mass production and the accurate bumping fabrication . still referring to fig4 , the pcb 100 includes first to fourth inductors 110 , 120 , 130 , and 140 to select a certain frequency band of the transmitter and receiver band pass filters 200 and 300 , a phase shifter 160 to prevent an inter - signal interference between the transmitter and receiver band pass filters 200 and 300 , and a plurality of bumps 181 , 182 , 183 , and 184 , and 186 , 187 , 188 , and 189 to electrically connect pads of the pcb 100 with the transmitter and receiver band pass filters 200 and 300 , respectively , and to support the filter chips . the phase shifter 160 may obtain a phase difference 90 ° with respect to an input by depositing a capacitor and a coil in order to form a lc parallel circuit or by implementing a transmission line having a quarter length of the wave λ of a transmitter signal , to delay the signal from the transmitter . the conventional duplexer has the structure that the phase shifter 160 is separately fabricated and bonded onto the pcb 100 . according to an exemplary embodiment , the phase shifter 160 is built in the pcb 100 to thus reduce the entire size of the duplexer . the rf duplexer operates as below . the transmitter signal , which is input through an input terminal 100 a formed on the pcb 100 , is filtered into a predetermined frequency by the transmitter band pass filter 200 , and is sent out externally via an antenna 100 b connected to the pcb 100 . a receiver signal , which is input via the antenna 100 b , is passed through the phase shifter 160 , filtered into a predetermined frequency by the receiver band pass filter 300 , and sent out to an output terminal 100 c . fig5 a and 5b illustrate the arrangement of the inductors and electrical connections of the pcb 100 and the transmitter band pass filter 200 . referring to fig5 a , two bumps 182 and 183 are respectively formed in areas a and b . the two bumps 182 and 183 electrically connect first and second parallel resonators 250 and 260 of fig4 with first and second inductors 110 and 120 on the pcb 100 . two bumps 181 and 184 are respectively formed in areas c and d , which connect a signal line for inputting and outputting the transmitter signal . two bumps 185 a and 185 b are respectively formed in areas g 1 and g 2 , and connect a ground of the pcb 100 with that of the transmitter band pass filter 200 . each bump is formed in a size of 100 μm × 100 μm and to a height of 10 μm . the first and second inductors 110 and 120 are formed in a linewidth of about 5 μm and a thickness of several of μm surrounding the bumps 182 and 183 formed in the areas a and b , and is electrically connected by one end with the bumps 182 and 183 , respectively . fig5 b illustrates a wiring alignment on a pad of the transmitter band pass filter 200 . the transmitter band pass filter 200 is formed at a center of the pad , and six terminals are formed around the pad . the terminals are electrically connected with certain elements of the transmitter band pass filter 200 . the terminal a ′ 250 a is connected with the first parallel fbar 250 , and with the bump 182 of the area a in fig5 a when bonding the pcb 100 with the transmitter band pass filter 200 . the terminal b ′ 260 a is connected with the second parallel fbar 260 , and with the bump 183 of the area b in fig5 a when bonding the pcb 100 with the transmitter band pass filter 200 . the terminal c ′ 210 a is connected with the first serial resonator 210 and the first parallel resonator 250 , and with the bump 181 of the area c in fig5 a when bonding the pcb 100 with the transmitter band pass filter 200 . the terminal d ′ 240 a is connected with the fourth serial resonator 240 , and with the bump 184 of the area d in fig5 a when bonding the pcb 100 with the transmitter band pass filter 200 . the terminals g 1 ′ 270 a and g 2 ′ 270 b are connected with the ground of the transmitter band pass filter 200 , and each is connected with the bumps 185 a and 185 b of the areas g 1 and g 2 in fig5 a when bonding the pcb 100 with the transmitter band pass filter 200 . the fabricating process of the rf duplexer according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is described below . fig6 is a cross sectional view of the duplexer according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention . the rf duplexer is implemented by fabricating the transmitter and receiver band pass filters 600 and 700 and bonding the transmitter and receiver pass filters 600 and 700 with the pcb 500 . the transmitter and receiver band pass filters 600 and 700 are fabricated in the same process . accordingly , the detailed description is made only for the transmitter band pass filter 600 for the conciseness . a cavity 615 is formed on a certain part of a semiconductor substrate 610 . a sacrificial material fills up the cavity 615 and an insulating film 651 is deposited on the cavity 615 . first electrodes 652 a and 652 b , piezoelectric layers 653 a and 653 b , and second electrodes 654 a and 654 b are deposited on the insulating film 651 in order . the first and second electrodes 652 a , 652 b , 654 a , and 654 b may utilize a conductive material such as metals , and advantageously , one of aluminum ( al ), tungsten ( w ), gold ( au ), platinum ( pt ), nickel ( ni ), titanium ( ti ), chromium ( cr ), palladium ( pd ), and molybdenum ( mo ). in general , a piezoelectric material uses aluminum nitride ( aln ) or zinc oxide ( zno ), but is not limited to these examples . the deposition may be performed using rf magnetron sputtering or evaporation . after forming the second electrodes 654 a and 654 b , an etching hole is penetrated through a certain part of the insulating film 651 , the sacrificial material is removed using a dry etching , and the etching hole is filled up . hence , the transmitter and receiver band pass filters 600 and 700 are fabricated . a patterning is performed for inductors 510 , 520 , 530 , and 540 which are 5 μm in width and to be formed on a pcb 505 . the inductors 510 , 520 , 530 , and 540 are formed by depositing gold ( au ) in a thickness of several μm along the formed patterns . a phase shifter 560 is formed by depositing a capacitor implemented with two metal layers and a dielectric layer between the two metal layers and the inductors implemented by fabricating a metal into a coil form . bumps are formed by gold ( au ) electroplating bumping according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention . specifically , a plurality of bumps 582 , 583 , 587 , and 588 are formed by depositing a conductive material , such as gold ( au ), in a size of 100 μm × 100 μm and in a thickness of 10 μm on area a , b , c , d , g 1 , and g 2 of fig5 a . the pcb 500 , the transmitter band pass filter 600 , and the receiver band pass filter 700 are adhered to each other using adhesive bonding and / or eutectic bonding , without using wire bond . as a result , the rf duplexer is implemented in a single chip . according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention , the size of the duplexer is reduced by forming the tuning inductors around the bumps of the pcb . in addition , the stability of the rf duplexer is enhanced due to the absence of the wire bonding process . while exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been described , additional variations and modifications of the exemplary embodiments may occur to those skilled in the art once they learn of the basic inventive concepts . therefore , it is intended that the appended claims shall be construed to include the above exemplary embodiments and all such variations and modifications that fall within the spirit and scope of the invention . | 7 |
reference is made herein to the attached drawings . like reference numerals are used throughout the drawings to depict like or similar elements of the automotive light covering . for the purposes of presenting a brief and clear description of the present invention , the preferred embodiment will be discussed as used for sending a message to nearby motorists using a passive message signal when a vehicle light is energized . the figures are intended for representative purposes only and should not be considered to be limiting in any respect . referring now to fig1 , there is shown a first embodiment of the automobile light covering device of the present invention . this embodiment contemplates a replacement or original equipment lamp cover 13 , lens or housing that includes a defined message 11 along its outer lens 12 . the message 11 is etched , painted or otherwise presented along the lens surface 12 to partially obstruct , block or refract light at the lettering 11 locations . the underlying vehicle light 14 , when energized , shines through the unblocked portions of the lens 12 and highlights the boundaries of the lettering 11 to allow other motorists to visualize the message . the lens 12 may be a replacement lens for an existing vehicle , whereby the lens 12 secures to the light housing 15 to enclose the light bulb 14 prior to deployment . alternate structures include entire light housing assemblies , which can be removed from the vehicle and replaced using the light housing electrical connectors . the outer panel or lens of the housing includes the desired writing 11 to relay the message . it is not desired to limit the disclosed message to a set of letters or a single configuration , but rather it is desired to disclose an improved communication means between motorists that can provided directed messages ( in the case of emergency vehicles ), or kind messages that build good - will and lower tensions on the roadway . it is further not contemplated t limit the deployment of the present invention to a particular light location or assembly on a vehicle . any vehicle lighted signal , including rear taillights , turn signals , hazard lights , reverse lights or the like may utilize the present invention for displaying a sign . in a particular embodiment , the message reads “ thank you ” and is placed over a vehicle rear turn signal , whereby a driver may thank nearby motorists when merging into traffic in congested or high speed areas . in another embodiment , the reverse lights may be accentuated by placing a “ reverse ” lettering along their lenses for improved communication . for the replacement lens embodiment , the lens secures to an existing light housing 15 using fasteners or similar structural connectors , and the lens acts as a direct replacement for the preexisting lens on the housing . for the complete light housing replacement embodiment , the housing replaces an entire light housing and secures to the vehicle in the same structural locations and utilizes the same electrical connectors or harness provided on the original equipment light housing . since the present invention is pertaining to roadway vehicles and light sources thereon , is it desired to design a messaging means that does not violate state and federal government roadway safety regulations . specifically , the present invention does not intend to block to outgoing light from a turn signal to the extent that its light is significantly reduced . rather , the lettering is desired to be minimalist and of a shape and structure to allow ready visualization of the message while not reducing the brightness of the lights . therefore , to comply with regulations for motor vehicles , the message letters may be shrunk in thickness , provided in stencil form to reduce surface area or etched into the lens to provide a message that does not block outgoing light . the lettering is desired to be at least partially opaque to allow light to be reduced around the lettering area , therefore allowing visualization of the message when the vehicle light is energized . referring now to fig2 , there is shown a second embodiment of the present invention . in this embodiment , the automotive light covering is an adhesable sticker structure 21 having a message 11 along its outer surface and an adhesive backside surface 23 . a peel - away film 22 protects the adhesive prior to application , whereafter the message is applied to the exterior of an existing vehicular light lens 12 . the sticker 21 is clear to allow light to pass therethrough , while a message 11 is provided along its outer surface to partially block outgoing light and highlight the message 11 . in this embodiment , a desired message may be applied to any vehicular lighting assembly without replacement of the light lens 12 , housing or any other original equipment provided on the vehicle . the message is readily applied to an existing vehicle and can be removed and replaced at a later date if desired . similar to the lens embodiment , the sticker embodiment allows for the message to be applied to any vehicle light , providing a desired message , phrase or symbol to be positioned over the light and visible to nearby drivers when the light is energized . both embodiments of the present invention require minimal installation and no alteration of existing vehicle electrical hardware when deployed . associated with the embodiments of the message device is an accompanying method of use that discloses placing a message onto a vehicle light to create good will between drivers and reduce road rage . the method includes the steps of identifying a vehicular light that is operably energized by input from the driver and placing a message over the light . the message is placed over a light such that it does not overly shroud the outgoing light while providing ready recognition of the message when the light is energized . the application of the message may include the steps of replacing an existing light housing , replacing a removable light lens on a vehicular light , or finally placing an adhesive sticker over the lens of a vehicle light to display the message during deployment . a crucial step also includes ensuring the opaque or semi - opaque message does not violate state and federal regulations for vehicle light coverings . this is accomplished before placement over a light and is location dependent , based on state regulations . while it would be ideal if everyone put safety first while driving , it is submitted that roadway confrontations are a regular occurrence on most roadways , particularly in congested and high traffic areas . some drivers may be in a hurry to their destination , distracted by a cell phone , or even angry about something completely unrelated to other drivers . these drivers may be susceptible to accidents and confrontations with other drivers , as it is easy to forget that other drivers are simply people attempting to navigate the roadway in the same manner , and other motorists can be serious injured if one is acting or driving recklessly . an emotionally - charged individual may overreact and cause an accident , which may do harm to that person and many others on the road . for these reasons , it is submitted that a means of reducing roadway tension between drivers and reducing road rage is necessary . the present invention provides a means to message other drivers during common roadway intersections and merge areas , and also provide a means for emergency and special vehicles to display directed messages . for instance , a merging vehicle can display a “ thank you ” message on his or her vehicle &# 39 ; s turn signal , or a series of vehicles heading to a funeral may deploy a “ funeral service ” message on their hazard lights , and finally emergency vehicles such as ambulances may deploy messages such as “ caution ” when their emergency lights are activated . several embodiments have been disclosed , along with a method of use , whereby communication between motorists is improved for the purposes of increased roadway safety . in light of cited prior art and the foregoing description , it is submitted that the instant invention has been shown as a novel advancement of the art and described in what is considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments . it is recognized , however , that departures may be made within the scope of the invention and that obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art . with respect to the above description then , it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention , to include variations in size , materials , shape , form , function and manner of operation , assembly and use , are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art , and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by the present invention . therefore , the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention . further , since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art , it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described , and accordingly , all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to , falling within the scope of the invention . | 8 |
this invention relates to a method and apparatus for the dynamic configuration of a lexical analysis parser . in the following description , numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a more thorough understanding of the present invention . it will be apparent , however , to one skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details . further , this invention in one or more embodiments may be implemented in the form of hardware and / or software . “ lexical analysis ” is the phase of parsing responsible for the division of the source text presented to the parser into a set of “ tokens ” that are recognized as part of the lexicon of the language . [ 0030 ] fig2 a is a flow chart illustrating the methodology of one embodiment of the present invention . in block 200 , the lexical analyzer is instantiated by a host application . in one embodiment , the host application is the parser component of a software compiler . in block 210 , a set of tokens is added to an internal dictionary maintained by the analyzer . the dictionary is any data structure used to translate one value to another and known to those of skill in the art . the analyzer recognizes several different token types . in block 220 , the analyzer is queried for the next token in sequence of the source code being analyzed . [ 0031 ] fig3 illustrates the token types recognized by one embodiment of the present invention . lexicon 300 is comprised of numbers 310 , string literals 320 , identifiers 330 , character constants 340 , reserved words 350 , and operators 360 . immediately after the lexical analyzer is instantiated , the software recognizes token types 310 - 340 . reserved words 350 and operators 360 may be dynamically added to the lexical analyzer in accordance with one embodiment of the invention , in block 210 of fig2 a . [ 0032 ] fig2 b illustrates the operation of the lexical analyzer in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention . in block 200 , the lexical analyzer is instantiated by a host application . decision blocks 212 , 216 and 222 represent event handlers of the lexical analyzer object . block 212 determines whether the host application seeks to add a reserved word to the internal dictionary . if so , then in block 214 the reserved word is added . if not , then in block 216 , a determination is made as to whether the host application seeks to add an operator to the internal dictionary . if so , then in block 218 the operator is added . if the result of determination block 216 is negative , then in block 222 a determination is made as to whether the host application is requesting the next token in the source code sequence . if not , then the event loop continues at block 212 . if yes , then in block 224 a determination is made as to whether any more tokens exist in the source code sequence . if not , the event loop continues at block 212 . if yes , then in block 226 the lexical analyzer outputs the next token . [ 0034 ] fig2 c is a flow chart illustrating another embodiment of the present invention . in block 200 , the lexical analyzer is instantiated by a host application . decision blocks 212 , 213 , 216 , 217 and 222 represent event handlers of the lexical analyzer object . block 212 determines whether the host application seeks to add a reserved word to the internal dictionary . if yes , then in block 214 the reserved word is added . if not , then decision block 213 determines whether the host application seeks to remove a reserved word . if yes , then in block 215 a reserved word is removed from the internal dictionary . if not , then in block 216 , a determination is made as to whether the host application seeks to add an operator to the internal dictionary . if yes , then in block 218 , the operator is added . if not , then in block 217 , a determination is made as to whether the host application seeks to remove an operator from the internal dictionary . if yes , then in block 219 , the operator is removed . if the result of determination block 217 is negative , then in block 222 a determination is made as to whether the host application is requesting the next token in the source code sequence . if not , then the event loop continues at block 212 . if yes , then in block 224 a determination is made as to whether any more tokens exist in the source code sequence . if not , then the event loop continues at block 212 . if yes , then in block 226 the lexical analyzer outputs the next token . [ 0036 ] fig4 illustrates the relationship between one embodiment of a lexical analyzer and parser . source program 400 is analyzed by lexical analyzer 410 under direction of parser 420 . parser 420 issues commands 425 to lexical analyzer 410 . these commands comprise modifications ( e . g ., additions ) to the list of recognized tokens maintained by the lexical analyzer , as well as requests for tokens in the sequence of source program 400 . lexical analyzer 410 sends output 430 to parser 420 in response to token request 425 . [ 0037 ] fig5 illustrates the structure of a token entry api according to one embodiment of the present invention . the token entry api enables the entry of reserved word and operator tokens into the internal dictionary of the lexical analyzer so that users have an enhanced ability to modify a given token set at runtime . token entry 500 is comprised of language descriptor field 510 and identifier field 520 . in one embodiment , the identifier is a numeric constant that represents the token value . for example , reserved word tokens are added to a lexical analyzer instantiated as “ lex ” in the following manner : [ 0039 ] fig6 illustrates the architecture of the lexical analyzer software in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention . lexical analyzer 600 is comprised of internal dictionary 610 , reserved word interface 620 , operator interface 630 , token interface 640 , and internal logic 650 . internal dictionary 610 is a data structure so configured as to translate language descriptors to token values . reserved word interface 620 enables a host application to manipulate the reserved word entries in internal dictionary 610 . operator interface 620 enables a host application to manipulate the operator entries in internal dictionary 610 . token interface 640 enables a host application to request tokens from lexical analyzer 620 . an embodiment of the invention can be implemented as computer software in the form of computer readable program code executed in a general purpose computing environment such as environment 700 illustrated in fig7 or in the form of bytecode class files executable within a java ™ run time environment running in such an environment , or in the form of bytecodes running on a processor ( or devices enabled to process bytecodes ) existing in a distributed environment ( e . g ., one or more processors on a network ). a keyboard 710 and mouse 711 are coupled to a system bus 718 . the keyboard and mouse are for introducing user input to the computer system and communicating that user input to central processing unit ( cpu ) 713 . other suitable input devices may be used in addition to , or in place of , the mouse 711 and keyboard 710 . i / o ( input / output ) unit 719 coupled to bi - directional system bus 718 represents such i / o elements as a printer , a / v ( audio / video ) i / o , etc . computer 701 may include a communication interface 720 coupled to bus 718 . communication interface 720 provides a two - way data communication coupling via a network link 721 to a local network 722 . for example , if communication interface 720 is an integrated services digital network ( isdn ) card or a modem , communication interface 720 provides a data communication connection to the corresponding type of telephone line , which comprises part of network link 721 . if communication interface 720 is a local area network ( lan ) card , communication interface 720 provides a data communication connection via network link 721 to a compatible lan . wireless links are also possible . in any such implementation , communication interface 720 sends and receives electrical , electromagnetic or optical signals which carry digital data streams representing various types of information . network link 721 typically provides data communication through one or more networks to other data devices . for example , network link 721 may provide a connection through local network 722 to local server computer 723 or to data equipment operated by isp 724 . isp 724 in turn provides data communication services through the world wide packet data communication network now commonly referred to as the “ internet ” 725 . local network 722 and internet 725 both use electrical , electromagnetic or optical signals which carry digital data streams . the signals through the various networks and the signals on network link 721 and through communication interface 720 , which carry the digital data to and from computer 700 , are exemplary forms of carrier waves transporting the information . processor 713 may reside wholly on client computer 701 or wholly on server 726 or processor 713 may have its computational power distributed between computer 701 and server 726 . server 726 symbolically is represented in fig7 as one unit , but server 726 can also be distributed between multiple “ tiers ”. in one embodiment , server 726 comprises a middle and back tier where application logic executes in the middle tier and persistent data is obtained in the back tier . in the case where processor 713 resides wholly on server 726 , the results of the computations performed by processor 713 are transmitted to computer 701 via internet 725 , internet service provider ( isp ) 724 , local network 722 and communication interface 720 . in this way , computer 701 is able to display the results of the computation to a user in the form of output . computer 701 includes a video memory 714 , main memory 715 and mass storage 712 , all coupled to bi - directional system bus 718 along with keyboard 710 , mouse 711 and processor 713 . as with processor 713 , in various computing environments , main memory 715 and mass storage 712 , can reside wholly on server 726 or computer 701 , or they may be distributed between the two . examples of systems where processor 713 , main memory 715 , and mass storage 712 are distributed between computer 701 and server 726 include the thin - client computing architecture developed by sun microsystems , inc ., the palm pilot computing device and other personal digital assistants , internet ready cellular phones and other internet computing devices , and in platform independent computing environments , such as those which utilize the java technologies also developed by sun microsystems , inc . the mass storage 712 may include both fixed and removable media , such as magnetic , optical or magnetic optical storage systems or any other available mass storage technology . bus 718 may contain , for example , thirty - two address lines for addressing video memory 714 or main memory 715 . the system bus 718 also includes , for example , a 32 - bit data bus for transferring data between and among the components , such as processor 713 , main memory 715 , video memory 714 and mass storage 712 . alternatively , multiplex data / address lines may be used instead of separate data and address lines . in one embodiment of the invention , the processor 713 is a sparc microprocessor from sun microsystems , inc ., a microprocessor manufactured by motorola , such as the 680x0 processor , or a microprocessor manufactured by intel , such as the 80x86 or pentium processor . however , any other suitable microprocessor or microcomputer may be utilized . main memory 715 is comprised of dynamic random access memory ( dram ). video memory 714 is a dual - ported video random access memory . one port of the video memory 714 is coupled to video amplifier 716 . the video amplifier 716 is used to drive the cathode ray tube ( crt ) raster monitor 717 . video amplifier 716 is well known in the art and may be implemented by any suitable apparatus . this circuitry converts pixel data stored in video memory 714 to a raster signal suitable for use by monitor 717 . monitor 717 is a type of monitor suitable for displaying graphic images . computer 701 can send messages and receive data , including program code , through the network ( s ), network link 721 , and communication interface 720 . in the internet example , remote server computer 726 might transmit a requested code for an application program through internet 725 , isp 724 , local network 722 and communication interface 720 . the received code may be executed by processor 713 as it is received , and / or stored in mass storage 712 , or other non - volatile storage for later execution . in this manner , computer 700 may obtain application code in the form of a carrier wave . alternatively , remote server computer 726 may execute applications using processor 713 , and utilize mass storage 712 , and / or video memory 715 . the results of the execution at server 726 are then transmitted through internet 725 , isp 724 , local network 722 and communication interface 720 . in this example , computer 701 performs only input and output functions . application code may be embodied in any form of computer program product . a computer program product comprises a medium configured to store or transport computer readable code , or in which computer readable code may be embedded . some examples of computer program products are cd - rom disks , rom cards , floppy disks , magnetic tapes , computer hard drives , servers on a network , and carrier waves . the computer systems described above are for purposes of example only . an embodiment of the invention may be implemented in any type of computer system or programming or processing environment . thus , a dynamically configurable lexical analyzer is described in conjunction with one or more specific embodiments . the invention is defined by the following claims and their full scope an equivalents . | 8 |
it is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved rocket propulsion system with air intake which avoids the various drive specific drawbacks outlined above but permits retention of the advantage of a pure rocket drive , while combining therewith the advantages turbo air jets and ram jets propulsion systems have . in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention , it is suggested to provide a particular cryogenic twocomponent fuel system , preferably lh 2 and lox , wherein the elements of three conventional jet propulsion systems , namely rocket drive systems , turbodrive systems and ram jets , are combined in a single drive aggregate under utilization of conventional process elements , permitting propulsion with air intake , as well as without , and also permitting hybrid operation and transition from one mode to another . while the specification concludes with claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which is regarded as the invention , it is believed that the invention , the objects and features of the invention , and further objects , features , and advantages thereof will be better understood from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which : the figure shows a block diagram of a propulsion system in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention for practicing the best mode thereof . proceeding now to the detailed description of the drawing , pure air intake operation is established by closing a discharge control valve 17 for an oxidizer tank 9 so that a lox pump 10 ceases to operate ; an oxidizer injector 11 is also closed , while the optional air intake flaps 19 are open . air with a thermodynamic state ( enthalpy ) that depends upon mach number and elevation , i . e . air pressure , temperature , and water vapor content , may enter through these flaps 19 when open , and passes through the air intake 16 , preferably constructed as a multiple shock diffuser . this way external air enters the aggregate and passes the oxidizer injector 11 , and flows through a pre - cooler 12 for a cool down . owing to appropriate dimensioning , as well as through control of the coolant flow , one obtains a very decisive pre - cooling , particularly on account of the content of the water vapor content , which is significant in low altitudes . the cooling causes the air to drop below the dew point of water vapor . downstream of the cooling ( 12 ) a water precipitator 13 is provided to dry the pre - cooled air prior to flowing into and through the cryogenic cooler 4 , which is also passed through by cryogenic fuel . here then , the air is cooled as much as possible , but not below its dew point until reaching the principle compressor 14 . owing to this very strong cooling of the air , one reduces the power requirements , stage number , dimensions , and mass of the two compressors 14 and 15 . in addition , one obtains , so to speak , a decoupling of the operation of these parts from the actual aircraft speed , so that that speed will have little if any influence upon the power and operation of this compressor group . the air flow is biparted downstream from the principle compressor 14 . the major portion of the air is passed via a duct 12 &# 39 ; through the above - mentioned regenerative pre - cooler 12 and from there via conduit 12 &# 34 ; directly to the combustion chamber 5 . a smaller portion of compressed air from compressor 14 is fed to the high compression stage 15 , and the now highly pressurized air is then also passed through the regenerative pre - cooler , conduit 15 &# 39 ; and from 12 that air portion flows through conduit 15 &# 34 ; to the high pressure gas generator 7 . the fuel stored in tank 1 , preferably hydrogen , is fed by means of a first , pre - stage pump 2 , having its own turbine , to a principal pump 3 through an appropriate conduit system 2 &# 39 ; and pump 3 advances the fuel at high pressure through conduit 3 &# 39 ; to and through the cryogenic cooler 4 and from there through the cooling jacket ( 5 &# 39 ;) of the combustion chamber 5 to the fuel turbine 6 . the fuel turbine feeds a small amount of fuel to the pump 2 via valve 17 - 2 for driving same . the uncombusted fuel that just drives the turbine of the pump 2 is fed back via a control valve 18 to tank 1 . the fuel continues through the turbine 6 to the high pressure gas generator 7 , wherein the gaseous fuel is combusted under utilization of the partial air stream ( conduit 15 &# 34 ;) that is also fed to that generator 7 . the mixing ratio of operation in the high pressure gas generator 7 is selected so that the gas temperature will not exceed the permissible turbine inlet temperature . the precombusted but fuel rich gas drives the main turbine 8 and leaves the turbine 8 ( conduit 8 &# 39 ;) for the combustion chamber 5 , wherein it is combined with the larger partial air stream ( conduit 12 &# 34 ;) that was fed through the regenerative pre - cooler 12 . following combustion in chamber 5 , the combustion products are expanded by and within the main thrust producing nozzle of that chamber 5 . the chosen arrangement of pre - and principal cooler relieves , on one hand , the cryogenic cooler 4 to some extent , and , therefore , takes care of adequate cooling of the combustion chamber 5 . on the other hand , this two stage cooling arrangement permits the utilization of the regenerator pre - cooler 12 in the particular arrangement to obtain drying of the air whenever there is an air intake operation by the precipitator 13 . on the other hand this pre - cooler 12 makes sure that upon feeding back of the compression heat produced by and in the compressors 14 and 15 a pure rocket drive can obtain upon evaporation of the oxidizer fed into the system via the oxidizer injector 11 , whenever that kind of operation is desired . the oxidizer is preferably , as stated , liquid oxygen . effectiveness of the regenerating pre - cooler 12 is , moreover enhanced and increased further by providing upstream a tubular heat exchanger 20 for the air that is fed from compressor 14 to cooler 12 to be in heat exchange with the fuel that is pumped by pump 3 and after having passed through cryogenic cooler 4 . turning now to the pure rocket drive operation , one will close the air intake flaps 19 , while the valve 17 at the oxidizer tank 9 is opened , so is the injector 11 . the pump 10 is driven by its own turbine which receives pressurized gas via a valve 17 - 10 from the compressor 14 . a return path line controlled by a control valve 181 returns the spent oxygen to the tank 9 . the oxidizer pump 10 feeds oxidizer medium taken out of the tank 9 through and into the oxidizer injector 11 to flow to and through the regenerating precooler 12 . this cooler 12 is now operated as evaporator for the oxidizing fluid . the evaporated oxygen just passes through the precipitator 13 , which does not perform any function at this point because there is no water vapor in the tank 9 . the oxidizing medium passes through the cryogenic cooler 4 however that cooler as well as the tubular heat exchanger 20 will not be flown through by coolant in order to avoid undesired recondensation ( formation of ice ) in this mode of operation which is , therefore , passing through a by - pass line by operation of valve 17 - 3 . further processing of the oxidizer and of the fuel is the same as the previous operation described with reference to air intake mode of operation . for purposes of providing for a transition from air intake to pure rocket propulsion , it is suggested to provide a hybrid mode of operation , wherein the drive aggregate receives oxygen from the tank 9 as well as air that is being sucked in through the open flaps 19 . this hybrid operation has the following advantages . first of all , by providing for this hybrid operation in the first place , it is possible to provide for a smooth transition of one mode of operation to the other i . e . for the earlier described mode of air intake operation to the rocket mode without any abrupt changeover . moreover , this way , one can extend the operation which utilizes external air towards higher speeds and higher altidudes simply because there is no exclusive reliance on the amount of air being sucked in , but whatever air can be used is being used , and that , of course , reduces the amont of oxidizer in the tank 9 , i . e . the dimensions , weight , etc . of the tank 9 , which ultimately is , of course , immediately and directly beneficial for increasing the payload . it is a particular advantageous form of practicing the invention , to replace the regenerative pre - cooler 12 by a recuperative pre - cooler which is somewhat more compact and , therefor , quite possibly of lighter weight . another alternative is that in lieu of the principle compressor 14 , and of the main turbine 8 , one uses a pressure wave compressor . the invention is not limited to the embodiments described above , but all changes and modifications thereof , not constituting departures from the spirit and scope of the invention are intended to be included . | 5 |
the following describes currently preferred embodiments of a pcrf server , a pcef device and a tdf device ; they all arranged to carry out a method of establishing a tdf session in pcc architecture . fig1 illustrates a basic sequence of actions to be carried out for accomplishing this method . the sequence of actions starts when a pcef device 3 is aware that a user has initiated the establishment of an ip connectivity access network “ ip - can ” session , and the pcef device signals the establishment of the ip - can session towards the pcrf server 1 during a step s - 100 . in particular , as signalling the establishment of the ip - can session , the pcef device may provide a session - id identifying the ip - can session . more particularly , the pcef device may also optionally provide , in accordance with embodiments of the invention , tdf - related information useful for the pcrf server to select a tdf device suitable for inspecting traffic through the ip - can session . the tdf - related information might be an ip address for addressing a particular tdf device or any other individual or group identifier that the pcrf server could make it use of to select the suitable tdf . upon being signalled about the establishment of the ip - can session , the pcrf server 1 selects during a step s - 120 a tdf device 2 for detecting and reporting traffic through the ip - can session , and the pcrf server 1 initiates during a step s - 140 the establishment of a tdf session with the selected tdf device 2 . in particular , several embodiments will be further discussed throughout this specification regarding the initiation and completion of the tdf session between the pcrf server 1 and the selected tdf device 2 . apart from initiating the establishment of the tdf session , the pcrf server 1 submits during a step s - 160 towards the tdf device application and detection control “ adc ” rules to be installed for the ip - can session . once the adc rules have been submitted from the pcrf server 1 to the tdf device 2 , the pcrf server 1 submits during a step s - 180 towards the pcef device 3 the pcc rules to be installed for the ip - can session therein . to this end , as illustrated in fig7 , the pcrf server 1 comprises in accordance with the invention : a first interface unit 40 for signalling the establishment of the ip - can session from the pcef device 3 ; a processing unit 20 for selecting a tdf device to detect and report traffic through the ip - can session , for determining pcc rules to be installed at the pcef device , and for determining adc rules to be installed at the tdf device 2 ; a second interface unit 50 for initiating establishment of a tdf session with the tdf device 2 and for submitting towards the tdf device the adc rules to be installed for the ip - can session ; and wherein the first interface unit 40 is arranged for submitting towards the pcef device 3 the pcc rules to be installed for the ip - can session . in particular , the first interface unit 40 and the second interface unit 50 may both be integral elements of a unique interface unit 30 . also in particular , the pcrf server 1 may include storage 10 to save relevant data , such as ip - can session data and tdf - related information , if received , to be further used during the step of selecting a tdf device 2 and / or during the step of initiating the establishment of the tdf session with the tdf device 2 . also to this end , as illustrated in fig8 , the tdf device 2 comprises in accordance with the invention : an interface unit 35 for initiating establishment of a tdf session with a pcrf server 1 , and for receiving adc rules for an ip - can session from the pcrf server 1 ; a processing unit 25 for installing the adc rules for the ip - can session ; and a detector 45 for detecting traffic through the ip - can session based on the installed adc rules . fig2 illustrates a plurality of actions that may be optionally carried out at different steps and preferably before initiating the establishment of the tdf session between the pcrf server 1 and the tdf device 2 . for example , as illustrated in fig2 , upon receiving from the pcef device a so - called ccr message indicating the establishment of the ip - can session for the user , the pcrf server 1 may store the received information during a step s - 105 . in particular , the ccr message might not include any tdf - related information . the pcrf server may then request a user profile for the user from a subscription profile repository “ spr ” 4 during a step s - 110 . upon reception of the user profile for the user from the spr 4 during a step s - 115 , the pcrf server 1 may make it use of information in the user profile for selecting a tdf device 2 for detecting and reporting traffic through the ip - can session as commented above with reference to fig1 . the selection of a tdf device 2 by the pcrf server 1 may thus be carried out by taking into account tdf - related information received from the pcef device 3 , or by taking into account information included in a user profile for the user received from a spr 4 , or by taking into account tdf information configured or provisioned in the pcrf server 1 , or any combinations thereof . to this end , and with reference to fig7 , the pcrf server 1 may further comprise a third interface unit 60 for obtaining tdf information from the spr 4 in charge of subscription information for a subscriber related to the ip - can session . on the other hand , depending on the particular embodiment of the invention to be followed for a particular ip - can session and / or user , the processing unit 20 may be arranged for selecting the tdf device by processing the tdf information received at the first interface unit 40 from the pcef device 3 , along with the signalled ip - can session establishment , or may be arranged for selecting the tdf device by processing the tdf information obtained at the third interface unit 60 from the spr 4 , or may be arranged for selecting the tdf device by processing both tdf information received from the pcef device 3 and tdf information received from the spr 4 , as well as by taking into account tdf information configured or provisioned in the pcrf server 1 . in particular , as already commented above , any amongst the first interface unit 40 , the second interface unit 50 and the third interface unit 60 may be integral elements of a unique interface unit 30 . moreover , the storage 10 of the pcrf server 1 may be arranged for storing tdf information received from the pcef device 3 and tdf information received from the spr 4 . back to the sequence of actions illustrated in fig2 , at any time after having received the signalling from the pcef device 3 informing of the establishment of an ip - can session for the user , and before submitting pcc rules towards the pcef device 3 , the pcrf server may determine the pcc rules to be installed at the pcef device 3 during a step s - 125 . likewise , before or after having determined at the pcrf server 1 the pcc rules to be installed at the pcef device 3 , but in any case after having received the signalling from the pcef device 3 informing of the establishment of an ip - can session for the user , and before submitting adc rules towards the tdf device 2 , the pcrf server may determine during a step s - 130 the adc rules to be installed at the tdf device 2 . to this end , and with reference to fig7 , the processing unit 20 of the pcrf server 1 is arranged for determining the pcc rules to be installed at the pcef device 3 and for determining the adc rules to be installed at the tdf device 2 . alternatives to the embodiments described above with reference to fig2 may be provided without departing from the scope of the invention . for example , in accordance with an embodiment of the invention , the pcef device 3 may receive a request for ip - can bearer establishment ; the pcef device may determine that a pcc authorization is required , so that the pcef device may request the authorization of allowed services and pcc rules information . it may also include the tdf ip address , in case of solicited application reporting , if applicable . the pcrf server 1 may store the received information ; and , in case the pcrf server 1 does not have subscription related information , it may send a request to the spr 4 in order to receive subscriber information related to the ip - can session . once the pcrf server has received the requested subscriber information from the spr , the pcrf server may make the authorization and policy decision . then , the pcrf server 1 may select a tdf device 2 to be used for this ip - can session . the selection of the tdf device may be based on information stored in the spr , which may be different than the tdf - related information received from the pcef device . apart from that , the pcrf may store the applicable pcc rules for further submission to the pcef device . as already commented above , several embodiments are provided by the present invention regarding the initiation and completion of the tdf session between the pcrf server 1 and the selected tdf device 2 . in a first embodiment illustrated in fig3 and in order to initiate the establishment of the tdf session already discussed with reference to fig1 , the pcrf server 1 may notify the tdf device 2 during a step s - 141 of the needs for a tdf session . the tdf device 2 may optionally acknowledge the notification during a step s - 151 , and may request during a step s - 155 the establishment of the tdf session to the pcrf server 1 . in particular , the pcrf server 1 may submit the adc rules during the step s - 160 as a response to receiving during the step s - 155 the request for establishment of the tdf session from the tdf device 2 . to this end , and with reference to fig7 , the second interface unit 50 of the pcrf server 1 may be arranged for notifying the tdf device 2 of the needs for a tdf session , and may be arranged for receiving a request for establishment of the tdf session from the tdf device 2 . in particular for this embodiment , the second interface unit 50 may be arranged for submitting the adc rules to the tdf device 2 upon receiving the request for establishment of the tdf session from the tdf device 2 . also to this end , and with reference to fig8 , the interface unit 35 of the tdf device 2 may be arranged for receiving the notification of the needs for a tdf session from the pcrf server 1 , and for submitting the request for establishment of the tdf session to the pcrf server 1 . in particular for this embodiment , the interface unit 35 may be arranged for receiving the adc rules from the pcrf server 1 as a result of having submitted the request for establishment of the tdf session to the pcrf server 1 . back to the sequence of actions to be carried out in the exemplary embodiment illustrated in fig3 , upon receiving the adc rules , the tdf device 2 installs the adc rules during a step s - 165 . optionally , the tdf device 2 may confirm during a step s - 170 to the pcrf server 1 that the adc rules have been successfully installed so that , upon determining by the pcrf server 1 the successful installation of the adc rules during this step s - 170 , the pcrf server 1 may responsively submit during the step s - 180 the pcc rules towards the pcef device 3 . in particular , as illustrated in fig3 , upon determining by the pcrf server 1 the successful installation of the adc rules during this step s - 170 , the pcrf server 1 may submit during a step s - 181 the pcc rules to the pcef device 3 along with information related to the selected tdf device 2 for the pcef device 3 to be enabled to communicate with the tdf device 2 either directly or indirectly though the pcrf server 1 . then , the pcef device 3 may install the received pcc rules during a step s - 185 , and may install the received information related to the selected tdf device 2 during a step s - 190 . to this end and with reference to fig8 , the interface unit 35 of the tdf device 2 may be arranged for notifying the pcrf server 1 of a successful installation of the adc rules for the ip - can session . also to this end and with reference to fig7 , the processing unit 20 of the pcrf server 1 may be arranged for determining that the adc rules have successfully been installed at the tdf device 2 and , responsive to this determination , for triggering the submission of the pcc rules through the first interface unit 40 towards the pcef device 3 . in a second embodiment illustrated in fig4 and in order to initiate the establishment of the tdf session already discussed with reference to fig1 , the pcrf server 1 may request to the tdf device 2 during a step 142 the establishment of the tdf session . the tdf device 2 may optionally acknowledge the request during a step s - 152 , and may correspondingly request during a step s - 155 the establishment of the tdf session to the pcrf server 1 . in particular , the pcrf server 1 may submit the adc rules during the step s - 160 along with the request for establishment of the tdf session during the step s - 142 to the tdf device 2 , which is not illustrated in any drawing , or the pcrf server 1 may submit the adc rules during the step s - 160 as a response to receiving during the step s - 155 the request for establishment of the tdf session from the tdf device 2 , as commented above with reference to the embodiment illustrated in fig3 . to this end , and with reference to fig7 , the second interface unit 50 of the pcrf server 1 may be arranged for requesting the establishment of the tdf session to the tdf device 2 . this second interface unit 50 of the pcrf server 1 may optionally be arranged for receiving the acknowledge to the request and also for receiving a request for establishment of the tdf session from the tdf device 2 . in particular for this embodiment , the second interface unit 50 may be arranged for submitting the adc rules to the tdf device 2 along with the request for the establishment of the tdf session submitted from the pcrf server 1 to the tdf device 2 . also to this end , and with reference to fig8 , the interface unit 35 of the tdf device 2 may be arranged for receiving the request for establishment of the tdf session from the pcrf server 1 . optionally , this interface unit 35 of the tdf device 2 may be arranged for submitting the acknowledge to the request and also for submitting the request for establishment of the tdf session to the pcrf server 1 . in particular for this embodiment , the interface unit 35 may be arranged for receiving the adc rules from the pcrf server 1 along with the request for the establishment of the tdf session received from the pcrf server 1 . generally speaking , the submission of adc rules from the pcrf server 1 to the tdf device 2 during the step s - 160 may be carried out along with the initiation of the establishment of the tdf session from the pcrf server 1 towards the tdf device 2 during the step s - 140 , or immediately afterwards without awaiting acknowledgements or requests from the tdf device 2 . if this were the case , the adc rules might be submitted by the pcrf server 1 to the tdf device 2 along with the notification of the needs for a tdf session submitted during the step s - 141 , or along with the request for establishment of the tdf session during the step s - 142 , or as a response to receiving during the step s - 155 the request for establishment of the tdf session from the tdf device 2 . back to the sequence of actions to be carried out in the exemplary embodiment illustrated in fig4 , upon receiving the adc rules , the tdf device 2 installs the adc rules during a step s - 165 and confirms back to the pcrf server 1 the successful installation of adc rules during a step s - 170 . as for the embodiment illustrated with reference to fig3 , also under this embodiment , upon determining by the pcrf server 1 the successful installation of the adc rules during this step s - 170 , the pcrf server 1 may submit during a step s - 181 the pcc rules to the pcef device 3 along with information related to the selected tdf device 2 for the pcef device 3 to be enabled to communicate with the tdf device 2 either directly or indirectly though the pcrf server 1 . then , the pcef device 3 may install the received pcc rules during a step s - 185 , and may install the received information , if any , related to the selected tdf device 2 during a step s - 190 . likewise and with respective references to fig8 and fig7 , the interface unit 35 of the tdf device 2 may be arranged for notifying the pcrf server 1 of a successful installation of the adc rules for the ip - can session , and the processing unit 20 of the pcrf server 1 may be arranged for determining that the adc rules have successfully been installed at the tdf device 2 and , responsive to this determination , for triggering the submission of the pcc rules through the first interface unit 40 towards the pcef device 3 . in a third embodiment illustrated in fig5 there is a bearer binding and event reporting function ( bberf ) server of a pcc architecture in charge of initiating a gateway control session establishment procedure . in fact , this bberf server 5 might be involved as well in the above first and second embodiments respectively illustrated in fig3 and 4 . as shown in fig5 , the bberf server 5 may submit during a step s - 090 an ip - can session establishment request towards the pcef device 3 . then , as commented above in respect of fig1 , the pcef device 3 signals the establishment of the ip - can session towards the pcrf server 1 during a step s - 100 . in particular , the pcef device may provide a session - id identifying the ip - can session , and might also optionally provide tdf - related information useful for the pcrf server to select a tdf device suitable for inspecting traffic through the ip - can session . the tdf - related information might be an ip address for addressing a particular tdf device or any other individual or group identifier that the pcrf server could make it use of to select the suitable tdf . upon being signalled about the establishment of the ip - can session , the pcrf server 1 selects during a step s - 120 a tdf device 2 for detecting and reporting traffic through the ip - can session . then , the pcrf server 1 initiates during a step s - 140 the establishment of a tdf session with the selected tdf device 2 , and submits the applicable adc rules to the selected tdf device 2 during a step s - 160 either immediately after or along with the establishment of the tdf session carried out during the step s - 140 . the tdf device 2 installs during a step s - 165 the received adc rules . explicitly shown for this embodiment , and also applicable to any above embodiment , the pcrf server 1 may assume that the adc rules have successfully been installed without needing an explicit message from the tdf device to this end . for example , the pcrf server 1 might wait for an unsuccessful result during a time gap , and the fact of not receiving such an unsuccessful result allows the pcrf server 1 to determine the successful installation of the adc rules . then , the pcrf server 1 may submit during a step s - 180 the pcc rules to the pcef device 3 and the pcef device may install the received pcc rules during a step s - 185 . eventually , the pcef device 3 returns to the bberf server 5 an ip - can session establishment response during a step s - 200 . in a fourth embodiment illustrated in fig6 and in order to initiate the establishment of the tdf session already discussed with reference to fig1 , upon being signalled about the establishment of the ip - can session during the step s - 100 , the pcrf server 1 selects during the step s - 120 a tdf device 2 for detecting and reporting traffic through the ip - can session . then , the pcrf server 1 initiates during a step s - 140 the establishment of a tdf session with the selected tdf device 2 . in particular , the pcrf server 1 may initiate the establishment of the tdf session by notifying the tdf device of the needs for the tdf session or by sending to the tdf device a tdf session establishment request , as already discussed above with regards to first and second embodiments . the tdf device 2 may , at any time during the ip - can session existence and irrespective of having already received adc rules , request adc rules to the pcrf server 1 . this embodiment shows the case where after or during the tdf session establishment , at any time during the existence of the ip - can session , the tdf device 2 requests adc rules to the pcrf server during a step s - 150 . responsive to this request from the tdf device , the pcrf server 1 may submit during the step s - 160 the requested adc rules to the tdf device 2 . to this end and with reference to fig7 , the second interface unit 50 of the pcrf server 1 may be arranged for submitting the adc rules to the tdf device 2 upon request from the tdf device . also to this end and with reference to fig8 , the interface unit 35 of the tdf device 2 may be arranged for submitting a request for the adc rules to the pcrf server 1 at any time during the existence of the ip - can session . back to the sequence of actions exemplary illustrated in fig6 , the tdf device 2 installs during the step s - 165 the received adc rules and submits during the step s - 170 a notification to the pcrf server 1 indicating the successful installation of the adc rules . as determining the successful installation of the pcc rules , the pcrf server 1 may submit during the step s - 180 the pcc rules to the pcef device 3 , wherein the pcc rules are installed during the step s - 185 . as already commented above with reference to fig8 and fig7 for alternative or complementary embodiments , the interface unit 35 of the tdf device 2 may be arranged for notifying the pcrf server 1 of a successful installation of the adc rules for the ip - can session , and the processing unit 20 of the pcrf server 1 may be arranged for determining that the adc rules have successfully been installed at the tdf device 2 and , responsive to this determination , for triggering the submission of the pcc rules through the first interface unit towards the pcef device 3 . the embodiments discussed above disclose specific technical features that can be combined in any manner , included or excluded in any of them , or replaced by equivalent technical features and inasmuch as the actions disclosed with reference to fig1 are accomplished . more precise , alternative or complementary , sub - embodiments or parts thereof are further discussed in the following . for instance , three sub - embodiments are further provided for by the present invention in order initiate the establishment of a tdf session : in a first sub - embodiment , a so - called one - time event dcca may be used when there is no need to maintain any state in the diameter credit - control server , namely the pcrf server . so , according to this sub - embodiment , the pcrf server sends a ccr message with cc - request - type avp set to event - request value . the tdf device acknowledges this message , and then initiates the tdf session establishment procedure towards the pcrf server . the pcrf server provides then the adc rules to the tdf device . in a second sub - embodiment , instead of making use of the one - time event of the dcca application , a new diameter message ( such as session - start - request , ssr ) could be defined . this message would be sent from the diameter server ( namely , the pcrf server ) to the diameter client ( namely , the tdf device ). at the reception of this message , the tdf device initiates a diameter session towards the pcrf server . the pcrf server provides then the adc rules to the tdf device . in a third sub - embodiment , the pcrf server may send a non - diameter message for notifying the tdf device of the need of starting a diameter session towards such pcrf server . the tdf device will start the diameter session , and the pcrf server provides then the adc rules to the tdf device . moreover , for the first sub - embodiment , the pcrf server , behaving like diameter client , will use the one - time event for reporting to the tdf device ( acting as diameter server ) the need of establishing a tdf session . since there is no state going to be maintained , once the one - time event message exchange is finished , the tdf device can initiate the tdf session . and from that point on , the tdf device will act as diameter client , and the pcrf server as a state - full diameter server ( providing the adc rules to the tdf device ). to this end , the pcrf server sends a gx ccr , with cc - request - type avp set to event - request value , to the tdf device . besides , this message includes a way of identifying the subscriber . for instance : if the subscriber has an ipv4 address assigned , the framed - ip - address avp including such ipv4 address , or if the subscriber has an ipv6 address assigned , the framed - ipv6 - prefix avp including the prefix of such ipv6 address . the tdf device sends a gx cca to the pcrf sever in order to acknowledge the reception of the previous gx ccr . then , the tdf device requests the establishment of a tdf session to the pcrf server for the indicated subscriber ( i . e . ip address ). for such purpose , the tdf device sends a gx ccr , with cc - request - type avp set to initial - request value , and includes the ip addresses following the above alternatives on ipv4 or ipv6 . at this stage , the pcrf server decides the applicable adc rules for that ip - can session , and stores them . those adc rules may be based on subscription profile information fetched from the spr as generally commented above in respect of other embodiments . then , the pcrf server provides the applicable adc rules to the tdf device in the cca message . the tdf device installs such adc rules . now , the pcrf server sends a gx ccr to the pcef device , including the applicable pcc rules . apart from that , the pcrf may initiate a gateway control and qos rule provisioning procedure . the pcef device installs the provided pcc rules and , if the pcrf server has provided a tdf device to handle the ip - can session , the pcef device shall install it . eventually , the pcef device acknowledges the ip - can session establishment . moreover , for the second sub - embodiment , the pcrf server makes use of a new diameter message , called session - start request ( ssr ) in the specification . this ssr message is sent from a diameter server , namely the pcrf server , to a specific diameter client , the tdf device . when the tdf device receives such message , and after acknowledging it through another new diameter message called session - start answer ( ssa ) in this specification , the tdf device will start the tdf session . in this case , the pcrf server maintains constantly the diameter server role , and the tdf device maintains the diameter client role . the pcrf server sends the diameter ssr message to the tdf device , including at least one way of identifying the subscriber . for instance : if the subscriber has an ipv4 address assigned , the framed - ip - address avp including such ipv4 address , or if the subscriber has an ipv6 address assigned , the framed - ipv6 - prefix avp including the prefix of such ipv6 address . the tdf acknowledges the reception of such message by means of a diameter ssa , and the procedure follows as for the first sub - embodiment . particularly for this second sub - embodiment , the new ssr and ssa messages may have the following formats and contents : & lt ; session - id & gt ; { auth - application - id } { origin - host } { origin - realm } { destination - realm } { cc - request - type } { cc - request - number } [ destination - host ] [ origin - state - id ] [ framed - ip - address ] [ framed - ipv6 - prefix ] * [ avp ] & lt ; session - id & gt ; { auth - application - id } { origin - host } { origin - realm } { destination - realm } { cc - request - type } { cc - request - number } [ destination - host ] [ origin - state - id ] *[ avp ] moreover , for the third sub - embodiment , the pcrf server makes use of a non - diameter message notification for triggering the start of the tdf session from the tdf device . for instance , such notification could be a simple icmp echo request , which is also known as ping operation , or a more sophisticated http / soap request . so when the tdf device receives such notification , the tdf device will initiate the tdf session . therefore , the tdf device always maintains the diameter client role , and the pcrf server the diameter server role . thus , the pcrf server sends a notification ( e . g . icmp echo request — ping operation ) to the tdf device reporting the need of establishing a tdf session , including one way of identifying the subscriber , like the subscriber ip address . then , the tdf device acknowledges the reception of such notification , and the procedure follows as for the first sub - embodiment . the invention may also be practised by a computer program , loadable into an internal memory of a computer with input and output units as well as with a processing unit . this computer program comprises to this end executable code adapted to carry out the above method steps when running in the computer . in particular , the executable code may be recorded in a carrier readable means in a computer . the invention is described above in connection with various embodiments that are intended to be illustrative and non - restrictive . it is expected that those of ordinary skill in this art may modify these embodiments . the scope of the invention is defined by the claims in conjunction with the description and drawings , and all modifications that fall within the scope of the claims are intended to be included therein . | 7 |
the present invention provides a linearized high efficiency rf power amplifier and a method for linear amplification of an rf signal . a detailed circuit schematic of a preferred implementation of the amplifier is shown in fig3 described below . first , however , the basic operational characteristics of amplifier devices employed in such circuit will be described in relation to fig1 and fig2 . the basic structure of a controlled current source as embedded in an amplifier circuit 10 is shown in fig1 . this structure is a representation of a voltage controlled current source and is a simplified representation of solid - state devices such as a field effect transistor ( fet ). the mechanisms responsible for the active device ( transistor ) nonlinearity are multifold . the device transconductance , the input and the output nonlinearities , all contribute to the amplifier distortion and are well known to those skilled in the art . the following description of the invention is equally applicable to other devices such as bipolar transistor technology . referring to fig1 the amplifier circuit 10 includes a bias network 20 coupled to an active device which may be modeled as a plurality of current sources 16 . an input signal v in is applied to input 12 and an output is provided via output load 18 . the parasitic gate to source capacitance 14 is also shown . in this simple model of the device , the drain to source current is given by : in this near - ideal representation of the active device , the output power limitation is caused by the drain saturation current ( i dss ), which is a device physical limitation , and also the load resistance , once the device is embedded in an amplifier circuit . the point where the drain saturation current is reached is thus determined by v in assuming a fixed load 18 . in an amplifying circuit , the signal distortion is most pronounced when the device is driven into the saturation region by large v in . that region is where the output signal will be clipped causing severe signal distortion . this situation arises when the rf voltage ( the current supplied by the active device multiplied by the load value ) exceeds the dc supply rail . although in such mode of operation , the amplifier is very nonlinear , its efficiency is high . hence , in applications with large signal envelope , the amplifier is normally operated in the back off region to avoid distortion , and therefore , its efficiency is fairly low . the present invention provides an approach to amplifier linearization , where , for a given input excitation , the load value is dynamically changed and controlled by the envelope of the modulated signal . in this fashion , output clipping is avoided . in fig2 the drain to source current ids for a typical fet solid state device is shown as a function of drain to source voltage v ds for various gate to source voltages v gs . the line ab is determined by the output load 18 ( shown in fig1 ). in accordance with the present invention , the slope of line ab ( the load line ) is changed dynamically and in tune with the envelope of the carrier signal . when the envelope is small , the load is set to be larger than the nominal value to generate a larger rf voltage swing , just short of dc rail . this leads to an improvement of the dc to rf conversion efficiency . as signal envelope is increased , dynamic load pulling reduces the load to avoid distortion . the power added efficiency η , as known to those skilled in the art , is defined as : in class ab mode of operation , the dc power ( i ds × vdc ) is dependant on quiescent current , and the efficiency of such amplifier is improved by maximizing the rf power in back off and this can be achieved by increasing the amplifier load . however , this will lead to nonlinearity and severe distortion at higher input levels . therefore , when the input signal envelope goes through its peaks , the rf load will have to be reduced to prevent output clipping and maintain fidelity . the linearization method of the present invention provides such a load pulling mechanism . a preferred implementation achieves this task by using a 2 nd current source ( solid state device ) that is activated to adjust the load dynamically , in accord with the signal envelope and avoids the output signal hitting the dc rail . one specific circuit implementation employing dynamic adjustment of the amplifier ac load line is schematically shown in fig3 . referring to fig3 the amplifier circuit 100 includes an input 102 for receiving an rf input signal . the input signal is provided by input signal source 104 applied to the input and an input load 106 . this input signal is divided into two paths 110 , 112 by coupler 108 , which may be a 90 degree hybrid coupler ( hyb ) with an isolation port coupled to a termination load 109 . the signal on main path 110 is applied along line 118 to a main amplifying device 114 via capacitor 132 , which is a dc block . in this implementation a radio frequency mos device 114 , such as an ldmos device , is being used as the main amplifier device . a first bias circuit comprising the network of resistors 124 , 126 , 128 ( values r 2 , r 3 and r 4 ) supply the required gate bias to amplifier device 114 from dc power supply 122 . these resistor values are adjusted to operate the device preferably in class a or ab mode of operation . dc feed circuit 130 acts as a low pass filter to stop the rf signal from leaking into the dc lines . the power supply to the main amplifier device is provided from power supply 122 via dc feed circuit 138 which also blocks rf signals from the dc feed lines . the output of main amplifier device 114 is connected to output load 146 via phase shifter ( ps ) 144 . load 146 may comprise a conventional fixed load 148 and an inductive load 150 , shown by a schematic representation of an rf transformer ( tf ). the role of the phase shifter 144 and its functionality will be discussed shortly . dc blocking capacitors 142 , 152 are also shown . the combination of the inductive load 150 and the phase shifter 144 transform the load impedance of fixed load 148 into an appropriate level . impedance scaling by a factor of k ( 1 . 5 & lt ; k & lt ; 3 larger than the nominal load value ) will be suitable for typical applications . the load value seen by main amplifier device 114 will cause amplifier output clipping to happen at typically 6 - 10 db input back off from device saturation . hence , at this region , large output voltage swings are possible and high efficiency will be the result . nonetheless , beyond this point , the amplifier output clipping leads to severe distortion if the load impedance value remains high . to avoid output clipping , the load of the main amplifier device is reduced as signal envelope increases . still referring to fig3 a sample of the rf input is derived via input directional coupler 108 and provided to the second ( auxiliary ) signal path 112 . the sampled signal is amplitude adjusted and phase conditioned to the appropriate level before it is combined with the main amplifier device current . more specifically , in the illustrated preferred embodiment the sampled input signal is provided to second ( auxiliary ) amplifier device 116 along line 120 via dc blocking capacitor 136 . a second bias circuit comprising resistor network 124 , 126 , 128 coupled to dc power supply 122 sets the turn - on threshold of auxiliary amplifier 116 . dc feed line 134 acts as a low pass filter blocking rf energy from the dc feed lines . the current produced by the auxiliary amplifier device is thus proportional to the envelope of the signal , i . e . this device will only supply current to the load 146 above a certain input threshold ( e . g ., 6 - 10 db back off ). the current from auxiliary amplifier device 116 is combined with the main device 114 output current before it is applied to output device 146 . the addition of this ( envelope controlled ) current to the load results in the dynamic control of the load . the role of the phase shifter 144 is to introduce phase change and impedance inversion . therefore , above the turn - on threshold of device 116 , the load impedance experienced by device 114 is reduced . as a result linearization of the main amplifier device 114 is achieved by avoiding output clipping . the load current is thus composed of two in - phase components leading to higher peak power at amplifier output 154 resulting in improved overall efficiency at back off . in fig3 the two amplifying devices 114 , 116 will normally be used with input and output matching circuits . the inclusion of distributed or lumped matching circuits will introduce phase changes , leading to load impedance inversions . in such circumstances , the role of devices 114 , 116 may need to be exchanged , but the principle of operation remains unchanged . [ 0037 ] fig4 and 5 depict alternative embodiments employing other combining arrangements . in the embodiments of fig4 and 5 , as in the embodiment of fig3 the signal in the auxiliary path is combined with the main path to provide dynamic load adjustment as described above . in the embodiment of fig4 an rf input signal is applied to input 102 and provided to sampling circuit 156 , including termination load 158 . sampling circuit 156 may be any suitable sampling circuit known to those skilled in the art , including a hybrid coupler as described in relation to fig3 . the input signal and sampled input signal are provided along main and auxiliary paths 110 , 112 , respectfully , as in the embodiment of fig3 . an rf combiner 160 is then employed to combine the two signal paths and the output signal is provided to output 154 via rf load 162 . the rf combiner 160 may be any suitable rf combiner of a type known to those skilled in the art . in this realization , the two arms are designed to have different transfer characteristics . while the main amplifier is designed to have a load for maximum efficiency at some back off signal level ( 6 - 10 db ), the 2nd amplifying branch is designed to have maximum peak power at full power . in the embodiment of fig5 the input signal at input 102 is similarly sampled by sampling circuit 166 , including termination load 164 , and provided along main and auxiliary paths 110 , 112 to combiner 176 and to output 154 via rf load 168 . the arrangement shown in fig5 can offer broadband response and ease of implementation . in this configuration the required phase shift between auxiliary path 112 and main path 110 is provided by a k - inverter 174 , for example as described in matthaei g ., young l . and jones e . m . t ., microwave filters , impedance matching , and coupling structures , artech house , isbn : 0 - 89006 - 099 - 1 , the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference . for both the embodiments of fig4 and 5 , as well as fig3 the addition of the auxiliary arm output to the main signal path is equivalent to lowering the impedance of the load or to a change in the slope of the load line ( fig2 ). it should be noted that provided that a good phase balance is preserved between the main signal path and the auxiliary path , the power delivered to the load will be enhanced . therefore , for all practical purposes , the circuit is configured to have a load impedance value , presented to the active device in the main path that is large compared to nominal load value . this load is gradually reduced , as the signal envelope increases above a threshold , and therefore , the device in the main path is loaded with an optimum load to avoid distortion . by decreasing the load at high input signal levels , the amplifier output voltage swing is lowered , preventing the excessive nonlinearity which would be the result otherwise . the control circuitry can take different forms and one mechanism for the control of the two current sources in the two signal paths is the bias of each stage as described above . as the main device will have to be active at lower envelope power levels , it will preferably be biased at class a or ab . the device in the auxiliary arm will be biased with smaller quiescent current , in which case , the drive signal level can turn this device on and allow the current to flow across the device and into the load . other approaches to the control of the two current sources in the two signal paths may also be employed , however . for example , the envelope of the input signal can be extracted by using an envelope detector circuit . this information can be used for the control of the second current source in the auxiliary path 112 . referring to fig6 a and 6b the results from a computer modeling of the circuit of fig3 showing the dynamics of load variation with signal level are illustrated . fig6 a and 6b show the real and imaginary components of the impedance across the main and auxiliary amplifier devices , respectfully , as a function of input signal power ( in dbm ). fig6 a shows that the real part of the load impedance is larger at the lower power region 180 , and it drops through a transitional region 182 as the input signal level is increased above the turn - on threshold ( dashed line ) of the auxiliary device and the load pulling is activated . the main device impedance then stabilizes at a substantially lower real part of impedance value ( e . g . about 50 % of maximum impedance ) at a higher power region 184 . as shown in fig6 b , in the auxiliary signal path the load impedance measured across the auxiliary device terminal is approximately zero ( but looks slightly negative ) in the region 190 when the auxiliary device is inactive , i . e ., below the turn - on threshold ( dashed line ). this is indicative of the fact that this device absorbs very small rf power in this mode ( this loss of output power is outweighed by the improvements of main path efficiency ). as the input signal level is increased , the auxiliary device is turned on and starts supplying current into the load . at some intermediate level , a relatively large impedance 192 is observed across the auxiliary device ( little or no current flow into the 2 nd arm ). at larger powers , the load impedance observed by the 2 nd arm stabilizes in region 194 . the auxiliary device impedance in region 194 is substantially the same as the impedance value experienced by the main arm in region 184 . in this region the imaginary component of the auxiliary device impedance 196 is negative . the comparison of the two graphs 6 a and 6 b thus shows that the load across the main device is dynamically changed ( reduced ) to improve the linearity and prevent output clipping / distortion . the foregoing descriptions of preferred embodiments of the invention are purely illustrative and are not meant to be limiting in nature . those skilled in the art will appreciate that a variety of modifications are possible while remaining within the scope of the present invention . | 7 |
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