text
stringlengths 1.55k
332k
| label
int64 0
8
|
|---|---|
fig1 illustrates selected portions of an example gas turbine engine 10 , such as a gas turbine engine 10 used for propulsion . the gas turbine engine 10 is circumferentially disposed about an engine centerline 12 . in this example , the engine 10 includes an inlet section 13 having a first fan 14 a and a second fan 14 b . a compressor section 16 , a combustion section 18 , and a turbine section 20 are located downstream from the inlet section 13 . the fan 14 b is decoupled from the fan 14 a , as disclosed for example in co - pending application ser . no . 11 / 977 , 874 filed oct . 26 , 2007 , now u . s . pat . no . 8 , 028 , 513 issued on oct . 4 , 2011 ( pa - 2618 ). for example , the fan 14 b is mounted to an outer shroud ( not shown ) outboard of the fan 14 a to enable the fans 14 a and 14 b to rotate at different speeds . in this example , the fan 14 a is coupled in a known manner with the turbine section 20 , such as through a low spool shaft of the engine 10 . an electric drive may be used to drive the fan 14 b at a different speed than the fan 14 a . in other examples , the engine 10 may be modified from the illustrated example , depending on the type of engine and its intended use . as is known , air compressed in the compressor section 16 is mixed with fuel that is burned in the combustion section 18 to produce hot combustion stream that is expanded in the turbine section 20 to drive the fans 14 a and 14 b . fig1 is a somewhat schematic presentation for illustrative purposes only and is not a limitation on the disclosed examples . the example engine 10 includes a cooling arrangement 28 having a core passage 30 , a first airflow source 32 , and a second airflow source 34 that receive inlet air 37 that enters the engine 10 . in this example , the first airflow source includes a first bypass passage 39 a , and the second airflow source 34 includes a second bypass passage 39 b . the inlet section 13 divides the inlet air 37 between the core passage 30 , the first bypass passage 39 a , and the second bypass passage 39 b . the compressor section 16 , the combustion section 18 , and the turbine section 20 are included at least partially within the core passage 30 . in the disclosed example , the first bypass passage 39 a is located radially outwards of the core passage 30 relative to the engine centerline 12 , and the second bypass passage 39 b is located radially outwards of the first bypass passage 39 a relative to the engine centerline 12 . the core passage 30 , the first bypass passage 39 a , and the second bypass passage 39 b each terminate at an engine exhaust section 36 , such as an exhaust nozzle . in this example , the engine exhaust section 36 includes a convergent section 38 and a divergent section 40 for discharging an exhaust flow from the core passage 30 . the first bypass passage 39 a includes a first outlet 42 located at the divergent section 40 and another outlet 44 located axially forward of the divergent section 40 at the convergent section 38 . each of the outlets 42 and 44 of the first bypass passage 39 a may include a plurality of film cooling slots 46 that provide a fluid connection between the first bypass passage 39 a and the core passage 30 . the second bypass passage 39 b also includes an outlet 48 that is located at the divergent section 40 of the engine exhaust section 36 and that is axially aft of the outlets 42 and 44 of the first bypass passage 39 a . it is to be understood that relative positional terms such as “ forward ,” “ aft ,” “ upper ,” “ lower ,” “ above ,” “ below ,” and the like are with reference to the normal operational attitude of the vehicle and should not be considered otherwise limiting . the cooling arrangement 28 also includes a heat exchanger 54 that is thermally connected with the first bypass passage 39 a and the second bypass passage 39 b . in this example , the heat exchanger 54 includes a plurality of heat pipes 56 each having one end that is at least partially within the first bypass passage 39 a and another end that is at least partially within the second bypass passage 39 b . alternatively , other types of heat exchangers may be used . given this description , one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize suitable types of heat exchangers to meet their particular needs . in operation , the engine 10 receives inlet air 37 into the inlet section 13 . the inlet section 13 divides the inlet air into a core flow 60 , a first airflow 62 , and a second airflow 64 . the core flow 60 flows through the core passage 30 , the first airflow 62 flows through the first bypass passage 39 a , and the second airflow 64 flows through the second bypass passage 39 b . the core flow 60 is utilized for combustion within the combustion section 18 . the engine 10 utilizes the first airflow 62 and the second airflow 64 for cooling the engine exhaust section 36 . in the disclosed example , the first airflow 62 and the second airflow 64 have different associated air pressures and temperatures . for example , the first airflow 62 has a first temperature and a first pressure , and the second airflow 64 has a second temperature that is less than the first temperature and a second pressure that is less than the first pressure . the difference in temperature and pressure may be controlled using the fans 14 a and 14 b , such as by controlling fan speed of each fan 14 a and 14 b . the first airflow 62 and the second airflow 64 stream over the heat pipes 56 of the heat exchanger 54 . the heat pipes 56 transfer heat from the first airflow 62 to the second airflow 64 to thereby cool the first airflow 62 . the cooled first airflow 62 is then discharged through the outlet 42 to cool the divergent section 40 of the engine exhaust section 36 . in the illustrated example , the obstruction caused by the heat pipes 56 within the first bypass passage 39 a causes a natural pressure loss of the first airflow 62 . the pressure loss provides the benefit of reducing liner blow - off loads to the divergent section 40 . in some instances , it may be possible to directly use the second airflow 64 for cooling ; however , if the second pressure of the second airflow 64 is relatively low , it may not be suitable for direct cooling of the engine exhaust section 36 , for example . in the illustrated example , a portion of the first airflow 62 is also discharged through the outlet 44 to cool the convergent section 38 . the second airflow 64 is discharged through the outlet 48 at the divergent section 40 to provide additional cooling of the divergent section 40 . the disclosed cooling arrangement 28 thereby utilizes the different temperature of the first and second airflows in the heat exchanger 54 to provide cooled air to the divergent section 40 of the engine exhaust section 36 . using air - to - air heat exchange in combination with the first and second bypass flows may provide the benefit of avoiding or eliminating heat exchangers that utilize somewhat more complex circulatory coolant systems . additionally , the added cooling provided by the “ cooled ” first airflow 62 may permit the use of other materials within the engine exhaust section 36 . for example , the additional cooling may allow the use of lighter weight or less expensive alloy or organic composite materials . as will now be described , at least the second airflow source 34 need not be a bypass passage as in the previous example . fig2 illustrates another example in which like components are represented with like reference numerals . in this example , a gas turbine engine 100 includes a second airflow source 134 having an external airflow scoop 102 . the external airflow scoop 102 extends radially outwards from an outer perimeter 104 of the engine 100 , such as on an outer cowl or nacelle . the external airflow scoop 102 is connected with a passage 106 that receives an inlet airflow 137 that flows around the outer perimeter 104 . in operation , the inlet air 137 flows into the inlet section 13 and around the outer perimeter 104 of the engine 100 . the inlet section 13 divides the inlet air 137 into a core flow 60 and a first airflow 62 , and the external airflow scoop 102 directs at least a portion of the inlet airflow 137 into the passage 106 as a second airflow 164 that then flows over the heat pipes 56 of the heat exchanger 54 . similar to the example of fig1 , the first airflow 62 and the second airflow 164 have different associated air pressures and temperatures and stream over the heat pipes 56 of the heat exchanger 54 to subsequently cool the divergent section 40 of the engine exhaust section 36 as previously described . fig3 illustrates another example in which like components are represented with like reference numerals . in this example , a gas turbine engine 200 includes a second airflow source 234 having an auxiliary power unit 202 . for example , the auxiliary power unit 202 may be used to provide compressed air to start the engine 200 . in this regard , a passage 204 a connects the auxiliary power unit 202 to the engine 200 . a valve 206 is disposed within the passage 204 a . the valve 206 is operative to direct flow through the passage 204 a between the engine 200 and another passage 204 b that is thermally connected with the heat exchanger 54 . in operation , the inlet air 237 flows into the inlet section 13 , which divides the inlet air 237 into a core flow 60 and the first airflow 62 . the auxiliary power unit 202 produces a second airflow 262 that flows through the passage 204 a . when the valve 206 is in a first position , the second airflow 262 continues to flow through the passage 204 a to the engine 200 for the starting function . however , when the valve 206 is moved to a second position , the second airflow 262 flows through the passage 204 b and over the heat pipes 56 of the heat exchanger 54 . similar to the example of fig1 , the first airflow 62 and the second airflow 264 have different associated air pressures and temperatures and stream over the heat pipes 56 of the heat exchanger 54 to subsequently cool the divergent section 40 of the engine exhaust section 36 as previously described . thus , as disclosed by the examples herein , the heat exchanger 54 may be used in combination with the first airflow 62 from the first airflow source 32 and a second airflow ( e . g ., 62 , 162 , and 262 ) from a second airflow source ( e . g ., 34 , 134 , and 234 ) to cool the divergent section 40 of the engine exhaust section 36 , or even other sections of an engine . as can be appreciated , the source of the second airflow is not limited to any particular source and may be any airflow from any airflow source that is relatively cooler than the first airflow 60 . fig4 illustrates an example of one of the heat pipes 56 . in this example , the heat pipe 56 includes a sealed hollow tube 70 that contains a coolant 72 , such as water , ethylene glycol , methane , liquid sodium , or other suitable coolant . the heat pipe 56 includes a first end 74 that is thermally connected with the first bypass passage 32 , and a second end 76 that is thermally connected with the second bypass passage 34 . the interior of the heat pipe 56 defines a cooling circuit 78 for transporting the coolant 72 in an evaporated and liquid state . in the disclosed example , the heat pipe 56 includes a porous material 80 that facilitates transport of the coolant 72 , such as by using capillary forces . operationally , the coolant 72 transfers heat from the warmer first bypass flow 62 at the first end 74 to the relatively cooler second bypass flow 64 at the second end 76 . the coolant absorbs heat from the first bypass flow 62 and evaporates into vapor . the evaporated coolant 72 then moves through the open central portion of the heat pipe 56 toward the second end 76 . at the second end 76 , the second bypass flow 64 cools the evaporated coolant 72 and condenses it into a liquid , thereby rejecting the heat into the second bypass flow 64 . the porous material 80 then transports the condensed coolant 72 using capillary forces toward the first end 74 for another cooling cycle . in this manner , the coolant transfers the heat from the warmer first bypass flow 62 to the second bypass flow 64 . additionally , the heat pipe 56 provides the benefit of passive heat transfer . that is , the heat exchanger 54 operates without mechanical assistance , such as without a mechanical pump or the like . although a combination of features is shown in the illustrated examples , not all of them need to be combined to realize the benefits of various embodiments of this disclosure . in other words , a system designed according to an embodiment of this disclosure will not necessarily include all of the features shown in any one of the figures or all of the portions schematically shown in the figures . moreover , selected features of one example embodiment may be combined with selected features of other example embodiments . the preceding description is exemplary rather than limiting in nature . variations and modifications to the disclosed examples may become apparent to those skilled in the art that do not necessarily depart from the essence of this disclosure . the scope of legal protection given to this disclosure can only be determined by studying the following claims . | 5 |
[ 0014 ] fig1 shows the structure of a transceiver , which is formed by a transmission path se and a reception path em — each indicated by a dashed - dotted rectangle — for a multicarrier frequency signal . a multicarrier signal such as this is used for the ofdm ( orthogonal frequency division multiplex ) transmission method . in this case , a bit stream bs to be transmitted is stored in blocks in a coder cod , and the individual bits in a block are distributed optimally between the n carrier frequencies or n sub - channels . the distributed bits in the n sub - channels are mapped by means of the coder cod onto n complex sub - symbols nfb — frequency domain . the n complex sub - symbols are then transformed by means of inverse fourier transformation ( inverse fast fourier transform )— generally in the form of an integrated circuit ifft — to n reel sample values ntb — discrete time domain , and are converted by means of a parallel / serial converter psc to a serial format , forming a transmission block σtb . a time interval or a prefix cp is placed in front of the serial digital transmission block stb in a unit add and , after digital / analog conversion by means of a digital / analog converter dac , is sent as an analog transmission signal x ( t ) to a transmission channel or to the transmission medium — not shown . the prefix cp represents a guard interval between successive transmission blocks tb , and contains a predetermined number of sample values of the preceding transmission block tb . [ 0015 ] fig3 shows a method of operation of the adaptation of a time domain equalizer teq , which operates in accordance with the method according to the invention , in the receiver path . the adaptation is carried out in an adaptation unit adp — see fig1 — with signal processors preferably being used for the determination process . in the method according to the invention , estimated channel impulse responses h chan are in principle used for the adaptation process , with these being determined by means of a suitable estimation method — for example the least square error method as described in golub , van loan : matrix computations , john hopkins university press , 1996 , page 236 . an impulse response h chan for a transmission block tb may , as illustrated in fig2 in principle be broken down to three impulse response elements : a central impulse response element h cent , whose length is equal to the length of the prefix cp plus one sample value , a delay module z npre , z − npost is in each case provided for modeling precursor impulse response element h pre and the postcursor impulse response element h post — see fig1 . the central impulse response element h cent makes a positive contribution to the signal - to - noise ratio , that is it increases the signal - to - noise ratio , while the precursor impulse response element h pre and the postcursor impulse response element h post reduce the signal - to - noise ratio . during the initialization phase , the estimated channel impulse response h chan , that is three impulse response elements h cent , h pre , h post , are used as the basis for the adaptation process , that is for determining the coefficients of the transversal filter in the time domain equalizer teq — see also fig3 . from these three estimated impulse response elements h cent , h pre , h post , it is possible to derive those matrices whose eigen vectors define a relatively small - dimensional ( d = 2 to 4 ) optimum vector subspace p opt for determining the coefficients h eq , opt of the transversal filter ( k = 32 - 64 ) to be adapted . this optimum vector subspace p opt is determined once on activation of a given physical transmission channel or of a transmission medium and / or at the start of data transmission , and remains unchanged during the data transmission . orthogonal vector iteration , as described by way of example in golub , van loan : matrix computations , john hopkins university press , 1996 , page 332 , can advantageously be used for determining the vector subspace p opt . the input parameters for the adaptation are in this case the length of the cyclic prefix cp len , the estimated channel impulse response h chan , and the dimension d of the vector subspace p opt to be determined . the optimum vector subspace p opt is represented for a subsequent non - linear optimization process by basic vectors e k — whose length corresponds to the number of transversal filter coefficients — that is to say the coefficients considered for the non - linear optimization process can be described mathematically as follows : h eq ( n ) = ∑ k = 1 d a k e k ( n ) in this case , d corresponds to the dimension of the vector subspace and a k represents the coefficients that are still to be optimized . the non - linear optimization process in the vector subspace p opt is carried out continuously during data transmission , that is to say the adaptation relates only to those n coefficients a k , opt which are required for identification of one element in the vector subspace p opt . the optimum coefficients of the transversal filter teq are thus given by : h eq , opt ( n ) = ∑ k = 1 d a k , opt e k ( n ) the influences of additive disturbances w ( n ) are taken into account in the non - linear optimization of the vector subspaces p opt . furthermore , the adaptation of the time domain equalizer teq also influences the signal - to - noise power ratio . in order to avoid instabilities as a result of the disturbances w ( n ) and the influence during the adaptation of the time domain equalizer teq , it is thus sensible to use small step widths in conventional non - linear optimization methods . after time - domain equalization of the channel impulse response h chan and / of the transmission block σtb + cp in the time domain equalizer teq , the prefix cp is removed once again in a device drop . the transmission blocks stb are broken down once again into n time - discrete sample values by means of a serial / parallel converter spc , and are then transformed by means of a fourier analysis fft ( fast fourier transformation ) to the n frequency - discrete sub - symbols nfb . the sub - symbols which represent the n carrier frequencies can be broken down in the frequency domain by means of a frequency domain equalizer feq . the information contained in the n carrier frequencies is decoded by means of a downstream decoder dec , and is combined to form a bit stream bs . in the course of decoding the sub - symbols , the signal - to - noise power ratio snr is measured in a signal unit snr which is connected to the decoder . the signal - to - noise power ratio snr is supplied via a switch s to the adaptation unit adp , in which the filter coefficients h eq , opt are determined for the time domain equalizer teq . the signal - to - noise power ratio snr is included in the optimization method for determining the filter coefficients h eq , opt during data transmission , that is after the initialization phase . during the initialization phase , that is at the start of data transmission , the central impulse response element h cent is included in the optimization method , by which means the filter coefficients h eq , opt are determined for a maximum transmission rate . either the signal - to - noise power ratio snr or the central impulse response element h cent is applied to the adaptation unit adp by means of the switch s , depending on the current transmission phase — start or during data transmission . the use of the method according to the invention is not restricted to the exemplary embodiment described above , but may also be used for all transmission methods in which an extensive , multidimensional vector space is determined from a channel impulse response h chan , and the aim is to determine as small a number of filter coefficients as possible for optimization of a time domain equalizer . in this case , different optimization methods may be used for determining the vector subspace and / or the eigen value problem , and also for the non - linear optimization of the vector subspace . | 7 |
referring to fig1 there is shown a battery characteristic detection apparatus 10 having a charger 30 , including a charging circuit 30a and a charger pocket comprising connector means 30b , and a battery 12 . the charger pocket 30b is coupled to a positive and negative charger contact 22 and 26 , respectively . to differentiate among the radio family types , the charger pocket 30b is uniquely shaped to fit each radio family type . when charging is desired , the battery 12 and / or the portable device ( not shown ) such as a radio attached , is inserted into the charger pocket 30b . the battery 12 comprises a series of cells 14 coupled either in series or in parallel and having a positive electrode 14a and a negative electrode 14b , the negative electrode 14b being coupled to a ground point 20 and a negative battery contact 27 . the positive electrode 14a is coupled to both the positive charger contact 22 and a positive battery contact 23 . contacts 23 and 27 provide the radio with the coupling points for powering the radio . finally , the battery 12 preferably comprises an impedance such as a resistor r18 coupled between the negative charger contact 26 and the negative electrode 14b . the charging circuit 30a comprises a transformer 32 , typically for stepping down the 120vac ( 28 ) from a conventional outlet . the stepped down voltage is rectified and filtered ( 34 ) as is known in the art . the current ( 50 ) supplied to the battery 12 is regulated by a current control circuit 36 which is in turn controlled by a charge current control signal 58 provided by a microprocessor 38 . a diode 42 is further provided having a polarity selected to prevent the cells ( 14 ) from discharging into the charger 30 which is coupled to the charger contacts 22 and 26 . the microprocessor 38 is either connected to or includes conventional analog - to - digital ( a / d ) converter functions or the like . as is known , the microprocessor 38 is programmed to periodically measure the value of voltage connected to the a / d input . to form a charging algorithm sensing circuit , the resistor r18 is connected to the negative charger contact 26 so that a predetermined external impedance ( or voltage source ) may be connected to complete a voltage divider with a pull - up resistor r62 . in this manner , predetermined values of voltage at the negative charger contact 26 can be calculated to provide one factor relating to the battery capacity . it is appreciated that the measured voltage vm is directly related to the resistance of the connected resistor r18 in accordance with the usual voltage divider relationship : vm equals the measured voltage at the negative battery charger contact 26 or the a / d input ( line ); b + = the supply voltage ( i . e . as may have also just previously been measured with the aid of the a / d converter ) at the a / d input ; r62 equals the known pull - up resistance internal to the charging circuit 30a ; r18 equals the unknown resistance , not necessarily associated uniquely with a particular capacity . after solving for the resistance of r18 , one factor relating to the battery capacity can thus be determined . to expand the present capability of battery capacity sensing and to allow for radio family type differentiation , utilizing the non - ideal presently coded resistor implementation , a coded capacitor c72 , within the charger pocket 30b , is connected in parallel with the coded resistor 18 , when the battery 12 is inserted into the pocket 30b . the coded capacitor c72 is uniquely coded for each radio family type such as seen in the exemplary table of fig2 where 47uf denotes a type a radio , 27uf denotes a type b radio , and 68uf denotes a type c radio . referring to fig4 a time constant t1 = r18 × c72 developed by the coded resistor r18 and capacitor c72 has to elapse before the voltage vm is stabilized enough for the resistance of the coded resistor r18 to be measured . this time constant provides a second factor which is also related to the battery capacity , aside from relating to the radio family type . from determining the time constant alone or in combination with the resistance value of the coded resistor r18 , the battery capacity and the family type of the associated radio can be identified by the microprocessor 38 accessing its look - up table of fig2 stored in memory . operationally , the charger 30 receives several feedback inputs from the battery ( 12 ) to be connected and the charger ( 30 ) itself that allows the microprocessor 38 to determine the charge algorithm to be provided to the battery 12 . preferably , these inputs would include a battery voltage sense signal 52 and a programming charge capacity control input 56 . these inputs may or may not be required , depending on the batteries and radio family type involved and the charging algorithms to be used . other inputs may be used to provide further selectivity in charging schemes . the battery voltage sense signal 52 from the current control circuit 36 determines the polarity of the battery 12 or any other battery inserted into the charger 30 , so as to provide the appropriate charge current direction . the signal 52 may also provide the battery peak voltage or latched voltage information that may be required in order to provide the appropriate charge to a variety of batteries for the corresponding radios which have different peak or latched voltages for optimal charging . the electronic element 18 , indicative of battery characteristics , such as the battery capacity , embodied in this example , as the code resistor 18 , is used to provide the programming of battery charge capacity control input 56 . it is appreciated that any electronic element providing distinguishable and measurable values such as a resistor , inductor , capacitor , diode , memory device ( ram , rom , eeprom , etc . ), or a pulse train modulator could be used for this function . in other words , the electronic component 18 ( or in this embodiment the code resistor ) will indicate to the charger one factor relating to the battery capacity . another factor relating to the battery capacity is time constant provided by the capacitance of the coded capacitor c72 and the resistance of the coded resistor r18 . from both the resistor and time constant indications , or the time constant alone , a charging algorithm is chosen by the microprocessor from a look - up table of fig2 or an appropriate memory source ( ram , rom , eeprom , etc .) known in the art . then , the microprocessor , using one or more of the available a / d inputs ( i . e ., 52 and 56 ) adjusts the charge algorithm according to the inputs received to provide the appropriate charging rate . optionally , the microprocessor 38 can provide a status signal or signals 60 to an output source or status indicator or indicators ( 40 ) that would allow a user to know such information as to what type of battery and from which radio family is being charged , or any other parameter desired . referring to both fig3 . and fig4 a typical algorithm and discharge operation , respectively , in accordance with the present invention , is illustrated . in step 101 , the a / d line connected to the regative charger contact 26 is periodically monitored . a decision block 103 determines whether the a / d line still measures the original supply voltage , which in this case is 5 volts . before the battery is inserted , this constant voltage can be seen in the voltage versus time curve of fig4 . the voltage measured at the negative battery contact 26 is a floating constant due to the absence of the battery including the coded resistor r18 to complete the circuit . if the a / d line still measures 5v , then the &# 34 ; yes &# 34 ; path returns to the beginning of the monitoring routine in step 105 . on the other hand , when a battery is first inserted into the charger 30 , the voltage on the a / d line will fall from the original supply voltage of 5 volts to the proper resistor divider level provided by the pull - up resistor r62 and the coded resistor r18 as seen in fig5 . the &# 34 ; no &# 34 ; path then proceeds to a decision block 107 to determine whether a counter has been started . if not , the &# 34 ; no &# 34 ; path begins an rc time constant counter in step 109 before returning to the beginning of the monitoring routine in step 111 . however , if the counter has already been started , a decision block 113 determines whether the a / d line has been stabilized yet . if &# 34 ; no &# 34 ;, step 115 returns to the beginning of the monitoring routine . on the other hand , if the counter is now stabilized , step 117 stops the counter . the counter now provides the time constant t1 as the second factor needed for the look - up table of fig2 . the voltage at this point is also stabilized for the microprocessor to determine the resistance value of the coded resistor r18 . knowing these two factors , a multitude of characteristics about the battery and the radio type can be known by referring to the look - up table of fig2 . now that all the factors are known , step 124 clears the counter and step 126 returns to the beginning of the monitoring routine . actually , just knowing the time constant alone may be sufficient , since the time constant , as provided by a unique coded capacitor associated with a radio family type and the coded resistor associated with a battery capacity type ( high , low , medium and degrees of battery capacity in between ), is a unique number associated with a particular battery of a specific radio family in this application . thus , the time constant alone can identify what latch voltage is necessary , the capacity of the battery , or the radio family type . however , by utilizing two factors , the time constant and the resistance value , the battery capacity sensing can be greatly expanded . in addition , the use of both the resistance value and the time constant eliminates the problem of tolerance overlap for particular time constant values that are too close . thus , in step 119 , the counter value providing the time constant t1 is used in the look - up table of fig2 to determine the radio type along with other information . in step 122 , since the voltage has been stabilized , the voltage measured on the a / d line will now be the voltage associated with the coded resistor r18 and the voltage divider circuit such that the resistance can be measured . the resistance value is then used in the look - up table of fig2 along with the time constant previously measured to determine the capacity for the battery type . instead of two separate steps 119 and 122 , the values of the code resistors and the time constant can together be matched up with the look - up table of fig2 stored in memory . after the combination of values is matched in the look up table , then the initial charge conditions including current , voltage , and time are set up . these conditions allow the microprocessor to alter the charging algorithm periodically ( or continuously if desired ) in accordance with the optimal charging profiles known for a given battery capacity and radio family type . accordingly , the charger adjusts the charging current for a particular charging rate to provide for a 1 hour charge time ( or alternatively , adjusts for a particular charge time for the same charge rate ) for the appropriate battery capacity rating . once the intial charge conditions are set , the battery charging commences . finally , the microprocessor poles the appropriate input or inputs to determine if the charge is complete . for instance , the battery voltage sense signal 52 could sense a peak voltage that the battery needs to be latched or clamped at for a particular radio family type , as dictated by the table of fig2 . the tailoring and adjustments of algorithms is simply a function of the status inputs received and the software or look - up comparators used to manipulate the algorithm in response to the status inputs . if the charge is not complete or the voltage is not at its peak voltage yet , the charger continues charging . once the charger determines that a charge is complete , the charger stops charging and a display can indicate &# 34 ; complete &# 34 ;. as seen in fig4 when the battery is removed , the a / d line will charge back up to the original supply voltage of 5 volts in the time constant t2 developed by the pull - up resistor r62 and the coded capacitor c72 . of course , if this time constant t2 is too high , a smaller resistor , in parallel with the pull - up resistor r62 , can be switched in , to reduce the pull - up time constant t2 . in summary , the present invention allows a charger to expand its present capability of battery capacity sensing and allows for a radio family type differentiation by using both a coded resistor and a coded capacitor simultaneously to provide a time constant . this time constant uniquely identifies the battery capacity and associated radio family type in a predetermined look - up table previously stored in the charger &# 39 ; s memory . | 8 |
a preferred seal assembly 20 for the trocar of this invention is illustrated in fig1 . the seal assembly is an integrated unit which is designed to snap onto the housing of the trocar cannula . it has a frame 21 which is sized to fit over the top of the cannula housing . the frame has an exterior planar face 22 and an interior region 23 which is positioned within the cannula housing . the interior region includes a resilient latches 24 which secures the seal assembly to the housing . it also includes a neck 25 to facilitate the guidance of surgical instruments through the cannula as they are inserted into and withdrawn from the cannula , and to seal the assembly 20 against the outer gasket of the trocar to prevent the escape of gas around the frame 21 . the seal assembly depicted in fig1 has an elastomeric seal 26 to seal against instruments which are inserted into and withdrawn from the cannula . the seal is positioned centrally within the seal assembly . the seal includes a centrally positioned aperture 27 to permit the passage of the instruments . advantageously , the aperture has a diameter between about 2 . 5 to about 5 mm so it can seal not only against the smallest endoscopic instruments but also 12 mm instruments and larger ones as well . referring to fig2 the trocar 28 of this invention is seen to provide access for the insertion for a surgical instrument 29 into a body cavity . the body wall 30 of the surgical patient is punctured with the trocar obturator ( not shown ), and the obturator is subsequently withdrawn from the cannula 31 . the cannula has a housing 32 with an interior chamber 33 ( see fig7 and 8 ), and an elongated , cylindrical sleeve 34 extending from the housing . the sleeve extends through the opening made in the body wall . at the proximal end of the cannula housing , the seal assembly 20 is secured . a passageway 35 is provided through the aperture of the seal assembly , into the chamber of the cannula housing , and finally through the lumen of the tubular sleeve to provide a path for the insertion and withdrawal of a surgical instrument into the body cavity . the components of the preferred seal assembly 20 are illustrated in fig3 . the frame is a subassembly which has a top frame half 36 and a bottom frame half 37 . sandwiched between the top and bottom frame halves is the elastomeric seal 26 . the seal is positioned between upper and lower rigid rings , 38 and 39 , respectively . the upper ring has a plurality of prongs 40 which are fitted through the seal and are received in a plurality of receiving holes 41 in the lower ring . the top and bottom frame halves define an internal cavity 42 for receiving the seal 26 . the top frame half has a circular opening 43 sized to fit an instrument with the largest diameter contemplated . correspondingly , the bottom frame half has a similarly sized opening 44 which is funneled to form the neck 25 of the seal assembly . a detailed description of a seal assembly with similar components is described in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 342 , 315 . referring now to fig4 - 6 , the seal component 26 of the preferred seal assembly is illustrated . the seal is made of a medical grade elastomer . examples of suitable elastomers include , but are not limited to , silicone rubber , polyurethane elastomer , chlorobutyl rubber , latex rubber , polyisoprene rubber and ethylene propylene diene monomer (&# 34 ; epdm &# 34 ;) rubber . the preferred elastomer are silicone rubber and polyurethane rubber . the most preferred elastomer is medical grade silicone , for example , dow coming slastic ™ brand medical grade silicone rubber . the seal has inner and outer portions , 45 and 46 , respectively . the inner and outer portions are divided by the upper and lower rigid rings . the outer portion of the seal has a bellows configuration . as disclosed in u . s . pat . nos . 5 , 073 , 169 and 5 , 209 , 736 , the bellows facilitates the maintenance of a seal during radial motion of surgical instruments which are inserted into and withdrawn from the cannula . the inner portion of the seal has a centrally located interior region 47 which contains the aperture 27 for passage of the surgical instruments . the circumferential surface of the aperture seals against instruments because it provides the surface against which the instruments come into contact . a sealing region 48 is concentrically located about the interior region of the seal . it is this sealing region which supports the aperture 27 of the interior region of the seal assembly when instruments are inserted and withdrawn , and prevents or minimizes the escape of insufflation gas from the body cavity through the trocar cannula . accordingly , the seal region must have the dual properties of elasticity to enable the passage of large instruments through the aperture 27 , and toughness to prevent ripping when misaligned instruments are forced against the sealing region . significantly , the sealing region has two layers . it has a first underlying layer 49 located interiorly towards the surgical patient , and a second overlaying layer 50 positioned on top of the first layer . the two layers are integral with each other to create an integral laminate . the laminate of the elastomer can be made using conventional injection co - molding techniques which are well known in the art . in other words , the first underlying layer of the elastomer is initially molded , and then the second overlaying layer of the elastomer is subsequently molded on top of the first layer to create the integral laminate . the underlying layer is elastic so that the aperture will stretch in response to instrument insertion , and the overlaying layer is tear resistant to prevent ripping . accordingly , the tear resistance of the overlaying layer is advantageously greater than that of the underlying layer . generally , the specific tear strength chosen for the underlying and overlaying layers will depend on the degree of resistance to seal tearing desired , which correspondingly depends on the size of surgical instruments inserted into and withdrawn from the trocar cannula and the shape of the end effectors of these instruments . in addition , the tear strength will also depend on the particular configuration of the elastomeric seal . for example , a seal which has a configuration with a large surface area to facilitate expansion of the seal aperture may need less tear strength than a seal with a configuration with a small surface area . therefore , the specific hardness for the underlying and overlaying layers may be readily determined empirically . nevertheless , the first underlying layer of the elastomer in the sealing region of the sealing assembly preferably has a hardness between about 5 shore a durometer scale and about 40 shore a durometer scale . the second overlaying layer has a hardness which is preferably between about 40 shore a durometer scale and about 80 shore d durometer scale . the hardness of the elastomer can be determined using the standard test method for hardness of the thermoplastic elastomers set forth in astmd 2240 - 91 . overall , if the hardness of the first underlying layer is less than about 5 shore a durometer scale , then the underlying layer may become very adherent or &# 34 ; sticky &# 34 ; to the instrument inserted through the seal assembly , consequently causing high friction and leading to the possible tearing of the seal assembly . correspondingly , if the hardness of the first underlying layer is greater than about 40 shore a durometer scale , then the underlying layer becomes increasingly stiff , minimizing the flexibility or elongation of the layer which may cause the possible tearing of the layer or an increase in instrument insertion force . if the second overlaying layer has a hardness less than about 40 shore a durometer scale , then there is the potential for increased friction and surface contact between the instrument and the seal which may cause tearing of the seal assembly . correspondingly , if the second overlaying layer has a hardness greater than about 80 shore d durometer scale , then there is the potential for the shearing of the first underlaying layer upon instrument withdrawal which may cause tearing of the seal assembly . also , a hardness greater than 80 shore d durometer scale minimizes the elastic flexibility of the overlaying layer , thus potentially inhibiting tissue removal and causing instrument snags . preferably , the first underlying layer of the sealing region of the sealing assembly has a hardness between about 30 shore a durometer scale and about 40 shore a durometer scale . the second overlaying layer of the sealing region preferably has a tear resistance between about 50 shore a durometer scale and about 80 shore d durometer scale . most preferably , the second overlaying layer has a tear resistance between about 60 shore a durometer scale and about 70 shore a durometer scale . the sealing region of the seal assembly depicted in fig4 - 6 is configured as a shallow cone . the overlaying layer of the co - molded integrate laminate is displayed as a plurality of separate concentric plates 51 in the form of truncated triangles . fig7 and 8 depict the insertion of surgical instruments of varying diameter through the trocar cannula 31 , and the seal which is created between the instrument 29 and the sealing region 48 of the seal assembly 30 . as the instrument is inserted through the aperture of the seal , the aperture expands to accommodate the outside diameter of the instrument inserted through the seal . referring briefly now to fig9 - 15 , there are illustrated alternative embodiments for the configuration of the seal component 26 of the seal assembly for the trocar of this invention . fig9 depicts a second overlaying layer of the sealing region 48 as a plurality of interconnected concentric plates 52 . fig1 illustrates the second overlaying layer region of the sealing region as a continuous layer 53 co - molded over substantially the entire surface of the underlying layer . in fig1 - 13 , the sealing region of the seal assembly is configured as a flat seal instead of a shallow cone . alternatively , the sealing region can be configured as a deep cone as shown in fig1 and 15 . in the embodiments of fig1 and 15 , the outer portion 46 of the seal depicted in fig4 and 9 - 13 have been eliminated . in another embodiment of this invention , the seal assembly may be insert molded directly to the interior wall of the cannula housing of the trocar instead of the latch attachment illustrated in fig1 and 2 . for example , the cannula housing can be initially inserted into a mold . the first underlying layer of the sealing region of the seal assembly can be injected into the mold to form the outer perimeter of the seal as well as to form a mechanical interlock with the cannula housing . subsequently , the second overlaying layer may be co - injected into the mold . once the elastomer is fully cured , the cannula housing can be demolded . although this invention has been described in connection with its most preferred embodiments , numerous additional embodiments can readily be contemplated by those skilled in the art and therefore fall within the scope and spirit of the claimed invention . the detailed description of the preferred embodiments are exemplary only , and should not be construed in any way to limit the scope of the claimed invention . | 0 |
embodiments of the present disclosure are described herein . it is to be understood , however , that the disclosed embodiments are merely examples and other embodiments can take various and alternative forms . the figures are not necessarily to scale ; some features could be exaggerated or minimized to show details of particular components . therefore , specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting , but merely as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention . as those of ordinary skill in the art will understand , various features illustrated and described with reference to any one of the figures can be combined with features illustrated in one or more other figures to produce embodiments that are not explicitly illustrated or described . the combinations of features illustrated provide representative embodiments for typical applications . various combinations and modifications of the features consistent with the teachings of this disclosure , however , could be desired for particular applications or implementations . fig2 - 4 illustrate a rzeppa - type cv joint suitable for use at 26 , 28 , 30 , 32 , 34 , and / or 36 in fig1 . fig2 is a cross section in the plane defined by the centerlines 50 and 52 of the two sides of the joint . ring 54 is adapted for fixation to the driveline component such as the transmission output shaft , the wheel , or the differential as described in detail below . stub shaft 56 is adapted for fixation to driveshaft 16 or to an axle shaft 22 or 24 . stub shaft 56 may be fixed to the shaft by welding at the circumference of flange 58 , for example . six concave grooves 60 are formed in ring 54 and six convex grooves 62 are formed in stub shaft 52 . six balls 64 , each positioned within a concave groove 60 and a convex groove 62 , position stub shaft radially with respect to ring 54 . the balls can roll within the grooves to accommodate the angle between axis 50 and axis 52 . for example , as shown in fig2 , the ball at the top has rolled toward the left of the groove in ring 54 and has rolled toward the right end of the groove in stub shaft 56 . the ball on the bottom has rolled the opposite direction . as either the ring or the stub shaft rotates about its respective axis , the balls force the other member to rotate by an equal amount such that the grooves line up at the ball locations . the balls may be retained by a cage ( not shown ). proper function of the joint requires lubrication , typically in the form of grease . a back plate 66 and a flexible boot 68 seal a cavity to retain the grease and to prevent contaminants from entering . flexible boot 68 may be a j - shaped boot fixed to front plate 72 which , in turn , is fixed to ring 54 . boot 68 is made of a flexible material to accommodate the different axes of rotation . during each revolution of the shafts , a particular circumferential portion of the boot changes from the shape shown at the top of fig2 to the shape shown at the bottom of fig2 and then back . in some applications , such as the underside of an off - road vehicle , the joint may be vulnerable to projectiles that may puncture the j - boot . if the grease leaks out or contaminants get in , friction may lead to rapid temperature increase and joint failure . another failure mode , called ballooning , occurs when the pressure builds up inside the grease cavity . this may occur , for example , due to friction causing the temperature of the grease and air in the cavity to increase . centrifugal forces also contribute to internal pressure in the cavity . the increased pressure may cause boot 68 to deform such that the convex surface facing the grease cavity becomes concave . this type of deflection weakens the boot material over time , eventually leading to loss of sealing function and eventual joint failure . fig3 is a cross section taken through the plane defined by the six balls 64 . fig4 is a pictorial view of the joint . ring 54 defines six holes 70 that are used to fix the ring to the component , such as the transmission , differential , or wheel . specifically , six bolts are inserted through the holes 70 , from the side with the j - boot , into threaded holes in a flange of the component . washers may be inserted to distribute the compressive force from the bolt head across the face of the front plate 72 . in some cases , it may be necessary to rotate the shaft after inserting some of the bolts in order to be able to reach the remaining bolts with an appropriate tool . the shaft may be welded to the stub shaft 54 prior to positioning the shaft assembly into the vehicle . fig5 and 6 show the cv joint of fig2 - 4 with a protective shield . fig5 is a cross section in the same plane as fig2 . the protective shield includes a rigid portion 74 and a flexible portion 76 . the rigid portion 74 is fixed to the ring . for example , the rigid portion may be fixed to the ring by the same bolts 78 that fix the ring to the driveline component . a flange of the rigid portion may be compressed between the washer 80 and the front plate . the rigid portion 74 also constrains boot 68 from ballooning outward . the rigid portion protects the flexible j - boot from damage . the flexible portion seals off the gap between the rigid portion and the shaft , preventing any projectiles from reaching the j - boot and potentially rupturing it . in order to accommodate the non - coincident axes of rotation , an inner edge of the flexible portion must be capable of moving to a position not concentric with an outer edge . this may be accomplished , for example , by forming the flexible portion with an accordion shape having a number of truncated conical panels with alternating orientation . unlike the flexible j - boot , however , the flexible portion of the protective shield does not need to form a seal against the shaft . if a projectile , such as a rock , creates a small hole in the flexible portion , the universal joint will continue to function properly . fig6 is a pictorial view of the cv joint with protective shield 74 and 76 . fig6 also shows the six bolts 78 and the washers 80 used to fasten ring 54 to a component flange . note that both the rigid portion 74 and the flexible portion 76 of the shield may be formed from multiple circumferential segments which collectively surround the circumference of the j - boot . each circumferential portion can be fastened to the cv joint separately . while exemplary embodiments are described above , it is not intended that these embodiments describe all possible forms encompassed by the claims . the words used in the specification are words of description rather than limitation , and it is understood that various changes can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure . as previously described , the features of various embodiments can be combined to form further embodiments of the invention that may not be explicitly described or illustrated . while various embodiments could have been described as providing advantages or being preferred over other embodiments or prior art implementations with respect to one or more desired characteristics , those of ordinary skill in the art recognize that one or more features or characteristics can be compromised to achieve desired overall system attributes , which depend on the specific application and implementation . as such , embodiments described as less desirable than other embodiments or prior art implementations with respect to one or more characteristics are not outside the scope of the disclosure and can be desirable for particular applications . | 5 |
fig1 shows a cathode ray tube 10 having a glass envelope 12 comprises a rectangular face plate panel 14 and a tubular neck 16 connected by a rectangular funnel 18 . the funnel 18 has an internal conductive coating ( not shown ) that extends from an anode button 20 to a neck 16 . the panel 14 comprises a viewing face plate 22 and a peripheral flange or sidewall 24 that is sealed to the funnel 18 by a glass frit 26 . a three - color phosphor screen 28 is carried by the inner surface of the face plate 22 . the screen 28 is a line screen with the phosphor lines arranged in triads , each triad including a phosphor line of each of the three colors . a tension focus mask 30 is removably mounted in a predetermined spaced relation to the screen 28 . an electron gun 32 ( schematically shown by the dashed lines in fig1 ) is centrally mounted within the neck 16 to generate three in - line electron beams , a center beam and two side beams , along convergent paths through the tension focus mask 30 to the screen 28 . the tube 10 is designed to be used with an external magnetic deflection yoke , such as the yoke 34 shown in the neighborhood of the funnel to neck junction . when activated , the yoke 34 subjects the three beams to magnetic fields which cause the beams to scan horizontally and vertically in a rectangular raster over the screen 28 . the tension focus mask 30 , shown in greater detail in fig2 includes two longs sides 36 and 38 and two short sides 40 and 42 . the two short sides 40 and 42 of the mask parallel a central minor axis , y , of the tube . the tension focus mask 30 includes two sets of conductive lines : strands 44 that are parallel to the central minor axis y and to each other ; and wires 46 , that are parallel to the central major axis x and to each other . in a preferred embodiment , the strands 44 are flat strips that extend vertically , having a width of about 13 mils and a thickness of about 2 mils , and the cross wires 46 have a round cross section , having a diameter of about 1 mil and extend horizontally . in the completed mask , the strands 44 and wires 46 are separated from each other by suitable insulators such as lead - zinc - boro - silicate . fig3 depicts a side view , cross - section , of the tension focus mask 30 for constructing a rigid busbar . to best understand the invention , the reader should simultaneously refer to both fig2 and 3 . the short sides 40 and 42 of the tension focus mask 30 includes a base segment 314 , which can be seen in both fig2 and 3 , formed of a stainless steel 90 ° angle segment having two respective ends . a massive side rail 310 is formed of an alloy steel material also in the shape of an angle and having two respective ends . together , these two side rail segments 314 and 310 establish the structural portions of the two short sides 40 and 42 . each side , 40 and 42 are fabricated to mirror one another . the stainless steel base segment 314 is arranged such that it is perpendicular to the long sides 36 and 38 and attached to the long side on each of its respective ends by welding . the second element , the massive side rail 310 , is arranged such that it is aligned in the same vertical plane as the first segment 314 , but the second segment 310 is positioned above segment 314 in the z direction . the massive side rail segment 310 is also affixed to the long sides 36 and 38 on each of its &# 39 ; respective ends , perpendicular to the long sides 36 and 38 similar to that of the base segment 314 . the arrangement of the segments 314 and 310 forms the short sides 42 and 40 . this arrangement allows workers and technicians to grasp the tension focus mask 30 without handling the mask portion of the assembly . the side rails also prevent damage when mask frame assemblies are jarred impacted by objects or other mask assemblies during fabrication . the cross wires 46 are especially fragile and require the utmost care to avoid damage . the massive side rail segment 310 further comprises a set of elements that aids in the performance of the mask frame assembly and allows the assembly to be used as a tension focus mask or a color selection electrode . these elements include a beam shield 302 , an insulator / spacer 308 and a rigid busbar 306 . the beam shield 302 is formed along the upper inside portion of the massive side rail 310 . the beam shield 302 runs the entire length of the massive side rail 310 and prevents stray electrons from the electron gun 32 of the crt 10 from scattering and landing on the screen to produce an anomalous effect in the edge regions during use . the insulator / spacer 308 is affixed to the outside of the massive side rail 310 . the insulator / spacer 308 is sandwiched between the side rail 310 and the busbar 306 . the insulator / spacer 308 acts to provide electrical insulation for preventing busbar 306 from making electrical contact with the massive side rail 310 . the busbar 306 is attached to the outside of the insulator / spacer 308 and runs the length of the short side 40 and 42 of the tension focus mask 30 . a plurality of crosswires 46 of the focus mask are applied over strands 44 and terminate on the busbar 306 . the crosswires 46 are laid parallel to one another and equidistantly spaced from each other . the crosswires 46 are affixed to the busbar 306 by , for example , a structural adhesive 304 , such as carbon loaded kasil , applied across the top portion of the busbar 306 . after the adhesive 304 has dried or cured , the crosswires 46 are trimmed flush to the busbar 306 . during operation of tube 10 , a voltage difference , not shown , is applied between crosswires 46 and strands 44 . the voltage is applied to crosswires 46 via the conductivity of busbar 306 . thereby , focus action is provided , in a known manner . the tension focus mask 30 is assembled in three separate processes . in the first process the frame portion is assembled , while in the second process the etched mask strands 44 are affixed to the tension focus mask 30 and finally in the third process , the crosswire 46 are attached . this forms the frame portion of the tension focus mask 30 . once all the elements have been properly aligned and assembled , a plurality of crosswires 46 are laid across the top of the busbar 306 . the crosswires 46 are glued using a fast - curing , high - temperature adhesive 304 such as carbon loaded kasil to the top of the busbar 306 . after attachment , the crosswires 46 may be trimmed flush with the busbar 306 . short sides 40 and 42 are reinforced with a rigid busbar 306 for the purpose of preventing damage to tension focus mask 30 due to handling during the manufacturing process . rigidity refers to the ability of the busbar 306 to resist deformation , during manufacture of the crt 10 and in use . the busbar 306 is formed to be rigid so as to prevent a transmittal of force to crosswires 46 from , for example , side rail 310 . thereby , advantageously , beam misregister is prevented during use of the crt 10 . for preventing beam misregistration , the deviation of the beam landing location from the ideal on the screen 28 may not be more than 2 - 4 mils depending on the screen 28 size . this rigid busbar apparatus allows technicians and workers to handle the tension focus mask 30 by the short sides 40 and 42 at base segments 314 , thus preventing physical contact with tension focus mask 30 that could potentially damage the crosswires 46 and strands 44 . fig4 is a side view , cross - sectional , of another embodiment of the present invention . in this embodiment , a rigid busbar 306 ′ is supported by a frame assembly 320 ′. rigid busbar 306 ′ is made of an insulator such as glass . an electrically conductive layer , not shown , provides a connection for a focus voltage , not shown . in this embodiment as in the previous embodiment , the rigid busbar 306 ′ prevents the tension focus mask crosswires 46 from damage or shifting during manufacture and use . a busbar clip 314 ′ secures the rigid busbar 306 to the mask frame 320 ′. an adhesive 304 ′ that may be structural or non - structural is used to adhere the crosswires 46 to the rigid busbar 306 ′. the adhesive 304 ′ is applied over the crosswires 46 onto the busbar 306 ′ and allowed to cure or dry . as in the previous embodiment , the rigid busbar 306 ′ will not deform during manufacture and will prevent electron beam misregistration . as the embodiments that incorporate the teachings of the present invention have been shown and described in detail , those skilled in the art can readily devise many other varied embodiments that still incorporate these teachings without departing from the spirit of the invention . | 7 |
before the present apparatus and methods are described , it is to be understood that this invention is not limited to particular mechanisms , materials or methods described , as such may , of course , vary . it is also to be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only , and is not intended to be limiting , since the scope of the present invention will be limited only by the appended claims . where a range of values is provided , it is understood that each intervening value , to the tenth of the unit of the lower limit unless the context clearly dictates otherwise , between the upper and lower limits of that range is also specifically disclosed . each smaller range between any stated value or intervening value in a stated range and any other stated or intervening value in that stated range is encompassed within the invention . the upper and lower limits of these smaller ranges may independently be included or excluded in the range , and each range where either , neither or both limits are included in the smaller ranges is also encompassed within the invention , subject to any specifically excluded limit in the stated range . where the stated range includes one or both of the limits , ranges excluding either or both of those included limits are also included in the invention . unless defined otherwise , 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 . although any methods and materials similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used in the practice or testing of the present invention , the preferred methods and materials are now described . all publications mentioned herein are incorporated herein by reference to disclose and describe the methods and / or materials in connection with which the publications are cited . it must be noted that as used herein and in the appended claims , the singular forms “ a ”, “ and ”, and “ the ” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise . thus , for example , reference to “ a pillar ” includes a plurality of such pillars and reference to “ the motor ” includes reference to one or more motors and equivalents thereof known to those skilled in the art , and so forth . the publications discussed herein are provided solely for their disclosure prior to the filing date of the present application . nothing herein is to be construed as an admission that the present invention is not entitled to antedate such publication by virtue of prior invention . further , the dates of publication provided may be different from the actual publication dates which may need to be independently confirmed . the present invention includes appparatus that function both as a retractable full cover sun visor and full windshield cover , as well as a sun visor , so that there is no need for the sun visors that are currently provided by the manufacturer of an automobile . the present apparatus may be designed and manufactured as original equipment of a motor vehicle , so the consumer is not faced with an additional expenditure to provide protection of the interior of the vehicle from the sun , or to provide security for articles left within the vehicle when it is not being operated . the present apparatus may also be provided for the rear windshield as well . the present invention can provide a barrier against the effects of the sun by completely covering the windshield or rear windshield to prevent or reduce ultraviolet ( uv ) from entering and degrading interior components made of fabric , leather or polymers . further , the present invention may restrict generation of heat in the interior of a vehicle , thereby reducing the ambient temperature for efficient functioning of air conditioning , cooler seats and steering wheel etc . and reduce the “ oven ” effect in summer and hot weather conditions . to prevent theft or burglary of the car , an apparatus covering the windshield of the vehicle may be arranged to prevent itself from retracting if the vehicle is not properly started , such as with the key , or by entering a required code of some form . the present invention may also provide a privacy barrier to prevent external viewing of the contents in the vehicle interior , as noted above . the present apparatus may be automatically driven , but may alternatively be manually operated . additionally , automatic versions may have the option of being manually operated . further , the apparatus may include a logo , advertisement , written message , or other markings on one or both sides thereof . in one embodiment of the present invention , an apparatus that functions as a retractable full cover sun visor and full windshield cover are provided , including a flexible screen 17 which is electromechanically driven to be coiled or rolled up into an integrated longitudinal compartment 5 ( see fig2 and 4 ) when not in use ( i . e ., when retracted ). compartment 5 may be housed in a roof interior of a motor vehicle adjacent to an upper edge of the windshield frame 27 , and may be partially or completely covered by the roof liner 3 of the interior of the vehicle . two rotatable screws 10 ( one of which is shown in fig5 a ) mounted on bidirectional electric motors 11 that may be housed under the dashboard on either side below “ a ” pillars 12 , drive the screen in up and down directions to retract and deploy the screen , respectively . motors 11 are powered by the electrical system of the vehicle to operate the sun visor and the full windshield cover . an interlock 21 ( fig6 ) may be provided to ensure the proper sun visor position for safe driving when the car is in drive mode . the interlock 21 may be programmable to select preferred visor positions , depending upon the height of the driver , but may be limited to a maximum deployment position , beyond which the department of transportation has regulated as being an unsafe , illegal setting . when switch 29 is activated to deploy screen 17 while the car is operating ( e . g ., in drive 33 or reverse modes ), interlock 21 may prevent screen from deploying beyond the visor position , with the result of the operator &# 39 ; s deployment of switch 29 being a deployment of screen 17 to the visor position 37 . further , the same interlock may also enable the deployment of the screen 17 as a full windshield cover 35 only when the car is engaged in “ park ” setting 32 ( or , other safety requirement , such as when the vehicle is turned off and the parking brake is set , in the case of manual transmission vehicles , for example ), and to prevent full deployment otherwise to the full windshield cover deployment position . interlock 21 may further prevent screen 17 from being retracted from the windshield cover deployment position until the vehicle is shifted out of “ park ” ( or other safety requirement is met ). optionally , the interlock may automatically retract screen 17 from the full windshield cover deployment position when the vehicle is shifted out of “ park ”. such retraction may automatically take place to position screen in the visor deployment positioning . alternatively , the apparatus may be programmed to automatically fully retract screen 17 when the vehicle is shifted out of “ park ”. if the vehicle is not running , the interlock may prevent screen 17 from being retracted from the windshield cover deployment 36 position unless the vehicle is properly started 34 . by properly started is meant that the vehicle is started by turning the key in the ignition , or by using various other keyless ignition starting codes or methods intended by the manufacturer to be used by the owner of the vehicle for starting it . in addition to properly starting the vehicle , the interlock may optionally require the input of a code to allow screen 17 to be retracted after starting the vehicle . still further optionally , in combination with the proper starting ( and optionally the code ), the gear lever of the vehicle may be required to be shifted to a “ drive ” position , or into gear to retract screen 17 . these requirements cause screen 17 to block the view through the front windshield and help to prevent car theft or at least be a significant deterrent for a possible car theft . once the requirements have been met , screen 17 may be automatically retracted either to the visor position , or the fully retracted position . the choice of these options may be user programmable . provision may be made to accommodate the post 14 of the rear view mirror 15 of the vehicle when screen 17 retracts all the way up in to its longitudinal housing 5 ( see fig2 and 4 ), with the use of bristle or brush - edge 16 . however , if the rear view mirror is designed so that post 14 is located behind the longitudinal housing of screen 17 , then a single screen 17 can be used , and it is not necessary to provide a brush - edge gap eliminator 16 . a screen stiffener 20 may be provided in any embodiment , to provide more structural rigidity of the leading edge of the screen which helps to deploy and retract it . screen stiffener 20 may be a metallic wire , rod , or other stiffening element attached to or sewn into the leading edge of screen 17 . an embodiment of an apparatus may also be installed on a rear windshield of a vehicle to function as a visor as well as a full cover . when installed on the rear windshield , the interlock may also disable rolling up of the screen in the event of improper ignition / start of an automobile . this may also help to deter car theft . additionally , the interlock may also activate the screen 17 to be retracted when the vehicle is shifted into a “ reverse ” gear . screen 17 may also be made of a semi - transparent material to allow it to be deployed while an automobile is in drive mode to enable a driver to see the cars behind but cut off the glare from the sun . a control mechanism , such as a switch 29 , for example , may be provided for manually initiate automatic control of one or more apparatus , such as to actuate motors 11 to deploy one or more screens to the visor position or to fully retract one or more screens . switch 29 may also be used to control the motors to deploy to the full cover position or retract therefrom , but these functions may be overridden by the interlock , depending upon how the interlock is set up . further , the interlock 21 may be integrated with the switch 29 . one embodiment of the present apparatus includes a flexible screen 17 which is configured to be coiled or rolled into an integrated longitudinal compartment 5 when not in use . screen 17 may be made of a flexible fabric or a reflective film such as mylar . a drive mechanism of the apparatus includes at least one motor 11 and long screw 10 . long screw 10 may be flexible in bending about its longitudinal axis to allow it to conform to the contours of a pillar or other vertical guide structure in which it is placed , but is relatively rigid under compression along the longitudinal axis to permit it to drive screen 17 properly . a control mechanism , such as a simple power switch may be located near other , like controls , such as on the dashboard of the vehicle . an electrically powered , electronically - controlled interlock may be configured to enable multi - position deployment of screen 17 as well as to prevent accidental full deployment when safety prohibits ( as when driving down the road in a car ). the invention may also be used in a manual , non - motorized version by foregoing the motor , drive and electronic control . for manual deployment , one or more hooks 23 or other anchors may be provided for attaching screen 17 to one or more fixed visor locations , to function as a visor , and one or more hooks 22 may be provided at a location at the bottom of the windshield 1 ( e . g ., on the dashboard ) to hold ( restrain ) the screen down to function as a full windshield cover . in the example of fig1 , u - shaped member 18 is configured to be releasably engaged by hook 22 to temporarily lock screen 17 in the fully deployed configuration . other hooks or engagement features may be provided on screen 17 to temporarily lock its leading edge to one or more anchors fixed at or near the bottom of the windshield to be covered . fig3 shows a manually deployable apparatus where engagement member 18 is releasably engaged by mating engagement member 22 to temporarily lock screen 17 in the fully deployed configuration . side engaging members 23 are provided to releasably engage cooperating side engaging members 25 provided at the end portions of the leading edge of screen 17 to fix screen 17 in the visor position . multiple cooperating side engagement members 25 ( see fig2 ) may be provided on screen 17 ( or alternatively , multiple side engagement members 23 may be provided along the frame of the windshield ) to allow screen 17 to be fixed at varying visor height levels . housing 5 may include one or more spring loaded rollers 19 to retract screen 17 in manual mode , or to assist retraction under automatic , motor driven mode . the current apparatus may thus function as a replacement for conventional visors to block the sun , additionally , with screen 17 also optionally providing a reflective interior surface ( as a ‘ vanity mirror ’). when fully deployed , screen 17 may provide a barrier against the effects of the sun by completely covering the windshield . at the same time , a restriction of heat may be provided into the protected chamber behind the windshield . still further , a logo , advertisement or other marking may be provided on either or both of the outside and inside surfaces of screen 17 . the drive mechanism may automatically deploy screen 17 to variable positions , and can double as a guide for the travel of the screen 17 . that is , the long screws ( and additional guides , if used ) can be bent ( without kinking ) or otherwise conformed to the curvature of a windshield , so that the deployment of the screen 17 closely follows the curvature of the surface of the windshield . the vertical guides ( such as pillars 12 or other vertical guiding structure provided ) control the position of screen 17 against the surface of the windshield . the enclosure 5 provides the ‘ home ’ for the non - extended screen when not in use , and is generally hidden within the roof of the vehicle above front and / or rear windshields , and is designed to not protrude or otherwise present a safety hazard . the control switch may be a momentary - type version which allows variable deployment to a predetermined distance which is prescribed by , for example department of transportation ( dot hereafter ) regulations for safe driving conditions . the interlock may be engaged by actuation of control mechanism ( e . g ., the switch ), and may prevent full vision blocking deployment of screen 17 while an automobile is in drive mode . further , when changing from a driving mode to a non - driving mode , the interlock may control one or more motors 11 to automatically , fully deploy screen ( s ) 17 . in one embodiment of use of the apparatus in an automotive application , for first setting level deployment , the control switch is manually actuated ( the switch may be actuated by pulling it down to emulate the action of screen 17 , for example ), to engage drive motor ( s ) 11 which rotate to drive long screws 10 in rotation to translate drive members ( e . g ., drive nuts 24 ) along the long screws 10 in a downward direction to deploy screen 17 . screen 17 is attached to drive members 24 . further , screen 17 may be provided with one or more guide features 26 on each side thereof that slide over long screws 10 as screen 17 is deployed , to help maintain screen fully deployed along its width . screen 17 is thus drawn out of it housing along long screws 10 to a predetermined position , which is either programmed into the interlock mechanism according to a user &# 39 ; s choice ( there may be multiple program settings for multiple users ) or is a default setting , that corresponds to a vertical dimension analogous to that of conventional sun visors . in automotive applications the second setting level deployment ( full deployment ) may only be possible when the auto is parked , thereby allowing the interlock to release the drive mechanism for full extension . in what can be a configurable actuation , the screen 17 can be set to automatically deploy to full extension at the ‘ park ’ setting , or selectively actuated via the control switch and governed by the interlock . for the manual implementation , one or more screens 17 may be pulled down to a preset governed detent — one of two ; driving and park . when pulled fully down , one or more engagement features ( e . g ., loop 22 ) may be secured by a stationary cooperating engagement feature ( e . g ., hook ) mounted onto the vehicle &# 39 ; s dashboard or rear deck . guidance and stowing of the screens 17 are the same , with the exception of a substitution of a smooth rod instead of a ‘ threaded ’ long screw . for deployment to the visor position , one or more engagement features 23 ( e . g ., hooks , or the like ) may be provided along side the windshield at a height or heights where the leading edge of the screen 17 is desired to be deployed to . features 23 may be installed on the a pillars 12 , or on the side framing of the windshield , etc . the screen enclosure / housing 5 and guides can either be built into the structure of the parent assembly ( motor vehicle ) or exist outside or independently from the structure . methods for creating the drive mechanism can vary widely , including the spiral long screw type drive described above , gear - driven drive , cable driven mechanism , etc . screen 17 may be made of many material types , depending on the desired design direction for the invention : a stable , metallized mylar film could be used where stretching to gain non - rectilinear coverage is not required ; a perforated , stretchable cloth may be used to allow stretching . other plastics , including , but not limited to , nylon , kevlar or polyester may be used . methods for ensuring full coverage for the windshield application about the rear - view mirror can be substituted , varying from the use of a dual - sided brush closure 16 , to the use of an over - lapping design of the screen . guidance of deployment and retraction of screen 17 may be performed by long screws 10 alone , and pillars or other vertical guide features are not necessarily required . alternatively the long screws may be installed in the pillars of a vehicle . the ‘ a ’ pillar long screws 10 may be installed in the a pillars ( pillars adjacent the windshield of a vehicle ) to drive screen 17 for the front windshield . long screws may be made of steel , aluminum , nitinol , nylon , or other metals or durable polymers suitable for the driving function and that provide the requisite bending flexibility and rigidity under compression . while the present invention has been described with reference to the specific embodiments thereof , it should be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention . in addition , many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation , material , composition of matter , process , process step or steps , to the objective , spirit and scope of the present invention . all such modifications are intended to be within the scope of the claims appended hereto . | 1 |
within this specification , “ puck ” is used to described a standard ice hockey puck , as well other similar objects used for playing and practicing hockey , such as plastic pucks , rollers pucks ( used in roller hockey ) and hockey balls ( used in floor hockey and dry land practicing ). referring to fig1 , there is shown a loop hockey stick 10 , with a shaft 12 and a blade 14 , with a preferred embodiment of the present invention as shown in fig2 and 3 consisting of a loop 16 of material which is coupled to the blade 14 . the loop 16 is of sufficient size to fully enclose a standard hockey puck 18 and acts to trap the puck 18 against the backhand ( convex curve ) side of the blade 14 . the blade 14 is shown curved for clarity in the drawing and description , however , the loop 16 can be equally used with a straight blade 14 . in order to keep the weight of the hockey stick 10 to a minimum , the loop 16 need not be a solid piece of material , but can have holes cut into it or even be a mesh , as long as the shape of the loop 16 can be generally maintained . the puck 18 is readily removed from the loop 16 by raising the blade 14 off the ice ( playing surface ) and transitioning the puck 18 to the forehand ( concave curve ) side of the blade 14 in a standard stickhandling motion . the loop 16 can be attached to the blade 14 in either a permanent or temporary fashion . a permanent attachment is shown in fig4 , where the loop 16 is attached by securing the ends of the loop 16 through slots 20 in the blade 14 . alternatively , the loop 16 can be formed as an integral part of the blade 14 , made out of the same material as the blade 14 ( wood or composites ) or of a different material . a variety of different methods of affixing the loop 16 to the blade 14 can be contemplated , non - exhaustively including tape ( hockey , duct , industrial ), contact cement , velcro ™, staples , bolts , rubber or elastic bands that slip over the blade , or a special sleeve that fits over the blade and has two slits at the back . in all cases conventional hockey stick tape can be used to further secure the loop 16 as part of the normal application and usage of stick tape . it is considered preferable that the loop 16 be attached so the opposite surface of the blade 14 is not altered , e . g . for a loop 16 attached on the backhand side of the blade 14 , there should be no protrusions or other alterations on the forehand side of the blade 14 . one type of attachment is shown in fig5 , where the ends of the loop 16 consist of slip loops 22 which are passed over the blade 14 and secured in place by tightening the slip loops 22 . for additional security , the slip loops 22 can be taped over with conventional hockey stick tape to prevent slippage during use . a benefit of temporary attachment is that players can quickly adapt their regular sticks for use in practice and restore them to their original condition for a game . also , in game situations , a damaged loop 16 can be replaced without the need to replace the blade 14 , and vice - versa , where an undamaged loop 16 can be attached to a new blade 14 . other variations of the loop 16 include a sleeve which fits over the entire blade 14 , covering the front and rear faces . the sleeve can be stretchable to secure itself to the blade 14 , or held in place with hockey tape . a tight - fitting sleeve is preferred to minimize interference with the feel and control of the puck 18 on the surface of the blade 14 . by positioning the loop 16 on the backhand side of the blade 14 , the player can use the forehand side of the blade 14 to execute normal passing and shooting plays . furthermore , a backhand shot or pass can be executed by tilting the angle of the blade 14 sufficiently to allow the puck 18 to slide under the loop 16 . this can be made easier by positioning the loop 16 such that it is not in contact with the whole puck 18 , but only the top half or third , which is still sufficient in most cases to keep the puck 18 trapped in the loop 16 . while the loop 16 is preferably contemplated as having its bottom surface flush with the bottom surface of the blade 14 , alternative positions and shapes can be readily used to meet the same functional purposes . for example , the loop 16 can be secured to the blade 14 near the middle or top , and be positioned at an angle to be flush with the playing surface at the outer edge of the loop 16 . alternatively , the loop 16 can be tapered , being thinner near the blade 14 , to allow for some angular tilt of the blade 14 , and thicker near the outer edge of the loop 16 , to provide containment for the puck 18 . in alternative embodiments , the loop 16 could be placed on the forehand side of the blade 14 or there can be a loop 16 located on both the forehand and backhand sides of the blade 14 , for use in different drills and skill training exercises . as another alternative , the loop 16 can be hinged so that it can be repositioned to the top of the blade 14 , enabling the loop 16 to be moved from the forehand side to the backhand side or even to a neutral position above the blade . the hinges can be spring - loaded to lock the loop 16 into position once moved . the spring - loaded hinges can further be designed to trigger under pressure to allow the loop 16 to be repositioned during play . for example , with the loop 16 attached on the forehand side of the blade 14 , it may interfere with attempts to make a forehand shot , as the shot motion involves cupping ( tilting ) the blade 14 towards the ice surface . a pressure - sensitive spring - loaded hinge can be used so that the cupping motion triggers the hinge and causes the loop 16 to spring into a neutral position over the blade 14 , clearing the path for the shot . alternatively , triggering the hinge may merely raise the loop 16 to a position sufficient to provide clearance for the puck 18 , such as a 45 - degree angle from the playing surface . the loop 16 can be made from a rigid material ( hard plastic , laminated wood , fibreglass ) or a flexible material ( nylon , soft plastic , polyethylene ) as desired . a rigid loop 16 provide a more secure enclosure , but is vulnerable to fracture or breakage from contact with another stick . a flexible loop 16 is less likely to be broken , but provides a less secure enclosure . either type of loop 16 is suitable for use , although particular drills or games can require one type of loop preferentially over the other . a flexible loop 16 is preferred , as in order to provide for proper shooting of the puck the stick blade 14 must be tilted and the loop 16 needs to flex in response to the tilting motion . when a rigid loop 16 is used , the attachment point of the loop 16 to the blade 14 provides the flexibility instead . alternatively , the loop 16 can be enclosed with a solid or mesh netting cover 20 , which prevents the puck from inadvertently being bounced or knocked out of the loop 16 . the cover 20 is particularly preferable for use with balls , which have less contact surface with the ground and are subject to more bouncing than pucks . rather than a complete enclosure , the loop 16 may instead have a partial covering extended over a fraction of the surface or from specific regions of the loop . in particular , a loop 16 with an edge or lip along the top edge at the outermost section of the loop 16 provides most of the benefits of a full enclosure , while keeping the weight and material require for the loop 16 to a minimum . the dimensions and shape of the loop 16 can be tailored for different purposes , the most significant of which is the difference between carrying the puck on the forehand side of the blade 14 and the backhand side of the blade 14 . on the forehand side , the puck 18 is being pushed by the blade 14 and is partially contained by the curvature of the blade 14 . by contrast , on the backhand side of the blade 14 the curvature of the blade 14 does not provide any assistance in containing the puck 18 . thus , a loop 16 located on the forehand side of the blade 14 can be effective in a smaller size than a loop 16 located on the backhand side as the containment requirements for the forehand loop are less demanding . additionally , the parameters of the loop 16 are governed by the same parameters used for the blade 14 . hockey stick blades are defined by several characteristics . first is the lie , which reflects the angle formed between the blade 14 and the shaft of the stick . typical values for the lie range from 2 to 8 , with higher numbers representing angles closer to 90 degrees . the next factor is the location of the curve of the stick , defined in one of three locations , heel ( near the shaft ), mid ( center of blade ) and toe ( end of blade ). related to the location of the curve is the depth of the blade 14 , as determined relative to a flat blade . two other blade measurements are commonly used . an open blade is tilted upwards ( bottom forward , top back ) relative to a flat blade , whereas a closed blade is tilted downwards ( top forward , bottom back ). lastly , rockering is a term used to describe a blade which has a curved contact surface , as opposed to a flat contact surface , allowing the blade to maintain contact while moving into and away from the player &# 39 ; s body . in the preferred use of the loop 16 , a non - rockered blade is used , with a closed face and a mid - curve of shallow depth . a higher lie ( 6 or 7 ) is preferred for beginners , as the blade 14 ( and puck 20 ) is kept closer to the body , allowing for easier control . other blade modifications can be made to accommodate the loop 16 . for example , a longer blade 14 provides for a larger loop 16 , making the puck 20 easier to locate and handle within the loop 16 . another variant of the loop 16 is a partial loop , where the loop is split into two separate pieces coupled to the blade 14 and the separation between the pieces is small enough to prohibit the puck from escaping the resulting partial loop . the partial loop has the advantage of being lighter than a full loop , as well as enabling a larger range of motion for the blade , while still providing an enclosure for the puck 18 . using the loop stick 10 , a player can develop puck carrying , passing and team - play skills without needing to look down for fear of losing the puck . the effect is that the learning curve for these basic hockey skills is advanced and reduced , increasing the novice player &# 39 ; s enjoyment of the sport . additionally , the player develops into a more complete player who is better able to coordinate with other players , and is potentially even capable of achieving a higher overall skill level than would otherwise be possible . fundamentally , by using the loop stick 10 , a player is taught to give up their pre - occupation with control of the puck to gain control of the game . by eliminating concerns , which are often raised to an excessive level , over controlling and losing control of the puck , a player can watch and focus on the game as a whole . through observing the movement and position of the other players , the individual player gains control over the whole game . the trade - off leads to players who have a higher skill level , are able to get the most from their physical talents , and who enjoy the game to their fullest potential . this concludes the description of a presently preferred embodiment of the invention . the foregoing description has been presented for the purpose of illustration and 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 and will be apparent to those skilled in the art . it is intended the scope of the invention be limited not by this description but by the claims that follow . | 0 |
the donation management system 10 of the present invention includes a central controller 12 , a transmission means 14 , and a donor interface 16 . as used herein , a donor may be an individual , a corporation , a partnership , a government , or any other entity . fig . i illustrates a high - level block diagram of central controller 12 which may used to implement the method of the present invention . central controller 12 includes a central processor 18 , an optional cryptographic processor 20 , memory 22 , operating system 24 , network interface 26 , data storage device 28 , peripheral device ( s ) 30 , portable storage medium drive ( s ) 32 , input device ( s ) 34 , graphics subsystem 36 , and display 38 . the components of central controller 12 are those typically found in general purpose computer systems , and are intended to represent a broad category of such computer components that are well known in the art . in one embodiment , central controller 12 may be a conventional personal computer or computer workstation with sufficient memory and processing capability to perform the necessary functions of the present invention . in another embodiment , central controller 12 operates as a web server , both receiving and transmitting queries and requests generated by donors or philanthropic organizations . regardless of its architecture , central controller 12 must be capable of high volume transaction processing and performing a significant number of mathematical calculations in processing communications and repository searches . one skilled in the art will also appreciate that the functionality of central controller 12 may also be distributed over a plurality of computers such as network of computers or a plurality of stand - alone computers . central controller 12 may be configured in a distributed architecture wherein the repositories and processors are housed in separate units or locations . some controllers perform the primary processing functions and contain , at a minimum , both memory and a general processor . each of these controllers is attached to a wan hub which serves as the primary communication link with the other controllers and interface devices . the wan hub may have minimal processing capability itself , serving primarily as a communications router . those skilled in the art will appreciate that an almost unlimited number of controllers may be supported . this arrangement yields a more dynamic and flexible system that is less prone to catastrophic hardware failures affecting the entire system . central processor 18 may contain a single microprocessor or it may contain a plurality of microprocessors for configuring central controller 12 as a multi - processor system . examples of currently available processors that may be suitable as central processor 18 include 64 bit amd opteron and 64 bit itanium from intel . equivalent processors may also be used . however , one skilled in the art will appreciate that newer and faster models will be developed and would be suitable for use in the present invention . cryptographic processor 20 is a processor that supports the authentication of communications from and to donors , philanthropic organizations , and central controller 12 . cryptographic processor 20 is also suitable for providing anonymity in transactions , secure processing of electronic transactions , secure electronic data interchange ( edi ), internet commerce servers and all other applications that require high - volume transactions and maximum security . examples of suitable , currently available apparatus include the ibm ® pci cryptographic coprocessor , the okiok rac / m ix icp cryptographic processor and the like . equivalent processors may also be used . however , one skilled in the art will appreciate that newer and faster models will be developed and would be suitable for use in the present invention . memory 22 includes random access memory ( ram ), dynamic random access memory ( dram ), read - only memory ( rom ) as well as high - speed cache memory . memory 22 may also include an application program 40 that stores , in part , instructions and data for execution by central processor 18 . if the system 10 of the present invention is wholly or partially implemented in software , including a computer program , memory 22 stores the executable code when in operation . controller 12 , as shown in fig1 , illustrates operating system 24 as a windows ®- based platform available from microsoft corporation that may be used for implementing the method of the present invention . however , numerous other platforms can also suffice for use as operating system 24 , such as macintosh - based platforms available from apple computer , inc ., platforms with different bus configurations , networked platforms , multi - processor platforms , other personal computers , personal digital assistants ( e . g ., palm pilot ®, blackberry ®, clié ®, 3com , etc . ), workstations , mainframes , navigation systems , and the like . network interface 26 is the gateway to communication with donors through donor interface 16 as well as with other users of system 10 . network interface 26 may be a network interface card for interfacing central controller 12 to a network , a modem , or the like . conventional internal or external modems may also serve as network interface 26 . network interface 26 supports modems at a range of baud rates from 1200 upward , but may combine such inputs into a t1 or t3 line if more bandwidth is required . in a preferred embodiment , network interface 26 is connected with the internet and / or any of the commercial on - line services such as america online , msn , etc ., allowing donors and other users access from a wide range of on - line connections . several commercial electronic mail servers include the above functionality in , for example , mail software packages designed to link people and information over enterprise networks and the internet . these types of products are platform independent and utilize open standards based upon internet protocols . users can exchange messages with enclosures such as files , graphics , video and audio . the system also supports multiple languages . alternatively , network interface 26 may be configured as a voice mail interface , web site , bbs , or electronic mail address . data storage device is a non - volatile storage device for storing data , software and instructions for use by central processor 18 and is typically implemented with a magnetic disk drive or an optical disk drive . data storage device 28 also contains data repositories used in the processing of transactions in the present invention , including a philanthropic organization repository 42 and a donor account repository 44 . philanthropic organization repository 42 maintains data 46 on philanthropic organizations with fields such as name , address , telephone number , mission statements , impact statements , backgrounds , histories , executive director statements , geographic information , management information , governance information , board of directors information , organizational infrastructure information , board of directors demographics , board of directors and management biographies , awards , recognition , national affiliations , related organizations , educations , diversity , staffing , contractors , volunteers , financial history , revenue sources , resource allocations , programs , committees , recommendations , reviews , and strategic plans . donor account repository 44 maintains account data 48 for individual donors such as donor fund balance , grant history , donation history , contribution history , vouchers , investments , and associated philanthropic organization information . as one skilled in the art will appreciate , any suitable type of software may be used to create and manage these repositories . in another embodiment , data storage device 28 may also store application program 40 or the purpose of loading program 40 to memory 22 . computer software , instructions or data , including data 46 and 48 , may also be stored in central processor 18 rather than data storage device 28 . controller 12 may further include peripheral device ( s ) 34 , portable storage medium drive ( s ) 36 , input device ( s ) 38 , graphics subsystem 40 and display 42 . for purposes of simplicity , the components shown in fig1 are depicted as being connected via a single bus 50 however , one skilled in the art will appreciate that the components may be connected through one or more data transport means . for example , processor 18 and memory 22 may be connected via a local microprocessor bus , and data storage device 28 , peripheral device ( s ) 30 , portable storage medium drive ( s ) 32 , and graphics subsystem 36 may be connected via one or more input / output ( i / o ) buses . peripheral device ( s ) 30 may include any piece of hardware or computer support device , such as an input / output ( i / o ) interface , used to add additional functionality to central controller 12 . other examples of peripheral device ( s ) 30 include , but are not limited to , printers , scanners , disk and tape drives , microphones , speakers , joysticks , plotters , and cameras . portable storage medium drive ( s ) 32 operates in conjunction with a portable non - volatile storage medium , such as a floppy disk , cd - rom , or other computer - readable medium , to input and output data and code to and from central controller 12 . in one embodiment , program 40 or data 46 and 48 is stored on a portable medium , and is then inputted to central controller 12 via portable storage medium drive 32 . input device ( s ) 34 provides a portion of a user interface with central controller 12 . input device ( s ) 34 may include an alpha - numeric keypad for inputting alphanumeric and other key information , or a pointing device , such as a mouse , a trackball , stylus , wheel , cursor or direction keys . such devices provide additional means for interfacing with repositories 42 and 44 . in order to display textual and graphical information , central controller 12 includes graphics subsystem 36 and display 38 . graphics subsystem 36 receives textual and graphical information and processes the information for output to display 38 . display 38 may include a cathode ray tube ( crt ) display , liquid crystal display ( lcd ), projection displays , other suitable display devices , or means for displaying , that enables a user to view data . display 38 can be used to display data , component interfaces and / or display other information that is part of a user interface . in a further embodiment , the present invention also includes a computer program 52 that includes a storage medium ( media ) component having instructions stored thereon which can be used to program a computer to perform the method of the present invention . the storage medium can include , but is not limited to , any type of computer - readable medium including floppy disks , optical disks , dvd , cd - roms , magnetic optical disks , rams , eprom , eeprom , magnetic or optical cards , or any type of media suitable for storing electronic instructions . stored on any one of the computer - readable medium ( media ), the present invention may also include software 54 for controlling both the hardware of central controller 12 or processors 18 and 20 , and for enabling central controller 12 , processor 18 and cryptographic processor 20 to interact with a human user or other mechanism utilizing the results of the present invention . software 54 may include , but is not limited to , device drivers , operating systems and user applications . ultimately , such computer - readable media further includes donor management software 56 for performing the method of the present invention . in a preferred embodiment , software 56 is downloaded to central controller 12 and stored in memory 22 as part of application program 40 . for the purposes of simplicity , all references herein to application program 40 include software 56 . however , it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that software 56 may also be stored and executed separately from application 40 . as illustrated in fig1 , central controller 12 is connected via network interface 26 to transmission means 14 such as a network 48 ( e . g ., an intranet , the internet , or other network ), across communications lines 60 . preferably , communications lines 60 are dedicated lines ( e . g ., lan , wan , standard dial - out telephone line , satellite , dedicated lease line , dsl ) with a frame relay ( or point - to - point ) connection . central controller 12 may also be directly linked to third party computer systems 62 rather than communicating with central controller 12 through network 48 . third party computer system 62 may be , for example , a mainframe or pcs of at least xx486 processing ability ( e . g ., pentium cpu ) having at least one gigabyte drive , 16 megabytes of ram , with typical i / o accessories including a keyboard , mouse , and printer or similar workstation . each third party computer system 62 and central controller 12 and , more specifically , an output device or a server 64 , also have a modem 66 ( e . g ., csdsu , t1 communication , dsl , satellite or cable modems ) for coupling to communication lines 60 and enabling communications between central controller 12 and third party computer system 62 . data storage device 28 , output device or server 64 and memory 22 may be implemented by one digital processor 18 . in that case , consolidation , scheduling , initial and subsequent segmenting of end users and execution of working programs are accomplished through the one processor 18 . in using the present invention , end users may be assisted by a third party . alternatively , rule - based expert systems may be similarly employed in the present invention to provide dynamic end user behavioral and characteristics segmentation . in a preferred embodiment , donor interface 16 is a conventional personal computer having , at a minimum , an input device , such as a keyboard , mouse or conventional voice recognition software package , a display device , such as a video monitor , a processing device such as a cpu , and a network interface such as a modem . a cryptographic processor may also be included for stronger authentication protection . these devices interface with central controller 12 . alternatively , donor interface 16 may also be a voice mail system , or other electronic or voice communications system such as a pda , digital telephone , pocket personal computer or the like . referring now to fig2 , donor interface 16 is described in more detail . donor interface 16 includes a central processor 68 , a memory 70 , an operating system 72 , a network interface 74 , a data storage device 76 , a peripheral device ( s ) 78 , a portable storage medium drive ( s ) 80 , a graphics subsystem 82 , a display 84 , and an input device ( s ) 86 . cryptographic processor 88 may also be added for stronger authentication and verification capabilities . central processor 68 may contain a single microprocessor , such as a pentium microprocessor , or it may contain a plurality of microprocessors for configuring donor interface 16 as a multi - processor system . cryptographic processor 88 is a processor that supports the authentication of communications to and from donor interface 16 and central controller 12 . cryptographic processor 20 is also suitable for providing anonymity in transactions , secure processing of electronic transactions , secure electronic data interchange ( edi ), internet commerce servers and all other applications that require high - volume transactions and maximum security . examples of suitable , currently available apparatus include the ibm ® pci cryptographic coprocessor , the okiok rac / m ix icp cryptographic processor and the like . equivalent processors may also be used . however , one skilled in the art will appreciate that new and faster models will be developed and would be suitable for use in the present invention . memory 70 includes random access memory ( ram ), dynamic random access memory ( dram ), read - only memory ( rom ) as well as high - speed cache memory . memory 70 may also include an application program 90 that stores , in part , instructions and data for execution by central processor 68 . if donor interface 16 is wholly or partially implemented in software , including a computer program , memory 70 also stores the executable code when in operation . operating system 72 is shown in fig . x as a windows ®- based platform available from microsoft corporation . however , numerous other platforms can also suffice for use as operating system 72 , such as macintosh - based platforms available from apple computer , inc ., platforms with different bus configurations , networked platforms , multi - processor platforms , other personal computers , personal digital assistants ( e . g ., palm pilot (®, blackberry ®, clié ®, 3com , etc . ), workstations , mainframes , navigation systems , and the like . network interface 74 is the gateway to communication with central controller 12 . network interface 74 may be a network interface card for interfacing donor interface 16 to a network , a modem , or the like . conventional internal or external modems may also serve as network interface 74 . network interface in a preferred embodiment , network interface 74 is connected with the internet and / or any of the commercial on - line services such as america online , msn , etc ., allowing donors and other users access to central controller 12 from a wide range of on - line connections . several commercial electronic mail servers include the above functionality in , for example , mail software packages designed to link people and information over enterprise networks and the internet . these types of products are platform independent and utilize open standards based upon internet protocols . users can exchange messages with enclosures such as files , graphics , video and audio . the system also supports multiple languages . alternatively , network interface 74 may be configured as a voice mail interface , web site , bbs , or electronic mail address . data storage device 76 is a non - volatile storage device for storing data , software and instructions for use by central processor 68 and is typically implemented with a magnetic disk drive or an optical disk drive . data storage device 76 may be used for archiving philanthropic organization data 46 or donor account data 48 . in another embodiment , data storage device 76 may also store application program 90 for the purpose of loading program 90 to memory 70 . computer software , instructions or data , including data 46 and 48 , may also be stored in central processor 68 rather than data storage device 76 . donor interface 16 may further include peripheral device ( s ) 78 , portable storage medium drive ( s ) 80 , graphics subsystem 82 , display 84 , and input device ( s ) 86 . for purposes of simplicity , the components shown in fig . x are depicted as being connected via a single bus 92 . however , one skilled in the art will appreciate that the components may be connected through one or more data transport means . for example , processor 68 and memory 70 may be connected via a local microprocessor bus , and data storage device 76 , peripheral device ( s ) 78 , portable storage medium drive ( s ) 80 , and graphics subsystem 82 may be connected via one or more input / output ( i / o ) buses . peripheral device ( s ) 78 may include any piece of hardware or computer support device , such as an input / output ( i / o ) interface , used to add additional functionality to donor interface 16 . other examples of peripheral device 78 include , but are not limited to , printers , scanners , disk and tape drives , microphones , speakers , joysticks , plotters , and cameras . portable storage medium drive 80 operates in conjunction with a portable non - volatile storage medium , such as a floppy disk , cd - rom , or other computer - readable medium , to input and output data and code to and from donor interface 16 . program 90 or data 46 and 48 may be stored on a portable medium , and then inputted to donor interface 16 via portable storage medium drive 80 . in order to display textual and graphical information , donor interface 16 includes graphics subsystem 82 and display 84 . graphics subsystem 82 receives textual and graphical information and processes the information for output to display 84 . display 84 may include a cathode ray tube ( crt ) display , liquid crystal display ( lcd ), projection displays , other suitable display devices , or means for displaying , that enables a user to view data . display 84 can be used to display data , component interfaces and / or display other information that is part of a user interface . input device ( s ) 86 provides a portion of a user interface with donor interface 16 . input device ( s ) 86 may include an alpha - numeric keypad for inputting alphanumeric and other key information , or a pointing device , such as a mouse , a trackball , stylus , wheel , cursor or direction keys . such devices provide additional means for interfacing with donor interface 16 and , ultimately , central controller 12 . in a further embodiment , the present invention also includes a computer program 94 that includes a storage medium ( media ) component having instructions stored thereon which can be used to program a computer to perform the method of the present invention . the storage medium can include , but is not limited to , any type of computer - readable medium including floppy disks , optical disks , dvd , cd - roms , magnetic optical disks , rams , eprom , eeprom , magnetic or optical cards , or any type of media suitable for storing electronic instructions . stored on any one of the computer - readable medium ( media ), the present invention may also include software 96 for controlling both the hardware of donor interface 16 or processors 68 and 88 , and for enabling donor interface 16 , processors 68 and 88 to interact with a human user or other mechanism utilizing the results of the present invention . software 54 may include , but is not limited to , device drivers , operating systems and user applications . ultimately , such computer - readable media may further includes donor management software 98 for performing the method of the present invention . many commercial software applications are available to enable the communications required by donor interface 16 . when central controller 12 acts as a web server , conventional communications software such as the internet explorer web browser from microsoft corporation or the netscape navigator ® web browser from netscape corporation may also be used . no proprietary software is required . the present invention also provides a method for developing , accessing and managing information regarding philanthropic organizations and enabling donations thereto by donors . the preferred method includes inputting desirable philanthropic organization data 46 into central controller 12 wherein data 46 is collected and stored in philanthropic organization repository 42 . philanthropic organization data 46 is collected , inputted , and stored in such a way as to correspond to a specific philanthropic organization . referring now to fig3 , more particularly , an operator of central controller 12 or other persons associated with the operator or under the operator &# 39 ; s direction ( collectively the “ operator ”) first makes contact with a particular philanthropic organization via personal contact , telephone , electronic messaging , facsimile transmission or the like to request an appointment and interview as shown in step 102 . the operator then conducts any necessary research into the organization and prepares any necessary documentation or paperwork preparatory to the appointment at step 104 . simultaneously , the organization gathers or prepares information for use by the operator in hard copy or electronic form at step 106 . at step 108 , the operator conducts a personal interview with a representative of the organization such as the president , vice - president , chainman of the board , ceo , cfo or the like . during the interview , the operator confirms information already gathered and reviews information provided by the organization as shown in step 110 . the information may include , but is not limited to , the organization &# 39 ; s name , address , telephone number , mission statements , impact statements , backgrounds , histories , executive director statements , geographic information , management information , governance information , board of directors information , organizational infrastructure information , board of directors demographics , board of directors and management biographies , awards , recognition , national affiliations , related organizations , educations , diversity , staffing , contractors , volunteers , financial history , revenue sources , resource allocations , programs , committees , recommendations , reviews , and strategic plans . the information developed , gathered or provided regarding the organization is then confirmed and assessed by the operator for suitability for inclusion into operator &# 39 ; s method at step 112 . assessment of the information includes , but is not limited to , the organization &# 39 ; s future and current needs and risks , outcomes , measures , fund or donation development , leadership development , interest in setting up an endowment , fund or other accounting service , and the like . the information or data is then inputted into central controller 12 for inclusion in philanthropic organization repository 42 as philanthropic organization data 46 at step 113 . data 46 is then sent via any communications means to the organization for review , confirmation and approval at step 114 . upon receipt of the organization &# 39 ; s approval , at step 116 , data 46 is finalized for storage in repository 42 and for use in the method of the present invention . one skilled in the art will appreciate that any type of software or hardware suitable for conducting steps 102 - 116 may be used in accordance with the present invention . in use , application program 40 instructs central controller 12 to connect to transmission means 14 via network interface 26 and sends philanthropic organization data 46 to donor interface 16 which is then displayed for the donor in order to aid the donor &# 39 ; s management of charitable funds . both audio and visual data may be included in data 46 and transmitted in such a manner . similarly , desired donor account data 48 may be inputted into central controller 12 and application program 40 wherein donor account data 48 is collected in such a way as to correspond to a specific donor . application program 40 then connects to transmission means 14 via network interface 26 and sends donor account data 48 to donor interface 16 which is then displayed for the donor in order to aid the donor &# 39 ; s management of charitable funds . in accordance with the method of the present invention , when central controller 12 acts as a web server , a donor logs on to the central controller 12 , makes queries or requests regarding philanthropic organizations or the donor &# 39 ; s account , and then disconnects from the network . central controller 12 is connected to a corresponding web site on the internet thereby allowing the donor to provide and request information through the interface of conventional web browser software such as internet explorer from microsoft corporation . the web site has a home page with topic selections and links ( e . g ., hypertext html technology ) to application program 40 thereby triggering searches and initiating transfer of data 46 and 48 and other desired information . in particular , for each topic or field selection there is a respective hyperlink to application program 40 and optionally an event for initiating program 40 . upon the donor &# 39 ; s selection of a topic from the web page page , the present invention applies the linked event , if any . if the criteria of the event are met ( or if there is no initiating event ), then the present invention executes the corresponding application program 40 . referring now to fig4 - 6 , a process is described by which a donor accesses data 46 and 48 . it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that buttons or drop - down menus may be provided on the web page for ease of selection and linking to appropriate web pages during performance of the method of the present invention . the donor logs on to central controller 12 using network interface 74 of donor interface 16 thereby establishing a communication link as shown in step 118 . a unique username and password may be provided to the donor which allows information particular to the donor to be made available for viewing by the donor . the donor inputs an assigned username and password into appropriate fields on the web page at step 120 and the donor &# 39 ; s identity is verified by transmitting the information to central controller 12 which then matches the username and password against a particular account in donor account repository 44 at step 122 . a representative screen shot of the donor log - in page is shown in fig5 . if a correct username and password has been provided by the donor , at step 124 , central controller 12 transmits that portion of donor account data 48 that corresponds to the donor &# 39 ; s account information to donor interface 16 . the donor may then select to view its account information including , but not limited to , the account &# 39 ; s balance , grant history , contribution history , vouchers , and investments as shown in step 126 . the donor may also choose during this step to transfer additional monies into the account or provide suggestions regarding donations to particular philanthropic organizations . referring now to fig7 - 9 , a donor may select a field ( s ) 100 from which to search for a desired philanthropic organization at step 128 . searchable field ( s ) 100 includes , but is not limited to , a philanthropic organization &# 39 ; s name , a keyword , a geographic location , an organization type , a ntee identifier , program types , and populations served . a screen shot is shown of a search screen provided by the graphical user interface of controller 12 in fig7 . the donor inputs the desired information into the relevant field 100 thereby requesting controller 12 to search within the fields 100 and search criteria inputted as shown in step 130 . for example , the donor may want information regarding philanthropic organizations located in the kansas city urban core that focuses on civil rights and social action programs . the donor would either input or select from drop - down menus these search criteria in the geographic location and program type fields . once the search criteria have been selected , the donor transmits them to central controller 12 . this is done by clicking on a “ search ” button , or functionally - equivalent action , located on the search screen provided by the graphical user interface . the search criteria are received by controller 12 and checked for matches against philanthropic organization repository 42 in step 132 . philanthropic organization data 46 meeting the search criteria is then copied or otherwise transferred from repository 42 and transmitted to donor interface 16 for viewing by the donor in step 134 . fig8 shows a screen shot of the search results . at step 136 , the donor may choose to start over and enter new search criteria in fields 100 or the donor may choose to refine the search criteria to narrow the number of results achieved . if , however , the donor is satisfied with the search results , the donor may select a particular philanthropic organization developed by the search for viewing at step 138 . once selected , a screen is provided having the data 46 applicable to the philanthropic organization selected by the donor thereon at step 140 as shown in fig9 . data 46 may be provided in a report or other easily - viewable format . after reviewing data 46 , the donor may choose to view additional available data 46 at step 142 , get a more detailed report containing data 46 at step 144 , add data 46 to a list of philanthropic organizations of interest maintained as donor account data 48 at step 146 , or make a donation , pledge , allocation or the like to the philanthropic organization ( s ) selected at 148 . if the donor has elected to allocate funds , the donor inputs a request to allocate funds from the donor &# 39 ; s account to the selected philanthropic organization at step 150 . the request is transmitted to central controller 12 where an order to so allocate the donor &# 39 ; s funds is generated at step 152 . finally , at step 154 , the order is fulfilled and donor account data 48 is amended to reflect the allocation of funds to the selected philanthropic information . it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the order to allocate funds may include transactions actually transferring such funds from one account to another or may simply provide instructions to the operator of controller 12 that such a transfer should be initiated . in an off - line embodiment of the present invention , donors communicate in an off - line manner with central controller 12 . rather than sending electronic mail or using web - based servers , donors use a telephone , fax machine , postal mail , or other off - line communication tool . for example , the donor may call central controller 12 and be connected with an agent . the donor may request account information data 48 or philanthropic organization data 46 . the donor also provides a unique id , username , password or private key so that central controller 12 can authenticate the donor &# 39 ; s identity . the agent puts this data into digital form by typing it into a terminal or other input device 34 and retrieves data 46 and / or 48 to convey to the donor . in an alternative embodiment , the donor calls central controller 12 and is connected with a conventional interactive voice response unit which allows the donor to enter an account number or other data without the aid of a live agent . the donor initially selects from a menu of subjects using the touch - tone keys of a telephone , and then the call is either directed to a live agent specializing in that subject area , or the donor is prompted for further information . the foregoing description of the embodiments of the invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description , and is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed . the description was selected to best explain the principles of the invention and practical application of these principles to enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention in various embodiments and modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated . it is intended that the scope of the invention not be limited by the specification , but be defined by the claims set forth below . | 6 |
looking generally at fig1 a a motor is shown and generally designated by the numeral 10 . the motor includes among other features a rotor assembly 12 having a rotor 14 and a drive link 16 having an engagement end 18 . the drive link 16 is normally attached to a shaft 20 which provides power to the drive link 16 . this general configuration of a motor is known in the art . however , one of the improvements of the current disclosure is the rotor 14 having an inner surface 22 with a plurality of internal projections 24 , which can also be described as teeth 24 . the rotor 14 has an initial fatigue life and more specifically the teeth 24 have an initial fatigue life wherein the initial fatigue life of the teeth 24 of the inner surface 22 of the rotor 14 have been increased by the induction of compressive stresses as indicated by depressions 26 in fig2 . the manifestation of the compressive stresses by the depressions 26 in the teeth 24 improves the fatigue life of the teeth 24 of the inner surface 22 of the rotor 14 . as best illustrated in fig2 , the depressions 26 are preferably positioned along the entire width of the inner surface 22 of the rotor 14 . additionally , the circumferential base section 28 of the inner surface 22 can also contain the depressions 26 thereby increasing the overall fatigue life of the inner surface 22 . preferably both sides 30 and 32 of each tooth 24 have been introduced to the compressive stresses and exhibit the depressions 26 . also included is the drive link 16 having an outer surface 34 substantially corresponding with the inner surface 22 of the rotor 14 . the outer surface 34 of the drive link 16 also includes initial fatigue life which has been increased by the induction of compressive stresses in the outer surface 34 as manifested by depressions 36 as best seen in fig3 . the external projections 38 , which can also be described as teeth 38 , of the engagement end 18 of the drive link 16 have been preferably subjected to compressive stresses along the full width of the engagement end 18 and on both sides 40 and 42 of each tooth 38 . the drive link 16 , and more specifically the engagement end 18 of the drive link 16 includes an exterior circumference 44 that substantially corresponds with the base section 28 of the rotor 14 . this exterior circumference 44 is also preferably subjected to the compressive stresses to increase the fatigue life thereof . now referring generally to fig4 a - 4f , an exemplary method of producing an improved rotor and / or improved drive link is shown . the method includes providing a rotor 14 having an inner surface 22 with the teeth 24 . spherical indenting elements 46 ( fig4 c ), which can also be described as shot 46 , are also provided . the method includes forceably pressing the shot 46 against the inner surface 22 of the rotor 14 to induce compressive stresses in the rotor 14 to improve the fatigue life of the rotor 14 . the inducement of these compressive stresses is best illustrated by the depressions 26 as previously discussed . the method preferably includes forceably pressing the entire width of the inner surface 22 of the rotor 14 with the shot 46 as well as both sides 30 and 32 of the each tooth 24 as well as the base section 28 between the individual teeth 24 with the shot 46 . in a preferred embodiment the drive link 16 , with its outer surface 34 substantially corresponding with the inner surface 22 of the rotor 14 , is used to forceably press the shot 46 into the inner surface 22 of the rotor 14 . additionally , the shot 46 can be pressed between the outer surface 34 and inner surface 22 such that both the outer surface 34 and inner surface 22 are compressively stressed , or prestressed , to increase fatigue life , durability , and wear characteristics of both the rotor 14 and drive link 16 . alternately described , the method can include using a static load , or fixed load , to compressively stress , at individual locations , the inner surface 22 of a rotor 14 and the outer surface 34 of a drive link 16 in order to increase the wear characteristics , for example the fatigue life , of the rotor 14 and drive link 16 . this static load can be applied through the shot 46 that can create the depressions 26 and 36 in the rotor 14 and the drive link 16 , respectively . referring back to fig4 a - 4f , an exemplary method of producing the rotor and / or drive link can be described as follows . an assembly unit 50 is assembled to control the movement of the rotor 14 and drive link 16 . more specifically the assembly unit 50 can restrict and contain the rotor 14 , drive link 16 , and the shot 46 before , during , and after the application of the force used to impart the compressive stress in the parts 14 and 16 . the assembly unit 50 includes a bottom base 51 which can include a counter bore 54 on the center to allow various size rotors and drive links to be processed . a plunger 56 is placed into the counter bore 54 to establish a centering location for the rotor . this plunger 56 can include a plate 55 and stem 57 as shown . next the rotor is inserted such that the stem 57 passes through the opening 13 of the rotor 14 . the shot 46 , which can also be described as balls 46 , is inserted into the opening 13 of the rotor 14 . preferably this shot 46 has a diameter in the range of approximately 0 . 5 millimeters to 4 . 0 millimeters . next the shot 46 can be mixed , stirred , or otherwise shifted or moved to facilitate that the inner surface , or at least the bottom portion of the inner surface , is substantially covered with the shot 46 . next a plunger rod 58 is inserted onto the stem 57 of the plunger 56 and turned such that the splines 60 of the plunger rod 58 engage with the teeth 24 , which can also be described as rotor splines 24 , of the rotor 14 . in a preferred embodiment the plunger rod 58 is replaced with a drive link 16 having an engagement end 18 which corresponds to the rotor 14 . a retaining cap 62 is placed over the base 51 , which can also be described as housing 51 , and secured into place with fasteners , such as bolts . if needed a plunger alignment sleeve ( not shown ) can be positioned around a plunger rod to ensure proper force transfer . next the assembly unit 50 is positioned in the bay of a press 64 . retaining cap spacers 66 can be applied around a plunger rod 58 to hold the retaining cap in position and to keep the cap 62 from separating from the housing 51 . the press 64 is then brought down and brought into contact with first the retaining cap spacer 66 and then the plunger rod 58 . the hammer 68 of the press 64 engages the plunger rod 58 and continues pressing until a desired force is reached . preferably this desired force is 25 tons , but can vary according to application and the type of metal of which the rotor 14 and / or drive link 16 are comprised . preferably this force is held for a desired period of time and then released . this length of time is preferably approximately 5 seconds but can vary as desired . preferably the force is then reapplied for another time period to ensure the application of proper compressive stresses into the parts . in one embodiment this application of force in the assembly unit imparts the preferred compressive stresses in the bottom section of the rotor . the assembly unit 50 can then be disassembled , the rotor flipped , and the process repeated until the other half of the rotor has been processed . in an alternate embodiment this force is applied throughout the full rotor in a single application . various tests have been performed on rotors made in accordance with the current disclosure . these tests determined that after more than 806 , 000 motor revolutions there was an absence of noticeable and / or discernible chipping , nicks , pitting , or cracks in the teeth of the rotors . this is typically unprecedented in the metal parts industry and can be explained by the theory that the compressive stresses have created depressions and resist the effects of imposed bending stresses from external loads during the operation of the motors . as such these surfaces treated are much harder and fatigue resistance is greatly improved . some metal items made in accordance with the current disclosure went through more than 1 , 000 , 000 test cycles before developing a failure point , or a chip on one of its teeth . the applicants are unaware of any prior art metal rotors that achieve these levels . the test data measuring the level of residual compressive stress in a metal part , or rotor , showed marked improvement in comparison to conventional metal rotors . for example , the level of residual compressive stress in a rotor made in accordance with the current disclosure measured 50 , 000 psi . the level of residual compressive stress in conventional rotors that had not been subject to the current disclosure measured 0 psi . in increased levels of compressive stress are believed to directly equate to longer life of the part . the test data indicates that rotors and drive links made in accordance with the current disclosure could increase this level to 150 , 000 psi . additionally , parts made in accordance with the current disclosure possessed a recognizably more uniform residual compressive stress distribution than conventional parts , which can reduce the likely of weak spots in the rotor . additional benefits received from the exposure of the parts to the compressive stresses and the subsequent depressions formed in the parts therein could also lead to improved rotor and / or drive link performance . for example , these depressions are believed to provide locations where islands of contained fluid , such as oil or lubricant , were stored during operation of the motors . this in essence provides a self - lubricating surface that can reduce friction in the operation of the rotors , drive links and motors . this can further facilitate a longer fatigue life and reduced wear on the parts . thus , although there have been described particular embodiments of the present invention of a new and useful method for imparting residual compressive stress in metal parts , it is not intended that such references be construed as limitations upon the scope of this invention except as set forth in the following claims . | 5 |
as required , detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein ; however , it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention , which may be embodied in various forms . therefore , specific details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting , but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention in virtually any appropriate manner a system designed to measure the conductivity of fluids in a closed fluid system by using a pre - calibrated disposable in - line conductivity sensor is shown in fig1 . the conductivity sensor assembly is generally designated as 100 . the assembly 100 is designed to be integrable with a fluid circuit and to be disposable . contained with the conductive sensor assembly 100 is a short tubular fluid conduit 102 , designed for a particular manifold flow rate range of the fluid circuit . typically , the fluid conduit 102 is tubular and has a diameter between about 3 mm and about 25 mm ( about ⅛ inch and about 1 inch ). the flow conduit 102 is made of a polymer such as a polyolefin , for example polypropylene , but any other appropriate plastic tubing or material may be substituted . the tubing material should be suitable for engaging and containing the fluid being handled , such as valuable proteins , biotechnical compositions or pharmaceutical solutions . the flow conduit 102 has molded - in fluid - tight connections 103 and 104 , which may consist of luer , barb , triclover , or any connection method suitable to connect the flow conduit 102 in a processing system or fluid circuit , such as the illustrated polymeric tubing 106 . a sensing portion or conductivity sensor 108 protrudes through the wall of the conduit in a manner that will be more evident in the subsequent discussion and from the drawings . leads such as the illustrated electrical connecting wires 110 connect the conductivity sensor 108 to a conductivity readout device or user interface 112 . the user interface , generally designated as 112 , is any computer like device that communicates with the sensor 108 and measures conductivity by sending and receiving both digital and analog electrical signals along the leads 110 . the user interface 112 has a display 114 to display information , for example , the conductivity reading , the temperature reading , and information stored on the conductivity sensor 108 relating to the calibration , validation and tracking of the sensor . fig2 is a more detailed view of the conductivity sensor assembly 100 . the housing 200 of the assembly 100 preferably is over - molded with a durable material such as a hard polyurethane polymer such as tpe . the durable housing material seals and protects the interior components from moisture and outside contaminants . the sensor 108 can be further protected by a sheath 202 as illustrated . the fluid conduit 102 traverses the assembly 100 such as along its width as illustrated . electrodes 204 are in electrical communication with the interior of the fluid conduit 102 . in the illustrated embodiment , the fluid conduit is intersected by four electrodes of the conductivity sensor 108 . these electrodes 204 can be positioned along the interior of the conduit 102 , such as at the middle portion of the conduit . gold - plated electrodes can be used such as ones that are about 1 mm to about 2 mm in diameter or between about 0 . 025 inches to 0 . 05 inches in diameter . such electrodes preferably are arranged in - line approximately 2 to 2 . 5 m ( about 0 . 08 inch to 0 . 10 inch ) apart . in the illustrated embodiment , the electrode pins 204 are press - fitted into and through four linearly arranged holes in the wall of the fluid conduit 102 and extend into the hollow interior of the fluid conduit 102 . typical protrusion into the conduit is on the order of about 3 mm to about 13 mm ( about ⅛ inch to about 0 . 5 inch ). the electrodes 204 are epoxied , cemented or otherwise sealed to the wall of the fluid conduit 102 to prevent leaks or contamination . additionally , the electrodes 204 are in electrical communication with their respective traces on the sensor 108 . in other embodiments , the electrodes 204 may only have two electrodes or pins rather than four of the preferred embodiment . in addition , the electrodes may be constructed from other materials , such as stainless steel wire , titanium wire , or any other non - corrosive material . disposability is a criteria to be considered in selecting these or any other materials of the device . fig3 shows a component view of the fluid conduit 102 , sensor 108 , and sheath 202 . the illustrated sheath 202 has a top portion 302 and a bottom portion 304 . the illustrated electrodes 204 are press - fitted into and through the wall of the fluid conduit 102 and are connected to the printed circuit board ( pcb ) 306 of the conductivity sensor 108 . the preferred pcb 306 is a double sided pcb with conductive solder traces . each pin of the electrodes 204 is in direct contact with its respective trace , and each is shown soldered onto the printed circuit board ( pcb ) 306 . opposite the electrodes 204 , the pc 3 306 is wedged between two rows of five pins of a miniature , 8 - pin din connector 308 . these five pins of the din connector 308 are in direct contact with the pcb 306 and are soldered to the pcb 306 . the three remaining pins of the din connector 308 are wired and soldered to the pcb 306 . the end of the sensor 108 is capped and sealed by the cap - ring 310 . the din connector 308 is detachably connected to the user interface 112 by the connecting wires 110 . each pin of the din connector 308 is associated with an individual wire of the connecting wires 110 . fig4 a shows the top view or the component view of the sensor 108 . the electrodes 204 are connected to the underside of the pcb 306 . a surface - mounted thermistor 402 is in thermal contact with two of the conductivity electrode pins when four are provided . a second , important function of the thermistor is to act as a pull - up resistor for the non - volatile memory chip , thereby assuring proper functioning of the memory device . the thermistor 402 is used to monitor the temperature of the solution in the fluid conduit 102 , via thermal conductance , such being transmitted to the user interface 112 . the user interface 112 reports the solution temperature data and utilizes the temperature data to correct or normalize the solution conductivity reading . a sensor - embedded non - volatile memory chip or an eeprom 404 is mounted on the surface of the pcb 304 . the non - volatile memory chip or eeprom 404 is used to store sensor - specific information . this information can be called up , displayed and printed out , on demand , by the user interface 112 . the pcb 306 also contains a surface - mounted capacitor 406 that is visible in fig4 a . fig4 b is an illustration of the underside of the pcb 306 in the four electrode embodiment . the electrodes 204 are soldered to their respective traces 410 , 411 , 412 , and 413 . fig4 b also further demonstrates the wedging of the pce 306 between the pins of the din connector 308 . fig5 a is a plan view of the underside of a pcb 306 a of the conductivity sensor 10 a . hand soldered connections 501 and 502 to the pcb connect two pins 503 , 504 of the 8 - pin din connector 308 a that are not in direct contact . fig5 b is an elevation view of the conductivity sensor 108 a . fig5 b also shows how the pcb is sandwiched between the pins of the din connector . the low profiles of the capacitor 406 a , non - volatile memory chip 404 a and the thermistor 402 a are also evident in fig5 b . fig5 c is a plan view of the conductivity sensor 108 a that is shown in fig5 a and fig5 b fig6 is an electric circuit diagram illustrating the various connections of the sensor 108 in the preferred embodiment that is illustrated . four connections from the 8 - pin din connector 308 are connected to the four pins of the electrode 204 . one pin of the din connector 308 provides a 5 . 0 volt power supply to the capacitor 406 , the non - volatile memory chip ( or eeprom ) 404 , and a bidirectional serial data line 602 . one pin of the din connector 308 provides the ground for the capacitor 406 and the non - volatile memory chip ( or eeprom ) 404 . the non - volatile memory chip ( or eeprom ) 404 uses the bi - direction serial data line 602 and a serial clock line 604 to communicate with the user interface . different non - volatile memory chips or eeproms have different protocols , which are known in the art . in this embodiment , the serial data and serial clock lines allow a user interface 112 or a calibration device to read , erase , and write data to the non - volatile memory chip 404 . the serial data line 602 is an open drain terminal . therefore , the serial data line requires a pull - up resistor 606 connected to the voltage source coming from the din connector 308 . in this embodiment , the thermistor 402 also serves as the pull - up resistor 606 . the sensor - specific information is electronically entered into the non - volatile memory chip 404 during factory calibration of the conductivity sensor 108 . the sensor - specific information may include the following : cell constant ( k ), temperature offset , the unique device id , and the calibration date , the production lot number of the sensor , the production date of the sensor , the type of fluid used for calibration , the actual temperature of the fluid used , and “ out - of - box ” sensor performance value . during production , small differentiations in the electrodes 104 , the respective angles of the electrodes , and the gaps between the individual electrodes will result in different conductivity readings for each sensor produced . these differences can significantly affect accuracy . in keeping with the invention , these differences are successfully addressed by having each sensor normalized or calibrated as a part of its manufacturing procedure . in the illustrated example , each conductivity sensor 108 is calibrated using certified 0 . 100 molar kcl ( potassium chloride ) solution maintained at 25 . 0 ° c . the conductance , which is dependent on the cell geometry and the solution resistivity , is determined by measuring the voltage drop across the electrodes . the measured conductance together with known solution conductivity allows the calculation of the sensor - specific cell constant ( k ). the cell constant ( k ) is determined by the following equation : [ solution conductivity , ( s / cm )]/[ conductance ( s )]=[ cell constant , k , ( cm − 1 )] the sensor - specific cell constant ( k ) is then stored in the non - volatile memory 404 of the conductivity sensor 108 . for example , the solution conductivity for a 0 . 100 molar kcl solution is known to be 12 , 850 μs ( or 0 . 01285 s ) at 25 . 0 ° c . the typical measured conductance for a 0 . 100 molar kcl solution using a sensor with a ⅛ inch luer conductivity cell with a 0 . 10 inch electrode separation is 0 . 0379 siemens . using the equation above , the corresponding cell constant ( k ) for the particular disposable sensor of this illustration is calculated to be 0 . 339 cm − 1 . once the cell constant ( k ) is calculated it is stored on the sensor . the user interface will recall the cell constant ( k ) from the sensor . when undergoing normal operations , the user interface 112 measures the conductance in siemens of the solution flowing through the fluid conduit 102 by passing a current through the electrodes 204 and measuring the current across the two inner electrodes 204 . the user interface 112 will then use the cell constant ( k ) for this particular disposable sensor to determine the conductivity of the solution flowing through the fluid conduit . the user interface calculates the solution &# 39 ; s conductivity by multiplying the measured conductance by the cell constant ( k ), as demonstrated in the following equation : [ cell constant , k , ( cm − 1 )]×[ conductance ( s )]=[ solution conductivity , ( s / cm )] the sensor , once calibrated , provides a linear response for nist traceable standard solutions ranging from 1 to 200 , 000 μs . the temperature of a solution will also affect its conductivity . as a result , the sensor must also measure and account for the temperature of the solution to achieve an accurate conductivity measurement ordinarily , un - calibrated thermistors will have a variance of ± 5 % between their measured reading and the actual temperature . a calibrated thermistor may achieve a variance of ± 1 % or less . in this regard , a sensor - specific temperature offset is calibrated at the factory . to determine the temperature offset , temperature readings are made while a 25 . 0 ° c . kcl solution is pumped through the fluid conduit and over the electrodes . a comparison is then made between the temperature reading of the un - calibrated thermistor on the sensor ( tref ) with that of a nist - traceable thermometer or thermistor ( tsen ). the difference between the two readings is the temperature offset ( tref - tsen = tempoffset ). the temperature offset may have either a positive or a negative value . the sensor - specific temperature offset is then stored in the non - volatile memory on the sensor . each sensor has an “ out - of - box ” performance variance value which is also stored on the sensor , typically in the non - volatile memory chip . this “ out - of - box ” value is a statistically derived performance variance ( measured in 0 . 100 molar kc 1 at 25 . 0 ° c .) that represents the maximum measurement error for that specific sensor within a 98 % confidence limit . the statistically derived variance value is based on the performance analysis of all calibrated sensors within a production run , typically of between about 100 and about 500 sensor assemblies . the factory determined performance variance represents a predictive , “ out - of - box ” sensor performance level . this statistical treatment is analogous to and representative of a sensor validation procedure . factory pre - validated conductivity sensors are thereby provided . the meaning of “ pre - validated ” is further illustrated herein , including as follows . in the illustrated embodiment , each conductivity sensor undergoes two factory measurements . the first measurement involves sensor calibration and determination of the specific cell constant ( i . e . response factor ) using a 0 . 100 molar kc 1 solution at 25 . 0 ° c . as described herein . in another separate and distinct measurement with 0 . 100 molar kcl solution at 25 . 0 ° c ., the solution conductivity is experimentally determined using the pre - calibrated sensor when taking into account the experimentally derived solution conductivities for all pre - calibrated sensors , the mean conductivity value closely centers around the theoretical value of 12 , 850 μs with a 3 - sigma standard deviation of +/− 190 μs or +/− 1 . 5 % an operator may access this information via the user interface 112 or conductivity monitor . in addition to the calibration information , such as the cell constant ( k ) and the temperature offset , the sensor - specific device id , calibration date , and statistical information are store in the non - volatile memory . the device id is stored as a string of numbers , for example : nn - ss - xxxx - mmyy . in this example , the variables represent the sensor lot number ( nn ), fluid conduit size ( ss ), the device serial number ( xxxx ) and the manufacturing date by month and year ( mmyy ). for example , sensor containing the device id of 02 - 02 - 0122 - 1105 means that this sensor was the 122 nd sensor made in lot 02 of conduit size 02 ( a fluid conduit with a diameter of ⅜ ″ or 9 . 5 mm having a barb connector ), manufactured in november of 2005 . in this illustration , the sensor - specific calibration date or the date on which the sensor was calibrated using 0 . 100 molar kcl solution at 25 . 0 ° c . is also stored in the sensor &# 39 ; s non - volatile memory as a separate data entry . additionally , statistical information or statistical data about the entire lot may also be stored in the non - volatile memory . for example , the average cell constant for lot 122 may be stored in the non - volatile memory of each sensor in lot 122 . the standard deviation for cell constants for each lot may also be stored ( i . e . “ out - of - box ” variance value ) in the non - volatile memory of each sensor produced in that lot . this allows the user to determine whether a particular sensor is within the statistical range to achieve the proper margin of error for a specific experiment or bio - processing operation . as those skilled in the art will appreciate , other known statistical methods may be utilized , the results of which may be stored in the non - volatile memory on the sensing device . in addition to storing the cell constant ( k ), temperature offset , device id , the calibration date , and other information in the non - volatile memory on the sensor , a summary of this information may be printed on the outside of the sensor . this information may be consulted by the user , used to later re - calibrate the sensor , and allows the user to input the printed information directly into the user interface . some or all the information which is stored in non - volatile memory may also be printed or etched on to the sensor in the form of a barcode or label containing a barcode . as shown in fig7 , an etched or printed label 702 containing one or more barcodes 702 a and 702 b is affixed to the exterior housing 701 of the sensor assembly 700 . the sensor assembly has an 8 - pin din connector 704 which operates as described above . the sensor assembly also has a fluid conduit 706 , designed for receiving fluids at particular manifold flow rate range of the fluid circuit . the barcodes encode some or all of the sensor - specific information contained in the sensor memory device , eeprom or memory chip . the barcodes are not affected by gamma or electron - beam irradiation . thus , if the sensor memory is erased , becomes non - function , or is destroyed , the sensor - specific information is recoverable from the barcodes affixed to the sensor housing 701 by using a barcode reader or scanner . as shown in fig8 , a handheld optical barcode scanner 800 is hooked up to a digital i / o port of the user interface device or monitor 112 . additionally , the sensor 700 is also connected to the user interface 112 via the 8 - pin din serial port 704 as described above . the user interface 112 has software for connecting with a barcode scanner 112 and decoding the barcode label 702 on the sensor 700 and memory for storing the information read from the barcode . by scanning the barcode with the barcode reader 800 , the sensor specific information is read and stored by the user interface 112 . the sensor specific information is then accessible to the user interface 112 such that the user interface 112 may use that information to calculate the sensor - specific response , when fluid or solution is passed through the fluid conduit 706 , the user interface 112 collects analog measurements from the sensor . the user interface 112 then uses this raw analog data along with the sensor - specific calibration factor ( i . e . the cell constant ) and the temperature offset factor ( tempoffset ) obtained from the barcodes to calculate the sensor - specific response ( i . e . the actual conductivity of the fluid ). as shown in fig7 the calibration factor is printed on the label as “ cf 0 . 182 ” and the temperature offset is printed as “ to − 06 .” other types barcodes or marking conventions may be used other than the linear barcodes as shown in fig7 . for example multidimensional barcodes , 2d barcodes or matrix codes may be used in place of the linear barcodes . the barcodes may also be affixed or etched on portions other than the sensor housing , such as on the fluid conduit 706 or the shipping bag or container an important sensor design consideration is accessibility of the sensor analog circuitry ( for example , the circuit connected to the thermistor and electrodes ) by the user interface 112 , even when the sensor memory device is non - functional or destroyed . experimentation by the applicant suggests that the analog circuitry of the sensor as depicted in fig2 - 6 is unaffected by gamma or electron - beam irradiation . thus , separation of analog circuits and digital circuits ( i . e . circuits to the memory device ) of the sensor is desirable . by separating the analog and digital circuits , the analog circuits maintain functionality and can provide the user - interface 112 with raw data . as gamma or electron - beam irradiation renders the memory chip or eeprom non - functional , it is contemplated that sensor units may be manufactured without memory chip . in these embodiments , the analog components are manufactured and assembled into sensors . the sensors are validated and the sensor specific information is then printed on the sensors or shipping bags in print or barcode form . the sensors are then placed in shipping bags or other suitable containers , irradiated via gamma rays or electron - beam , and then delivered to the user . the sensor specific information is entered into the user - interface 112 either by a barcode scanner 800 as shown in fig8 , or manually by the user . this embodiment saves the costs associated with the including the memory chip with the sensor . the present invention also incorporates the method of preparing a sensor for use in bio - pharmaceutical industry , as shown in fig9 , the sensors are first manufactured . the sensors may be manufactured to include analog and / or digital circuits . the analog circuits may be used for data collection purposes , while the digital circuits may be used to store sensor specific information . the sensors are then calibrated and validated using the techniques mentioned above and / or those known in the art . the sensor specific information obtained during the calibration and validation steps is then stamped or printed on the sensor in the form of a barcode or other readable form . if the sensor includes a memory chip , the sensor specific information is also stored on the memory chip . the sensor is then placed in a shipping bag or other container 908 . the container and / or the sensor are then sterilized by autoclaving , time - limited exposure to an ethylene oxide gas , gamma ray irradiation , electron - beam irradiation , or by any other method known in the art 910 . the sensor and container are then stored until they are deliver to the user 912 the user then removes the sensor from the shipping bag or other container 914 . the user then connects the sensor to the user interface 916 . if the sensor includes a memory chip containing sensor specific information , the user interface downloads that information 918 . otherwise , the user uses a barcode scanner connected to the user interface to read and enter the information into the user interface 920 or enters the sensor specific information found on the label 922 . either before or after entering the sensor specific information , the sensor is connected to the in - line system , closed - circuit or fluid transfer system 924 . the user interface and the sensor are then used to collect data 926 , such as conductivity , from the fluid passing through the system . because the sensors are designed to be disposable , at the end of its life cycles the sensors may be destroyed , thrown out , or recycled . the aforementioned embodiments include a selection of novel sensor materials , innovative circuit designs which separate the analog and digital circuits , labeling to preserve sensor - specific information , and a user interface that includes supporting software and procedures to accommodate , retrieve , interpret and calculate sensor - specific information . these materials , circuits , and labeling , are designed to withstand the conditions of the sterilization methods used by the bio - pharmaceutical industry . it will be understood that the embodiments of the present invention which have been described are illustrative of some of the applications of the principles of the present invention . numerous modifications may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention . | 0 |
referring to the drawings in greater detail and by reference characters thereto , there is illustrated in fig1 a golf club head generally designated by reference numeral 10 and which golf club bead 10 is connected to a shaft 12 by means of a hosel 14 in a substantially conventional manner . golf club head 10 includes a bottom sole 16 which extends between the club head toe generally designated by reference numeral 18 and the club head heel generally designated by reference numeral 20 . club head 10 also includes a top edge 22 , a side edge 24 at toe 18 and a side edge 26 at heel 20 . club head 10 also has a front face generally designated by reference numeral 28 and a back face 30 . front face 28 includes a plurality of grooves 32 in a substantially conventional arrangement . front face 28 , as may be best seen in fig3 has a recessed portion which extends inwardly towards back face 30 with respect to a plane extending between top edge 22 and sole 16 . in the illustrated embodiment of fig3 the recessed portion is of a generally concave configuration . in the embodiment of fig1 to 3 , there is provided a protuberance 34 which is of a generally convex configuration and which is located proximate top edge 22 and extends in a line generally parallel to sole 16 . protuberance 34 extends from toe side edge 24 to a point proximate heel side edge 26 . in use , a golf ball 38 , as best seen in fig3 when hit in a conventional manner with club head 10 such that a lower portion of front face 28 contacts golf ball 38 , will cause golf ball 38 to & lt ;& lt ; roll up & gt ;& gt ; front face 28 and due to the grooves 32 and / or other conventional friction creating means , will impart a spin as indicated by arrows 36 . it will be noted that as golf ball 38 reaches a point adjacent top edge 22 , it will contact protuberance 34 which will further accelerate the rotation of golf ball 38 prior to its separation from club head 10 . as previously mentioned , the distance between sole 16 and top edge 22 preferably approximates the circumference of a golf ball — i . e . approximately 44 mm . as will be seen from fig3 the spin imparted to the golf ball is that normally referred to as & lt ;& lt ; backspin & gt ;& gt ; which normally implies that the ball will attain a greater height and stop relatively quickly upon impact with the ground . various configurations for the recessed portion are possible and reference will now be made to fig4 to 15 illustrating some of the possible embodiments according to the present invention . in fig4 there is illustrated a club head 10 which is of a left - hand configuration , but otherwise identical to that shown in fig1 to 3 . as shown in this figure , front face 28 is of a concave outline and has a curvature as indicated by arrow 40 which is of a substantially uniform radius . in the embodiment of fig5 front face 28 has a first lower arcuate segment indicated by arrow 44 which is of a first radius and a second upper arcuate segment indicated by arrow 46 of a differing larger radius compared to the lower segment . in the embodiment of fig6 golf club head 10 has a recessed portion which is opposite to that shown in fig5 — i . e . there is a first lower arcuate segment indicated by arrow 48 having a larger radius compared to a second lower arcuate segment indicated by arrow 50 which has a smaller radius . in the embodiment illustrated in fig7 golf club head 10 has a lower arcuate segment indicated by arrow 54 which connects to an upper straight or flat segment indicated by arrow 56 . in the embodiment of fig8 golf club head 10 has a lower straight segment shown by arrow 60 which merges with an arcuate upper segment indicated by arrow 62 . fig9 illustrates an embodiment wherein golf club head 10 has a lower straight segment indicated by arrow 66 which connects to an upper straight segment indicated by arrow 68 , with the angles between the segments being designated by angle . in the embodiment of fig1 , golf club head 10 has a lower relatively short straight or flat segment indicated by arrow 72 and an upper relatively long straight or flat segment indicated by arrow 74 . fig1 illustrates a reverse embodiment to that shown in fig1 — there is provided a lower relatively long straight segment indicated by arrow 78 and a shorter upper straight or flat segment indicated by arrow 80 . fig1 illustrates an embodiment wherein golf club head 10 has a front face 28 which is formed of five straight or flat segments 84 , each segment 84 being of a substantially identical height . in fig1 , the arrangement is similar to that of fig1 in that golf club head 10 has a front face 28 defined by ten relatively short straight or flat segments 88 when the segments become small enough , this configuration approaches the concave configuration previously described in fig4 . variations of the above embodiments are illustrated in fig1 and 15 . in the embodiment of fig1 , there is provided a pair of triangularly shaped flat sections 92 divided by a concave portion 94 which extends diagonally across front face 28 of golf club head 10 from proximate the point of juncture of sole 16 and heel side edge 26 to a point proximate the point of juncture of top edge 22 and toe side edge 24 . the reverse configuration is illustrated in fig1 wherein flat sections 96 are separated by a concave portion 98 which extends diagonally upwardly from proximate the point of juncture of toe side edge 24 and sole 16 to proximate the point of juncture of top edge 22 and heel side edge 26 . it will be seen from the above that many different arrangements are possible to provide a recessed portion within front face 28 . these embodiments are intended for illustration of the possibilities and it will be understood that further modifications may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . | 0 |
the following description of the preferred embodiment ( s ) is merely exemplary in nature and is in no way intended to limit the invention , its application , or uses . for purposes of clarity , the same reference numbers will be used in the drawings to identify similar elements . as used herein , the term module refers to an application specific integrated circuit ( asic ), an electronic circuit , a processor ( shared , dedicated , or group ) and memory that execute one or more software or firmware programs , a combinational logic circuit , and / or other suitable components that provide the described functionality . referring now to fig1 , a hard disk drive system 100 is shown to include a processor 110 that performs data and / or control processing . the processor 110 executes instructions that are stored in a boot rom 108 . the processor 112 can also include an analog - to - digital converter 112 . a controller 114 transmits and receives application data with an interface 118 of a host device 120 via an interface 124 . the interface 124 can be a standard type established by industry . by way of non - limiting example , these types include serializing / deserializing ( serdes ) types such as serial advanced technology attachment ( sata ), integrated device electronics ( ide ), fiber channel ( fc ), serial attached scsi ( sas ), secure digital input / output ( sdio ), universal serial bus ( usb ), multimedia cards ( mmc ), high - speed multimedia cards ( hs - mmc ), advanced technology attachment ( ata ), or other interface . the controller 114 also transmits and receives data , write data and control data to a read / write channel 130 . the read / write channel sends write data to and receives read data from a preamplifier 140 that includes one or more write amplifiers 142 and one or more read amplifiers 144 . one or more control signal lines 145 connect the read / write channel 130 to the preamplifier 140 in addition to differential read and write channels . in some implementations , the processor 110 , the controller 114 and the read / write channel 130 are implemented as a system on chip ( soc ) 150 . the soc 150 is attached to a printed circuit board ( pcb ) 154 . a memory module 156 is used to buffer data during operation , store control data , etc . a power circuit 158 , which may be an integrated circuit , controls the supply of power to other components of the hard disk drive system 100 . a spindle / voice coil motor ( vcm ) driver 162 , which may be part of an integrated circuit , receives control signals from the controller 114 and outputs drive signals to a voice coil motor ( vcm ) 164 and / or a spindle motor 166 . one or more decoupling capacitors may be connected to components of the hdd system 100 . referring now to fig2 , the hdd system 100 of fig1 is shown in further detail . components of the hdd system 100 are shown to include integrated system testing ( ist ) modules . depending upon the configuration and / or interconnection of components within the hdd system and / or the type of testing that is desired , some of the components may include master components and / or slave components . for example , the controller 114 in fig2 is designated a master test component and includes a master ist module 200 . since the controller 114 is connected to all of the remaining components of the hdd system 100 , the remaining components include slave ist modules . in particular , the processor 110 includes a slave ist module 204 , the read / write channel 130 includes a slave ist module 210 , the memory 154 includes a slave ist module 214 , the power circuit 158 includes a slave ist module 216 , the spindle / vcm driver 162 includes a slave ist module 218 and the preamplifier 140 includes a slave ist module 220 . skilled artisans will appreciate , however , that there can be more than one master ist module in the system and / or each component may include one or more master and / or slave ist modules as needed . in some configurations , an ist module can be operated by the processor 110 as master using software in a boot rom . such an arrangement allows improved flexibility over a pure hardware arrangement to enhance an algorithm in the boot rom . referring now to fig3 , the hdd system 100 is shown configured to execute several integrated system tests . the hdd system 100 receives test configuration instructions through the interface 124 . the hdd system 100 also sends test results to the host 120 through the interface 124 . an integrated memory module test verifies that the memory module 156 is functional . the test configuration instructions configure the slave ist module 214 to enable a pattern generator 224 and a pattern comparator 226 . the pattern generator 224 can be routed through a first - in first - out ( fifo ) buffer 228 included in the slave ist module 214 . the pattern generator 224 provides a predetermined bit pattern . a buffer / direct memory access module ( dma ) 230 receives the predetermined bit pattern and writes it to an sdram 222 . the buffer / dma module 230 then reads data from the sdram 222 and provides the sdram data to the pattern comparator 226 . the pattern comparator 226 compares the sdram data to the predetermined bit pattern originally provided by the pattern generator 224 . the slave ist module 214 concludes that the memory module 156 is fully functional when the sdram data and the predetermined bit patterns are identical . an interface / sdram test verifies that the interfaces 118 and 124 are able to communicate with the memory module 156 . the test configuration instructions configure the slave ist module 214 to enable the pattern generator 224 and the pattern comparator 226 . the pattern generator 224 communicates the predetermined bit pattern to the controller 114 over a communication path 232 . the controller 114 forwards the predetermined bit pattern to the second interface 124 . during a first section of the interface / sdram test , the test configuration instructions cause the interface 124 to enter a local loopback mode . a local loopback path 234 connects an output of the interface 124 to an input of the interface 124 . the controller 114 reads a returning data pattern from the second interface 124 input and forwards it to the memory module 156 over a communication path 236 . the pattern comparator 226 then compares the returning data pattern to the original predetermined bit pattern provided by the pattern generator 224 . the slave ist module 214 concludes that the communication path between the interface 124 and the memory module 156 is fully functional when the sdram data and the predetermined bit patterns are identical . the master ist module 200 receives the test conclusion from the slave ist module 214 and forwards it to the host 120 . a second section of the interface / sdram test verifies the communication links between the first and second interface modules 118 , 124 . the test configuration instructions open the loop back path 234 and close a loopback path 238 . the test configuration instructions configure the slave ist module 214 to enable the pattern generator 224 and the pattern comparator 226 . the pattern generator 224 communicates the predetermined bit pattern to the controller 114 over the communication path 232 . the controller 114 forwards the predetermined bit pattern to the first interface 118 via the second interface 124 . the loopback path 238 connects an output of the interface 118 to an input of the interface 118 . the controller 114 reads a returning data pattern from the second interface 124 and forwards it to the memory module 156 over the communication path 236 . the pattern comparator 226 then compares the returning data pattern to the original predetermined bit pattern provided by the pattern generator 224 . the slave ist module 214 concludes that the communication links between the first and second interface modules 118 , 124 are fully functional when the sdram data and the predetermined bit patterns are identical . the master ist module 200 receives the test conclusion from the slave ist module 214 and forwards it to the host 120 . a read / write test verifies that the read / write channel 130 is able to communicate with the memory module 156 . the test configuration instructions configure the slave ist module 214 to enable the pattern generator 224 and the pattern comparator 226 . the test configuration instructions also configure the slave ist module 210 to provide a local loopback path 244 between a write precompensation ( wp ) module 242 and a variable gain amplifier ( vga ) 246 . the wp module 242 provides an analog write signal to be applied to the preamplifier 140 . the vga 246 receives an analog read signal from the preamplifier 140 . data processors 240 convert the analog signals used by the wp module 242 and the vga 246 , to digital signals used by the controller 114 . during the read / write test , the pattern generator 224 provides the predetermined bit pattern to the controller 114 via the communication path 232 . the controller 114 forwards the predetermined bit pattern to the read / write channel 130 . the data processor 240 converts the predetermined bit pattern to an analog signal and communicates it to the wp module 242 . the local loopback path 244 communicates the analog signal to the vga 246 , bypassing the preamplifier 140 . the data processor 240 then converts the analog signal back to digital data for communication to the controller 114 . the controller 114 forwards the digital data to the pattern comparator 226 . the pattern comparator 226 compares the digital data to the original predetermined bit pattern provided by the pattern generator 224 . the slave ist module 214 concludes that the communication paths between the memory module 156 , controller 114 and the read / write channel 130 are intact when the digital data and the predetermined bit patterns are identical . the master ist module 200 receives the test conclusion from the slave ist module 214 and forwards it to the host 120 . a second section of the read / write test operates identical to a first section described above , except the test configuration instructions cause the read / write channel 130 and the preamplifier 140 to enter a remote loopback mode . the remote loopback mode opens the local loopback path 244 and uses an internal loopback path 248 of the preamplifier 140 to return the analog signal to the vga 246 . a write test verifies that the write portion of the read / write channel 130 is able to receive data from the memory module 156 . the test configuration instructions configure the slave ist module 214 to enable the pattern generator 224 and a pattern comparator in the slave ist module 210 . during the write test , the pattern generator 224 provides the predetermined bit pattern to the controller 114 via the communication path 232 . the controller 114 forwards the predetermined bit pattern to the read / write channel 130 . the data processor 240 converts the predetermined bit pattern to an analog signal and communicates it to the wp module 242 . the slave ist module monitors and decodes the analog signal . the slave ist module 120 compares the decoded analog signal to the original predetermined bit pattern provided by the pattern generator 224 . the slave ist module 210 concludes that the write portion of the communication path between the memory module 156 , controller 114 and the read / write channel 130 is intact when the decoded analog signal and the predetermined bit patterns are identical . the master ist module 200 receives the test conclusion from the slave ist module 210 and forwards it to the host 120 . referring now to fig4 a , a solder joint testing module 250 is shown . the solder joint testing module tests the integrity of a solder joint 252 between an integrated circuit 254 and an associated pcb trace 256 . each of the ist modules can include one or more solder joint testing modules 250 . the test instructions can then individually configure each ist modules to test selected solder joints associated with a particular ist module and its solder joint testing modules 250 . each solder joint testing module 250 includes a pulse generator 258 , a receiver 260 , and a comparator 262 . the receiver 260 can include the analog - to - digital converter 112 , a peak - detect circuit , and / or other circuits . referring now to fig4 b , waveforms of the solder joint testing module 250 are shown . the pulse generator 258 applies a pulse 264 having a predetermined amplitude and width to the solder joint 252 . the receiver 260 then monitors a resultant waveform produced by interference between the applied pulse 250 and a reflected waveform . if the solder joint 252 is short - circuited to an adjacent solder joint 266 , the reflected waveform will destructively interfere with the applied waveform and the resultant waveform at the receiver 260 will appear similar to a waveform 268 . if the solder joint 252 is open , the reflected waveform will constructively interfere with the applied waveform , and the resultant waveform at the receiver 260 will appear similar to a waveform 270 . the comparator 262 compares the resultant waveform to at least one predetermined parameter , such as amplitude , to determine whether the solder joint 252 is satisfactory . it should be appreciated that the shapes of the resultant waveforms 268 and 270 are examples only and the actual waveforms will be dependent on the waveform of the applied pulse 250 , a distance between the pulse generator 258 and a defect that causes the reflected waveform , and a degree of the circuit failure ( e . g . short circuit vs . lower than desired impedance and open circuit vs . higher than desired impedance , etc .). in some embodiments , the comparator 262 can improve an accuracy and / or repeatability of its determinations by including a digital signal processor ( dsp ) 263 that enhances the resultant waveforms 268 , 270 prior to making the comparisons . the dsp 263 can apply complex digital signal processing to enhance testing for short / open , soft pcb trace , and / or solder connections . referring now to fig5 , steps that are performed by the hard disk drive integrated systems testing are shown generally at 300 . control begins with steps 304 . in step 306 , a test mode is started using the host pins as a test port . in step 310 , a master test component is selected . in step 314 , the master test component sends and / or receives test messages to / from one or more slave test components in the hard disk drive system 100 . in step 318 , connectivity between the master test component and the one or more other components is measured and / or tested . in step 320 , control determines whether there are additional tests to be performed in addition to the connectivity test . in step 320 is true , additional testing is performed in step 322 . control continues with step 324 from step 320 ( if step 320 is false ) or from step 322 . in step 324 , control determines whether all of the slave test components associated with the master test component have been tested . if step 324 is false , control continues with step 328 and selects another component to be tested by the current master test component and control continues with step 314 . if step 324 is true , control determines whether there are other master test components in the hard disk drive system 100 . if step 332 is true , but other master test components is selected in step 336 and control continues with step 314 . otherwise , results of the connectivity and other tests are reported to the host device in step 340 and control ends in step 350 . referring now to fig6 , an hdd system 400 is shown that includes the components of the hdd system of fig1 connected in a daisy - chain configuration . in some implementations , the memory module 156 , the power module 158 , and the spindle / vcm driver module 162 are each implemented in a respective chip that is mounted to the pcb 154 . the controller 114 includes a master ist module 400 . the master ist module 400 controls a pattern generator 404 and receives test results from a pattern comparator 406 . a daisy - chain data path 408 serially links hard disk drive components or nodes . the nodes include the master ist module 400 in the controller 114 , the memory module 156 , the power module 158 , and the spindle / vcm driver module 162 . test data is returned back to the controller 114 . during test operations , the master ist module 402 receives the test configuration instructions and causes the pattern generator 404 to generate the predetermined bit pattern . the pattern generator 404 communicates the predetermined bit pattern ( with and / or without modification by each of the nodes ) through the daisy - chain data path 408 to the memory module 156 , the power module 158 , and the spindle / vcm driver module 162 and returns test data back to the controller 114 . the nodes selectively perform a respective internal test using the predetermined bit pattern and forward the respective test result via the daisy - chain data path 408 to the next node and / or back to the controller 114 . the pattern comparator 406 can read data from the daisy - chain data path 408 and determine whether the returned data meets the predetermined criteria , matches a predetermined bit pattern , and / or has a predetermined relationship with the predetermined bit pattern . the pattern comparator 406 determines that the daisy - chain data path 408 is functional when the returned data meets the predetermined criteria , matches and / or falls within the relationship . if not , the pattern comparator determines that one or more components in the daisy - chain are not functional . the master ist module communicates test result information to the host via the interface 124 . while the teachings of the present invention were described in the context of the hard disk drive systems 100 and 400 , it should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the present invention is also applicable to other systems . referring now to fig7 , a functional block diagram is shown of a wireless hard disk drive system 100 ′. a host 120 ′ includes an ist module 420 that communicates with the interface 118 . the interfaces 118 , 124 are of a wireless type , such as sdio , and communicate over a wireless channel 422 . the test configuration data can configure the ist module 420 to be included in tests of the soc 150 . by including the ist module 420 in the host 120 ′, the hard disk drive system 100 ′ includes integrated system test capability for the host 120 ′, soc 150 , and / or the pcb 154 . 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 , the specification and the following claims . | 6 |
the silicon rubber mixture of the present invention consists of an appropriate mixture of two different fluid polysiloxanes and a non - toxic , physiologically acceptable contrast material . thus , the silicon rubber mixture according to the invention consists of the following components : ( a ) a linear polysiloxane of low viscosity , preferably e . g . the so - called reactive silicon oil , i . e . a dialkyl -, alkylaryl -, alkenylalkyl - or diarylpolysiloxane which may contain reactive functional terminal groups , i . e . hydroxy , acyloxy , alkoxy or amino . preferred polysiloxane is the dimethyl - polysiloxane - α , ω - diol , the so - called &# 34 ; lms &# 34 ;. physical data of the said compound are as follows : n = 80 - 85 , m = 6 - 7000 , d 4 25 ° c .= 0 . 976 g ./ cm 3 , n d 25 ° c .= 1 . 4043 , 25 ° c .= 80 - 100 m . pa . s . ( cp ). ( b ) a cyclic dialkyl - polysiloxane , which has a very low viscosity . such a cyclic dialkyl - polysiloxane derivative may be e . g . a dialkyl - polysiloxane , e . g . the so - called d 4 ([ r 2 sio ] 4 ). or d 5 ([ r 2 sio ] 5 ). for purposes of the invention the d 4 is highly preferred . its sturcute is [( ch 3 ) 2 sio ] 4 , the octamethyl - cyclotetrasiloxane , the physical data of which are as follows : m = 296 , b . p .= 175 ° c ./ 0 . 1 mpa , d 20 ° c .= 0 . 9558 g ./ cm 3 , n d 20 ° c .= 1 . 3968 , 20 ° c .= 2 mpas ( cp ). the viscosity of the mixture of the linear and cyclic polysiloxanes should be between 10 and 100 mps , at 25 ° c . depending on the desired field of use . ( c ) the mixture contains in a given case , methyl - silicon oil of a viscosity of 5 to 20 mpas which serves also to lower the viscosity . ( d ) the fluid contrast material to be added to the mixture may be a physiologically acceptable silicium organic compound , which contains the iodine atom ( s ) giving the x - ray shadow built into a molecule . according to the invention , preferred contrast material is the bis - iodomethyl - tetramethyl - disiloxane . the iodine atom gives also the possibility of isotope labeling the material , when using e . g . i - 131 . the physical data of the said compound are as follows : m = 414 , b . p .= 134 ° c ./ 1333 , 22 pa , d 4 20 = 1 . 172 g ./ cm 3 , n d 20 = 1 . 5263 . mixtures of a viscosity of higher than 100 mpas may also be applied and non - metallic iodine - containing organic x - ray contrast materials in extracted , solid or fine form may also be used . such materials are used in the angiological diagnostics and are commercial products , i . e . amipaque , uromiro , etc . these materials are to be added to the above components in ground homogenized form . however , use of such materials is difficult and requires more attention and the particle size should be chosen in accordance with the field of application so that the particles do not obstruct the microcatheter and in the case of free embolization the particles do not get into the capillar vascular system . the silicon rubber system according to the invention , i . e . the component of the therapeutical set contains the linear polysiloxane mentioned above under paragraph ( a ) and should contain at least one of the materials under paragraphs ( b ) and ( d ). the therapeutic set contains beside the component a mentioned above , the component b which can be any of the catalysts used for medical purposes in polymerizing cold - vulcanizing gums characterized by providing a fluidity of 8 to 10 min and a hardening time of 20 to 25 min . it has been found that under the prescribed heat sterilizing conditions ( 120 ° c . for 30 mins ) both components contain the original chemical characteristics and the ability to polymerize . furthermore , the materials are acceptable in bacteriological aspects . a further element of the therapeutic set is the microcatheter . depending on the field of use , it may contain one or more lumina . the therapeutic set of the present invention may also contain , beside components a and b and the microcatheter , a balloon head made generally of natural silicone latex . this head has the importance for the first time in endovascular embolization wherein the silicon gum component is vulcanized in the ballon by the effect of the catalyst , thus forming a plug for blocking the said vessel . during free embolization , however , the use of balloon is not essential unless the wanted vascular area is not available otherwise . the microcatheter , provided in a given case with the balloon at its end , is led up to the target vessels or other duct - section . then components a and b are ground and mixed to provide a homogenous mixture and the necessary amount is injected into the catheter through a calibrated tuberculin syringe . the injection is controlled by an x - ray fluoroscopic screen . after the rest of the material has hardened , the catheter is detached from the balloon head by a light , shifting and pulling . subsequently the catheter is removed from the artery together with the silicon rubber vulcanized in the catheter . another object of the invention is the use of the said silicones and the mixture thereof for pharmaceutical purposes . the new material has been provided for the endovascular operation technique for the first time . the material and equipment may be used , however , in any case wherein no direct surgical intervention is possible or external operative approach of the concerned vessels is not advised . the most important fields of the endovascular superelective embolization by means of balloon catheter are indicated among other as follows : 3 . embolization of feeding arteries of highly vascularized tumors in order to promote the direct surgical removal of such neoplasms . as mentioned , the embolization can be carried out by building the balloon into the vessel or other duct section to be blocked . the embolization may be performed , however , in the form of the so - called &# 34 ; free embolization &# 34 ; wherein the mixture of the components a and b according to the invention are injected directly into the pathological vascular area to be blocked , respectively , and the material is vulcanized in the vessel itself . it has been found that the materials and mixture of the invention are non - toxic either in themselves or during vulcanization . thus , a further aspect of the present invention is the use of the materials and the mixture , respectively , described above , in the free - embolization technique . based on animal tests , the above materials were used in about 30 successful human operations within a period of one and a half years in cases which could not be operated directly . it was proved that the hardened silicon remained in the natural rubber balloon resulting in a definitive occlusion of the target spot . following the x - ray shadow , the position of the balloon can be seen by a simple x - ray control even years after the operation . in the case of free embolization the position of a polymerized silicon rubber can also be controlled . it has also been found that the materials of the present invention , such as other silicones widely used in the surgery ( i . e . ventricule - atrial shunts , articular and other plastics , dental materials , etc .) are entirely compatible and non - toxic . no infection or abnormal histological reaction could be detected . essentially it is this characteristic which makes possible the free embolization method described above . the following are examples for the silicon rubber mixture of the present invention . component , a 10 g of dimethyl - polysiloxane - α , ω - diol , viscosity 50 to 2000 mpas . 1 g . of powdered , dried x - ray contrast material ( uromiro ), passed through a sieve of a size of 0 . 65 μm . the mixture is homogenized , and , before use , sterilized in vials . compound b , the catalyst , 1 , 5 ccm of t - 5 ( wacker dental catalyst product ) is also sterilized in vial . mixing of the two components provides a &# 34 ; batch - time &# 34 ; of 8 mins and a polymerization time of 15 mins . the catheter can be imparted after 15 to 25 mins . another possible component a is as follows : 10 g . of dimethyl - polysiloxane - α , ω - diol , viscosity 100 mpas , 2 g . of x - ray contrast material as in example 1 , 2 g . of methyl - silicon oil of dimethyl - polysiloxane basis , viscosity of 19 mpas . the catalyst component b and the amount thereof is the same as in example 1 . 2 . 5 g . of dimethyl - polysiloxane - α , ω - diol , viscosity 100 mpas , 2 . 5 g . of d 4 ( cyclic polysiloxane ), viscosity 4 - 5 mpas , 0 . 75 g . of bis - iodomethyl - tetramethyl - disiloxane ( fluid iodo - containing x - ray contrast material ). the misture is homogenized , and then filled into vials and sterilized . as component b , t - 5 or t - 11 catalysts ( wacker dental catalyst product ) may be used in an amount of 1 ccm . 1 . 35 year old man , miner . after craniocerebral trauma , he developed an extreme large fistula between the right internal carotid artery and cavernous sinus , resulting in typical eye - symptoms , bruit , headache , lesion of the right ii ., iii ., iv - and both vi . cranial nerves . via percutan endovascular catherization the fistula had been closed with 2 detached , siliconized balloons . excellent clinical result , the patient is symptom - free even two years after the operation . 2 . 25 year old man , electrotechnician . severe subarachnoidal bleeding , resulted in transient unconsciousness and hemiplegia on the left . the angiographies proved a congenital arteriovenous malformation of the right cerebral hemisphere . there was no possibility of direct surgical operation , because of the size of the angiom . two main feeding arteries of the vascular malformation have been occluded with superselective balloonembolization . significant clinical improvement : the patient can walk alone , is free of mental disturbance , continues his original profession , has married , and had no more hemorrhages since the operation . 3 . 53 year old woman , teacher . giant saccular aneurysms on the cavernous portion of the left internal carotid artery , resulted in an earlier subarachnoidal hemorrhage and actual lesion of the left iii . cranial nerve . for a safe occlusion , both the parent vessel and aneurysmal neck has to be embolized with a large balloon filled with silicone . the transient postoperative hemiparesis and aphasia as well as the oculomotor paresis have improved , the patient is practically free of symptoms after a period of a year and a half . 4 . 24 year old man . after frequent nasal hemorrhages and definitive obstruction of the nose , a large - size haemangiom of the face had been proved histologically . because of the size and location , the direct surgical operation was unsuccessful . after the embolization of the feeding maxillar arterial branches we succeeded in subtotal surgical removal of this benign tumor . although this method has been applied up until the present only when a direct surgical approach was impossible or too dangerous , there is a real possibility to extend the indication for routine cases of the mentioned diseases too , with better results and less hazard . | 2 |
the present invention is in a post system that includes a number of novel and unique elements . fig1 shows an exploded profile perspective view of one arrangement of post system 20 , hereinafter referred to as system . in fig1 and 2 , the system 20 is shown used for mounting a mail or newspaper tube 21 , hereinafter referred to as tube , cantilevered out from the side of a post 22 . which post 22 , its ground mounting arrangements and fastener components , as set out hereinbelow , are also useful for mounting a mail box as shown in fig1 through 12 , and 17 through 19 . though , of course , the system 20 and the other embodiments therein could be utilized as a post alone , for example a fence post , or could be used for mounting any item , within the scope of this disclosure . the system 20 of fig1 includes a ground stake 23 , shown as a section of angle iron 24 that is pointed at a lower end 25 . the upper or top end of which angle iron section includes a cap 26 fixed thereover that is formed as a square tube with walls 27 with a flat plate 28 arranged thereover . the angle iron section 24 top end is telescoped into which square tube , one of which tube walls includes a bar 27a secured thereacross to present an anchor that binds into the ground wherein the ground stake is driven , inhibiting ground stake movement and withdrawal , as set out below . the flat plate 28 that is arranged across the square tube top end is shown as including a keyhole 28a , that allows an eye bolt 29 head end 30 to be fitted therethrough . which head end 30 is holed at 30a to receive a bolt 31 fitted through a hole 31a formed in tube wall 27 and secured in the opposite tube wall . the eye bolt 29 is thereby secured to the square tube 26 , a threaded end extending at a right angle upwardly from the flat plate 28 . shown in fig1 the eye bolt 29 threaded end 29a is fitted through an open center portion or hole 33 of a ball segment 32 . which opening or hole 33 is tapered outwardly from a lesser diameter bottom end to a greater diameter top end , the bolt threaded end 29a thereby being free to swing across which hole 33 top end . the eye bolt 29 threaded end 29a is fitted thorough a gasket 34 that preferable has a like surface area to the ball segment 32 surface , as shown also in the top plan view of fig8 . shown in fig1 and 7a the eye bolt 29 threaded end 29a is for fitting through an adjustable mount that consists of ball segment 32 with tapered hole 33 and gasket 34 and a square post mount 35 containing a seat . the square post mount includes a center hole 36 that eye bolt 29 threaded end 29a is fitted through with a washered nut 37 turned thereover . the washered nut 37 turned on the eye bolt 29 couples the ball section 32 and seat together with gasket 34 therebetween providing a capability for adjusting the attitude to the vertical of a post 40 secured onto which square post mount 35 , as set out hereinbelow . in another mounting embodiment , as shown in fig4 and 5 , as well as the ball segment and seat mounting embodiment of fig6 a post insert 39 is utilized for receiving post 39 telescoped thereover . shown in fig1 , 7a , 13 and 16 , the post 22 is for telescoping over the square post mount 35 , resting on a lip 38 formed around a lower edge of which mount , the post preferably secured thereon as by gluing , with a snap - in arrangement , or the like , in a manufacturing setting . for attaching the square post mount 35 onto the ball segment 32 , the eye bolt threaded end 29a is fitted through the center hole 36 , extending into the post 22 . so arranged , an operator , not shown , positions the post 22 to a desired attitude to the vertical and fits the washer nut 37 through a portal 40 formed through the post side and onto the eye bolt threaded end 29a . he then turns and tightens that washer nut 37 onto the eye bolt threaded end 29a , compressing a seat 51 formed in the undersurface of which square post mount 35 tightly against the ball segment 32 surface , sandwiching gasket 34 therebetween , and locking the post 22 square post mount end in place with the ball segment 32 . which gasket 34 is formed of a course material to provide a non - slip surface between which ball segment surface and seat coupling . thereafter , a window 41 having shoulders 41a is snapped into to cover over portal 40 , completing mounting . fig1 a shows an exploded view of another embodiment of an adjustable mounting 150 that , like the embodiment of fig1 includes a ball section 151 that may have a smooth or grooved outer surface 152 . the ball section is for fitting into a seat 153 that has a hemispherical surface 154 to accommodate the ball section fitting snugly thereagainst and , like the ball section , may be smooth or scored , for promoting a binding between the engaged surfaces when they are clamped together . to further promote which binding , a washer 155 , can be positioned between the ball section and seat surfaces . such washer 155 is preferably formed of an abrasive material . it may be formed as a complete circle or may be a circle that has had sections removed therefrom , as shown . like the ball section and seat combination of fig1 the seat 153 is positionable to ball section 151 to provide for movement therebetween for adjusting the vertical positioning of a post 156 , shown as a hollow square tube , that the seat is mounted to in a lower end thereof . shown best in fig1 a , the ball section 151 is preferably a hemisphere whose outer surface 152 is score thereover and includes a center hole 157 that is to receive a threaded end 158a of a bolt 158 fitted therethrough . the ball section 151 , as shown , is preferably formed of plastic and includes a number of equal spaced curved ribs 159 , that connect to an apex ring 160 that hole 157 is formed through the center of . the underside of the ribs 159 are for positioning on a top surface of a top plate 162 shown mounted across a top end of a ground stake 161 . the ground stake has a blade 163 as a lower end thereof that , like the angle iron 24 of fig1 is for driving into the ground , an angle plate 163a thereof slicing into the ground , securing the ground stake in the ground . for positioning the ball section 151 onto the top plate 162 a slot 164 is formed on the bias across and through the top surface that is to receive a flattened end 158b of bolt 158 that has a hole 158c formed therethrough . with the bolt flattened end 158b fitted through slot 164 , a pin 165 can be fitted through the bolt hole 158c , prohibiting bolt withdrawal with the bolt threaded end 158a extending out from the top of ball section 151 . to mount the ball section 151 and seat 153 together the bolt threaded end 158a is arranged to fit through a center hole 166 of seat 153 and through a center hole 168 of a washer plate 167 and to receive a nut 169 turned thereover . like the ball section 151 , the seat body , as shown , is preferably formed of plastic and includes a number of spaced apart ribs 170 extending radially from a ring 171 wherethrough the hole 166 is formed . the ribs include curved surfaces 170a for supporting the seat 154 that , like ball section surface 152 , may also be scored , or the like , to increase surface friction . side walls 172 are provided across the rib 170 ends , and an outstanding ridge 173 is formed around the seat body 153 , below the lower edges of side walls 172 . to couple the seat 153 into the post 156 end , the seat body , with the seat surface 154 facing out of the post end , is urged into the open post end until the seat body ridge 173 slides into a slot 174 that has been formed around the post interior , adjacent to the post end . shown in fig1 a - 1c , for convenience , both post ends are shown as including inner slot 174 formed therein . the seat ridge 173 when urged into the post end tends to flex inwardly , contracting upon itself , and upon entering the post slot 174 , will immediately expand into that slot , locking the seat 174 in and across the post end . access to the post interior is provided through a port 175 formed in the post side , above slot 174 to allow nut 169 to be turned onto the bolt threaded end 158a , clamping the ball section 151 and seat 153 together , as shown in fig1 b . whereafter a cover , like the window 41 of fig1 can be installed over the port 175 . to provide for adjusting the position of the seat 153 on the ball section surface 152 , the bolt 158 coupling of pin 165 is intentionally loose to allow for movement of the bolt threaded end 158a across that coupling , which movement is provided for by the formation of the ball section hole 157 to allow a loose fit of the bolt 158 fitted therethrough . accordingly , the bolt 158 can be tilted from the vertical , and that tilt will be reflected in the positioning of the seat 155 fitted thereto that is , in turn , translated to post 156 . so arranged , the post can be positioned to the ground stake so as to compensate for an angle that the stake 161 is driven into the ground and for ground conditions , to mount the post 156 at a desired attitude . in practice , the adjustable mount of the invention allows for up to twenty ( 20 ) degrees of change in vertical attitude of post 156 to the ground surface whereto the ball section 151 is maintained . fig1 b shows the assembled adjustable mount 150 , and fig1 c shows the seat 153 directly secured and rigidly mounted by bolt 158 to a top surface of a concrete slab , supporting post 156 mounted thereto . which arrangement does not allow for adjustment of the angle of the post that is seated on and at approximately a right angle to the concrete surface . in this arrangement the bolt 158 lower end 158d is anchored in the slab of concrete 180 , the bolt threaded end 158a extending outwardly therefrom to fit through the center hole 166 . the seat 153 , in turn , is mounted in the open end of post 156 , and passes through hole 168 in washer plate 167 , to receive the nut 169 turned thereover , rigidly mounting the post 156 onto the top surface of cement slab 180 . fig4 and 5 , show another post 22 mounting embodiment that includes a post insert 39 that is a square open tube that utilizes a tapered washer stack , shown also in fig4 a and 5a , as the post 22 mount rather than the ball segment and seat embodiment , as discussed above . the post insert 39 , like the post mount 35 , is to receive the post 22 telescoped thereover , as set out and discussed hereinbelow . further , it should be understood , other post mounts and tubes and tube configurations , such as round , could be so used within the scope of this disclosure . shown best in fig7 and 7a , the ball segment seat 51 formed across the undersurface of the square post mount 35 of fig1 is hemispherical in shape to conform to the surface of the ball segment 32 . this seat 51 is also shown with the square post mount 35 of fig6 and in the bottom plan view of fig9 . further , it should be understood , where the ball segment seat 51 is set out above as formed in the square post mount 35 or across a lower end of the post insert 39 , that seat can also be formed across a lower end of the post 22 itself , within the scope of this disclosure . which post mounts of fig6 , 7a and 16 , do not include the gasket 34 , but instead employ a roughening at 32a of the ball segment surface to provide a friction surface therebetween , that is shown best in fig1 . a ball segment and seat coupling is thereby provided that allows the post 22 to be tilted across the ball segment 32 surface , as illustrated best in fig7 and 7a , for adjusting the post attitude relative to the top surface 28 of the ground stake 23 . fig4 and 6 , as set out above , utilize a post insert 39 that is adjusted to the vertical for receiving the post 22 end telescoped thereover . to maintain a secure coupling of which post insert 39 and post 40 end , spacers 43 are arranged between opposing surfaces of which post insert and post . which spacers 43 are preferably each a saddle having a center slot with parallel legs thereacross and are formed from a resilient material . the spacers 43 are fitted , as shown in fig4 and 6 , across the post insert top edge 39a and across a top edge of a slot 45 , or slots 45 , that are formed in the side of which post insert . two points of spacers 43 contact with the post 22 interior walls are thereby provided for preventing movement of the post 22 relative to the post insert 39 . as set out above , the embodiments of the invention shown in fig1 , 7 and 7a , as do the adjustable mountings shown in fig1 , 15 , and 16 , all employ variations of ball segment and seat mountings between the ground stake and post mount or post insert . the ball and seat arrangement of fig1 and as shown in fig7 and 7a , is a ball segment 32 for fitting it in a hemispherical seat 51 of the square post insert 35 . a gasket 34 is shown sandwiched between which ball segment and seat in fig1 and the ball segment surface is shown roughened at 32a in fig7 and 7a , for prohibiting relative movement or slippage of the mount components when they are clamped together . functionally , the ball segment and seat arrangements of fig1 , 7 and 7a , are alike , as are the ball and seat arrangements of fig1 , 15 and 16 . except that the mountings of fig1 , 13 and 15 include gasket 34 , while the mountings of fig7 a , and 16 , show as a roughened surface 32a included on the ball segment 32 surface . fig1 and 16 , involve a tubular or cylindrical ground stake 52 , shown best in fig1 as a cylinder 53 , that includes a pointed lower end 54 . the upper or top end of which cylinder includes a cap 55 that is formed as a square tube with walls 56 and with a flat plate 57 arranged thereover . the cylinder 53 top end is telescoped into and secured in which square tube 55 , the flat plate 57 closing off the tube end . which flat plate 57 has a hole 58 formed therethrough that is counter sunk on the flat plate undersurface to receive a tapered undersurface of a the head 61 of a flat head bolt 60 that is fitted therethrough . which bolt 60 functions like the described eye bolt 29 except , of course , it relies on a frictional engagement between the countersunk portion of hole 58 and head 61 undersurface to allow a washer nut 37 to be tightened thereover . otherwise the functioning of which eye bolt 29 and bolt 60 should be taken as being the same . as shown in fig1 and 16 , the cylinder 53 is to be driven into the ground , pointed end first , as a ground anchor . for further anchoring which cylinder 53 , each square tube wall 56 includes a tab 59 cut therein , that cut section then bent outwardly to present an edge to engage and bind into the ground wherein the ground stake is driven , inhibiting its withdrawal . fig1 , shows another post 22 mounting that includes the ball segment 32 secured onto a top surface of a bracket 63 that has a raised center portion and planar sides that are holed for receiving cement fasteners 64 fitted therethrough and driven into a cement , concrete , or like surface , securing the bracket thereto . which bracket 63 raised center portion is center holed to receive the bolt 60 fitted therethrough prior to mounting . while the bolt head 61 is shown for receiving a screw driver blade , it should be understood that a hex shaped head could be so used as head 61 that would accommodate a wrench head fitted under the bracket 63 , to hold that head while the washer nut 37 is turned onto the bolt 60 threaded end . as set out above the open center portion or hole 33 through the ball segment 32 is tapered from a lesser diameter at its base to a greater diameter at its top , to allow for tilting of bolt 31 . which angle of taper , as shown as angle a in fig7 a and 13 ; as set out hereinabove , allows for a change in angle of the angle of post 22 of up to twenty ( 20 ) degrees from a right angle to the ground . preferably ; the hole tapers to provide up to a twenty degrees ( 20 °) change of the post longitudinal axis so as to provide an angle of tilt to the attached post of up to ten degrees ( 10 °) either side of a right angle to the plane of the ground or top surface of a ground stake . this tilting capability allows for positioning the post 22 or post insert 39 back to the vertical so as to compensate for the ground stake the top surface not being horizontal . fig4 through 6 , show another embodiment of a ground stake 65 that includes a platform 66 and pointed stake 67 , which stake is shown as having been pounded into the ground . fig5 shows the stake 67 as having displaced from the vertical in that driving , necessitating a tipping of the post insert 39 to compensate to position the post 22 telescoped thereon to the vertical . hereinabove have been set out a number of ball segment and seat configurations for attaching a post insert 39 onto the top of a ground stake to allow for a tilt of that post insert to where it is in a vertical attitude . fig4 a , 5 and 5a , show another post insert mounting arrangement that also allows for tilting of the post insert 39 . as shown , this tilting arrangement consists of a pair of tapered washers 70 and 72 , that overlay one another forming a stack . in fig4 the washers 70 and 72 tapered surfaces are shown to slope oppositely , with the top and bottom surfaces of which stack thereby being essentially parallel . to provide for washer positioning each washer includes a tab 71 and 73 , respectively , that extends outwardly from the thinnest washer side . shown in fig4 a the tab 71 of the washer 70 extends from one side of the stack , with the tab 73 of the washer 72 shown extending outwardly from the other stack side , indicating that the washer tapered surfaces slope oppositely . so arranged , the washer stack would have essentially parallel top and bottom surfaces . fig5 a shows the tapered washers 70 and 72 as having been turned to where the tabs 71 and 73 align , the tapers overlay one another , providing a tilt to the stack top surface relative to the bottom , as shown in fig5 . this tilt , as shown , is to compensate for the positioning of the ground stake pointed stake 67 being at other than the vertical . functionally , with the tapered washers 70 and 72 positioned to provide a desired angle to the post insert 39 , the washer nut 37 is turned onto the bolt , whereafter the post 22 is installed onto the post insert 39 , as described above . the post 22 mounted to the post mount 35 or is telescoped over the post insert 39 is then useful for : mounting a newspaper tube 21 cantilevered outwardly from the post top end , as shown in fig1 and 2 ; mounting a mail box mount 75 across a top post end , as shown in fig1 through 12 , to receive a mail box thereon ; mounting mail box across the post 22 top end by a frame mount , as shown in fig1 , 20 , 23 and 24 ; mounting a newspaper tube 21 cantilevered from the post 22 top end that , in turn , mounts a mail box as shown in fig1 and 18 , or mounting a mail box onto a horizontal wood beam , as shown in fig2 . the newspaper tube 21 , shown in fig1 and 2 , is preferably an open tube or hollow , the top and bottom sides of which tube at one end , are formed into outwardly extending top and bottom end tabs 80 and 81 , respectively . the end tabs 80 and 81 are each for fitting in one of parallel lateral slots 82 formed across a post 22 side , and each end tab 80 and 81 has at least one , and preferably two holes 83 formed therethrough . to install the newspaper tube 21 cantilevered from the post 22 pegs 85 are passed through the post 22 top end and are individually fitted through the end tabs 80 and 81 holes 83 . this operation is preferably performed manually and accordingly the pegs 85 are preferably formed from a molded material , such as a plastic , and are configured for ease of installation . fig1 and 3c show a first peg 85 embodiment that includes a broad head 86 and tapered body 87 . a locking ridge 88 is shown extending outwardly from the peg body 87 , opposite to broad head 86 . which locking ridge 88 , with peg insertion into an end tab hole 83 , as shown best in fig3 c , extends into the post lateral slot 82 , for preventing peg withdrawal . a second peg 90 embodiment is shown in fig3 a and 3b . the peg 90 , like the described peg 85 , has a broad head 91 and includes a tapered body 92 . rather than a locking ridge , however , the peg 90 includes spaced teeth , serrations , barbs , or threads 93 that are formed along and to extend outwardly from the tapered body 92 , below the broad head 90 . shown best in fig3 b , with the peg 90 installed in hole 83 , a side of one or more of the teeth , serrations , barbs , or threads 93 will engage the tab hole 83 edge , prohibiting peg withdrawal . a cap 95 , shown in fig1 and 2 , is preferably installed onto , to cover , the post 22 open top end . prior to which cap 95 installation the pegs , as described , are fitted through that post open end and into the tab holes 83 . which cap 95 , shown in fig1 through 12 , is replaced by mail box mount 75 , or a mail box mounted thereon . which mail box mount 75 consists of a flat top plate 76 that has downwardly extending right angle flanges 77 that project from along opposite edges . equidistantly spaced plates 78 are secured across which downturned flanges 77 , the flanges and plates thereby forming a square center recess that is for receiving a square post 22 end fitted therein . for providing overlying coupling surfaces where the flanges intersect the post surfaces , opposite side end sections of which post 22 may be removed leaving tabs 79 . shown best in fig1 and 12 , the tabs 79 and plates 78 are to be fitted together in juxtaposition arrangement with holes 79a through each aligned to receive pins 79b fitted therein securing the mail box mount 75 onto the post 22 end . so arranged , the flat top plate 76 is for receiving a mail box secured thereon . fig1 and 18 show another mounting 100 for a mail box 110 . the mounting 100 includes a pair of brackets 101 that are each connected to the ends of a pair of parallel bars 102 . the bars 102 space the brackets 101 apart in parallel relationship forming a rectangular frame . to construct this frame , each bracket 101 includes as a pair of flanges 104 that extend outwardly and parallel from along the top and bottom edges , respectively , of a bracket web . the bar 102 ends are for fitting between which flanges 104 , each receiving a coupling device , that is preferably a pivot , and is fitted through the bracket flanges and a bar end . the bars 102 have holes 105 formed through the mid - portions thereof for receiving fasteners 106 , as set out below . which mounting 100 is either for mounting onto the top surface of the newspaper tube 21 that is cantilevered from a top end portion of post 22 , as shown in fig1 and 18 or onto a post 22 end , as shown in fig1 . to provide for mounting mail box 110 , as shown in fig1 and 18 , the bracket 101 webs , proximate to their ends , include longitudinal slots 103 that receive fasteners , shown as bolts 107 , fitted therethrough and through corner holes formed in a cover 111 of mail box 110 . prior to which mail box 110 mounting fasteners 106 , shown as bolts , are fitted through center openings 105 formed through the bars that are , in turn , fitted through holes formed through the newspaper tube 21 top , with nuts 106a , shown in fig1 , turned over the bolt ends . wood screws can be used in place of bolts 106 and nuts 106a , within the scope of this disclosure . with the frame mounted to the newspaper tube 21 , the mail box 110 is seated , as set out above , and the bolts 107 are fitted through the mail box cover corner holes and through the bracket web slots 103 to receive washers 109 and nuts 108 turned onto which bolt 107 ends , as shown best in fig1 . fig1 shows another framed arrangement for mounting a mail box onto a post 22 end , which post 22 is shown as formed of wood , through it could be formed of solid plastic , or could be tubular with a top end insert , or a like arrangement , within the scope of this disclosure . the frame arrangement of fig1 , like that of fig1 , includes a pair of brackets 101 , each with parallel flanges 104 extending from the edges thereof , and with a pair of bars 102 for positioning between which brackets . one of which bars 102 , like the arrangement of fig1 , is connected at its ends between the flanges 104 by fasteners 104a , with the other bar 102 ends mounted to slide freely in longitudinal slots 104b formed in the flanges 104 . with the mounting 100 fitted onto a post top end , shown in fig1 as a wood post , and the bar 102 whose ends are mounted in longitudinal slots 104b moved to where the bar holes 102a in both bars 102 aligned with the wood post top surface , screws 113 , or the like , are turned through holes 102 a and into the post top , securing the mounting 100 thereto . thereafter the mail box 110 is installed to the mounting as described hereinabove with respect to fig1 and 18 . fig2 shows another embodiment of a mounting 120 for mail box 110 . the mounting 120 , like the mounting 100 , includes a pair of brackets 121 with bars 122 arranged therebetween . the brackets 121 each include parallel flanges 123 extending from opposite edges of a mid - section of a web 124 , and include cross braces 125 secured therebetween , providing a rigid bracket structure . shown best in fig2 and 21 , the bar 122 ends are each necked down into sleeve 126 that is drilled longitudinally and threaded to receive a bolt 127 turned therein . each bolt 127 , as shown best in fig2 and 23 , is fitted though a hole 128 formed through the bracket 121 and turned into the bar sleeve 126 end , forming a pivot coupling of which bar to the bracket . the bar 122 pivot coupling allows end bar to be pivoted to the attitudes shown , respectively : in fig2 and 22 , where wide mid - portions 129 of each bar 122 extend oppositely ; in fig2 and 23 where the mid - portions 129 are parallel and point downwardly ; and fig2 , where in mid - portions 129 point towards one another . which bar 122 positioning is maintained by turning the bolt 127 fitted through flange hole 128 tightly into the bar sleeve 126 . with the bar 122 appropriately positioned fasteners , such as screws 130 can be turned through holes 131 formed in the bar mid - portions and into a wood beam , like that shown in fig2 , or into a top end of a wood post , like that shown in fig2 and 24 , securing the mounting 120 onto which beam or post end . thereafter , a mail box 110 can be mounted onto which mounting 120 utilizing the bolts , nuts , and washers 107 , 108 , and 109 , respectively , shown in fig1 , secured through elongate slots 132 , formed in the bracket 121 ends , as shown in fig2 . where the mounting 120 is shown utilized for attaching a mail box 110 onto a wood beam or wood post , it should be understood that , like mounting 100 it can be used also for mounting a mail box onto a cantilevered plastic tube or post end , or like beam or post arrangement , within the scope of this disclosure . herein have been shown and described preferred arrangements of a post system and component elements and mountings thereof of the present invention . it should , however , be understood that the present disclosure is made by way of example only and that changes can be made thereto without departing from the subject matter coming within the scope of the following claims , and a reasonable equivalency thereof , which claims i regard as my invention . | 0 |
in dealing with the present invention , it is possible to form the improved seam of the invention for the drum end closures on a new drum or to form a drum with end closures having a five ply seam at the top or bottom or both and then form the five ply or layer seam into a seven ply seam . in the depicted embodiment , a drum 20 is shown with a bottom closure 22 and a top closure 24 thereon . the bottom closure 22 is sealed to the drum 20 by means of a standard five ply seam 25 and similarly , the top closure 24 is sealed to the drum 20 by means of a standard five ply seam 26 . a pair of conventional rolling rings 28 and 30 are spaced along the side walls of the tubular shell 32 of the drum 20 . drum 20 may be new and of thin gage metal or used and in need of refurbishing or reconditioning . standard forming machinery is employed with modifications as discussed below in regard to the tooling in order to form the five ply seam into an improved seven ply seam . the forming apparatus 34 in general is shown for forming the seven ply seam from the five ply seam 26 at the top end of the drum 20 . it includes a bottom seamer 36 with a drive rod 38 and a chuck 40 . the upper end of the apparatus 34 includes a chuck 42 with a central drive rod 44 coupled therewith . the chuck is surrounded by a support roll 46 , an angle roll 48 , a flat roll 50 , and a contour roll 52 . all of the driver mechanisms and interconnecting apparatus ( not shown ) for these elements of apparatus 34 are conventional and well known in the art . the details of the top end of drum 20 are shown in fig2 whereby the tubular shell 32 terminates in the upper end with a five layer seam 26 forming a coupling with closure 24 . this drum 20 is fed into the machine or apparatus 34 . the chucks 40 and 42 are activated into the bottom and top heads of the container . the thickness of the chucks is smaller than the bottom of the double seam . this holds the drum 20 vertically in position and is depicted in fig4 . as shown in fig5 support roll 46 is then engaged with tubular shell 32 . this holds the side wall of the shell against the side wall of the head or closure 24 thus keeping the container rigid with little chance of flexing . fig6 depicts this interengagement from above . as shown in fig7 angle roll 48 is then activated proceeding inward to force the seam 26 into a bent position at approximately a 45 ° angle with respect to the longitudinal axis of the drum . this angle roll 48 then retracts and , as shown in fig8 flat roll 50 proceeds forward and flattens the seam 26 against the upper surface of support roll 46 . it should be noted that the flat upper surface 53 of support roll 46 has a beveled or angled inner portion 54 at a slight angle . this assists the seam 26 in retaining its contour in the bending process into the position of fig8 where it is approximately perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the drum and extends transversely outward with respect to the side wall 32 of the drum . thereafter , support roll 46 and flat roll 50 retract and the power contour roll 52 moves into engagement with the transversely extending bent seam 26 . the engaging surface 58 of contour roll 52 has a predetermined configuration for engagement with the transversely extending chime 26 so as to form it into the final configuration . as shown in fig9 the first contact is to apply a force directly inward toward the side wall 32 of the drum as chime 26 is contacted . thereafter , as shown in fig1 , as the contour roll is brought further into contact with seam 26 and in the direction toward the drum 20 , a vertical or axial force is applied to the seam to bend and direct it downward . finally , as shown in fig1 , the shape of engaging surface 58 is such that the seam 26 is finally bent back against the side wall 32 of the shell and the adjacent closure surface to form a seven ply seam 60 . as this final seam 60 is formed a third upward force is applied by the bottom portion of the contour surface 58 of roll 52 so as to compress the seam 60 to provide a seam of minimum length while retaining the improved sealing characteristics and shaping of the seven ply structure . this contour forming of the seven ply reinforced chime produces a seam 60 as shown in fig1 in the final product of minimum height or length with respect to the length of the side wall 32 of the drum . additionally , the reinforced chime 60 includes a long sloping radius 62 from the end 64 to the beginning of the flat portion 66 of the seam 60 . this provides maximum surface engagement against the floor when the drum 20 is rolled on edge . compression of the other end portion 68 of the reinforced chime or seam 60 in the manner depicted in fig1 , forcing the seam upward provides for a very tight seam with little chance of spacing between the layers of metal . in this manner , a sealed drum is provided with a reinforced chime 60 with increased sealing , handling and strength characteristics while retaining a minimum desired length for the seam 60 . as stated above , this type of seam can be provided at both the top and bottom ends of a drum 20 . alternatively , as shown in fig1 , the reinforced chime 60 &# 39 ; can be formed in the same manner as chime 60 of the previously discussed embodiment and , with the use of suitable pressure and perhaps heat , the chime 60 &# 39 ; is formed into an essentially solid mass so as to provide for further desired sealing characteristics where necessary in regard to use with certain products for the container . the layers of a seven ply seam of this type are not readily discernable with the naked eye presumably as a result of the flow of metal of the layers into an essentially adhesive mass . an advantage of the forming apparatus 34 is the superior contour roll 52 designed merely to move horizontally to form the reinforced chime 60 . a standard five ply end closure drum can be quickly and efficiently transformed into a seven ply end closure drum . it is significant that the configuration of the contour surface 58 of contour roll 52 provides a wider surface for rolling the drum in that an increased surface area is provided as distinct from an edge . in dealing with thin gauge metal , rolling on an edge could cause rupture or failure at such locations . rolling on an increased bearing area prevents this from happening . as stated above , the intermediate portion of contour surface 58 provides for an increased gradual sloped surface area to facilitate rolling of the drum . also , the contour 58 of the contour roll 52 has a bottom portion with a predetermined bevel so that a camming action is provided which forces the bead tighter to provide additional strength . it not only tightens but compacts the bead . the ends may be worked on individually or both ends can be worked on simultaneously . the compact reinforced chime 60 is of a relatively short length . in fact , it has been found that the length of the five ply chime 26 is much larger than the seven ply reinforced chime 60 because of the compacting action . by reducing the length of the seam , a more compact bead or chime is provided . in other words , chime 60 adds two layers of thickness but is not two layer thicker in length than chime 26 due to the compacting action . the draw is approximately 3 / 4 to 1 inch deep with a standard five ply seam drum . the top and bottom discs or chucks are raised in a conventional manner such as by hydraulic means from a retracted position to an operative position to facilitate the grabbing of the drum 20 between the two chucks . when the drum goes up as a lower chuck assumes its operative position , the top chuck is inserted into the interior of the end . the top chuck rest right on top of the closure and engages rather tightly the inner edge of the apron of the five ply chime formation . the outer rolls are pivoted on a rotatable arm . cylindrical support roll 46 engages the outside of the drum just below the five ply chime 26 . angle roll 48 rotates about a horizontal axis and comes into contact with the drum from above and includes a cylindrical outer surface and a tapered surface . this horizontally rotatable roller 48 is lowered as the drum 20 starts spinning . upper chuck 42 is rotated in a conventional manner such as by a drive chain and lower chuck 40 can be rotated in a conventional manner such as being mounted on ball bearings to rotate with the drum and top chuck . angle roll 48 turns the bead approximately 40 °- 45 ° with respect to the horizontal . angle roll 48 then rises and flat roll 50 , which is cylindrical , turns the five ply chime horizontal to a transverse position approximately normal to the axis of the drum 20 . due to the inherent spring back of the metal the bend is not totally equal to 90 ° but is normally just a few degrees less . the drawings show the position as being 90 ° with respect to the vertical axis of the drum , however , there is inherent spring back . in bending the chime 26 to the flat position , drum 20 rotates a number of revolutions for each operation . an appropriate number of revolutions is chosen and is a matter of choice in order to spin the metal without tearing it and assuring the full degree of bending . for example , 25 - 30 revolutions per operation can be used in the actual formation of the seam . the final forming operation is provided by the horizontal introduction of the contour roll which forms the seven ply chime 60 as described above . the contour roll 52 is introduced after the flat roll 50 and support roll 46 have been retracted . after final formation of seven ply chime 70 , the contour roll 52 retracts and the finished drum can be removed from the apparatus 34 with a resultant seam as depicted in fig1 . an actual practice , the entire operation can be accomplished in a relatively short period of time at relatively high speeds , for example 3 seconds . it should be understood , that this invention envisions the formation of a seam having more than five plys and a seam of at least seven or more plys . thus the several aforenoted objects and advantages are most effectively attained . although several somewhat preferred embodiments have been disclosed and described in detail herein , it should be understood that this invention is in no sense limited thereby and its scope is to be determined by that of the appended claims . | 1 |
in the following description of the preferred embodiment , 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 . referring now to the figures , wherein like features are referenced with like numerals , a bow 10 is shown in fig1 . bow 10 has a frame 20 and a grip 30 . frame 20 includes a lower portion or arm 22 , an upper portion or arm 24 , and a handle portion 25 with a grip 30 connected to and supporting lower arm 22 and upper arm 24 . handle 25 has a front surface 32 and an opposite back surface 34 . during shooting with the bow , front surface 32 is positioned facing the target and back surface 34 is facing the archer . bow 10 is illustrated as a compound bow , with pulley or cam 42 at the end of lower arm 22 and pulley or cam 44 at the end of upper arm 24 . a bowstring 40 extends along the length l of the bow 10 between cam 42 and cam 44 . cams 42 , 44 provide a mechanical advantage to the archer when drawing bowstring 40 . as shown , a peep sight 46 may be positioned on bowstring 40 to facilitate targeting and aiming . mounted on handle 25 of bow 10 is a bow sight 100 , which facilitates targeting ; that is , bow sight 100 includes a device that can be calibrated to be used to situate the bow so that it accurately shoots arrows at targets position at particular distances and / or directions from the shooter . referring to fig2 and 3 an embodiment of a bow sight is illustrated as bow sight 100 . for purposes of this application , the view of the bow sight as seen from the archer in the shooting position , which is the view illustrated in fig2 , is referred to as the “ front view ” of the bow sight . when the bow sight is mounted on a bow and held in a shooting position , the direction perpendicular to the ground is the upward or downward direction . when the bow sight is mounted on a bow and held in a shooting position , the direction perpendicular to an imaginary line that runs from the shooter &# 39 ; s eye through the sight point 122 to the target that is in a direction that extends generally along the length l of the bow 10 is referred to herein as the transverse height direction . accordingly , the upward and downward directions are relative to the ground whereas the transverse height direction is relative to the shooters line of sight . referring to fig4 , it should be understood that when the bow sight 100 is mounted to a bow 10 and the bow 10 is position for shooting at a target located at the same elevation as the bow 10 , the sight line that extends between the peep sight 46 and the sight point 122 is orientated in a neutral angle relative to a horizontal plane e ( i . e ., the sight line is horizontal ). on the other hand , if the bow 10 is positioned for shooting at a target located at a lower elevation with respect to the bow 10 ( i . e ., aimed downward ), the sight line d that extends between the shooter &# 39 ; s eye and the target through the peep sight 46 and the sight point 122 is orientated at a negative angle ( i . e ., downward angle ) with respect to a horizontal plane . with respect to the sight line d , the transverse height direction is marked with the letter f , the direction towards and away from the target is marked with the letter g , and the direction generally upward and downward is marked with the letter h . with respect to the sight line e , the transverse height direction is marked with the letter j , the direction towards and away from the target is marked with the letter i , and the direction generally upward and downward is also marked with the letter j . to shoot the bow , the archer draws the string 40 and then peers through the peep sight 46 to locate the target . the archer precisely aims the bow 10 by establishing a sight line that extends from the peep sight 46 through the sight point 122 to the target . once the peep sight 46 , the sight point 122 , and the target are all aligned , the string 40 is released to shoot the arrow at the target . when shooting from elevations higher than the target ( e . g ., a tree stand ), the pendulum effect of the bow sight 100 moves the sight point 122 upwardly in the transverse height direction f as compared to a pin that does not pivot so that the arrow shoots lower to compensate for the downward angle of the sight line . as shown in fig4 , position a is the position in which the sight point 122 would be located if the sight point 122 did not pivot . position b is the position in which the sight point 122 would be located if the sight point 122 pivots . as illustrated , position a is relatively lower in the vertical direction f than position b with respect to the peep sight 46 . according to the present disclosure , the sight point 122 can set at a particular location toward or away from the target shooter . when the sight point is adjusted away from the shooter and towards the target , the sight point 122 is moved further upward in the transverse height direction when the bow 10 is aimed downward . as illustrated , the sight point 122 in position c , which is adjusted away from the shooter and towards the target , is relatively higher than the sight point in position b . it should be understood that the method could also be practiced without using a peep sight 46 . in some embodiments , the shooter is trained to shoot accurately without relying on any type of rear sight . in other embodiments a rear sight is attached to the frame of the bow 10 rather than the bowstring 40 . referring back to fig2 and 3 , bow sight 100 generally includes a stationary portion adapted to be fixedly mounted to bow handle 25 and a second portion ( i . e ., a pendulum member ) pivotally mounted to the stationary portion . bow sight 100 is shown to include a housing or support structure 110 for mounting bow sight 100 to bow handle 25 . extending from structure 110 are brackets 115 having apertures 118 therein , for mounting bow sight 100 to bow handle 25 with screws or other attachment means . in a preferred embodiment , support structure 110 is a generally circular shaped piece of material , such as acrylic , polycarbonate , or other plastic , aluminum , or the like . other examples of suitable support structure shapes include , for example , square , elliptical , and oblong . housing support structure 110 may be composed of multiple sections or pieces that together form the support structure . housing support 110 may be solid , or may include various perforations or apertures , to lighten bow sight 100 , to facilitate movement of various parts of bow sight 100 , or to allow more light to enter bow sight 100 . pivotally attached to housing support structure 110 is a plurality of sight pins 120 , each pin 120 defining a sight point 122 . in the embodiment illustrated , sight pins 120 are movably attached to a sight window 130 , which is pivotally attached to support structure 110 at pivot axis 140 . pivot axis 140 extends generally horizontal to the ground and perpendicular to bow handle 25 , so that pivoting of sight window 130 around pivot axis 140 produces swinging movement of sight window 130 away from support structure 110 and the archer in a pendulum - like manner . it is preferred that sight window 130 encompasses and encircles pins 120 at least partially , so that pins 120 are positioned within sight window 130 . similarly , it is preferred that support structure 110 encompasses and encircles sight window 130 at least partially . housing support 110 and sight window 130 are shaped and sized so that sight window 130 can pivot within support structure 110 around pivot axis 140 . a stop may be positioned on housing 110 , on window 130 , or both , to inhibit the movement of window 130 in relation to support 110 . in the embodiment illustrated , a bumper stop 133 extends from housing support structure 110 to limit window 130 from swinging forward of support structure 110 . window 130 includes a notch to accept stop 133 . it should be understood that the sight window 130 can be constructed such that it tends to pivot away from the support structure 110 whenever the bow 10 is orientated such that the sight line that extends between the peep sight 46 and the sight point 122 is orientated at a negative angle ( i . e ., downward angle ) with respect to a horizontal plane . one way to accomplish the above object is to construct the sight window 130 such that it is substantially balanced about the pivot axis 140 . such a construction can , for example , include incorporating a counter weight 180 on the sight window 130 . in the embodiment shown in fig3 , the counter weight 180 is shown to included a threaded end 181 to enable adjusting the distance that it projects from the sight window 130 . other construction methods for balancing the sight window are also possible , for example , using lightweight materials to construct the portion of the sight window 130 that projects away from the pivot axis 140 ( e . g ., the slider 125 and slider casting 135 ), and / or offsetting the pivot axis 140 towards the back side of the bow sight 100 . sight pins 120 support or otherwise define sight points 122 , which the archer uses for targeting an object . sight point 122 may be integral with pins 120 or be a separate piece from pins 120 . a sight or sighting point is any shape , point , or indicia of any sort that is visually placed in line with the target to be shot at for assisting in the proper aiming of the bow . sight points 122 can be circular shapes , other geometrical shapes , colored dots , painted dots , the end of a light gathering cable , or simply the end of sight pins 120 , for example . although five pins 120 and their respective sight points 122 are illustrated in the figures , it is understood that any number of pins 120 and sight points 122 can be utilized ; in most embodiments , however , at least one pins 120 will be present . pins may be straight as shown in fig9 and 10 or may be bent as shown in fig2 and 3 . in a preferred embodiment , sight pin 120 is a pin constructed to support a sight point 122 . an end of a fiber optic cable may be positioned at the end of sight pin 120 to act as sight point 122 . the fiber optic cable collects light along its length , and the light exits the end of the cable forming sight point 122 . the fiber optic cable may be held in place by a slit or other aperture located near the end of pin 120 . since the fiber optic cable collects light along its length , sight points 122 that are associated with long fiber optic cables that are exposed to light are brighter than sight points 122 that are associated with short fiber optic cables that are not exposed to light . as such , in some embodiments the sight points 122 are associated fiber optic cables that are coiled around the structure of the bow sight 100 that is exposed to light , for example , the fiber optic cable 166 ( shown in fig8 ) can be coiled around the hub 168 . the preferred pins 120 for use with bow sight 100 are vertical pins , or , pins that have a vertical component so that at least a portion of the pin extends in a vertical direction . as used herein , a pin is considered a vertical pin if the pin has a vertical portion ( i . e ., a portion aligned in a vertical plane ). additionally , in a preferred embodiment , multiple pins are positioned so that they are aligned when viewed by the archer in the shooting position . the benefit of vertical aligned pins is discussed , for example , in u . s . pat . no . 6 , 418 , 633 , which is incorporated herein by reference . preferably , when multiple vertical pins are aligned , the archer is able to view the sight point of each pin , but only views the widest pin . though only vertical pins are shown in the figures , non - vertical pin arrangements in accordance with the present disclosure are also possible . for example , the pins can be horizontal meaning , when viewed by the archer in the shooting position , pins 120 extend from the left or right side of support housing 110 into the field of view . in such an embodiment , the horizontal pins can be housed in vertical slots to allow for vertical adjustment and the vertical slots can be slidably engaged with horizontal slots to allow for front to back adjustment of the pins without effecting the vertical position of the pins . as stated above , pins 120 are preferably movably attached to sight window 130 , although in some embodiments , the entire pin 120 is not moveable and only the sight points 122 are moveable in relation to sight window 130 . in the embodiment illustrated in fig2 and 3 , pins 120 are held by structure 150 . structure 150 includes various features that provide for vertical and front to back ( horizontal ) adjustment of sight points 122 of pins 120 . in the embodiment shown in fig3 , the vertical adjustment determines the distance vs shown as the distance between the sight point 122 and the bottom or lower portion of the sight window 130 . still referring to fig2 and 3 , front to back , adjustment is accomplished via a configuration that moves sight points 122 towards or away from the target . one embodiment for a front to back adjustment configuration includes sliders 125 housed within a slider casing 135 . sliders 125 and casing 135 allow front to back adjustment of pins 120 in relation to sight window 130 ; that is , sliders 125 and casing 135 allow pins 120 to be moved farther from and closer to the archer . each pin 120 is attached to a slider 125 , which is movable within slider casing 135 . a set screw , locking cam , or other such mechanism can be used to move and lock slider 125 and pin 120 in relation to casing 135 . access to the locking mechanism can be gained through a slot or other structure in casing 135 . that is , the front to back position of sight point 122 is adjusted so that the sight point 122 corresponds to a set target distance ( for example , 20 yards ) whether shooting flat or angled . to use bow sight 100 , an archer would first mount bow sight 100 onto bow handle 25 via mounting brackets 115 . the shortest yardage pin ( typically a 20 yard pin ) is moved up or down in the transverse height direction to provide accurate targeting when the sight point 122 is aligned with a target at roughly the same elevation as the shooter . sight window 130 can be locked in relation to housing support structure 110 for convenience while making this adjustment . after positioning sight point 122 while on flat ground , the transverse height position of pin 120 need not be loosened or adjusted again . once positioned , any locking mechanism is unlocked so that sight window 130 is free to pivot around axis 140 in relation to support structure 110 and bow handle 25 . the bow sight is then targeted on an object positioned on a slope , typically a downward slope . a downward slope of 30 to 45 degrees is typical for shooting from a tree stand . angling the bow 10 down will cause sight window 130 to swing down and away from the archer . to target the bow on a slope , the sight point 122 is adjusted by moving the sight pin 120 towards or away from a target using slider 125 in casing 135 , while maintaining the verse height position of the sight point 122 . in other words , in the illustrated embodiment , the verse height position of sight point 122 relative to the sight window 130 does not changed when the sight point is moved towards or away from the target . in the illustrated embodiment , the entire pin 120 moves forward or backwards relative to the sight window 130 . it should be appreciated that numerous other front to back adjustment configurations are possible according to the disclosure . for example , in some embodiments slider 125 includes a discrete number of front to back locations that are constructed to receive or interlock with the pin 120 once it is adjusted in the transverse height direction . in other embodiments the slider includes a high friction material such as rubber that interfaces with the pins so that the pins can be adjusted by simply pushing them back and forth , yet they stay in place during ordinary use once initially set . in other embodiments the pins can include a spring loaded securing arrangement that holds the pins in place unless the shooter depresses the spring for adjustment . in should also be appreciated that in alternative embodiments , the sight point 122 need not be sighted in for one horizontal shot and one sloped or angled shot . for example , the sight point 122 can be sighted in for two different sloped or angled shots . transverse height adjustment of sight points 122 is accomplished via transverse height adjustment mechanism 160 ; in a preferred embodiment , transverse height adjustment of sight point 122 is accomplished by transverse height adjustment of pins 120 . transverse height adjustment mechanism 160 can be any structure that allows movement of and then locks sight point 122 in relation to structure 150 . examples of suitable mechanism 160 include setscrews , geared cams , worm gears , locking cams , and threads on the pins . example gear and cam arrangements are disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 6 , 418 , 633 , which was previously incorporated herein by reference . in other embodiments , the transverse height position of the sight points 122 can be achieved by moving the entire sight up or down relative to the bow handle . in embodiments where the vertical adjustment mechanism includes cams or gears , the cams or gears can be arranged such that they can be moved towards and away from the shooter to allow for front to back adjustment of the sight pins . one such arrangement would include mounting the cams or gears on a slide or track . referring to fig5 - 9 , an alternative embodiment of the sight according to the invention is shown . the bow sight 100 ′ includes a frame 110 ′ that defines a target viewing opening 116 through which a target can be viewed to visually frame the target for sighting . the frame 110 ′ includes a first frame member 114 including a front portion defining a full ring 120 , and a rear portion defining an upper partial ring 121 . the frame 110 ′ also includes a second frame member 134 in the form of a lower partial ring 132 pivotally connected to the upper partial ring 121 of the first frame member 114 . the upper partial ring 121 cooperates with the lower partial ring 132 to form a substantially full ring that substantially circles the target viewing opening 116 . the bow sight 100 ′ also includes a sight pin 112 carried by the lower partial ring 132 . the lower partial ring 132 is adapted to swing or pivot relative to the first frame member 114 in a pendulum - like manner when the bow sight 100 ′ is moved from a horizontal sight line to a downwardly angled sight line . as discussed above , this pivoting action functions to raise a sight point 126 of the sight pin 112 as the bow 10 is aimed downwardly to compensate for the downward angle of the bow 10 which otherwise can cause archers to shoot above their intended target location . the target viewing window opening 116 is relatively open so as to provide a relatively large and clear field of vision to facilitate aligning the target relative to the sight point 126 . the target viewing opening 116 in some embodiments is unobstructed such that it includes no structures therein that are not constructed to be visually helpful in properly aligning the sight point 126 with the target . unobstructed sight windows may , nonetheless , include the shaft 128 of a sight pin 112 and other structures for facilitating aiming a bow 10 such as a level 133 . in the embodiment shown , the frame 110 ′ defines a generally circular and visually continuous target viewing opening 116 . in addition , the frame 110 ′ and the target viewing opening 116 include a ratio of the maximum width of the frame 110 ′ ( fmax ) to the maximum width of the target viewing opening 116 ( smax ) that is no more than 1 . 5 . with such a ratio the frame 110 ′ and the target viewing opening 116 are relatively close in size . in the embodiment shown , the frame surrounds the sight point 126 to protect it from external impact . as shown in fig7 - 9 , the first frame member 114 defines a notched out back portion 136 that is shaped to nest the lower partial ring 132 . the lower partial ring 132 is pivotally attached below the partial ring 121 of the first frame member 114 and behind a front lower portion 135 of the first frame member 114 . the lower partial ring 132 is oriented behind the first frame member 114 such that at least a portion of the lower partial ring 132 is hidden from a front view when an archer peers through the target viewing opening 116 from the front side of the bow sight 100 ′. in other words , the arrangement of the frame member 114 and the lower partial ring 132 can be coaxial , which provides a visually clean low profile appearance . in certain embodiments a majority or substantially all of the ring 132 is hidden behind the first frame member 114 at least when the bow sight 100 ′ is sighted along a horizontal sight line . such an arrangement avoids obstructing the target viewing opening 116 . also , in the embodiment shown , the notched out back portion 136 is sized such that the back surface 117 of the bow sight 100 ′ is in a single vertical plane when the sight 100 ′ is sighted along a horizontal sight line . the second frame member 134 can be u - shaped in that it includes two opposed connected arms 142 . in the embodiments shown , the arms 142 define a generally semi - circular shape . the arms 142 are positioned to straddle the exterior of the upper partial ring 121 . the two arms 142 can include pivot pins 146 , such as screw , for attachment of the second frame member 134 to the upper partial ring 121 . the pivot pins 146 define a pivot axis pa of the second frame member 134 . the pivot axis pa preferably is oriented to intersect the target viewing opening 116 . however , as discussed above , it is preferred for the target viewing opening 116 to be substantially free of obstructions . therefore , while the pivot axis pa intersects the target viewing opening 116 , it is preferred that no portion of the pivot pins 146 substantially projects into or across the target viewing opening 116 . the support frame 110 ′ can also include one or more stops 154 , which limit the range of motion of the second frame member 134 relative to the first frame member 114 . in the embodiment shown , the stops are shown as bosses . in addition to the stops 154 , the bow sight 100 ′ includes a locking mechanism for limiting the range of pivotal movement of the second frame member 134 relative to the first frame member 114 , and for selectively locking the second frame member 134 in the position of fig5 . though possible , the locking mechanism 160 need not totally prevent the sight pin 112 from moving relative to the support frame 110 ′. the locking mechanism can include a fastener such as a set screw that threads downwardly through a vertical tapped hole defined by the upper partial ring 121 . the tapped hole passes through a downwardly facing surface 138 of the upper partial ring 121 . the downwardly facing surface 138 opposes an upwardly facing surface 152 defined by a shoulder of the lower partial ring 132 . the downwardly facing lower surface 138 is radiused to prevent interference with the pivoting motion of the lower partial ring 132 . referring to fig5 - 9 , the sight pin 112 and sight point 126 , which the archer uses for targeting an object , are shown . sight point 126 may be integral with sight pin 112 or be a separate piece from the sight pins 112 . sight points 126 can be circular shapes , other geometrical shapes , colored dots , reflective structures , the end of an optical fiber 166 or other light emitting structures , or simply the end of sight pin 112 . the sight point 126 is preferably an optical sight point defined by the end of a light collecting member such as an optical fiber 166 . in such embodiments , the end of the fiber optic cable 166 is secured to the free end of a relatively rigid supporting pin 112 to act as a sight point 126 . since the optical fiber 166 collects light along its length , to maximize the brightness of the sight point , it is desired to provide an increased length of optical fiber 166 . to increase the length of optical fiber 166 , the optical fiber 166 extends downwardly from the sight point 126 along the back side of the pin 112 and is wrapped multiple times about the exterior of the hub 168 . fig5 schematically shows the optical fiber 166 wrapped about the hub 168 . a transparent protective sleeve ( not shown ) can be mounted over the hub 168 to hold the wraps of optical fiber in place . a weight 190 can also be attached to the hub to enhance pivoting of the second frame member 134 . the sight can also include a slide arrangement 170 supported on the second frame member 134 . the slide arrangement 170 includes a block 174 slidably mounted within a track 171 that extends in a front - to - back direction . the pin 112 is mounted to the block 174 such that the front - to - back position of the pin 112 can be adjusted by sliding the block 174 forwardly or rearwardly within the track 171 . a first set screw 172 ( see fig9 ) is used to clamp the block 174 at a desired front - to - back position along the track 171 . the set screw 172 extends through a front - to - back extending slot 173 in a first side wall of the track 171 and is threaded in a tapped hole within the block 174 . by tightening the set screw 172 , the block 174 is clamped against the first side wall of the track to secure the block at the desired position along the length of the track 171 . in the event the hub 168 is used as a wrap to increase sight point brightness , slack fiber can be provided between the hub 168 and the pin to accommodate movement of the block 174 . alternatively , the hub 168 can be configured to move with the block . the block 174 can be also constructed to receive a second set screw 175 ( see fig9 ) for engaging the base of the pin 112 for setting the transverse height position of the pin 112 . the set screw 175 is threaded within a tapped hole defined by the block 174 . the head of the screw 174 is positioned within a front - to - back slot defined by a second side wall of the track 171 . by tightening the screw 175 , the pin 112 is clamped in place relative to the block 174 with the sight point at a desired height . by loosening the screw 175 , the pin 112 can be raised or lowered relative to the block to adjust the height of the sight point . the slider arrangement 170 could include many alternative features for enabling the sight pin 112 to be conveniently adjusted along the track 171 . for example , the slider arrangement 170 could include a spring loaded mechanism instead of a first set screw 172 so that the sight pin 112 can be adjusted with one &# 39 ; s fingers without the need to use any tools . alternative mechanisms for setting the transverse height of the pin 112 are also available . for example , the pins 112 can be constructed of multiple parts that telescope to allow for adjustment in the transverse height direction . also , the pins 112 can be simply bent forward or backwards for the transverse height adjustment . in other embodiments , the pins 112 can be threaded into the block 174 and can be moved upward or downward by twisting the pins 112 . yet in other embodiments the transverse height of the pin 112 can be adjusted by moving the entire sight using a gear mechanisms such as the type disclosed in u . s . patent application ser . no . 10 / 661 , 918 incorporated herein by reference in its entirety . the disclosure is also directed to a method of assembling the bow sight 100 ′ that includes at least the steps of providing a lower partial ring 132 and a frame member 114 and coupling the lower partial ring 132 to the frame member 114 such that the lower partial ring 132 and the frame member 114 define an unobstructed sight window and the ring is pivotally movable with respect to the frame . support structure 110 may include a dampening system to reduce vibration caused when bowstring 40 is released . an example of a suitable dampening system includes a material that is softer than the material that makes up the part of the bow handle 25 to which the device is directly attached , such that the dampening system at least partially absorbs the vibrations caused by the release of bowstring 40 when shooting an arrow . dampening systems are described , for example , in u . s . pat . no . 6 , 418 , 633 , which is incorporated herein by reference . the materials for bow sight 100 can include metals ( e . g ., aluminum , steel , brass ), plastics ( e . g ., polycarbonate , acrylics ), and ceramics and composite materials . such materials can be used for any of support structure 110 , mounting bracket 115 , sight window 130 , and any other portion of bow sight 100 . pins 120 are preferably a rigid material , such as metal . any or all of these pieces may include a coating thereon . in the depicted embodiment , the rings have generally circular shapes . however , as defined herein , the term “ ring ” is not limited to circular shapes . to the contrary , square rings , oval rings , and other shapes suitable for framing a target viewing opening are included within the definition of ring . the term “ viewing opening ” includes fully enclosed openings as well as partially enclosed openings such as u - shaped openings ( e . g ., openings with closed bottoms and sides and opened tops ) as well as other partially enclosed openings . as used herein , a full ring means a ring that forms an endless boundary about the target viewing opening 116 . a substantially full ring means a ring that forms a boundary that surrounds at least 75 % of the target viewing opening 116 . a partial ring means a member that forms a boundary that surrounds less than 75 % of the target viewing opening 116 . a “ half ring ” means a member that forms a boundary that surrounds approximately 50 % of the target viewing opening 116 . structures through which a target can be viewed can be referred to as target viewing channels , sighting openings , sight windows , or like terms . structures for supporting a sight pin , such as the lower partial ring 132 , can be referred to as pin supports , pin support members , sight point supports or sight pin support members . structures capable of swinging about a pivot can be referred to as pivot members , pendulum members , pendulums , or like terms . structures capable of protecting pins can be referred to as cages , protective members , shielding members or like terms . the above specification and examples provide a complete description of the manufacture and use of the invention . it is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural changes may be made without departing from the present invention . although a bow sight has been described , the details of this invention can be incorporated into other projecting shooting applications and systems , such as sights for rifles and shotguns . since many embodiments of the invention can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention , the invention resides in the claims hereinafter appended . | 5 |
referring now in detail to the drawings and initially primarily to fig2 - 4 , a starter motor for an internal combustion engine ( not shown ) is indicated generally by the reference numeral 11 . the starter motor 11 is comprised of a stator 12 formed of a cylindrical yoke 13 and four permanent magnets 14 , of arc - shaped cross section ; bonded on the inside surface of the yoke . the permanent magnets 14 are preferably formed from a neodymium ( nd )- based magnetic material that is magnetized after being bonded to the yoke 13 . an armature or rotor , indicated generally at 15 rotatably mounted inside the stator 12 in a manner to be described shortly . the armature 15 is comprised of a core 16 facing the magnets 14 and fixed to a starter motor output shaft 17 . a commutator 18 is fixed adjacent to the core 16 on one end of the starter motor output shaft 17 . the core 16 , as shown in fig2 and 3 , is formed of a plurality of radially disposed core teeth 19 . in the illustrated embodiment there are 14 core teeth 19 . electrical coils ( not shown ) are wound around the core pieces 19 . the commutator 18 is formed of a plurality of contact pieces 21 corresponding in number to the core pieces 19 and that are electrically connected to the coil ends , as is well known in the art . two sets of two brushes 22 and 23 ( fig4 ) held by respective brush holders 24 and 25 are juxtaposed to the commutator 18 at its outside circumference . the brushes 22 and 23 are pressed against the contact pieces 21 of the commutator 18 by coil springs 26 . fitted to the opposite ends sides of the cylindrical yoke 13 are a front cover 27 ( fig2 ) covering the left side of the yoke 13 as seen in the figure and a rear cover 28 covering the right side of the yoke . on the figure , collectively forming , with the yoke 13 , a motor case indicated generally by the reference numeral 29 . the starter motor output shaft 17 is journalled for rotation on the front cover 27 and the rear cover 28 , respectively by bearings 31 . on the rear cover 28 ( fig2 and 4 ) is provided a positive terminal 32 for power supply from the positive electrode of a battery ( described later by reference to fig5 mounted on the vehicle . the positive terminal 32 is suitably connected to the brushes 22 on the positive electrode side . the brushes 23 on the negative electrode side ( ground side ) are connected to the end closure 28 by grounding fasteners 33 . the motor case 29 is grounded to the associated engine by a mounting bracket 34 that fixes the starter motor 11 to the engine thus acting as a negative terminal . on the front cover 27 is mounted an oil seal 35 ( fig2 ) for preventing ingress of oil into the motor case 29 from the associated engine , and an o - ring 36 for sealing the mounting portion to the engine . on the starter motor output shaft 17 at the engine side end is provided a pinion gear 37 meshing with an flywheel gear ( not shown ) to rotate the engine shaft for starting . some form of one way device such as a one way clutch is provided in this connection to permit the engine shaft from driving the starter motor once the engine has started to run under its own power , as is well known in this art . inside the rear cover 28 covering the commutator 18 at the end of the starter motor output shaft 17 is fixed a disk - like brush carrier 38 . the brush holders 24 and 25 are affixed to the brush carrier 38 at four positions spaced radially at right angles to hold the opposing two positive electrode brushes 22 and opposing two negative electrode ( grounding ) brushes 23 . as has been noted , the brushes 22 , 23 are biased radially inwardly toward the commutator 18 by the coil springs 26 . the positive electrode brushes 22 are connected to the positive terminal 32 , and the negative electrode brushes 23 to the negative ( grounding ) terminal 34 . referring now to fig4 this shows a first embodiment for reducing unusual noise measures in accordance with the present invention . this embodiment is one of several that will be described and reduces the noise by reducing the cogging torque , particularly when the electrical power to the windings is discontinued on starting of the related engine . this figure is a developed view of the radial core 16 . in this embodiment each pole tooth 19 of the core 16 is formed on the skew relative to the rotational axis c of the rotor shaft 17 . such a skew arrangement is easily formed by laminating radial shaped thin iron sheets 39 constituting the core 16 and by slightly displacing the each of them to the rotating direction in the lamination . thereby , the pole surfaces 41 which face the permanent magnets 14 are formed on the skew resulting in a parallelogram shape . thus the slot entries 42 formed between the teeth 19 are skewed to the shaft axis c . with such a constitution , pull - in force of the magnets 14 gradually acts along the skewed side edge of the pole tooth 19 , so that cogging action is dispersed and generated gradually . as a result , the cogging is reduced , and the generation of unusual noise is reduced . [ 0038 ] fig5 shows another embodiment for reducing unusual noise by - reducing the cogging torque in accordance with the present invention . the drawing shows a developed view of the magnets 14 of the stator 12 . this embodiment is adapted to skew the magnetizing direction of each magnet 14 . each of the four magnets 14 is disposed in the circumferential direction at a radial spacing of 90 degrees . the dividing line 43 between the magnets 14 is parallel to the shaft axis c . each magnet 14 is skewed and magnetized in the same direction as shown with broken lines . in this embodiment , the pole surface 41 on the core side is , as shown in fig1 parallel to the shaft center c without skewing . thus , by skewing the magnetizing direction of the magnet 14 , the pull - in force of the magnets 14 acts on the core with gradually displacing to the axial direction , so that the cogging action is reduced , and the generation of the unusual noise due to the cogging can be reduced . in this embodiment , it is not necessary to skew the core teeth 19 , so that the assembling work of the core or a coil winding work will not become complicated . [ 0040 ] fig7 shows still another embodiment for unusual noise measures relating to the present invention by reducing the cogging force . in this embodiment the four pieces of the magnets , here indicated at 44 , are of a parallelogram shape . the magnetizing direction is parallel to the shaft axis c as shown by the broken lines . the dividing line 45 between the side edges of the magnets 44 is a skewed straight line to the shaft axis c . thus , by skewing the shape of the magnets 44 to be parallelograms , the pull - in force of the magnet on the core gradually acts with displacing to the axial direction , so that the cogging action is dispersed , and the generation of the unusual noise due to the cogging can be reduced . [ 0042 ] fig8 shows yet another embodiment for unusual noise measures relating to the present invention by reducing the cogging force . this embodiment is adapted to curve and form the side edge of the magnets , indicated here as 51 to be arc - shaped . alternate magnets 51 have convex sides 52 and concave sides 53 to form arcuate slots 54 of uniform thickness between them . thus , by curving and forming the side edge 52 and 53 of the magnets 51 , the pull - in force of the magnet on the core gradually acts with displacing to the axial direction , so that the cogging action is dispersed , and the generation of the unusual noise due to the cogging can be reduced . if the magnet shape is skewed or curved , the cogging action gradually acts with displacing to the axial direction as described above , and thrust force generates along with the displacement in the axial direction . in this case , the present embodiment has a symmetric shape where the dividing line 54 at a magnet boundary part is folded about the center of the axial direction , so that thrust force is canceled out each other on the both sides of the center in the axial direction , and smooth rotational movement can be obtained . [ 0044 ] fig9 and 10 show two other embodiment for unusual noise measures relating to the present invention by reducing the cogging force . in these embodiment this is done by divide the four circumferentially spaced magnets in an axial direction and shift these segments relative to each other in a circumferential direction . the shifted segments overlap circumferentially . this provides an effect similar to the embodiment of fig7 . in the embodiment of fig9 each magnet pole , indicated here at 61 is divided into two axially and circumferentially spaced segments 62 and 63 . these segments overlap in the circumferential direction . in the embodiment of fig1 each of magnets , indicated as 71 is divided into five axially and circumferentially spaced magnet segments 72 , 73 , 74 , 75 and 76 . this provides a result similar to that of fig8 . thus , by dividing each of the magnets 61 and 71 in the axial direction and displacing the segments in the circumferential direction , when the motor rotates the pull - in force of the magnet is divided and acts with a time lag , so that the cogging action is dispersed , and the generation of the unusual noise due to the cogging can be reduced . in each of the embodiments described thus far , the unusual noise has been abated by reducing or smoothing out the cogging torque . next will be described two embodiments as shown in fig1 and 12 wherein these noises are reduced by rigidifying the overall housing assembly of the starter motor , indicated generally in these figures by the reference numeral 81 . these embodiments are adapted to improve the rigidity of the starter motor 81 to reduce resonance from the cogging . the motor 81 , itself may also employ any of the previous embodiments for reducing cogging in addition to the rigidifying structures now to be described . generally , the construction of the motor 81 in each embodiment is the same as that already described by reference to fig2 through 4 . therefore , the external components of the motor 81 as illustrated as well as the starter shaft are identified by the same reference numerals as those previously employed . that is , the starter motor 81 includes an outer case 29 comprised of the stator shell 13 to which the end closures 27 and 28 are affixed and in which the starter motor shaft 17 is journalled in the manner as aforedescribed . in the embodiment of fig1 , a mounting bracket 82 is welded and integrated with the yoke 13 of the motor casing 13 . this bracket 82 is utilized to attach the starter motor 81 to be secured to the vehicle body frame or engine ( not shown ). thus , by welding and integrating the bracket 82 to the motor body 13 , specifically the yoke 13 in this embodiment the rigidity of the casing body 13 increases . thus vibration caused by the cogging is reduced and the generation of the unusual noise due to the cogging is reduced . furthermore , since the starter motor mounting bracket 82 is not fixed directly to either the front cover 27 or the rear cover 28 their constructions are simplified . [ 0051 ] fig1 shows an embodiment utilizing rigidifying the motor housing 29 employing a conventional starter motor mounting bracket 91 attached to or integral with one of the end closures , the rear one 28 in the illustrated embodiment . a pressing bracket 92 is secured to the front cover 27 and the rear cover 28 by attaching screws 93 . this pressing bracket 92 abuts against the motor body 29 and specifically the yoke 13 . thus the rigidity of the motor body 29 is increased and vibration caused by the cogging is reduced . therefore the generation of the unusual noise due to the cogging is reduced . thus it should be readily apparent that the described apparatus achieves the goals set out above in a low cost and highly effective manner . of course those skilled in the art will understand that the embodiments described are only a preferred embodiments of the invention and various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention , as defined by the appended claims . | 7 |
fig1 shows one embodiment of the system of the present invention . the system comprises an input unit 101 , a processing unit 102 , a storage unit 103 , and an output unit 104 . a user could enter several information data to the processing unit 102 for calculating by the input unit 101 . the information data are some parameters of pcb , such as type of pcb , types of top layer , thickness of copper foil , numbers of signal layer , numbers of power layer , and total thickness and line - width of pcb etc . the input unit 101 comprises an input user interface of software comprising programs written by java programmable language . the processing unit 102 includes at least one processor and one memory to load and execute program code . all current parameters of pcb are stored in the storage unit 103 which connects the processing unit 102 . therefore , the current parameters related to the input parameters in the storage unit 103 are selected to processing unit 102 for calculation after the input parameters information data of the pcb are inputted . after data are calculated by the processing unit 102 , the result of stacked pattern of pcb would be outputted by the output unit 104 and be displayed . moreover , the result could be outputted and displayed on the same user interface of input interface of software by the output unit 104 . fig2 shows a flowchart of one embodiment of the method of designing stacked pattern of pcb of the present invention . an embodiment accompanying fig3 ˜ 7 is used to describe the method in fig2 . the method comprises the following steps . first of all , in step s 201 , information data of stacked pattern are inputted into user interface of software . nest , in step s 202 , initial solution sets of stacked pattern are generated . then , in step s 203 , duplications of the initial solution sets of stacked pattern are generated according to a fitness function . afterward , in step s 204 , crossover of the duplications of stacked pattern is performed at random . then , in step s 205 , mutations are executed by a probability at random . finally , in step s 206 , identification is performed to check if the solution approaches the standard of demand , and in step s 207 , the result of stacked pattern is shown . otherwise , operational step jumps to duplicate step and repeats above steps until satisfying solution is obtained . moreover , the processes mentioned above could be executed in a computer - readable medium . in step s 201 , information data of stacked pattern are inputted into user interface of software . in this embodiment , the user interfaces of software are shown in fig3 and fig4 . fig3 shows the input user interface of automatic stack mode , wherein the automatic stack mode means that the type of stacked pattern is not needed to be assigned . fig4 shows the input interface of assigned stack mode . the information data of stacked pattern of pcb include some parameters , such as automatic modifying setting of line - width , pcb manufacturer , material of top layer , type of pcb , type of top layer , thickness of copper foil , numbers of signal layer , numbers of power layer , line - width , and total thickness of stacked pattern etc . these information data are provided to the processing system for calculation by using the user interface of software as shown in fig3 . the result of stacked pattern is obtained and displayed after calculation . moreover , the result of stacked pattern is displayed by a form , such as sgppgs , wherein the symbol s means signal layer , the symbol g means ground layer , and the symbol p means power layer . moreover , the user interface of software could be a graphic user interface , which comprises a display device and a selection device . the display device is used to display the information data of stacked pattern of demanded pcb entered by user and the result of stacked pattern of pcb . the selection device could provide a drop - down menu for user to select . here , fig3 shows the user interface of the automatic stack mode of this embodiment of the present invention . the automatic modifying setting of line - width could be selected by selecting symbols yes or no , and the pcb manufacturers also could be selected . the purpose of selection of pcb manufacturers is to choose the current specifications of pcbs of the selected pcb manufacturer from database by this system . material of top layer also could be selected by selecting symbols of yes or no in this embodiment , wherein the selected material is polypropylene ( pp ) if the symbol yes is selected . otherwise , if the symbol no is selected , the material of top layer would be epoxy - glass composite ( fr4 ) automatically . moreover , the type of pcb could be selected by selecting probe card ( p / c ), load board ( l / c ), or dut board ( d / b ). the type of top layer could be selected by selecting signal layer s , power layer p , or ground layer g . moreover , user need to enter some parameters , such as thickness of copper foil , numbers of signal layer , numbers of power layer , line - width , and total thickness of stacked pattern . for example , in fig3 , the value of the thickness of copper foil is 1 oz , the number of signal layer is 2 , the number of power layer is 2 , the value of line - width is 8 mils ( 1 mil = 0 . 0254 mm ), and the value of total thickness of stacked pattern is 122 mils . after all parameters are entered , the input process is done . in step s 202 , initial solution sets of stacked pattern are generated according to the information data . if the thicknesses of pp types of pcb provided by a pcb manufacturer has n types , such as { p 1 , p 2 , . . . , pn }, and the thicknesses of fr4 also has n types , such as { f 1 , f 2 , . . . , fn }. the result of stacked pattern would be sgppgs , which is constructed with several different polypropylene p layers and several different epoxy - glass composite f layers . as the numbers of demand stacked pattern is m , the initial solution sets of stacked pattern generated would be m sets , as shown in fig5 . the stacked pattern of stack 1 is p 1 f 3 p 3 f 2 p 1 , and the stacked pattern of stack 2 is p 4 f 1 p 7 f 2 p 3 and there are m sets of stacked pattern generated by the system selecting several different pp layers and fr4 layers from pcb manufacturer to construct the stacked pattern of pcb . in this step , the generated initial solution sets of stacked pattern are only conformed for the limitation of forms of stacked pattern and pcb manufacturer . other parameters still are not considered , such as type of pcb , thickness of copper foil , line - width , and total thickness of stacked pattern . in step s 203 , the duplications of the initial solution sets of stacked pattern are reproduced according to a fitness function . in this step , a calculating process is used to determine the numbers of offsprings , which need to be eliminated or which need to be reproduced all according to the fitness of species in genetic algorithm . in this embodiment , the fitness function may be f ( x )= 1 /[( thickness of demand minus total thickness of stacked pattern )+ 1 ]. if the thickness of demand equals to the thickness of stacked pattern , the highest value of the fitness function would be 1 . the fitness functions of m sets of stacked pattern can be calculated to obtain the fitness functions f 1 , f 2 , . . . , fm , and the expected value of the offspring is fi /( f 1 + f 2 + . . . + fm ). therefore , the number of reproduced stack could be determined by that the expected value of the offspring multiplying by m , as shown in fig6 . for example , the fitness function of reproduced stack 1 is calculated by f ( 1 )= 1 /[ thickness of demand minus thickness of stack 1 ] and expressed by symbol f 1 . the value of the thickness of stack 1 is got by summing p 1 , f 3 , p 3 , f 2 , and p 1 . then , the numbers of reproduced stack 1 is calculated by the expected value of the stack 1 , f 1 /( f 1 + f 2 + . . . + fm ), multiplying by m . in fig6 , the number of the reproduced stack 1 is a solution sets . the total numbers of reproduction of stack still are m , which are calculated by summing all numbers of each stack , and the expression is shown as [ f 1 /( f 1 + f 2 + . . . + fm )] m +[ f 2 /( f 1 + f 2 + . . . + fm )] m + . . . +[ fm /( f 1 + f 2 + . . . + fm )] m = m . then , the reproduction process is finished . however , the numbers of stack still are the same after the reproduction process , but the rate of matched stack is raise . therefore , even if the first offspring doesn &# 39 ; t reach the standard of demand , the second offspring could more approach to the standard of demand . in step s 204 , crossover of the duplications of stacked pattern is performed at random . this step is crossover process . the crossover point is found from the duplications of the initial solution sets of stacked pattern at random , and crossover of the duplications of stacked pattern is performed for generating offspring . for example , the selected parent stacked patterns are stack 1 and stack 2 , as shown in fig7 . the stacked pattern of stack 1 is p 1 f 3 p 3 f 2 p 1 and stack 2 is p 1 f 3 p 7 f 2 p 3 . if the crossover point is 2 selected at random , the stacked pattern of offspring would be p 1 f 3 p 7 f 2 p 3 . it is kept p 1 f 3 of stack 1 and p 7 f 2 p 3 of stack 2 in the stacked pattern of offspring . even crossover process is performed m times , as long as only one offspring is generated by crossover process each time , the number of stacked pattern of offspring still is m . the offspring of stacked pattern has different characteristics from the parent stacked pattern after crossover process . therefore , the stacked pattern after crossover process could more match the stacked pattern of demand . in step s 205 , mutations are executed by a probability at random and the result of stacked pattern is obtained . this step is mutation process . the purpose of mutation process is to avoid that some useful parameters of pcb would be lost during the reproduction process or crossover process . the lost useful parameters of pcb could be restored by the mutation process . one layer of the stacked pattern could be changed at random by mutation process . for example , the stacked pattern p 2 f 3 p 7 f 2 p 3 is more conformed for the demand stacked pattern than the stacked pattern p 1 f 3 p 7 f 2 p 3 , but the parameter p 2 is lost during the reproduction process or crossover process . if the mutation process is happened , the first layer of stacked pattern p 1 f 3 p 7 f 2 p 3 is changed into p 2 . the stacked pattern p 1 f 3 p 7 f 2 p 3 is mutated to being stacked pattern p 2 f 3 p 7 f 2 p 2 , which is more similar to the demand stacked pattern . however , the mutation process is happened at random , in the other word , the mutation process would happen uncertainly . in step s 206 , identification is performed to check if the solution approaches the standard of demand . if the result of stacked pattern is reached the standard of demand , the step s 207 would be happened that the result of stacked pattern is displayed . otherwise , the result of stacked pattern is not reached the standard of demand , the steps s 203 ˜ s 206 would be repeated by system for generating offspring . in this embodiment , the standard of demand is determined by the information data of demand stacked pattern of pcb , such as automatic modifying setting of line - width , material of top layer , type of pcb , type of top layer , thickness of copper foil , numbers of signal layer s , numbers of power layer p , line - width , and total thickness of stacked pattern etc . in fig3 , the information data is entered as line - width could be modified automatic , material of top layer is selected as pp , type of pcb is selected as probe card , type of top layer is selected as signal layer s , the value of the thickness of copper foil is entered as 1 oz , the number of signal layer is entered as 2 , the number of power layer is entered as 2 , the value of line - width is entered as 8 mils , and the value of total thickness of stacked pattern is entered as 122 mils . then , the calculated result of stacked pattern would be displayed on the below area of the same user interface of software . in fig3 , the total thickness of stacked pattern after calculating is 124 . 1 mils , which has 4 . 1 % error to 122 mils , the total thickness of demand . however , if the error of the result is smaller than 5 % which is the required ranges of standard of demand , the standard of demand is reached and the result would be displayed . therefore , the percentage of error of the result is 4 . 1 % which still reach the standard of demand , and the result of stacked pattern is displayed on the same interface of software for reference . the result of stacked pattern is that the total thickness of stacked pattern is 124 . 1 mils , difference ( thickness of demand minus thickness of stacked pattern ) is 4 . 9 mils , the error is − 4 . 11 %, the line - width of stacked pattern is 8 mils , material of top layer is pp , thickness of top layer is 4 . 8 mils , material of second layer is fr4 , thickness of second layer is 47 . 9 mils , material of third layer is pp , thickness of third layer is 5 . 5 mils , material of forth layer is fr4 , thickness of forth layer is 62 . 0 mils , material of fifth layer is pp , and thickness of fifth layer is 4 . 8 mils etc . moreover , the illustration of result of stacked pattern would be displayed on the up right area of the interface of software for reference . in the area , the correct value of thickness is shown . but , the size of illustration is not the real size of the thickness of stacked pattern . the process of the method of the present invention could be described more clearly after combining all steps mentioned above . first of all , user could enter the information data such as type of pcb , material of top layer , thickness of copper coil , numbers of signal layer , numbers of power layer , line - width , and total thickness of stacked pattern to the system . because the system is stored all parameters of pcb that pcb manufacturers provided , a plurality of arrangement combination are generated by the system selecting the parameters of the database which depend on the information data from the user . these are initial solution sets of stacked pattern in step s 202 . then , numbers of duplications of the initial solution sets of stacked pattern are determined by this system depending on the fitness of solution sets of stacked pattern , and the required parameter is thickness of stacked pattern in this embodiment . after the reproduction process s 203 finished , crossover of the duplications of stacked pattern is performed at random , wherein the crossover points are also selected at random by system . this is crossover process s 204 . next , the mutation process s 205 happens at random . this means whether the mutation process happens or not is determined at random by system . the mutation process is that one layer of stacked pattern is changed at random by system . the advantage of the mutation process is that the stacked pattern of pcb after mutation process would be generated which more approaches to the stacked pattern of demand than the original stacked pattern . even the results of stacked pattern are not reached the standard of demand at first time , but the results of stacked pattern could be the initial populations of the second time . therefore , the results of stacked pattern generated at second time would more approach to the fitness function than the stacked pattern at first time . this is the advantage of the system using genetic algorithm of the present invention . the step s 206 is that identification is performed to check if the solution approaches the standard of demand . if the result is reached the standard of demand , the final step s 207 that the result of stacked pattern is displayed would be performed for reference , as shown in fig7 . otherwise , the results of stacked pattern don &# 39 ; t reach the standard of demand , the results of stacked pattern would be the initial solution sets of stacked pattern in reproduction process s 203 . then , the processes would be repeated by system for generating the offspring , until the results of stacked pattern reach the standard of demand . fig4 shows assigned stack mode of the embodiment of the present invention . this mode is that a specify form of stacked pattern such as sggs is assigned by user . if a user uses the automatic stack mode to calculate , the result of stacked pattern is probably not sggs even all the information data are matched . in this condition , the user could choose the assigned stack mode and assign the form of stacked pattern to be sggs , therefore , the result of stacked pattern must be the form of sggs and match the information data . fig8 shows the calculated result using the stacked pattern design system of the present invention . in fig8 , the result of stacked pattern is got by entering the information data for calculating , which the information data comprise that the demand number of signal layer is 7 , the demand number of power layer is 2 , the thickness of stacked pattern is 143 mils , the value of line - width is 8 mils , the type of pcb is load board , the type of top layer is signal layer and thickness of copper foil is 1 oz . it &# 39 ; s easy to see the result of stacked pattern in fig8 which has seven signal layer and two power layer that match the information data . the total thickness of stacked pattern is 142 . 9 mils and error is 0 . 07 %. because the error is smaller than 5 %, the result of stacked pattern reaches the standard of demand and outputted to display for reference . thus , the most suitable stacked pattern of pcb could be found quickly by using the system of the present invention . only the user enters information data of stacked pattern of pcb , the best stacked pattern mode which match the information data would be displayed after a very short time . using the system to replace manual operation not only saves time and manpower , but also reduces time of designing pcb . moreover , when the structure of stacked pattern is complicated , using this system to find the suitable stacked pattern of pcb is more efficiency . the specific arrangements and methods herein are merely illustrative of the principles of this invention . numerous modifications in form and detail may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention . | 7 |
fig1 illustrates a high level view of the system . through a connectivity data network 2 , such as the internet or an internet , a multitude of audio conferencing service platforms 18 are utilized and managed by a common resource broker 17 . furthermore , users of the system as well as audio conference service providers access and use the system by interacting with the resource broker through the connectivity data network via client interface software such as a web browser user interface 10 . a provider of audio conference services makes a platform 18 available to the resource broker 17 . the platform 18 consists of an audio bridge component 16 , call manager software 15 and a web user interface 11 . the audio bridge could be based on an open programmable switch , a pbx , a cti ( computer telephony integration ) system , or other technologies performing bridging and conferencing functions . different service providers may use different technologies , thus yielding a heterogeneous system each audio bridge is managed by a software entity , referred to as a call manager 15 . the call manager interacts with the audio bridge 16 through a set of telephony application commands . since audio bridges may have different interface specifications , call managers are tailored to the specific audio bridge that they control . a homogeneous interface , however , has to be present to the layer above the call managers , i . e . the software component that is interacting with the various call managers needs to be independent of the audio bridging technology used . thus , a homogeneous interface ( tcp / ip network interface to the various call managers needs to be present . the combination of the call manager 15 and audio bridge is referred to as a conference service center 45 . see fig4 . service providers make information about their respective audio conference platforms available to the resource broker 17 via a web user interface 11 . an example template of such information is provided in fig2 . provided are service provider identification information 20 audio bridge availability 21 , audio bridge capacity 22 , and pricing information 23 . the resource broker balances the load on the available audio conference platforms based on certain criteria . such a criteria might take number of factors into consideration such as current and projected bridge availability , tariff structure , fairness to users and service providers , service location with respect to users , audio bridge features and capacity , and telephony connectivity technology . at the heart of the resource broker is a universal control manager 12 which implements the load balancing criterion . the universal control manager interacts with the multitude of call managers in the system and consults two database systems : a service provider profile database 13 and a user profile database 14 . the service provider profile database contains information about the various providers or conferencing services , such as name , location of service , billing , and attributes of platform . information as shown in fig2 is collected from user interface 11 . the user profile database contains information about users of the conferencing services , such as name , access , and accounting . such information is collected from the user interface as shown in fig3 . users access the system through a web user interface 10 . an example template of such information is provided in fig3 . provided are user identification information 30 , audio conference reservation 31 , telephone numbers of conferees 32 , and user preferences 33 . fig4 shows the connectivity of users 47 , audio conference service providers 42 , conference service centers 45 and resource brokers 17 . a service provider 42 is the owner of one or more conference service centers 45 which comprises an audio bridge 16 and call manager software 15 . the service provider 42 registers its resources with the resource broker 17 from a computer terminal via internet connection 422 . the users 47 also enter their requests for audio conference service from their computer terminals and transmit these requests to the resource broker via internet connections . when the time for audio conference comes , the resource broker sends a request for a conference to the call manager 15 of the selected conference service center 45 . the selection criteria is based on the user preferences 33 , audio bridge availability 21 , audio bridge capacity 22 and the price of the service 23 . for instance , the user may send a request to set up a conference among 10 participants every tuesday afternoon for an hour . the user may prefer a particular audio conference service provider or may request the service from a provider whose price is the lowest . the resource broker 17 selects the service provider that is most suitable to users request . once the call manager 15 of the service provider is invoked , the parties 40 that will participate in this audio conference are either called out or they call in the audio conference bridge to participate to the conference . the connection of a resource broker to the internet and its components are shown in fig5 . the resource broker 17 comprises a universal control manager 12 , a user profile database 14 , and service provider profile database 13 . moreover , the universal control manager comprises audio control manager 51 , optimization processor 52 and a request processor 56 . all the service requests that come from users and the registration requests that come from service providers are received and processed by the request processor 56 . the main function of a request processor is to receive and register the information into either service provider profile database or the user profile database . the service requests ( fig3 ) that come from users are registered into user profile database 14 , and the resource registration information ( fig2 ) that comes from the service providers is registered into the service provider profile database 13 . the request processor can be implemented as a multi - threaded process on the server machine that runs the resource broker . one thread is dedicated to listen to the internet for incoming requests 55 as a tcp / ip socket . incoming requests are then identified according to their types and passed to either the user profile or the service provider profile database . optimization processor 52 reads in the service requests from ( 531 ) the user profile database 14 and from ( 571 ) the service provider profile database . for every request , the optimization processor finds the best match among possibly more than one service providers . this can be implemented as follows . the service request for a conference contains information about the time , the number and possibly the locations of the conference participants as described in fig3 . first , all the service providers that are capable of satisfying this service request are identified based on their capacity and availability . then , the pricing information is obtained from the service provider profile database 13 . if the user &# 39 ; s preference is based on the price , the service provider who charges less for the service is selected . fig7 shows how the optimization processor 52 works . when a request is read 70 from the user profile data base 14 , the counter is set 71 and checked if there is any service provider available 73 . for every service provider 74 , it is checked if the request can be satisfied with the services of that provider 75 . if the request is satisfied then it is checked if the service provider makes a better offer than the previous one 76 . a provider is selected as the prospective candidate if it makes a better offer 77 than the previous ones . this iteration continues until all the service providers are compared . once the match is found the request to start or reserve a conference is sent ( 521 ) to the audio control manager 51 . the request contains information about the number , duration , date and time of the conference , the list of the participants and their telephone numbers , and the identification of the service provider . audio control manager 51 has means to connect ( 54 ) to the call managers 15 ( fig1 ) of conference service centers over the internet 44 . the network addresses of service providers are known to the audio control manager . as soon as the request message ( 521 ) is received from the optimization processor 52 , the audio control manager establishes a network connection with the call manager of the selected service provider and sends a request to setup a conference . for every request , the audio control manager establishes a network connection and exchanges data and commands with the call manager . hence , the audio control manager maintains as many connections with the service providers as the number of conferences . the conferencing commands , such as starting , closing , adding or dropping parties are sent from the audio control manager to the service providers . the service providers , on the other hand , send back acknowledgments to these requests . the audio control manager maintains a connection configuration for every conference service provider . this connection configuration can be implemented as a configuration file which contains all the connection information such as the ip addresses of the service providers , the port numbers , and the audio bridging platform that is used . the audio control manager maintains multiple connectivity options and for every request it establishes a connection based on the connectivity profile of the conference service provider . fig6 shows how the request processor 56 is implemented . the incoming request from internet are read by a tcp socket 60 and their header information is checked 61 . the header information shows whether the request is coming from a user or a service provider 62 . once the originator of the request is identified 63 - 64 , the information regarding the request is registered into the appropriate database 66 - 67 . | 7 |
referring generally to the drawings , there is shown a miniature , electrically - powered vehicle designated generally by the reference numeral 10 . the vehicle 10 is constructed to ride over the surface of a continuous track 12 ( see fig2 ) on its front wheels 14 and its rear or driving wheels 16 . electric power for the vehicle is provided by a pair of continous , parallel , electrical rails 18 ( see fig2 ) which are embedded in track 12 . the rails 18 may , if desired , protrude above track 12 . the rails 18 are made of a material which is attracted by a &# 34 ; magnetic &# 34 ; material , typically , but not limited to , steel . a pair of pick - up shoes 20 extend downwardly from the bottom of the vehicle 10 . the shoes 20 maintain sliding contact with the rails as the vehicle 10 moves along track 12 , thereby delivering electric power to the vehicle . track 12 also includes a continuous slot 15 therein ( see fig4 ) which is parallel to and between rails 18 . the slot 15 is intended to receive a guide pin 22 which extends downwardly from the front of the vehicle 10 . thus , the car 10 is steered through a course around the track as guide pin 22 moves along the slot 15 when the vehicle is propelled by wheels 16 . the vehicle 10 includes a supporting chassis 24 and a body 26 , of any desired configuration , which is fitted to the chassis . chassis 24 is , typically , made of a sturdy plastic material which is lightweight and non - magnetic . the chassis 24 includes a floor 28 and a number of vertical walls or wall components to which the other elements of the vehicle are mounted . in one embodiment , each of front wheels 14 is rotatably mounted on a separate and independent axle 30 which extends outwardly from the floor 28 at the front of the vehicle 10 . guide pin 22 is also mounted at the front of the vehicle between front wheels 14 by conventional means , e . g . a force fit in a slot in the front end of floor 28 . guide pin 22 also extends downwardly below chassis 24 and into the slot 15 in track 12 . the rear wheels 16 , which may be wider than the front wheels and fabricated of or covered with a suitable material having a high coefficient of friction , are secured to the opposite ends of a common rear axle 32 . a crown gear 11 is coaxially secured to axle 32 between the wheels 16 . axle 32 is journaled in parallel side walls 35 of vehicle 10 in suitable fashion . an electric motor is mounted in the chassis 24 and receives electric power from the power rails 18 through shoes 20 and drives wheels 16 to propel the miniature vehicle 10 around the track 12 . the electric motor includes an armature assembly 36 which forms the rotor of the electric motor and is coaxially mounted on drive shaft 38 which is oriented along the length of the vehicle 10 . drive shaft 38 terminates in a coaxially secured pinion 64 which meshes with crown gear 11 to transfer power to rear wheels 16 . drive shaft 38 is journaled in a pair of bearings 40 and 41 which are mounted , respectively , in walls 42 and 44 of chassis 24 . typically , the bearings 40 and 41 are made of brass to present low friction to the rotation of shaft 38 . as seen best in fig1 and 2 , each of bearings 40 and 41 includes a pair of rectangular flanges at its ends which restrain the bearing against axial movement . the bearings 40 and 41 are retained in vertical guideways or slots cut in walls 42 and 44 , respectively . the guideways are slightly narrower than the outside diameter of the respective bearing , but include a detent at the end of the guideways so that the bearings may be pressed down into the guideways and be retained in position therein . the armature assembly 36 includes a generally cylindrical core 46 which is , typically , comprised of a plurality of disk - like soft iron laminations ( as seen best in fig3 ). as best seen in fig4 the core 46 is partly cut away or slotted to form three core segments 46a . a separate winding 47 of insulated wire is wound on each of the core segments 46a in the conventional fashion for miniature electric motors . a segmented commutator 48 is coaxially mounted on shaft 38 between bearing 41 and armature 36 . the commutator 48 serves as an electrical contact for supplying electrical power to the windings 47 . thus , electrical power is provided from rails 18 to commutator 48 by means of contact shoes 20 and a pair of brush assemblies 49 which include brushes 50 . the brush assemblies 49 are mounted on floor 28 on either side of commutator 48 and the brush assemblies 49 are retained by means of spring clips 53 . spring clips 53 each have a first end 53a retained by a lug 55 protruding upwardly from chassis floor 28 . as seen best in fig3 a second end 53b of each clip 53 extends down through a hole 28a in floor 28 and is detachably coupled to a first end 20a of one of shoes 20 . each of shoes 20 extends towards the front of the vehicle and curves upward over a projection 28b of floor 28 as seen in fig1 and 2 . as best seen in fig1 the end 20b of each shoe 20 is bifurcated and curves downward and over projection 28b so that the bifurcation straddles the projection . a spring 51 disposed between the bottom of floor 28 and the top surface of contact shoe 20 keeps the shoe biased for continuous engagement with rail 18 whereby vehicle 10 is continually provided with electric power . the stationary or stator component of the electric motor comprises a pair of magnets 52 each mounted in a compartment of chassis 24 on either side of armature 36 . the compartments are substantially open at the bottom and at the side adjacent to the armature . this permits the magnets to extend through the floor of chassis 24 and to be in close proximity to rails 18 thereby providing an attractive force holding vehicle 10 to track 12 . each of the magnet compartments is formed by a portion of wall 42 , a side wall 56 opposite the armature , a wall 58 , and projections which extend normal to walls 42 and 58 , respectively . this construction of the vehicle is substantially convention . the magnets 52 are identical in configuration and assembly . ( as best seen in fig1 and 3 , each of the magnets 52 conforms to the shape of the compartment 54 in chassis 24 .) that is , both magnets 52 have the south pole on the bottom and the north pole at the top or ( vice versa ). that is , both magnets have the north / south axis vertically aligned ( rather than horizontally as in the prior art ). while the magnets are generally rectilinear , each magnet 52 may have the inner surface thereof curved to conform to armature 36 in a preferred embodiment . flux bridge 60 , preferrably made of ferrous sheet material , is mounted to interconnect the magnets 52 . in particular , flux bridge 60 has the ends thereof joined to the upper surface ( for example the north pole ) of each of the magnets 52 . the center portion of the flux bridge is curved so that it overpasses the motor , in particular the armature portion , of the vehicle . of course , if the motor is made smaller or lower , the flux bridge 60 can be made flat without the curved portion , per se . the flux bridge 60 has the effect of joining the magnets 52 to provide a more complete flux path for the motor . in some versions , as best seen in fig4 and 4a , a pair of pole pieces 52a extend outwardly from the bottom of the magnets 52 toward the motor . it has been found that pole pieces 52a can provide a considerable increase in the magnetic flux applied to the motor 10 by the magnets 52 . the particular configuration for the pole pieces 52a shown in fig4 is adequate to provide magnetic flux to the motor and , as well provide the broad magnetic flux surface from magnets 52 to the rail 18 and , yet , permit utilization of a smaller magnet . that is , because the flux bridge 60 covers and contacts most ( if not all ) of the top surfaces of magnets 52 and is made of a ferrous material , it represents a relatively low reluctance path for magnetic flux or field lines . thus , those magnetic flux lines which normally emanate from the top or back of magnet 52 and disperse into the space surrounding the vehicle 10 are concentrated in flux bridge 60 and are directed downwardly , in parallel , so as to emanate from the bottom of magnets 52 . as can be seen in fig4 the bottom surfaces ( for example , south poles ) of magnets 52 are generally disposed above the rails 18 , whereby the concentrated field lines which emanate from each magnet 52 are directed to the respective rail 18 . this arrangement results in a stronger magnetic attraction than is provided by the horizontally mounted magnets of the prior art even when used with flux collector devices . it has also been found that with the flux bridge 60 the magnetic field applied to armature 36 is strengthened . it is believed that this results from the decrease in reluctance between the magnets 52 because of the complete flux path provided by bridge 60 . owing to this decrease in reluctance , field lines which would normally pass through the air space between the tops of the respective magnets find a lower reluctance path therebetween and the armature 36 and , thus , pass between the armature and the magnet . the resulting increased strength in the magnetic field directed to the armature increases the torque and power of the motor . the motor arrangement described above , with the magnets 52 mounted at the sides of chassis 24 , with the vertical north / south pole configuration , is particularly efficient in providing an attractive force between the vehicle 10 and the power rails 18 . this is due in part to the fact that the magnets 52 extend along the power rails 18 and are able to provide magnetic attraction along the entire length and width thereof . referring to fig4 a , there is shown another version of the car using the instant invention . that is , the side mounted magnets 52 have the north / south axis arranged vertically . however , in this embodiment a much lower profile magnet is used . this can be the result of the use of materials with improved magnetic properties , for example . all other known models employ a motor design wherein the north / south axis orientation of the magnets is horizontal thus limiting the magnetic down force available over the rails . also , additional pole pieces 154 can be provided at the lower surfaces of the magnets 52 . these pole pieces , which function akin to the flux collectors of the prior art , are used primarily to redirect the magnetic flux lines from the magnets 152 toward the armature 36 . however , the advantages described above relative to the instant invention are realized , as well . referring now to fig5 there is shown a schematic representation ( partially in section ) of the front end suspension of miniature electrical vehicles which are known in the art . in this embodiment , the front wheels 514 are the type which are conventional in the art . the wheels 514 are fixed to the chassis 528 of the vehicle by means of suitable mounting means 529 . the separate and independent axle 530 for each wheel 514 is mounted in the mounting 529 . a guide pin 550 is also mounted in the chassis 528 . in particular , the chassis 528 includes a groove or snap - in portion in the front thereof . this groove receives the center core 523 of the guide pin 550 which is disposed between the two horizontal plates 524 and 525 of the guide pin 550 . the dimensions of the snap - in groove and the guide pin components are arranged so that a tight fit is effected so that the depending guide pin 522 can be used to guide the vehicle around the track by depending into slot 515 in the track 12 . if necessary , the guide pin mechanism can be adhered to the chassis by means of glue or other suitable adhesive . in the prior art , the wheels 514 are mounted to fixed axles and a rigid suspension system is provided . this system permits the vehicles to &# 34 ; jump &# 34 ; off the track with any bumps or warped portions of the track . referring now to fig6 there shown a new and improved guide pin 600 which is useful for providing another embodiment of the instant invention . in particular , the new guide pin permits a &# 34 ; live axle &# 34 ; apparatus as described hereinafter . the guide pin 600 includes the plates 624 and 625 as well as the guideplate 661 . the barrel or core 623 is disposed between the plates 624 and 625 . in this regard , the guide pin 600 is similar to the prior art device . however , in the guide pin 600 an additional barrel 659 is provided between the plates 624 and 651 . the barrels 623 and 659 are of substantially the same diameter . however , in a preferred embodiment , the barrel 659 is taller than the barrel 623 . the depending guide pin 622 extends below the lower plate of the guide pin as in the case of the prior art . in essence , the guide pin 600 below plate 624 , i . e . from the plate 624 to the bottom of guide 622 is substantially identical to the guide pin 522 shown in fig5 . in addition , the barrel 623 will mate with the groove or slot in the base of the racing car apparatus which is identical to that of the prior art . however , the barrel 659 and plate 661 extend above the chassis 528 of the vehicle , as described hereinafter . as shown in fig7 and 8 , improved guide pin 600 is mounted into the chassis 528 in the same fashion as in the prior art . however , as noted , the barrel 659 extends above the chassis . in this instance , the vehicle axle , 700 , referred to as a &# 34 ; live axle &# 34 ; is disposed in vertical slots 701 which are formed in vertical walls 702 on opposite sides of the chassis 528 . in the preferred embodiment , the slots 701 are closed at the bottom but open at the top . these slots have a vertical length substantially equal to the height of the side wall 702 . when the axle 700 is placed within these slots , the axle is free to move , vertically , at either end thereof . in addition , the axle 700 is disposed under the plate 661 of guide pin 600 and behind the barrel 659 of pin 600 . the slots 701 are disposed in the wall 702 in an arrangement relative to the guide pin 600 so that the axle 700 is maintained within the slots 701 and below plate 661 . however , the axle 700 is free to move vertically between the plates 651 and 624 . moreover , axle 700 is free to move vertically at either end . the relationship between barrel 659 , plates 623 and 661 and the vertical length of slots 701 is such that the axle does not become disengaged from side wall 702 . as shown in fig8 the &# 34 ; live axle &# 34 ; 700 is permitted to freely move at either end ( or both ends if need be ). this will permit the vehicle to operate on a track which has become warped , for example . the rear wheels of the vehicle are generally not arranged to have such a live axle in order to maintain full contact with the track . referring now to fig9 there is shown a schematic representation of the arrangement of the guide pin 600 relative to the chassis 528 , as well as the side walls 702 . since the bottom portion of pin 600 is mounted substantially perpendicular to chassis 528 and included in the slot or groove in the front thereof , the axle 700 is retained by plate 661 of pin 600 but is free to move , vertically , within slot 701 . this arrangement permits a free , live action suspension . although a specific embodiment of the invention has been shown for illustrative purposes , it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that many modifications , additions and / or substitutions are possible without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention . any such modifications are intended to be included in this description . the description is illustrative only and is not intended to be limitative . rather , the scope of the invention is limited only by the claims appended hereto . | 0 |
description will now be given of a dram in one embodiment of a semiconductor memory according to the present invention . as shown in fig1 a , the dram includes a main section 100 including a dram memory cell array 101 constituted by a plurality of dram memory cells 23 ( referring to fig2 ) arranged in the form of an array . a spare section 110 as a redundant circuit section includes a spare dram memory cell array 111 constituted by a plurality of dram memory cells 23 arranged in the form of an array . an address decoder 120 specifies addresses respectively of the arrays 101 and 111 . a defective bit replacement control circuit 130 is connected to the address decoder 120 and includes a plurality of electrically rewritable nonvolatile memory cells 24 ( referring to fig3 ). the dram memory cell 23 includes , as shown in fig2 a metal - oxide - semiconductor ( mos ) transistor and a capacitor . the transistor includes a gate oxide layer 4 , a gate electrode 5 formed on the layer 4 , sidewall spacers 9 fabricated respectively on both sides of the electrode 5 , a pair of n - - type impurity diffusion layers 8 manufactured in a silicon substrate 1 below the spacers 9 , and a pair of n + - type impurity diffusion layers 10 formed respectively on outer sides of the layers 8 . the capacitor includes a lower electrode 13 , a dielectric layer 15 , and an upper electrode 17 . the nonvolatile memory cell 24 includes , as can be seen from fig3 a tunnel oxide layer 6 , a floating gate lower portion 7 &# 39 ; formed on the layer 6 , a floating gate upper portion 7 &# 34 ; manufactured on the lower portion 7 &# 39 ;, a dielectric layer 16 formed so as to cover the upper portion 7 &# 39 ;, a control gate 18 manufactured so as to cover the dielectric layer 16 , sidewall spacers 9 fabricated respectively on both sides of the lower portion 7 &# 39 ;, a pair of n - - type impurity diffusion layers 8 formed in a silicon substrate 1 below the spacers 9 , and a pair of n + - type impurity diffusion layers 10 formed respectively on outer sides of the layers 8 . in the dram of this embodiment , when a defect takes place in any one of the plural cells 23 constituting the array 101 of the main section 100 , a word ( or bit ) line specifying an address of the defective cell 23 is disconnected from the address decoder 120 . one of the plural nonvolatile memory cells 24 which is associated with the defective cell 23 is changed from on to off by a defective bit replacement signal 150 supplied to the replacement control circuit 130 . in association therewith , to connect the address decoder 120 to a word ( or bit ) line to be used for the spare cell 23 of the spare cell array 111 , one other of the nonvolatile memory cells 24 , which is associated with the spare cell 23 , is changed from off to on by the defective bit replacement signal 150 supplied to the replacement control circuit 130 . in the embodiment above , the nonvolatile memory cells are of the floating - gate type . however , memory cells of the metal - nitride - oxide - semiconductor ( mnos ) type in which electric charge is accumulated in a boundary between a silicon nitride layer and a silicon oxide layer may be also employed . fig1 b , 12 and 13 show another embodiment of a semiconductor memory ( dram ) in accordance with the present invention , where the same reference characters in all figures denote the same or identical components of the present invention . as shown in fig1 , the address decoder ( standard ) 120 1 comprises a plurality of inverters in 10 - in 1n , a plurality of nand circuits na 1 - na m , and a plurality of clocked inverters in 21 - in 2m . in the inverters in 10 - in 1n , the polarities of address signals x o - x n which are inputted to the address decoder ( standard ) 120 1 through address input terminals are inverted , respectively . in the nand circuits na 1 - na m , the address signals x o - x n are decoded . the output signals of the nand circuits na 1 - na m are inputted to the memory cells 23 in the dram memory cell array 101 through the clocked inverters in 21 - in 2m which operate while a write - clock φ w is high . the write - clock φ w is inputted to the address decoder ( standard ) 120 1 through a write - clock input terminal . however , the address signals x o - x n are decoded only while a select inhibit signal si , which is inputted from the address decoder ( spare ) 120 2 to the nand circuits na 1 - na m , is high . as shown in fig1 , the address decoder ( spare ) 120 2 comprises an eeprom bit replacement signal input circuit 125 , a plurality of address generation circuits 121 1 -- 121 p , an and circuit an , and a plurality of clocked inverters in 41 - 1n 4p . each of the address generation circuits 121 1 - 121 p comprises a plurality of circuits each of which has the electrically rewritable nonvolatile memory cell 24 and a mos transistor m which are connected in series . the drain of each electrically rewritable nonvolatile memory cells 24 is connected to a power source v dd through a resistor r . the control gate of each electrically rewritable nonvolatile memory cells 24 is connected to the eeprom bit replacement signal input circuit 125 . in each of the address generation circuits 121 1 - 121 p , the address signals x o - x n , x o - x n are inputted to the gates of the mos transistors m , respectively . the source of each mos transistors m is connected to the ground . the output signals of the address generation circuits 121 1 - 121 p are inputted to the and circuit an , respectively . the output signals of the address generation circuits 121 1 - 121 o are also inputted to the memory cells 23 in the spare dram memory cell array 111 through the clock inverters in 41 - in 4p which operate while the write - clock φ w is high . when a defective memory cell is detected in the dram memory cell array 101 , the address information of the defective memory cell is transmitted from the defective replacement control circuit 130 to the eeprom bit replacement signal input circuit 125 . then , the address of the defective memory cell is written in the electrically rewritable nonvolatile memory cells 24 of the address generation circuits 121 1 by the eeprom bit replacement signal input circuit 125 . when the address signals x o - x n , x o - x n which correspond to the address of the defective memory cell are inputted to the gates of the mos transistors m of the address generation circuits 121 1 , the output signal of the address generation circuits 121 1 becomes low . as a result , the output signal of the address generation circuits 121 1 is inputted to the spare dram memory cell array 111 through the clocked inverter in 41 , so that data which should be stored in the defective memory cell is stored in the memory cells 23 of the spare dram memory cell array 111 . further , the output signal of the address generation circuits 121 1 , which has low level , is inputted to the and circuit an , so that the select inhibit signal si becomes low . as a result , the data is not stored in the memory cells 23 of the dram memory cell array 101 . referring next to fig4 a to 4d and 5a to 5d , description will be given of one method of manufacturing the dram of fig1 a and 1b . this is the first embodiment of the first semiconductor manufacturing method according to the present invention in which dram memory cells of fig2 are formed in a first element forming region r1 of a silicon substrate 1 and then nonvolatile memory cells 24 of fig3 are fabricated in a second element forming region r2 of the silicon substrate 1 . on the p - type silicon substrate 1 , a silicon oxide layer and a silicon nitride layer , which are not shown , are sequentially manufactured as pads . using a photoresist layer ( not shown ) as a mask thereon , anisotropic dry etching is conducted to remove the silicon nitride layer in other than element forming regions r1 and r2 . an impurity substance is injected by ion implantation , for example , bf 2 into the silicon substrate 1 to prepare p +- type impurity diffusion layers 2 functioning as channel stoppers as shown in fig4 a . after the photoresist layer is removed , the exposed surface is washed . in an h 2 o atmosphere , the substrate 1 is subjected to a thermal treatment at a temperature of 1100 ° c . to selectively oxidize the silicon substrate 1 ( locos ) so as to fabricate element insulation layers 3 in element separation regions other than the regions r1 and r2 . thereafter , the silicon nitride layer as the mask for the thermal treatment is removed . subsequently , as shown in fig4 b , the sacrifice oxide film ( not shown ) is formed and then removed . thereafter , a silicon oxide layer having a film thickness of about 10 nanometers ( nm ) to about 20 nm is fabricated on the overall regions r1 and r2 to be used as a gate oxide layer 4 in the first element forming region r1 and as a tunnel oxide layer 6 of the nonvolatile memory cells in the second element forming region r2 ( first step ). after injecting impurity , for example , bf 2 to control a threshold value into the silicon substrate 1 , a polycrystalline silicon film is manufactured on the overall surface . an ion implantation of n - type impurity atoms , for example , phosphor ( p ) is conducted on the polycrystalline silicon layer to form an n - type polycrystalline silicon layer . applied onto the n - type layer is photoresist ( not shown ) to be subjected to a patterning process . using the patterned photoresist as a mask , anisotropic dry etching is carried out on the polycrystalline silicon layer to form a gate electrode 5 of the mos transistor in the first region r1 and a floating gate lower portion 7 &# 39 ; of the nonvolatile memory cell 24 in the second region r2 ( second step ). then , the anisotropic dry etching may be carried out either on only the polycrystalline silicon layer or on both the silicon oxide layer and the polycrystalline silicon layer . after removing the photoresist , as shown in fig4 c , using the element isolation layer 3 , the gate electrode 5 , and the floating gate lower portion 7 &# 39 ; as mask elements , n - type impurity atoms , for example , phosphor are injected into the overall surface of the silicon substrate 1 to fabricate a pair of n - - type impurity diffusion layers 8 in the first and second regions r1 and r2 . forming a silicon oxide film on the overall surface of the substrate 1 , anisotropic dry etching is conducted on the silicon oxide film to manufacture a pair of sidewall spacers 9 on both sides of each of the gate electrode 5 and the floating gate lower portion 7 &# 39 ;. thereafter , using the element isolation layer 3 , the gate electrode 5 , the floating gate lower portion 7 &# 39 ;, and the sidewall spacers 9 as mask elements , n - type impurity atoms , for example phosphor , are implanted into the entire surface of the silicon substrate 1 to manufacture a pair of n + - type impurity diffusion layers 10 respectively in the first and second regions r1 and r2 ( third step ). as a result , an impurity diffusion layer having a lightly doped drain ( ldd ) structure is fabricated in the silicon substrate . next , as shown in fig4 d , a silicon oxide film 11 is formed on the overall surface of the silicon substrate 1 ( fourth step ). thereafter , using photoresist ( not shown ) as an etching mask , anisotropic dry etching is carried out to remove the silicon oxide layer 11 on the n + - type impurity diffusion layer 10 in the first region r1 and on the floating gate lower portion 7 &# 39 ; in the second region r2 so as to produce contact holes 12 and 12 &# 39 ; at the same time ( fifth step ). after removing the photoresist from the substrate 1 , a polycrystalline silicon film is formed on the overall surface of the substrate 1 . injecting n - type impurity atoms , for example phosphor , into the polycrystalline silicon film by ion implantation , an n - type polycrystalline silicon film is obtained . photoresist ( not shown ) is patterned on the obtained n - type film . utilizing the photoresist as a mask , the n - type silicon film is etched to manufacture a capacitor lower electrode 13 in the first region r1 and a floating gate upper portion 7 &# 34 ; in the second region r2 ( sixth step ). the photoresist is then removed from the silicon substrate 1 . subsequently , as shown in fig5 a , using an oxide - nitride - oxide ( ono ) layer including a silicon oxide layer , a silicon nitride layer , and a silicon oxide layer , a capacitor dielectric layer 15 is formed to cover the capacitor lower electrode 13 in the first region r1 , and a dielectric layer 16 is formed to cover the floating gate upper portion 7 &# 34 ; in the second region r2 ( seventh step ). in this step , in place of the ono layer , a dielectric layer of such a ferroelectric substance as tantalum oxide ( ta 2 o 5 ) or lead ( pz ) zirconate titanate ( pzt ) may be formed . next , as shown in fig5 b , a polycrystalline silicon layer is formed on the overall surface of the silicon substrate 1 , and then n - type impurity atoms of , for example , phosphor are injected into the polycrystalline silicon layer by ion implantation to obtain an n - type polycrystalline silicon layer . thereafter , photoresist ( not shown ) is patterned on the obtained n - type film . using the photoresist as a mask , the n - type polycrystalline silicon layer is etched to fabricate a capacitor upper electrode 17 in the first region r1 and a control gate 18 in the second region r2 ( eighth step ). after removing the photoresist , a silicon oxide layer 19 is formed on the entire surface of the substrate 1 . as shown in fig5 c , photoresist ( not shown ) is applied onto the overall surface of the silicon substrate 1 to be patterned thereafter . using the photoresist as a mask , the n - type polycrystalline silicon layer is subjected to anisotropic dry etching to fabricate contact holes 20 , 20 &# 39 ; and 20 &# 34 ; respectively on the n + - type impurity diffusion layer 10 as a source in the first region r1 and on the paired n + - type impurity diffusion layers 10 respectively as source and drain regions in the second region r2 . as shown in fig5 d , after removing the photoresist , aluminum is sputtered onto the overall surface of the silicon substrate 1 to form an aluminum layer . photoresist ( not shown ) is patterned on the aluminum layer . using the photoresist as a mask , an aluminum wiring region 21 in a desired pattern is formed . after removing the photoresist , a silicon oxide layer 22 is formed on the entire surface of the substrate 1 . as a result of the above processes , a dram memory cell 23 of the one - transistor - per - capacitor type is fabricated in the first element forming region r1 , and an electrically rewritable nonvolatile memory cell 24 is fabricated in the second element forming region r2 . according to the dram manufacturing method described above , when producing the dram memory cell 23 on the silicon substrate 1 in an ordinary mos production , the nonvolatile memory cell 24 of the floating gate type can be fabricated on the silicon substrate 1 without increasing the number of production processes . referring now to fig6 a to 6d and 7a to 7d , description will be given of another method of manufacturing the dram of fig1 a and 1b . this is the second embodiment of the first semiconductor manufacturing method according to the present invention . a dram memory cell having a structure similar to the dram memory cell 23 of fig2 is fabricated in the first element forming region r1 of the silicon substrate 1 , and a nonvolatile memory cell having a structure similar to the nonvolatile memory cell 24 of fig3 is formed in the second element forming region r2 of the substrate 1 . fig6 a to 6c show semiconductor manufacturing processes corresponding to those of fig4 a to 4c of the first semiconductor manufacturing method according to the present invention . after the processes of fig6 a to 6c , a manufacturing process is conducted as shown in fig6 d . as shown in fig6 d , a silicon oxide layer 11 is formed on the overall surface of the silicon substrate 1 . anisotropic dry etching is conducted on the layer 11 using photoresist ( not shown ) as a mask to remove the silicon oxide layer 11 on the n + - type impurity diffusion layer 10 as a drain in the first region r1 and on the floating gate lower portion 7 &# 39 ; in the second region r2 , thereby producing contact holes 12 and 12 &# 39 ; at the same time . after removing the photoresist , a polycrystalline silicon layer a is formed on the overall surface of the silicon substrate 1 , and then n - type impurity atoms of , for example , phosphor are injected into the layer a to obtain an n - type polycrystalline silicon layer a . next , using an ono layer , a dielectric layer b is formed in the first and second regions r1 and r2 . in place of the ono layer , a ferroelectric layer of tantalum oxide ( ta2o5 ) or pzt may be employed . next , a polycrystalline silicon layer c is fabricated on the overall surface of the silicon substrate 1 , and then n - type impurity atoms of phosphor , for example , are injected into the polycrystalline silicon layer c by ion implantation to attain an n - type polycrystalline silicon layer c . as shown in fig7 a , on the n - type layer c , a mask pattern of photoresist ( not shown ) is formed such that the layer c , the dielectric layer b , and the layer a are removed by etching to form in the region r1 a capacitor upper electrode 17 of the polycrystalline silicon layer c , a capacitor dielectric layer 15 of the dielectric layer b , and a capacitor lower electrode 13 of the polycrystalline silicon layer a , and in the second region r2 a control gate 18 of the layer c , a dielectric layer 16 of the dielectric layer b , and a floating gate upper portion 7 &# 34 ; of the layer a . the photoresist is then removed from the substrate 1 . the capacitor dielectric layer 15 is formed only on the surface of the capacitor lower electrode 13 , and the capacitor upper electrode 17 is formed only on the surface of the capacitor dielectric layer 15 . further , the dielectric layer 16 is formed only on the surface of the floating gate upper portion 7 &# 34 ;, and the control gate 18 is formed only on the surface of the dielectric layer 16 . subsequently , as shown in fig7 b , a silicon oxide layer 19 is formed on the overall surface of the silicon substrate 1 . as shown in fig7 c , photoresist ( not shown ) is applied onto the entire surface of the substrate 1 to be patterned into an etching mask . using the photoresist as a mask , anisotropic dry etching is conducted thereon to produce contact holes 20 , 20 &# 39 ;, and 20 &# 34 ; respectively on the n + - type impurity diffusion layer 10 as a source in the first region r1 and on the paired n + - type impurity diffusion layers 10 as source and drain regions in the second region r2 . as shown in fig7 d , after removing the photoresist , an aluminum layer is fabricated on the entire surface of the substrate 1 by sputtering . photoresist ( not shown ) is patterned on the aluminum layer . using the photoresist as a mask , an aluminum wiring layer 21 is formed in a desired pattern . after removing the photoresist , a silicon oxide layer 22 is fabricated on the entire surface of the substrate 1 . through the above processes , a dram memory cell is fabricated having one transistor for each capacitor in the first element forming region r1 , and an electrically rewritable nonvolatile memory cell in the second element forming region r2 . according to the dram manufacturing method described above , when producing the dram memory cell on the silicon substrate 1 in an ordinary mos production , the nonvolatile memory cell of the floating gate type can be fabricated on the same silicon substrate 1 without increasing the number of production processes . referring next to fig8 , 10a to 10d and 11a to 11d , description will be given of the second semiconductor memory manufacturing method according to the present invention . the dram produced in accordance with this method has a structure identical to that of the dram of fig1 a and 1b fabricated by the first embodiment of the first semiconductor memory manufacturing method according to the present invention . as shown in fig8 the dram memory cell of the second manufacturing method has also the same construction as that of the dram memory cell 23 of fig2 . however , a nonvolatile memory cell 24 &# 39 ; is different from the nonvolatile memory cell 24 of fig3 . namely , in the cell 24 &# 39 ;, the dielectric layer 16 is disposed on the floating gate 7 as shown in fig9 whereas in the memory cell 24 , the dielectric layer 16 is provided over the floating gate lower portion 7 &# 39 ;, which corresponds to the floating gate 7 , with the floating gate upper portion 7 therebetween . in the memory cell 24 &# 39 ; of fig9 due to the dielectric layer 16 formed on the floating gate 7 , the floating gate capacity is decreased when compared with that of the memory cell 24 shown in fig3 . consequently , while the memory cell 24 of fig3 is favorably used in the normally - on state , the memory cell 24 &# 39 ; of fig9 is favorably used in the normally - off state . referring now to fig1 a to 10d and 11a to 11d , description will be given in detail of the second semiconductor memory manufacturing method according to the present invention . the constituent components of the dram memory cell are assigned reference numerals used in fig2 . for the components of the nonvolatile memory cell 24 &# 34 ;, reference numerals of fig3 are used except the floating gate 7 . in the dram manufacturing method of this embodiment , the dram memory cell 23 of fig8 and the nonvolatile memory cell 24 &# 39 ; of fig9 are formed respectively in the first and second regions r1 and r2 on the substrate 1 . on a p - type silicon substrate 1 , a silicon oxide layer and a silicon nitride layer ( not shown ) are formed as pads . using photoresist ( not shown ) as a mask , anisotropic dry etching is conducted to remove the silicon nitride layer in other than the regions r1 and r2 . as shown in fig1 a , p + - type impurity diffusion layers 2 are formed by injecting an impurity substance such as bf 2 into the silicon substrate 1 . removing the photoresist , the surface of the substrate 1 is washed . in an atmosphere of h 2 o , a thermal treatment is conducted for the substrate 1 at a temperature of 1100 ° c . to selectively oxidize the substrate 1 ( locos ) so as to fabricate element isolation layers 3 in the element separation regions other than the regions r1 and r2 . the silicon nitride layer used as the mask for the thermal treatment is then removed . as shown in fig1 b , after forming and removing a sacrifice oxide layer ( not shown ), a silicon oxide layer having a thickness of about 10 nm to about 20 nm is applied entirely onto the regions r1 and r2 to manufacture a gate oxide layer 4 in the first region r1 and a tunnel oxide layer 6 of the nonvolatile memory cell in the second region r2 ( first step ). to control a threshold value , an impurity substance , such as bf 2 , is injected into the silicon substrate 1 by ion implantation , and then a polycrystalline silicon layer is formed on the entire surface of the substrate 1 . injecting n - type impurity atoms of phosphor , for example , into the polycrystalline silicon layer , an n - type polycrystalline silicon layer is prepared . photoresist ( not shown ) is applied onto the n - type polycrystalline silicon layer and is then patterned . using the patterned photoresist as a mask , anisotropic dry etching is carried out thereon to produce a gate electrode 5 of an mos transistor in the first region r1 and a floating gate 7 of the nonvolatile memory cell 24 &# 39 ; in the second region r2 at the same time ( second step ). then , the anisotropic dry etching may be carried out either on only the polycrystalline silicon layer or on both the silicon oxide layer and the polycrystalline silicon layer . as shown in fig1 c , after removing the photoresist , n - type impurity atoms of phosphor , for example , are injected into the overall surface of the silicon substrate 1 by ion implantation using the element isolation layer 3 , the gate electrode 5 , and the floating gate 7 as masks . a pair of n - - type impurity diffusion layers 8 are formed in the first and second regions r1 and r2 , respectively . a silicon oxide layer 5 is formed on the overall surface of the substrate 1 to be subjected to anisotropic dry etching to manufacture sidewall spaces 9 on both sides respectively of the gate electrode 5 and the floating gate 7 . thereafter , using the element isolation layer 3 , the gate electrode 5 , the floating gate 7 , and the sidewall spacers 9 as masks , n - type impurity atoms of phosphor , for example , are injected into the overall surface of the silicon substrate 1 to form a pair of n + - type impurity diffusion layers 10 in the first and second regions r1 and r2 , respectively ( third step ). as a result , an impurity diffusion layer of an ldd structure is formed in the silicon substrate 1 . as shown in fig1 d , a silicon oxide layer 11 is fabricated on the overall surface of the silicon substrate 1 ( fourth step ). anisotropic dry etching is conducted on the layer 11 using photoresist ( not shown ) as a mask to remove the silicon oxide layer 11 on the n + - type impurity diffusion layer 10 as a drain in the first region r1 and on the floating gate 7 in the second region r2 to produce contact holes 12 and 12 &# 39 ; at the same time ( fifth step ). after removing the photoresist , a polycrystalline silicon layer is formed on the overall surface of the silicon substrate 1 , and then n - type impurity atoms of phosphor , for example , are injected into the polycrystalline silicon layer to obtain an n - type polycrystalline silicon layer . photoresist ( not shown ) is applied onto the n - type polycrystalline silicon layer and is then patterned . using the patterned photoresist as a mask , the polycrystalline silicon layer is etched to produce a capacitor lower electrode 13 in the first region r1 ( sixth step ). in this embodiment , the polycrystalline silicon layer formed on the floating gate 7 in the second region r2 is substantially entirely removed . thereafter , the photoresist is removed from the substrate 1 . subsequently , as shown in fig1 a , using an oxide - nitride - oxide ( ono ) layer including a silicon oxide layer , a silicon nitride layer , and a silicon oxide layer , a capacitor dielectric layer 15 is manufactured to cover the capacitor lower electrode 13 in the first region r1 , and a dielectric layer 16 is manufactured on the floating gate 7 in the second region r2 ( seventh step ). in this case , in place of the ono layer , a dielectric layer of such a ferroelectric material as tantalum oxide ( ta 2 o 5 ) or lead ( pz ) zirconate titanate ( pzt ) may be used . next , as shown in fig1 b , after a polycrystalline silicon layer is formed on the overall surface of the silicon substrate 1 , n - type impurity atoms of phosphor , for example , are injected into the polycrystalline silicon layer by ion implantation to obtain an n - type polycrystalline silicon layer . thereafter , photoresist ( not shown ) is patterned on the obtained n - type layer such that using the photoresist as a mask , the n - type polycrystalline silicon layer is etched to fabricate a capacitor upper electrode 17 in the first region r1 and a control gate 18 in the second region r2 ( eighth step ). after removing the photoresist , a silicon oxide layer 19 is formed on the entire surface of the substrate 1 . as shown in fig1 c , photoresist ( not shown ) is then applied onto the overall surface of the silicon substrate 1 to be patterned thereafter . using the patterned photoresist as a mask , the n - type polycrystalline silicon layer is subjected to anisotropic dry etching to fabricate contact holes 20 , 20 &# 39 ;, and 20 &# 34 ; respectively on the n + - type impurity diffusion layer 10 as a source in the first region r1 and on the paired n + - type impurity diffusion layers 10 respectively as source and drain regions in the second region r2 . as shown in fig1 d , after the photoresist is removed , aluminum is sputtered onto the overall surface of the silicon substrate 1 to form an aluminum layer . photoresist ( not shown ) is patterned on the aluminum layer . using the photoresist as a mask , an aluminum wiring region 21 is fabricated in a desired pattern . after removing the photoresist , a silicon oxide layer 22 is fabricated on the entire surface of the substrate 1 . as a result of the above processes , the dram memory cell 23 of the one - transistor - per - capacitor type is produced in the first element forming region r1 , and the electrically rewritable nonvolatile memory cell 24 &# 39 ; is produced in the second element forming region r2 . according to the dram manufacturing method described above , in the embodiment of the second semiconductor memory manufacturing method of the present invention , the contact holes 12 and 12 &# 39 ; need not be necessarily produced at the same time in the sixth step shown in fig1 d . namely , the process of fig1 a may be executed after the following process . after the fifth step of fig1 d in which the silicon oxide layer 11 is formed on the entire surface of the silicon substrate 1 , photoresist ( not shown ) is applied onto the silicon oxide layer 11 . anisotropic dry etching is conducted thereon by using the photoresist as a mask to remove the silicon oxide layer 11 on the n + - type impurity diffusion layer as a drain in the first region r1 so as to form a contact hole 12 . thereafter , the photoresist is removed and a polycrystalline silicon layer is fabricated on the overall surface of the silicon substrate 1 . photoresist ( not shown ) is patterned on the n - type polycrystalline silicon layer . using the photoresist as a mask , the polycrystalline silicon layer is etched to fabricate a capacitor lower electrode 13 in the first region r1 . in this step , the polycrystalline silicon layer formed on the second region r2 is substantially entirely removed . next , photoresist ( not shown ) is applied onto the overall silicon substrate 1 such that using the photoresist as a mask , anisotropic dry etching is conducted to remove the silicon oxide layer 11 on the floating gate 7 in the second region r2 , thereby producing a contact hole 12 &# 39 ;. the photoresist is then removed to subsequently conduct the process of fig1 a . while the present invention has been described with reference to the particular illustrative embodiments , it is not to be restricted by those embodiments but only by the appended claims . it is to be appreciated that those skilled in the art can change or modify the embodiments without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention . | 7 |
an embodiment of the endless belt abrading machine according to the present invention will now be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings . fig1 is a sectional plan view of the endless belt abrading machine of the present invention . to clearly illustrate the structure of the abrading machine of the present invention , in fig1 , a base portion of the abrading machine 24 ( which will be described hereinafter ) is shown in a position rotated by 90 ° relative to a usual position of the machine &# 39 ; s main portion 22 , as viewed along the machine &# 39 ; s longitudinal axis from left to right . fig2 is a plan view of the machine in which the machine &# 39 ; s base portion 24 is shown in its usual operation . fig2 b is a side view of the machine . the machine 10 has the main portion 22 and the base portion 24 . the main portion 22 includes : an air motor 12 having an axis of rotation which is transverse to the machine 10 ; a drive pulley 16 which is drivingly connected to an output shaft 14 , and which extends laterally from one end of the air motor ; a driven pulley 18 , which is positioned forward of the drive pulley 16 ; and an endless belt 20 ( shown in fig2 a , fig2 b ), which is engaged with each of the drive and driven pulleys 16 , 18 . the base portion 24 includes a first air passageway 32 connected to a hose 30 extending from a source of compressed air ( a pump ) for supplying compressed air to the main portion 22 to drive the air motor 12 , a valve 34 for opening or closing the first air passageway 32 , and a lever 36 pivotably fitted on a circumferential top area of the base portion 24 . the lever 36 is movable between a depressed position and a released position , so as to enable the valve 34 to open or close the first air passageway 32 . in the illustrated example , the first air passageway 32 has an axial portion , a radial portion and a slanting portion . the axial portion extends parallel to an axis of the base portion from a joint opening , which is located at a rear end of the base portion and is connected to the hose 30 . the radial portion extends radially from the front end of the axial portion . the slanting portion extends forward and radially inward from the radial portion . the stop valve 34 has a valve member ( a ball ) 34 a set in the radial portion of the first air passageway 32 , and a spring 34 b which urges the valve member 34 a against a valve seat formed on the inner surface of the radial portion of the first air passageway 32 . the lever 36 , which is pivotable about a pivot pin 36 a , is retained in the released position , as shown in fig1 , by way of a lever retainer 42 , which is rotatable about a pivot pin 40 positioned forward of the pivot pin 36 a , and which is urged by a spring to engage with a lower surface of the lever 36 . the lever retainer 42 has an extending portion 42 a extending upwards of the lever 36 . when the extending portion 42 a of lever retainer 42 is moved downwards in a clockwise direction about the pivot pin 40 ( against the action of the spring 34 b ), the lever retainer 42 is rotated clockwise , which enables the lever 36 to be moved downwards counterclockwise about the pivot pin lever 36 a . when the extending portion of lever retainer 42 a is enabled to move upwards again , the lever retainer 42 and the lever 36 are sprung back into the position , as shown in fig1 , under the action of the spring 34 b . further , there is provided a connecting rod 34 c extending vertically between the underside of the lever 36 and the valve member 34 a . when the lever 36 is depressed or released , the connecting rod 34 c acts on the valve member 34 a to cause it to be either seated in or separated from the valve seat , and to thereby either open or close the stop valve 34 . hereinafter , the main portion 22 will be described in more detail . the portion 22 is adapted to be rotated about a longitudinal axis of the base portion of the machine 24 to a first operational position , where the output shaft 14 of the motor extends to the left of the machine ( fig1 , fig2 a ), and can also be rotated to a second operational position , where the output shaft 14 extends to the right of the machine ( fig3 a ). the air motor 12 is a vane motor , as shown in fig4 , and has first and second openings 12 a , 12 b ; and is selectively supplied with compressed air through either the first opening 12 a or the second opening 12 b to be caused to rotate in either a forward or reverse direction . as shown in fig4 , the main portion 22 includes a second air passageway 46 which has a fluid passage extending from an air inlet 44 connected with the slanting portion of the first air passageway 32 of the base portion 24 to the first or the second opening 12 a , 12 b of the air motor . there is further provided a ring valve 48 , which controls an air flow through the second air passageway 46 on an outer surface of the main portion 22 . the ring valve 48 is rotatable between a first and the second position . as will be described later , when the ring valve 48 is in the first position , the air inlet 44 of the second air passageway 32 is adapted to communicate with the first opening 12 a of the air motor ; and when the ring valve 48 is in the second position , the air inlet 44 of the second air passageway 32 is adapted to communicate with the second opening 12 b of the air motor . more specifically , as shown in fig4 , 5 a and 5 b , the main portion 22 includes a columnar portion 51 having a circular cross - section and defines the second air passageway 46 . the columnar portion 51 has a common passage 46 a ( fig5 a and 5 b ), a first branched passage 46 b ( fig5 a and 5 b , fig4 ) and a second branched passage 46 c ( fig5 a and 5 b , fig4 ). the common passage 46 a extends from the air inlet 44 ( fig1 ) to an air outlet 50 opening at an outer surface of the columnar portion 51 . the first branched passage 46 b ( fig5 a and 5 b , fig4 ) extends from a first inlet / outlet opening 52 which is provided on the outer surface of the columnar portion 51 circumferentially spaced apart from the air outlet 50 , to the first opening 12 a of the air motor . the second branched passage 46 c ( fig5 a , fig4 ) extends from a second inlet / outlet opening 54 , which is provided on the outer surface of the columnar portion 51 circumferentially and in symmetrical relation to the first inlet / outlet opening 52 about the air outlet 50 , to the second opening 12 b of the air motor . the ring valve 48 is provided with arcuate recesses 58 , 59 , 60 on an inner surface thereof . when the ring valve 48 is in the first position ( fig5 a , fig4 ), the arcuate recess 58 connects the air outlet 50 and the first inlet / outlet opening 52 to allow flow to flow to the air motor ; and the arcuate recess 59 connects the second inlet / outlet opening 54 to an exhaust passage 46 e formed in the columnar portion to allow exhaust to flow from the air motor , under which condition the air motor rotates . when the ring valve 48 is in the second position ( fig5 b ), the arcuate recess 58 connects the air outlet 50 and the second inlet / outlet opening 54 to allow air to flow to the air motor ; the arcuate recess 60 connects the first inlet / outlet opening to the exhaust passage 46 d in the columnar portion to allow exhaust from the air motor , under which condition the air motor rotates in a reverse direction . the driven pulley 18 is rotatably mounted on a distal end of a tension bar 62 in the same manner as in the abovementioned invention ( japanese patent application no . 2002 - 220567 ). the rear end portion of the tension bar is inserted into a cylindrical portion 64 a which extends forward from a housing 64 of the air motor 12 , and is urged forward by a compression spring 66 provided in the cylindrical portion 64 a . in this way , tension is applied to the endless belt 20 which is engaged with both the driven pulley 18 and the drive pulley 16 . an annular groove 68 is formed on a peripheral surface of the tension bar 62 . when it is required to replace a belt , the tension bar 62 is inserted into the cylindrical portion 64 a against the action of the compression spring 66 , which permits a spring 70 to engage in the annular groove 68 and to retain the tension bar 62 . after replacement of the belt , when the spring 70 is disengaged from the annular groove 68 , the tension bar is returned to its previous state under the action of the compression spring 66 . in fig2 b , the reference numeral 72 denotes a pulley . for the purpose of forming an abutting portion 20 a on the endless belt 20 for a workpiece , the pulley 72 is engaged with the endless belt 20 . also , the pulley 72 is supported by a bracket 74 , which is mounted on the tension bar 62 to project downwardly . the bracket 74 is detachable from the tension bar 62 . in a case where the main portion is reversed between the first position shown in fig2 and the second position shown in fig3 ( upside down as seen in those figures . ), the bracket 74 is detached from an initial position on tension bar 62 to be next attached at a longitudinal opposite position from the initial position on the tension bar 62 so that the pulley 72 supported by the bracket always remains set beneath the tension bar 62 . in fig1 , the numeral 78 denotes a cover which is detachably mounted on the cylindrical portion 64 a by a screw 78 a . as stated , the main portion includes the housing 64 of the air motor , the columnar portion 51 fixed to the rear of the housing , the ring valve 48 rotatably mounted around the outer surface of the columnar portion , and the tension bar 62 mounted on and extending toward from the side of the housing 64 of the air motor , and is rotatable around the longitudinal axis of the cylindrical base portion . as is clearly shown in fig1 and in fig4 , the columnar portion 51 is fixedly connected to the housing 64 by a lock nut 81 threaded into the housing 64 of the air motor 12 through a washer 83 . a rear half of the columnar portion 51 is inserted into the cylindrical base portion 24 coaxially , and is held rotatably about the central axis of the base portion 24 . further , the columnar portion 51 is provided with a through hole which extends from the rear end to the front end of the columnar portion . the rear and front ends of the through hole are blocked by blocking members 79 , 80 which are threadably engaged thereinto , to form the second air passageway 46 between the blocking members . the blocking member 80 engaged with the rear end has a bolt - like form , and has a head portion 80 a , which is positioned in and engaged with the first air passageway 32 to prevent the columnar portion 51 from moving out of the main portion 24 . in fig4 , the reference numeral 82 denotes a hexagonal socket head cap screw . the screw 82 is threadingly engaged with a threaded bore formed radially through the base portion 24 , and is engaged in recess 51 a formed on the outer surface of the columnar portion 51 , which results in prevention of the columnar portion 51 , and hence the main portion 22 , from rotating relative to the base portion 24 . the recesses 51 a , 51 a are arranged in a pair , with each recess being provided on the columnar portion in diametrically opposed positions relative to one another . when the main portion is in the abovementioned first position ( shown in fig2 a ) or in the second position ( shown in fig3 a ), the screw 82 is engaged with a corresponding one of the recesses 51 a to fix the main portion to the base portion . the numeral 84 denotes a through - hole provided in the ring valve 48 for insertion of an allen key for turning the hexagonal socket head cap screw . referring to fig6 , there is shown another embodiment of the present invention in which a ball 88 is used instead of the screw 82 . specifically , in this embodiment , there is provided a bore 90 which extends radially in the columnar portion 51 of the main portion 22 and opens at the outer surface thereof . the ball 88 is set in the bore 90 and is urged radially outwardly by a spring 92 set in the bore 90 . further , the ball 88 is engaged in recesses formed at a circumferentially predetermined position on an inner surface of the base portion 24 surrounding the columnar portion 51 , to prevent the columnar portion 51 , and hence the main portion 22 , form rotating relative to the base portion 24 . the recesses are arranged in a pair , with each recess being provided on the base portion 24 in diametrically opposed positions relative to one another . when the main portion is in the abovementioned first position ( shown in fig6 ) or in the second position ( the reversed position of the main portion shown in fig6 relative to the base portion ), the ball 88 is engaged with a corresponding one of the recesses to fix the main portion to the base portion . next , a second embodiment of the endless belt abrading machine according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings . fig7 is a sectional plan view of the endless belt abrading machine of the present invention . fig8 is a sectional view taken along line viiia — viiia of the fig7 . this endless belt abrading machine 110 has a main portion 116 and a base portion 118 . the main portion 116 includes an air motor 112 and an endless belt 114 driven by the air motor 112 . the base portion 118 is connected to a rear part of the main portion 116 in order to supply and exhaust compressed air for the air motor 112 . the air motor 112 is a vane - type motor and has a rotor 120 rotatable about an axis extending transversely of the machine 110 , a rotor chamber 122 for accommodating the rotor , and a rotor housing 128 including a first and a second air passage 124 , 126 for supplying and exhausting compressed air to and from the rotor chamber 122 . in the illustrated example , the rotor housing 128 has a cylindrical liner portion 128 - 1 provided on the interior surface , and has first and second openings 124 - 1 , 126 - 1 which respectively interconnect with the first and second air passage 124 , 126 . the endless abrading belt 114 is engaged with the drive pulley 132 , which is drivingly connected to an output shaft 130 which extends laterally from one end of the air motor 112 ; with the driven pulley 136 being positioned forward of the drive pulley 132 by a tension bar 134 . the base portion 118 has a base portion member 140 which is rotatably connected with a rear portion of the rotor housing 128 of the air motor 112 about an axis extending forward and rearward . the base portion member 140 has an air inlet passage 142 and an air outlet passage 144 , and is rotatably mounted between the first position and the second position . in the first position ( fig8 a ), the air inlet passage 142 is adapted to communicate with the first air passage 124 and the air outlet passage 144 is adapted to communicate with the second air passage 126 . in the second position ( fig9 a ) where the base portion 118 has been turned 180 ° from the first position , the air inlet passage 142 is adapted to communicate with the second air passage 126 , and the air outlet passage 144 is adapted to communicate with the first air passage 124 . when the base portion member 140 is in the first position , as shown in fig8 a and fig8 b , the rotor 120 and the belt 114 are turned counterclockwise , as indicated by the arrows in those figures . when the base portion member 140 is in the second position , as shown in fig9 a and fig9 b , the rotor 120 and the belt 114 are turned clockwise as indicated by arrows in those figures . on an outer periphery surface of the base portion member 140 , there are provided a lock sleeve 146 , which is movable only forward and rearward relative to the rotor housing 128 , and a coil spring 149 which urges the lock sleeve 146 rearward . the lock sleeve 146 is formed with a notch on a periphery of its rear end for fitting a pin 150 to be fixedly mounted to the base portion , and to be movable between a rotation - restraining position ( fig7 , fig8 ) and a rotation - enabling position ( fig1 ). in the rotation - restraining position ( fig7 , fig8 ), the lock sleeve 146 fits the pin 150 , which prevents the base portion member 140 from turning relative to the rotor housing 128 . in the rotation - enabling position ( fig1 ), the lock sleeve 146 is moved forward from where the lock sleeve is in the holding position and is released by the pin 150 , which allows the base portion member 140 to rotate relative to the rotor housing 128 . further , there is provided a rod - like poppet valve 152 in the base portion member 140 , for closing and opening the air inlet passage 142 . the poppet valve 152 is urged by the coil spring 154 to a position for closing the air inlet passage 142 ( fig8 a ) and an upper end thereof extends outside of the base portion member 140 . further , there is provided a lever 156 in the base portion member 140 . the lever 156 is rotatably fitted on the base portion member 140 to be moved between an opening position ( depressed position ) where the lever 156 is adapted to depress the valve 152 to open the air inlet passage 142 , and a closing position ( undepressed position ) where the coil spring 154 allows the valve 152 to return to the position to close the air inlet passage 142 . the lever 156 with a lever pivot pin 160 is retained in a released position shown in fig8 a by a lever retainer 164 , which is pivotably mounted on a pivot pin 162 positioned forward of the lever pivot pin 160 ; and the lever retainer is urged under the action of a spring to be engaged with an under surface of the lever 156 . the lever retainer 164 has an extending portion 166 which extends upward of the lever 156 . when the extending portion 166 of the lever retainer 166 is moved down clockwise about the pivot pin 162 ( against the action of the spring ), the lever retainer 164 is rotated clockwise , which enables the lever 156 to be moved down counterclockwise about the pivot pin of lever 160 . when the extending portion of lever retainer 166 is released , the lever retainer 164 and the lever 156 are sprung back into the position shown in fig8 a . as will be seen from fig1 , the base portion member 140 is generally cylindrically shaped , and has a cylindrical portion 170 which extends in the direction of the axis of the base portion member 140 . the cylindrical portion 170 has a bore which forms the air inlet passage 142 . an outer surface of the cylindrical portion 170 and an inner surface of the base portion member 140 defines a space which extends axially thereof , and which forms the air outlet passage 144 . the rotor housing 128 of the air motor 112 has a cylindrical joint 172 which extends rearward , and rotatably and hermetically receives a front end portion of the base portion member 140 about longitudinal axis . in the cylindrical joint 172 , there is formed a rearward facing surface 174 ( forming a right angle with the longitudinal axis ) facing a front end of the base portion member 140 . both the first and the second openings 124 , 126 extend from the rotor chamber to the rear end surface of the cylindrical joint 172 . the air inlet passage 142 of the base portion member 140 is provided with a larger diameter portion 180 and a smaller diameter portion 182 , in that order , from a front end thereof adjacent to the rearward facing surface 174 of the rotor housing 128 . in the larger diameter portion 180 , there are provided a cylindrical seal 184 movable in a forward and a rearward direction , and a coil spring which urges the cylindrical seal against the rearward facing surface 174 . a front end surface of the cylindrical seal 184 is hermetically and slidably engaged with the rearward facing surface 174 of the rotor housing 128 . further , in the illustrated example , the cylindrical portion 170 forming the air inlet passage 142 projects beyond the front end surface of the base portion member 140 . the rearward facing surface 174 has a semi - circular form ( fig1 , 13 ) delineating a path along which the front end of the cylindrical portion 170 is moved when the base portion is turned between the first and second positions relative to the main portion . the rearward facing surface 174 is defined by a rear end surface of a columnar potion 176 which axially extends inside the cylindrical joint 172 , and has a semi - circular cross section . the first air passage 124 and the second air passage 126 are formed to extend through the columnar portion 176 in a forward and rearward direction , and are arranged to open through the rearward facing surface at diametrically opposite positions on a circular area on the surface having a center , through which an axis for rotation of the base portion member 140 extends . moreover , a second outlet passage is defined between an inner surface of the cylindrical joint 172 and an outer surface of the columnar portion 176 , and allows exhaust air to flow from the rotor chamber 122 to the air outlet passage 144 in the base portion member 140 . as shown in fig1 and fig1 , there are provided a pair of stop portion 188 , 188 which are engaged with a distal end of the cylindrical portion 170 having the air inlet passage 142 to prevent excess rotation of the base portion member 140 , when the base portion member 140 is rotated to either the first position or the second position . in fig8 a the numeral 190 denotes a pipe for communicating an air inlet ( not shown ) of the base portion member 140 to a pump . the numeral 192 is an installation sleeve for installing the lock sleeve 146 and the coil spring 149 on the base portion member 140 . the tension bar 134 shown in fig8 b is provided with an idle roller 196 at its midpoint via a bracket 194 . the bracket 194 is adapted to be detached from one side of the tension bar 134 and to be transferred to another side ( upper side ) to enable the abrading belt to be adjusted in response to the positional change of the main portion 116 relative to the base portion member , as described above . the endless belt abrading machine 110 according to the second embodiment of the present invention has the arrangement described above . when an operator operates the machine 110 holding it with his / her right hand , the operator holds the base portion member 140 having the arrangement shown in fig7 , 8 a , such that the abrading belt 114 is located to the left side relative to the base portion member 140 , and accordingly is positioned forward and to the center of the operator . in a case where the base portion member 140 is set in the first position as shown in fig8 a , the belt is enabled to be turned in a counterclockwise direction , and in the second position as shown in fig9 a , the belt is enabled to be turned in a clockwise direction . in addition , when an operator operates the machine 110 with holding it with his / her left hand , the main portion 116 is turned through 180 ° relative to the base portion member from the position shown in fig7 , whereby the main portion 116 is located to the right side of the base portion member 140 held by operator &# 39 ; s left hand forward and to the center of the operator . when the base portion member 140 is set to either the first position or the second position as desired by an operator , the belt is enabled to be turned in a desired direction . it should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the foregoing embodiments , and can be modified in a variety of ways without departing from the gist of the present invention . it is therefore intended that the foregoing detailed description be regarded as illustrative rather than limiting , and that it be understood that it is the following claims , including all equivalents , that are intended to define the spirit and scope of this invention . | 1 |
many gaming systems offer a variety of computer controlled characters that can be substituted for a missing member of a group of players . the computer controlled character can be tailored to mimic the average playing style of a given character . however , these computer controlled characters are often limited in their effectiveness since the play style or role of any given team member often changes during game play , i . e ., human players typically adapt to changes in the game environment and the actions of other players . in addition , the generation of a computer controlled character that is custom tailored to match a player can be computationally expensive since this type of computer controlled character can require regular updates to account for changes in player style . as will be appreciated by one skilled in the art , aspects of the present invention may be embodied as a system , method or computer program product . accordingly , aspects of the present invention may take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment , an entirely software embodiment ( including firmware , resident software , micro - code , etc .) or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects that may all generally be referred to herein as a “ circuit ,” “ module ” or “ system .” furthermore , aspects of the present invention may take the form of a computer program product embodied in one or more computer - readable medium ( s ) having computer readable program code / instructions embodied thereon . any combination of computer - readable media may be utilized . computer - readable media may be a computer - readable signal medium or a computer - readable storage medium . a computer - readable storage medium may be , for example , but not limited to , an electronic , magnetic , optical , electromagnetic , infrared , or semiconductor system , apparatus , or device , or any suitable combination of the foregoing . more specific examples ( a non - exhaustive list ) of a computer - readable storage medium would include the following : an electrical connection having one or more wires , a portable computer diskette , a hard disk , a random access memory ( ram ), a read - only memory ( rom ), an erasable programmable read - only memory ( eprom or flash memory ), an optical fiber , a portable compact disc read - only memory ( cd - rom ), an optical storage device , a magnetic storage device , or any suitable combination of the foregoing . in the context of this document , a computer - readable storage medium may be any tangible medium that can contain , or store a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system , apparatus , or device . a computer - readable signal medium may include a propagated data signal with computer - readable program code embodied therein , for example , in baseband or as part of a carrier wave . such a propagated signal may take any of a variety of forms , including , but not limited to , electro - magnetic , optical , or any suitable combination thereof . a computer - readable signal medium may be any computer - readable medium that is not a computer - readable storage medium and that can communicate , propagate , or transport a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system , apparatus , or device . program code embodied on a computer - readable medium may be transmitted using any appropriate medium , including but not limited to wireless , wireline , optical fiber cable , rf , etc ., or any suitable combination of the foregoing . computer program code for carrying out operations for aspects of the present invention may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages , including an object oriented programming language such as java ™, smalltalk , c ++ or the like and conventional procedural programming languages , such as the “ c ” programming language or similar programming languages . the program code may execute entirely on a user &# 39 ; s computer , partly on the user &# 39 ; s computer , as a stand - alone software package , partly on the user &# 39 ; s computer and partly on a remote computer or entirely on the remote computer or server . in the latter scenario , the remote computer may be connected to the user &# 39 ; s computer through any type of network , including a local area network ( lan ) or a wide area network ( wan ), or the connection may be made to an external computer ( for example , through the internet using an internet service provider ). aspects of the present invention are described below with reference to flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams of methods , apparatus ( systems ) and computer program products according to embodiments of the invention . it will be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams , and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams , can be implemented by computer program instructions . these computer program instructions may be provided to a processor of a general purpose computer , special purpose computer , or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine , such that the instructions , which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus , create means for implementing the functions / acts specified in the flowchart and / or block diagram block or blocks . these computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer - readable medium that can direct a computer , other programmable data processing apparatus , or other devices to function in a particular manner , such that the instructions stored in the computer - readable medium produce an article of manufacture including instructions which implement the function / act specified in the flowchart and / or block diagram block or blocks . the computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer , other programmable data processing apparatus , or other devices to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer , other programmable apparatus or other devices to produce a computer - implemented process such that the instructions which execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus provide processes for implementing the functions / acts specified in the flowchart and / or block diagram block or blocks . the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the figures . fig1 is a functional block diagram illustrating a gaming environment , generally designated 100 , in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention . gaming environment 100 includes computing device 110 and gaming device 140 , which are connected via network 130 . computing device includes player substitution program 112 , player characteristics 114 , substitution rules 116 , artificial intelligence ( ai ) player list 118 , and game environment data 120 . gaming device 140 includes gaming data 142 . in various embodiments of the present invention , computing device 110 is computing device that can be a standalone device , a video game console , a server , a laptop computer , a tablet computer , a netbook computer , a personal computer ( pc ), or a desktop computer . in another embodiment , computing device 110 represents a computing system utilizing clustered computers and components to act as a single pool of seamless resources . in general , computing device 110 can be any computing device or a combination of devices with access to player substitution program 112 , player characteristics 114 , substitution rules 116 , ai player list 118 , and game environment data 120 , and is capable of executing player substitution program 112 . computing device 110 may include internal and external hardware components , as depicted and described in further detail with respect to fig3 . in various embodiments of the present invention , gaming device 140 is a computing device that can be a standalone device , a video game console , a server , a laptop computer , a tablet computer , a netbook computer , a personal computer ( pc ), or a desktop computer . in another embodiment , gaming device 140 represents a computing system utilizing clustered computers and components to act as a single pool of seamless resources . in general , gaming device 140 can be any computing device or a combination of devices capable of passing gaming information , included in gaming data 142 , to computing device 110 . gaming device 140 may include internal and external hardware components , as depicted and described in further detail with respect to fig3 . in this exemplary embodiment , player substitution program 112 , player characteristics 114 , substitution rules 116 , ai player list 118 , game environment data 120 , and gaming data 142 are respectively stored on computing device 110 and gaming device 140 . however , in other embodiments , player substitution program 112 , player characteristics 114 , substitution rules 116 , ai player list 118 , game environment data 120 , and gaming data 142 may be stored externally and accessed through a communication network , such as network 130 . network 130 can be , for example , a local area network ( lan ), a wide area network ( wan ) such as the internet , or a combination of the two , and may include wired , wireless , fiber optic or any other connection known in the art . in general , network 130 can be any combination of connections and protocols that will support communications between computing device 110 , gaming device 140 and player substitution program 112 , player characteristics 114 , substitution rules 116 , ai player list 118 , game environment data 120 , and gaming data 142 in accordance with a desired embodiment of the present invention . in an exemplary embodiment , computing device 110 acts as a host server for massively multiplayer online game ( also called mmo and mmog ) sessions . gaming device 140 sends the gaming information of a given individual player , included in gaming data 142 , to player substitution program 112 , which is executing on computing device 110 . in an exemplary embodiment , player substitution program 112 monitors the activity of the human player to determine if the player is available . if player substitution program 112 determines that the player is not available , then player substitution program 112 accesses the information included in player characteristics 114 and game environment data 120 . player substitution program 112 analyzes the received gaming information , the information included in player characteristics 114 , and the information included in game environment data 120 by applying rules , included in substitution rules 116 . based on the results of the analysis , player substitution program 112 selects an appropriate ai player from a list of possible ai players , included in ai player list 118 . player substitution program 112 then substitutes the selected ai player for the human player , who is unavailable , operates gaming device 140 . player substitution program 112 then monitors the gaming environment for the return of the human player , i . e ., if the human player becomes available . if the human player becomes available , then player substitution program 112 substitutes the human player for the ai player . in an exemplary embodiment , player characteristics 114 , includes information about the playing style and pattern of a human player . player characteristics 114 is updated , by player substitution program 112 , with the information received from gaming device 140 , i . e ., the information included in gaming data 142 . the information included in player characteristics 114 includes information specifying the playing style of the human player in various scenarios . for example , the player may have different playing styles used for open grassy type terrain where movement is not limited as opposed to mountainous type terrain where the movement of the player &# 39 ; s avatar is very limited . in another example , player characteristics 114 includes the preferred attack and defensive patterns used by the player for a particular enemy type . the information included in player characteristics 114 also includes information regarding specific roles that the user may perform for the group . for example , a particular player may favor the role of a healer in certain scenarios and the role of a tank , i . e ., a close range brawler , in others . the information included in player characteristics 114 also includes specifics regarding the attributes of the player &# 39 ; s avatar , e . g ., the avatar &# 39 ; s level . the information included in player characteristics 114 also includes specifics regarding the criteria that a player uses when changing playing style . for example , if a player consistently changes to long range attacks when their avatar &# 39 ; s health points are low , then that information would be included in player characteristics 114 . in an exemplary embodiment , substitution rules 116 includes a set of rules to match a given unavailable player to an ai player . the rules take into account the information included in player characteristics 114 and game environment data 120 . the rules identify the gaming environment and the playing style most often utilized by the human player for the given set of circumstances . the rules are applied , by player substitution program 112 , to determine the most appropriate computer controlled player to be used as a substitute for a player that is unavailable . for example , a group of players is currently exploring a wooded region . the human player x is low on health . the rules in substitution rules 116 identify that in a wooded environment player x preferentially takes on the role of a tank . however , the rules in substitution rules 116 also identify that if player x is low on low on health , then player x preferentially switches to either a bowman class and uses long range attacks or switches to a healer class and heals the avatar &# 39 ; s wounds . given the wooded environment long range bow attacks would be ineffective . therefore , the rules dictate that player x is replaced with a computer controlled player that primarily performs the functions of a healer . typically , a new analysis is performed , by player substitution program 112 , whenever there is a substantial change in the environment of the player &# 39 ; s avatar or in the status of the avatar . a substantial change is a change which could have a noticeable impact on the effectiveness of a given computer controlled player . for example , in continuation with the above example , after player x was substituted , by player substitution program 112 , with an appropriate healer class computer controlled player , the healer class computer controlled player heals the avatar of player x . based on the new circumstance , the rules now determine that the healer class computer controlled player be substituted with a tank class computer controlled player . therefore , a tank class computer controlled player is matched up , by player substitution program 112 , with the playing style of player x and is substituted for the healer class computer controlled player . in continuation with the example , the group of players leaves the wooded region and enters an open grassy area . player substitution program 112 applies the rules in , substitution rules 116 , and determines that based on the new circumstances , player x preferentially changes to a ranger class , which has increased speed and mobility on open ground . player substitution program 112 matches the playing style of player x to a ranger class computer controlled player and substitutes the ranger class computer controlled player for the tank class computer controlled player . in a last example , the group changes their quest from the “ blackened scrolls ” to the “ yellowed horns ” quest . a change in quest is considered a substantial change , therefore player substitution program 112 applies the rules included in substitution rules 116 to determine the most appropriate computer controlled player to use as a substitute for player x . the “ yellowed horns ” quest requires that the group include the following avatar classes : a tank , a magic user , a bowman , a healer , and two thieves in order to succeed . the other members of the group satisfy all of the required character classes except one of the thief classes . therefore , the rules included in substitution rules 116 dictate that the computer controlled player of player x be a thief class computer controlled player . in an exemplary embodiment , ai player list 118 , includes a group of pre - generated computer controlled players , i . e ., artificial intelligence ( ai ) players . in one embodiment , a computer controlled player takes control of a given player &# 39 ; s avatar in the event of that player being unavailable . in another embodiment , the avatar of the unavailable player is duplicated and the duplicate , under control of the computer controlled player is substituted for the unavailable player . in another embodiment , a substitute avatar is generated that has similar attributes , e . g . level , equipment , ability etc ., to the player &# 39 ; s avatar . the substitute avatar , under control of the computer controlled player is substituted for the unavailable player . the list of computer controlled players includes players corresponding to the various classes available in a given game . each class also includes several variations of playing style for the given class . for example , a player with a low level would not be as likely to attack a higher level opponent without waiting for an opening . therefore , while a tank class would primarily be a close range fighter ; there would still be several levels of aggressiveness . in an exemplary embodiment , game environment data 120 includes information such as the gaming terrain , opponents , missions and quests in progress , and the requirements needed to achieve a mission or quest that is currently in progress . game environment data 120 is updated , by player substitution program 112 , with the information received from gaming device 140 , i . e ., the information included in gaming data 142 . for example , a quest for “ purple scrolls ” requires a team of players with two tanks , a magic user , a bowman , and a healer in order to succeed . the avatar roles that the group must fill , i . e . the two tanks , the magic user , the bowman , and the healer , would all be included in game environment data 120 as part of the requirements for the “ purple scrolls ” quest . in certain embodiments , where groups of players , i . e ., teams , compete with one another , game environment data 120 can also include information about the groups themselves . for example , game environment data 120 can include the average level for the players of a certain group or the average success rate of a particular attack pattern . in an exemplary embodiment , gaming data 142 includes gaming information that is generated by individual players as well as certain group information . gaming data 142 includes information such as the recent activity of a given player as well as group information such as a selected quest the group is attempting to complete . gaming data 142 also includes specific information regarding the avatar of the player operating gaming device 140 , e . g ., avatar level , status information etc . the information included in gaming data 142 is passed to computing device 110 and used to populate player characteristics 114 and game environment data 120 . the recent activity of a player can include actions which facilitate the efforts of the group as well as actions which inhibit the activities of the group , e . g ., griefing . griefing is when a player deliberately acts in a manner to prevent their group from achieving a goal . for example , a player may attack their teammates in order to advance the efforts of another competing team . a player who is griefing is determined by the rules , included in substitution rules 116 , to be unavailable . fig2 is a flow chart , 200 , illustrating the operational steps of player substitution program 112 executing on computing device 110 , in accordance with an exemplary embodiment . in step 205 , player substitution program 112 monitors the activity of a group players participating in a gaming session and the game environment information and updates player characteristics and game environment data accordingly , included in player characteristics 114 and game environment data 120 respectively . the respective gaming devices of the various players included in the group players send respective gaming information , included in respective gaming data 142 , to player substitution program 112 . player substitution program 112 then saves the received information to player characteristics 114 and game environment data 116 respectively . in decision step 210 , player substitution program 112 determines if the gaming session has been terminated . a gaming session is determined to be terminated if all of the group members are not available . if the gaming session has been terminated ( decision step 210 , yes branch ), then player substitution program 112 ceases execution for that gaming session . if the gaming session has not been terminated ( decision step 210 , no branch ), then player substitution program 112 proceeds to step 215 . in step 215 , player substitution program 112 determines the environment of the group of players . player substitution program 112 accesses game environment data 120 and identifies the terrain of the group and the current status of the group . for example , the group is in a desert and there are no nearby opponents . in decision step 220 , player substitution program 112 determines if the player , operating a given gaming device , is available . if the player is actively participating in the gaming session , and in a manner that is not considered griefing , then the player is determined to be available ( decision step 220 , yes branch ) and player substitution program 112 proceeds to step 205 . if the player is not actively participating in the gaming session or is acting in a manner that is not considered griefing , then the player is determined to be not available ( decision step 220 , no branch ) and player substitution program 112 proceeds to step 225 . in some situations , a player losing connectivity , e . g ., the player loses internet connection , then the player is also considered not available . in step 225 , player substitution program 112 using the rules included in substitution rules 116 , accesses player characteristics 114 and game environment data 120 , and identifies the unavailable player &# 39 ; s characteristics , i . e ., their playing style etc . for the particular game scenario . for example , a player is often very aggressive and takes on the role of a tank when playing in confined conditions . the group is currently exploring a dungeon . therefore , using the rules included in substitution rules 116 player substitution program 112 determines that the player characteristics to be an aggressive tank class . in step 230 , player substitution program 112 accesses ai player list 118 and matches the determined player characteristics to an appropriate computer controlled player , i . e ., an ai player . in continuation with the previous example , a tank class computer controlled player with a high level of aggression would be matched to the determined player characteristics . then in step 235 , player substitution program 112 substitutes the tank class computer controlled player for the unavailable player . in step 240 , player substitution program 112 accesses player characteristics 114 and game environment data 120 and monitors the information they include for changes . for example a change can be the group leaving one area and entering another . another change can be a status ailment being inflicted on a player in the group , e . g ., the player &# 39 ; s avatar is poisoned . in decision step 245 , player substitution program 112 applies the rules included in substitution rules 116 and determines if there are any changes that would be considered substantial , i . e ., changes that would dictate a change in the computer controlled player . for example , a battle is going very badly for a group of players , three of the players are nearly out of life points , therefore player substitution program 112 determines that there has been a substantial change in the environment . in another example , a member of the group leaves to scout a short distance ahead . player substitution program 112 , determines that this is not a substantial change . if there has been a substantial change ( decision step 245 , yes branch ), then player substitution program 112 proceeds to step 210 . for example , the game session is terminated . player substitution program 112 determines that the termination of a gaming session is a substantial change and proceeds to step 210 . if there has not been a substantial change ( decision step 245 , no branch ), then player substitution program 112 proceeds to decision step 250 . in decision step 250 , player substitution program 112 determines if the human player has returned , i . e ., has become available . if the player has become available ( decision step 250 , yes branch ), then player substitution program 112 proceeds to step 255 and replaces the computer controlled player , i . e ., the ai player , with the previously unavailable human player . if the player has not become available ( decision step 250 , no branch ), then player substitution program 112 proceeds to step 240 . in some embodiments , player substitution program 112 can select various computer controlled players based on the playing ability of a given player . a replacement for an unavailable player is selected based , in part , on the playing ability of the player . the computer controlled player would therefore be selected such that the skill level would not be better than the player that is replaced . such an approach could help deter deliberate replacement of a player in favor of a superior computer controlled player . fig3 depicts a block diagram , 300 , of components of computing device 110 and gaming device 140 , in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the present invention . it should be appreciated that fig3 provides only an illustration of one implementation and does not imply any limitations with regard to the environments in which different embodiments may be implemented . many modifications to the depicted environment may be made . computing device 110 and gaming device 140 include respective communications fabric 302 , which provides communications between computer processor ( s ) 304 , memory 306 , persistent storage 308 , communications unit 310 , and input / output ( i / o ) interface ( s ) 312 . communications fabric 302 can be implemented with any architecture designed for passing data and / or control information between processors ( such as microprocessors , communications and network processors , etc . ), system memory , peripheral devices , and any other hardware components within a system . for example , communications fabric 302 can be implemented with one or more buses . memory 306 and persistent storage 308 are computer - readable storage media . in this embodiment , memory 306 includes random access memory ( ram ) 314 and cache memory 316 . in general , memory 306 can include any suitable volatile or non - volatile computer - readable storage media . player substitution program 112 , player characteristics 114 , substitution rules 116 , ai player list 118 , game environment data 120 , and gaming data 142 are stored in persistent storage 308 for execution and / or access by one or more of the respective computer processors 304 via one or more memories of memory 306 . in this embodiment , persistent storage 308 includes a magnetic hard disk drive . alternatively , or in addition to a magnetic hard disk drive , persistent storage 308 can include a solid state hard drive , a semiconductor storage device , read - only memory ( rom ), erasable programmable read - only memory ( eprom ), flash memory , or any other computer - readable storage media that is capable of storing program instructions or digital information . the media used by persistent storage 308 may also be removable . for example , a removable hard drive may be used for persistent storage 308 . other examples include optical and magnetic disks , thumb drives , and smart cards that are inserted into a drive for transfer onto another computer - readable storage medium that is also part of persistent storage 308 . communications unit 310 , in these examples , provides for communications with other data processing systems or devices , including resources of gaming device 140 . in these examples , communications unit 310 includes one or more network interface cards . communications unit 310 may provide communications through the use of either or both physical and wireless communications links . player substitution program 112 , player characteristics 114 , substitution rules 116 , ai player list 118 , game environment data 120 , and gaming data 142 may be downloaded to persistent storage 308 through communications unit 310 . i / o interface ( s ) 312 allows for input and output of data with other devices that may be connected to computing device 110 . for example , i / o interface 312 may provide a connection to external devices 318 such as a keyboard , keypad , a touch screen , and / or some other suitable input device . external devices 318 can also include portable computer - readable storage media such as , for example , thumb drives , portable optical or magnetic disks , and memory cards . software and data used to practice embodiments of the present invention , e . g ., player substitution program 112 , player characteristics 114 , substitution rules 116 , ai player list 118 , game environment data 120 , and gaming data 142 , can be stored on such portable computer - readable storage media and can be loaded onto persistent storage 308 via i / o interface ( s ) 312 . i / o interface ( s ) 312 also connect to a display 320 . display 320 provides a mechanism to display data to a user and may be , for example , a computer monitor , or a television screen . the programs described herein are identified based upon the application for which they are implemented in a specific embodiment of the invention . however , it should be appreciated that any particular program nomenclature herein is used merely for convenience , and thus the invention should not be limited to use solely in any specific application identified and / or implied by such nomenclature . the flowchart and block diagrams in the figures illustrate the architecture , functionality , and operation of possible implementations of systems , methods and computer program products according to various embodiments of the present invention . in this regard , each block in the flowchart or block diagrams may represent a module , segment , or portion of code , which comprises one or more executable instructions for implementing the specified logical function ( s ). it should also be noted that , in some alternative implementations , the functions noted in the block may occur out of the order noted in the figures . for example , two blocks shown in succession may , in fact , be executed substantially concurrently , or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order , depending upon the functionality involved . it will also be noted that each block of the block diagrams and / or flowchart illustration , and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and / or flowchart illustration , can be implemented by special purpose hardware - based systems that perform the specified functions or acts , or combinations of special purpose hardware and computer instructions . | 0 |
now , description will be given below of a centrifugal machine according to an embodiment of the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings . in all figures used to explain the present embodiment , parts having the same functions are given the same designations and the repeated description thereof will be omitted . fig1 is a structure view ( a section view ) of the whole structure of a centrifugal machine according to the embodiment of the invention . fig2 is a function block of the centrifugal machine shown in fig1 . fig3 is a time chart of the operating mode of the centrifugal machine shown in fig1 . fig4 is a flow chart used to explain the operation procedure of the centrifugal machine shown in fig1 . firstly , description will be given of the whole structure of the centrifugal machine with reference to fig1 . the centrifugal machine 1 includes a box member ( a frame ) the shape of the section of which is substantially square when viewed from above . within the box member 2 , there are disposed a rotor 3 which is made of a titanium alloy , an aluminum alloy or the like and is used to hold a specimen vessel ( not shown ) therein , a motor 4 for applying a rotation drive force to the rotor 3 , and a rotor chamber ( a rotation chamber ) 7 which is defined by a bottom member ( a plate ) 5 and a partition member 6 and is used to store the rotor 3 therein . also , on the upper opening portion ( an opening / closing portion ) of the rotor chamber 7 formed within the box member 2 , there is mounted a slide - type door 8 which can be opened and closed with respect to the box member 2 . while the rotor 3 is rotating , the door 8 is controlled by a control device ( a microcomputer ) 9 ( which will be discussed later ) in such a manner that the door 8 will not open the rotor chamber 7 . the interior of the rotor chamber 7 defined by the bottom member 5 and partition member 6 is decompressed by a vacuum pump 11 which can be actuated during the operation of the rotor 3 . this decompression can reduce the heat that is generated by the rotor 3 due to its friction against the air remaining within the rotor chamber 7 while the rotor 3 is rotating . within the rotor chamber 7 , there is disposed a bowl 10 which is made of , for example , aluminum material , in such a manner that it surrounds the rotor 3 . between the bottom portion 10 a of the bowl 10 and bottom member ( plate ) 5 , there is held a peltier element 12 for temperature control . the cold heat of the peltier element ( see fig2 ) to be controlled by the control device 9 is transmitted immediately to the whole of the rotor chamber 7 through the bowl 10 made of material having high heat conductivity , thereby controlling the temperature of the rotor chamber 7 uniformly to a low temperature , for example , a temperature of 4 ° c . as a result of this , an increase in the temperature caused by a wind loss during the rotation of the rotor 3 is lowered , and thus an increase in the temperature of the specimen vessel within the rotor 3 involved with the high speed rotation of the rotor 3 in the centrifugal operation is lowered down to a given temperature or lower . the temperature of the rotor chamber 7 is detected by a temperature sensor 13 fixed to the bottom member ( plate ) 5 and is measured by the control device 9 . as shown in the function block diagram of fig2 , the peltier element 12 and temperature sensor 13 are electrically connected to the control device 9 ; and , the control device 9 compares the detect value obtained from the temperature sensor 13 with a temperature set value previously set in the control device 9 and , based on the operation result thereof , the control device 9 supplies an on / off controlled drive voltage to the peltier element 12 in order to cool the peltier element 12 , or stops the supply of the voltage . the motor 4 is made of an induction motor or the like . a drive source for the motor 4 can be driven by a three - phase ac supply ( for example , 300 v , 5 hz ˜ 2 . 6 khz ), which is obtained by converting a commercial ac supply ( for example , 100 v or 200 v , 50 / 60 hz ) through an inverter , while the drive source allows the high speed rotation of the rotor 3 . the rotation speed of the rotor 3 to be driven and rotated by the motor 4 is detected by a rotation sensor 14 which is disposed adjacent to the bottom portion of the rotor 3 . as shown in the function block diagram of fig2 , the detect value of the rotation sensor 14 is input to the control device 9 , while the control device 9 compares and operates the detect value and the set value to thereby control the rotation speed of the motor 4 . by the way , the rotation sensor 14 may also be structured such that it detects the rotation speed of the motor 4 . on the bottom portion of the rotor 3 , there is disposed a cylindrical - shaped magnetic recording medium ( a magnetic memory device ) 15 . the cylindrical - shaped magnetic recording medium 15 includes , although not shown in the drawings , a magnetic thin film ( a magnetic memory film ) made of a cylindrical - shaped disk substrate the surface of which is plated , and a coating film ( a protection film ) formed on top of the magnetic thin film . in the vicinity of the cylindrical - shaped magnetic recording medium 15 , there is disposed a magnetic head ( a recording head ) 16 . the cylindrical - shaped magnetic recording medium 15 and magnetic head 16 operate as a kind of hard disk memory . the magnetic recording medium 15 and magnetic head 16 , as shown in the block diagram of fig2 , are electrically connected to the control device 9 . the cylindrical - shaped magnetic thin film of the magnetic recording medium 15 is intermittently magnetized to s and n poles and , when reproducing the operation record data , as will be discussed later , the rotor 3 is rotated at a constant low speed n 1 ( see fig3 ) and the magnetic data of the magnetic recording medium 15 are reproduced as voltage waveforms by the magnetic head 16 . in this case , the control device 9 reads the wavelengths of the voltage waves between the peaks thereof and converts them to the operation record data . also , in the operation record data recoding time as well , the rotor 3 is rotated at the constant low speed n 1 and the control device 9 applies intermittent voltages to the magnetic head 16 to generate intermittent magnetic fields , whereby the cylindrical - shaped magnetic thin film constituting the magnetic recording medium 15 is intermittently magnetized to s and n poles to record the operation record data therein . owing to the magnetic recording medium 15 , the operation record data such as the number of rotations of the rotor 3 and total operation rotation hours of the rotor 3 can be recorded and reproduced . the control device 9 , as shown in the function block diagram of fig2 , includes a microcomputer having an operation portion 9 a and a memory portion 9 b , and further includes a drive portion 9 c which contains a drive circuit for driving the motor 4 , a drive circuit for driving the vacuum pump 11 and a drive circuit for driving the peltier element 12 . further , the control device 9 includes an operation panel which is used to input data expressing the rotation speed of the rotor 3 and operation conditions such as the time necessary for the centrifugal operation , and a display portion 9 d which is used to display the thus inputted information and monitor the information during the operation of the rotor 3 . the memory portion 9 b of the control device 9 includes a memory such as a rom which stores therein data on the control program of the vacuum pump 11 , data on the control program of the peltier element 12 and the like . also , the memory portion 9 b further includes a memory such as a ram or a prom which is used to reproduce the data on the operation records such as the number of operations and the rotation hours stored in the magnetic recording medium 15 and then record the reproduced data temporarily , and also which is used to temporarily store updated operation record data to be recorded in the magnetic recording member 15 . in the centrifugal machine 1 having the above - mentioned structure , description will be given below of an operation mode according to the invention with reference to a time chart shown in fig3 . when the operation of the motor 4 ( rotor 3 ) is started at a time t 0 , the peltier element 12 also starts its operation . in this case , the peltier element 12 is controlled such that , during the rotation of the rotor 3 , the temperature sensor 13 always measures the temperature of the rotor 3 under the control of the control device 9 , the measured temperature is compared with the set temperature previously set in the control device 9 by a user , and a voltage ( a pulse voltage which is turned on and off at a given cycle ) is applied to the peltier element 12 by the control device 9 to thereby control the temperature of the rotor 3 . in this case , when cooling the rotor 3 , the bowl 10 is cooled due to absorption of heat from the peltier element 12 and the rotor 3 is cooled due to radiant heat from the bowl 10 . at a time t 1 , the control device 9 sets the rotation of the motor 4 ( rotor 3 ) to a given low rotation speed n 1 . the then rotation speed ni of the motor 4 is set for a rotation speed , for example , 1 , 000 min − 2 ( rpm ) which is suitable for reproducing the operation record data recorded in the magnetic recording medium 15 through the magnetic head 16 , or recording new operation record data , which is temporarily stored in the memory portion 9 b of the control device 9 , into the magnetic recording medium 15 through the magnetic head 16 . while the motor 4 or rotor 3 is rotating at a given low rotation speed ni during the time ti to time t 2 , according to the invention , as shown in fig3 b , the operation of the peltier element 12 is stopped ( the peltier element 12 is held in a non - operation state ) . during the non - operation period ( t 1 ˜ t 2 ) of the peltier element 12 , as shown in fig3 c , the magnetic head 16 is operated to reproduce the operation record data of the magnetic recording medium 15 into the memory portion 9 b of the control device 9 . the control device 9 accelerates the motor 4 during the period of the time t 2 ˜ t 3 and , in the period of the t 3 ˜ t 4 , it sets the rotation speed of the motor 4 ( rotor 3 ) for n 2 . the thus set rotation speed n 2 is to be set for a rotation speed which is set by a user , for example , 100 , 000 min − 1 ( rpm ). during this period , a specimen held by the rotor 3 is centrifuged . the control device 9 , in the period of the time t 4 ˜ t 5 , decelerates the motor 4 and , in the period of the time t 5 ˜ t 6 , it sets the rotation speed of the motor 4 again for ni ( for example , 1 , 000 min − 1 ). during this period , the control device 9 stops the operation of the peltier element 12 , operates the magnetic head 16 , temporarily stores into the memory portion 9 b not only the operation record data reproduced during the period of the time t 1 ˜ t 2 by the operation portion 9 a but also the current operation record data , whereby the newest operation record data can be recorded into the magnetic recording medium 15 using the magnetic head 16 . this makes it possible that the rotor 3 can always store and hold the newest operation condition data in itself . here , when the operation record data reach the assumed life of the rotor 3 , the control device 9 displays an alarm on the display portion 9 d or generates a warning sound to thereby stop the rotation of the rotor 3 ( motor 4 ). for the normal operation , at a time t 7 , the control device 9 stops the motor 4 and ends the centrifugal operation . next , description will be given below of a control procedure for controlling the reproduction and recording of the operation record data on the centrifugal machine 1 according to the invention with reference to a flow chart shown in fig4 . in step 100 , when a user previously starts the operation of the centrifugal machine 1 , the control device 9 applies a voltage ( a pulse voltage ) to the peltier element 12 and starts the temperature control of the rotor 3 . next , in step 101 , using the motor 4 , the rotation speed of the rotor 3 is set for ni ( 1 , 000 min − 1 ). just after then , in step 102 , the control device 9 stops the application of the voltage to the peltier element 12 . further , in step 103 , the control device 9 reproduces the operation record data from the magnetic recording medium 15 through the magnetic head 16 and , in step 104 , the thus reproduced data are stored into the memory portion 9 b of the control device 9 . after then , in step 105 , the control device 9 applies a voltage to the peltier element 12 again to thereby control the temperature of the rotor 3 to a given temperature . next , in step 106 , the control device 9 controls the motor 4 in such a manner that the rotor 3 can be set for a preset set rotation speed n 2 ( for example , 100 , 000 min − 1 ( rpm ). the specimen is centrifuged in this manner . after the centrifugal operation , in step 107 , the motor 4 is deceleration controlled to thereby set the rotation speed of the rotor 3 for ni ( for example , 1 , 000 min − 1 ) again . next , in step 108 , the control device 9 stops the application of the voltage to the peltier element 12 . in the next step 109 , the control device 9 adds the operation record at a rotation speed n 2 set in the current centrifugal operation to the data stored in the acceleration time of the motor 4 , and then stores the thus updated operation record data into the magnetic recording medium 15 through the magnetic head 16 . after the data are recorded , in step 110 , the control device 9 resumes the voltage application to the peltier element 12 . after then , the control device 9 stops the motor 4 and ends the operation of the centrifugal machine 1 . the rotation speed n 1 of the rotor 3 , which is set when reproducing or recording the operation record data , may not be the illustrated rotation speed 1 , 000 min − 1 , provided that the range of the centrifugal stress to the rotor 3 is very small , that is , provided that no substantial fatigue limit occurs in the range . when the rotation speed n 1 in the reproduction operation or in the recording operation is a rotation speed or a rotation time that must be considered as the operation record data , a correction integer may also be added to the operation record data . also , the rotation speed n 2 of the rotor 3 necessary for centrifugation can also be changed as the need arises . as can be understood obviously from the above description of the present embodiment , when the operation record data are updated in the magnetic recording medium mounted on the rotor , since the supply of the voltage to the peltier element for temperature control is turned into an off state ( a non - operation state ), no noise can be generated from the peltier element , the operation record data can be reproduced and recorded accurately . also , because , when recording the operation record data , the same parts as in the prior art can be used , the cost of the centrifugal machine can be reduced . although the invention made by the present inventors has been described heretofore based on the embodiment of the invention , the invention is not limited to this embodiment but various changes are also possible without departing from the scope of the subject matter of the invention . | 1 |
the inventive software manages media files , or assets , making it possible to store and retrieve them , to collaborate with colleagues to edit and work with them , and to deliver them , either for further processing or in finished form for use . the workflow of the inventive software is designed to provide flexible choices among features that support a creative user who works with rich media files . as soon as a user logs on to the software ( an optional step ), she can immediately see if any system - internal messages are waiting in her system email inbox , either sent from other users collaborating with her on media files , or sent automatically by the inventive system to notify her of various occurrences that may pertain to her work , such as a project update . the user can read her messages , reply to a message , or compose a new message to send to another system user . a composed message may consist of text only , or it may have a system - internal file attached . the user may wish to work on a project , such as an advertising campaign . she enters the project work area , and creates a new project . this creates a virtual workspace in the inventive system that is dedicated to holding media files and all their related files , including edited versions , colleague comments , official approvals , and so on . she decides which users will be allowed to share access to the project space . she may upload files that she has already created into the project work area . from there , she can send a media file off to a colleague for comments , editing , or approval . if she decides to rework a previously created file for use in the new ad campaign , she can search for the file in the file storage area of the inventive system . she enters search terms , generally either by typing or by speaking into an input device , and finds an appropriate media file . she then saves the file to her new project . she may decide , instead , to have the full , high - resolution version of that file sent to her for a different project . in the inventive system , delivery options for high - resolution files include on - line delivery via ftp , http , or special network ; via cd delivery , or even via mail delivery of the file in analog format . ordering and file delivery in the inventive system are subject to several conditions , which the software verifies and tracks . these conditions include whether the user has the proper rights and permissions , not only to view the file but also to use or publish it . if use is subject to a fee , the fee must be paid , whether by billing , credit card , or other means . if usage requires personal approval , the request is routed to the right person and approval is granted and tracked , all within the inventive software system . rights management . if a user determines that she needs to use a rights - restricted media file , she must engage in a dialogue with the inventive software about her planned use of the file . companies can customize sets of questions that the software presents to users , depending on which file a user wants to order . the user may have to answer whether she intends to publish the file , where it will be published , to what size audience , at what location , on what date . the answers determine whether the file can be made available , and can also determine the price . for example , if she is showing ten seconds of a movie for a one - time training seminar in canada for an audience of fifty people , her cost may be far less than making those same ten seconds of movie available on the home page of a major entertainment web site . and making the entire movie available on the web may perhaps not be permitted at any price . when users order files in the software according to the invention , the rights management process controls every aspect of the order . a company may allow its employees to use its media files for personal use , marketing use , or in an internal organization project . or they may allow all three uses in different situations . they can track the user &# 39 ; s use of the files , they can designate the licensing type for the files and make sure a rights agreement is included , and they can enforce legal or company policy restrictions that may apply . the rights management process helps clients establish all of these elements so they can apply them appropriately to their stored media files . the invention described here makes it easier for individual clients to customize a rights management setup so that the software will make the right pricing and availability decisions for each projected use . central to the system is a question - answering paradigm : an administrator or a manager decides what questions should be presented to each potential user of a file , and what set of multiple choice answers to supply . the software maps the questions and answers to a rights and usage package , and , if applicable , each package is assigned pricing . for example , an administrator may determine that a file &# 39 ; s availability depends on : what department is giving the presentation ? who is the audience ? will the image be included in any handouts ? will the image be displayed on an overhead ? when is the presentation date ? does the work contain images of any sculpture , painting , drawing , or other art object that may be copyrighted ? the questions , in turn , are grouped appropriately for a company &# 39 ; s particular file collections , and are assigned to either groups of files or individual files . questions and their answers may serve as fundamental criteria for whether a file is made available ; they may serve as modifiers to an available file by raising or lowering pricing depending on usage ; or they may simply be informational questions that do not play a role in decision - making , but allow companies to track file use and user needs . the rights management process . when ordering files , users answer questions that ask for information about how they are planning to use the files they order . the questions a user answers are the usage questions a company designates for each possible use . this set of usage questions is called a rights package . creating a rights package is the first step in the rights management process . a rights package , or set of questions , is added to other rights packages , to make up a rights package group . this allows a company to make more than one rights package available for a group of files . a rights package group is added to a particular license type . the license type describes the possible ways a file can legally be used . a rights agreement is added to define details clearly about the user &# 39 ; s rights . in the final step , the rights agreement is associated with a particular license type through a control table . the control table also contains pricing and approval information for each rights package . the core piece of this process is the creation and grouping of questions that cover a company &# 39 ; s business and legal interests for their stored media file usage . part of this process is completed with what may be termed a rights package question role editor . a typical editor interaction is shown in fig1 . glossary customization tool and usability customization tool . the software according to the invention incorporates a glossary management tool that makes it easy for each client to customize terminology to the needs of a particular business . with this tool , termed a glossary manager , a company can customize a number of feature names in the system to provide a more familiar context for their users . the system also includes a usability management tool that customizes the software interface “ look and feel ” to more closely reflect a company &# 39 ; s corporate culture , image , and to reflect the system context within the company . a part of the system termed a usability manager allows a company to change system background colors , fonts , and the embedded logo . this tool also makes localization into a different language simpler . a typical customization interaction screen is shown in fig2 . user - configurable browseable generation . in a typical asset management system , users browse through media file collections and view thumbnail images of files to decide which files they want to work with . these thumbnails are browseables , or small representations of the actual images , videos , or other media files in the system . a browseable is created by optimizing an image or video frame for online browsing , so a browseable has lower resolution and smaller dimensions than the original file . the browseable ( the proxy of the actual media file ) is what the user sees in the system according to the invention , and browseable size is generally set by a system administrator for use throughout the system . importantly , the system permits generating these lower - resolution proxy files in a way that can be configured by the customer . natural language processing techniques . in the system according to the invention , the natural language processing component is layered . the system architecture supports a conventional search algorithm , which operates as a plug - and - play support application . the algorithm is then used in a word expansion process . the word expansion is applied to both a user &# 39 ; s search query , and to the stored files &# 39 ; captions , that is , descriptive metadata identifying individual files . when a user submits a search query , the query undergoes several types of nlp processing ( detailed below ), and the result of each element in the processing adds new query components ( for example , synonyms ) and / or weights ( which emphasize or dewords depending on their value to the query ). the resulting , or processed , query contains expanded terms and weighting information that can be passed to any search engine . this makes it possible to use multiagent ( or “ federated search ”) applications as well . to expand a user search query , once a user query is received , it is divided into individual tokens , which may consist of single words or multiwords . ( multiwords are words the search engine recognizes as one unit , instead of as separate words . with this feature , when a user searches for sea lions , the system does not bring up lions by the ocean .) for this process , a variation of conventional pattern matching is used . if a single word is recognized as matching a word that is part of a stored multiword , the processor decides whether to treat the single word as part of a multiword , based on the contents of the stored pattern and the input pattern . stored patterns include not just literal words , but also syntactic categories ( such as adjective or nonsemantic categories ( such as nationality or government entity ), or exact matches . if the input matches the stored pattern information , then it is interpreted as a multiword rather than as independent words . processing then determines whether the resulting word is a function word ( closed - class ) or content word ( open - class ). the processor ignores function words . for content words , the related concepts for each sense of the word are retrieved from the semantic net . if the root word is unknown , the word is treated as a keyword , requiring an exact match . the system then matches the expanded , weighted search query with stored media files in order to return search results to the user . media files are identified by the metadata associated with them , e . g . in a caption . textfiles can be identified by metadata associated with them , and also by their content . when users import media files into the system , the software provides a workflow to add captions to each file . the files are then uploaded into the database , and the file captions are expanded and the information stored for later file searching . to expand the file captions , the processor looks up each word in the caption or text . words that may be related in the semantic net are located based on stored links , and the looked - up word , along with any related words , are all displayed as the “ expansion ” of that word . the processor determines whether the current word or phrase corresponds to a proper name , a location , or something else . if it corresponds to a name , a name expansion process is invoked that displays the name and related names such as nicknames and other variants , based on a linked name file . if the current word or phrase corresponds to a location , a location expansion process is invoked that accesses a gazetteer and displays the location and related locations based on linked location information found in the gazetteer and supporting files . if the current word or phrase is neither a name nor a location , it is expanded using the semantic net links and weights associated with those links . strongly related concepts are given high weights , while more remotely related concepts receive lower weights , making them less exact matches . thus , for a query on car , documents or metadata containing car and automobile are listed highest , followed by those with sedan , coupe , and convertible , and then by more remotely related concepts such as transmission , hood , and trunk . once the expansion is complete , the expanded word or phrase is stored in an index database , where it is available for use in searching as described below . processing then returns to expand the next word or phrase in the text or caption . the system according to the invention handles certain words and phrases individually . multiwords are matched as a whole unit , and names and locations are identified and looked up in the separate name and location files . next , noun phrases and other syntactic units are identified . a part - of - speech tagger uses linguistic and statistical information to tag the parts of speech for sections of the user query . only words that match by part of speech are considered to match , and if two or more parts of speech are possible for a particular word , it is tagged with both . after tagging , word affixes ( i . e . suffixes ) are stripped from query words to obtain a word root , using conventional inflectional morphology . if a word in a query is not known , affixes are stripped from the word one by one until a known word is found . an intermediate query is then formulated to match against the file index database . texts or captions that match queries are then returned , ranked , and displayed to the user , with those that match best being displayed at the top of the list . in an exemplary system , the searching is implemented by first building a b - tree of id lists , one for each concept in the text database . the id lists have an entry for each object whose text contains a reference to a given concept . an entry consists of an object id and a weight . the object id provides a unique identifier and is a positive integer assigned when the object is indexed . the weight reflects the relevance of the concept to the object &# 39 ; s text , and is also a positive integer . to add an object to an existing index , the object id and a weight are inserted into the id list of every concept that is in any way relevant to the text . for searching , the id lists of every concept in the query are retrieved and combined as specified by the query . since id lists contain ids with weights in sorted order , determining existence and relevance of a match is simultaneous and fast , using only a small number of processor instructions for each concept - object pair . search technologies . the system allows users to search for media files with many different types of search queries . for example , users may submit search queries by speaking them , typing them , copying them , or drawing them . the process of locating a particular file in a large archive is a special area for innovation within the inventive software . files are characterized in several ways . first , they have an identifier , generally similar to a filename , which is unique within the system and makes it possible to link up all the objects related to a file . these can include the actual high - resolution asset , lower - resolution thumbnails or other proxies for browsing , and information about the file , or metadata . searching can be performed on the file identifier , or it can be performed on the metadata . in the case of metadata searching , it is desirable to offer search alternatives that go beyond the exact matching process involved in a standard keyword search . some systems use controlled vocabulary searching as an optimization of keyword searching . keyword searches simply match exactly on any word in the user &# 39 ; s search query that appears in the search target . ( in the system according to the invention , the search target is the metadata describing a media file .) the set of potential keywords is quite large ( as large as the vocabulary of english , or whatever language ( s ) are being used ). if there are no limitations on the search vocabulary that can be employed , a user can enter a search for puma and fail to find any files captioned as mountain lion or cougar , even though they all refer to the same thing . controlled vocabulary is an attempt to address this problem , albeit at considerable cost . in a controlled vocabulary retrieval system , cataloguers all agree to use the same terms . in practical terms , this implies that , when cataloguing , they must check their controlled vocabulary lists and be sure not to deviate . sometimes tools can be built to aid in this process , depending on the size of the controlled vocabulary . similarly , tools can also be provided to searchers to control their search requests . however , controlled vocabulary systems do not scale beyond a few thousand terms , since it is impractical to look up every word in english for every search . for broader retrieval systems , for faster cataloguing , and for simpler searching , a different approach is superior . in addition to standard keyword and boolean searching , the system software incorporates additional advanced technology for locating stored files . rather than limiting searching to a controlled vocabulary , the system software includes natural language search , which allows cataloguers and users to employ any words in english ( or whatever natural language the retrieval system is using ). a semantic network of concepts additional linguistic techniques , including : phrase matching derivational morphology , in lieu of stemming part of speech tagging name recognition location recognition user - tunable search parameters . the system according to the invention provides a screen for customers to adjust search parameters , to reflect their company use of stored media file collections . this is shown in fig3 . while the parameters may themselves be well - known in a searching system , what is emphasized here is that the user ( or , more likely , an administrator ) can be granted access to such fundamental decisions about search as : ( a ) how good a match has to be before it is displayed to the user , e . g . 50 %, and ( b ) how “ creative ” the search should be , i . e . how much should the search terms be expanded to include more distant synonyms and related terms . it should be borne in mind that the system according to the invention can be carried out on an internet , meaning an ip - based network , and in particular may be carried out on the internet , meaning the global ip - based network . multimodal search . currently , search methods focus on textual input . the current invention incorporates new search techniques , and combines them in novel ways . image search is becoming useful in commercial applications . in the system according to the invention , user search input is provided in a new way . users may wish to select an existing image as example input , so that a search consists of “ give me more images like this .” perhaps even more useful is the ability to select part of an image , analogous with “ give me more like this part .” in the system according to the invention , identifying the part may be done in either of two exemplary ways : 1 . touch screen : user touches the screen to identify the portion of the image that feeds into the search . 2 . markup , using pen or other screen drawing metaphor , including through the system media viewer , which is described in more detail below . addition , search modalities can be combined . this novel approach to search is particularly applicable to multimedia . examples of combined , or multimodal , searches , include : vocabulary management . ideally , the semantic net of concepts is quite large and attempts to incorporate every word or term in english ( or other language being used for cataloguing and searching ). no matter how large the semantic net may be , there will be a periodic need to expand or edit it . new words appear in english periodically , and , although many may be slang and therefore not particularly important in a business context , some will be real new words and will be important enough to include . for example , rollerblading and in - line skating are relatively new terms in english , and depicting those actions is useful in advertising . so the terms need to be added to the semantic net . semantic net / vocabulary maintenance is generally a manual process , particularly where the user has an existing media library with a thesaurus and vocabulary management process . such maintenance can also be performed automatically . to maintain a vocabulary for an information retrieval application that accepts user queries in natural language , a user maintaining a semantic net would track search queries in a query log . from the query log , he would determine which words are actually novel and are candidates to be added to the system vocabulary , by expanding the query log using morphology , and possibly a spell checker and name identifier . the remaining terms that were not matched are the basis of a list for adding terms to the vocabulary . a morphological analyzer . this tool strips off any endings and morphological alterations in a query to find the stem , and checks to see if the stem is in the current vocabulary . if the stem is not , the user doing the maintenance might try : a spell checker . this tool uses the conventional algorithms to see if the supposedly new word is actually a misspelling of a known word . if it is not a misspelling , the user might try : a name identifier . this tool checks to see if the supposedly new word is in a name configuration , in that it follows a known first name in the query . if it does , it is added to a candidate name database . if it is not , it is proposed as a possible new word to be added to the system &# 39 ; s vocabulary . searching audio / video by timecode correlation with search criteria . video and audio files can be timecoded , or marked such that the software in which they run can locate a specific frame ( for videos ) or measure ( for audio ) at any time . importantly , the system according to the invention permits searching timemedia , including video and audio files , by combining two search elements . the first is a standard search , including but not limited to natural language search . the second is a time indicator , such as a smpte ( society of motion picture and television engineers ) standard timecode . face recognition is an additional technology that can be used in searching . face recognition is a subset of the more general technology of object recognition , and indeed techniques described here may extend to additional technologies as well . the current state of the art in face recognition technology makes it possible to take a manually created , labeled library of faces , and match faces from a video to that library . for example , a user might work with a news video and use a face recognition program to label nelson mandela in it . the output of the face recognition program would be a time - coded segment , with start and stop times , of when nelson mandela was on camera , with the label “ nelson mandela ” attached to the time codes . while face recognition currently does not achieve 100 % precision or recall , it can still be useful . for example , one known system offers a contract rights management capability for films that demands time - coded segments with names attached , and assumes that users will create those manually , so that the correct contract restrictions for each film segment can be attached to the right time codes . given a small library of the actors in a film , it would be possible to do a fast , automated match - up of time codes and actors , even with imperfect face recognition technology . selecting the correct actor from forty publicity shots would be much simpler than selecting from among thousands of faces . importantly , the system according to the invention carries out the automated creation of the face library . required elements include time - coded metadata ( for example , the voice recognition transcript of a video ), and the ability to find the names of people in text . each time a face and a person &# 39 ; s name appear at the same time code , that occurrence is a potential new entry for the face library . a user may run the facematcher for thousands of hours and sift out the recurring matches as the most likely . in this way , a reference library of faces is created , and new material can be catalogued automatically . the software according to the invention approaches this by using alignment techniques to match up two or more streams of metadata . for example , a broadcast news program may contain closed captioning for the hearing - impaired . it may also contain a separate description of the news footage , probably created manually by the news department . the system according to the invention uses alignment to match the description , which is not time - coded , with the closed captioning , which is time - coded . this process allows the system to add time codes to the non - time - coded stream . the software then uses that new , derived stream ( i . e . the description with newly added time codes ), and searches for proper names within it . at the same time , using face recognition algorithms on the video stream , the software finds faces . the system tries to match up the faces with the proper names that describe who they are . this matched set provides us with a rough cut of a face ( or object ) reference library . this is exemplified in fig4 . face recognition can also be employed to manage the library or archive of media files . media libraries are assembled over time , often from disparate sources , and may contain multiple copies of a single media file , either with the same metadata or with different metadata . duplicate detection is therefore an important element of library and archive management , and face recognition ( and , more generally , image recognition ) can be leveraged to provide that capability . more broadly , for video , scene detection technology can assist in the process of identifying duplicates so that they can be purged from the library . clustering and other ways to determine stored file usage . clustering involves combining user search queries in such a way that the searches can be analyzed usefully to provide answers to business questions . clustering has received considerable attention in document information retrieval ( ir ) and more recently , in video ir as a means of refining retrieval results based on user preferences or profiles , and to characterize the marketplace . the prior art contains many examples of clustering applied in information retrieval systems , but they all apply to search results returned to users rather than search queries submitted by users . in the system according to the invention , we cluster search queries by topic . we then use that information to adjust the collections of stored files so that the file collections will better meet users &# 39 ; needs . this system characterizes the information needs of groups ( and subgroups ) of users , with respect to a collection of media files ( e . g . images , videos , sound clips , text , multimedia objects ). some common groupings include : search queries that brought back no files search queries that brought back no files the user was interested in search queries that lead to expressions of user interest or sales this system applies clustering technology to user - submitted search queries , and to the files retrieved in search results . it also includes : machine learning as applied to the above . characterizing the information needs over time , by user type , or by other factors . methods for reporting file collection needs to interested parties ( for example , media suppliers ). the system informs a supplier that pictures of earthquakes are selling briskly , or that users keep looking for videos of dance performances but cannot find any . methods for adjusting file collections based on the results of the clustering analysis , above . novel clustering techniques . these include using a semantic expansion ( such as the wordnet hierarchical thesaurus ) and phrase identification ( such as noun phrase , and name and location identification ) as the basis for the clustering . before user queries can be analyzed , they must be expanded to a “ common denominator ”. to expand the user search queries , we use natural language techniques . specifically , we treat each query as if it were metadata within our system , as described in the nlp section , above . each query is expanded through the application of a semantic net , so that it contains synonyms and related terms . this expansion provides a set of features to which we can apply standard clustering technology . obtaining valuable information on user preferences for stored files begins with deciding what information a client wants to understand . the data set can be selected according to various criteria , including : queries from a particular subset of users ( e . g . registered users , users by industry , new users ) queries that lead to success ( sale or other indication ) queries that lead to failure a first step is to select the data set on which clustering is to be performed . in an information retrieval ( ir ) context , clustering can be performed on queries or on assets to be retrieved ( documents , images , video , audio , mixed media ). a sample query set may include short queries , as is standard on web searches , long queries , as seen in trec ( u . s . government - sponsored text retrieval conferences ), or as produced by qbe ( query by example ), in which an asset or set of assets are themselves inserted into a query . a second step is to perform analysis on the queries using , for example , linguistic methods , such as : tokenization : determine word / token boundaries . in english , tokenization mostly coincides with spaces between words , with certain complications ( alzheimer &# 39 ; s = 1 token vs . she &# 39 ; s = 2 tokens ). morphology or stemming : removed tense and plural markers and other affixes to find the word root . identify names , locations , noun phrases : using a pattern matcher or other methodology , determine words were groupings for special handling . for example , for names , match certain kind of variance ; for locations , match subset ; for noun phrases , we to complete and headmatches higher than modifier homematches . a third step is to expand the queries . ideally , this step includes expansion using a thesaurus or semantic net of synonyms , superand other relationships . a fourth step is , for each of the terms in each expanded query , assign a weight based on how close that term is to the original query . the exact weighting will vary by application , but the basic understanding is that more closely matching terms are weighted close to 100 . a fifth step is to create a vector for each expanded query . in order to apply a statistical clustering algorithm , we arrange the vectors into a matrix . a sixth step is to apply a statistical clustering algorithm in order to group similar queries together . a hierarchical or linear clustering strategy may be used , depending on whether the desired clusters are hierarchical or not . clustering may allow overlap , which means that a query may appear in more than one cluster . a seventh step is to apply the clustering algorithm until the stopping condition is met , e . g . the desired number of clusters is obtained , or a combination of cluster number and desired distinctiveness of clusters is reached . an eighth step relates to the clusters . clusters are most useful to a human observer if they bear useful names that reflect the content . use a semantic net hierarchy , combined with term frequency in a reference corpus , to identify the lowestterm in the hierarchy that subsumes all the queries . folding popularity into rankings . many information retrieval applications currently incorporate relevance feedback into their judgements of how to rank search results returned to a user . in all cases , however , the past systems utilize explicit user feedback , not implicit feedback . that is , they rank files by requiring a user to indicate what items he is interested in , once a set of items is returned by a search . importantly , in the system according to the invention , the system discerns implicit popularity rankings based on a ranked set of user actions . the system then then uses those rankings to resubsequent search results . the user actions from which popularity may be determined include , but are not limited to : whether a file is placed in a projects folder or other work space whether a file is placed in a shopping cart whether a file is purchased in addition , implicit popularity rankings may be derived from one user or set of users and applied to a different user or set of users . for example , if user a places a media file in a projects folder or shopping cart , the information on her activity can also be used to research results for user b , who is in some way similar to user a . in another example , if users with “. edu ” e - mail addresses buy certain things , it makes sense to research results to favor those things when showing results to other “. edu ” users . in the system according to the invention , if registered users who work for advertising agencies have placed certain items in their shopping carts , other advertising agency employees can have their search results re - ranked to favor those items . the opposite can be true as well : the same system can be used to disfavor certain items because they have been sold too many times to advertising agencies , for example . retrieval system self - evaluation . the retrieval system according to the invention does not answer any of the trec tracks — a media file is described by a short paragraph or by keywords . even though it is possible to develop a unique test collection for purposes of evaluation , it will not necessarily predict the performance of new systems , or even for existing ones . what is now described is a method for ongoing evaluation of ir system performance based on search results combined with user feedback . this approach enables the system to alert a human system manager about observed degradation in the system performance . as the performance evaluation system becomes more knowledgeable through methods of machine learning , the system is desirably able to change its own parameters in order to improve its performance . “ performance ” as used in this inventive system is a score on a scale of user satisfaction with the respect to search results rankings . user satisfaction is determined by tracking the user actions together with the system &# 39 ; s data . for example , for a very good performance , the user would submit a search query and purchase the media file that was ranked first . possible indications of poor performance might include a user issuing several consecutive queries , getting thousands of results , and terminating the session without further examining any of the media files . viewer . the software application according to the invention includes a viewer for annotations , or mark - ups , of full motion digital still images , video frames , or other indexed data structures . the viewer , preferably accessible on a personal computer with a web browser , serves as a helper application for the underlying application of the system according to the invention . the viewer allows users to view and mark up ( comment on ) media on a separate , see - through lightweight layer . the viewer supports annotations that are created and rendered so that they appear overlaid on the related media . position , size , frame number , and other attributes of annotations are saved in a separate annotation file , and when played back the annotations appear at the saved location and with the saved attributes . preferably , to the greatest extent possible , creating and editing of annotations is be done in wysiwyg ( what you see is what you get ) fashion . this is illustrated in fig5 . the annotations may consist of text , graphics , and digitized audio , and are stored separately from the original file information . an indexing scheme relates individual annotations to individual video frames . on full motion video playback , the annotations are displayed on the originally annotated frames . one central part of the system according to the invention is the use of a downloadable , view - only application , which enables users who do not have the full power to create annotations nonetheless to be able to view annotations created by others . in an exemplary embodiment , files are stored centrally . preferably the viewer provides security , e . g . ssl , server authentication , and proxy authentication . the underlying application according to the invention powers the full lifecycle of digital media from content collaboration , deep storage , search and retrieval using a natural language search and the ability effectively to move bandwidth - intensive media over the web . the software is preferably web - based . the viewer is a standalone , platform “ helper ” application that is normally launched by a web browser , from a specific link on a web page that is part of the web server of the system according to the invention . the viewer has the ability to upload annotation data back to the web server . except for the two actions of launching and uploading , the viewer does not require any network connection with the web server or the web browser . the current viewer in the system according to the invention on a pc or macintosh platform allows the user to view and annotate various video , still image , audio , and text formats , including mpeg , quicktime , or realmedia videos , bitmap , jpeg , and tiff images , mp3 , . wav , . aiff , . au , and . snd audio files , and . pdf document files . the viewer currently has nine modes in which it can operate , all of which would be relevant to the mobile user . they are : annotate a media file select a keyframe select storyboard frames ( and optionally a keyframe ) set the download ( cache ) directory send a message and , optionally , attached files to another user download a media file upload media files to a project upload media files to a public collection select a playlist the current ( mac and windows ) viewers can be launched in any of these nine modes , generally by receiving an xml annotation file . attributes common to all annotation types are : position , size , frame number ( video only ), and page number ( multipage document only ). all of the graphical attributes such as colors and fonts are modifiable using platform - native dialog boxes . these attributes can be set for new annotations as well as previously created ones . for video , each annotation is recorded with the timecode of the specific frame on which it was created . when movies with annotations are played back , the viewer stops playback at each frame where an annotation exists . the viewer also contains a droplist of all annotated frames ( by timecode ) so that individual annotated frames can be viewed quickly . controls are also provided for stepping by a single frame in either direction , as well as a control displaying the timecode of the current frame where the viewer is paused . the pda ( or handheld or wearable ) version of the viewer builds on the same general architecture . the server generates a simple xml annotations file , sends it to the client ( i . e . the viewer via the web browser ), and handles the returned http messages from the viewer . the following annotation types are desirably supported on a pda viewer : in this way , the system according to the invention supports the full life cycle of media ; allowing organizations to expedite the process of searching , collaborating and distributing of digital assets , such as imagery , video files , pictures and text documents . users desirably have the freedom to collaborate anywhere at anytime using the annotation viewer according to the invention on a pda . users are preferably able to annotate video and still images with a virtual pen , sticky note , text and even voice using a wireless modem . annotations are preferably capable of being added , edited , moved , or deleted . a pda - based digital media management solution takes digital delivery and collaboration to the next level by eliminating the need of a traditional pc and ethernet connection . in addition , users no longer need to carry laptops to stay up to date on work involving video or still images . preferably the viewer supports both http authentication and proxy authentication . as an option , the viewer displays a login dialog where the user can enter a user id and password to be used for authentication . since the viewer is activated and closed frequently , it should not prompt the user to log in each time it connects to the server . the viewer instead provides a mechanism for saving the user id and password on the local workstation ( in encrypted form ) and passing this information to the server without any prompting . it is desirable that the viewer support ssl encryption for all of its http requests . | 8 |
the present invention provides a cost effective method for producing high density heat resistant sintered stainless steel components , containing an effective amount of defined metal - carbo - nitrides without deplete the matrix from chromium and deteriorate the corrosion resistance . the invention is based on the finding that the solubility of nitrogen in the applicable stainless steel material is strongly dependent on the temperature and decreases rapidly up to a temperature of about 1180 ° c . according to fig1 . when heating a stainless steel component in a nitrogen containing atmosphere , nitrogen will be dissolved in the structure . when the sintering temperature is reached the solubility is much lower which will lead to nitrogen gas formation and if closed porosity is obtained , i . e . at densities of 7 . 3 g / cm 3 and above , nitrogen gas will be entrapped in the component causing cracks and large pores . the presence of nitrogen gas within the component will also counteract shrinkage and densification . the inventors have surprisingly found that by a careful control of the sintering atmosphere during the sintering process which comprises heating , sintering and cooling phases , high density , heat and corrosion resistant stainless steel components can cost - effectively be manufactured . furthermore , the invented process enables the formation of an effective amount of the desired m 2 ( c — n ) metal - carbo - nitrides , instead of the less desired m ( c — n ) metal - carbo - nitrides . formation of the latter metal - carbo - nitrides in excessive amount may deplete the steel matrix from chromium and thus having an adverse effect on the corrosion resistance . water - atomized pre - alloyed powder with fine particle size , i . e . x 50 ≦ 30 μm , preferably x 50 ≦ 20 μm , more preferably x 50 ≦ 10 μm is used to obtain sufficiently high sintering activity for densification during sintering . ( x 50 as defined in iso 13320 - 1 1999 ( e ). the chemical composition of the pre - alloyed powder is within the defined composition ranges of the sintered material , except that the nitrogen content is lower ( maximum 0 . 3 % by weight of n ). the carbon content of the powder can also be lower than the specified lower limit of the sintered material ( 0 . 001 % by weight of c ), in which case graphite is added to the powder before compaction . the fine particle size pre - alloyed powder is preferably granulated into agglomerates in order to get efficient powder flowability in the compaction process . the granulation may be done by a spray drying or freeze drying process . prior to granulation the powder is mixed with a suitable binder ( e . g . 0 . 5 - 1 % polyvinyl alcohol , pvoh ). mean particle size of the agglomerated powder should be in the range of 50 - 500 μm . the granulated powder may be mixed with a suitable lubricant before compaction ( e . g . 0 . 1 - 1 % amide wax ). other additives can also be admixed to the granulated powder , such as graphite and machinability additives ( e . g . mns ). compaction is done by conventional uniaxial pressing with 400 - 800 mpa compaction pressure to reach a density in the range of 5 . 0 - 6 . 5 g / cm 3 . alternatively , the powder may be consolidated into the green component by any other known consolidation processes such as metal injection moulding ( mim ), in which case granulation of the stainless steel powder is not needed . in this case the metal powder is in form of a paste . after consolidation the green component is subjected to the sintering process encompassing heating , sintering and cooling phases . heating is performed in an atmosphere of dry hydrogen or in vacuum . the atmosphere shall also have a low oxygen partial pressure to ensure a reducing atmosphere ; therefore the dew - point shall be at most − 40 ° c . when a sufficiently high temperature is reached , i . e . not before 1100 ° c ., the atmosphere is shifted to the sintering atmosphere . sintering is done at high temperature , 1150 - 1350 ° c . for 15 - 120 min , in nitrogen containing atmosphere such as pure nitrogen , mixtures of nitrogen and hydrogen , mixtures of nitrogen and inert gases such as argon , or mixtures of nitrogen and hydrogen and inert gas . the content of nitrogen shall be at least 20 % by volume . the sintering atmosphere shall also have a low oxygen partial pressure to ensure a reducing atmosphere ; therefore the dew - point shall be at most − 40 ° c . preferable sintering parameters are 1200 - 1300 ° c . for 15 - 45 minutes in nitrogen with up to 10 % hydrogen . a small amount of h 2 in the sintering atmosphere ensures that surface oxides are sufficiently reduced during sintering for efficient bonding between powder particles . nitrogen is transferred from the atmosphere to the steel during sintering . slow cooling ( preferably & lt ; 30 ° c ./ min ) after sintering must be applied through the temperature range of 1100 - 1200 ° c . to allow time for formation of finely dispersed carbonitrides of type m2 ( c , n ) ( where m = cr , fe ) in the material . fig2 shows that such carbo - nitrides will be formed in the austenitic stainless steel in this temperature range in a n 2 - containing atmosphere . faster cooling , & gt ; 30 ° c ./ min , should be applied at lower temperatures , & lt ; 1100 ° c ., to prevent the formation of large amounts of m ( c , n ) type carbo - nitrides , which would decrease the corrosion resistance of the steel due to sensitization effects . the thermodynamic stability of this carbo - nitrides type m ( c , n ) at lower temperatures is also demonstrated in fig2 . the sintering atmosphere shall be maintained during the cooling phase at least to a temperature of 1100 ° c . accordingly , the process according to the present invention will contain following steps ; optionally up to 3 % of each of the elements mo , cu , nb , v , ti and optionally mixing with lubricants , hard - phase materials , machinability enhancing agents and graphite , consolidating the obtained paste , feedstock or granulated powder into a green component , heating the obtained green component in vacuum or in an atmosphere of hydrogen gas to a temperature of at least 1100 ° c . sintering the green component at a temperature between 1150 - 1350 ° c . in an atmosphere of at least 20 % nitrogen gas . cooling the sintered component at a cooling rate of at most 30 c / min from the sintering temperature to a temperature of 1100 ° c . in an atmosphere of at least 20 % nitrogen gas to form sufficient amount of m2 ( c , n ) carbo - nitrides , cooling the sintered component from 1100 ° c . to ambient temperature at a cooling rate of at least 30 c / min and sufficiently high enough to avoid excessive formation of m ( c , n ) carbo nitrides yielding a component having at least 12 % by weight of cr in the matrix . in another embodiment of the method according to the present invention the stainless steel powder has the following composition ; optionally up to 3 % of each of the elements mo , cu , nb , v , ti and in an alternative embodiment of the present invention the stainless steel powder has the following composition ; optionally up to 3 % of each of the elements mo , cu , nb , v , ti and in another embodiment of the method according to the present invention consolidation is performed by uniaxial compaction at a compaction pressure of about 400 - 800 mpa to a green density of about 5 . 0 - 6 . 5 g / cm 3 . in still another embodiment of the present invention consolidation is performed by metal injection molding ( mim ). the sintered material according to the present invention is distinguished by having sintered density of at least 7 . 3 g / cm 3 , preferably at least 7 . 4 g / cm 3 and most preferably at least 7 . 5 g / cm 3 . the chemical composition of the sintered material is according to below ; optionally up to 3 % of each of the elements mo , cu , nb , v , ti and in another embodiment of the sintered material according to the present invention has a chemical composition according to below ; optionally up to 3 % of each of the elements mo , cu , nb , v , ti and in an alternative embodiment of the present invention the sintered material has a chemical composition according to below ; optionally up to 3 % of each of the elements mo , cu , nb , v , ti and the sintered material has an austenitic microstructure which is strengthened in the surface region , the region from the surface to a depth of between about 20 μm to about 500 μm perpendicular from the surface , by about 5 - 15 vol %, of finely dispersed m 2 ( c , n ) type carbo - nitrides , as shown by the thermodynamic equilibrium phase composition of the material at a temperature just above 1100 ° c ., as illustrated in fig2 . the size of the carbo - nitrides is below 20 μm , preferably below 10 μm and most preferably below 5 μm . a preferred size of the carbo - nitrides is 1 - 3 μm . the carbo - nitrides are evenly distributed throughout the austenitic matrix with a typical distance between adjacent precipitates of 1 - 5 μm . the austenitic matrix contains at least 12 % by weight of chromium , needed for corrosion resistance , and the austenite grains are very fine typically below 20 μm , preferably below 10 μm , finer grain size is beneficial for the mechanical strength and oxidation resistance of the material . besides the precipitated hard metal - carbide - nitride phases the sintered material may also contain fine manganese sulfide ( mns ) phases , such phases is preferably below 10 μm in order to obtain sufficient machinability properties . the sizes of the carbo - nitrides and mns phase is determined by measuring its longest extension through light optical microscopy . the size of the austenite grains being determined according to astm e112 - 96 . the characteristics of this microstructure provide excellent high temperature properties to the sintered material , such as resistance to corrosion , oxidation and wear . suitable application is turbocharger and other components subjected to hot gases in combustion engines for operating temperatures of up to 1000 - 1100 ° c . water - atomized stainless steel powder a according to table 1 with fine particle size , median particle diameter according to ss - iso13320 - 1 , x 50 & lt ; 10 μm , was used as test material . the powder was mixed with a binder solution and granulated using spray drying technique into larger particles with mean particle size of around 180 μm . the granulated powder was mixed with lubricant ( 0 . 5 % amide wax ) and pressed by uniaxial compaction with 600 mpa compaction pressure into cylindrical test specimens ( φ = 25 mm , h = 15 mm ). green density of the compacted specimens was 5 . 90 g / cm 3 . three sintering trials were performed and different protective gas atmospheres were used in each trial according to table 2 . the pressure during sintering was one atmosphere . heating rate up to sintering temperature ( t ) was about 5 ° c ./ min and cooling rate after sintering was 10 ° c ./ min from t to 1100 ° c . and 50 ° c ./ min from 1100 ° c . to room temperature in all three trials . examination of sintered specimens from trial # 1 showed excessive swelling and crack formation due to large void formation inside the specimens during sintering , as illustrated in fig4 which is a picture from light optical microscopy ( lom ). this void formation is caused by n 2 gas formation at high temperature . specimens from the other two sintering trials (# 2 and # 3 ) were sintered to high density ( 7 . 50 - 7 . 52 g / cm3 , corresponding to & gt ; 96 % of theoretical density ) and had no signs of cracks . the microstructure ( lom ) of the material that were sintered in pure h2 ( trial # 2 ) consists of small cr - carbide precipitates in an austenitic matrix ( see fig5 ) throughout the specimens . similar microstructure ( lom ) is found in the centre of the specimens from trial # 3 . however , in the specimen surface regions ( up to − 300 μm from the surface ) after sintering trial # 3 , there are many cr - carbo - nitride precipitates evenly distributed in the austenitic matrix ( see fig6 ). these carbo - nitride precipitates gave significantly higher specimen surface hardness after trial # 3 ( hv10 = 252 ) compared to the specimen surface hardness after trial # 2 ( hv10 = 179 ). the surface hardness hv10 , was measured according to ss - en - iso 6507 . | 2 |
the finished adsorbent catalyst of this invention will typically contain about 0 . 005 wt . % to about 1 . 0 wt . % noble metal , preferably about 0 . 015 wt . % to about 0 . 35 wt . %, based on the total weight of the catalyst . the support of zeolite and an inorganic refractory metal oxide will contain about 2 wt . % to about 21 wt . % zeolite based on the total weight of the catalyst , preferably about 8 wt . % to about 17 wt . %. where the metal oxide is alumina or a mixture of alumina and either titania or zirconia , the support will contain about 1 wt . % to about 11 wt . % alumina based upon the total weight of the catalyst , preferably about 2 wt . % to about 4 wt . %. where the metal oxide is titania or a mixture of titania and alumina , the support will contain about 1 wt . % to about 23 wt . % titania based upon the total weight of the catalyst , preferably about 2 wt . % to about 15 wt . %. mixed metal oxides in which one metal is &# 34 ; doped &# 34 ; with a minor portion of another , for example zirconium oxide in which a minor amount of cerium is included in the crystalline matrix , may also be used as supports . zeolites . the zeolites suitable for use in the support of this invention are those which are capable of trapping the typical hydrocarbons that are included in diesel exhaust at low temperatures ( below about 150 ° c . to 250 ° c .) and releasing those hydrocarbons at higher temperatures where they will oxidize more readily . in particular , the zeolite should be characterized in that it maintains crystalline structure over extended operation at temperatures in the range of 750 ° c . to 850 ° c . in air , has an average pore size of greater than about 0 . 6 nm , and a si / al ratio of greater than about 5 . examples of suitable zeolites are beta zeolite , ultra - stable y zeolite and utd - 1 zeolite , in the hydrogen ion ( low sodium ion ) form of the zeolite , with beta and y being preferred . in one preferred embodiment , the support may contain more than one type of zeolite material . for example , a blend of beta and y zeolites may be used , or the support may contain two or more zeolites , each having a different range of pore sizes . thus , a preferred large pore zeolite having pores in the range of from about 0 . 6 nm to about 1 . 1 nm ( about 6å to about 11 å ) used to accommodate the larger hydrocarbon molecules contained in diesel exhaust may be combined with a minor amount of a zeolite having pores in the range of from about 0 . 23 nm to about 0 . 6 nm ( about 2 . 3 å to about 6 å ) and a si / al ratio between about 5 and 50 . inorganic oxides . the inorganic oxide portion of the support primarily functions to improve adhesion of the zeolite to a carrier substrate in a washcoat process or as a binder for catalysts formed without a carrier substrate . in addition , alumina will aid in the oxidation of carbon monoxide , while titania will help reduce the conversion of so 2 to so 3 . both alumina and titania tend to also promote the oxidation of hydrocarbons . the alumina may be in the gamma , delta , or theta forms . the titania is preferably in the anatase phase . substrate . the catalyst may be in pelleted form or , more preferably , in the form of a support which is washcoated on a carrier substrate such as a flow through honeycomb monolith made of ceramics or metal , as will be familiar to those skilled in the art . noble metals . the noble metal or metals will be deposited onto the support powder either before or after it is slurried in water and applied to the monolith by methods known to the art . the same technique could be applied to a pelleted catalyst . the noble metal or metals are applied to the support by decomposing a noble metal compound which has been deposited on the support . where there is more than one noble metal , the noble metals may be applied either separately or in combination by techniques familiar to those skilled in the art . preferred catalysts contain palladium only or a combination of platinum and palladium . examples of suitable noble metal compounds are : tetraamine platinum hydroxide , platinum nitrate , platinum sulfite , platinum dicarbonyl dichloride , dinitrodiamino platinum , palladium nitrate , diamminepalladium hydroxide , tetraamminepalladium chloride , palladium citrate , rhodium trichloride , hexaamminerhodium chloride , rhodium carbonylchloride , rhodium trichloride hydrate , rhodium nitrate , hexachloroiridate ( iv ) acid , hexachloroiridate ( iii ) acid , dichlorodhydroiridate ( iii ) acid , ammonium hexachloroiridate ( iii ) acid , ammonium aquohexachloroiridate ( iv ), tetraammine - dichloroiridate ( iii ) chloride , tetraamminedichloroiridate ( iii ) chloride . preferred compounds are platinum sulfite , palladium nitrate and rhodium nitrate . heat treatment . the optional heat treatment procedure is carried out by heating the catalyst in a gas stream containing from 0 % to about 2 % water , about 0 % to about 21 % oxygen , with a balance of nitrogen . preferably the treatment is carried out in pure nitrogen . the temperature is increased to above 650 ° c . at a slow rate to avoid thermally stressing the ceramic monoliths . the preferred temperature is 750 ° c . the temperature is then maintained for a period of from about 1 to about 24 hours , preferably for about 4 hours . the catalysts are then cooled at a sufficiently slow rate to avoid thermal stresses in the ceramic . the up and down ramp rates depend on oven geometry , and must ensure that the thermal gradient in the ceramic does not exceed 87 ° c . per linear centimeter ( 400 ° f . per linear inch ) at any place in the ceramic . the following examples will demonstrate that the catalyst of the instant invention yields increased conversion of the hydrocarbon , the soluble organic fraction , and the carbon monoxide from a diesel exhaust stream , as well as decreased oxidation of so 2 . catalyst a . a catalyst of the instant invention was prepared by making a condea puralox scca delta alumina slurry using standard techniques ( milling the alumina to approximately 5 micron average particle size and adjusting the ph to a value in the range of from about 3 . 2 to 3 . 8 using nitric acid ). the slurry was then mixed with a hydrogen ion form of beta - zeolite having a si / al ratio of 15 to give a mixture having a ratio of 20 parts by weight of beta - zeolite to 3 parts by weight of alumina powder . the mixture was then adjusted with water to provide the desired coating concentration and coated on a ceramic monolith . the coated monolith was calcined at 600 ° c . for about 1 hour . the calcined monolith was then impregnated with platinum sulfite and again calcined at 600 ° c . for 1 hour . one sample of catalyst a was then heat - treated by heating in a gas stream containing about 0 . 2 % water and about 21 % oxygen , with a balance of nitrogen . the temperature was increased at a slow rate to avoid thermally stressing the ceramic monoliths up to a temperature of 700 ° c . the temperature was then maintained for about 6 . 5 hours . the catalyst was then cooled at a sufficiently slow rate to avoid thermal stresses in the ceramic . the finished catalyst a ( both heat - treated and non - heat - treated ) contained nominal loadings of 0 . 35 g / l pt , 0 . 014 g / cm 3 alumina , and 0 . 092 g / cm 3 zeolite . catalyst d . a catalyst of the instant invention was prepared by making an alumina slurry using standard techniques ( milling the alumina to approximately 5 micron average particle size and adjusting the ph to a value in the range of from about 3 . 2 to 3 . 8 using nitric acid ). the slurry was then mixed with an ultra - stable y - zeolite having a si / al ratio of 8 . 5 to give a mixture having a ratio of 20 parts by weight of y - zeolite to 3 parts by weight of alumina powder . the mixture was then adjusted with water to provide the desired coating concentration and washcoated on a ceramic monolith . the coated monolith was calcined at 600 ° c . for about 1 hour . the calcined monolith was then impregnated with platinum sulfite and again calcined at 600 ° c . for 1 hour . one sample of catalyst d was then heat - treated by heating in a gas stream containing about 0 . 2 % water and about 21 % oxygen , with a balance of nitrogen . the temperature was increased up to a temperature of 700 ° c ., at a slow rate to avoid thermally stressing the ceramic monoliths . the temperature was maintained at that temperature for about 6 . 5 hours . the catalyst was then cooled at a sufficiently slow rate to avoid thermal stresses in the ceramic . the finished catalyst contained nominal loadings of 0 . 35 g / l pt , 0 . 015 g / cm 3 alumina , and 0 . 096 g / cm 3 y - zeolite . catalyst g . a catalyst of the instant invention was prepared in the same manner as was catalyst d , except that titania was used instead of alumina , and a mixture of platinum and palladium was used instead of only platinum . the finished catalyst contained nominal loadings of 0 . 35 g / l pt , 0 . 18 g / l pd , 0 . 015 g / cm 3 titania , and 0 . 096 g / cm 3 zeolite . catalyst i . a catalyst of the instant invention was prepared in the same manner as was catalyst d , except that a mixture of platinum and vanadium was used instead of only platinum . after drying and calcination , the monolith was coated with a homogeneous mixture of platinum nitrate , ammonium metavanadate , and oxalic acid . the finished catalyst contained nominal loadings of 0 . 35 g / l pt , 0 . 18 g / l v , 0 . 015 g / cm 3 alumina , and 0 . 096 g / cm 3 zeolite . catalyst j . a catalyst of the instant invention was prepared in the same manner as was catalyst i , except that the finished catalyst contained nominal loadings of 0 . 177 g / l pt , 2 . 12 g / l v , 0 . 015 g / cm 3 alumina and 0 . 06 g / cm 3 zeolite . catalyst b . a catalyst was prepared in the same manner as was catalyst a except that a silica - alumina ( condea siral 90 ht ; si / al = 7 . 6 ) was used instead of beta zeolite and the nominal loading of platinum was approximately five times that of catalyst a . the catalyst was not heat - treated . the finished catalyst contained nominal loadings of 1 . 85 g / l pt , 0 . 018 g / cm 3 alumina , and 0 . 043 g / cm 3 silica - alumina catalyst w . a commercial catalyst having approximately 50 g / ft 3 pt and containing vanadium , titania , and alumina was used as a comparative catalyst . catalyst x . a comparative catalyst was prepared by mixing a hydrogen ion form of beta - zeolite having a silica / alumina ratio of 15 with water to prepare a slurry and then coating the slurry on a ceramic monolith . the coated monolith was calcined at 600 ° c . for one hour . the calcined monolith was then impregnated with platinum sulfite . the finished catalyst contained nominal loadings of 0 . 35 g / l pt and 0 . 18 g / cm 3 zeolite . catalyst y . a comparative catalyst was prepared in the same manner as was catalyst x except that the nominal loading of platinum was approximately four times that of catalyst a or 1 . 48 g / l pt . catalyst z . a comparative catalyst was prepared by mixing 4000 grams gamma alumina ( surface area 2100 m 2 / g ) with 3730 g water ad 216 grams nitric acid . the slurry was milled to a particle size of 5 microns , and washcoated on a monolith . the coated monolith was calcined for one hour at 600 ° c ., and impregnated with platinum sulfite . the finished catalyst contained nominal loadings of 0 . 104 g / cm 3 alumina and 1 . 77 g / l pt . the conversion efficiency for inventive catalysts d , i and j and comparative catalysts w , and z were compared by testing them on a diesel passenger car having a 1 . 9 l non - turbo , indirect injection diesel engine using the european procedures for testing catalysts : the udc (&# 34 ; urban driving cycle &# 34 ;) and the eudc (&# 34 ; extra - urban driving cycle &# 34 ;). results appear in tables 1 - 3 . table 1______________________________________vehicle testing ( fresh catalysts ) co hc no . sub . x p . m . ptcatalyst g / km g / km g / km g / km g / l______________________________________none 0 . 55 0 . 12 0 . 63 0 . 065 -- d 0 . 35 0 . 045 0 . 61 0 . 034 0 . 35z 0 . 21 0 . 06 0 . 60 0 . 032 1 . 77w 0 . 33 0 . 07 0 . 64 0 . 031 1 . 77______________________________________ table 2______________________________________aging results catalyst i catalyst wengine out aged 854 aged 900emissions fresh hrs . fresh hrs . ______________________________________parameter g / km g / km g / km g / km g / kmpt ( g / l ) -- 0 . 35 0 . 35 1 . 77 1 . 77co 0 . 55 0 . 27 0 . 37 0 . 17 0 . 33hc 0 . 125 0 . 03 0 . 046 0 . 03 0 . 053no . sub . x 0 . 63 0 . 65 0 . 66 0 . 71 0 . 66pm 0 . 065 0 . 026 0 . 027 0 . 031 0 . 026______________________________________ table 3______________________________________aging results catalyst j catalyst wengine out aged 400 aged 400emissions fresh hrs . fresh hr . ______________________________________parameter g / km g / km g / km g / km g / kmpt ( g / l ) -- 0 . 177 0 . 177 1 . 77 1 . 77co 0 . 55 0 . 22 0 . 43 0 . 17 0 . 34hc 0 . 125 0 . 03 0 . 063 0 . 03 0 . 065no . sub . x 0 . 63 0 . 71 0 . 66 0 . 71 0 . 65pm 0 . 065 0 . 036 0 . 026 0 . 031 0 . 026______________________________________ the vehicle testing results in tables 1 , 2 , and 3 show the efficacy of the zeolite approach . with the low noble metal loadings , the inventive catalysts are as efficient at removing the hydrocarbon as the higher loaded reference catalysts . these results demonstrate that very low levels of platinum are required to achieve acceptable hydrocarbon reduction in the exhaust stream . the removal of carbon monoxide is much more sensitive to the platinum content of the catalyst , as the zeolite does not adsorb the carbon monoxide . a major concern about catalysts with reduced amounts of platinum is the durability in actual practice . after 400 hours of aging on a diesel engine , catalyst j has hydrocarbon and particulate conversion efficiency equivalent to catalyst w , with some loss of carbon monoxide conversion efficiency . the comparative catalyst shows a smaller loss of carbon monoxide conversion efficiency . taken together , this demonstrates acceptable durability for catalyst j . catalyst i , with a reduced amount of platinum , also shows equivalent hydrocarbon and particulate conversion efficiency after 854 hours , with some loss in carbon monoxide conversion efficiency . here the comparative catalyst shows an equivalent loss in carbon monoxide conversion efficiency . most of the hydrocarbons in the exhaust stream of the diesel engine adsorb to a higher temperature than decane , or the catalyst oxidizes them at a lower temperature than decane , or both . we have now provided a catalytic material that combines both a hc adsorbent and a catalyst material onto the same substrate . they may even be the same powder ( for instance , a preimpregnated pt / molecular sieve where the pt oxidation function and the molecular sieve hc adsorption function are combined in the same powder ). a series of catalysts were made ( according to the procedure of example i for catalyst a ) as follows : table 4______________________________________catalyst pt content washcoat 50 % conversion______________________________________a - 1 1 g / ft . sup . 3 zeolite beta , al -- at 320 ° c . a - 2 2 . 5 g / ft . sup . 3 zeolite beta , al -- at 280 ° c . a - 3 5 g / ft . sup . 3 zeolite beta , al -- at 245 ° c . a - 4 20 g / ft . sup . 3 zeolite beta , al -- at 235 ° c . a - 5 40 g / ft . sup . 3 zeolite beta , al -- at 225 ° c . ______________________________________ the washcoat loading was held constant and pt sulfite was always the pt source . the catalysts were tested for decane conversion using the method of example iii . the results show high levels of decane conversion at low temperatures . this is attributed to adsorption . at temperatures between about 210 °- 225 ° c ., depending on the pt loading , decane conversion declines . for catalysts with pt contents of 20 g / ft 3 or less , the measured decane conversion reaches zero . in these experiments , decane conversion is determined by a flame ionization detector . the associated software normalizes detected inlet decane concentrations that are greater than the expected inlet ( a . k . a . bypass ) decane concentration . that is , negative conversion levels are normalized to 0 % conversion . as the noble metal content of the catalyst is increased , the activity of the catalyst for catalytic oxidation increases . the temperatures for 50 % conversion levels as a function of pt content are shown in table 4 . the catalyst containing 40 g / ft 3 pt shows adsorption of decane at low temperatures , a decline in apparent decane conversion to a minimum of about 20 % conversion at about 220 ° c ., followed by increased decane conversion , presumably due to catalytic oxidation . as the art is aware , the observed decline in low temperature decane conversion will most likely be due to one of two reasons and experience will determine which is the more probable . those reasons are : the adsorption capacity of the zeolite is attained , so there &# 39 ; s no more &# 34 ; room &# 34 ; for additional adsorption , or as the average molecular weights of the gaseous hydrocarbons and the sof ( sof = soluble hydrocarbon fraction in the particulate matter ) in diesel exhaust increases , the average desorption temperature will also increase . these parameters will be a function of engine technology . thus , the specific amount of pt sufficient to result in effective catalytic oxidation light off at temperatures lower than the desorption temperatures will also be a function of engine technology , and will have to be determined with minimal experimentation , as will be expected by those skilled in this art . | 8 |
the present invention is directed to a means of preventing undesirable corrosion of a consumable anode utilized in electrochemical cells , particularly of the refuelable or replaceable anode type . referring now to the drawings , it will be seen that there is illustrated in fig1 a corrosion inhibiting metal anode of the invention for use in an electrochemical cell . the anode is generally identified by the numeral 10 . the anode 10 includes a consumable metal member 12 which is a plate - like member rectangular in outline and of a substantially uniform thickness . the member 12 which for example may be constructed of aluminum , lithium metal , or other reactive metal , has an active face 14 which is intended to be associated with a cathode of the metal / air or metal / o 2 type , of an electrochemical cell , the face 14 being enagaged directly with an intermediate current collector as known in the art . the necessary electrolyte will flow across the face 14 to provide the necessary chemical reaction which results in the member 12 being gradually consumed across the entire face 14 . in accordance with this invention , the plate - like member 12 of anode 10 is substantially encased in a protective housing or coating 16 which is in the form of a very thin film of metal . the housing or coating 16 includes a peripheral portion 18 which extends entirely about the edge of the member 12 , as shown in fig1 and 2 . a rear protective coating or film portion 20 extends across the rear face of the member 12 and is integral with the peripheral portion 18 . further , the protective coating or film 16 has a very narrow portion 22 which extends about the periphery of the face 14 of member 12 and which is integral with the peripheral portion 18 . by way of example , the member 12 of anode 10 has a width of 2 . 0 &# 34 ;, height of 2 . 0 &# 34 ; and thickness of 0 . 250 &# 34 ;, with the protective coating 16 having a thickness of 0 . 005 &# 34 ;, and with the portion 22 extending about 0 . 125 &# 34 ; over the periphery of the face 14 . as stated above , the member 12 may be formed of aluminum or lithium and the protective film or coating 16 is formed of a metal which is corrosion inhibiting or chemically inert in alkali . while the preferred metal is nickel , silver , gold and the like may also be utilized . the coating or film 16 is preferably applied to member 12 by electrolysis methods well known to those skilled in the art . the anode of fig1 and 2 is an anode which is intended to replace another anode in a refuelable cell construction and is associated with a single cathode . copending u . s . patent application , ser . no . 270 , 113 , filed june 3 , 1981 , now u . s . pat . no . 4 , 389 , 466 issued june 21 , 1983 , illustrates such a refuelable cell construction . however , there are anodes which are replaceable in refuelable cells of the twin cell type wherein there is a single anode disposed between two cathodes . such an anode , generally identified by the numeral 24 is shown in fig3 . the anode 24 includes a consumable plate - like member 26 which is formed of aluminum or lithium and is of a generally rectangular outline as shown in fig1 with respect to the member 12 . however , because the consumption rate of the anode 24 is twice that of the anode 10 , it has a thickness approaching twice the thickness of the member 12 . in accordance with this invention , the anode 24 is provided with a peripheral metal film or coating 28 which extends about the periphery of the member 26 . since opposite faces 30 of the member 26 are electrochemically active , the coating or film 28 cannot be applied to the faces 30 . however , like the protective film 16 with respect to the face 12 , the protective film 28 , in addition to extending about the periphery of the member 26 , has a border portion 32 which extends about the periphery of each of the faces 30 . in this manner the aforementioned undesirable tunneling effect is eliminated . the member 26 of anode 24 is formed of the same metals as the member 12 and the protective film or coating 28 is also formed of the same metals as the protective film 16 , with nickel being the preferred coating metal . it is to be understood that the metals which are feasible for use in forming the protective film , when applied as thin films , eliminate the problem of residue in the cell proper in that the film material will break into very fine particulates which cause no difficulties . although only preferred embodiments of the coated anode have been specifically illustrated and described herein , it is to be understood that variations may be made in the anode coating without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims . | 7 |
in studying this detailed description , the reader may be aided by noting definitions of certain words and phrases used throughout this patent document . wherever those definitions are provided , those of ordinary skill in the art should understand that in many , if not most instances , such definitions apply to both preceding and following uses of such defined words and phrases . at the outset of this description , one may note that the terms “ include ” and “ comprise ,” as well as derivatives thereof , mean inclusion without limitation ; the term “ or ,” is inclusive , meaning and / or . the word ‘ key ’ as generally used in this disclosure and as specifically used in the claims attached hereto refers to a touchable portion of a mechanical to electrical transducing device that is non - bistable in nature . this term specifically excludes conventional mechanical switches in which two or more electrical conductors are moved into or away from contact with each other to make or break an electrical connection . the terms ‘ keyboard ’, ‘ key pad ’ and the like all refer to arrays of keys for data input without limitation as to the size or configuration of the array . a ‘ key ’ can also be a dimensional sensing surface such as an xy touch screen or a ‘ trackpad ’, or a sensing zone not intended for normal human data entry such as an object or body part sensor . ‘ touch ’ can mean either human or mechanical contact or proximity to a key . ‘ user ’ can mean either a human or a mechanical object . a ‘ finger ’ can be , inter alia , a human finger , a mechanical finger or a stylus . capacitive sensors , unlike bistable electromechanical switches which are either open or closed , provide a signal that varies with the degree of touch or extent or coupling between a user &# 39 ; s finger and a sensing element of a keyboard . other non - bistable touch sensors , such as an array of piezoelectric sensors in which the output from a given sensor increases with increasing activation force , share many of the properties of capacitive keys . thus , much of the subsequent disclosure should be understood as being relevant to non - capacitive keys that also provide an output signal responsive to a degree of coupling between the key and a user &# 39 ; s finger , stylus , or other key - activating or pointing implement that is proximate the key . turning now to fig1 a , one finds an array of ‘ n ’ tightly spaced capacitive keys in a key panel 11 which would benefit from the invention . when using such small key panels it is inevitable that a finger will encompass much more than the intended key . a finger touching a principle desired key electrode 1 could easily create a ‘ fingerprint ’ outline 3 , as shown in dashed lines , where the fingerprint has a centroid location a . this fingerprint also encompasses keys other than the intended key . the amount of intersecting surface area between the dashed line and each key area is a reasonable representation of the amount of signal level change each intersected key will receive due to the touch , although even non - touched keys will also see an increase in signal due to mere finger proximity and to fringe - field effects within the touch panel . in this case , the desire is to select the one and only one key which is intended by the user while suppressing outputs from adjacent keys intersected by the fingerprint . in this ‘ non - locking ’ key suppression invention , if the finger slides to a new key location 4 , shown dotted with its centroid at location b , where the movement is shown by the arrow from a to b , this movement will not cause the first key 1 to remain solely active even though it has sufficient signal to still retain its state , i . e ., its signal still lies above its threshold level despite being reduced by the movement to a new key . instead , the invention provides that the newly intended key 2 , having a larger signal level due to a higher degree of fingerprint intersection than key 1 , becomes the solely active key by switching off the active state of key 1 . fig1 b and 1 c further detail the change in signals on the keys of fig1 a by virtue of the relative electrode surface intersections with the fingerprint first at location a ( fig1 b ) and then at location b ( fig1 c ). the signal strengths are shown in the bar plots in the lower portions of the respective figures . it is desired that in order for a key to ‘ win ’ the status of user - selected key , its signal change must exceed a threshold value , and its signal has to be the largest . in fig1 b , key 1 wins . in fig1 c , key 2 wins . if the key selection method operates solely by picking a maximum signal strength , the keyboard may be subject to an undesirable rapid switching back and forth between two keys having nearly - identical signal strengths ( e . g ., fingerprint areas ). this sort of ‘ chatter ’ is preferably prevented by biasing or skewing the key selection method to favor an already selected key . that is , the switchover process is made slightly more difficult than would occur with straight equivalence . this bias may be provided in many ways in subsequent key selection decisions . these ways may be equivalent to adding an incremental value to the signal associated with the selected key ; multiplying the signal strength of the selected key by a value greater than one in subsequent selections ; subtracting a respective incremental value from the signal strengths associated with each of the non - selected keys ; or multiplying the signal strength of each of the non - selected keys by a respective value less than one . fig2 shows a configuration of a capacitive mouse or capacitive touch screen area 6 with surrounding buttons 7 . the principles of operation described in conjunction with fig1 a - c apply similarly to fig2 , in that the area 6 can be treated as a single key with a single signal strength for purposes of key suppression . fig2 applies when the keys 7 are very close to pointing surface 6 and fingerprints 3 and 4 can overlap both the capacitive screen and one or more capacitive buttons . moreover , it should be recognized that although the drawing depicts a two - dimensional touch surface , the same considerations apply to a one - dimensional touch surface of the sort commonly referred to as a slider , scroll - wheel , or the like . fig3 . shows a configuration of a capacitive touch input area 6 with a surrounding ‘ key ’ 8 . the principles of operation described in conjunction with fig1 apply similarly to fig3 , in that the area 6 can be treated as a single key with a single signal strength for purposes of key suppression , while the outer ‘ key ’ 8 acts to detect errant touch which falls partially on both 6 and 8 . the area 6 can comprise any suitable input arrangement such as a capacitive mouse surface , a capacitive touch screen or a keypad comprising discrete keys . in this example , the guard electrode 8 is not necessarily intended as an actual control key . a finger sliding from 3 to 4 would still potentially leave the active screen 6 , but in fact the touch would not be legal since its areal centroid at ‘ b ’ lies principally outside the input area . ‘ key ’ 8 detects this out - of - position fingerprint and appropriate logic causes the screen 6 to fall out of detection or to be ignored by further processing . it may be noted that some uses of the guard ring structure do not involve having a finger touching the keypad . for example , one could arrange a guard ring around a capacitive cell phone keypad and use the guard ring output to suppress readings from all the keys in the keypad while the user was talking on the cell phone and holding the keypad of the phone against his or her head . the guard electrode ‘ key ’ 8 in the latter case can also be a discrete solid electrode shape , for example a rectangle , disk , arc , or stripe or other shape , placed in some other location reasonably proximate input area 6 . this guard electrode would be activated by placing the product against the user &# 39 ; s head or other body part ( for example placing the product in a clothing pocket with the keypad side towards the user &# 39 ; s body ) in order to suppress further output from the keypad under such adverse conditions . a suitable position for such a ‘ key ’ might be near the earpiece of a cell phone , some distance away from the keypad or touchscreen . the guard electrode ‘ key ’ 8 can also be either a ring as shown in fig3 , or a discrete solid electrode shape , such as a rectangle , disk , arc , or stripe or other shape , placed in some other location reasonably proximate the input area 6 so as to be activated by a mechanical closure . this could provide a cover which , when closed , would cause the guard key 8 to induce the suppression of input area 6 . in order to make the determination of an out - of - position fingerprint for use with the apparatus shown in fig3 , the same sorts of biasing arrangements can be used to prevent chatter as discussed supra . however , relationships described above with respect to fig2 presume the gain of the sensing channels with respect to finger surface area to be comparable , so that equivalent fingerprint surface areas on different keys produce comparable signal changes . this is not always the case in any of the instances described with respect to fig1 a - c , 2 or 3 . the electrode sizes of different keys may not be equal , and for various reasons ( such as stray loading capacitance variations , etc .) the electrical gains among the various keys can differ . in these instances the incremental values added might be negative . alternatively , signals from competing keys could be scaled into a state of equivalence by using scaling constants that are experimentally determined to accord with a particular configuration . in any event , one can scale and / or offset the signals into equivalence for comparison purposes and thereby create the desired suppression effect without chatter . turning now to fig4 , one finds a schematic representation of apparatus of the invention 10 , comprising an array of n capacitive proximity sensors 12 labeled “ key 1 ”, . . . , “ key n ”. each of the sensors 12 has an output to a respective counter logic 14 that supplies data to and is controlled by suitable control logic 16 . those skilled in the electronic arts will appreciate that although the counters 14 and control logic 16 are depicted with discrete blocks in the schematic diagram , these features could be provided either by separate physical circuit elements , or could all be provided by a single microcontroller , as depicted by the dashed phantom line 18 in fig4 . moreover , although the array of keys 12 is depicted as being a simple linear array , it will be appreciated by one who reads the complete disclosure contained herein that many other sorts of arrays can be used and will encompass , without being limited to , arrays used as computer keyboards , keypads of the sort commonly used in telephony and automated banking , cash register data input keyboards , etc ., as well as various other configurations discussed in conjunction with fig3 . the addition of counters 14 , or of the logical function equivalent thereof , when used in the accordance with the teachings of this disclosure , can remove or resolve ambiguities by methods involving comparison of signal strengths from various keys 12 . this process involves examining the differences over one or more sequential signal samples . turning now to fig5 a and 5 b , one finds flow charts depicting a preferred method of the invention for operating the apparatus 10 so as to suppress extraneous key signals or to otherwise resolve keying ambiguities . this method may be carried out by a microprocessor 18 operating under control of a program stored in a , preferably , non - volatile memory , or may be carried out by means of discrete circuit elements connected to provide hardwired logic . although the flowcharts of fig5 a and 5 b depict operation in terms of a single sensor key 1 ( variously labeled “ key 1 ” or “ k 1 ”) with associated signal level s 1 and associated detection integrator di 1 , it will be understood that this simplification is solely in the interest of clarity of presentation and that an algorithm controlling an actual keyboard could carry out substantially the depicted method for each of the n keys in a parallel fashion . the depicted method relies on iterated comparisons of sensor outputs , and selects a single sensor output to become active or ‘ on ’ based on that sensor both having an output in excess of a detection threshold for some selected number of counter cycles ( which may be one ) and thereafter having the highest output of all the sensors in the array that have also exceeded the detection threshold for the selected number of cycles of the counters . it will be recognized that one could choose to clock all the counters in parallel in order to achieve this , or that one could scan through the counters and operate them one at a time in rapid succession so as to provide the selected number of counter cycles for each sensor within a sufficiently short time period that a user could not perceive a delay in operation of the keyboard . a signal s 1 , acquired from sensor key k 1 ( step 24 ), is compared with a selected signal threshold value ( step 26 ). if s 1 is less than the threshold value , the value , di 1 , in the di associated with k 1 is decremented by a selected amount ( z ) or otherwise reduced ( step 28 ) if it is greater than zero . if the value s 1 is at or above its detection threshold , it is then compared against all other signals sj in step 29 . if it has the strongest change in signal due to touch , subject to a possible non - dithering bias value ‘ k ’ if another key is active ( step 30 ) then counter di 1 can increment ( step 31 ). if the condition of step 30 is not met , di 1 is decremented or otherwise reduced ( step 28 ). only if the counter di 1 equals terminal count value tc ( step 32 ) does the key become active or on in step 33 . when it does so the control logic forces all other active keys to become inactive and resets their respective di counters . in keyboards comprising a large number of keys , only one of which should be active at a time , this off status will , of course , be the predominant result of an analysis of the output of any given key . the action of incrementing or decrementing of counter values as described supra can be numerically reversed to achieve the same effect and should be considered to be logically equivalent to the above explanation . note that in fig5 a , in order for a key to gain dominance over an already active key , it must exceed the active key &# 39 ; s last measured signal level by a small added amount ‘ k ’, as shown in step 30 to prevent selection dithering . although the value k is depicted as an additive constant , it can also be determined as a percentage of the signal level of the active key , or by any of a number of other methods . the incremental value ‘ k ’ can also be zero , i . e ., nothing is added or subtracted , although this would tend to make the decision process unstable should there be any small amount of signal noise which would introduce dithering between two competing keys . finally the key k 1 can gain dominance in step 33 if the tc is reached , and when it does so it forces all other active keys to become inactive and resets their di counters . turning off a key can be forced via a different key winning in its step 33 , as shown in fig5 a , or it can be carried out according to the method depicted in fig5 b . whether a key remains on , in the absence of any other keys with larger signals ( fig5 a ), is determined by whether the key &# 39 ; s signal change remains above a hysteresis level . in step 35 , the determination is made if the signal is below the hysteresis point , and if so the di is reduced in value by some known amount ‘ z ’ ( step 36 ). if the di count falls to zero , the key is made inactive ( step 38 ). on the other hand , if the signal change remains above the threshold level , the di counter is increased again to its limit tc ( step 40 ). if the signal falls between the threshold and the hysteresis level , the di counter remains unchanged . it should be noted that the case where tc = 1 also works with the flow of fig5 a and 5 b . there are , of course , many possible variations and extensions of the procedure sketched out in fig4 and fig5 a , b . for example , one may consider a rare case in which a user brings his or her finger up to a keyboard so that the point of touch is exactly between two keys . in this case , one could modify the depicted process to either select just one of those keys ( e . g ., by means of a known pseudo - random number selection algorithm , or by sample sequence order ) or by suppressing the output of both keys until the user move his or her finger enough that one of the two keys had a higher output than the other . although the present invention has been described with respect to several preferred embodiments , many modifications and alterations can be made without departing from the invention . accordingly , it is intended that all such modifications and alterations be considered as within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the attached claims . | 7 |
according to the present invention , a conductive - resistive medium which includes conductive powder suspended in a substantially non - conductive binder , such as an alkali - silicate compound , can be applied to and lastingly adhered to a variety of substrates or form various shapes without inhibiting the integrity of the medium or the inherent pliability of the substrate or structural shapes at high temperatures . &# 34 ; high - temperature &# 34 ;, as used in the present application , refers to temperatures within a high temperature range of from ambient to approximately 2000 ° f . the conductive powder in the most preferred embodiment is some form of graphite and / or tungsten carbide . the most preferred binder includes alkali - silicate compound containing sodium silicate , china clay , silica , carbon and / or iron oxide and water . the htcr medium preferably includes from 4 to 15 weight percent of graphite . a suitable , inexpensive and preferred form of graphite for use in this coating is a graphite bearing suppliers designator p38 , which is 2 % ash - 200 mesh , and is manufactured by ucar carbon co . of parma , ohio . however , other graphites substantially equivalent to that of the p38 graphite with 2 % ash also may be used . the preferred htcr binder includes from 50 to 68 weight percent alkali - silicate compound mixture . the alkali - silicate compound mixture also includes approximately 0 to 14 weight percent china clay , 0 to 14 weight percent silica , of from 0 to 10 weight percent iron oxide as an oxygen barrier , and / or carbon , and approximately 38 weight percent sodium silicate or other silicate of alkali or alkaline earth metals . the described weight percents of the alkali - silicate compound are weight percents of the entire htcr compound mixture . china clay , more or less identical to kaolin , is a commercial term for hydrated aluminum silicate . the term china clay is applied to relatively pure clay concentrated by washing from a thoroughly kaolinized granite ; silica is a powdered form of quartz . the binder can be used to vary the electrical properties of the medium , e . g ., conductivity and resistance . a portion of the graphite within the alkali - silicate compound may be replaced by iron oxide . by replacing graphite with iron oxide , the resistance of the coating is increased thereby increasing its heating capacity and the oxygen barrier to protect the graphite from losing conductivity . finally , water is combined with the graphite and alkali - silicate in an amount sufficient to provide from 2 to 40 weight percent of the overall composition . a higher percentage of water is used for preparing an htcr medium composite and even higher percentages of water for producing an htcr coating composite . a reduced percentage of water is used for applications where the htcr composite exhibits a clay consistency and is used to form products without the use of substrate materials . an htcr coating according to the present invention was produced in the following manner . graphite powder and water were measured in a predetermined weight ratio and mixed thoroughly in order to obtain a uniform consistency . the resultant conductive mixture was combined with a suitable amount of the alkali - silicate compound , i . e ., the mixture of sodium silicate , china clay and carbon to produce a uniform consistency . an htcr coating according to the present invention having a higher resistivity than the coating produced by the method of example 1 was produced in the following manner . graphite powder and water were mixed as described above . the resultant mixture was then combined with an alkali - silicate compound wherein suitable weighted amounts of iron oxide were combined with the sodium silicate and china clay in lieu of some part of the graphite . the resulting coating displayed a higher resistivity than that coating produced by the method of example 1 . flexible high - temperature htcr coated articles of the present invention were produced in the following manner . conductive perforated serpentine - shaped strips in the form of spaced apart electrical conductors were first attached to a portion of the flexible substrate surface , using an iron oxide / sodium silicate adhesive mixture , spaced to determine desired resistance . the perforated serpentine - shaped electrical conductors were formed as relatively thin strips in order to avoid inhibiting the inherent flexibility of the substrate . once the electrical conductors were attached to the substrate surface , the htcr coating was applied to both the surface and the electrical conductors using a power sprayer which provided a relatively thin , even application . because of the perforations , the material flows through the electrical conductors , increasing the strength of the bond and the electrical contact between the conductor and htcr coating . the serpentine shape increases the physical strength of the adhesive bond between the conductors and the htcr composite thereby minimizing fracturing . fracturing can occur when the composite is heated due to differences in the coefficients of expansion of the composite and conductor material . once applied , the htcr coating was permitted to dry naturally . when dried , a second flexible high - temperature substrate was secured to the htcr coated surface using a mixture of iron oxide and sodium silicate . therefore , a high - temperature adjustable article displaying an appearance of the attached substrate was created . the article bore no indication of the htcr coating or attached electrical conductors and was capable of maintaining its integrity within the high - temperature range of from ambient to approximately the melt or deterioration temperature of the substrate . the following products were prepared in accordance with the procedure of example 3 . referring to fig1 of the drawings , a flexible high - temperature conductive - resistant ( htcr ) coated article 1 is shown . article 1 is a flexible substrate material to which a thin htcr coating of the present invention has been applied . the following description is applicable to any one of a variety of flexible high - temperature substrate materials . examples of flexible high - temperature materials include fireproof paper , fiberglass cloth , flexible silica heating cloth , flexible metal dielectric coated tape and the like . such materials can be used as floor coverings , coverings for vessels , heated wall covers , heated floorpads , hot wraps for unfreezing frozen blockages within pipes , etc . fig1 shows perforated conductive strips 2 in the form of spaced - apart electrical conductors attached to a portion of a substrate surface 3 of the flexible substrate material ( article 1 ). strips of perforated copper foil as well as many other types of conductive material can be used as electrical conductors . it must be noted however , that if the coated article 1 is a metal heating tape or some similarly conductive non - anodized substrate material , a non - conductive coating 4 should be applied between the substrate surface 3 and the perforated conductive strips 2 to avoid short circuits . for flexible substrates , the electrical conductors are preferably formed in relatively thin perforated strips in order to avoid inhibiting the inherent flexibility of the substrate . the electrical conductors can be secured to flexible substrate 3 in any manner deemed appropriate to a person skilled in the art . graphite / sodium silicate conductive paste , has been demonstrated as being capable of adequately securing the thin strips of perforated copper foil ( conductive strips 2 ) to the flexible high - temperature substrate 3 and maintaining the integrity of its bond at elevated temperatures . once the perforated conductive strips 2 have been secured to the substrate 3 , a high - temperature conductive - resistant ( htcr ) coating 5 is applied to the substrate surface 3 ( or non - conductive coated surface 4 ) and to the spaced - apart perforated conductive strips 2 adhered thereto . the spacing between the perforated conductive strips 2 and the resistance of the htcr coating determines the amount of heat and therefore the temperature when a voltage source is applied . the htcr coating 5 can be applied by any of the known means of application such as by brush or power sprayer . a relatively thin , even application of the htcr coating 5 is applied to the substrate / conductive strip combination , although thicker coatings may also work . however , thicker coatings are usually less desirable for application to flexible substrates because they are less flexible . the htcr coating 5 can be permitted to dry naturally or the drying process can be accelerated by heating and circulating air thereover . the htcr coating 5 is capable of safely heating flexible high - temperature substrates to just below their melting point or deterioration before experiencing deleterious effects . at times it is desired than an htcr coated article or substrate not outwardly display the appearance of a htcr coated heat producing article . in such an application , a second flexible high - temperature substrate 6 , such as the flexible metal tape shown in fig1 may be adhered to the htcr coated surface 5 rendering the appearance of the article 1 more aesthetically pleasing . this is achieved by securing the second flexible high - temperature substrate 6 upon the portion of the first flexible high - temperature substrate 3 upon which spaced - apart electrical conductors ( perforated conductive strips 2 ) and htcr coating 5 are disposed . the second flexible substrate 6 preferably comprises the same or a similar flexible high - temperature material and a substantially similar shape as that of the first substrate 3 . the flexible second substrate 6 is preferably secured to the first substrate 3 after the htcr coating 5 has dried . the flexible second substrate 6 is preferably attached to the htcr coating 5 using an appropriate adhesive which is compatible with operating temperature of the article . after the flexible second substrate 6 has been adhered to the htcr coating 5 of first substrate 3 , the htcr coated article 1 preferably will appear as a continuous flexible substrate similar to one which does not have the htcr composite of the invention . fig1 a depicts a flexible substrate having an htcr coating of the invention to which a power supply 17 is attached . the power supply 17 is connected to perforated conductive strips 12 through electrical leads 18 . power supply 17 may be any conventional power supply or an electrical storage cell . a non - conductive coating 14 is shown applied between the substrate surface 13 and perforated conductive strips 12 to avoid short circuits as in the embodiment described in relation to fig1 . in addition , a second flexible substrate 16 may be attached the htcr coating 15 using an appropriate adhesive whereby the htcr coating 15 and strips 12 are not readily apparent . an alternative embodiment of the invention is shown in fig2 wherein adhesive 51 is applied to the bottom of each of a pair of perforated conductive strips 52 so that each strip can be secured to a flexible substrate 50 . thereafter , an htcr coating 53 is applied to the combination of the perforated conductive strips 52 and the flexible substrate 50 . a coating of adhesive 51 also is applied to the underside of a second flexible substrate 54 so that it can be secured to the htcr coating 53 on the surface of substrate 50 . another embodiment of the invention is illustrated in fig3 showing a flexible substrate 60 upon which an htcr coating 63 of the invention is applied and allowed to dry . then , a non - conductive adhesive 61 of graphite / sodium silicate is applied to the underside of each of a pair of perforated conductive strips 62 before they are positioned upon the htcr coating 63 . conductive adhesive 61 consists of a mixture of approximately 60 - 80 weight percent of sodium silicate and approximately 20 - 40 weight percent of graphite or tungsten carbide . a second flexible high - temperature substrate 65 may then be secured to the combination of the first substrate 60 , perforated conductive strips 62 and htcr coating 63 as described with regard to the fig2 embodiment . an alternative embodiment of the invention is shown in fig4 depicting a flexible substrate 70 upon which an htcr coating 73 of the invention is applied . perforated conductive strips 72 are laid upon the htcr coating 73 before the htcr coating 73 dries so that when the coating dries , the perforated conductive strips 72 will be secured to the substrate 70 . thereafter , htcr coating 73 is applied to the underside of a second substrate 75 . before the htcr coating 73 has dried upon second substrate 75 , it is laid upon the side of flexible high - temperature substrate 70 having the perforated conductive strips 72 and htcr coating 73 applied thereto . in this manner , the second flexible substrate 75 is adhered to the first flexible substrate 70 with perforated conductive strips 72 . the method of the present invention enables the artisan to select a flexible high - temperature article of any desired shape . the substrate is preferably hydrophilic in nature , however , non - hydrophilic materials may also be used . if the substrate ( be it flexible or non flexible ) is non - hydrophilic , the substrate may be treated with a hydrophilic substance 71 , e . g ., polyvinylpyrrolidone ( pvp ). the hydrophilic substance 71 is applied to the non - hydrophilic substrate 70 so that the substrate will have an affinity for water and water - base products which are applied thereto . since the htcr coating 73 preferably has a water - base , it is preferable that the substrate be hydrophilic in nature or that a hydrophilic substance be applied . in the embodiment depicted in fig5 conductive wires 82 in the form of spaced - apart electrical conductors are attached to a flexible high - temperature fiberglass cloth substrate 81 . a variety of wire such as copper , aluminum or the like may be sewn into the substrate 81 material . the wire , type and gage are determined by the current and flexibility requirements of the end application . the htcr coating 80 of the invention is applied to the fiberglass cloth substrate 81 . the convenience of having such a roll of a flexible fiberglass or silica cloth is that it can be easily wrapped around a second article or material of any shape to which heat may then be transferred . the htcr conductive - resistant medium of the present invention may be also applied to rigid high - temperature materials , and be used to form conductive - resistant materials without substrates . a non - limiting list of non - flexible substrates includes fiberglass panels , glass or ceramic materials , such as cookware , anodized aluminum or dielectric copper strips , wood , concrete or concrete - formed material , and brick or clay - like material . these materials should be capable of being heated to relatively high temperatures without the danger of combustion . several examples of non - flexible htcr articles are , but not limited to , cooking surfaces , drying ovens , heated walls for cooking ovens or dishwashers , heating and drying elements , heating strips for baseboard units , heat circulating fans , defrosting surfaces , crank case pans , air ducts , transport trucks , wall panels , roof flashing , heating pipes , etc . a non - flexible high - temperature htcr coated article of the present invention was produced in the following manner . using a paint brush , an htcr coating of the present invention was applied to a non - flexible substrate . next , rigid electrically conductive strips , perforated ( perforated serpentine - shaped conductive strips may also be used ) and thicker than those used in example 3 , were attached to the coated surface using a graphite / sodium silicate adhesive mixture . finally , a non - conductive protective coating of iron oxide / sodium silicate was then applied to the htcr coating in order to electrically isolate the coated surface to prevent shorting with objects contacting it . in this manner , a non - flexible htcr coated article was formed . when tested , this htcr coated article radiated sufficient amounts of heat to produce wide temperature ranges within the range of from ambient to 1200 ° f . the following products were prepared as in example 4 . referring to fig6 an htcr coated article is shown wherein a substrate 90 is a section of non - flexible ceramic floor tile . attached to the ceramic floor tile are spaced - apart electrical conductors 92 . since the ceramic floor tile 90 is non - flexible , it is not necessary to use thin , flexible electrical conductors and therefore thicker , rigid conductive strips can be implemented . electrical conductors 92 may be secured to the ceramic tile using any known means , including conductive glazing . thereafter , htcr coating 91 is applied to the surface of the tile 90 and to conductors 92 which have been secured thereto . it should be noted that the present invention will operate without having the electrical conductors 92 secured to the substrate or ceramic tile 90 directly . however , in order to be able to radiate sufficient amounts of heat and in order to produce wide temperature ranges , it is preferred to secure the strips of spaced - apart electrical conductors 92 , as previously described . an alternative embodiment of the invention is shown in fig7 . there , an htcr coating 101 is applied directly to an article of pottery 105 as depicted . perforated serpentine - shaped conductive strips 102 in the form of spaced - apart , parallel electrical conductors are attached to the outer cylindrical substrate surface 100 . the length of the perforated serpentine - shaped conductive strips 102 extend along the cylindrical height for some portion thereof , determining the conducting coating surface area 101 and therefore the heating capacity of the pottery article . voltage applied to the perforated serpentine - shaped conductive strips 102 creates a potential across the larger htcr coated pottery surface 101 between the strips , i . e ., almost the entire circumferential surface of the pottery article . the perforated serpentine - shaped conductive strips 102 can be secured to the substrate surface 100 in any manner deemed appropriate to a person skilled in the art . however , a graphite / sodium silicate adhesive has been demonstrated as being capable of adequately securing the thin strips of the perforated serpentine - shaped copper foil to a pottery article which must operate with a temperature range of from ambient to 1200 ° f . the conductive strips 102 are perforated and serpentine shaped to provide a larger surface area in conducting contact with the htcr coat 101 . this provides for a firm contact to minimize fracturing due to the differing coefficients of expansion of the two materials as the temperature is increased . in addition , connector tab portions 103 are formed at the ends of perforated serpentine - shaped conductive strips 102 . the tab portions 103 do not directly electrically contact substrate 100 . a power connector ( not shown ) for applying a voltage across the conductive coating 101 through perforated serpentine - shaped conductive strips 102 is attached to the connector tab portions 103 . once the perforated serpentine - shaped conductive strips 102 have been secured to substrate 100 , htcr coating 101 is applied to the substrate surface 100 and the spaced - apart parallel conductive strips 102 adhered thereto . because of the non - coated non - conducting space between the conductive strips 102 , current flows only annularly along the outer coated cylindrical surface 101 of the pottery between the strips . a non - conductive outer coating 104 is applied to the htcr coating 101 covering the outer surface of the pottery . non - conductive outer coating 101 is provided as a safety feature . it prevents short circuiting of the voltage applied across the conductive coating 101 with articles coming into contact with the pottery . in the embodiment depicted in fig8 a brick 114 is shown with an htcr coating of the invention applied . first , a non - conductive silica - clay coating 111 is applied to brick surface 110 . an htcr coating 112 is then applied to the silica - clay coating 111 . electrodes ( not shown ) may be attached either to the non - conductive silica - clay coat 111 before the htcr application or to the htcr coating 112 directly . a second silica - clay coating 111 is then applied over the conductors and the htcr coated surface 112 . this prevents short circuiting of the voltage applied across the coating with objects coming into contact with the brick . in the embodiment depicted in fig9 a cookware article 120 is shown with an application of the htcr coating 124 of the invention . as in the embodiment shown in fig7 and as described above , perforated serpentine - shaped conductive strips 122 in the form of spaced - apart parallel electrical conductors are attached to the cookware surface 121 . the length of perforated serpentine - shaped conductive strips 122 , that length being some portion of the depth of the cookware article , determines the conducting coated surface area and therefore the heating capacity of the cookware article . the outer cookware surface 121 and perforated serpentine - shaped conductive strips 122 are then htcr coated . once dried , the htcr coating 124 , covering the cookware surface 121 and the perforated serpentine - shaped conductive strips 122 is covered with a silica - clay non - conductive coat 125 . this prevents short circuiting of the voltage applied across the coating 124 applied to cookware surface 121 with objects coming into contact with it . perforated serpentine - shaped conductive strips 122 are separated by a small non - conducting non - coated section of cookware surface 121 . accordingly , voltage applied to the strips creates a voltage potential across the larger htcr coated cookware surface 124 between the strips 122 . that is , a voltage provided across almost the entire circumferential surface of the cookware article . in addition , conductive strips 122 are perforated and serpentine shaped in order to provide a larger surface area in conducting contact with the htcr coating 124 . the perforation and serpentine shaping are also provided to prevent fracturing and separation of the electrical conductors ( conductive strips 122 ) from the htcr coating as the materials expand and contract with changing temperatures . perforated serpentine - shaped conductive strips 122 are also formed with connector tab portions 123 ( not shown ) which allow for electrical contact by a plug - in connector . it must be noted that cookware of this embodiment is not limited to the heating and preparation of food . it may be used to keep anything within a high temperature range of from ambient to 1200 ° f . although most references to spaced - apart electrical conductors have been described as perforated serpentine - shaped conductive strips , the invention is not limited thereto . non - perforated or non - serpentine - shaped conductive strips may be used as spaced - apart electrical conductors for applying current to the htcr coating of the invention without changing the nature of the invention . fig9 a depicts a cookware article 30 having an htcr coating 34 of the invention to which a power supply 37 is attached . the figure shows a power supply 37 connected to perforated serpentine - shaped conductive strips 32 through electrical conductors 36 . a silica - clay non - conductive coating 35 is applied to cover the htcr coating 34 and strips 32 as in the embodiment described above with reference to fig9 . connector tabs 33 are formed as part of perforated serpentine - shaped conductive strips 32 and are insertable into a receptacle portion 38 of connector 36 . power supply 37 may be any conventional power supply or electrical storage cell . in the embodiment depicted in fig1 , a rigid fiberglass panel 130 is shown with an htcr coating of the invention applied . one of the benefits of using a fiberglass panel as a substrate is that it can be formed in any thickness or shape required for a particular application . as shown in fig1 , two conductive strips 132 are adhered to or plated into the substrate surface 131 . the conductive strips 132 extend from the edge of the substrate along its width in a non - coated portion of the substrate surface 135 . the path of conductive strips 132 then turns 90 ° extending along the length of the substrate surface 13 on opposite sides . the fiberglass panel 130 and the portion of conductive strips 132 extending along the length of the substrate surface 131 are then htcr coated . when dry , the htcr coated surface 133 is further coated with a non - conductive paint or plastic sheet of sound insulating foam 134 . this insulating coating 134 prevents short circuiting of the voltage applied to the htcr coated surface 133 by objects coming into contact with the panel 130 . the embodiment depicted in fig1 shows a wood substrate 140 with an htcr coating 143 of the invention . the wood substrate 140 is first coated with a non - conductive coat of silica - clay material as a base , forming non - conductive surface 141 . conductive strips 142 are then attached to the non - conductive coated surface 141 . when dry , an htcr coating 143 is applied to the non - conductive surface 141 and conductive strips 142 . a non - conductive high - temperature color paint or plastic sheet of sound insulation foam 144 is then applied to all conducting surfaces to assure electrical isolation . an alternative embodiment of the invention is shown in fig1 . there , an anodized aluminum strip 150 is shown with an htcr coating of the present invention . a substrate surface 151 of aluminum strip 150 is first coated with a iron oxide - sodium silicate adhesive to form a non - conductive base 152 . this process essentially anodizes the substrate surface 151 . upon non - conductive base 152 is then secured a thin metal perforated serpentine - shaped conductive strip 154 . the conductive strip extends only as far into the length of anodized aluminum strip 150 sufficient to provide good electrical contact with the htcr coating . the entire surface is then htcr coated 155 in whole or in part , embedding the perforated serpentine - shaped conductive strip 154 . a thin connector tab 153 is formed at the end of the conductive strip for easy electrical attachment of an electrical power source ( not shown ). a second perforated serpentine - shaped conductive strip 154 ( not shown ) is disposed in a similar manner on an opposite end ( not shown ) of the anodized aluminum strip 150 and embedded in htcr coating 155 . by applying a voltage across these conductive strips , current flows through the htcr coating thereby heating the anodized aluminum strip 150 . htcr coated aluminum strips 150 prepared in this manner may be heated to temperatures within a temperature range of from ambient up to 1200 ° f . it should be noted that the present embodiment is not limited to an aluminum anodized material . any conductive metal such as dielectric coated copper , silver , stainless steel , etc ., may be used in place of aluminum . fig1 a and 13b show variations of the embodiment of the invention depicted in fig1 and as discussed above . an anodized aluminum strip is shown in a ribbed shape 160 in fig1 a and in a flat ribbed shape 166 in fig1 b . upon the surface 161 of the strips 160 , 166 is applied a coat of iron oxide - sodium silicate adhesive forming a non - conductive base 162 . a thin - metal connector tab 163 is formed at an end of a thin - metal perforated serpentine - shaped conductive strip ( not shown ) embedded part way into the length of the htcr coating 165 and disposed on the non - conductive base 162 . a second thin - metal connector tab 163 ( not shown ) is disposed at an opposite end of the anodized strips 160 , 166 shown in the figures . the particular shapes of fig1 a and 13b provide for increased surface area in a decreased volume . therefore , more concentrated heat radiation is available than that of the embodiment depicted in fig1 and described above . in yet another embodiment , fig1 shows a substrate made of glass or some type of ceramic - based material 180 upon which an htcr coating of the invention is applied . upon a substrate surface 181 are disposed a pair of perforated serpentine - shaped conductive strips 182 . the conductive strips lie parallel to each other and extend along the edges of the substrate surface 181 . on both the substrate surface 181 and the perforated serpentine - shaped conductive strips 182 is applied an htcr coating 184 . connector tabs 183 , formed at the ends of the conductive strips , are used to connect power to the perforated serpentine - shaped conductive strips 182 contacting the htcr coating 184 . fig1 shows yet another embodiment of the htcr coating of the invention . there , an htcr coating is shown applied to a section of glass or ceramic material 190 in a limited amount defining predetermined pattern or shape . as shown in the figure , perforated serpentine - shaped conductive strips 192 having connector tabs 193 are placed along the edges of the substrate surface 191 . the conductive strips extend only part way into the length of the surface 191 upon which they are attached . the perforated serpentine - shaped conductive strips 192 extend only far enough to provide sufficient electrical contact with the limited htcr pattern 194 applied to the substrate surface 191 . the novelty of such an implementation resides in the ability of the user to apply the htcr coat 194 discriminately to only those areas of an article which require heating . fig1 depicts a glass or ceramic - based material 20 in which the substrate surface 21 is shown with an htcr coating 24 of the invention to which a power supply 25 is attached . the power supply is connected to perforated serpentine - shaped conductive strips 22 through the use of a pair of electrical leads 26 and a pair of lead connectors 27 . lead connectors 27 attach directly to connector tabs 23 of perforated serpentine - shaped conductive strips 22 . power supply 25 may be any conventional power supply or electrical storage cell . fig1 depicts a ceramic plate formed with an htcr material of the invention . the htcr material forming the plate is made with minimum water , producing an htcr composite having a clay consistency . the plate is dried and when the water content is diminished , the plate is kiln fired at around 2500 ° f in a table salt atmosphere ( nacl ). at approximately 2500 ° f , the htcr material forms a thin non - conductive coating 199 and an oxygen barrier coating 196 from the vaporized salt , encompassing the inner htcr material 195 as a structurally strong semi - conductive source . the plate is ground on 2 ends to expose the htcr material 195 and then perforated or mesh conductors of stainless steel 197 are adhered with a mixture of graphite / sodium silicate , 198 to the htcr material 195 . after hardening , conductors 197 and the htcr material 198 is coated with a non - conductive oxygen barrier coating 200 of iron oxide / sodium silicate . when current is applied between conductors 197 , the ceramic plate made of the htcr composite radiates heat from ambient temperature to over 2000 ° f . fig1 a depicts a high temperature crucible for melting aluminum , copper , silver , gold and other metals in the 2000 ° f temperature range . a crucible shape is formed from the above - described htcr clay consistency mixture , dried and glazed coated with a conductive material , such as tungsten carbide , shown in ring 203 and pad 202 . a non - conductive glaze 207 is applied in any manner available in the prior art to cover the remainder of the htcr crucible shape . the crucible is kiln fired at 2500 ° f to 3000 ° f to set the htcr clay consistency mixture 204 . wires 205 and 206 are spot welded to the conductive glaze ring 203 and conductive glaze pad 202 to complete the conductive resistant heating circuit through the htcr mixture 204 . a high temperature insulation 201 of diatomaceous earth is coated to prevent heat loss dissipation . when sufficient electrical current is applied to wires 206 and 205 , through conductive ring 203 and conductive pad 202 , the resistance through htcr material 204 radiates a temperature over 2000 ° f . the basic materials of this crucible construction can withstand temperatures of over 4000 ° f . although illustrative embodiments of the present invention have been described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings , it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the precise embodiment , and that various other changes and modifications may be effected therein by one skilled in the art without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention . | 8 |
referring now to the figures , and in particular to fig1 , a flowchart 20 illustrating a method of synthesizing ketoxime - or amide - functionalized graphene - based nanomaterials according to one embodiment of the present invention are shown , respectively . in block 22 of fig1 , carbon nanotubes (“ cnts ”) are grafted with keto - carbonyl groups via friedel - crafts ( f - c ) acylation in optimized ppa / p 2 o 5 using methods described in u . s . application ser . no . 10 / 963 , 469 , entitled nanocomposites from in - situ polymerization of 3 - phenoxybenzoic acid in the presence of vapor - grown carbon nanofibers ; u . s . application ser . no . 12 / 233 , 423 , entitled nanocomposites from in - situ polymerization of 3 - phenoxybenzoic acid in the presence of vapor - grown carbon nanofibers , and issued as u . s . pat . no . 7 , 960 , 471 on jun . 14 , 2011 ; and u . s . application ser . no . 12 / 079 , 083 , entitled carbon nanofibers and nanotubes grafted with a hyperbranched poly ( ether - ketone ) and its derivatives , and issued as u . s . pat . no . 8 , 173 , 763 on may 8 , 2012 , the disclosure of each incorporated herein by reference , in its entirety . the surface keto - carbonyl group may then be then converted to an oxime group ( block 24 ) and followed by effecting a beckmann rearrangement in sulfuric acid ( fig2 ). fig2 is a flowchart further illustrating the beckmann rearrangement 26 , with exemplary schemes as applied to a model compound ( 2 , 4 , 6 - trimethylphenoxy ) benzophenone in fig3 - 5 and to cnt in fig6 a and 6b . in block 28 , the compound , whether 4 -( 2 , 4 , 6 - trimethylphenoxy ) benzophenone 30 of fig3 or keto - carbonyl grafted cnt 32 of fig6 a from the reaction noted above with respect to fig1 ) is reacted with hydroxylamine hydrochloride in pyridine / ethanol at an elevated temperature ( for example , 90 ° c .). with not wishing to be bound by theory , it is believed that when an unsymmetrical ketoxime is involved , the beckman rearrangement is expected to form two structural isomers in the amide product . accordingly , and as shown in fig3 , 4 -( 2 , 4 , 6 - trimethylphenoxy ) benzophenone 30 reacts with hydroxylamine hydrochloride to afford two oxime isomers 34 , 36 . otherwise , and if a symmetric ketoxime is involved , then a single ketoxime - functional cnt product is formed , such as oxime - cnt 38 of fig6 a . if desired , the products 34 ( fig3 ), 36 ( fig3 ), 38 ( fig6 a ) may be collected under filtration and dried ( optional block 40 ), and before undergoing molecular rearrangement ( block 42 ) in a hot acid solution to form corresponding aromatic amide products 44 ( fig4 ), 46 ( fig5 ), 48 ( fig6 b ). the relative yield of a first product 44 ( fig4 ) and a second product 46 ( fig5 ) may be , for example , 83 . 1 % to 16 . 9 %. the degree of functionalization of the amide - cnt 48 ( fig6 b ) may be , for example , 1 . 3 atoms per 100 carbon atoms . there are two isomeric forms of secondary amide moieties bonded to graphene surfaces of cnts or cnfs , including c graphene c bond or a direct c graphene - n bond and corresponding to c - amide and n - amide , respectively . conventional synthesis methods , illustrated in fig8 , invariably produce c - amide functionalized cnts and cnfs . however , synthesis according to embodiments of the present invention , and as shown in fig9 , provides a near - quantitative yield of n - amide ( 98 %) or mixture of n - amide ( ranging from 72 % to 86 %) and c - amide ( ranging from 14 % to 28 %) functionalized cnts and cnfs , depending on the nature of r group in the starting keto - functionalized carbon nanomaterials . the following examples illustrate particular properties and advantages of some of the embodiments of the present invention . furthermore , these are examples of reduction to practice of the present invention and confirmation that the principles described in the present invention are therefore valid but should not be construed as in any way limiting the scope of the invention . functionalization of the amide - cnt 48 ( fig6 b ) was confirmed by comparing the ft - ir spectra of corresponding products , generally designated as keto - cnt . the corresponding products included oxime - cnt - r and amide - cnt - r , wherein r may be one compound selected from the group illustrated in fig7 a - 7c [ 4 -( 2 , 4 , 6 - trimethylphenoxy ) benzoyl (“ tmpb ”); 1 - pyrene ; and pentyl , respectively ]. when r is tmpb , the corresponding keto - cnt - r showed a ketone - carbonyl characteristic peak at 1664 cm − 1 , which is absent in the resulting oxime - cnt - r having characteristic cn and n — o stretches at 1604 cm − 1 and 996 cm − 1 , respectively . after rearrangement , the amide - carbonyl peak at 1647 cm − 1 and associated n — h stretch at 3321 cm − 1 appeared in the amide - cnt - r spectrum . to determine the ratio of these isomers , amide - cnt - r was hydrolyzed in potassium hydroxide / ethanol under refluxing condition . after work - up , a mixture of the hydrolysis product 50 , carboxylic acid 52 , and amine 54 in solution was separated from the solid product and injected into a gc - ms instrument for analysis . gc peak locations were compared with those of known compounds . the ratios of carboxylic acid 52 and amine 54 were obtained by integration of both gc peak areas . the hydrolysis of amide - cnt - r resulted in 98 % of 4 -( 1 , 3 , 5 - trimethylphenoxy ) benzoic acid 52 and only 2 % of 4 -( 1 , 3 , 5 - trimethylphenoxy ) aniline 54 . it is believed that the carboxylic acid 52 is dominant because anti - oxime - cnt is encountering much less steric hindrance than its syn - counterpart and the predominant presence of syn - configuration of the ketoxime moiety as the result of the oh group moving away from the nonpolar graphene surface . the significant implication of this observation is that despite being part of a bulky graphene system , the surface sp 2 carbon may be an active participant in the molecular rearrangement of the pendant . 2 , 4 , 6 - trimethylphenol ( 6 . 00 g , 44 . 1 mmol ), 4 - fluorobenzonitrile ( 5 . 34 g , 44 . 1 mmol ), potassium carbonate ( 7 . 30 g , 52 . 8 mmol ), a mixture of nmp ( 100 ml ), and toluene ( 60 ml ) were placed into a 250 ml three - necked , round - bottomed flask equipped with a magnetic stir - bar , nitrogen inlet , and a condenser . the reaction mixture was then heated and maintained at a temperature of about 140 ° c . for 8 hr under nitrogen . the dark solution was filtered while warm , and the filtrate was poured into distilled water containing 5 % hydrochloric acid . the solution was separated into organic and aqueous layers . the organic layer was diluted with dichloromethane and separated . the solvent was removed from the dichloromethane extract to dryness . the resulting light brown oily residue was freeze - dried to afford 10 . 1 g ( 97 % yield ): analytical calculation for c 16 h 15 no : c , 80 . 98 %; h , 6 . 37 %; n , 5 . 90 %; 0 , 6 . 74 %. found : c , 80 . 31 %; h , 6 . 37 %; n , 5 . 75 %; 0 , 6 . 46 %. ft - ir ( kbr , cm − 1 ): 2226 ( cn stretch ). mass spectrum ( m / e ): 237 ( m + 100 % relative abundance ), 222 , 204 , 194 . 1 h nmr ( cdcl 3 , ppm ) δ 2 . 05 ( s , 6h , ch 3 ), 2 . 30 ( s , 3h , ch 3 ), 6 . 81 - 6 . 84 ( d , 2h , ar ), 6 . 91 ( s , 2h , ar ), 7 . 53 - 7 . 56 ( d , 2h , ar ). 13 c nmr ( cdcl 3 , ppm ) δ 16 . 10 , 20 . 79 , 115 . 48 , 129 . 07 , 129 . 15 , 129 . 88 , 130 . 48 , 134 . 25 , 147 . 84 , 150 . 03 , 161 . 44 . 4 -( 2 , 4 , 6 - trimethylphenoxy ) benzonitrile ( 10 . 0 g , 42 . 0 mmol ), and phosphoric acid ( 100 ml ) were placed into a 250 ml three - necked round - bottomed flask equipped with a magnetic stir - bar , nitrogen inlet , and a condenser . the reaction mixture was then heated and maintained at a temperature of about 150 ° c . for 8 hr . after cooling down to room temperature , the mixture was poured into distilled water containing 5 % hydrochloric acid . the resulting precipitates were collected by suction filtration , air - dried , dissolved in warm heptane , and filtered . the filtrate was allowed to cool to room temperature to afford 4 . 5 g ( 42 % yield ) of white crystal : m . p . 236 - 238 ° c . analytical calculation for c 16 h 16 o 3 : c , 74 . 98 %; h , 6 . 29 %; 0 , 18 . 73 %. found : c , 74 . 76 %; h , 6 . 67 %; 0 , 18 . 56 %. ft - ir ( kbr , cm − 1 ): 1650 ( c ═ o stretch ), 3385 ( o — h stretch ). mass spectrum ( m / e ): 256 ( m + , 100 % relative abundance ), 255 . 1 h nmr ( dmso - d 6 , ppm ) δ 2 . 00 ( s , 6h , ch 3 ), 2 . 67 ( s , 3h , ch 3 ), 6 . 74 - 6 . 77 ( d , 2h , ar ), 6 . 98 ( s , 2h , ar ), 7 . 82 - 7 . 86 ( d , 2h , ar ). 13 c nmr ( dmso - d 6 , ppm ) δ 15 . 80 , 20 . 41 , 113 . 80 , 127 . 65 , 129 . 69 , 129 . 81 , 130 . 12 , 134 . 47 , 147 . 95 , 159 . 95 , 167 . 06 . 2 , 4 , 6 - trimethylphenol ( 2 . 72 g , 20 . 0 mmol ), 4 - fluorobenzophenone ( 4 . 00 g , 20 . 0 mmol ), potassium carbonate ( 3 . 32 g , 24 . 0 mmol ), a mixture of dmac ( 40 ml ), and toluene ( 10 ml ) were placed into a 250 ml three - necked , round - bottomed flask equipped with a magnetic stir - bar , nitrogen inlet , and a dean - stark trap with a condenser . the reaction mixture was then heated and maintained at a temperature of about 140 ° c . for 6 hr with nitrogen flow . the brown mixture was filtered while warm , and the filtrate was poured into distilled water containing 5 % hydrochloric acid . the solution was phase - separated into an organic layer and an aqueous layer . the organic layer was diluted with dichloromethane and separated . the solvent was removed from the ch 2 cl 2 extract to dryness to afford 6 . 00 g ( 95 %) of a light brown oily residue , which solidified upon standing at room temperature : m . p . 52 - 54 ° c . analytical calculation for c 22 h 29 o 2 : c , 83 . 52 %; h , 6 . 37 %; 0 , 10 . 11 %. found : c , 83 . 15 %; h , 6 . 51 %; 0 , 10 . 52 %. ft - ir ( kbr , cm − 1 ): 3058 , 2919 , 2859 , 1655 ( c ═ o ), 1597 , 1500 , 1307 , 1278 , 1235 , 1165 , 847 , 700 . mass spectrum ( m / z ): 316 ( ml , 100 % relative abundance ), 239 , 105 , 91 , 77 . 1 h nmr ( cdcl 3 , ppm ) δ 2 . 09 ( s , 6h , ch 3 ), 2 . 31 ( s , 31 - 1 , ch 3 ), 6 . 82 - 6 . 84 ( d , 21 - 1 , ar ), 6 . 92 ( s , 2h , ar — h ), 7 . 44 - 7 . 48 ( t , 2h , ar — h ), 7 . 54 - 7 . 58 ( t , 1h , ar — h ), 7 . 75 - 7 . 80 ( overlapped d , 4h , ar — h ). 13 c nmr ( cdcl 3 , ppm ) δ 16 . 16 , 20 . 76 , 114 . 28 , 128 . 15 , 129 . 69 , 129 . 73 , 130 . 63 , 130 . 73 , 131 . 93 , 132 . 70 , 134 . 98 , 138 . 08 , 148 . 22 , 161 . 67 , 195 . 46 . 4 -( 2 , 4 , 6 - trimethylphenoxy ) benzophenone 30 ( fig3 ) ( 3 . 16 g 10 mmol ), hydroxylamine hydrochloride ( 3 . 50 g , 50 mmol ), pyridine ( 20 ml ), and ethanol ( 50 ml ) were placed into a 250 ml three - necked , round - bottomed flask equipped with a magnetic stir - bar , nitrogen inlet . the reaction mixture was then heated and maintained at a temperature of about 90 ° c . for 8 hr with nitrogen flow . most solvents were removed by a rotavap , water ( 100 ml ) was added , and the resulting mixture extracted with ethyl acetate . the organic layer was separated , washed with water 3 times , and finally dried over magnesium sulfate . after filtration to remove mgso 4 , the filtrate was evaporated to dryness and dried in oven at 100 ° c . overnight to afford 3 . 15 g ( 99 %) of white solid , m . p . 175 . 1 - 175 . 4 ° c . ft - ir ( kbr , cm − 1 ): 3228 ( br , oh ), 3060 , 2916 , 1601 , 1507 , 1479 , 1328 , 1201 , 994 , 835 , 765 , 692 . 4 -( 2 , 4 , 6 - trimethylphenoxy ) benzophenone oxime ( 0 . 50 g , 1 . 5 mmol ) and sulfuric acid ( 10 ml , 85 %) were added into a 50 ml three - necked , round - bottomed flask equipped with a magnetic stir - bar and nitrogen inlet . the mixture was heated at a temperature of about 100 ° c . for 1 hr . after cooling down to room temperature , the resulting mixture was poured into ice . the precipitate was collected to afford 0 . 43 g ( 86 %) of white powder . ft - ir ( kbr , cm − 1 ): 3319 ( amide , n — h ), 3059 , 2918 , 2857 , 1649 ( amide , c ═ o ), 1599 , 1503 , 1440 , 1321 , 1241 , 1167 , 751 , 691 . 4 -( 2 , 4 , 6 - trimethylphenoxy ) benzoic acid ( 0 . 50 g , 1 . 95 mmol ), cnt ( 0 . 50 g of graphistrengh ® c100 , arkema , colombes cedex , france ), and poly ( phosphoric acid ) ( 83 % assay , 40 g ) were place into a 250 ml resin flask equipped with a high torque mechanical stirrer and nitrogen inlet and outlet and stirred with dried nitrogen purging at 130 ° c . for 24 hr . p 2 o 5 ( 10 g ) was then added in one portion . the initially dark mixture became dark brown after 24 hr . the temperature was maintained at 130 ° c . for 72 hr . after cooling down to room temperature , water was added to the reaction vessel and the content was poured into a beaker of water ( about 1 l ). the resulting precipitates were collected , washed with ( 1 ) diluted ammonium hydroxide ; ( 2 ) soxhlet - extracted with water for three days and ( 3 ) with methanol for three days ; ( 4 ) and dried over phosphorus pentoxide under reduced pressure at 100 ° c . for 72 hr to give 0 . 60 g ( 95 %) of dark brown solid . ft - ir ( kbr , cm − 1 ): 3435 , 2922 , 2856 , 1659 ( keto c ═ o ), 1594 , 1389 , 1230 , 1152 , 913 . keto - cnt - re ( fig6 b ), wherein r is the 1 - pyrene of fig7 b , was synthesized from 1 - pyrenecarboxylic acid ( 0 . 50 g , 2 . 03 mmol ) and mwcnt ( 0 . 50 g ) using the same procedure as was described in example 7 to afford 0 . 57 g ( 91 % yield ) of dark brown solid . analytical calculation for c 122 . 1 h 11 . 7 o 1 . 3 ( based on the assumption that for every 100 carbon , there are 1 . 3 1 - pyrenecarbonyl groups attached ): c , 97 . 82 %; h , 0 . 79 %; 0 , 1 . 39 %. found : c , 97 . 56 %; h , 0 . 88 %; 0 , 1 . 42 %. ft - ir ( kbr , cm − 1 ): 3036 , 1641 ( c ═ o ), 1512 , 1277 , 840 . keto - cnt - r ( fig6 b ), wherein r is the pentyl of fig7 c , was synthesized from 1 - hexanoic acid ( 0 . 50 g , 4 . 31 mmol ) and mwcnt ( 0 . 50 g ) using the same procedure as was described in example 7 to afford 0 . 49 g ( 88 %) of dark brown solid . analytical calculation for c 107 . 8 h 14 . 3 o 1 . 3 ( based on the assumption that for every 100 carbon , there are 1 . 3 hexanoyl groups attached ): c , 98 . 32 %; h , 1 . 30 %; 0 , 1 . 56 %. found : c , 97 . 94 %; h , 1 . 26 %; 0 , 1 . 63 %. ft - ir ( kbr , cm − 1 ): 2928 , 2863 , 1648 , 1458 , 1202 . keto - cnt - r ( fig6 b ), wherein r is the tmpb of fig7 a , keto - carbonyl grafted cnt 32 ( fig6 a ) ( 0 . 50 g ), hydroxylamine hydrochloride ( 2 . 00 g , 28 . 6 mmol ), pyridine ( 20 ml ), and ethanol ( 1000 ml ) were added into a 250 ml three - necked , round - bottomed flask equipped with a magnetic stir - bar , nitrogen inlet . the reaction mixture was then sonicated for 1 hr and heated to a temperature of about 90 ° c . for 2 d . the solution was then poured into water . the black precipitate was collected by filtration , washed with ethanol , and dried in an oven at 100 ° c . overnight to afford 0 . 51 g ( 99 %) of black powder . ft - ir ( kbr , cm − 1 ): 3420 ( oxime o — h ), 2920 , 1501 , 1604 ( oxime c ═ n ), 1228 , 1163 , 996 ( oxime n - 0 ). oxime - cnt - r ( 0 . 20 g ), wherein r is the tmpb of fig7 a , and sulfuric acid ( 10 ml ) were placed into a 50 ml three - necked , round - bottomed flask equipped with a magnetic stir - bar and nitrogen inlet . the reaction mixture was then sonicated for 1 hr and heated at 100 ° c . for 1 d . the solution was then poured into ice water . the black precipitate was collected by filtration , washed in water , and dried in oven at 100 ° c . overnight to afford 0 . 18 g ( 90 %) of black powder . ft - ir ( kbr , cm − 1 ): 3321 ( amide n — h ), 2920 , 1647 ( amide c ═ o ), 1601 , 1499 , 1324 , 1227 , 1154 . amide - cnt - r ( 0 . 20 g ), wherein r is the tmpb of fig7 a , and ethanol ( 10 ml ) were placed into a 50 ml three - necked , round - bottomed flask equipped with a magnetic stir - bar and nitrogen inlet . the reaction mixture was then sonicated for 1 hr and potassium hydroxide ( 2 . 0 g , 3 . 6 mmol ) was added . the mixture was heated under refluxing for 1 d and then poured into water in a beaker . dilute hcl solution ( 2n ) was added until ph was about 6 - 7 , followed by addition of ethyl acetate , and the resulting heterogeneous mixture was magnetically stirred . upon standing , the top organic layer of mixture was separated from the lower aqueous phase with solid particles at the bottom of the beaker and dried over sodium sulfate . after filtration , the solid was dried to afford 0 . 12 g ( 75 %) of black power ( cnt - r ′, where r ′ is nh 2 or cooh ). the ethyl acetate extract of the filtrate was rotary - evaporated to dryness to afford 0 . 03 g ( 76 %) of white crystalline products included carboxylic acid 52 ( fig6 b ) and amine 54 ( fig6 b ), which were then dissolved in acetonitrile and injected into gc - ms sample port for quantitative identification . hydrolysis of amide - cnt - r , wherein r is the 1 - pyrene of fig7 b , was performed using the same procedure as was described in example 12 using amide - cnt - r ( 0 . 16 g ), ethanol ( 10 ml ), and potassium hydroxide ( 2 . 0 g , 3 . 6 mmol ) to afford 0 . 09 g ( 82 %) of black power ( cnt - r ′, where r ′ is nh 2 or cooh ), and the ethyl acetate extract filtrate was rotary - evaporated to dryness to afford 0 . 03 g ( 75 %) of yellow crystals ( mixture of carboxylic acid 52 and amine 54 ), which were then dissolved in acetonitrile and injected into gc - ms sample port for identification and quantification . hydrolysis of amide - cnt - r , wherein r is the pentyl of fig7 c , was performed using the same procedure as was described in example 12 using amide - cnt - r ( 0 . 16 g ), ethanol ( 10 ml ), and potassium hydroxide ( 2 . 0 g , 3 . 6 mmol ) to afford 0 . 10 g ( 78 %) of black power ( mwcnt - r ′, where r ′ is nh 2 or cooh ), and the ethyl acetate extract was rotary - evaporated to remove the solvent to afford 0 . 02 g ( 76 %) of a colorless liquid ( carboxylic acid 52 and amine 54 ), which was then dissolved in acetonitrile and injected into gc - ms sample port for identification and quantification . gc - ms analysis and associated plots were obtained on a cp - 3800 gas chromatographer and tq - mass spectrometer ( varian medical systems , inc ., palo alto , calif .). a “ 25 min ” method was used for all the samples , wherein operational parameters included an injector temperature of 250 ° c . ; column helium flow rate of 1 . 0 ml / min ; and flame ionization detector ( fid ) temperature of 250 ° c . the column oven temperature was held at 50 ° c . for 0 . 5 min after each analyte had been injected . the oven temperature was then raised , at the rate of 20 ° c ./ min to 300 ° c ./ min for 12 . 5 min and held at 300 ° c . for 12 min . the carboxylic acid 52 ( fig6 b ) and amine 54 ( fig6 a ) reference compounds were specially synthesized . other reference compounds included 1 - aminopentane ( 1 - pentylamine ), 1 - hexanoic ac id , 1 - aminopyrene , and 1 - pyrenecarboxylic acid . the reference compounds , 4 -( 1 , 3 , 5 - trimethoxyphenoxy ) benzoic acid and 4 -( 1 , 3 , 5 - trimethoxyphenoxy ) aniline were prepared as described in example 3 and example 16 , respectively . 2 , 4 , 6 - trimethylphenol ( 7 . 50 g , 55 . 0 mmol ), 4 - fluoronitrobenzene ( 7 . 10 g , 50 . 0 mmol ), potassium carbonate ( 7 . 60 g , 55 . 0 mmol ), and n , n ′- dimethylformamide ( 100 ml ) were placed into a 250 ml three - necked , round - bottomed flask equipped with a magnetic stir - bar and nitrogen inlet . the reaction mixture was agitated at room temperature for 24 hr with nitrogen flow . the brown mixture was filtered , and the filtrate was poured into distilled water . the solution phase - separated into an organic layer and an aqueous layer . the organic layer was diluted with ethyl acetate and separated . the solvent was removed by rotary evaporation . the semi - solid was purified by a column ( basic alumina ) chromatography with a 1 : 9 / ethyl acetate : hexane mixture as eluent to eventually afford 7 . 31 g ( 58 . 4 %) of 1 , 3 , 5 - trimethyl - 2 -( 4 - nitrophenoxy ) benzene as a colorless liquid , which , upon standing in a refrigerator , was solidified to a light yellow solid m . p . 46 - 48 ° c . analytical calculation for c 15 h 15 no 3 : c , 70 . 02 %; h , 5 . 88 %; n , 5 . 44 . mass spectrum ( m / z ): 257 . 1 h nmr ( dmso - d 6 , ppm ) δ : 1 . 98 ( s , 6h , ch 3 ), 2 . 24 ( s , 3h , ch 3 ), 6 . 88 - 6 . 89 ( d , 2h , ar — h ), 6 . 97 ( s , 2h , ar — h ), 8 . 17 - 8 . 19 ( d , 2h , ar — h ). 13 c nmr ( dmso - d 6 , ppm ) δ : 15 . 58 , 22 . 28 , 114 . 9 , 126 . 33 , 128 . 6 , 129 . 8 , 135 . 1 , 141 . 7 , 147 . 5 , 162 . 5 . 1 , 3 , 5 - trimethyl - 2 -( 4 - nitrophenoxy ) benzene ( 4 . 0 g , 15 . 6 mmol ) was then dissolved in ethyl acetate ( 100 ml ) and palladium on activated carbon ( 0 . 20 g ) was placed in a hydrogenation bottle . the bottle was tightly secured on a parr hydrogenation apparatus , flushed four times with hydrogen gas , and pressurized to 60 psi . after agitation at room temperature for 12 hr under the hydrogen pressure of 60 psi , the solution was filtered through celite . the filter cake was washed with ethyl acetate , and the filtrate was evaporated to dryness on a rotary evaporator and the resulting crude product was recrystallized from ethanol / water to afford 3 . 25 g ( 92 %) of light brown crystals : m . p . 94 - 95 ° c . analytical calculation for c 15 h 17 no : c , 79 . 26 %, h , 7 . 54 %, n , 6 . 16 %, mass spectrum ( m / z ): 227 . 1 h nmr ( dmso - d 6 , δ in ppm ): 1 . 99 ( s , 6h , ch 3 ), 2 . 22 ( s , 3h , ch 3 ), 4 . 63 ( s , 2h , nh 2 ), 6 . 39 - 6 . 41 ( d , 2h , ar — h ), 6 . 45 - 6 . 48 ( d , 2h , ar — h ), 6 . 89 ( s , 2h , ar — h ). table 2 , below , summarizes a degree of functionalization determined based on thermogravimetric analysis and elemental analysis results of pristine and functionalized mwcnts . the superscript “ a ” in table 2 indicates a value less than the detection limit . the subscript “ b ” in table 2 indicates the theoretical calculation of c %, h %, and n % were based on the assumption that for every 1000 carbons there are 13 ( i . e ., degree of functionality or τ = 1 . 3 at . %, based on reported tga and elemental results ) functional groups ( c n h m n p o q ) attached from the following equation : where the subscripts n , m , p , and q are the numbers of carbon , hydrogen , nitrogen , and oxygen , respectively , in one functional group . the atomic weights of carbon , hydrogen , nitrogen , and oxygen are 12 . 01 g / mol , 1 . 01 g / mol , 14 . 01 g / mol , and 16 . 00 g / mol , respectively . returning again to table 2 , the superscript “ c ” indicates a cnt content calculated as follows : the superscript “ d ” in table 2 indicates a residual weight percent at a temperature ranging from 550 ° c . to 600 ° c . from tga thermograms in air . as described in detail herein , chemical attachment of ketone - oxime ( or simply ketoxime ) moieties onto the surfaces of multi wall carbon nanotubes ( mwcnt ) and carbon nanofibers ( cnf ) via sequential friedel - crafts acylation in polyphosphoric acid and condensation with hydroxylamine is described according to various embodiments of the present invention . additional embodiments of the present invention are directed to methods to obtain one - dimensional carbon nanomaterials with directly bound secondary amide (— conhr ) and primary amine (— nh 2 ) via a tandem application of beckmann rearrangement in aqueous sulfuric acid and alkaline hydrolysis reaction . while the present invention has been illustrated by a description of one or more embodiments thereof and while these embodiments have been described in considerable detail , they are not intended to restrict or in any way limit the scope of the appended claims to such detail . additional advantages and modifications will readily appear to those skilled in the art . the invention in its broader aspects is therefore not limited to the specific details , representative apparatus and method , and illustrative examples shown and described . accordingly , departures may be made from such details without departing from the scope of the general inventive concept . | 2 |
fig1 a is a perspective view of an example embodiment of motorized luggage 10 of the present invention in a drive configuration 12 . a user may operate the motorized luggage 10 to travel to a desired destination along with the luggage 10 . the user may sit on a seat 14 and a handlebar 16 may be extended for steering of the luggage 10 . in the drive configuration 12 , the seat 14 may define the top face 18 of the luggage 10 . the bottom face 20 opposite the seat 14 may include wheels ; in an embodiment , front wheels 22 are a part of a steering system , and rear wheels 24 are a part of the power system for driving the luggage 10 . the luggage 10 may include a storage compartment that may be accessed by opening a flap 26 to store or unload cargo . the storage compartment may be located on a side face 27 of the luggage 10 . in an embodiment , the user steers the luggage 10 using a telescoping handlebar 16 . the handlebar 16 may be stowed in a pouch accessible by unzipping a small flap 29 . a user may unzip the small flap 29 , extend the handlebar 16 , and begin driving the luggage 10 . the handlebar 16 may include drive components including a throttle 30 and a brake 32 . when pressed , the throttle 30 may increase the motor speed and correspondingly increase the speed of the luggage 10 . conversely , the brake 32 may be operated to slow the luggage 10 . like the handlebar of a bike , the user may turn the handlebar 16 to rotate a front axle 23 ( fig2 ) that connects the front wheels 22 . in some embodiments , led lights may be provided on a front face 19 to illuminate the path ahead . led lights are provided in an embodiment in the inside of the luggage to see contents in low light areas . foot rests 34 may be provided on each side of the luggage 10 for comfortable placement of the user &# 39 ; s feet . in an embodiment , the foot rests 34 may be stowable , movable between an extended configuration ( shown in fig1 a ) for use during motorized travel , and a stowed configuration ( shown in fig1 b ) when the rests are not in use . for example , in an embodiment shown in fig1 b , in the stowed configuration , the foot rests 34 may rest within a channel and may be flush against the outside of the luggage . the foot rests 34 may be mounted on pivots to permit the user to move the foot rests into the extended configuration for use . as shown in fig1 b , the luggage 10 may also be used in a pull configuration 40 to permit the user to pull the luggage 10 by a pull handle 42 as shown in fig1 b . as shown , the pull handle 42 may be a part of a telescoping pull handle system 44 on a rear face 21 of the luggage 10 . the pull handle 42 may be incorporated into the luggage 10 at an edge opposite of the steering handle near the top face 18 of the luggage 10 . when pulled in the pull configuration 40 , the luggage 10 may roll on the front wheels 22 . the handlebar 16 may be stowed in a cradle 94 ( fig3 ) that prevents the front wheels from rotating as the luggage 10 is pulled in the pull configuration 40 . the luggage 10 may include an exterior fabric shell 45 on its exterior that surrounds internal parts of the luggage 10 . the exterior fabric shell 45 may consist of various pieces and include various zipper openings to internal portions of the luggage 10 , such as the side flap 28 that provides access to the storage compartment and the small flap 29 that provides access to the handlebar 16 and various other controls on the electronic panel 130 ( fig4 ). the exterior fabric shell 45 may be constructed of a lightweight composite material , or other material , such as aluminum , and be configured to provide extreme water resistance . fig2 is a perspective view of the internal parts of the luggage 10 . as shown in fig2 , the luggage 10 may be defined by a generally box - shaped frame 50 that provides support to the user and defines the internal storage compartment . the luggage 10 may have various faces due to its generally box shaped nature . a steering system 52 may be attached inside the front face 19 of the luggage 10 , with the front wheels 22 extending below a bottom face 20 , and the handlebar 16 extendable above a top face 18 . the steering system 52 may be attached inside the front face 19 of the luggage 10 , with the front wheels 22 extending below a bottom face 20 , and the handlebar 16 extendable above a top face . the handlebar 16 may be extendable to multiple heights . for example , in an embodiment , the handlebar 16 may extended to a steering level so that a person may drive the luggage 10 . additionally , in an embodiment , the handlebar 16 may be extended to a second extended level higher than the steering level so that a person can walk next to the luggage and use the luggage in a pull fashion or with power assist . the bottom face 20 of the luggage 10 may include a recessed space 54 for the front wheels 22 . the recessed space 54 permits the front wheels 22 to turn freely during steering . to define the recessed space 54 , the bottom face 20 may include an upper level 56 and a lower level 58 separated by a transition 60 . the upper level 56 may be present above the front wheels 22 and may be defined by upper aluminum tubes 62 on each side face 27 supporting a folded aluminum support 64 for the steering system 52 . the upper aluminum tubes 62 may be connected to the transition 60 . the transition 60 may include aluminum tubes that are angled relative to the length of the bottom face 20 to connect the upper level 56 to the lower level 58 . the transition 60 may include channels 66 defining a space for storage of the foot rests 34 when the luggage 10 is in the pull configuration 40 . the lower level 58 of the bottom face 20 may include a left bottom beam 68 and a right bottom beam 70 that are also comprised of aluminum tubes . a floor plate 72 may span the left bottom beam 68 and the right bottom beam 70 to provide support to cargo in the storage compartment and to support the motor 82 and other components of the power system 80 . fig3 illustrates a perspective view of the internal parts of the luggage 10 with an extended pull handle 42 . the pull handle 42 may be a part of a telescoping pull handle system 44 that may be mounted just below the top face 18 of the luggage 10 . the front face 19 of the luggage 10 may be defined by two vertical supports on each edge , a left front frame support 84 and a right front frame support 86 ( where “ right ” and “ left ” are with respect to a user riding the luggage ). the left front frame support 84 and the right front frame support 86 may extend upwards from the upper level 56 to a front edge joint 88 . the front edge joint 88 may connect the left front frame support 84 and the right front frame support 86 to a left top beam 90 and a right top beam 92 , respectively . the front edge joint 88 may support an electronics panel 130 ( fig4 ) along with an opening 89 through which the handlebar 16 passes into the interior of the luggage 10 . the front edge joint 88 may include a cradle 94 where the handlebar 16 may be held in place when the luggage 10 is in a pull configuration 40 . the rear face 21 of the luggage 10 may also be defined by two vertical supports on each edge , a left rear frame support 96 and a right rear frame support 98 . the left rear frame support 96 and the right rear frame support 98 may extend up from the left bottom beam 68 and the right bottom beam 70 , respectively , and connect to the left top beam 90 and a right top beam 92 , respectively . the luggage 10 may be driven by a power system 100 . the power system 100 may include a motor 82 powered by a battery 152 . the motor 82 may drive the rear wheel axle 102 via a motor belt 104 . in other embodiments , the luggage 10 may use a direct drive or chain drive . brakes may be attached in proximity to the rear wheels 24 to permit the user to stop the luggage 10 . the handlebar 16 may include a brake control that may be used to activate the brakes . additionally , in other embodiments , the luggage 10 may use a front - wheel drive power system 100 . fig3 is a side view of the luggage 10 . as shown in fig3 , the steering system 52 may include a one - and - one - eighth inch tube 110 that is perpendicular to the ground and holds a sealed bearing headset assembly . the headset assembly houses sealed bearings to permit a steering shaft connected to the handlebar 16 to move telescopingly from a retracted position to an extended position for steering and a longer extended position so that a person can walk next to the luggage and use the luggage in a pull fashion or with power assist . the headset assembly additionally connects the steering truck to the front wheels 22 , and to the telescoping handlebar 16 . in other embodiments , the steering system 52 may include a high / low key , a variable throttle to control the speed , and a braking system using a drum , disk , electromagnetic or regenerative type . in an embodiment , the luggage 10 may include a power assist mode . in embodiment , the power assist mode may be controlled by a controller 156 ( fig5 ). the controller 156 may detect that the user is pulling the luggage 10 , for example , by a sensor 173 that measures the rotation of the front wheels 22 or rear wheels 24 not caused by the motor 82 , or by a sensor 173 detecting the user applying force to the handlebar 16 ( for example , the sensor may be attached to the steering system 52 to measure a torque on the handlebar 16 caused by the user pulling the handlebar in a forward direction ). upon detecting the user pulling the luggage 10 , the controller 156 may activate the motor 82 to a speed to match the users pulling force . for example , if the controller 156 detects that the front wheels 22 or rear wheels 24 are turning at a particular speed without power , the controller 156 may activate the motor 82 to that speed . alternatively , in an embodiment where the controller 156 senses a force applied to the handlebar 16 , such as the handlebar being pulled forward , the controller 156 may activate the motor 82 at a speed to minimize that force . in this way , the motor speed may be matched to the user &# 39 ; s walking speed . fig4 is a top view of the luggage 10 . as shown in fig4 , the front edge joint 88 may include an electronics panel 130 for the user to access various electrical controls and power supplies . in an embodiment , the electronics panel 130 may include a power switch 132 to power on the luggage 10 . additionally , the electronics panel 130 may include usb ports 134 to permit the user to charge her devices as needed . a charge display 136 in the electronics panel 130 may display the current level of charge of the battery 152 . fig4 also illustrates the handlebar 16 resting in the cradle 94 as is desired when the luggage 10 is in the pull configuration . when the user extends the handlebar 16 to begin driving , the user may first unlock the handlebar 16 by dis - engaging a clamp 140 . the handlebar 16 may then be extended by pulling the handlebar 16 upwards until it is extended to the drive position . the user may then re - engage the clamp 140 to secure the handlebar 16 in the extended drive position . when the user extends the handlebar 16 to begin walking next to the bag , the user may first unlock the handlebar 16 by dis - engaging a clamp 140 . the handlebar 16 may then be extended fully to walk next to the luggage and use the luggage in a pull fashion or with power assist by pulling the handlebar 16 upwards until it is fully extended to the drive position . the user may then re - engage the clamp 140 to secure the handlebar 16 in the extended drive position . fig5 is a diagram illustrating the electrical components 150 of the luggage 10 including selected connections between them . a battery 152 or solar panels 154 may power the motor 82 and a controller 156 of the luggage 10 . when there is sufficient ambient light , the solar panels 154 may charge the battery 152 . the throttle 30 may be in electrical connection with and control the speed of the motor 82 . the controller 156 may be provided to perform the computational functions of the luggage 10 described herein . the controller 156 may be in communication with a memory 157 that may include instructions that may be executed by the controller 156 to carry out its functions . the controller 156 may be in communication with and routine poll a gps / gsm transponder 158 and an accelerometer 160 to determine the luggage &# 39 ; s location and motion . the controller 158 may communicate with external computer systems or a user device via a wireless communications module 162 . the wireless communications module 162 may include various communication sub - modules , such as a bluetooth communications module 164 , a wi - fi communications module 166 , and a cellular communications module 168 . an rfid reader 170 may additionally be in communication with the controller 158 in some embodiments to permit the luggage 10 to locate itself using rfid technology . the controller 156 , the memory 157 , the wireless communications module 162 , and any other computer circuitry and sensors may be contained within the electronics panel 130 . the controller 156 may be in communication with and routine poll a gps / gsm transponder 158 and an accelerometer 160 to determine the luggage &# 39 ; s location and motion . when the luggage 10 is within the boundaries of an airport , the controller 156 may limit the maximum speed of the luggage 10 to a predetermined speed for safety . additionally , in some embodiments , a wristband cut - off switch 171 may be a wristband provided to the user with the luggage 10 and configured to interoperate with the luggage 10 such that when the wristband cut - off switch 171 is not within range of the luggage 10 , the motor 82 of the luggage 10 is disabled . this may prevent unauthorized persons from riding the luggage 10 . the wristband cut - off switch 171 may be detectable by the luggage 10 via near field wireless communication or detection , such as rfid or bluetooth communication using the bluetooth communications module 164 . the luggage may additionally include a barometer 172 . the controller 156 may be configured to disable the motor 82 , for example , by cutting battery power to the motor 82 , when the barometer 172 measures pressures consistent with altitudes consistent with flight . the barometer 172 prevents the luggage from accidentally powering on while stored for flight . the luggage 10 may include the gps / gsm transponder 158 to permit the user to locate the luggage 10 . for example , the luggage 10 may periodically transmit it &# 39 ; s gps / gsm location via cellular , bluetooth , etc ., to the user device or a remote tracking server . the user may use an application on his or her mobile device or access a web page of the remote tracking server to locate the luggage . the application or web page may display the location of the luggage 10 overlaid on a map . it is contemplated that if the luggage 10 has a barometer 172 , the gps / gsm transponder 158 may be turned off by the controller 156 when the luggage 10 is onboard a flight . additionally , the luggage 10 may include the accelerometer 160 to turn off the gps / gsm transponder 158 and other electrical devices when the luggage 10 accelerates at speeds consistent with the luggage being onboard an airplane during flight . for example , the controller 156 may measure the speed , acceleration , altitude , etc ., of the luggage 10 using the gps / gsm transponder 158 , barometer 172 , accelerometer 160 , etc ., in order to disable or enable the electronic aspects of the luggage 10 during flight or to otherwise provide the functionality described herein . additionally , if the luggage 10 moves out of range of the user , as may be determined by the gps / gsm difference between the luggage 10 and a user device , or the loss of a wireless signal , such as a bluetooth connection between the luggage 10 and a user device , the luggage 10 may transmit a signal to the user device providing an out - of - range alert . in some embodiments , the luggage 10 may be capable of autonomous or semi - autonomous driving . for example , the luggage 10 may include servo operated steering to permit remote controlled driving by the user . the luggage 10 may include one or more cameras to permit a remote user to drive the luggage 10 while seeing and responding to obstacles in a video feed from the luggage 10 . the luggage 10 may communicate with a user device to provide the user remote steering controls such as speed and directional controls . in some embodiments , the luggage 10 may autonomously follow a user by tracking the user &# 39 ; s location via a bluetooth signal from the user &# 39 ; s device . the user &# 39 ; s location may be tracked by one or more bluetooth module 164 on the luggage that are adapted to determine the position of the user relative to the luggage and maintain a certain distance or relative position . in some embodiments , a drive - by - wire system may be provided by the controller 156 to permit a user to remotely drive the luggage 10 to a specified location , as may be determined by gps or other positioning mechanism . the controller 156 may also be connected to a microphone to permit the luggage 10 to detect ambient sounds , and to permit the luggage 10 to respond to voice commands . voice commands may be provided for each type of functionality described herein . the controller 156 may be in communication with a camera system to permit obstacle avoidance . similarly , the controller 156 may be in communication with homing or radar system to detect obstacles around the luggage 10 . for example , the luggage 10 may include a forward facing camera and corner mounted radar to assist in autonomous or semi - autonomous driving . the front wheels 22 and the rear wheels 24 may be constructed from polyurethane . the outer shell of the luggage , including the left front frame support 84 , right front frame support 86 , left top beam 90 , right top beam 92 , left rear frame support 96 , right rear frame support 98 , etc ., may be constructed of a lightweight composite material , or other material , such as aluminum , and be configured to provide extreme water resistance . the luggage 10 may include a memory 157 , controllers 156 , such as one or more data processors , image processors and / or central processors , and a peripherals interface . the memory 157 , and the one or more controllers 156 can be separate components or can be integrated in one or more integrated circuits . the various components in the luggage 10 can be coupled by one or more communication buses or signal lines , as will be recognized by those skilled in the art . communication functions can be facilitated through a wireless communications module 162 , which can include radio frequency receivers and transmitters and / or optical ( e . g ., infrared ) receivers and transmitters . the specific design and implementation of the wireless communications module 162 can depend on the communication network ( s ) over which the luggage 10 is intended to operate . for example , the luggage 10 can include communication subsystems designed to operate over a gsm network , a gprs network , an edge network , a wi - fi or imax network , and a bluetooth network . in particular , the wireless communication subsystems may include hosting protocols such that the luggage 10 may be configured as a base station for other wireless devices . the memory 157 can include high - speed random access memory and / or non - volatile memory , such as one or more magnetic disk storage devices , one or more optical storage devices , and / or flash memory ( e . g ., nand , nor ). the memory 157 may store operating system instructions , such as darwin , rtxc , linux , unix , os x , ios , android , blackberry os , blackberry 10 , windows , or an embedded operating system such as vxworks . the operating system instructions may include instructions for handling basic system services and for performing hardware dependent tasks . in some implementations , the operating system instructions can be a kernel ( e . g ., unix kernel ). the memory 157 may also store communication instructions to facilitate communicating with one or more additional devices , one or more computers and / or one or more servers . the memory 157 may include graphical user interface instructions to facilitate graphic user interface processing ; sensor processing instructions to facilitate sensor - related processing and functions ; phone instructions to facilitate phone - related processes and functions ; electronic messaging instructions to facilitate electronic - messaging related processes and functions ; web browsing instructions to facilitate web browsing - related processes and functions ; media processing instructions to facilitate media processing - related processes and functions ; gps / navigation instructions to facilitate gps and navigation - related processes and instructions ; camera instructions to facilitate camera - related processes and functions ; and / or other software instructions to facilitate other processes and functions ( e . g ., access control management functions , etc .). the memory 157 may also store other software instructions controlling other processes and functions of the luggage 10 as will be recognized by those skilled in the art . an activation record and international mobile equipment identity ( imei ) or similar hardware identifier can also be stored in memory 157 . each of the above identified instructions and applications can correspond to a set of instructions for performing one or more functions described herein . these instructions need not be implemented as separate software programs , procedures , or modules . the memory 157 can include additional instructions or fewer instructions . furthermore , various functions of the luggage 10 may be implemented in hardware and / or in software , including in one or more signal processing and / or application specific integrated circuits . accordingly , the luggage 10 , may be adapted to perform any combination of the functionality described herein . aspects of the systems and methods described herein are controlled by one or more controllers 156 . the one or more controllers 103 may be adapted run a variety of application programs , access and store data , including accessing and storing data in associated databases , and enable one or more interactions via the luggage 10 . typically , the one or more controllers 156 are implemented by one or more programmable data processing devices . the hardware elements , operating systems , and programming languages of such devices are conventional in nature , and it is presumed that those skilled in the art are adequately familiar therewith . for example , the one or more controllers 156 may be a pc based implementation of a central control processing system utilizing a central processing unit ( cpu ), memories and an interconnect bus . the cpu may contain a single microprocessor , or it may contain a plurality of microcontrollers 156 for configuring the cpu as a multi - processor system . the memories include a main memory , such as a dynamic random access memory ( dram ) and cache , as well as a read only memory , such as a prom , eprom , flash - eprom , or the like . the system may also include any form of volatile or non - volatile memory . in operation , the main memory is non - transitory and stores at least portions of instructions for execution by the cpu and data for processing in accord with the executed instructions . the one or more controllers 156 may further include appropriate input / output ports for interconnection with one or more output displays ( e . g ., monitors , printers , touchscreen , motion - sensing input device , etc .) and one or more input mechanisms ( e . g ., keyboard , mouse , voice , touch , bioelectric devices , magnetic reader , rfid reader , barcode reader , touchscreen , motion - sensing input device , etc .) serving as one or more user interfaces for the processor . for example , the one or more controllers 156 may include a graphics subsystem to drive the output display . the links of the peripherals to the system may be wired connections or use wireless communications . aspects of the systems and methods provided herein encompass hardware and software for controlling the relevant functions . software may take the form of code or executable instructions for causing a processor or other programmable equipment to perform the relevant steps , where the code or instructions are carried by or otherwise embodied in a medium readable by the processor or other machine . instructions or code for implementing such operations may be in the form of computer instruction in any form ( e . g ., source code , object code , interpreted code , etc .) stored in or carried by any tangible readable medium . as used herein , terms such as computer or machine “ readable medium ” refer to any medium that participates in providing instructions to a processor for execution . such a medium may take many forms . non - volatile storage media include , for example , optical or magnetic disks , such as any of the storage devices in any computer ( s ) shown in the drawings . volatile storage media include dynamic memory , such as main memory of such a computer platform . common forms of computer - readable media therefore include for example : a floppy disk , a flexible disk , hard disk , magnetic tape , any other magnetic medium , a cd - rom , dvd , any other optical medium , punch cards paper tape , any other physical medium with patterns of holes , a ram , a prom and eprom , a flash - eprom , any other memory chip or cartridge , or any other medium from which a computer can read programming code and / or data . many of these forms of computer readable media may be involved in carrying one or more sequences of one or more instructions to a processor for execution . it should be noted 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 may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention and without diminishing its attendant advantages . | 0 |
the present invention describes a method for determining and controlling physiological behavior , such as heart rate abnormalities , by using a fractal optimal control approach . the example described herein is for a pacemaker application to control heart rate abnormalities . however , the invention is not to be limited to a pacemaker application . the origins of fractional calculus date back to the correspondence between l ′ hopital and leibniz in which they debated the meaning of a 0 . 5 order differentiation . over the years , fractional calculus has found applications in physics ( e . g ., viscoelasticity , dielectric polarization , heat transfer phenomena ) and engineering ( e . g ., control bioengineering , traffic modeling , game theory ). broadly speaking , fractional ( or fractal ) calculus deals with functional differentiation and integration of arbitrary orders . unlike classical ( i . e ., integer order ) calculus , fractional derivatives directly incorporate the dynamical characteristics ( i . e ., fractal behavior ) of any target process x ( t ) ( e . g ., r - r intervals , flow of oxygenated blood ) through a weighted sum denoting the contribution of the previous events x ( τ ), for any τ ∈[ 0 , t ]: where α is the fractional order of the derivative and γ ( n − α ) is the gamma function . this continuous time definition of fractional derivative can also be written in discretized form via the grunwald - letnikov formula : where δt is the time increment , [ t / δt ] represents the integer part of the ratio between the t and δt . equations ( 1 ) ( continuous ) and ( 2a ) ( discrete ) capture directly the role of the power law observed in the time differences ( i . e ., ( t − τ ) n - α - 1 ) and allows not only for a more accurate description of the time dynamics of various physiological processes x ( t ), but also for a better optimization ; this issue is discussed in the next section . basics of r - r interval measuring and of the identification of fractional model parameters in order to measure the r - r interval , the pacemaker senses the voltage produced by the heart when it contracts . this voltage is usually small in the range of a millivolts . the pacemaker uses a sensitivity level ( sometimes referred as threshold voltage ) to detect r - waves . in other words if the sensed ecg voltage exceeds this threshold , then an r - wave is detected and the clock starts counting until the next r - wave is encountered ( e . g ., the r - r interval ). this threshold corresponds to the minimum current to pace the ventricle . see block 30 of fig1 . now turning to block 18 of fig1 , upon using the grunwald - letnikov formula , the continuous time fractional differential equation ( 4 ) is used to model the dynamics of the r - r intervals can be expressed as follows : in order to estimate the model parameters , t = 2 j observations ( measured r - r intervals ) are used . using the daubechies discrete wavelet transform of order four , the wavelet coefficients d j , k from the t measured r - r intervals are calculated . the wavelet coefficients d j , k are computed via the following formula : where φ is the daubechies wavelet . ( mark j . jensen , an alternative maximum likelihood estimator of long - memory processes using compactly supported wavelets , journal of economic dynamics & amp ; control , 24 ( 2000 ) 361 } 387 ; y . k . tse , v . v . anh , q . tieng , maximum likelihood estimation of the fractional differencing parameter in an arfima model using wavelets , mathematics and computers in simulation 59 ( 2002 ) 153 - 161 .) in addition , the wavelet coefficients are gaussian distributed with n ( 0 , σ 2 2 − 2jα ) are assumed , where the σ 2 2 − 2jα term gives the autocovariance ru ) at scale j . alternatively , the autocovariance can be written as ln ( r ( j ))= 2 ln ( σ )− 2jα ln ( 2 ). in terms of the wavelet coefficients , the autocovariance r ( j ) can be written as follows : consequently , in order to find parameter a , a linear regression is solved to find the slope of how the logarithm of the empirically estimated autocovariance changes as a function of the logarithm of the scale which is provided by the next relation : ln ( r ( j ))= 2 ln ( o )− 2jα ln ( 2 ). knowing α , the coefficients under the summation term in the left hand side of equation ( 3 ) can be computed . relying on a linear regression over the same t observations , we can compute the parameters a and b in equation ( 3 ). block 38 analyzes if deviations from a reference value provided by medical expert in block 23 are detected . if there are no deviations , then the system waits for the next r - r interval measurement and processing terminates on the current r - r interval . block 18 uses wavelets and linear regression ( solving a linear program ) to identify the parameters of the mathematical model . of note , depending on the dynamics of the heart rate variability which is encompassed in the parameter a , the model can consist of a fractional differential equation or an integer order differential equation . based on the magnitude of deviations detected in block 38 and the recommendation of the physician ( block 23 ), the pacemaker can solve in the second part either an ise - based constrained fractal optimal controller ( less aggressive control ) or an itse - based constrained fractal optimal controller ( more aggressive ). if an ise - based fractal controller is chosen , then the control approach of the pacemaker relies on deriving the optimality conditions ( block 22 a ), discretizing the optimality conditions ( block 24 a ) and solving a linear program corresponding to the ise - based constrained fractal optimal controller ( block 26 a ). if an itse - based fractal controller is chosen , then the control approach of the pacemaker relies on deriving the optimality conditions ( block 22 b ), discretizing the optimality conditions ( block 24 b ) and solving a linear program corresponding to the itse - based constrained fractal optimal controller ( block 26 b ). in the third part , the solution of either the ise - based constrained fractal optimal controller or the itse - based constrained fractal optimal controller is applied by the actuator ( block 20 ) to the heart . on the same time , this pacing frequency is communicated via wireless and internet to the physician ( block 23 ) for further analysis and medical evaluation . fractional calculus based modeling and optimal control of heart rate activity the present invention takes into account that the heart rate processes display a fractal behavior and can be modeled via fractional differential equation . this approach represents a major departure from the traditional modeling approaches used in control ( dynamic ) optimization field . the present invention brings the magnitude of r - r intervals to a given reference value provided by a medical expert ( block 46 in fig1 ) from either very large or very small values which are signs of heart disease ( i . e ., bradycardia or tachycardia ). of note , although the present invention describes the optimal control problem only for two different cost functions , those skilled in the art will recognize that the invention can be extended to other cost functions and control signals ( e . g ., magnitude of the pacing voltage applied to either atria or ventricles ). a . finite time fractal optimal control with integral of squared tracking error ( ise ) criterion the present invention describes an ise - based constrained finite horizon fractal optimal control approach ( see blocks 22 a , 24 a and 26 a in fig7 ) to heart rate regulation problem . more precisely , given an initial time t i and a final time t f , the goal of the controller is to find the optimal control signal , i . e ., the frequency of the pacing events , which minimizes the quadratic cost of observing deviations in either the magnitude of r - r intervals or heart rate activity from a predefined reference value , as well as the magnitude of pacing frequency , as shown below : y ( t i )= y 0 , y ( t f )= y 0 , 0 ≦ y min ≦ y ( t )≦ y max ≦ 1 ( 5 ) where y ( t ) represents the heart rate activity seen as a state variable and measured in block 30 , y ref ( t ) denotes the reference values that need to be achieved in terms of heart rate activity and is provided by medical expert block 46 , f ( t ) is the pacing frequency , w and z are the weighting coefficients for the quadratic error and magnitude of the control signal , respectively , in the cost function , α is the exponent of the fractional order derivative characterizing the dynamics of the heart rate activity y ( t ) being estimated by block 18 , a ( t ) and b ( t ) are weighting coefficients for the heart activity and pacing frequency being estimated by block 18 , y min and y max are the minimum and maximum bounds on heart rate activity y ( t ) being provided by physician block 46 , y ( t i ) is the initial condition , y ( t f ) is the final condition , f min and f max are the minimum and maximum allowed bounds on pacing frequency f ( t ). physician ( block 46 ) provided parameters including y ref , w , z y min , y max , f min , and f max ( see fig8 ). by focusing on the squared difference between the actual and the reference value in eq . ( 3 ), the optimal controller minimizes the chances of getting either positive or negative deviations from a predefined reference . in other words , the cost functional in eq . ( 3 ) penalizes any deviations from the reference value and large magnitudes in the control signal . the use of the integral of squared difference between the actual and the reference heart rate is also attractive because of two reasons : first , it simplifies to linear equations when evaluating the optimality conditions . second , the integral of squared error is in general robust to parameter variations . note that unlike other general formulations of optimal control , in this setup there are very specific initial and final values summarized in eq . ( 5 ). consequently , the role of the controller is to determine the right pacing frequency which drives the system from one initial state ( labeled as life - threatening ) to a final state ( labeled as safe ). note also that in both equations ( 4 ) and ( 6 ), minimum and maximum bounds are imposed on the expected r - r intervals and the delivered pacing frequencies . these bounds are necessary because they prevent the optimal control algorithm from driving the heart muscle system at excessive pacing rates . to solve the above optimal control problem , the present invention utilizes concepts from the optimization theory and constructs first the lagrangian functional , l ( y , f , λ , β 1 , ξ 1 , β 2 , ξ 2 ) ( consisting of the initial cost function in eq . ( 3 ), the fractal dynamical equation ( 4 ) and the constraints in eqs . ( 5 ) and ( 6 ) multiplied by lagrange multipliers ), as follows : where λ , β 1 , and β 2 are the lagrange multipliers associated with the dynamical state equation for y ( t ) and the constraints imposed on the control variable f , ξ 1 and ξ 2 are the slack variables needed to transform the inequality bounds into equality constraints on the control variable f . the reason for introducing the lagrange multipliers λ , β 1 , and β 2 and encapsulating the fractal dynamical equation ( 4 ) and the constraints in eqs . ( 5 ), and ( 6 ) into a single optimization function is to transform the constrained problem into an unconstrained minimization . by expanding the lagrange function in eq . ( 7 ) via the taylor formula and considering that it attains its minimum in the vicinity of τ = 0 , i . e ., ∂ l /∂ τ = 0 , the following relations are obtained : where t i d t α and t d t f α are the fractional derivatives operating backward and forward in time , respectively . this is represented by block 22 in fig1 . in order to solve the relations in eq . ( 8 ) ( see the block 24 in fig1 ), this invention discretizes the interval [ t i , t f ] into n intervals of size δt =( t f − t i )/ n and use the formula in eq . ( 2a ) to construct a linear system as follows : now turning to fig7 illustrating a logic flow diagram of one embodiment of the present invention and consists of four main parts ; in the first part , the heart signals ( block 28 in fig1 ) are sensed and r - r intervals are measured ( block 30 ). concomitantly , the current measured r - r interval is send to two blocks : firstly , block 38 analyzes if deviations from a reference value provided by medical expert in block 23 are detected . secondly , block 18 uses wavelets and linear regression ( solving a linear program ) to identify the parameters of the mathematical model . of note , depending on the dynamics of the heart rate variability which is encompassed in the parameter a , the model can consist of a fractional differential equation or an integer order differential equation . based on the magnitude of deviations detected in block 38 and the recommendation of the physician ( block 23 ), the pacemaker can solve in the second part either an ise - based constrained fractal optimal controller ( less aggressive control ) or an itse - based constrained fractal optimal controller ( more aggressive ). if an ise - based fractal controller is chosen , then the control approach of the pacemaker relies on deriving the optimality conditions ( block 22 a ), discretizing the optimality conditions ( block 24 a ) and solving a linear program corresponding to the ise - based constrained fractal optimal controller ( block 26 a ). if an itse - based fractal controller is chosen , then the control approach of the pacemaker relies on deriving the optimality conditions ( block 22 b ), discretizing the optimality conditions ( block 24 b ) and solving a linear program corresponding to the itse - based constrained fractal optimal controller ( block 26 b ). in the third part , the solution of either the ise - based constrained fractal optimal controller or the itse - based constrained fractal optimal controller is applied by the actuator ( block 20 ) to the heart . on the same time , this pacing frequency is communicated via wireless and internet to the physician ( block 23 ) for further analysis and medical evaluation . note : if there are no deviations analyzed in block 38 , then the system waits for the next r - r interval measurement and processing terminates on the current r - r interval . now turning to fig8 illustrating a block diagram of the hardware architecture showing a control signal — pacing frequency — necessary to be followed by the optimal controller module ( described by equations ( 13 ) through eq . ( 16 )) of the pacemaker in order to increase the r - r intervals and reduce the heart rate from approximately 100 to 75 beats per minute . generally speaking , the measured r - r intervals from blocks 44 and 30 get transmitted to the physician ( block 23 ), dedicated hardware for analyzing the magnitude of the deviations ( y ( t )- y ref ) ( block 38 ) and the dedicated hardware for identifying the model parameters ( block 46 ). the dedicated hardware for analyzing the magnitude of the y ( t )- y ref deviations consists of an arithmetic logic unit performing a subtraction operation . as explained in this patent application , the dedicated hardware for identifying the parameters of the model consists of wavelets filters and a linear program solver to find a , a and b . if block 38 detects any deviations then a trigger is signaled the parameters of the model in block 46 are identified and the next step is to find the optimal pacing frequency via the dedicated hardware that solves the constrained fractal optimal controller in block 48 , else the system waits for the next r - r interval if block 38 does not detect any deviations . when solving the constrained fractal optimal controller , block 48 receives reference value and parameter constraints from the physician in block 23 . the solution of the constrained fractal optimal controller in block 48 is then applied by the actuator in block 20 to the heart ( block 21 ) via atrial ( block 42 ) and ventricular ( block 40 ) leads . of note , although in this hardware description diagram we assumed that the fractal optimal controller is completely implemented via an application ( dedicated ) specific integrated circuit , similar results can be obtained if the controller is implemented in software and ported to an embedded processor . the rationale for choosing this hardware implementation approach is two - fold : first , it offers a more compact and more power - efficient implementation solution of the memory and logic of the pacemaker controller . secondly , we aimed at testing the feasibility of implementing our proposed constrained fractal optimal controller . the dedicated hardware can include a processor ( not shown ) in any commercially available form , such as , but not limited to , an embedded processor , micro - processor , a programmable logic controller , or electrically circuitry capable of performing calculations . in summary , the constrained finite horizon fractal optimal control defined in eqs . ( 3 ) through ( 6 ) can be reduced to solving a linear programming problem ( given by eqs . ( 9 ), ( 10 ), ( 11 ), and ( 12 )) ( see block 26 in fig1 ) and so it does not add a significant complexity compared to classical linear system theory approaches . the solution ( output ) of the linear program in block 26 from fig1 is applied by the actuator ( block 20 in fig1 ) to the heart 21 in fig8 . in addition , this constrained finite horizon fractal optimal control can address some of the american heart association desideratum for optimal control algorithms that find the right pacing frequency , output voltage , pulse width , or atrio - ventricular delays that can improve the patient quality - of - life and battery longevity . to sustain a continuous quality - of - life aware pacing , the pacemaker reports via wireless / wifi connectivity and internet connection the observed deviations , the measured r - r intervals and the computed pacing frequencies to the medical experts 23 in fig1 . b . finite time fractal optimal control with integral of squared time multiplied by squared tracking error ( itse ) criterion despite its analytical tractability , the finite time optimal control problem with integral of the squared difference between the actual and reference value of the process has the drawback that in some cases it can present large overshoots and oscillations . in addition , besides the magnitude of the error existing between the actual and the reference values , also the time at which this error occurs is of significant importance . as an alternative to the integral of the difference between the actual and the reference values , an optimization criterion involving the integral of the squared time multiplied by the squared tracking error ( itse ) is considered . this approach is meant to penalize any overshoot or oscillation that might appear in the cost function close to the final time t f . consequently , the augmented finite horizon fractal optimal control problem seeks to minimize the following cost function : y ( t i )= y 0 , y ( t f )= y 0 , 0 ≦ y min ≦ y ( t )≦ y max ≦ 1 ( 15 ) where y ( t ) represents the heart rate activity seen as a state variable , y ref ( t ) denotes the reference values that need to be achieved in terms of heart rate activity , f ( t ) is the pacing frequency , w and z are the weighting coefficients for the quadratic error and magnitude of the control signal , respectively , in the cost function , α is the exponent of the fractional order derivative characterizing the dynamics of the heart rate activity y ( t ), a ( t ) and b ( t ) are weighting coefficients for the heart activity and pacing frequency , y min and y max are the minimum and maximum bounds on heart rate activity y ( t ), y ( t i ) is the initial condition , y ( t f ) is the final condition , f min and f max are the minimum and maximum allowed bounds on pacing frequency f ( t ). physician provided parameters include y ref , w , z y min , y max , y min , and f max . employing concepts from the theory of constrained optimization and calculus of variations and discretizing the optimality conditions ( i . e ., differential equations ), the following system of equations are obtained : as one can observe from equations ( 17 ), ( 18 ), ( 19 ), and ( 20 ), the optimal control problem reduces to solving a linear program which computes the y and a values for a predefined set of discretization steps . of note , the size of the linear program depends on the number of discretization steps . eqs . ( 13 )-( 20 ) are interchangeable with eqs . ( 3 ), ( 4 ), ( 5 ), ( 6 ), ( 9 ), ( 10 ), ( 11 ), and ( 12 ), respectively with respects to blocks 22 , 24 , and 26 of fig1 . eqs ( 7 ) and ( 8 ) are used in calculations for finite time fractal optimal control with integral of squared tracking error criterion and finite time fractal optimal control with integral of squared time multiplied by squared tracking error criterion . an important requirement of optimal control approaches is to rely on accurate models of the dynamical system or state variables of interest to the designer . consequently , in our evaluation of the inventive method , we first estimated the parameters corresponding to a non - fractal and a fractal model and analyzed the goodness - of - fit of each approach . more precisely , we performed a hypothesis testing by investigating whether or not the observed data can be modeled via a specific model . in this context , the goodness - of - fit measures ( via the p - value ) the discrepancy between the real measurements and the model predictions . next , we provided a complete numerical analysis of the proposed fractal optimal control problems . the p - value is a goodness - of - fit metric . a small p - value ( below the significance value ) allows us to reject the null hypothesis ( the data follows a certain distribution or can be modeled via an arma type with specific parameters ). table i ( below ) is a comparison between a non - fractal model ( 1 - step arma ) and a fractal model ( see equation ( 4 )) in terms of the estimated parameters and the goodness - of - fit obtained for five time series of heart rate activity . the r - r interval time series are obtained for healthy individuals . except the time series with id 3 , all other heart rate activity series can be modeled through a fractional order differential equation of the type presented in equation ( 4 ). this is justified by the estimated p - values and test statistics . to make the discussion of our evaluative approach more concrete , we considered two types of models : first , we modeled the heart rate through a first order differential equation , estimate the corresponding parameters ( i . e ., a and b ), and computed the goodness - of - fit between the actual measurements and the obtained model . second , we assumed that over a finite time interval the heart rate can be modeled through a fractional order differential equation similar to the one presented in equation ( 4 ), estimated the parameters a , a , and b and report its goodness - of - fit . table 1 summarizes the estimated parameters and the goodness - of - fit results for both non - fractal and fractal models used to model the heart rate dynamics of healthy individuals . to discriminate in terms of accuracy between the two models , we use the goodness - of - fit at 0 . 05 statistical significance level . this implies that we perform a null hypothesis testing against each model and if the p - value computed for the considered model is below 0 . 05 level , then with 95 % confidence we reject the model as a good fit for the data . note that this statistical approach proves to be a more robust way of validating models than relying on mean square method . by comparing the p - values in the fourth and ninth columns , we can draw the following conclusions : the modeling approach of heat rate processes via a fractional differential equation ( as shown in equation ( 4 )) cannot be rejected . the model is superior to the one based on first order derivative for all five heart rate times both in terms of p - values and test statistics . the modeling of heart rate dynamics via a first order derivative type of model is strongly rejected by the observed null p - values and high test statistic results . for completeness , in table 2 , we investigate the goodness - of - fit between a non - fractal model ( i . e ., first order differential equation ) and a fractal one ( based on fractional derivative as shown in equation ( 4 )) for an individual suffering from atrial fibrillation . as one can notice , although the magnitude of the p - values increases compared to the healthy individuals , their values are smaller than the 0 . 05 significance level allowing us to reject the hypothesis that we can model such heart activity time series via a non - fractal equation . in contrast , the p - values for the fractional order derivative based model are significantly higher allowing the possibility of being a good fitting model . table ii ( below ) is a comparison between a non - fractal model and a fractal model ( see equation ( 4 )) in terms of the estimated parameters and the goodness - of - fit obtained for five time series of heart rate activity . the r - r interval time series are obtained for individuals suffering from atrial fibrillation . all the above time series can be modeled through a fractional order differential equation as in equation ( 4 ). this is justified by the estimated p - values and test statistics . b . performance analysis of constrained finite horizon fractional optimal control for heart rate signals to illustrate the performance and efficiency of the proposed optimal controller for regulating the pacing frequency of an artificial pacemaker , we consider the heart rate of an individual suffering from atrial fibrillation ( see fig3 a ). atrial fibrillation is a common example of irregular heart beat activity characterized by very high heart rate or very short r - r intervals . these short r - r intervals may precede congestive heart failures . to better emphasize the abnormal behavior in the length of r - r intervals , we also plot the minimum ( black solid line , corresponding to 0 . 667 seconds ) and maximum ( blue dotted line , corresponding to 1 second ) bounds for a normal heart rhythm . in addition , we assume that the measured heart rate comes from a cps infrastructure where the normalized pacing frequency was set to 1 for a fixed time interval of 56 seconds corresponding to 100 recorded beats . both the natural and artificial pacing led to an elevated average heart rate of 108 beats per minute . the elevated heart rate is frequently experienced as heart palpitations and can cause fainting and dizziness leading to major injuries . thus , the role of an adaptive cps pacemaker is to regulate the pacing frequency in conjunction with the natural pacing coming from the brain in order to keep the heart rate between 60 and 90 beats per minute . the first step in the analysis is to check which of the two modeling approaches ( i . e ., the non - fractal one represented by a first order differential equation and the fractal one given by a single fractional order differential equation ) is more suitable to be used for capturing the heart rate characteristics exhibited for over 390 heart beats or an interval of time of 235 . 36 seconds . by relying on the goodness - of - fit algorithm , the p - value and test statistics for the integer first order differential equation based model are 0 . 0018 and 0 . 3845 , respectively . since we performed the null hypothesis testing at 0 . 05 significance value , based on small p - value of 0 . 0018 we can reject the integer order differential equation as being a good model . in contrast , by applying the same goodness - of - fit algorithm , the p - value and the test statistic for a fractional single order differential equation type of model are 0 . 8471 and 0 . 2949 , respectively . this shows that for this interval of time , the heart rate and implicitly the r - r intervals can be better modeled via a fractional order differential equation . once the parameter identification and goodness - of - fit analysis is completed ( and validate or invalidate one type of model ), the role of the optimal controller in equations ( 3 ) through ( 6 ) is to determine the optimal pacing frequency for which the r - r intervals can be increased from the observed 0 . 20 seconds to 0 . 80 seconds which would correspond to a normal heart rate of 75 beats per minute . fig3 b shows the impact of considering various discretization steps ( i . e ., n = 30 , 40 , 100 , 500 , and 1000 steps ) on the r - r intervals for a finite control horizon of 0 . 1 second . note that the controller was constrained to find the control signal such that the r - r intervals are between 0 . 6 and 1 , and the pacing frequency between 0 . 5 and 1 . the w and z coefficients in the performance index function shown in ( 3 ) were set to 0 . 1 . one can clearly see that even for a small number of discretization steps , the optimal controller is able to bring the r - r interval from 0 . 20 to 0 . 80 seconds for the predefined control horizon . in addition , fig3 c shows the control signal ( pacing frequency ) needed to be followed in parallel with the natural pacing coming from the brain to achieve a 0 . 8 r - r interval or a heart rate of 75 beats per minute . for completeness , the final frequency as a function of the considered number of discretization steps is as follows : 0 . 8745 for 1000 steps , 0 . 8732 for 500 steps , 0 . 8689 for 100 steps , 0 . 8658 for 40 steps and 0 . 8647 for 30 steps . consequently , the loss in accuracy of computing the normalized pacing frequency from fewer discretization steps is approximately 1 . 1 %. besides the importance of the number of discretization steps , the constrained finite horizon fractal optimal controller also depends on the choice of ratio between the w and z coefficients in eq . ( 3 ). to investigate how the controller depends on this ratio , we fix the number of discretization steps and the z coefficient to 300 and 1 , respectively . next , we consider four values ( i . e ., 1 , 5 , 10 , and 15 ) for the w coefficient and solve the optimal control problem assuming that the r - r interval state variable is constrained to be between 0 . 6 and 1 and the pacing frequency varies between 0 . 1 and 1 . we also set the initial and final values for the r - r interval state variable to 0 . 4 and 0 . 8 . as we can see from fig4 , increasing the magnitude of the w coefficient makes the state variable y ( t ) get closer to the reference value for the considered finite control horizon . this implies that depending on the medical conditions , the optimal controller can be customized to be more or less sensitive to deviations by adjusting the coefficients and / or the performance index in equation ( 3 ). to fully understand the impact of the constraints on the convergence of the controller , we consider the fractal ( optimal ) controller defined in equations ( 3 ) through ( 6 ) for 100 discretization steps under four test cases : a ) coefficients w and z set to 1 , state variable y ( t ) constrained between 0 . 79 and 1 , control signal f ( t ) constrained between 0 . 01 and 1 , initial value for the control signal set to 0 . 3 , initial and final values on the state variable to 1 . 5 and 0 . 8 , respectively ; b ) coefficients w and z set to 1 and 0 . 01 , respectively , state variable y ( t ) constrained between 0 . 79 and 1 , control signal f ( t ) constrained between 0 . 01 and 1 , initial value for the control signal set to 0 . 3 , initial and final values on the state variable to 1 . 5 and 0 . 8 , respectively ; c ) coefficients w and z set to 1 , state variable y ( t ) constrained between 0 . 66 and 1 , control signal f ( t ) constrained between 0 . 01 and 1 , initial value for the control signal set to 0 . 3 , initial and final values on the state variable to 1 . 5 and 0 . 8 , respectively ; d ) coefficients w and z set to 1 and 0 . 01 respectively , state variable y ( t ) constrained between 0 . 79 and 1 , control signal f ( t ) constrained between 0 . 01 and 1 , initial value for the control signal set to 0 . 3 , initial and final values on the state variable to 1 . 5 and 0 . 8 , respectively . as one can observe from fig5 , decreasing the magnitude of z makes the error between the state variable and the reference value more significant and so contributes to a higher rate of convergence . moreover , by comparing the green ( dotted ) line with the blue ( star markers ) curve , we can observe that the magnitude of z coefficient plays a more important role than the constraints . next , we also considered the performance of the fractal optimal controller defined by equations ( 13 ) through ( 16 ) ( where the cost function integrates the product between the time and the error between the actual and the reference r - r interval ) is influenced by the number of discretization steps n . this itse - based constrained fractal optimal controller can be considered when prompt heart regulation is required . note that the controller was constrained to find the control signal such that the r - r interval is kept between 0 . 6 and 1 seconds and the pacing frequency is between 0 . 5 and 1 . the w and z coefficients in the performance index function shown in ( 3 ) were set to 0 . 1 . fig6 shows that the optimal controller is able to bring the r - r interval from 0 . 2 to 0 . 8 seconds in the predefined finite horizon for various discretization steps ( i . e ., n = 30 , 40 , 100 , 500 , and 1000 discretization steps ). due to the time multiplication of the error between the actual and the reference r - r interval , this controller exhibits a slightly faster convergence to the predefined reference value . for completeness , fig6 shows the control signal ( pacing frequency ) needed to be followed by the optimal controller in addition to the natural pacing coming from the brain to achieve a 0 . 8 r - r interval or a heart rate of 75 beats per minute . in this setup , the final optimal pacing frequency is as follows : 0 . 8473 for 30 discretization steps , 0 . 8487 for 40 discretization steps , 0 . 8527 for 100 discretization steps , 0 . 8576 for 500 discretization steps , and 0 . 8591 for 1000 discretization steps . consequently , by reducing the number of discretization steps from 1000 to 30 which also reduce the computational time complexity , the penalty in accuracy is less than 1 . 4 %. c . theoretical basis for a hardware implementation of fractal optimal control in this subsection , we describe the basis for a hardware implementation of the fractal optimal controller ; we also present some illustrative results we have obtained by building an fpga prototype . the main idea stems from using the primal - dual interior point method for solving the linear and non - linear programming ; this became popular after karmarkar proposed a fast polynomial - time convergence of the algorithm , which makes it suitable for real time applications . this is described next : the pseudo - code for interior point method algorithm where θ is a scalar damping factor is described next : part 1 . start with an arbitrary guess for ( x , y , w , z ) part 2 . solve the below system of linear equations with respect a t ( y + δy ) − ( z + δz ) = c part 5 . if ( ε 1 & gt ; ε b or ε 2 & gt ; ε b ) the hardware implementation of the entire linear program solver consists of a data path and a finite state machine . the linear solver described in next section does part 2 of the above mentioned algorithm ; part 3 and part 4 are simply vector addition and matrix - vector multiplication , respectively . finally , a finite state machine controls the entire flow of the algorithm . lu factorization algorithm for solving a system of linear equations in the form ax = b decomposes matrix a into the product of upper ( u ) and lower triangular ( l ) matrices : this algorithm replaces the u and l matrices in place of the original matrix . matrix u is stored in the lower diagonal elements of a without explicitly mentioning that upper diagonal elements of this matrix are zero and diagonal elements of u are all one . the same is applied to l , but its non - zero elements are stored in upper triangular elements of a . the unknown variables of the system of equations inside primal - dual interior point are δx , δy , δw and δz . an appropriate ordering of these varaibles makes the coefficient matrix a in linear system of equations in a format that makes the complexity of the factorization algorithm less than what it is in general . also , it eliminates the use of divide operations in line 3 of fig4 , which not only speeds up the algorithm , but also makes this algorithm appropriate for hardware realization since dividers are expensive in hardware . below , we show the best ordering of the unknown variables and the coefficient matrix corresponding to the ordering . line 3 of the algorithm , requires division of all elements below diagonal by the corresponding diagonal element in each clumn . however , as can be seen from above , there is no need for divide operation here and only negation of x i elements is enough and the rest of lower diagonal elements remain unchanged . the for loop in line 5 of fig4 can be broken into first n , n + m and m + 2n iterations . the above matrix a is a depiction after these iterations and shows the modified matrix a after m + 2n steps of the factorization algorithm . the first m + n iterations are easy to understand . if either of the a kj or a ik elements at each iteration of the line 7 of the algorithm are zero , then the a ij of the elements in the submatric in line 7 loop of the algorithm remains unchanged . this is why elements in the n + 1 till 2n row leave unchanged . a system of linear equations is often presented as ax = b where a is an nxn coefficient matrix and unknown variables are represented in n - element vector ( x ). there are two main classes of linear solvers : iterative and direct . iterative methods do not guarantee convergence and hence are not good choice for real time applications . among direct solvers , including factorization methods and cramer method , we have chosen cramer method with chio &# 39 ; s condensation for determinant calculation and show how hardware realization of chio &# 39 ; s condensation method combined with the mirroring technique makes it the most superior among implementation of all directed method solvers from performance point of view . cramer &# 39 ; s rule states that each component of the solution to the linear equation of the form ax = b ( where a is invertible ) is given by : where ( a i ( b )) denotes the matrix a with its ith column replaced by b . chio &# 39 ; s condensation for determinant calculation reduces a matrix of order n to order n − 1 and so on . chio &# 39 ; s pivotal condensation theorem says : given that a 11 ≠ 0 and | d | denote the matrix a =[ a ij ] obtained by replacing each a ij element not in the lead row or column by considering that we only need the ratio of the original matrix determinant and the modified matrix , at each condensation step , we factor out the powers of a values in each condensation step . at each step k of the condensation , all remaining matrix elements a ij except the elements in lead row and lead column are replaced by this does not depend on the order of the computation among different elements and hence can be done in parallel . the hardware architecture proposed consists of address selection logic and computation logic . corresponding to each element , there are two multipliers and an adder which perform the 2 × 2 determinant calculation and address generating logic determines the operands of the calculation which are a kk , a kj and a ik . there are also n dividers needed for computation on the last condensation step . computation of the determinant by parallel architecture finishes after n − 1 step condensation while sequential software computation requires o ( n 3 ) steps , since : σ k = 1 n - 1 2 ( n − k ) 2 +( n − k )= 2 n 3 / 3 − n 2 / 2 − n / 6 o ( n 3 ) ( n 3 ) simple application of cramer &# 39 ; s rule requires repeating the computation of det ( a i ( b )) for every unknown or having multiple hardware architectures running in parallel for every unknown . the first one results in total run time of o ( n 2 ) and o ( n 2 ) hardware complexity associated with each element of the matrix while the second approach results in o ( n 2 ) run time as well as o ( n 3 ) hardware complexity and hence power consumption . however , by the mirroring technique , substitution of column vector b is delayed in order to use common computations for multiple variables . in this technique , b must be subject to the same condensation computations that would occur had it already been replaced . as the condensation removes the information associated with discarded columns , the variables associated with those columns cannot be computed once condensed . for this reason , a mirror of the matrix is created in the first step as well as each time the matrix is halved . the mirror is identical to the original matrix except the order of its column is reversed . below , we show how the computation on the second column of the matrix is identical in the first condensation step for both matrixes where b is substituted in the fourth and third column . the mirroring technique can be done in hardware by mirroring the remaining matrix to the space of the discarded columns . below , we show how mirroring is done when the condensation step reaches n / 2 step and how this technique preserves the initial n × 2n space and does not need extra memory and hardware architecture . in this manner , after n − 1 iteration of the condensation steps , the linear program algorithm computes all n unknown variables with a dividing operation in the last step which is computed as follows x i = b iu / a ni . this figure depicts the entire condensation process till the calculation of all unknown variables for a simple 4 × 4 system of equation . the proposed hardware architecture for solving a linear system of equations is superior to previous implementations of direct methods from performance point of view , as well as numerical stability : assuming no significant clock cycle difference between this and factorization based algorithms , this method computes all unknown variables after n cycle while the factorization methods use backward and forward substitutions which make the final value of unknown variables after 3n clock cycles . a ) unlike factorization - based algorithms , the use of divide operation is delayed until the last step of the algorithm . this prevents error propagation through the algorithm steps , as the divide operation is more expensive . b ) factoring out the powers of the a values prevents numerical instability and overflow . we synthesized on xilinx virtex 7 fpga for problem size of 32 × 32 and here we report the results : the present invention has been described in accordance with several examples , which are intended to be illustrative in all aspects rather than restrictive . thus , the present invention is capable of many variations in detailed implementation , which may be derived from the description contained herein by a person of ordinary skill in the art . while the disclosure has been described in detail and with reference to specific embodiments thereof , it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the embodiments . thus , it is intended that the present disclosure cover the modifications and variations of this disclosure provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents . | 6 |
the preparation of the polymeric particles of the invention depends on careful selection of the ingredients of the monomeric microemulsion from which the polymers are made . the monomeric microemulsions of the invention are prepared by mixing water , unsaturated organic monomers having fluoroalkyl groups , fluorosurfactants , and optionally , co - solvents or inorganic salts . the amounts employed are 1 - 40 weight percent , preferably 5 - 15 , fluorinated monomer ; 1 - 40 weight percent , preferably 5 - 25 , of the surfactant ; with the remainder water . additional monomers can be present to make the polymers , but the monomers having perfluoroalkyl groups should comprises at least 30 , preferably 50 , weight percent of the total monomer content . such additional monomers include epoxides , carboxyl acids , amines etc . which have unsaturated moieties . representative perfluoroalkyl - containing monomers include fluoroalkyl acrylates and fluoroalkyl methacrylates of the formula ## str1 ## wherein n is a cardinal number of 3 - 13 and r is h or ch 3 ; fluoroalkyl aryl urethanes , for example ## str2 ## fluoroalkyl allyl urethanes , for example ## str3 ## fluoroalkyl maleic acid esters , for example ## str4 ## fluoroalkyl urethane acrylates ; fluoroalkyl acrylamides ; fluoroalkyl sulfonamide acrylates and the like . preferably the fluorinated alkyl moieties will have 6 - 16 carbon atoms and most preferably 6 - 12 carbon atoms . where r f is a perfluoroalkyl group or a perfluoroalkylether group with carbon number from 1 to 15 and preferably from 6 to 9 and r is for example an alkylene group or an alkylene thioether (-- ch 2 -- s -- ch 2 --) linkage with carbon number from 0 to 4 . for fluorinated anionic surfactants , y is for example a carboxylate group ( coo --), sulfonic group ( so 3 --), or sulfate group ( so 4 --) and x is an alkaline metal ion or ammonium ion . for fluorinated nonionic surfactants , y is for example an oxyethylene ( och 2 ch 2 ) m linkage where m is an integer from 1 to 15 and preferably from 3 to 9 and x is a hydroxyl group . for fluorinated cationic surfactants , yx is for example a quaternary ammonium salt . to make the polymerized microemulsions in a single batch process using the microemulsion described above , the temperature of the monomeric microemulsion is adjusted to between 5 ° and 100 ° c ., preferably 5 °- 80 ° c ., and free radical producing polymerization initiator added . preferred initiators include persulfates , azo initiators , for example 2 , 2 - azobis ( 2 - amidopropane ) dihydrochloride ; peroxides , or photo initiators such as ultraviolet initiators and gamma ray initiators . amounts of initiators present can range from 0 . 01 to 10 percent by weight based on monomer content . cosolvents such as an alcohol , amines or other amphophilic molecules , or salt can be employed if desired to facilitate formation of the microemulsion . introduction of the initiator causes polymerization of the monomer to begin and the reaction proceeds . the resulting polymer particle latex has an average particle size of between 0 . 01 and 0 . 5 micrometer and a polymer average molecular weight of over 10 , 000 , preferably over 20 , 000 or 50 , 000 . the unusually small particle size provides a polymer system with a number of advantages over systems containing larger particles . the system is a colloidal dispersion and is usually clear rather than turbid . the small particle size aids in producing coatings of uniform thickness and maintains good gas permeability of porous substrates . the highly fluorinated nature of the pendant groups in the polymer chain aids in increasing the hydrophobicity and oleophobicity of substrates to which the polymer is applied . the polymer so produced can be applied directly from the colloidal dispersion by immersing the substrate material into the dispersion , or by painting the substrate with the dispersion , or by spraying the dispersion onto the substrate . suitable substrates include fabric materials with interstices , such as in knit fabrics ; or woven or nonwoven materials , scrims , paper ; or porous polymeric membranes of any form including sheets or tubes . in addition it is possible to apply the monomeric microemulsion to the substrate and then cause the microemulsion to polymerize by photoinitiation . once the coating is applied to the substrate , any water , surfactant or initiator remaining can be drawn off by any convenient means , such as heating , steam stripping , vacuum evaporation or the like . the resulting product is a coated substrate with the coating present as a surface layer if the substrate is non - porous . for porous substrates , which include porous polymers , and especially microporous polymeric membranes , the coating is ordinarily present as a coating on the internal structure of the substrate that makes up the pores . a particularly preferred substrate is a microporous polytetrafluoroethylene made by stretching polytetrafluoroethylene tape or film as described in gore u . s . pat . no . 3 , 953 , 566 . in this procedure the structure comprises an interconnected network of nodes and fibrils interconnecting the nodes , the nodes and fibrils comprising the internal structure that defines the pores . the resulting coated articles provide gas permeable articles of enhanced hydrophobic and oleophobic properties . this makes them useful as gas filters , vent filters and as insulation for electrical wiring . in addition , thin , flexible porous films and membranes are useful in garment constructions where oil and water repellancy is desired . quasielastic light scattering was used to determine particle size . microemulsion samples obtained as described in the examples were diluted with water to 100 times the original volume to eliminate interparticle interactions . quasielastic light scattering cumulant functions were measured at 25 ° c . with a brookhaven model 9000at goniometer and correlator at a scattering angle of 90 °. correlation functions were fit to a two term cumulant expression to determine the apparent diffusion coefficient , which was assumed to correspond to the reported particle size via the stokes - einstein relation . the solvent viscosity was assumed to be that of water . molecular weight was determined after precipitating and washing the polymer with acetone . the washed polymer was dissolved in fluorinert ® fl - 75 at 50 ° c . molecular weight and polymer concentration were determined at room temperature using a viscotek model 600 ralls and differential refractometer operating at a wavelength of 0 . 67 micrometer . the viscotek model 600 ralls instrument records the light scattered intensity at a scattering angle of 90 °, and this value is related to polymer molecular weight using the principles of classical light scattering . the resistance of samples to air flow was measured by a gurley densometer ( astm d726 - 58 ) manufactured by w . & amp ; l . e . gurley & amp ; sons . the results are reported in terms of gurley number which is the time in seconds for 100 cubic centimeters of air to pass through 1 square inch of a test sample at a pressure drop of 4 . 88 inches of water . the spray test was carried out by aatcc test method 22 - 1985 . the higher the number the more water repellant . in these tests , oil rating was carried out by aatcc test method 118 - 1983 . the higher the number , the better the oil repellency . namely , f ( cf 2 ) n -- ch 2 ch 2 -- o -- c -- ch ═ ch 2 , ( from du pont , trade name zonyl ta - n ), 15 gram of ammonium perfluorooctanoate , and 70 gram of distilled water were charged and heated to 70 ° c . with stirring . a clear microemulsion with a light green color formed . then , 0 . 1 gram of potassium persulfate in 5 gram of distilled water was charged into the reactor to initiate polymerization . polymerization proceeded for about one hour at 70 ° c . at that time the mixture was cooled to room temperature . a clear latex was produced which was stable for at least 24 hours at room temperature . the average particle size of the latex was determined to be about 0 . 03 micrometer by quasielastic light scattering . the weight average molecular weight of the polymer produced was determined to be above 1 , 000 , 000 by classical light scattering techniques . in a 100 milliliter glass reactor , 10 gram of fluoromethacrylate ( from du pont , trade name zonyl tm ), 20 gram of ammonium perfluorooctanoate , and 65 gram of distilled water were charged and heated to 75 ° c . with stirring . a clear microemulsion with a light green color formed . then , 0 . 1 gram of ammonium persulfate in 5 gram of distilled water was charged into the reactor to initiate polymerization . polymerization proceeded for about one hour at 75 ° c . at which time the mixture was allowed to cool to room temperature . a clear latex was produced which was stable for at least 24 hours at room temperature . the average particle size of the latex was determined to be about 0 . 03 micrometer by quasielastic light scattering . the weight average molecular weight was determined to be over 1 , 000 , 000 by classical light scattering techniques . in a 100 milliliter glass reactor , 5 gram of fluoroacrylate ( from du pont , trade name zonyl ta - n ), 9 gram of ammonium perfluorononanoate , and 80 gram of distilled water were charged and heated to 80 ° c . with stirring . a clear microemulsion with a light green color formed . then , 0 . 06 gram of a cationic initiator ( from wako , trade name v - 50 and believed to be 2 , 2 - azobis ( 2 - amidopropane ) dihydrochloride ) in 6 gram of distilled water was charged into the reactor to initiate polymerization . polymerization proceeded for about one hour at 80 ° c . a clear latex was produced which was stable for at least 24 hours at room temperature . in a 100 milliliter glass reactor , 10 gram of zonyl ta - n fluoroacrylate from du pont , 70 gram of a fluorinated anionic surfactant solution ( zonyl fsa , containing 25 % solid and 37 . 5 % isopropyl alcohol , from du pont ), and 15 gram of distilled water were charged and heated to 70 ° c . with stirring . the surfactant of zonyl fsa has a general structure of r f ch 2 ch 2 sch 2 ch 2 coo -- lithium salt , where r f is a perfluoroalkyl group with carbon number ranges from 6 to 12 . a clear microemulsion with a light yellow color formed . then , 0 . 1 gram of potassium persulfate in 5 gram of distilled water was charged into the reactor to initiate polymerization . polymerization proceeded for about four hours at 70 ° c . at that time , the mixture was allowed to cool to room temperature . a clear latex was produced . in a 100 milliliter glass reactor , 10 gram of fluoroacrylate ( from du pont , trade name zonyl ta - n ), 10 . 5 gram of a fluorinated nonionic surfactant ( from du pont , trade name zonyl fsn - 100 which is cf 3 ( cf 2 ) n ch 2 ch 2 ( och 2 ch 2 ) m -- oh ), and 75 gram of distilled water were charged and heated to 75 ° c . with stirring . a clear microemulsion with a light green color formed . then , 0 . 15 gram a cationic initiator ( from wako , trade name v - 50 ) in 5 gram of distilled water was charged into the reactor to initiate polymerization . polymerization proceeded for about two hours at 75 ° c . at that time the mixture was cooled to room temperature . a clear light yellow latex was produced which was stable for at least 24 hours at room temperature . in a 100 milliliter glass reactor , 9 gram of fluoroacrylate ( from du pont , trade name zonyl ta - n ), 1 gram of butyl acrylate ( from aldrich ), 15 gram of ammonium perfluorooctanoate , and 70 gram of distilled water were charged and heated to 70 ° c . with stirring . a clear microemulsion with a light green color formed . then , 0 . 15 gram of a cationic initiator ( from wako , trade name v - 50 ) in 5 gram of distilled water was charged into the reactor to initiate polymerization . polymerization proceeded for about one hour at 70 ° c . at that time the mixture was cooled to room temperature . a translucent latex was produced which was stable for at least 24 hours at room temperature . in a 100 milliliter glass reactor , 9 gram of fluoroacrylate ( from du pont , trade name zonyl ta - n ), 1 gram of styrene ( from aldrich ), 15 gram of ammonium perfluorooctanoate , and 70 gram of distilled water were charged and heated to 70 ° c . with stirring . a clear microemulsion with a light green color formed . the , 0 . 3 gram of a cationic initiator ( from wako , trade name v - 50 ) in 5 gram of distilled water was charged into the reactor to initiate polymerization . polymerization proceeded for about one hour at 70 ° c . at which time the mixture was cooled to room temperature . a translucent latex was produced and was stable for at least 24 hours at room temperature . in a 100 milliliter glass reactor , 9 gram of fluoroacrylate ( from du pont , trade name zonyl ta - n ), 1 gram of phenyl urethane ethyl acrylate ( from reaction of phenyl isocyanate with 2 - hydroxyethyl acrylate ), 15 gram of ammonium perfluorooctanoate , and 70 gram of distilled water were charged and heated to 70 ° c . with stirring . a clear microemulsion with a light green color formed . then , 0 . 3 gram of ammonium persulfate in 5 gram of distilled water was charged into the reactor to initiate polymerization . polymerization proceeded for about two hours at 70 ° c . at which time the mixture was cooled to room temperature . a translucent latex was produced which was stable for at least 24 hours at room temperature . a mixture of fluorinated monomer , hydrogenated monomer , fluorinated surfactant , and hydrogenated surfactant was employed . in a 100 milliliter glass reactor , 4 gram of fluoroacrylate ( from du pont , trade name zonyl ta - n ), 2 gram of styrene ( from aldrich chemical ), 3 gram of ammonium perfluorooctanoate and 7 gram of sodium dodecylsulfate ( from aldrich also ) and 80 gram of distilled water were charged and heated to 70 ° c . with stirring . a microemulsion formed . then , 0 . 07 gram of a cationic initiator ( from wako , trade name v - 50 ) in 5 gram of distilled water was charged into the reactor to initiate polymerization . polymerization proceeded for about two hours at 70 ° c . a translucent latex was produced and on cooling was stable for at least 24 hours at room temperature . ( a ) a mixture of fluorinated monomer and a hydrogenated crosslinking agent : in a one liter glass reactor , 58 gram of fluoromethacrylate ( from du pont , trade name zonyl tm ), 2 gram of allylglycidyl ether ( from aldrich ), 120 gram of ammonium perfluorooctanoate and 480 gram of distilled water were charged and heated to 75 ° c . with stirring . a clear microemulsion formed . then , 0 . 3 gram of a cationic initiator ( from wako , trade name v - 50 ) in 10 gram of distilled water was charged into the reactor to initiate polymerization . polymerization proceeded for about two hours at 75 ° c . a transparent latex was produced and on cooling was stable for at least 24 hours at room temperature . in another one liter glass reactor , 57 gram of fluoromethacrylate ( from du pont , trade name zonyl tm ), 3 gram of perfluoroalkyl maleic acid ester ( from a reaction product of equal molar amount of perfluoroalkyl ethyl alcohol , trade name zonyl ba - n from du pont , and maleic anhydride at 110 ° c . for two hours ), 120 gram of ammonium perfluorooctanoate and 480 gram of distilled water were charged and heated to 75 ° c . with stirring . a clear microemulsion formed . then , 0 . 3 gram of a cationic initiator ( from wako , trade name v - 50 ) in 10 gram of distilled water was charged into the reactor to initiate polymerization . polymerization proceeded for about two hours at 75 ° c . a transparent latex was produced and on cooling was stable for at least 24 hours at room temperature . the latex produced in example 1 was used to coat a piece of nylon fabric , a piece of polyester fabric , and a piece of expanded microporous polytetrafluoroethylene ( ptfe ) membrane provided by w . l . gore & amp ; associates , inc . the coating procedure was to dip the substrates into the latex and let excess fluid drip off . then the coated substrates were placed in an oven at 225 ° c . for 3 minutes . during the drying process , water and the fluorinated surfactant were removed from the substrates and the fluorinated polymer melted and flowed on the surface of the substrates . when cooled to room temperature , the substrates were subject to tests for water repellency , oil repellency and air permeability . for the nylon and polyester coated fabrics , both treated samples had water spray ratings of 100 and oil ratings of 7 , while untreated samples had water spray ratings of 0 and oil ratings of 0 . for the expanded ptfe membrane , the untreated sample had an oil rating of 1 and a gurley number of 11 seconds , while the treated sample had an oil rating of 8 and gurley number of 14 seconds . equal amounts of the latex produced from example 10 ( a ) and ( b ) were mixed and used to coat the substrates as described in example 11 . the coating procedure was the same as in example 11 . the treated samples were evaluated and the results are given below . for nylon and polyester fabrics , both treated samples had water spray ratings of 100 and oil ratings of 7 , while untreated samples had water spray ratings of 0 and oil rating of 0 . for the expanded ptfe membrane , the untreated sample had an oil rating of 1 and a gurley number of 11 seconds , while the treated sample had an oil rating of 8 and gurley number of 14 seconds . the latex produced in example 2 was coagulated by adding an equal volume of acetone . the polymer precipitated and was washed several times with acetone to remove surfactant from the polymer . the polymer then was air dried at room temperature for 48 hours . it was a fine white powder . the powder was found to dissolve in fluorinated solvents such as fluorinert ® obtained from 3m company . the solubility of the fluoromethacrylate polymer is at least 1 weight % in either fluorinert fc - 77 , fc - 75 , or fc - 40 at 40 ° c . the 1 weight % polymer in fc - 75 solution was used to coat the substrates used in example 11 . the coating procedure was the same as in example 11 except the oven temperature was 150 ° c . for 1 minute . the treated samples were evaluated and the results are given below . for the nylon and polyester fabrics , both treated samples had water spray ratings of 100 and oil ratings of 7 , while untreated samples had water spray ratings of 0 and oil ratings of 0 . for the expanded ptfe membrane , the untreated sample had an oil rating of 1 and a gurley number of 11 seconds , while the treated sample had an oil rating of 7 and a gurley number of 13 seconds . | 8 |
referring to fig1 there is shown an exploded perspective view of a substrate processing apparatus 10 incorporating features of the present invention . although the present invention will be described with reference to the single embodiment shown in the drawings , it should be understood that the present invention can be embodied in many alternate forms of embodiments . in addition , any suitable size , shape or type of elements or materials could be used . the substrate processing apparatus 10 may comprise a front or atmospheric section 12 , and an adjoining back or vacuum section 14 . the arrangement of the processing apparatus 10 shown in fig1 is exemplary , and in alternate embodiments , the substrate processing apparatus may have any suitable arrangement or configuration . in the embodiment shown in fig1 the front section 12 generally has a frame 16 , substrate holding cassettes 22 , and a substrate transport apparatus 24 . the back section 14 generally has a main section 18 , processing modules 36 , and a vacuum substrate transport apparatus 34 . the frame 16 of the front section 12 may be adjacent of the back section 14 of the substrate processing apparatus 10 . the front section frame 16 generally supports a number ( only two are shown in fig1 for example purposes ) of the substrate holding cassettes 22 which hold a number of substrates s therein . the substrates may be for example , semiconductor wafers , flat panel displays substrates , or any other suitable type of substrates . the frame 16 of the front section 12 is open to atmosphere . the atmospheric substrate transport apparatus 24 is mounted to the frame 16 for transporting substrates between the holding cassettes 22 and the vacuum back section 14 of the apparatus 10 . the main section 18 of the back section 14 includes a central chamber 26 , and intermediate chambers 28 , 30 . processing modules 36 are disposed generally around the main section 18 and communicate with the central chamber 26 through openings in the exterior of the main section . the intermediate chambers 28 communicate with the central chamber 26 through internal openings in the main section . the main section 18 also has outer openings allowing the intermediate chambers 28 , 30 to communicate with the adjoining atmospheric front section 12 . the vacuum substrate transport apparatus 34 is mounted in the main section for transporting substrates through the central chamber 26 between the intermediate chambers 28 and the processing modules 36 . the processing modules 36 include one or more chambers with appropriate systems to perform processes such as for example , sputtering , coating , etching , soaking , or any other suitable process on substrates deposited in the chambers . the central chamber 26 of the back section 14 is maintained substantially in a vacuum to prevent contamination of substrates when being transported between the intermediate chambers 28 , 30 and processing modules 36 . outer openings 32 of the back section may be closed to isolate the central chamber 26 from the processing modules 36 . internal openings 38 may be closed to isolate the central chamber 26 from intermediate chambers 28 , 30 and outer openings 40 of main section 18 may be closed to isolate the intermediate chambers from atmospheric conditions outside the chambers . the substrate processing apparatus 10 further includes a controller 400 which controls the operation of the apparatus 10 . in accordance with commands from the controller 400 , the atmospheric transport apparatus 24 transports new substrates from cassettes 22 to intermediate chambers 28 , 30 and returns processed substrates from the intermediate chambers to the cassettes 22 . the atmospheric transport apparatus 24 may have multiple independent end effectors to rapidly swap substrates in and out of cassettes 22 as will be described in greater detail below . one or both of the intermediate chambers 28 , 30 may be configured as a load lock . the controller 400 cycles the load lock and operates the vacuum substrate transport apparatus 34 to transport substrates from intermediate chambers 28 , 30 through the central chamber to processing modules 36 . the vacuum transport apparatus 34 may have multiple independent end effectors to rapidly swap substrates in and out of the load locks or processing modules as will be described in greater detail below . the substrates are then processed and returned through the intermediate chambers to cassettes 22 . still referring to fig1 in the embodiment shown , the frame 16 of the front section 12 supports two cassettes 22 from the front end 20 of the frame . the cassettes 22 are held in a generally side by side configuration . the cassettes may be front opening uniform pods ( foup ) which in the preferred embodiment are capable of holding about 26 , 200 / 300 mm semiconductor substrates . in alternate embodiments , the front section frame may support any desired number of substrate holding cassettes . the cassettes may be of any suitable type and be capable of holding any desired number of substrates . the cassettes may be capable of holding any desired type of substrates including substrates used in manufacturing flat panel displays . in other alternate embodiments , the substrate holding cassettes may be also located on the sides of the front section frame as well as the front . each cassette 22 has a front face 22 f facing the frame 16 of the front section 12 . the front face 22 f has an opening ( not shown ) through which substrates s are removed and inserted into the respective cassette 22 . as seen in fig1 the atmospheric substrate transport apparatus 24 is mounted to frame 16 between the cassettes 22 and the back section 14 of the apparatus 10 . in the preferred embodiment , the substrate transport apparatus 24 comprises a drive section 42 which moves a movable arm 44 . still referring to fig1 the vacuum section 14 is shown in an exemplary configuration , and in alternate embodiments the vacuum section may have any suitable arrangement . in the embodiment shown in fig1 the main section 18 has a general rectangular shape . the processing modules 36 are shown located along three sides of the main section 18 , though in alternate embodiments processing modules may be located on one or two sides . also , in this embodiment two processing modules 36 may be located on each side of the main section 18 . as seen in fig1 the processing modules 36 on each side of the main section are offset radially from the vacuum substrate transport apparatus 34 . the intermediate chambers 28 , 30 , located as noted before on a side of the main section 18 adjacent the atmospheric module 12 , may be oriented to be radially aligned with the substrate transport apparatus 34 . the substrate transport apparatus 34 may be substantially centered in the central chamber 26 of the main section 18 . the vacuum substrate transport apparatus 34 may be substantially similar to the atmospheric transport apparatus 24 with a drive section 42 a and an articulated arm assembly 44 a . as noted before , the vacuum transport apparatus 34 has multiple independent end effectors on the arm assembly . the atmospheric transport apparatus 24 and vacuum transport apparatus 34 in this embodiment are substantially similar . hence , the atmospheric apparatus 24 and vacuum apparatus will be described in greater detail below with specific reference to the atmospheric apparatus 24 . as seen in fig2 the movable arm 44 has four sections including upper arm 60 , forearm 62 , and two end effectors 64 , 66 . the upper arm 60 and forearm 62 are connected in series . the forearm 66 supports the two end effectors 64 , 66 that are stacked one over the other at one end of the forearm . the upper arm is connected to the drive section 42 as will be described in greater detail below . in this embodiment , the drive section 42 of the transport apparatus 24 may be fixedly mounted to the frame 16 with the center of the transport apparatus being between the side by side cassettes 22 ( see fig1 ). in alternate embodiments the drive section may be mounted on a car capable of movement in the horizontal plane relative to the frame of the apparatus . the drive section 42 is a three - axis drive section capable of moving the movable arm 44 along three axes . the drive section 42 includes suitable drives ( not shown ) for vertically raising and lowering ( i . e . movement along the “ z ” axis ) the movable arm 44 . for example , the drive section may include a housing 46 ( see also fig2 ) from which the movable arm 44 is supported . the vertical drives may include a motor and ball screw arrangement ( not shown ) connected to the housing which when operated raise and lower the housing ( in the direction indicated by arrow z in fig2 ) along the ball screw . in alternate embodiments , the vertical drive may be any suitable type of linear drive . the vacuum transport apparatus ( see fig1 ) may not have a vertical drive . referring now also to fig2 and 3 , the housing preferably includes a co - axial drive 48 for moving the movable arm 44 about the rotation axis θ ( i . e . θ movement ) and for extending or retracting the arm along the radial axis t ( i . e . t movement ). in the embodiment shown the co - axial drive 48 of drive section 42 is a co - axial drive such as shown in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 899 , 658 , which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety . in alternate embodiments , the co - axial drive may be any other suitable drive capable of moving the movable arm to generate both θ movement and t movement . as seen in fig3 the housing 46 has a flange with a central aperture through which two concentric output shafts extend . the outer shaft is designated 4 , and the inner shaft is designated 5 . at the extremities of the output shafts a pilot bearing 6 separates the shafts and supports them upon each other . the two shafts are independently rotatable about rotation axis θ . the motion of the shafts may be one in which they rotate together , and another in which they rotate in opposite directions . the former motion serves to rotate the arm 44 , and the latter motion serves to extend and retract the arm . the inner shaft is longer than the outer shaft , and the extremity of the inner shaft outside the housing 46 extends beyond the corresponding extremity of the outer shaft . the extremity of the inner shaft 5 is connected to a drive pulley 71 of transmission system 70 . the extremity of the outer shaft is directly fastened to the upper arm 60 . accordingly when the outer shaft 4 is rotated , the upper arm rotates with the shaft about axis θ . a rotor 7 is supported on the outer surface of the outer shaft 4 , and a corresponding stator 8 is supported outside the rotor 7 . similarly , a rotor 9 is supported on the outer surface of the inner shaft 5 , and a corresponding stator 11 is supported outside the rotor 9 . each stator is part of a drive which rotates the corresponding shaft . each rotor - stator pair 7 , 8 and 9 , 10 may form part of a conventional brushless dc motor such as the m & amp ; k series manufactured by technology inc ., 200 thirteenth avenue , ronkonkoma , n . y . 11779 . in alternate embodiments , the drive section may include any other suitable type of motors , such as for example brushless ac motors , stepper motors , conventional ( brushed ) ac or dc motors , to effect rotation of the inner and outer shafts . each shaft 4 , 5 may have a corresponding encoder mechanism 13 , 15 suitable for measuring the rotation of the shaft . the encoders 13 , 15 are connected to controller 400 ( see fig1 ) and signal the shaft rotation and position to the controller . referring now to fig4 and 5 , there is shown respectively a schematic cross sectional elevation and a schematic top plan view of arm assembly 44 ( the end effectors 64 , 66 are not shown in fig5 for clarity ) as noted before , arm assembly 44 includes upper arm 60 , forearm 62 , and in this embodiment , two end effectors 64 , 66 , though in alternate embodiments the arm may have any desired number of end effectors . for example , the arm may have but one end effector mounted on the forearm . the arm assembly 44 also includes transmission system 70 for rotating the forearm 62 and two end effector drive systems 78 , 80 for independently rotating the end effectors 64 , 66 . the upper arm 60 has an outer casing 61 , or other suitable structural frame which is shown schematically in fig4 and 5 . as noted before , the outer casing 61 of the upper arm 60 ( which may be made from any suitable material ) is fastened directly to the outer shaft 4 of the co - axial drive . the joint between the upper arm casing 61 and outer drive shaft 4 defines the shoulder 72 of the arm assembly 44 . the outer casing 61 also pivotally supports the forearm 62 as shown in fig4 thereby defining the elbow joint 74 of the arm assembly . as can be realized from fig2 and 4 , rotation of the outer shaft 4 , rotates the upper arm casing 61 , and hence the entire arm , about axis θ which extends through the shoulder 72 . as shown in fig4 and 5 , the outer casing 61 of the upper arm holds transmission system 70 , and part of end effector drive systems 78 , 80 . transmission system 70 generally comprises a drive pulley 71 , idler pulley 73 and belt 70 . as noted before , drive pulley 71 is mounted on the inner shaft 5 of the co - axial drive unit at the shoulder 72 of the arm . the idler pulley 73 is mounted on outer shaft 92 of the co - axial shaft assembly 90 at the elbow 74 of the arm assembly 44 . the belt 70 connects the drive pulley 71 to the idler pulley 73 so that rotation of the drive pulley 71 ( caused by rotation of the inner shaft 5 ) imparts rotation of the 73 and hence of shaft 92 . the coaxial shaft assembly 90 at the elbow 24 preferably comprises three concentric shafts 92 , 94 , 96 . the outer shaft 92 , intermediate shaft 94 and inner shaft 96 are rotatably supported from the outer casing 61 by a suitable combination of thrust and roller or ball bearings ( not shown ) so that the shafts may rotate independently about axis y 1 at the elbow 74 of the arm . the outer shaft 92 is shortest , with the intermediate shaft 94 and inner shaft 96 extending serially both above and below the outer shaft ( as seen in fig4 ). the outer shaft 92 is fastened at one end to the forearm 62 , and the idler pulley 73 is fixedly mounted onto the outer shaft 92 . accordingly , when the transmission system 70 rotates the idler pulley 73 , the forearm 62 is rotated about axis y 1 at the wrist . the part of the end effector drive systems housed in the outer casing 61 of the upper arm include motors 82 , 84 and transmission segments 79 , 81 . the outer casing 61 has an extended portion 63 which depends from inner portion 61 i of the casing ( see fig4 ). inner portion 61 i extends between the shoulder 72 and the elbow 74 . as shown in fig4 the extended portion 63 is located on the opposite side of the shoulders ( i . e . axis of rotation θ ) from the inner portion 61 i of the outer casing . the extended portion 63 may be enlarged relative to the rest of the outer casing 61 . the extended portion has an inner wall 63 w located sufficiently back from the shoulder to allow the forearm to rotate freely 360 ° about axis y 1 at the elbow without interference with the extended portion 63 of the upper arm 60 . as seen in fig4 a , the extended portion 63 and inner portion 61 i define a step or recess 61 r in the upper arm in which the forearm 62 is located . accordingly , this arrangement having the forearm 62 located in a recess 63 r of the upper arm 60 allows the overall stack height ( i . e . between uppermost surface 66 t and lowermost surface 66 b ) of the arm assembly ( indicated at h in fig4 a ) to be smaller in comparison to conventional arm assemblies . also , in having the extended portion 63 of the upper arm 60 offset from the shoulder , the height of the extended portion 63 may be sized as desired to house motors 82 , 84 for the end effector drive system without increasing the stack height of the arm assembly or interfering with forearm motion . in this embodiment , the extended portion 63 houses two motors 82 , 84 of the end effector drive system . in this embodiment , the motors 82 , 84 are housed side by side as will be described in greater detail below ( see fig6 ). accordingly , as seen in fig2 the outer casing 61 has a generally tapered shape that is narrow at the elbow 74 and widens towards the extended portion 63 . in alternate embodiments however , the outer casing of the upper arm may have any suitable shape to accommodate the motors and transmissions of the end effector drive system as well as the transmission system moving the forearm . referring now also to fig6 there is shown a schematic cross - section taken through line 6 - 6 in fig2 of the extended portion 63 of the upper arm outer casing 61 . as seen in fig6 in this embodiment the two motors 82 , 84 are mounted in a side by side arrangement . in alternate embodiments , as has been noted before , the arm assembly may have any suitable number or motors for independently rotating the end effectors , and the motors may be arranged in any desired configuration in the upper arm . for example , in an alternate embodiment in which the arm assembly has one end effector , only one motor for moving the end effector would be located in the extended portion of the upper arm . in other alternate embodiments , the motors in the upper arm may be arranged in any other suitable manner , such as for example , an asymmetric arrangement , or an inline arrangement aligned with the rotation axis at the shoulder of the arm . motors 82 , 84 may be brushless dc motors such as available from kollmorgan though any other suitable motors may be used . this is particularly advantageous in the vacuum transport apparatus 34 ( see fig1 ), because brushless motors minimize contact between moving parts thereby avoiding generation of contamination in the vacuum section of the apparatus . the motors 82 , 84 are substantially similar , except as otherwise noted and will be described below with reference to motor 82 . motor 82 may have a housing 82 h which holds shaft 82 s . the housing 82 h may be supported from the top 63 t of the extended portion 63 . the shaft 82 s is rotatably held in the housing by suitable radial and axial bearings . the shaft 82 s has a rotor 82 r of the dc motor mounted thereon . the stator 82 t is mounted on the housing 82 h . the shaft 82 r is also provided with a suitable encoder ( not shown ), which is connected to the controller 400 ( see fig1 ) to signal the rotation / position of shaft 82 s to the controller . when motor 82 is energized , the motor drives end effector drive system 78 which rotates the end effector 64 ( see fig4 ). accordingly , one end of shaft 82 s is connected to drive pulley 101 of transmission segment 79 . motor 84 is used to power drive system 80 which rotates end effector 66 . shaft 84 s is connected to drive pulley 103 of transmission segment 81 . the end of shaft 84 s is located such that pulley 103 is located below pulley 101 on shaft 82 s . the end of shaft 82 s is located such that pulley 101 is below pulley 71 ( see fig4 ). transmission segment 79 ( located in the upper arm 60 ) of drive system 78 includes drive pulley 101 as well as idler 104 and belt 102 . the idler 104 and drive pulley 101 may be sized to provide for example a 4 : 1 pulley reduction , though any other desired pulley reduction may be used . in alternate embodiments , the transmission segment in the upper arm may have any other desired drive to idler pulley ratio . idler 104 is mounted on intermediate shaft 94 of co - axial shaft assembly 90 at the elbow 74 ( see fig4 ). belt 102 connects the drive pulley 101 and idler 104 . transmission segment 81 ( in the upper arm 60 ) of the second end effector drive system 80 includes drive pulley 103 as well as idler 106 and belt 105 . idler 106 is mounted on inner shaft 96 of co - axial shaft assembly 90 at the elbow 74 . belt 105 connects the drive pulley 103 and idler 106 . as shown in fig4 transmission segments 79 , 81 are located one over the other in the upper arm , with segment 81 below segment 79 . both transmission segments 79 , 81 are below transmission system 70 for operating the forearm . fig5 shows a schematic bottom view illustrating the arrangement of transmission system 70 , and end effector drive systems 78 , 80 inside the arm assembly 44 . as seen in fig5 tension members 70 t , 79 t , 80 t , such as spring loaded bearings , may be provided in the arm assembly to prevent slack on the belts 70 , 102 , 105 , and to restrain the belts away from pulleys of adjoining drive systems . as seen in fig4 , and 6 , the end effector drive systems 78 , 80 each include a second transmission segment 83 , 85 which are housed in the forearm 62 . transmission segment 85 transmits torque from inner shaft 96 ( which is powered by segment 81 ) to rotate end effector 66 . transmission segment 83 transmits torque from intermediate shaft 94 ( powered by segment 79 ) to rotate end effector 64 . transmission segment 85 includes pulley 110 , idler 114 and belt 112 . pulley 110 is mounted on the upper end of inner shaft 96 so that the pulley and shaft rotate together about axis y 1 at elbow 74 . idler 114 is fixedly mounted to shaft 120 of co - axial shaft assembly 118 located at the wrist end 62 w of the forearm . co - axial shaft assembly 118 includes preferably outer shaft 120 and inner shaft 122 . the outer and inner shafts 120 , 122 are supported by suitable radial and thrust bearings allowing the shafts to rotate independently about axis of rotation y 2 at the wrist 76 . the outer shaft 120 is fixedly connected to end effector 64 . thus , when torque is transferred by belt 112 to idler 114 , the outer shaft 120 rotates end effector 64 about axis y 2 . transmission segment 83 includes pulley 116 , idler 119 , and belt 118 . pulley 116 is mounted on the upper end of intermediate shaft 94 . the idler 119 is mounted fixedly onto inner shaft 122 so that the idler and shaft rotate as a unit about axis y 2 . the inner shaft 122 is also fixedly mounted at the other end to end effector 66 . accordingly , when torque is transferred by belt 118 from pulley 116 ( on shaft 94 ) to idler 119 , the inner shaft 122 rotates end effector 66 about axis y 2 at the wrist . in this manner , the end effectors may be rotated independently about axis y 2 at the wrist . this may be used in an advantageous manner when transporting substrates , by rapidly swapping substrates into and out of a given chamber . by way of example , one end effector 64 may be extended into a chamber to pick up a substrate therein , while the other end effector 66 ( which holds a replacement ) is turned slightly away , for example no more than about 90 °, to prevent interference with the chamber . the arm 44 is then moved to withdraw the substrate from the chamber and to orient the other end effector 66 with that chamber . the first end effector 64 is then turned away and the arm is moved to place the second end effector 66 in the chamber . as can be realized , the end effector drive systems 78 , 80 allow each end effector 64 , 66 to be continuously and independently rotated about axis y2 at the wrist relative to the other end effector 64 , 66 and relative to the arm itself . this invention allows for fast wafer / substrate swaps using a transport apparatus 24 , 34 with a two - link arm 44 with two independent articulated end effectors 64 , 66 . the present invention couples an arm 44 with two motors 82 , 84 mounted in the upper arm to a three - axis robot . the two motors 82 , 84 in the upper arm 60 are offset beyond the robot center ( as identified by axis of rotation θ in fig2 ) but inside the arm swept diameter . the tapered or wedge shape of the upper arm 60 allows for the motor assemblies that drive the articulated end effector / wrist modules to share the height of the upper arm and forearm . this reduces the overall height of the arm . in contrast , conventional three - axis transport apparatus have the motors powering motion of the upper arm , forearm , and end effectors located along a co - axial shaft assembly at the shoulder . the motors are vertically stacked along the shaft assembly so that each motor may be connected to a corresponding shaft . the stacking of the motors in the conventional apparatus causes the overall height of the drive section at the arm shoulder to increase with a resultant increase in the space envelope used for the transport apparatus . moreover , the articulated arm assembly which is mounted to the top of drive section at the shoulder is elevated higher with respect to a base of the processing apparatus . this may prevent the uppermost end effector from reaching the substrates held in the lowermost storage positions of the storage areas or processing modules . it is desired to minimize this height in order to reach the lowest substrate with the top end effector 66 . the instant embodiment achieves this by placing the drive motors moving the end effectors in the upper arm and in effect having the drive motors shape the height of the upper arm and forearm . the motors are coupled to a tri - axial elbow assembly 90 via timing belts and a pulley reduction . the pulley reduction may be 4 : 1 , as previously described , though any other pulley reduction may be used . from the elbow to the wrist the motors are again coupled with timing belts to a co - axial wrist joint to which the end effectors are mounted . the center of gravity of the upper arm is also moved closer to the center of the robot . one motor can be removed from the upper arm , and the arm can be utilized as a 4 - axis design . in this case the arm has but one end effector mounted on the forearm . existing solutions typically have motors located at the wrist joint . the proposed design has the motors in the upperarm which drastically reduces the forearm inertia and will improve the robot arm controllability . moreover as noted before , the end effector , or end effectors are each capable of continuous and independent rotation about the wrist with respect to the forearm and with respect to each other ( in the case the arm has two or more end effectors as shown in fig1 ). this allows the use of simpler controller architecture for controlling the movement of the arm between substrate storage / processing stations . a further advantage of this degree of freedom provided the end effector ( s ) is that the arm may employ shorter moves when moving between storage / processing stations and teaching the arm the desired motion is simplified . it should be understood that the foregoing description is only illustrative of the invention . various alternatives and modifications can be devised by those skilled in the art without departing from the invention . accordingly , the present invention is intended to embrace all such alternatives , modifications and variances which fall within the scope of the appended claims . | 1 |
one embodiment of the present invention will be explained below with reference to the drawings . moreover , in the following explanation , each of “ forward side ”, “ rearward side ”, “ right side ”, and “ left side ” refers to directions with respect to a vehicle running direction , if no explanation is made . fig1 shows an exploded perspective view of an instrument panel 2 to which a blind member 1 of the present embodiment is to be attached . as shown in fig1 , a vehicle of the present embodiment is so - called a right - hand driver car which is provided with driver &# 39 ; s seat on the right side along the vehicle running direction . a substantially rectangular - shaped opening 4 is formed in the instrument panel 2 at a position where the steering is located , in order to insert a steering column 3 ( refer to fig2 ) on a driver &# 39 ; s seat side . a display window 5 in which a speed meter and the like are located , is provided above the opening 4 . detailed explanations for the instrument panel 2 is omitted here ; however , the instrument panel 2 has a construction in which plurality of skin panels are attached onto a cabin interior side surface of a frame panel . the steering device employed in this vehicle is provided with a tilting structure which can adjust a position of a steering wheel 6 ( refer to fig2 ) in the vertical direction , and a telescopic structure which can adjust the position of the steering wheel 6 in the vehicle length direction . since the tilting structure and the telescopic structure have well - known structures , the detail explanations for these structures are omitted here . fig2 shows an image of the steering column 3 set into the opening 4 in the instrument panel 2 . a resin - made column cover 8 is attached onto the periphery of the steering column 3 at a position where is close to the steering wheel 6 . as shown in perspective views of fig3 and 4 , the column cover 8 is formed in a tube having substantially a rectangular - shape in cross section , and has an opening 9 through which an end of a steering shaft ( not illustrated ) protrudes toward the driver &# 39 ; s seat side . on a right side wall of the column cover 8 , a protruding hole 10 through which a winker lever ( not illustrated ) is inserted , and an installation hole 11 for installing a key cylinder ( not illustrated ), are formed . on a left side wall of the column cover 8 , a protruding hole 12 through which a wiper lever ( not illustrated ) is inserted , is formed . furthermore , on both side walls of the column cover 8 , belt - shaped guiding pieces 13 a and 13 b which protrude forward in the vehicle direction are provided so as to extend from up and down thereof . distal ends of these guiding pieces 13 a and 13 b become narrower and form soft curves , while middle portions of these guiding pieces 13 a and 13 b have constant width in the vertical direction . on the other hand , a gap “ d ” ( refer to fig5 ) formed between the opening 4 in the instrument panel 2 and a leading edge portion 14 is closed by the resin - made blind member 1 . the blind member 1 extends in an axial direction of the steering column 3 . the blind member 1 is provided with : a covering wall 15 having a substantially u - shaped cross - sectional shape and covering an upper portion and both side portions of the steering column 3 ; a substantially rectangular - shaped flange wall 16 which is unitarily formed with the covering wall 15 so as to extend outwardly from a forward end in the vehicle direction thereof ; and hinge walls 17 which are provided at positions near four corners on a rearward face ( an opposite side face to the face on which the covering wall 15 is provided ) of the flange wall 16 , and have substantially l - shaped cross section . the covering wall 15 is formed such that the cross section thereof has one - size smaller than that of the leading edge portion 14 , and is located inside the leading edge portion 14 of the column cover 8 while attaching the column cover 8 to the blind member 1 . moreover , the leading edge portion 14 of the column cover 8 and the covering wall 15 of the blind member 1 always overlap with each other in the vehicle length direction , within a range in which the steering wheel 6 is moved by the telescopic structure . among the hinge walls 17 , those located on the upper side of the flange wall 16 bend upwardly , while those located on the lower side of the flange wall 16 bend downwardly . bending pieces on the distal end sides of the hinge walls 17 on the upper side and on the lower side are , as shown in fig2 , fixed by clips 19 to a flange portion 18 provided to the opening 4 in the instrument panel 2 . two bending portions 17 a and 17 b ( the bending portion 17 b is a connection between the hinge wall 17 and the flange wall 16 ) of each of the hinge walls 17 are made thinner . each of the hinge walls 17 enables the flange wall 16 and the covering wall 15 moves in the vertical direction while being supported by the bending portions 17 a and 17 b . each of the hinge walls 17 forms an integral hinge which forms one body together with the flange wall 16 . in addition , in the present embodiment , each of the hinge walls 17 provided on the upper side and on the lower side of the flange wall 16 forms a parallel - linking structure . in the present embodiment , each of the hinge walls 17 including two bending portions 17 a and 17 b corresponds to a hinge portion of the present invention , while the flange wall 16 and the covering wall 15 corresponds to a blind main body of the present invention . substantially rectangular - shaped guiding holes 20 a and 20 b through which the guiding pieces 13 a and 13 b of the column cover 8 are inserted , are formed in the flange wall 16 of the blind member 1 at positions corresponding to the guiding pieces 13 a and 13 b . upper inner faces and lower inner faces of the guiding holes 20 a and 20 b contact with upper exterior faces and lower exterior faces of the corresponding guiding pieces 13 a and 13 b , and thereby restricting relational displacements in the vertical direction between the blind member 1 and the column cover 8 . accordingly , in the present embodiment , each of interior faces 20 au , 20 ad , 20 bu , and 20 bd ( refer to fig3 ) of the guiding holes 20 a and 20 b corresponds to a restricting portion of the present invention , while an entire of the interior faces of the guiding holes 20 a and 20 b corresponds to a slide guiding portion of the present invention . since the above - mentioned constructions are employed in the present embodiment , when the steering device is assembled into the vehicle body , the gap “ d ” between the opening 4 in the instrument panel 2 and the column cover 8 is closed by the covering wall 15 and the flange wall 16 of the blind member 1 . when the steering wheel 6 at the rearward position ( refer to solid lines in fig5 ) is forwarded by operations of the telescopic structure , to a position indicated by two - dotted lines in fig5 , the column cover 8 is forwarded together with the steering wheel 6 while the guiding pieces 13 a and 13 b are guided by the corresponding guiding holes 20 a and 20 b in the blind member 1 . as a result , an overlapping amount in the length direction between the leading edge portion 14 of the column cover 8 and the covering wall 15 of the blind member 1 increases . accordingly , even when the column cover 8 moves forwards and backwards , a closed state of the gap “ d ” between the opening 4 in the instrument panel 2 and the column cover 8 will be maintained , and only the overlapping amount between the column cover 8 and the covering wall 15 of the blind member 1 will be changed . in addition , when the steering wheel 6 at the lower step position ( refer to solid lines in fig6 ) is raised by operations of the tilting structure , to an upper step position indicated by two - dotted lines in fig6 , the covering wall 15 and the flange wall 16 of the blind member 1 are unitarily raised together with the column cover 8 via joints between the guiding pieces 13 a and 13 b and the guiding holes 20 a and 20 b . at this time , the hinge walls 17 located on four corners of the flange wall 16 will bend centering on the thin bending portions 17 a and 17 b . accordingly , even when the column cover 8 moves in the vertical direction , a closed state of the gap “ d ” between the opening 4 in the instrument panel 2 and the column cover 8 will be maintained , and only the bending states of the hinge wall 17 will be changed . as has been explained in the above , in the gap - closing structure utilizing the blind member 1 , even when the positional adjustment of the steering wheel 6 is performed in the forward and backward directions or in the up and down directions by the telescopic structure and the tilting structure , the closing state by the blind member 1 can be always maintained reliably by bending operations of the hinge walls 17 and sliding operations of the guiding pieces 13 a and 13 b in the guiding holes 20 a and 20 b . accordingly , it is possible to reliably prevent deteriorations in the appearance and dust getting into the opening 4 . in addition , since the hinge walls 17 and the guiding holes 20 a and 20 b are located at portions where are hardly seen from the outside , even when aged deteriorations arise at these portions , it will not introduce deteriorations in appearance of the vehicle . in addition , in the gap - closing structure of the present embodiment , by slidably inserting the guiding pieces 13 a and 13 b of the column cover 8 into the guiding holes 20 a and 20 b of the blind member 1 , the relational displacement in the vertical direction between the column cover 8 and the blind member 1 is restricted , and the relational displacement in the forwards and backwards between the column cover 8 the blind member 1 is slidably guided . accordingly , a construction thereof can be simplified , and the manufacturing cost thereof can be reduced . furthermore , in the blind member 1 of the present embodiment , the hinge walls 17 being integral hinges are unitarily formed at four corner locations of the flange wall 16 by a resin molding . this construction is also helpful to the simplification in the construction and to the reduction in the manufacturing cost . while a preferred embodiment of the invention has been described and illustrated above , it should be understood that this is an exemplary of the invention and is not to be considered as limiting . additions , omissions , substitutions , and other modifications can be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention . accordingly , the invention is not to be considered as being limited by the foregoing description , and is only limited by the scope of the appended claims . | 1 |
screens and products incorporating the screens of the present invention together with their manufacture will be described in detail hereunder according to various embodiments depicted in the accompanying drawings without limiting the scope of the present invention . in fig1 is shown a screen 10 comprising a resin impregnated paper sheet 1 comprising a substrate paper 2 and a resin impregnated in the substrate paper 2 . a transparent paper “ mol - d - 100 ” ( manufactured by daifuku paper m . f . g . co ., ltd .) having an ash content of less than 5 % and a weight 100 g / m 2 was used as the substrate paper 2 , and a plasticized modified melamine resin 3 was used as the resin 3 . the melamine resin was prepared : blending 1 . 7 mol 37 % formaldehyde aqueous solution with 1 mol melamine ; adjusting the blend to ph 9 . 0 with sodium hydroxide ; and leaving the blend to chemically react for 60 minutes under 90 ° c . the resin impregnated paper sheet 2 was placed between hot - press stainless plates with fine surface irregularities . the paper sheet 2 was subjected to hot press at 140 ° c . and pressure at 7 . 85 mpa for about 10 minutes , and then subjected to cold press for about 10 minutes . a hardened resin impregnated paper sheet 1 or screen 10 was obtained . in fig2 is shown another screen 10 a comprising a resin impregnated paper sheet 1 comprising a substrate paper 2 and a resin 3 impregnated in the substrate paper 2 , which was similar to the paper sheet 1 of embodiment 1 , except that 30 wt % inorganic powder or titanium nitride powder having a mean diameter of 0 . 1 μm to 1000 μm was further blended as a brightening material the other respects are the same as those in the first embodiment . this screen can be used as a front screen . tests and measurement were conducted on the screen 10 a with regards thickness , light resistance , spectral reflectance , solvent resistance , contamination resistance , hot - water resistance , thermal resistance , moisture resistance , dimensional change and surface hardness . the results and the conditions of the tests and measurement are shown in table 1 . for comparison , a white screen ( silica containing polyvinyl chloride ) was used . the resin impregnated paper sheet 1 was a transparent paper sheet of mol - d - 100 ( manufactured by daifuku paper m . f . g . co ., ltd .) having an ash content of less than 5 % and weighing 100 g / m 2 . further , 30 wt % inorganic powder of titanium oxide having a mean diameter of 0 . 1 μm to 1000 μm was blended as a brightening material the resin 3 impregnated in the paper sheet 2 was a plasticized modified melamine resin 3 . the resin impregnated paper sheet 1 was integrated with the thermoplastic resin sheet 4 after coming through a hardening process : hot press step between hot - press stainless plates at 140 ° c . and 7 . 85 mpa for about 10 minutes ; and cold press step about 10 minutes . the resin impregnated paper sheet 1 was integrated with the thermoplastic resin sheet 4 ( mcpet ) with an urethane adhesive to provide a front screen 10 a . in fig4 is shown a front screen 10 a comprising a thermoplastic resin sheet 4 a which was “ lumirror r e20 # 188 ” ( manufactured by toray industries , inc .) and a resin impregnated paper sheet 1 . in the thermoplastic resin sheet 4 a which was polyethylene terephthalate were blended inorganic particles of titanium oxide ( shown in exaggerated size for convenience ). the resin impregnated paper 1 was identical with that of embodiment 1 . product quality tests were conducted on the front screens 10 a of embodiments 3 and 4 . the test results are shown in table 2 . * l the test pieces ( 13 mm × 130 mm ) were left for 48 hs . at 20 ° c . humidity 30 % and measured with a dial gauge ( measurements “ a ” which were then left for 48 hs . at 20 ° c ., humidity of 95 % and again measured ( measurements “ b ”). the change in dimension was obtained following the equation : using embodiments 1 - 4 and the following comparison samples , comparison tests were conducted with respect to color reproducibility . the tests were carried out by 10 persons by visually examining color impression . optical property testing was also conducted in relation to total reflectance and diffusion reflectance against a barium sulfate white board . urethane resin was coated on a pmma board , which was subjected to hot press at 140 ° c . for about 10 minutes . a solution of 20 % silica blended in melamine resin was coated on a pmma board , which was hardened at 120 ° c . an lumirrorr - e20 # 188 board ( manufactured by toray industries , inc .) ( containing titanium oxide in polyethylene phthalate ) all ten testers concluded that the color impression of the projected image each received was practically the same as that of the original image with regard to embodiments 1 and 2 . they reported that the projected image was redder than the original image with regard to comparison 1 , that the projected image was bluer than the original image with regard to comparison 2 , and that the images were unclear because the screen reflected the projected light itself with regard to comparisons 3 - 6 . the results of the optical property tests ( total reflectance and diffusion reflectance ) conducted on embodiment 4 and comparison 3 - 5 are shown in tables 3 and 4 . in fig5 is shown a partition incorporating a front screen or rear screen of the present invention . the front screen 10 a or rear screen 10 b is fixedly mounted on a frame 21 which is supported by support legs 22 . the partition 30 with the screen 10 a or 10 b can serve two purposes , as a partition and a projection screen . this panel screen 30 possesses all advantageous features of the screens 10 a , 10 b of the present invention thus far described . [ 0091 ] fig6 shows an embodiment use of a rear screen 10 b of embodiment 1 . a picture is projected with a projector 40 onto the rear screen 10 b to be viewed by a person on the opposite side . as the rear screen 10 b of embodiment 1 comprises a resin impregnated paper sheet , the screen 10 b is flexible and can be rolled up for storage when not in use . the screen will not be softened in use and will not distort images . when a brightening material is blended as taught in embodiment 5 , the screen surface is physically resistant . the thermosetting resin will not dissolve against a solvent or water , facilitating writing and drawing on the screen . [ 0093 ] fig7 shows a rear projector 64 comprising a rear screen 10 b , a base 61 , a light source 62 mounted on the base 61 , a slide device 63 positioned between the light source 62 and the rear screen 10 b , all which are housed in a housing 60 . a film or a slide is inserted into the slide device 63 ( an image can be provided utilizing a liquid crystal panel as well ). a copy image is provided on the rear screen 10 b . any type of rear projector 64 may be utilized . the rear screen 10 b will not distort even if used for an extended period of time because it is impregnated with a thermosetting resin such as a melamine resin . [ 0096 ] fig8 shows an embodiment of a screen product 10 c comprising a resin impregnated paper sheet 1 bonded to a surface of a transparent glass pane 5 with an adhesive 6 . it is not necessarily required to apply the adhesive 6 on the entire surface of the resin impregnated paper sheet 1 or the glass pane 5 . the adhesive 6 may be only partially applied as long as it can adequately hold the resin impregnated paper sheet 1 and the glass pane 5 securely together . the adhesive 6 may be an urethane - based adhesives epoxy - based adhesive or synthetic rubber - based adhesive . alternatively , the adhesive 6 may be a pressure sensitive adhesive . which facilitates the resin impregnated paper sheet 1 to be removed from the glass pane 5 easily as desired . [ 0100 ] fig9 a and 9b show other types of screen products 10 d utilizing a glass panes which comprises a resin impregnated paper sheet 1 attached to a surface of a glass pane 5 by means of attachment members 7 . it is to be noted that there is created a space between the glass pane 5 and the resin impregnated paper sheet 1 . [ 0101 ] fig9 a shows use of a suction cup or disk 8 as the attachment member 7 , and fig9 b shows use of a dual type adhesive tape 9 as the attachment member 7 . it is very easy to remove the resin impregnated paper sheet 1 from the glass pane 5 . [ 0103 ] fig1 shows an information board system 70 a in which a front screen is used , comprising a front screen 10 c ( or 10 d ), a projector 71 and a projector control device 80 . the screen 10 c or 10 d is attached to a glass wall of a building or shop ( not shown ) ( e . g ., show window , shop window , glass window , glass door or fixed sash glass wall ). in order to protect the resin impregnated paper sheet 1 from damages , the glass wall 5 is positioned outside . the projector 71 is positioned at an appropriate location outside of the building or shop . an image ( or a picture ) projected from the projector 71 onto the screen 10 c or 10 d is seen through the glass wall 5 . people walking on the street facing the screen 10 c or 10 d can view the image projected onto the screen 10 c or 10 d . [ 0106 ] fig1 is a block diagram of the projector control device 80 . the control device 80 comprises a control section 81 which transmits images to the projector 71 , memory section 82 , computation section 83 and input section . image data inputted into the control device 80 via the input section 84 is stored in the memory section 82 . the image data retrieved from the memory section 82 is processed into a control data by the computation section 63 . the control section 81 controls the projector 71 in accordance with the control data . [ 0108 ] fig1 shows another type of an information board system 70 b in which a rear screen is used , comprising a rear screen 10 c ( or 10 d ), projector 71 and projector control device 80 which can be identical with the one for the information board system 70 a of embodiment 10 . embodiment 11 differs from embodiment 10 in that the projector 71 is positioned at inside a building or shop whereby images projected from the projector 71 onto the screen 10 c or 10 d are seen from outside the building or shop . according to the present invention which has been described in details the screen of the present invention can be folded and stored , and can be used for a long period of time without distortion . letters written or pictures drawn on the screen can be cleaned easily . a pointer will not damage the screen . the total reflectance of 99 % and diffusion reflectance of 95 % can be attained . blue light and red light can be reflected in equal contrast . equal reflection in a visible light range 400 to 700 nm is possible . the resin impregnated paper sheet can be attached to a glass pane to provide a front - type or rear - type screen board the information board system provides an excellent advertisement medium . when the advertisement content is to be changed , mere change of image films will do . such a change is quite simple and easy . further , it is not necessary to replace the whole screen with another . therefore , advertisement costs can be kept minimal . | 6 |
according to the present invention , a process for providing a colored contact lens using a silicon rubber printing pad , or &# 34 ; tampon ,&# 34 ; may be improved by the use of a specific colorant formulation . the colorant formulation of the present invention includes a non - ionic polyalkylene oxide surfactant in the colorant . of particular interest are low molecular weight ethylene oxide polymers . an example of such a surfactant is commercially available under the trade name &# 34 ; silwet &# 34 ; from union carbide corporation . silwet surfactants are a series of polyalkylene oxide - modified methylpolysiloxanes composed of a siloxane molecular backbone with organic polyalkylene oxide pendants . among the silwet products , type l - 77 has been found to be particularly well suited for the present invention . silwet l - 77 is a nonionic polyalkyleneoxide methoxy - terminated polydimethylsiloxane having the following physical properties : average molecular weight of about 600 daltons , boiling point of greater than 150 ° c . at 1 atm pressure , freezing point of about 1 . 1 ° c ., and specific gravity of about 1 . 007 at 25 ° c . another example of commercially available surfactants which can be used in accordance with the present invention is available from air products and chemicals , inc ., allentown , pa ., under the tradename &# 34 ; surfynol .&# 34 ; surfynol type 104 pa , which is 50 % 2 , 4 , 7 , 9 - tetramethyl - 5 - decyn - 4 , 7 - diol in isopropyl alcohol , and surfynol type 420 , which is an ethylene oxide adduct of 2 , 4 , 7 , 9 - tetramethyl - 5 - decyn - 4 , 7 - diol ( having 20 % by weight ethylene oxide ) have been found to be particularly well suited for use in the present invention . generally , the colorant formulation comprises about 0 . 01 to 2 . 0 % of the non - ionic polyalkylene oxide surfactant . these surfactants may be used alone or in combination , preferably in a 1 : 1 ratio by weight , as illustrated in the examples below . in general , the formulations useful in the present invention may include any type of coloring agent , typically an ink . however , it has been found that the present invention provides exceptionally good results when the colorant used in the formulation contains a reactive dye , such as those commonly referred to as &# 34 ; reactive dyes forming ether linkages .&# 34 ; these dyes contain reactive groups which react with cellulose to form an ether linkage , and are generally described in fiber - reactive dyes , chapter vi , by w . f . beech , saf international , inc . new york ( 1970 ), as well as in u . s . pat . nos . 4 , 468 , 229 ; 4 , 553 , 775 : 4 , 553 , 975 ; 4 , 559 , 059 and 4 , 954 , 132 ; all to su , and all incorporated herein by reference . the dye may also be a clear ultraviolet light blocking agent . the dye is preferably present in the colorant formulation at about 0 . 5 to 15 . 0 % by weight of the total mixture . generally , the colorant formulation may also comprise about 5 . 0 to 30 . 0 % by weight polyvinylpyrolidone and 10 to 40 % isopropyl alcohol . the remainder of the colorant formulation is preferably deionized water . the lens may be comprised of any hydrophilic material , so long as at least one of the monomeric components which form the material contains an exoskeletal functional group which can react with the dyestuff molecule . examples of such functional groups commonly present in contact lens materials are the hydroxyl , amino , amide and thio groups , and functional derivatives thereof . particularly suitable monomers for this purpose are hydroxyalkyl esters of polymerizable unsaturated acids , such as acrylic , methacrylic , itaconic , fumaric and maleic acids . among such esters , hydroxyethyl methacrylate ( hema ) has been used quite extensively . the following examples will illustrate the present invention . these examples should be viewed as illustrative , without in any way limiting the scope of the instant invention . a tampo rapid 2000 / 3 pad printing machine having a yellow silicon printing pad , a turntable for manuevering a plurality of lens into a desired printing area beneath the pad , and a cliche with 9 , 274 mm diameter and 0 , 020mm depth , solid pattern design , all available from transtech america , inc . was used in the process . 4 ) 0 . 70 g of ramazol black b dye ( from american huechst corp .). approximately 10 ml of the colorant formulation was placed into the inkcup of the machine . the cliche was placed on the top of and tied to the inkcup using a transferable clamp . the inkcup / cliche assembly was clamped to the cliche holder of the machine , and dry hema contact lenses were placed onto the turntable . the machine was activated , and the top surface of each lens was printed with the formulation in a single step . the lenses were then left to dry for 10 minutes at room temperature ( about 23 ° c .). the lenses were then placed , printed side up , into an aqueous fixing solution comprising 10 % sodium phosphate tribasic dodecahydrate and 10 % tetrabutylammonium bromide at 60 ° c . for 30 minutes . the lenses were then rinsed with saline and extracted for a period of ten minutes at 80 ° c . in a solution of 10 % glocyrol solution , then for a period of ten minutes at 80 ° c . in a fresh solution of 10 % glocyrol solution , then for a period of ten minutes at 80 ° c . in deionized water , and finally for a period of one hour at 80 ° c . in phosphate buffered saline . the finished lens had an unblemished coating of blueish - black colorant . this darkened type of lens may be used as a prosthetic lens by itself , or may be printed with a subsequent artificial iris pattern to provide a cosmetic , opaque lens . the procedures of example i were repeated , except the lenses were placed in the fixing solution at 23 ° c . for three hours and the colorant formulation was as follows : 6 ) 2 . 00 g of ramazol brilliant blue r dye ( from american huechst corp .). the finished lens had an unblemished cover of blue colorant and color intensity sufficient for a tinted contact lens . the lens showed excellent use as a lens for turning light colored eyes , such as green , to blue . the procedures of example i were repeated , except the lenses were placed in the fixing solution at 23 ° c . for one hour and the colorant formulation was as follows : 6 ) 1 . 50 g of ramazol turquoise r - p dye ( from american huechst corp .). the finished lens had an unblemished cover of turquoise colorant and color intensity sufficient for a tinted contact lens . the lens showed excellent use as a lens for turning light colored eyes , such as green , to light turquoise . the procedure of example iii was repeated , except the lenses were placed in the fixing solution at 23 ° c . for 2 . 5 hours . the finished lens had an unblemished , yet slightly more intense cover turquoise colorant . the lens showed excellent use as a lens for turning light colored eyes , such as green , to a vibrant turquoise . the procedures of example i were repeated , except the lenses were placed in the fixing solution at 23 ° c . for one hour and the colorant formulation was as follows : 6 ) 0 . 40 g of ramazol turquoise r - p dye ( from american huechst corp .) 7 ) 1 . 50 g of ramazol yellow gr dye ( from american huechst corp .). the finished lens had an unblemished cover of green colorant and color intensity sufficient for a tinted contact lens . the lens showed excellent use as a lens for turning light colored eyes , such as blue , to green . the above examples illustrate that a solid , unblemished covering of colorant may be placed onto a dry hydrophilic contact lens using a silicon rubber printing pad by adding a non - ionic polyalkylene oxide surfactant to the colorant formulation . it also illustrates that a mixture of surfynol 104 pa and surfynol 420 is particularly useful in accordance with the present invention . | 6 |
fourier - domain oct techniques generally achieve depth - ranging using spectral - radar techniques in which reflections from a sample interfere with a reference beam , and the resulting interferogram can be measured as a function of optical wavelength . an exemplary embodiment of an fd - oct system in accordance with the present is shown schematically in fig1 . the exemplary system of fig1 includes a source 100 that generates an output which is split into a sample arm and a reference arm by a coupler 105 . the sample arm light can be directed to a sample to be imaged 130 . a focusing lens 125 can be used to achieve high transverse resolution . reflections from this sample are collected by the same fiber and returned through a second coupler 115 to an output coupler 110 . the reference arm light is input on the other port of this output coupler 110 . the interference is detected by a receiver 120 as a function of wavelength . in an exemplary embodiment of an ofdi system in accordance with the present invention , this receiver can be a single photoreceiver which detects the output as a function of time while a narrowband source sweeps its output wavelength as a function of time . in an exemplary embodiment of an sd - oct system in accordance with the present invention , such receiver can be a spectrometer , which records the power at many wavelength through the use of a grating in combination with a line - scan camera . for a reflection at depth z where z = 0 corresponds to a zero path - length mismatch between the sample arm light and reference arm light , the interference term of the receiver output as a function of wavenumber k can be given by the following : s ( k )∝ p ( k ) √{ square root over ( r ref r s )} cos ( 2 zk + φ z ) where p ( k ) is the source power , r ref is the reference arm power transmission including coupling losses from the source to the receiver , r s is the power reflectance of the sample arm due to a reflection at depth z , and φ z is the phase of the sample arm reflectance . the amplitude and depth of the reflection can be given by the magnitude and frequency of the measured signal as a function of wavenumber . fourier transformation ( ft ) of the detected fringe with appropriate subtraction of the non - interferometric terms can yield the complex reflectivity as a function of depth , a ( z ), the sign of the depth position ( sign of z ) is encoded in the sign of the resulting frequency ( positive frequency or negative frequency ). because s ( k ) is real - valued , it would be difficult to differentiate between positive and negative frequencies . thus , a reflectance at + z may not be able to be distinguished from a reflectance at − z . this is what generates the depth degeneracy of fourier - domain oct techniques . a detection of quadrature outputs , e . g ., interference signals phased at 90 ° relative to each other , can remove this depth degeneracy . consider the detection of the quadrature components s q ( k ) and s i ( k ), s q ( k )∝ p ( k )√{ square root over ( r ref r s )} cos ( 2zk + φ z ) s i ( k )∝ p ( k )√{ square root over ( r ref r s )} sin ( 2zk + φ z ) from which the complex signal , { tilde over ( s )}( k ), can be formed as { tilde over ( s )} ( k )= s q ( k )+ is i ( k )= p ( k )√{ square root over ( r ref r s )} e i ( 2zk + φ z ) and the depth reflectivity ã ( k ) is given by the ft of this complex signal , { tilde over ( a )}( z ′)= ft ({ tilde over ( s )}( k )). because { tilde over ( s )}( k ) is complex , it is possible to differentiate between positive and negative frequencies , and as a result eliminate the degeneracy between positive and negative depths . in conventional fd - oct systems , the image depth is limited to positive depths to prevent degeneracy / ambiguity between signals from positive and negative depths . the maximum imaging range in such conventional systems is limited by fringe washout which is a decrease in signal amplitude for increasing depth . the imaging depth in the conventional fd - oct systems is then between z = 0 and z =+ z 1 . using exemplary embodiments of complex demodulation techniques in accordance with the present invention , the depth degeneracy can be reduced or removed , which allows imaging to occur from − z 1 to + z 1 , thus providing twice the image depth range of the conventional fd - oct systems . according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention , an optical circuit / arrangement can be provided for generating the quadrature signals s q ( k ) and s i ( k ) usable for a complex demodulation . fig2 shows one such exemplary embodiment which is directed to an optical demodulation circuit / arrangement . in this exemplary circuit arrangement , a reference arm light is collimated by collimating optics 415 , and directed to a first port 420 b of a polarizing beamsplitter (“ pbs ”) 420 . the polarization controller 401 enables the reference arm light to be reflected to an output port 420 c . a sample arm 405 light generated by this exemplary circuit / arrangement is collimated by collimating optics 410 , and directed to a second input port 420 a of the pbs 420 . the s - polarized light in the sample arm can be directed to the output port 420 c . the combined reference and sample arm light propagate to a beamsplitter ( e . g ., non - polarizing ) 425 , which can split substantially equal portions of this light to the output ports 425 a , 425 b . the light output on the port 425 a travels through a first birefringent element 430 , and then to a polarizer 435 oriented such that the transmitted polarization state is normal to the plane of the image . the light is then collected by an output fiber 460 through focusing optics 450 . this collected light is subsequently detected by a detector 461 which can include a spectrometer adapted for a spectral - domain oct system or a single photoreceiver adapted for an optical frequency domain imaging system . a similar analysis can be applied to the light which exist the port 425 b , and which has access to a birefringent element ( 1 ) 440 before the eventual detection thereof on via the detector 466 . the detected interference signal on output 2 for a single reflectance at position z can be provided as : s 2 ( k )≈ b 2 ( k ) p ( k ) √{ square root over ( r ref r s )} cos ( 2 zk + φ z + χ 2 ( k )) where b 2 ( k ), and χ 2 ( k ) are functions of the birefringent element 2430 . the output 1 on the fiber 465 can likewise be provided as : s 1 ( k )≈ b 1 ( k ) p ( k ) √{ square root over ( r ref r s )} cos ( 2 zk + φ z + χ 1 ( k )) where b 1 ( k ), and χ 1 ( k ) are functions of the birefringent element ( 1 ) 440 . an appropriate selection of the birefringent elements can facilitate output signals with relative phase shift of 90 °. for example , if the birefringent element ( 1 ) 440 is selected to be a quarter - wave plate oriented with its fast or slow axis at 45 ° relative to the vector normal to the plane of the image , and the birefringent element ( 2 ) 430 is selected to be a 45 ° faraday rotator , then the phase difference between the outputs , χ 2 ( k )− χ 1 ( k ), is approximately 90 ° and b 1 ( k )= b 2 ( k ), thus providing the following : s 1 ( k )≈ s q ( k )∝ p ( k ) √{ square root over ( r ref r s )} cos ( 2 zk + φ z ) s 2 ( k )≈ s 1 ( k )∝ p ( k ) √{ square root over ( r ref r s )} sin ( 2 zk + φ z ) it should be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that additional combinations of the birefringent elements ( 1 ) and ( 2 ) can be used to generate quadrature signals , and that the orientations of the polarizer 445 , 435 can also be adjusted to produce the quadrature signals . these signals may be combined post - detection to produce the complex interference signal in accordance with the present invention . fig3 shows another exemplary embodiment of the demodulation optical circuit / arrangement in accordance with the present invention that is configured to achieve a quadrature detection with a balanced - detection for a removal of source intensity noise as well as auto - correlation noise from the sample . the operation is the arrangement of fig3 is substantially similar to that of fig2 except that the polarizers of fig4 have been replaced by a polarizing beamsplitter ( pbs ) cubes 500 , 530 . both output ports of the pbs cubes 500 can be detected , and their signals are preferably subtracted in the balanced receiver . in this exemplary configuration , the interference signal can be increased , and the noise fluctuations from the noise may be subtracted . the output of balanced - receivers 525 , 555 of this exemplary arrangement provide the quadrature interference signals to be combined to form the complex interference signal . fig4 shows another exemplary embodiment of the optical circuit arrangement according to the present invention , which is a modification of the arrangement of fig3 . in particular , the arrangement of fig4 allows for a detection of a polarization - diversity . the polarization diversity enables a detection of the interference fringe which can result from the sample that ate are light in both polarizations . the polarization controller 600 of the arrangement of fig4 can be configured to direct substantially equal portions of the reference arm power to both output ports of the first pbs 601 . each output port of the first pbs 601 detects the sample arm light arriving in a given polarization . the circuit 590 is substantially the same as the one shown in fig3 , and may be repeated on a fourth pbs output port 592 . in this exemplary configuration , outputs a and b describe one signal polarization , and outputs c and d describe the other signal polarization . fig5 shows another exemplary embodiment of the demodulation optical circuit / arrangement according to the present invention that may be functionally equivalent or similar to the circuit / arrangement of fig4 , and constructed from fiber - optic components . for example , the birefringent elements of fig4 can be replaced by polarization controllers 610 a , 615 a , 610 b , 615 b which are adjusted such that quadrature signals are created on output ports 625 a and 625 b , and likewise quadrature outputs can be generated on output ports 625 c and 625 d . in the exemplary configurations that utilize bulk - optic birefringent elements ( as shown in fig2 - 4 ), the birefringence elements can be selected to generate quadrature components which are phase - shifted by 90 °. in the fiber - optic configuration of fig5 , the polarization controllers may be adjusted while the interference fringes can be monitored such that approximately a 90 ° phase shift is induced . the deviations in the phase shift from 90 ° can be measured and corrected for as described herein below . for example , the measured signals will not be exactly in quadrature and thus a calibration procedure must be used to create quadrature signals from the measured signals . assume that the measured signals are given by s 1 ( k )= a 1 ( k )+ b 1 ( k ) sin ( φ + ζ (( k )) where φ is the interferometric phase difference containing the depth - information . the parameters a q , b q , a i , b i , and ζ can be determined by the source spectrum and demodulation circuit . if the parameters are known , exact quadrature signals can be constructed as follows : s q ′ = b q cos ( ϕ ) = s q - a q s i ′ = b q sin ( ϕ ) = ( b q b i ) ( s 1 - a 1 ) - ( s q - a q ) sin ( ζ ) cos ( ζ ) ( 1 ) where the explicit dependence on k of the parameters is not described herein for the sake of clarity . a q and a i can be measured using either of the following methods : ( a ) the sample arm light is blocked , and the output can be recorded as a function of k . because the returned sample arm power is much less than the reference arm power , a q ( k ) and a i ( k ) are determined by the detected reference arm power without any interference ; and / or ( b ) the parameters a q ( k ) and a i ( k ) can be measured by record the signals with or without reflections from the sample arm and taking the average over a significant number of measurements . because the interference terms averages to zero due to interferometer drift , the average yields a q , a i . alternatively , a phase modulator can be placed in the interferometer in either the reference arm or sample arm . fig6 illustrates such exemplary embodiment of the circuit / arrangement which includes a phase modulator 700 that is placed in the reference arm . this phase modulator 700 can be used to ensure that the interferometer phase is randomized over the period of time that a is being measured . if the phase modulation is much less than π over the time period of one a - line , this phase modulator 700 can remain active during imaging . otherwise , it should be turned off during the imaging procedure . the ratio of b q ( k ) to b i ( k ) can be measured by recording the output with a reflection in the sample arm , ideally with the phase modulator 700 of fig6 on , otherwise over a long enough time to ensure random distributions of phase . the ratio can be provided as follows : ( b q b l ) 2 = 〈 δ s q 2 〉 〈 δ s i 2 〉 ( 2 ) 〈 δ x 2 〉 = 1 n ∑ i = 1 n ( x i - x _ ) 2 , and the summation i is over samples at a given wavenumber k . 〈 δ ( s q + s i ) 2 〉 - 〈 δ s q 2 〉 - 〈 δ s i 2 〉 2 〈 δ s q 2 〉 〈 δ s i 2 〉 = sin ( ζ ) ( 3 ) the exemplary embodiment of a procedure according to the present invention to perform such determination is shown in fig7 . in particular , in step 655 , the polarization controllers (“ pcs ”) can be configured to provide output signal phased at approximately 90 degrees ( if the fiber configuration of fig5 is utilized ). in step 660 , signals s q ( k ) and s i ( k ) are measured , while reference arm position or phase is modulated . in step 665 , the following is calculated : a q ( k )=& lt ; s q ( k )& gt ;, and a i ( k )=& lt ; s i ( k )& gt ; using formulas ( 2 ) and ( 3 ) above . these steps are performed during the system calibration . the steps described below are performed during the use of the system . for example , in step 670 , signals s q ( k ) and s i ( k ) are measured , and in step 675 , the fringes are calculated using the equation ( 1 ). then , in step 680 , a complex signal s q ′+ sqrt (− 1 )* s i ′ is constructed . the exemplary embodiment of the system according to the present invention ( e . g ., of the exemplary ofdi system ) is shown in fig8 . for example , the laser 700 output swept over 105 nm centered at 1325 nm can be provided for the exemplary system . this exemplary source can be split into a sample arm 705 ( e . g ., 90 %) and a reference arm 710 ( e . g ., 10 %). a portion of the reference arm light can be directed to a fiber bragg grating (“ fbg ”) 715 , thus generating a reflected optical pulse that is detected and converted to a ttl trigger signal . the remainder of the reference arm light can pass through a variable optical delay ( e . g ., used to path - length match the interferometer ), and provided on one port of a fiber - pigtailed polarization beam combiner (“ pbc ”) 720 . the polarization controller 725 (“ pc ”) in the reference arm 710 can be used to maximize the coupling of the reference arm light to the pbc output port . the reflected sample arm light is directed to the other input port of the pbc . one polarization state of this light can be coupled to the pbc output port . following the pbc is the optical demodulation circuit that uses polarization - based biasing to generate an in - phase signal , s i , and a quadrature signal , s q , for each interference fringe . in this manner , the complex interference signal ( s i + is q ) can be constructed . because the complex signal indicates the direction of phase flow , it allows unambiguous discrimination between positive and negative optical delays and eliminates depth degeneracy . to illustrate the demodulation circuit , the reference arm light and the sample arm light can be orthogonally polarized on the output port of the first pbc in fig8 , and thus the state of polarization of the light is modulated instead of the intensity . this light can be split by the 50 / 50 coupler 730 , and each output may be directed to a pc 735 a , 735 b followed by a polarization beam splitter ( pbs ) 740 a , 740 b that converts the polarization modulation to intensity modulation . arbitrarily , the signal from the upper path is defined as s i and from the lower path as s q . in each , path the polarization controllers 735 a , 735 b is set to split the reference arm light equally between the two output ports of the pbss 740 a , 740 b , and the outputs are connected to balanced - receivers 745 a , 745 b to provide subtraction of intensity noise . within the constraint of equally splitting the reference arm power among the output ports , the phase of s i and s q can be arbitrarily set by manipulation of the corresponding pc . in our system , a relative phasing of 90 ° between s i and s q is likely induced . using the measured signals s i and s q to directly form the complex interference signal ( e . g ., without any correction post - detection ) can result in a moderate extinction between positive and negative depths . fig9 a shows a graph of a measured a - line of a stationary mirror at a depth of + 1 . 7 mm calculated by the direct use of the measured signals s i and s q . the resultant extinction shown in this graph is 30 db . to improve the extinction , a corrected signal , ŝ q , can be calculated from the measured signals s i and s q using previously acquired calibration data that describes the state of the optical demodulation circuit . the in - phase signal at a given wavenumber k may be given by s i = b sin ( φ ), and that the quadrature signal is provided by s q = αb cos ( φ − ε ), where α and ε describe the deviation of s q from the true quadrature signal ( α = 1 and ε = 0 for a true quadrature signal ). it can be assumed that the dc component has been subtracted . a corrected quadrature signal ŝ q to the measured in - phase signal s i is given by ŝ q ≡ b cos ( φ )=( α cos ( ε )) 31 1 s q − tan ( ε ) s i . a statistical method can be used to measure the parameters α and ε ( all functions of wavenumber k ) for a given setting of the optical demodulation circuit . multiple interference fringes can be recorded in the presence of a sample arm reflection while the reference arm position is slowly displaced over a few microns with a piezo - translator . the resulting dataset may contain signals s q and s i at each wavenumber with a quasi - randomized distribution in phase ( φ ) ( due to the reference arm dithering ). the calibration parameters can then be calculated statistically as follows : sin ( ɛ ) = σ ( s q - s i ) 2 - σ ( s q ) 2 - σ ( s q ) 2 2 σ ( s q ) σ ( s i ) where σ x is the standard deviation ( over sample number ) of the measured signal x and is a function of wavenumber . in these experiments , the reference mirror was translated by a few microns with a 30 hz triangular waveform and signals were recorded over a time period of 3 seconds at an a - line rate of 15 . 6 khz . fig9 b shows same a - line as in fig9 a but using the corrected complex signal , ( s i + iŝ q ). the extinction is improved from 30 db to greater than 50 db . fig9 c and 9d show a - lines measured at mirror depths of + 0 . 4 mm and − 1 . 3 mm . each of fig9 b - 9d used the same previously derived calibration parameters α and ε and achieve greater than 50 db extinction . with proper environmental shielding of the optical demodulation circuit , the calibration coefficients remained valid over periods greater than 60 minutes . the sensitivity of the system was measured to vary from 107 db near a depth of + 0 . 2 mm to 103 db at a depth of + 2 . 0 mm . to demonstrate chirped - clock sampling , a clock generator 750 ( see fig8 ) using a voltage - controlled oscillator circuit . the output clock frequency is controlled through an analog voltage input and can be swept phase - continuously with a smoothly varying analog input waveform . this waveform is generated by the data acquisition ( daq ) 765 electronics and is repeated for each sweep of the source . the waveform is triggered from the same trigger signal used for data acquisition and is thus synchronized to the source sweep . fig1 a shows the measured axial point spread function of a mirror located at a displacement of approximately − 1 . 1 mm from the zero differential delay point using both a constant frequency clock signal and a chirped frequency clock signal . fig1 b shows the analog waveform input to the vco clock circuit for both the constant frequency and chirped frequency clock signals . a straightforward iterative routine was used to set the find the optimal vco analog waveform for a given configuration of the source . this waveform remains valid until the source is reconfigured . using the chirped frequency clock signal , the axial resolution of was measured to be 13 . 5 - 14 . 5 μm in air and is transform limited across the full imaging depth range . images of a human finger in - vivo acquired at an a - line rate of 15 . 6 khz are shown in fig1 . the image size is 5 mm transverse by 4 . 3 mm depth ( 500 × 408 ). the depth resolution is 14 μm in air and the transverse resolution is 25 μm . the imaging frame rate is 30 fps . in fig1 a , the image is generated based on only the in - phase signal si , showing the effect of depth - degeneracy . in fig1 b , the complex signal is used and the depth - degeneracy artifacts are removed , allowing unambiguous imaging over 4 . 3 mm . the foregoing merely illustrates the principles of the invention . various modifications and alterations to the described embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art in view of the teachings herein . indeed , the arrangements , systems and methods according to the exemplary embodiments of the present invention can be used with any oct system , ofdi system , sd - oct system or other imaging systems , and for example with those described in international patent application pct / us2004 / 029148 , filed sep . 8 , 2004 , u . s . patent application ser . no . 11 / 266 , 779 , filed nov . 2 , 2005 , and u . s . patent application ser . no . 10 / 501 , 276 , filed jul . 9 , 2004 , the disclosures of which are incorporated by reference herein in their entireties . it will thus be appreciated that those skilled in the art will be able to devise numerous systems , arrangements and methods which , although not explicitly shown or described herein , embody the principles of the invention and are thus within the spirit and scope of the present invention . in addition , to the extent that the prior art knowledge has not been explicitly incorporated by reference herein above , it is explicitly being incorporated herein in its entirety . all publications referenced herein above are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties . | 6 |
the present invention relates to a connector system comprising a series of connector components which interconnect with each other in a discretionary way . referring to fig1 , a preferred embodiment of a mating plug 101 and receptacle 100 of the connector system is illustrated . as shown , the plug 101 is partially inserted into the receptacle 100 , which , in this embodiment , is a jack having a tub portion 102 . although a jack is discussed herein in detail , it should be understood that the receptacle of the present invention is not restricted to a jack and may be any structure configured to receive a plug , including , for example , an adapter for connecting two plugs together or an integral connector on an active device ( e . g ., transceiver ) or passive device ( e . g ., splitter ). the plug typically contains a conductive element such a fiber or wire which mates with a similar element in the receptacle . in fiber optic applications , it is common for the conductive element to be contained in a ferrule , which in turn is housed by the plug . in a preferred embodiment , the ferrule is an mt - type ferrule . the outer surface of the plug 101 and the inner surface of the tub 102 have first and second geometries , respectively , which cooperate to allow only certain pairs of plugs and receptacles to mate ( herein “ mating pairs ,” “ mating plug and jack ,” or “ keyed pair ”), and which physically interfere for all other combinations of plugs and jacks ( herein “ non - mating pairs ,” “ non - mating plugs and jacks ” or non - keyed pairs ), thereby preventing non - mating plugs and jacks from effecting an optical or electrical coupling . the first and second geometries may embody any known keying mechanism which discriminates between connector components . such keying mechanisms include , for example , a key and slot relationship between the plug and jack , a receptacle dimensioned to receive only certain sized or shaped plugs , and even a magnetic signature for either attracting ( for mating pairs ) and repulsing ( non - mating pairs ). preferably , the keying mechanism involves just a slight modification to the plug and jack such that essentially the same molds can be used to manufacture connectors of different keyed pairs . although molding is preferred , it is should be understood that other techniques for producing the first and second geometries can be used including , for example , over molding and machining . in a preferred embodiment , the invention uses a key and slot mechanism . specifically , the slot can be embodied in the first or second geometry and the key can be embodied in the other geometry . in the particularly preferred embodiment shown in fig1 - 4 , the key is part of the second geometry , while the slot is part of the first geometry ; that is , the plug 101 has a slot 103 and the tub portion 102 of the jack has a key 104 . this configuration is preferred since the key may cooperate with other “ ribs ” on the connector for pre - alignment purposes . more specifically , with particular reference to fig3 , an end view of housing 301 of the plug 101 is shown . the housing comprises four walls each wall having a slot 103 , 302 a , 302 b , and 302 c , respectively . fig4 depicts an end view of housing 401 of the tub 400 in which the key 104 and ribs 402 a , 402 b , and 402 c are disposed on the walls of the housing . the key 104 and the ribs 402 a , 402 b , and 402 c cooperate with the slots 103 , 302 , 302 a , 302 b , and 302 c , respectively , to effect pre - alignment of ferrule located within the plug with the jack before final mating of the connector plug with the connector jack . the final mating may be between the conductive elements of the connector system , such as , for example , between a couple of mt - type ferrules , which employ precise alignment pins / receiving holes on the ferrule face . such ferrules are well known in the art . by pre - aligning the mt ferrules through the synergistic use of the key and slot , the inter - engagement of the closely - toleranced alignment pins / receiving holes is facilitated . the above - described synergistic keying and aligning feature of the present invention is realized with the mt - rj connector ( tyco electronics , harrisburg , pa ). in a preferred embodiment , the mating end of the key 104 contains a flat portion shown as 105 and the mating end of the plug 101 has a chamfers 106 on the corners of the edges of the slot 103 , while the remainder of the mating end of the plug comprises a flat portion 107 . the radius corners on the key 106 and the chamfers on the plug 107 work as a guiding device and provide for the necessary alignment between the key and the slot when the plug is inserted into the tub of the jack . on the other hand , as shown in fig2 , when a user attempts to mate two non - mating plug and jack components , the flat portion of the key 105 contacts the flat portion of the plug 107 and provides for definite physical interference between the plug and jack when slot and key do not correspond . accordingly , the use of this geometry prevents a user from forcing two non - mating plugs and jacks together . therefore , the physical interference provided between the flat portion 105 of the tub and the flat portion 107 of the key assures that only desired combinations of plugs and jacks will mate . the position of the key 104 on the tub 102 and the slot 103 on the plug 101 can be varied in such a manner so that a plurality of mutually - exclusive slot and key positions are formed . in one embodiment , the series of key and slot locations are mutually exclusive so that there is a one - to - one correspondence between jacks and plugs . in another embodiment , certain plugs may be configured to mate with a variety of different jacks . for example , it may be worthwhile to give network administers or people with high security clearance certain “ master ” plugs which are capable of mating with a number of jacks having different slot positions . referring to the figures , fig5 shows an embodiment of a master plug 501 which has a slot 502 that is configured ( which , in this embodiment , means it is wide enough ) to mate with jacks 503 and 504 which have different key positions 505 and 506 , respectively . although a wide slot is used in this embodiment to effect mating with two or more jacks having different key configurations , it should be understood that other embodiments are possible , such as , for example a plug with two or more slots . the number of possible mutually exclusive mating pairs for a given plug and receptacle is a function of the physical parameters of the plug and the receptacle . more specifically , with reference to fig1 - 4 , mutual exclusivity is ensured by adhering to the following relationships : a = the width of the plug 101 ; b = the width of the slot 103 on the plug 101 ; c = the width of the key 104 ; d = the distance across the opening of the tub ; f = the width of the ferrule residing within the plug ; δ = cl f − cl a , wherein cl a = centerline of the width of the plug ; and cl f = centerline of the ferrule residing within the plug . x 1 = the distance from the center of the opening in the tub 102 to the center of the key 104 for each mutually exclusive position . x 2 = the distance from the center of the plug 101 to the center of the slot 103 for each mutually exclusive position ; x 1a = the x 1 distance for a sequentially first key in a series of connectors ; x 1b = the x 1 distance for a sequentially second key in a series of connectors ; w = the wall thickness of the plug housing z = the minimum distance required to ensure that the flat portion of the key does not contact the flat portion of the plug 107 when a user attempts to mate a mating pair ; clear 1 = the clearance distance between the center side of the key and the center side of the slot ; these relationships must be satisfied for the mating pairs to mate and for the non - mating pairs to definitely not mate . specifically , for a mating pair , relationship ( 1 ) requires that half the ferrule width must be no less than x 1 less one half of c added to the difference between the width of the tub opening d less the width of the plug added to the difference between the centerline of the ferrule within the plug and the centerline of the plug . this ensures that the key is not positioned outside of the area on which at least a portion of the ferrule will reside . by adhering to this parameter , the key will have some overlap with the ferrule , and thus will provide for pre - alignment of the ferrule in the same manner as do the ribs on the three sides of the ferrule without the key . relationship ( 2 ) requires that x 2 added to one - half of dimension b is less than one - half of dimension a less w . this assures that the slot resides on the plug within the confines of the plug walls . finally , according to relationship ( 3 ), for each mutually exclusive position , the distance x 1 for the first connector in the system ( x 1a ) added to clear 1 added to a predefined interference interval z would correspond to the distance x 1 for the next slot / key position ( x 1b ). z is the minimum distance required to ensure that the flat portion of the key does not contact the flat portion of the plug 107 when a user attempts to mate the two portions of a connecter which is intended to mate . by way of example , four mutually exclusive locations for locating the slot on the plug housing and the key on the tub are defined below for an mt - rj connector . the mt - rj connector has the following dimensions : a = 7 . 15 ± 0 . 05 mm b = 1 . 25 mm c = 0 . 95 ± 0 . 04 mm d = 7 . 24 ± 0 . 04 mm f = 4 . 5 ± 0 . 04 mm clear 1 = 0 . 15 mm w = 0 . 8 mm based on these mt - rj dimensions , it has been found that the following x 1 key positions satisfy the relationships above : mating pair key position x 1 1 1 0 . 8 mm 2 2 1 . 6 mm 3 3 − 0 . 8 mm 4 4 − 1 . 6 mm although the data above indicates four mutually exclusive positions , it should be understood that additional positions are possible within the parameters of the mt - rj connector . additionally , it should be understood that the combinations of various key positions can be used to increase the number of permutations of mating pairs . for example , in addition to the four mating pairs listed above , additional mating pair configurations may obtained from the following combinations of key positions : mating pair key positions 5 1 , 2 6 1 , 2 , 3 7 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 8 2 , 3 9 2 , 4 10 2 , 3 , 4 11 3 , 4 12 1 , 3 13 1 , 4 14 1 , 3 , 4 15 1 , 2 , 4 in a preferred embodiment , the key and slot components are combined with the industry standard mt - rj connector . fig6 and fig7 show the key - slot combination added to the mt - rj connector as produced by tyco electronics of harrisburg , pa . fig6 ( a )-( c ) show the plug 602 of the mt - rj connector combined with the slot 601 of the present invention . fig7 ( a ) and 7 ( b ) show the center tub portion 703 of an mt - rj connector jack . the key is shown as 701 located in one of the plurality of possible positions . the three pre - alignment ribs are shown as 702 a , 702 b , and 702 c . the key 701 functions as the discriminating member for allowing or preventing mating with a plurality of plugs , while at the same time functioning as the pre - alignment member for the remaining side of the ferrule not aligned with ribs 702 a , 702 b , and 702 c . to provide a simple and readily apparent indication to the user of which plugs mate with which receptacles , it is preferable to mark mating pairs with indicia or color to indicate their compatibility . in a preferred embodiment , the components of a mating pair are a similar color different from all others used in the connector system . the system described allows for a series of mutually - exclusive connectors to be used in a manner which provides physical security to a network system . in light of the often highly sensitive data stored on many of the networks in use today , this is a highly desirable feature . the present invention is an effective way to segregate separate networks and assure that the proper users are connecting to the desired network . additionally , the present invention may be employed in the manufacture of devices in which fibers or wires need to be connected in particular arrangements . more specifically , the discriminating connectors of the present invention can be engineered into a system such that , during manufacturing , the correct connection of the fibers / wires is ensured by the mating pairs and their ability to prevent all other “ incorrect ” connections . applications requiring particular routing of fibers or wires include , for example , routers , backplane assemblies , and even component devices such as multiplexers / demultiplexers . it should be understood that the foregoing is illustrative and not limiting and that obvious modifications may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention . accordingly , the specification is intended to cover such alternatives , modifications , and equivalence as may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the following claims . | 6 |
while all modacrylics have a flame - resistant character to some extent , it has been found that fabrics formed from modacrylic yarns having at least about 35 percent by weight of acrylonitrile units will provide flame resistance that will meet the minimum standards of astm f 1506 . that is , they will not melt and drip or continue to burn when a source of ignition is removed . similarly , the number of acrylonitrile units should be less than about 85 weight percent . preferably , the modacrylic fibers have about 50 percent acrylonitrile . although other modacrylic fibers could be used to form the yarn and fabric of the present invention , the yam and fabric of the present invention as formed from short staple fibers of kanecaron ® sys . kanecaron ® sys is a 1 . 7 denier , 2 inch modacrylic fiber manufactured by kaneka corporation , osaka , japan . kanecaron ® sys fiber has a tenacity of about 3 grams / denier , a young &# 39 ; s modulus of about 270 kg / mm 2 , and a dull luster and has been found to meet the structural requirements of both ansi / isea - 107 - 1999 and astm f 1506 . as is conventional in short staple yam manufacture , bales of such short staple fibers are initially subjected to an opening process whereby the compacted fibers are “ pulled ” or “ plucked ” in preparation for carding . opening serves to promote cleaning and blending of fibers during the yam formation process . those skilled in the art will appreciate that there are a number of conventional hoppers and fine openers that are acceptable for this process . the open and blended fibers are next carded using marzoli cx300 cards to form card slivers . the card slivers are transformed into drawing slivers through a drawing process utilizing a process known as breaker drawing on a rieter sb951 drawframe and finisher drawing on a rieter rsb951 drawframe . drawn slivers are next subjected to a roving process conventionally known in preparation for ring spinning . a saco - lowell rovematic roving frame with suessen drafting is used to twist , lay and wind the sliver into roving . a marzoli nsf2 / l spinning frame is used to ring spun the yarn product . winding , doubling , and twisting processes conventionally known in the art are used in completing the yarn product . a finished yarn found structurally suitable for the present invention is an 18 singles , 2 - ply construction . the illustrated fabric is woven ; however , other constructions , such as knitted , and non - woven constructions may be used , provided they meet the design and structural requirements of the two standards . the exemplary fabric is woven on a dornier rapier loom with 46 warp ends and 34 fill ends of yarn per inch and an off - loom width of 68 inches . the usable width of this fabric is approximately 60 inches . any looms capable of weaving modacrylic yarns may just as suitably be used . the woven fabric has a desired weight of approximately 4 to 20 ounces per square yard , and desirably about 7 . 5 ounces per square yard as necessary to satisfy the design requirements for the particular class of safety apparel . in preparation for dyeing , the woven fabric is subjected to desizing and scouring to remove impurities and sizes such as polyacrylic acid . the process of desizing is well known in the art . a non - ionic agent is applied in a bath at between about 0 . 2 and 0 . 5 weight percent of the fabric and an oxidation desizing agent is applied in a bath at about 2 to 3 percent of fabric weight . the use of such agents is well known in the art . the processing , or run , time for desizing and scouring is approximately 15 to 20 minutes at 60 ° c . the fabric is then rinsed with water at a temperature of 60 ° c . the pretreated fabric is then ready for dyeing and finishing . the dyeing is formed in a jet dye machine such as a model mark iv manufactured by gaston county machine company of stanley , n . c . the specific dyes used to color the fabric of the present invention are basic , or cationic , dyestuffs . the cationic dyes are known for their acceptability in dyeing polyesters , nylons , acrylics , and modacrylics . however , it has heretofor not been known that these dyes could be formulated to dye modacrylic material in order to meet the luminance and chromacity criteria for safety apparel according to ansi / isea - 107 and the fire resistant criteria of astm f 1506 . two dye formulations have been found to meet the high visibility criteria for ansi / isea - 107 . a dye formulation for international yellow comprises basic flavine yellow , available from dundee color of shelby , n . c . as color number 10gff . it has been found that this dyestuff applied at between about 2 to 2½ percent of fabric weight successfully achieves the ansi criteria . a dye formulation for international orange may be formed from blue and red cationic dyestuffs , available from yorkshire america in rock hill , s . c ., as color numbers sevron blue 5gmf and sevron brilliant red4 g and applied at percentages sufficient to meet the ansi / isea - 107 shade requirements . either of the dyestuffs described above are added to the jet dye machine . the ph of the bath is established at between about 3 and 4 , with acid used to adjust the ph as required . the bath temperature in the jet dyer is raised at about 1 ° c . per minute to a temperature of about 80 ° c ., where the temperature is held for approximately 10 minutes . the temperature is then raised approximately 0 . 5 ° c . per minute to a temperature of 98 ° c . and held for approximately 60 minutes . the bath is then cooled at about 2 ° c . per minute to 60 ° c . at that point , the bath is emptied and rinsing with water at 60 ° c . occurs until the dye stuff residue in the jet dyer is removed . at this point , the dyeing cycle is complete . wet fabric is removed from the dye machine where it is dried on a standard propane open width tenter frame running at approximately 40 yards per minute at approximately 280 ° f . to stabilize width and shrinkage performance . at the completion of this process , a fabric that meets both the ansi standard for high visibility safety apparel and the astm standard for flame resistance has been formed . the finished fabric may be used to construct an unlimited number of types of safety apparel . the most common types are shirts or vests , and trousers or coveralls . the final constructed garments are designed and formed to meet the design , structural , and fastening criteria of the ansi and astm standards . certain modifications and improvements will occur to those skilled in the art upon a reading of the foregoing description . it should be understood that all such modifications and improvements have been deleted herein for the sake of conciseness and readability but are properly within the scope of the following claims . | 8 |
the following description is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make and use the invention , and is provided in the context of a particular application and its requirements . various modifications to the embodiments are possible to those skilled in the art , and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to these and other embodiments and applications without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . thus , the present invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown , but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles , features and teachings disclosed herein . u . s . application publication no . 2006 / 0033474 , entitled “ usb battery charger ,” ser . no . 11 / 916 , 339 , filed on aug . 11 , 2004 by inventor k . shum is hereby incorporated by reference . fig1 is a circuit diagram of a battery charging system 100 with a usb host 105 and battery - powered usb device 120 , in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention . the usb host 105 may be coupled to the usb device 110 directly or via a usb cable 115 . when the usb host 105 and the usb device 110 are interconnected , the usb host 105 and usb device 110 may exchange data , and / or the usb host 105 may charge the battery of the usb device 110 . the usb host 105 may include a desktop computer , a laptop computer , a tablet pc , etc . the usb host 105 includes a power source 165 . when the usb host 105 is a desktop computer , the power source 165 may include an ac power supply 120 ( and corresponding circuit ). when the usb host 105 is a laptop , tablet pc or other portable computer system , the power source 165 may include both an ac power supply 120 and a battery 125 ( and corresponding circuit ), such that the ac power supply 120 powers the usb host 105 when connected to an ac outlet ( not shown ) and the battery 125 powers the usb host 105 when not connected to an ac outlet . the usb host 105 also includes one or more usb ports 130 ( only one shown ), each capable of connection to a usb device 110 directly or via the usb cable 150 . the power source 165 powers the usb ports 130 . the usb device 110 may include a cellular telephone , a personal digital assistant ( pda ), a personal music player , a camera , etc . the usb device 110 includes a rechargeable battery 135 ( e . g ., a lithium ion battery ) and a battery charger 140 ( with a digital charge reduction loop ) coupled to the battery 135 . the usb device 110 includes a usb port 145 coupled to the battery charger 140 and to the system core 170 of the usb device 110 . the system core 170 includes the microprocessor ( s ), circuitry , memory , storage and / or the like , for operating the core functions of the usb device 110 , e . g ., the cellular telephone , the pda , the personal music player , the camera , etc . when the usb device 110 is not connected to the usb host 105 , the system core 170 of the usb device 110 is powered by its internal battery 135 . however , when the usb device 110 is connected to the usb host 105 , the system core 170 may be powered fully or partially by the power supplied over the power line of the usb port 145 from the usb host 105 . further , the battery charger 140 may draw power from the power line of the usb port 145 to charge the battery 135 . in one embodiment , the battery charger 140 is operative to take only as much current from the usb port 145 as possible without starving the system core 170 . if the system core 170 is inactive , then the battery charger 140 takes the maximum possible charge current , for example , 500 milliamps , that the usb port 145 can source and / or that the battery charger 140 can accept without damage . if the system core 170 is active and drawing a load current , then the battery charger 140 uses the remainder of the current available and / or that the battery charger 140 can accept . for example , if the system core 170 needs 200 milliamps of load current , then the battery charger 140 takes the remaining 300 milliamps of a usb port 130 that is capable of providing a maximum of 500 milliamps of current . a first example battery charger 140 ′ with a digital charge reduction loop is shown in fig2 . a second example battery charger 140 ″ with a digital charge reduction loop is shown in fig5 . generally , the battery charger 140 takes advantage of the fact that , when a circuit pulls more current than is available from an input source , the source voltage drops . per the usb 2 . 0 standard , a usb port may sag as low as 4 . 4 volts , and thus usb devices 110 must be capable of operating with as little as 4 . 4 volts of input voltage . per one embodiment , the battery charger 140 initially draws a maximum charge current . if the voltage of the usb port 130 drops below a trip voltage threshold , e . g ., 4 . 4 volts , then the battery charger 140 draws only a minimum charge current until the source voltage returns above a safe voltage threshold , e . g ., 4 . 5 volts . then , the battery charger 140 step - wise increases the charge current it draws from the usb port 145 ( e . g ., in steps of predetermined amperage ), and monitors the source voltage of the usb port 145 until the source voltage drops below the safe voltage threshold . when the source voltage drops below the safe voltage threshold , the battery charger 140 step - wise decreases the charge current it draws until the source voltage rises above the safe voltage threshold ( or the maximum charge current is reached ). the battery charger 140 continues to monitor the source voltage , and repeats step - wise increasing and step - wise decreasing the charge current , thus causing the charger current to oscillate about the maximum charge current possible at a given time . if at any time the load current changes , the battery charger 140 follows the above protocol . for example , assume that the usb port 130 is capable of sourcing a maximum 500 milliamps of current . if the system core 170 draws no load current , then the battery charger 140 draws all 500 milliamps as charge current to charge the battery 135 . if the system core 170 draws 200 milliamps of load current , then the battery charger 140 notices a voltage drop at the usb port 145 below the trip voltage threshold . the battery charger 140 responsively drops to a minimum charge current until the source voltage returns above a safe voltage threshold . the battery charger 140 step - wise increases the charge current until the source voltage drops below the safe voltage threshold . then , the battery charger 140 step - wise decreases the charge current and the source voltage rises above the safe voltage threshold . accordingly , the source voltage stabilizes at ( oscillates about ) the safe voltage threshold , and the charge current stabilizes at ( oscillates about ) the maximum charge current possible . if the usb port 130 is capable of sourcing 500 milliamps and the load current is about 200 milliamps , then the charge current will stabilize at ( oscillate about ) 300 milliamps . fig2 is a circuit diagram illustrating details of a battery charger 140 ′ with a digital charge reduction loop 200 , in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention . the battery charger 140 ′ is an example embodiment of the battery charger 140 of fig1 . the battery charger 140 ′ includes a digital charge reduction loop 200 coupled to an input source 245 ( e . g ., the v bus of the usb port 145 ), an analog charge - current control circuit 240 , a multiplexer 225 coupled to the digital charge reduction loop 200 and to the analog charge - current control circuit 240 , and a charge - current limit / control circuit 230 coupled to the input source 245 and to the multiplexer 225 . generally , the analog charge - current control circuit 240 operates during normal mode , when maximum charge - current is available from the input source 245 . the analog charge - current control circuit 240 may include a predetermined voltage signal , a modifiable voltage signal , or other analog control - signal generating circuit . the digital charge reduction loop 200 operates during reduced charge - current mode , when less than the maximum charge - current is available from the input source 245 . the multiplexer 225 operates to select one of the analog charge - current control circuit 240 or the digital charge reduction loop 200 as the charge - current controlling circuit to control the charge - current limit / control circuit 230 . the charge - current limit / control circuit 230 operates to draw the charge current from the input source 245 to the battery 135 based on the control signal it receives from the multiplexer 225 , however , limited to a maximum charge current that the battery 135 can accept without risking damage , e . g ., 1 a . the charge - current limit / control circuit 230 may include a gated - mos , e . g ., pmos or nmos , circuit . the digital charge reduction loop 200 includes a source voltage analysis circuit 205 coupled to the input source 245 , an up / down counter 210 ( e . g ., a shifter ) coupled to the source voltage analysis circuit 205 , a digital to analog converter ( dac ) 220 coupled to the up / down counter 210 and to the multiplexer 225 , an rs flip - flop 215 coupled to the source voltage analysis circuit 205 , to the up / down counter 210 and to the multiplexer 225 , and a clock oscillator 235 coupled to the up / down counter 210 . the source voltage analysis circuit 205 monitors the source voltage of the input source 245 . if current demand on the input source 245 causes the source voltage to drop below a trip voltage threshold , then the multiplexer 225 selects the digital charge reduction loop 200 to control the charge current . essentially , when the source voltage drops below the trip threshold voltage , the source voltage analysis circuit 205 resets the rs flip - flop 215 , which causes the multiplexer 225 to select the digital charge reduction loop 200 to control the charge - current limit / control circuit 230 . having been selected as the charge - current control circuit , the digital charge reduction loop 200 reduces the charge current to a predetermined minimum , thereby allowing the source voltage at the input source 245 to recover to a point above a safe voltage threshold ( in this case measured at node v 1 , although measurable at any node ). once recovered , the digital charge reduction loop 200 steps up the charge current until the source voltage drops below the safe voltage threshold . at this time , the digital charge reduction loop 200 steps down the charge current , thereby allowing the source voltage to rise again . in a repeating fashion , the digital charge reduction loop 200 identifies a “ steady - state ” charge current where the input source 245 is not overloaded and the battery 135 is being charged using the maximum charge current available . should the capability of the input source 245 increase or should the load current demand reduce , the up / down counter 210 may eventually reach a maximum count ( b n ). when the maximum count is reached , the up / down counter 210 sends an end signal to set the rs flip - flop 215 , which causes the multiplexer 225 to return control of the charge current back to the analog control circuit 240 . in this embodiment , the source voltage analysis circuit 205 includes three resistors , r 1 , r 2 and r 3 , coupled in series between the input source 245 and ground , respectively . a first comparator a is coupled to the node v 1 between the resistors r 1 and r 2 and to a reference voltage vref , e . g ., 2 . 0v ( or other voltage ). a second comparator b is coupled to the node v 0 between the resistors r 2 and r 3 and to the reference voltage vref . the three resistors , r 1 , r 2 and r 3 , and the reference voltage vref set the voltage thresholds , namely , the trip voltage threshold and the safe voltage threshold . the trip voltage threshold ( digital charge reduction loop 200 enable ), measured at node v 0 , is set for 1 . 98v , resets the up / down counter 210 , and causes selection of the digital charge reduction loop 200 by the multiplexer 225 . the safe voltage threshold ( digital charge reduction loop 200 control ), measured at node v 1 , is set at 2 . 02v and controls the up / down count of the digital counter 210 , which in turn controls the dac 220 , which in turn controls the charge - current limit / control circuit 230 . in a specific embodiment , when the input source 245 is greater than 4 . 5v , v 0 is greater than 1 . 98v . thus , the analog control circuit 240 controls charge current to the battery 135 . should the input source 245 be unable to supply the charge current or should the load current and charge current exceed the current capacity of the input source 245 , the source voltage at the input source 245 will drop below 4 . 5v . v 0 and v 1 will subsequently drop in a linear scale based upon the values of the resistors r 1 , r 2 and r 3 . when v 0 falls below the trip voltage threshold , e . g ., 1 . 98v , comparator a will reset the rs flip - flop 215 , causing the multiplexer 225 to transition control of the charge current from the analog control circuit 240 to the digital charge reduction loop 200 . further , comparator a will reset the up / down counter 210 to its lowest level , setting the dac 220 to a predetermined minimum , which in turn reduces the charge current to a predetermined minimum . this restores the integrity of the input source 245 and prevents shutdown or potential damage to the input source 245 or the system core 170 . the comparator b compares the voltage at node v 1 against the reference voltage vref and responsively generates a control signal . if the voltage at node v 1 is greater than the safe voltage threshold ( as measured at v 1 ), e . g ., 2 . 02v , then the comparator b generates a logical - high control signal . otherwise , comparator b generates a logical - low control signal . a clock period later , the up / down counter 210 samples the control signal from the comparator b . if the voltage seen by comparator b is logical - high ( as expected with reduced load current ), the logical - high control signal causes the up / down counter 210 to count up by one , thus setting the b 0 bit and increasing the output voltage of the dac 220 by one predetermined step . thus , the dac 220 increases the charge current by one predetermined step . as charge current is stepped up , charge current increases the current demand placed on the input source 245 , causing source voltage reduction . when the source voltage drops below the safe voltage threshold , the control signal transitions to a logical - low state , causing a down count in the up / down counter 210 . the down count causes a step down reduction in the output voltage of the dac 220 , thus causing a step reduction in the charge current . after a number of clock cycles , the digital charge reduction loop 200 stabilizes ( e . g ., oscillates about ) at the maximum charge current supported by the input source 245 . when a source fault terminates or load current is reduced , the digital charge reduction loop 200 steps up the charge current . when the up / down counter 210 reaches the maximum level , namely , the b n level , the up / down counter 210 sends an end signal to set the sr flip - flop 215 , which controls the multiplexer 225 to shift control back to the analog control circuit 240 . it will be appreciated that the up / down counter 210 may shift at any resolution , e . g ., 32 steps or 64 steps , depending on how course or fine to make the voltage / current steps . a courser resolution may provide a faster response . also , greater resolution may require a longer shifter . it will also be appreciated that an embodiment may be implemented with only a digital charge reduction loop 200 and without an analog control circuit 240 . fig3 illustrates a voltage / time diagram 300 for the battery charger 140 ′ of fig2 , in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention . as shown in the figures , the term “ digital charge reduction loop ” can be conveniently written as “ dchr .” the diagram 300 illustrates four ( 4 ) stages of the digital charge reduction loop 200 . during stage 305 , while the analog control circuit 240 controls the charge current , the digital charge reduction loop 200 measures the source voltage of the input source 245 . as shown , overload of the input source 245 occurs during stage 305 , thus causing the source voltage to drop . stage 310 begins when the digital charge reduction loop 200 recognizes that the source voltage has dropped to a trip voltage threshold , thus causing transition of charge - current control from the analog control circuit 240 to the digital charge reduction loop 200 . the digital charge reduction loop 200 reduces charge current to a predetermined minimum , thus allowing the source voltage to recover back to a point above the safe voltage threshold ( in this case , back to about 4 . 6v ). stage 315 begins when the source voltage has recovered to the point above the safe voltage threshold , at which time the digital charge reduction loop 200 begins to step up the charge current upon every clock cycle . in response to the stepping up of the charge current , stage 315 illustrates the source voltage stepping down until it reaches the safe threshold voltage . stage 320 begins when the source voltage reaches the safe threshold voltage , at which time the digital charge reduction loop 200 begins to step down the charge current , thus causing the source voltage to rise above the safe voltage threshold . having risen above the safe voltage threshold , the digital charge reduction loop 200 steps up the charge current , thus causing the source voltage to drop below the safe voltage threshold . accordingly , during stage 320 , the digital charge reduction loop 200 causes a steady - state charge current as the source voltage stabilizes at ( e . g ., oscillates about ) the safe voltage threshold . fig4 illustrates voltage / time and current / time diagrams 400 for the battery charger 140 ′ of fig2 , in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention . diagram 400 ( a ) illustrates load current over a time period of 12 milliseconds ( ms ). as shown , from t = 0 ms to t = 1 ms , the system core 170 of the usb device 110 draws no current . from about t = 1 ms to about t = 5 ms , the system core 170 draws about 300 ma of current . from about t = 5 ms to about t = 10 ms , the system core 170 draws about 230 ma of current . after about t = 10 ms , the system core 170 draws no current . diagram 400 ( b ) illustrates source voltage of the input source 245 over the same time period . as shown , from t = 0 ms until about t = 1 ms ( while the system core 170 draws no load current ), the source voltage is stable at about 4 . 6v . at about t = 1 ms , when the system core 170 begins drawing a load current of 300 ma , the source voltage drops below the trip voltage threshold of about 4 . 4v . immediately thereafter ( as the digital charge reduction loop 200 takes over charge - current control ), the source voltage returns to a safe voltage threshold of about 4 . 5v and stabilizes at about 4 . 45v . at about t = 5 ms , when the system core 170 reduces its load current from about 300 ma to about 230 ma , the source voltage rises slightly . from about t = 5 ms to about t = 5 . 5 ms ( as the digital charge reduction loop 200 steps up the charge current ), the source voltage lowers again to the safe voltage threshold . from about t = 5 . 5 ms to about t = 10 ms , the source voltage remains stable at the safe voltage threshold . at about t = 10 ms ( after the system core 170 stops drawing any load current ), the source voltage rises upward . at about t = 10 . 5 ms ( as the analog control circuit 240 takes over charge - current control ), the source voltage flattens at about 4 . 6v . diagram 400 ( c ) illustrates loop activation / deactivation over the same time period . as shown , the digital charge reduction loop 200 is deactivated at t = 0 ms , activated at about t = 1 ms ( when the source voltage drops below the trip voltage threshold ), and is deactivated at about t = 10 . 5 ms ( when the charge current rises above the maximum charge current controlled by the digital charge reduction loop 200 ). diagram 400 ( d ) illustrates charge current over the same time period . as shown , from t = 0 ms to about t = 1 ms ( when the system core 170 draw no load current and the analog control circuit 240 is in control ), the charge current is stable at about 420 ma . at about t = 1 ms ( upon detection of the source voltage dropping below the trip voltage threshold , after the load current increases to 300 ma , and after the digital charge reduction loop 200 takes control of the charge current from the analog control circuit 240 ), the charge current drops from 420 ma to a predetermined minimum of about 170 ma . then , slightly after about t = 1 ms ( after the source voltage has recovered ), the digital charge reduction loop 200 steps up the charge current until the source voltage reaches the safe voltage threshold of about 4 . 5v at about t = 2 ms . at about t = 2 ms , the charge current stabilizes at ( e . g ., oscillates about ) about 270 ma . then , at about t = 5 ms ( as the digital charge reduction loop 200 recognizes a slight increase in the source voltage due to the decrease in load current from 300 ma to about 230 ma ), the charge current begins to step up . at about t = 5 . 5 ms ( as the source voltage stabilizes at the safe voltage threshold ), the charge current stabilizes at about 350 ma . at about t = 10 ms ( as the digital charge reduction loop 200 recognizes an increase in the source voltage due to the system core 170 drawing no load current ), the digital charge reduction loop 200 steps up the charge current . at about t = 10 . 5 ms ( as the analog control circuit 240 takes over control of the charge current from the digital charge reduction loop 200 ), the charge current flattens again at about 420 ma . fig5 is a circuit diagram illustrating details of a battery charger 140 ″ with a digital charge reduction loop 500 , in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention . the battery charger 140 ″ is a second example embodiment of the battery charger 140 of fig2 . like battery charger 140 ′, battery charger 140 ″ includes a digital charge reduction loop 500 coupled to an input source 245 ( e . g ., the v bus of the usb port 145 ), an analog charge - current control circuit 240 , a multiplexer 225 coupled to the digital charge reduction loop 500 and to the analog charge - current control circuit 240 , and a charge - current limit / control circuit 230 coupled to the input source 245 and to the multiplexer 225 . as shown , the digital charge reduction loop 500 can be implemented with a low range hysteresis using only one comparator , namely , comparator c . in this case , trip and safe voltage thresholds are separated by the hysteresis level . when the source voltage of the input source 245 is maximized ( such that the up / down counter 510 is at its maximum count ), the multiplexer 245 causes the analog control circuit 240 to control the charge current . when the source voltage falls below the trip voltage threshold ( comparator c high to low threshold ), the digital charge reduction loop 500 is activated . the output signal of the comparator c goes low when the rs flip - flop 215 is at the ‘ set ’ stage ( q output logic high ), causing the up / down counter 510 to reset , reducing the digital count value of the up / down counter 510 to a predetermined minimum . resetting the up / down counter 510 also causes the up / down counter 510 to reset the rs flip - flop 215 , which causes the multiplexer 225 to transition charge - current control from the analog control circuit 240 to the digital charge reduction loop 500 . the digital charge reduction loop 500 reduces charge current to a predetermined minimum , thereby causing the source voltage to recover above the safe / trip voltage threshold . every clock cycle that the output signal of the comparator c is high , the up / down counter 510 steps up the its output count ( b0 - bn ) to the dac 220 , which controls the charge - current limit / control circuit 230 , which in turn controls the charge current . for every clock cycle that the output signal of the comparator c is low ( while the up / down counter 510 is not on its maximum count ), the up / down counter 510 counts down . the source voltage stabilizes at ( e . g ., oscillates about ) the trip / safe voltage threshold , causing the charge current to stabilize at the maximum current available . when the up / down counter 510 reaches its maximum count , the up / down counter 510 sends and end signal to the rs flip - flop 215 , which controls the multiplexer 225 to return control of the charge current back to the analog charge - current control circuit 240 . embodiments of the digital charge reduction loop may provide several advantages over an analog / linear charge reduction loop . for example , trip and safe voltage thresholds may be more easily adjusted , and hysteresis may be added to increase charge reduction loop stability to line and load transient effects with the source supply . the digital charge reduction loop 200 / 500 may provide greater ease of adjusting digital charge reduction loop start - up and response time . the response of the clock oscillator 235 , the up / down counter 210 / 510 speed , and the dac 220 may be adjusted for the timing needs of a given application . the digital charge reduction loop may be less prone to adverse noise issues commonly associated with dc - dc switching charge - current regulation systems , making the digital charge reduction loop more desirable for implementation in integrated circuits for dc - dc switching battery chargers . further , for battery charge integrated circuit ( ic ) applications , a digital charge reduction loop may save space and cost by virtue of the circuit being able to share elements ( such as the system clock and counters ) with other unrelated control circuits within the ic ( such as temperature control ). sharing circuit elements allows for reduced ic die size , thus reducing space needs and manufacturing costs . it will be appreciated that the digital charge reduction loop 200 / 500 is applicable to scenarios not involving battery charging using a usb port as an input source 245 . for example , battery charging can be performed with high - current external power supplies , commonly referred to as “ line adaptors ”. as stated above , designers may supply a line adaptor with specifications rated to meet or exceed the current requirements of the system and battery charging operations . however , when a non - approved input source 245 is used with a device 110 that has an insufficient current handling capacity , the digital charge reduction loop 200 / 500 may reduce charge current to a safe level , possibly better than the limits of a usb port . fig6 illustrates a voltage / time and current / time diagrams 600 of a digital charge reduction loop managing charge current from a line adapter that is capable of sourcing amounts of current greater than a typical usb port . diagram 600 ( a ) illustrates load current over a time period of 12 ms . as shown , from t = 0 ms to t = 1 ms , the system core 170 of the usb device 110 draws no current . from about t = 1 ms to about t = 5 ms , the system core 170 draws about 1 a of current . from about t = 5 ms to about t = 10 ms , the system core 170 draws about 700 ma of current . after about t = 10 ms , the system core 170 draws no current . diagram 600 ( b ) illustrates source voltage of the input source 245 over the same time period . as shown , from t = 0 ms until about t = 1 ms ( while the system core 170 draws no load current ), the source voltage is stable at about 4 . 6v . at about t = 1 ms ( when the system core 170 begins drawing a load current of 1 a ), the source voltage drops below the trip voltage threshold of about 4 . 3v . immediately thereafter ( as the digital charge reduction loop 200 / 500 takes over charge - current control ), the source voltage quickly returns to a safe voltage threshold of about 4 . 4v and becomes stable at about 4 . 4v . at about t = 5 ms ( when the system core 170 reduces its load current from about 1 a to about 700 ma ), the source voltage rises slightly to about 4 . 5v . from about t = 5 ms to about t = 5 . 5 ms ( as the digital charge reduction loop 200 / 500 steps up the charge current ), the source voltage lowers again to the safe voltage threshold . from about t = 5 . 5 ms to about t = 10 ms , the source voltage remains stable at the safe voltage threshold . at about t = 10 ms ( after the system core 170 stops drawing any load current ), the source voltage quickly rises upward . at about t = 10 . 5 ms ( as the analog control circuit 240 takes over charge - current control from the digital charge reduction loop 200 / 500 ), the source voltage flattens at about 4 . 5v . diagram 600 ( c ) illustrates loop activation / deactivation over the same time period . as shown , the digital charge reduction loop 200 / 500 is deactivated at t = 0 ms , activated at about t = 1 ms , and deactivated at about t = 10 . 5 ms . diagram 600 ( d ) illustrates charge current over the same time period . as shown , from t = 0 ms to about t = 1 ms ( when the system core 170 draws no load current and the analog control circuit 240 is in control ), the charge current is stable at about 1 . 25a . at about t = 1 ms ( upon detection of the source voltage dropping below the trip voltage threshold , after the load current increases to 1 a , and after the digital charge reduction loop 200 / 500 takes charge - current control from the analog control circuit 240 ), the charge current drops from 1 . 25a to a predetermined minimum of about 500 ma . then , the digital charge reduction loop 200 / 500 steps up the charge current until the source voltage reaches the safe voltage threshold of about 4 . 4v . at about t = 1 . 2 ms , the charge current stabilizes at ( e . g ., oscillates about ) about 650 ma . then , at about t = 5 ms ( as the digital charge reduction loop 200 recognizes a slight increase in the source voltage due to the decrease in load current from 1 a to about 700 ma ), the digital charge reduction loop 200 / 500 begins to step up the charge current . at about t = 5 . 5 ms ( as the source voltage stabilizes at the safe voltage threshold ), the charge current stabilizes at about 950 ma . at about t = 10 ms ( as the digital charge reduction loop 200 recognizes an increase in the source voltage due to the system core 170 drawing no load current ), the digital charge reduction loop 200 / 500 steps up the charge current . at about t = 10 . 5 ms ( as the analog control circuit 240 takes over control of the charge current from the digital charge reduction loop 200 / 500 ), the charge current flattens again at about 1 . 25a . by maximizing the charge current possible , the battery charger 140 fully utilizes power available from the particular input source 245 , dramatically reducing charging time . in some embodiments , battery chargers 140 need not be configured to limit maximum charge current to 500 milliamps , and may rely on digital charge reduction to drop charge current to the appropriate level . also , if a usb device 110 with a usb controller ( not shown ) is connected to the usb host 105 , then the usb controller should recognize that it is plugged into a usb port 130 of a computer system and will distinguish between a type a ( 500 milliamp ) port and a type b ( 100 milliamp ) port . however , if a usb device 110 without a usb controller is connected to a usb host 105 , the usb device 110 will be incapable of recognizing that it is plugged into a usb port . ( for example , a bluetooth headset does not have a usb controller , since a bluetooth headset is not used to exchange data .) using digital charge reduction , the usb device 110 without a usb controller can be charged by a usb port . with a digital charge reduction loop , the usb device 110 will automatically step - wise reduce current drawn . no external control will be needed . the foregoing description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention is by way of example only , and other variations and modifications of the above - described embodiments and methods are possible in light of the foregoing teaching . components may be implemented using a programmed general - purpose digital computer , using application specific integrated circuits , or using a network of interconnected conventional components and circuits . the embodiments described herein are not intended to be exhaustive or limiting . the present invention is limited only by the following claims . | 7 |
referring to fig1 numeral 10 designates the combination of a differential operational amplifier 12 and the cmfb circuitry 13 , 13a which generates a stable common mode output voltage and imposes it on the outputs of differential operational amplifier 12 . note that fig1 is a schematic diagram of the same circuit shown in more detail in fig2 . the same reference numerals are been used in both fig1 and fig2 to identify corresponding components . differential operational amplifier 12 has a &# 34 ; positive &# 34 ; output v 0 + and a &# 34 ; negative &# 34 ; output v 0 - which are connected to terminals 14 and 15 , respectively of the cmfb circuit that includes everything other than differential operational amplifier 12 and a bias circuit . the bias circuit includes a constant current source 39 connected between the drains of diode - connected p - channel mosfet 53 and diode - connected n - channel mosfet 37 . the source of mosfet 53 is connected to v dd , and the source of mosfet 37 is connected to ground . the bias circuit establishes an upper bias voltage v 56 on conductor 56 , which is connected to the gate and drain of mosfet 53 , and also establishes a lower bias voltage v 34 on conductor 34 , which is connected to the gate and drain of mosfet 37 . referring more particularly to fig1 switch 63 , controlled by a &# 34 ; sample &# 34 ; clock φ2 , is connected between conductor 56 and conductor 61 , and switch 33 , controlled by φ2 , is connected between conductor 34 and conductor 60 . capacitor 49 is connected between conductor 61 and conductor 50 . conductor 50 is connected by switch 51 , controlled by φ2 , to v dd . capacitor 31 is connected between conductor 50 and conductor 60 . capacitor 48 is connected between conductor 61 and conductor 29 . switch 32 , controlled by φ2 , is connected between ground and conductor 29 . capacitor 30 is connected between conductor 29 and conductor switch 40 , controlled by clock φ1 , is connected between conductor 61 and conductor 21 . conductor 21 is connected to the gate electrodes of p - channel mosfets 20 and 20a , the sources of which are connected to v dd . the drains of mosfets 20 and 20a are connected to the sources of p - channel cascode mosfets 19 and 19a , respectively . the gates of cascode mosfets 19 and 19a receive a suitable bias voltage on conductor 23 . their drains are connected to conductors 14 and 15 , respectively . capacitor 25 is connected between conductor 21 and conductor 14 . switch 26 , controlled by φ1 , is connected between conductor 60 and conductor 18 . conductor 18 is connected to the gate electrodes of n - channel mosfets 16 and 16a , the sources of which are connected to ground . the drains of mosfets 16 and 16a are connected to the sources of n - channel cascode mosfets 17 and 17a , respectively . the gates of mosfets 17 and 17a receive a suitable bias voltage on conductor 22 . the drains of mosfets 17 and 17a are connected to conductors 14 and 15 , respectively . the output terminals v 0 + and v 0 31 operational amplifier 12 are connected to conductors 14 and 15 , respectively . capacitor 24 is connected between conductors 14 and 18 . a switch 41 / 52 controlled by φ1 , is connected between conductor 50 and conductor 14 , and a switch 27 / 28 , also controlled by φ1 is connected between conductors 29 and 14 . note that the portion 13a of the cmfb circuit of fig1 to the right of operational amplifier 12 is essentially identical to the portion 13 of the cmfb circuit to the left of differential operational amplifier 12 . accordingly , the reference numerals for portion 13a of the cmfb circuit are identical to those for portion 113 , with the suffix &# 34 ; a &# 34 ; added . the operation of the cmfb circuit as shown in fig1 will be described next . referring to portion 13 of the cmfb circuit , during the φ2 &# 34 ; sample &# 34 ; portion of circuit operation , switches 63 , 51 , 32 , and 33 are closed and switches 40 and 41 / 52 , and 27 / 28 and 26 are open . that is , the φ2 - controlled switches are closed and the φ1 - controlled switches are open . therefore , during φ2 the upper plates or terminals of capacitors 48 and 49 are charged to the upper bias voltage v 56 . capacitor 49 has its lower plate or terminal at v dd and capacitor 48 has its lower plate at ground . note that bias circuit 37 , 39 , 53 is designed so that v 56 is equal to the desired bias voltage on conductor 21 and so that v 34 is the bias voltage desired on conductor 18 to set the proper quiescent current through the operating point mosfets 16 , 16a , 20 and 20a . during φ2 the upper plate of capacitor 30 is discharged to ground , and its lower plate is charged to the lower bias voltage v 34 . the upper plate of capacitor 31 is charged to v dd , and its lower plate is charged to v 34 . capacitors 30 , 31 , 48 , and 49 are all equal in value , for example , 0 . 75 picofarads . capacitors 24 and 25 are also equal , for example 2 . 5 picofarads . the φ2 - controlled switches 63 , 51 , 32 , and 33 then are opened . then , the φ1 - controlled switches 40 , 41 / 52 , 27 / 28 , and 26 are closed . the closing of switches 41 / 52 and 27 / 28 causes a redistribution of the charge on capacitors 48 and 49 , which are thereby connected in parallel to establish a voltage across them , equal to v 56 minus v dd / 2 . the closing of switches 40 and 40a redistributes the charge onto capacitors 25 and 25a . the closing of switches 41 , 52 and 27 , 28 also causes a redistribution of the charge on capacitors 30 and 31 , which are thereby connected in parallel to establish a voltage across them equal to v dd / 2 minus v 34 . the closing of switches 26 and 26a redistributes the charge onto capacitors 24 and 24a . therefore , the voltage on conductor 21 approaches v 56 and the voltage on conductor 18 approaches v 34 . this sets the common mode voltage of output conductors 14 and 15 to v dd / 2 , and sets the quiescent current of the operating point control transistors to be equal to i o . note that if an input is applied to differential operational amplifier 12 , it produces equal excursions above and below the common mode feedback voltage on conductors 14 and 15 . unlike the prior art , in the circuit of fig1 the voltages on conductors 18 and 21 are not established relative to any fixed reference voltage . instead , the gates of n - channel mosfets 16 and 16a are dynamically refreshed to establish the voltages thereon . a negative - going transition or glitch of the common mode voltage of operational amplifier 12 will tend to turn off mosfets 16 and 17 , because of the cooperation of capacitors 24 and 24a . capacitors 25 and 25a will &# 34 ; pull &# 34 ; the gates of mosfets 20 and 20a to lower voltages , turning them both on harder in proportion to the magnitude of the negative - going transition or glitch , and thereby opposing it . similarly , for a positive - going glitch , mosfets 20 and 20a will supply much more current opposing the glitch or transient than transistors m4 and m5 of the costello and gray circuit , without using the reference voltage circuit producing vcm as in the &# 39 ; 943 patent , and providing a simple common mode feedback scheme that provides a common mode output voltage that is the midway between v dd and ground even when the v dd and ground voltages vary . referring now to fig2 numeral 13 discloses the same circuit as fig1 but including a somewhat more detailed schematic diagram of the cmfb circuitry 13 , 13a . as in fig1 the circuitry 13a is essentially a mirror image of the circuitry 13 , so corresponding reference numerals further including the letter &# 34 ; a &# 34 ; are used to designate corresponding elements in sections 13 and 13a of the cmfb circuit . n - channel mosfets 16 , 17 and p - channel mosfets 19 and 20 are connected in series between v dd and ground . the drain electrodes of cascode mosfets 17 and 19 are joined at conductor 14 to the &# 34 ;+&# 34 ; output of differential operational amplifier 12 . the gate electrode of mosfet 16 and the gate electrode of its corresponding mirror image mosfet 16a are connected by conductor 18 to the lower plate of capacitor 24 and the source of n - channel mosfet 26 . the gate of mosfet 26 is connected to receive a clock signal φ1 . φ1 and φ2 are simply non - overlapping clock pulses . the gates of cascode mosfet 17 and its mirror image mosfet 17a are connected by conductor 22 to a bias circuit including n - channel mosfets 36 , 37 , and 38 . the upper plate of capacitor 24 is connected by conductor 14 to the source electrodes of n - channel mosfets 27 and 28 , the drains of which are connected to conductor 29 . the gate electrode of mosfet 27 receives clock signal 01 . the gate electrode of mosfet 28 is connected by conductor 42 to receive inverted clock signal φ1 on conductor 42 . φ1 is generated by a cmos inverter including p - channel mosfet 46 and n - channel mosfet 47 which are connected in series between v dd and ground , with their gate conductors connected to receive φ1 . conductor 14 also is connected to the source electrodes of p - channel mosfets 41 and 52 , which have their drains connected to conductor 50 and their gate electrodes connected to φ1 and φ1 , respectively . conductor 14 also is connected to the lower plate of capacitor 25 , the upper plate of which is connected to conductor 21 . conductor 21 is connected to the gate electrode of p - channel mosfet 20 and to the gate electrode of its mirror image p - channel mosfet 20a . the gate electrode of p - channel cascode mosfet 19 is connected by conductor 23 to the gate of its mirror image p - channel cascode mosfet 19a and to a bias circuit including p - channel mosfets 53 , 54 , and 55 . p - channel mosfet 55 has its gate and drain connected to one terminal of a constant current source 39 , either terminal of which is connected to the gate and drain of n - channel mosfet 38 , the source of which is connected to ground . the source of mosfet 55 is connected to v dd . the drain of p - channel mosfet 54 is connected by conductor 56 to one terminal of constant current source 35 , the other terminal of which is connected by conductor 34 to the drain of n - channel mosfet 36 . the gate of mosfet 36 is connected to the gate and drain of mosfet 38 by conductor 22 . the source of mosfet 36 is connected to the drain of mosfet 37 , the source of which is connected to ground . the gate of mosfet 37 is connected to conductor 34 . the gate of mosfet 54 is connected by conductor 23 to the gate and drain of mosfet 55 . the source of mosfet 54 is connected to the drain of mosfet 53 , the source of which is connected to v dd . the gate of mosfet 53 is connected to conductor 56 . the drain electrodes of n - channel mosfets 27 and 28 are connected by conductor 29 to the upper plate of capacitor 30 , the lower plate of which is connected to conductor 60 . conductor 29 also is connected to the lower plate of capacitor 48 , the upper plate of which is connected by conductor 61 to the drain of p - channel mosfet 40 , the source of which is connected to conductor 21 . the gate of mosfet 40 is connected to receive φ1 . the lower plate of capacitor 30 is connected to the drain of n - channel mosfet 26 and to the source of n - channel mosfet 33 . the gate of mosfet 33 is connected to receive φ2 and to the gate of n - channel mosfet 32 . the source of mosfet 32 is connected to conductor 29 , and the drain thereof is connected to ground . the drain of mosfet 33 is connected to conductor 34 . the drain electrodes of p - channel mosfet 41 and n - channel mosfet 52 are connected by conductor 50 to the source of p - channel mosfet 51 , the upper plate of capacitor 31 , and the lower plate of capacitor 49 . the lower plate of capacitor 31 is connected to conductor 60 . the upper plate of capacitor 49 is connected to conductor 61 . the gate electrode of p - channel mosfet 51 is connected by conductor 43 to the gate electrode of p - channel mosfet 52 so that both receive φ2 . the drain electrode of mosfet 52 is connected to conductor 50 . the drain electrode of mosfet 51 is connected to v dd . the operation of the circuit 10 of fig2 is essentially the same as that of fig1 and therefore will not be repeated . fig3 is a schematic diagram of a particular implementation of differential operational amplifier 12 . the details of this differential operational amplifier do not , standing alone , constitute a part of the invention , but are provided for completeness of disclosure . while the invention has been described with reference to several particular embodiments thereof , those skilled in the art will be able to make the various modifications to the described embodiments of the invention without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention . it is intended that all combinations of elements and steps which perform substantially the same function in substantially the same way to achieve the same result are within the scope of the invention . for example , the ratios of appropriate capacitors can be changed to provide a common mode output voltage which is anywhere between v dd and ground . although the embodiment of fig1 and 2 utilizes four switch computer circuits each sampling v dd and ground and then redistributing the sampled charge onto a corresponding one of the four common mode feedback capacitors 24 , 24a , 25 and 25a , respectively , fewer than four switch capacitor circuits could be used . for example , the two lower switched capacitor circuits including capacitors 30 and 31 and capacitors 30a and 31a could be used to &# 34 ; refresh &# 34 ; charge distribution capacitors 24 and 24a , respectively , during one sample / refresh cycle and then used to &# 34 ; refresh &# 34 ; charge distribution capacitors 25 and 25a , respectively , during the next sample / refresh cycle . | 7 |
hereinafter , a personal watercraft , which is one type of a small boat according to an embodiment of the present invention , will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings . referring now to fig8 , a body a of the watercraft comprises a hull h and a deck d covering the hull h from above . a line at which the hull h and the deck d are connected over the entire perimeter thereof is called a gunnel line g . the gunnel line g is located above a waterline l of the watercraft . as shown in fig9 an opening 16 , which has a substantially rectangular shape as seen from above is formed at a relatively rear section of the deck d in the upper portion of the body a . as shown in fig8 , a straddle - type seat s is mounted over the opening 16 . the seat s has a proper width to permit the rider or passenger to easily straddle thereon . an engine e is disposed in an engine room 20 surrounded by the hull h and the deck d below the seat s . in this embodiment , the engine e is a four - cycle engine having multiple ( for example , four ) cylinders comprised of even cylinders . as shown in fig8 an output end 26 of a crankshaft of the engine e is mounted along the longitudinal direction of the body a . the output end 26 of the crankshaft is rotatably coupled integrally with a pump shaft 21 s of a water jet pump p through a propeller shaft 27 . an impeller 21 is attached on the pump shaft 21 s of the water jet pump p . the impeller 21 is covered with a pump casing 21 c on the outer periphery thereof . a water intake 17 is provided on the bottom of the watercraft . the water is sucked from the water intake 17 and fed to the water jet pump p through a water intake passage . the water jet pump p pressurizes and accelerates the water by rotation of the impeller 21 . the pressurized and accelerated water is discharged through a pump nozzle 21 r having a cross - sectional area of flow gradually reduced rearward , and from an outlet port 21 k provided on the rear end of the pump nozzle 21 r , thereby obtaining a propulsion force . in fig8 reference numeral 21 v denotes fairing vanes for fairing water flow behind the impeller 21 . as shown in fig8 , reference numeral 24 denotes a bar - type steering handle . when the rider rotates the handle 24 clockwise or counterclockwise , the steering nozzle 18 behind the pump nozzle 21 r is swung toward the opposite direction via a cable 25 represented by a dashed line so that the watercraft can be correspondingly turned to any desired direction while the water jet pump p is generating the propulsion force . as shown in fig8 a bowl - shaped reverse deflector 19 is provided above the rear side of the steering nozzle 18 such that it can swing downward around a horizontally mounted swinging shaft 19 a . the deflector 19 is swung downward to a lower position behind the steering nozzle 18 to deflect the ejected water from the steering nozzle 18 forward and , as the resulting reaction , the personal watercraft moves rearward . in fig8 , reference numeral 22 denotes a rear deck . the rear deck 22 is provided with an openable rear hatch cover 29 . a rear compartment ( not shown ) with a small capacity is provided under the rear hatch cover 29 . in fig8 or 9 , reference numeral 23 denotes a front hatch cover . a front compartment ( not shown ) is provided under the front hatch cover 23 for storing equipments and the like . in the personal watercraft according to this embodiment , the engine having an exhaust system in fig1 is mounted in the engine room 20 surrounded by the hull h and the deck d in fig8 . more specifically , as shown in fig1 cylinders of the engine e are respectively provided with exhaust pipes 1 a , 1 b , 1 c , 1 d such that base ends of these exhaust pipes are respectively connected to exhaust ports ( not shown ) of the respective cylinders . the engine e is ignited in the order of a first cylinder to which the exhaust pipe 1 a is connected , a third cylinder to which the exhaust pipe 1 c is connected , a second cylinder to which the exhaust pipe 1 b is connected , and a fourth cylinder to which the exhaust pipe 1 d is connected . in brief , the engine e is ignited in the order of the first cylinder , the third cylinder , the second cylinder , and the fourth cylinder . the exhaust pipe 1 a of the first cylinder and the exhaust pipe 1 d of the fourth cylinder which are ignited at successive timings are collected into a primary connecting exhaust pipe 2 a placed downstream of the exhaust pipes 1 a , 1 d in an exhaust gas flow path . at least a rear end portion ( for example , a rear half portion ) of the primary connecting exhaust pipe 2 a is accommodated in a water muffler 3 in which cooling water is supplied to the exhaust gas flowing through the inside . the exhaust pipe 1 b of the second cylinder and the exhaust pipe 1 c of the third cylinder which are ignited at successive timings are collected into a primary collecting exhaust pipe 2 b placed downstream of the exhaust pipes 1 b , 1 c . at least rear end portion of the primary collecting exhaust pipe 2 b is accommodated in the water muffler 3 . in this embodiment , the water muffler 3 is a secondary collecting exhaust passage . in this embodiment , as shown in fig2 a , the primary collecting exhaust pipes 2 a , 2 b constitute a pipe 2 circular in cross - section in such a way that the primary collecting exhaust pipes 2 a , 2 b are defined by a separating plate 2 d in cross - section , and the separating plate 2 d extends rearward along a pipe 2 to have a predetermined length . the separating plate 2 d is configured to have a curvature , for example , a wave shape in cross - section in fig2 a and is adapted to absorb thermal distortion caused by thermal change . since the primary exhaust pipes 2 a , 2 b are formed in the form of one pipe , only a circular hole is formed in an end plate 3 a of the water muffler 3 for inserting the primary collecting exhaust pipes . in fig1 inlet ports 2 a , 2 b are formed at front end portions of the primary collecting exhaust pipes 2 a , 2 b for supplying water to the inside of the primary collecting exhaust pipes 2 a , 2 b , respectively . hoses 4 a , 4 b for supplying water are connected to the inlet ports 2 a , 2 b , respectively . tip end portions of the hoses 4 a , 4 b are connected to positive - pressure portions ( rear flow portions of the impeller 21 ) inside the water jet pump p to allow part of the pressurized water flowing through inside the water jet pump p to be supplied to the hoses 4 a , 4 b . alternatively , water may be supplied from a cooling water supply pump or the like independently or exclusively provided . the water muffler 3 is comprised of a plurality of chambers ( expansion chamber or the like ) which are connected to one another by means of a communicating pipe 3 d , thus constituting a labyrinth structure . a resonator 3 r is provided at a rear end portion ( left end portion in fig1 ) inside the water muffler 3 . an exhaust gas is discharged from the resonator 3 r outside the watercraft through an exhaust extension pipe 5 . in fig1 reference numeral 9 denotes a cylinder head of the engine e , 10 denotes a crankcase of the engine e , 11 denotes one part forming a coupling attached to the output end 26 of the crankshaft of the engine e . alternatively , as shown in fig3 outer peripheries of the rear half portions of the primary collecting exhaust pipes 2 a , 2 b constituting the pipe 2 may be covered with an outer wall 2 e to form a double - walled structure ( water jacket ), thereby obtaining so - called water cooling structure for supplying the cooling water from a cooling water supply hose 7 to an inner space 2 e of the double - walled structure . this makes it possible that the temperature of the exhaust gas passing through the primary collecting exhaust pipes 2 a , 2 b can be lowered by the cooling water flowing through the inner space 2 e . as a matter of course , the entire primary collecting exhaust pipes 2 a , 2 b may have the water - cooling structure . as shown in fig4 a , by setting the rear end of the separating plate 2 d shorter than the rear end of a pipe 20 which connects the exhaust pipes 1 a - 1 d to the water muffler 3 , and by using a rear half portion of the pipe 20 , a secondary collecting exhaust passage may be formed . alternatively , as shown in fig4 b , the separating plate 2 d may be extended rearward from the rear ends of the outer shell of the primary collecting exhaust pipes 2 a , 2 b to prevent the exhaust gases exiting from the outer shell of the primary collecting exhaust pipe 2 a , 2 b from interfering with each other in the vicinity of an exit . further , alternatively , as shown in fig2 b , the primary collecting exhaust pipes 2 a , 2 b may be comprised of independent semi - circular pipes . still further , alternatively , as shown in fig5 the primary collecting exhaust pipes 2 a , 2 b may be comprised of independent pipes having circular cross - sections . in that case , part of each pipe is preferably comprised of a heat - resistant rubber pipe 2 r . in this configuration , even when there is some deviation in the positional relationship between the engine e side and the water muffler 3 , such deviation can be absorbed by flexibility of the rubber pipe 2 r . as shown in fig5 in the case where the water muffler 3 is located higher than the bottom of the engine e and connected to the exhaust port of the engine e by means of an exhaust path having a portion located substantially as high as the bottom portion of the engine in the state in which the watercraft is in a steady state ( including a stationary state ), that is , the portion of the exhaust path is lower than the bottom portion of the water muffler 3 in the steady state of the watercraft , water ingress into a combustion chamber from the exhaust port ( not shown ) of the engine e can be prevented even if the watercraft is inverted and water enters into the muffler 3 through the exhaust extension pipe 5 . in fig5 the same reference numerals as those in fig1 are used to identify the same or corresponding parts . in the personal watercraft constituted as described above , the following functions and effects can be obtained . in the case where the engine e is placed substantially at the center portion of the watercraft in the longitudinal direction as shown in fig8 , since at least rear end portions of the primary collecting exhaust pipes 2 a , 2 b , for example , the rear half portions are accommodated in the water muffler 3 , the length of the primary connecting exhaust pipes 2 a , 2 b can be increased by the accommodated portions in the water muffler 3 . since the inlet ports 2 a , 2 b are provided at the front end portions of the primary collecting exhaust pipes 2 a , 2 b for introducing water to the inside of the pipes 2 a , 2 b to thereby effectively lower the temperature of the exhaust gas , the effect provided by using pipes longer than the actually used pipes is achieved . further , the engine e is capable of increasing a power even in a low engine speed by utilizing exhaust pulsation , as in a high engine speed . in the exhaust system of the present invention , the increased power can be obtained without extending the length from the tip end of the engine e to the rear end of the water muffler 3 . therefore , the four - cycle engine with high horsepower can be mounted without the necessity of extending the total length of the personal watercraft . as described with reference to fig3 by providing the space 2 e as the water jacket at the outer peripheries of the primary collecting exhaust pipe 2 a , 2 b , the temperature of the exhaust gas can be further lowered . with this structure , the engine e is capable of increasing the power even in the low engine speed by utilizing exhaust pulsation , as in the high speed engine . while the four - cycle engine having four cylinders has been described in the above embodiment , the exhaust system of the present invention is applicable to any other four - cycle engine having even cylinders with pairs of cylinders . while the muffler is the water muffler in the above embodiment , a muffler that does not introduce water may be employed . while the four exhaust passages 1 a - 1 d in fig6 a are collected into the two primary collecting exhaust pipes 2 a , 2 b , the primary collecting exhaust pipes 2 a , 2 b are preferably structured as shown in fig6 b or fig7 . in the structure in fig3 a , 4 b , the separating plate 2 d for defining the primary collecting exhaust pipes 2 a , 2 b is hardly cooled by the cooling water supplied to the space ( water jacket ) 2 e formed at the outer peripheries . on the other hand , in the structure in fig6 b , by forming the inlet ports 2 j , 2 k opened toward the separating plate 2 d and supplying cooling water to the separating plate 2 d through the inlet ports 2 j , 2 k , thermal load acting on the separating plate 2 d can be reduced . the separating plate 2 d is preferably placed to form an angle n with respect to a virtual horizontal line “ h ” in fig7 because the cooling water is inevitably supplied to the separating plate 2 d through the inlet port 2 j ( 2 k ) positioned above the separating plate 2 d . here , the virtual horizontal line “ h ” represents the horizontal line in the steady state of the watercraft . in the most preferable configuration , as shown in fig6 b , the separating plate 2 d is configured to be vertical , i . e ., form 90 degrees with respect to the horizontal line h so that the cooling water is supplied to both sides of the separating plate 2 d through the inlet ports 2 j , 2 k . numerous modifications and alternative embodiments of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art in view of the foregoing description . accordingly , the description is to be construed as illustrative only , and is provided for the purpose of teaching those skilled in the art the best mode of carrying out the invention . the details of the structure and / or function may be varied substantially without departing from the spirit of the invention and all modifications which come within the scope of the appended claims are reserved . | 5 |
in the following detailed description , reference is made to the accompanying drawings , which are a part of the specification , and in which is shown by way of illustration various embodiments whereby the invention may be practiced . these embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to make and use the invention . it is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized , and that structural , logical , and electrical changes , as well as changes in the materials used , may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention . now referring to the figures , where like reference numbers designate like elements , fig4 shows a 128 megabit portion of a ddr sdram integrated circuit 110 constructed in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the invention . the sdram 110 includes a throat region 160 centrally located between two 64 megabit arrays 120 a , 120 b . the first array 120 a contains at least one memory block 130 a and sense amplifier circuit 152 a . digit lines 180 a of the first array 120 a are organized in a vertical direction while row lines 182 of the first and second arrays 120 a , 120 b are organized in a horizontal direction . the second array 120 b contains at least one memory block 130 b and sense amplifier circuit 152 b . digit lines 180 b of the second array 120 b are organized in a vertical direction . it should be noted that the invention is not limited to the illustrated size of the first and second arrays 120 a , 120 b . that is , the invention could use first and second arrays 120 a , 120 b greater than or less than 64 megabits depending upon the desired application . likewise , although the invention provides a ddr sdram having a size of at least one gigabit , the invention is not to be limited to any particular size . in the illustrated embodiment , the throat 160 contains only a datapath 170 . unlike the sdram 10 of fig3 , two unidirectional row logic circuits 164 a , 164 b are used in the illustrated sdram 110 . the term “ unidirectional ” is used to represent the fact that the row logic circuits 164 a , 164 b respectively drive one array 120 a , 120 b in one direction relative to the circuits 164 a , 164 b . that is , a first unidirectional row logic circuit 164 a is connected to and associated with the first array 130 a only and a second unidirectional row logic circuit 164 b is connected to and associated with the second array 130 b only . “ unidirectional ” does not mean that the conductors between the row logic circuits 164 a , 164 b and their respective array 120 a , 120 b are special conductors only allowing signals to be transmitted in one direction . that is , any conductors can be used between the row logic circuits 164 a , 164 b and their respective array 120 a , 120 b even though the row logic circuits 164 a , 164 b are considered unidirectional . the first row logic circuit 164 a contains lt drivers 162 a and array drivers 166 a . the lt drivers 162 a are global row decoders that drive lt lines 168 a connected to the row drivers of the first array 120 a in a unidirectional manner . the array drivers 166 a include ph ( phase ), eq ( equilibration ), iso ( isolation ), nsa ( n - sense amplifier control ), psa ( p - sense amplifier control ) drivers required to drive lines 167 a connected to the sense amplifier circuitry 152 a of the first array 120 a . thus , the first row logic circuit 164 a is not located within the throat 160 and supports only the first array 120 a ( i . e ., unidirectional ). the significance of this architecture is explained below . the second row logic circuit 164 b contains lt drivers 162 b and array drivers 166 b . the lt drivers 162 b are global row decoders that drive lt lines 168 b connected to the row drivers of the second array 120 b in a unidirectional manner . the array drivers 166 b include ph ( phase ), eq ( equilibration ), iso ( isolation ), nsa ( n - sense amplifier control ), psa ( p - sense amplifier control ) drivers required to drive lines 167 b connected to the sense amplifier circuitry 152 b of the second array 120 b . thus , the second row logic circuit 164 b is not located within the throat 160 and supports only the second array 120 b ( i . e ., unidirectional manner ). to understand the significance of using two unidirectional row logic circuits 164 a , 164 b removed from the throat region 160 , a brief description of how the layers of the sdram 110 are organized is now provided . referring to fig5 a , which shows a portion of the ic memory device in perspective view , and to fig5 b , which shows the same portion in an elevated sectional view , the integrated circuit 110 includes a substrate assembly 200 and a conductor portion 210 . the conductor portion 210 defines at least first 220 , second 230 , and third 240 layers of metalization . it should be noted that a layer of metalization includes a plurality of discrete traces 242 or conductors arranged in a pattern . accordingly a first set of traces defines a metal - 1 220 layer , a second set of traces defines a metal - 2 230 layer , and a third set of traces defines a metal - 3 240 layer . the invention uses three layers of metal traces 242 deposited on layers of insulation 280 disposed above a substrate assembly 200 . in a particular embodiment , the present invention includes three layers of metal traces 220 , 230 , 240 disposed above , and substantially parallel to an upper surface 205 of a substrate assembly 200 . the substrate assembly includes doped active regions , gate stacks , polysilicon plugs and a limited number of polysilicon lines . in addition , as known in the art capacitor structures are also fabricated in the memory array above the surface 205 of the substrate and below the three layers of metalization . each metal layer is disposed in spaced relation to the other metal layers , and to the substrate assembly 200 of the integrated circuit 110 , which contains fabricated devices . interlayer insulating regions are defined between adjacent layers of metal , and between the metal - 1 layer 220 and the substrate assembly 200 of the integrated circuit 110 . thus , a first interlayer region 250 is provided between metal - 1 and a surface 205 of the substrate assembly 200 of the integrated circuit 90 , a second interlayer region 260 is provided between metal - 2 and metal - 1 , and a third interlayer region 270 is provided between metal - 3 and metal - 2 . electrically insulating material 280 is generally placed throughout the interlayer regions . as is understood in the art , one or more conventional materials may be used for this purpose . since each row logic circuit 164 a , 164 b supports one 64 megabit array 120 a , 120 b instead of two , they are designed to be unidirectional . as such , metal - 2 and metal - 3 layers are interleaved in parallel throughout the length of the row logic circuits 164 a , 164 b , utilizing maximum routing and power bussing efficiency ; thus , increasing performance of the sdram 110 . this allows a redesign of the lt driver 162 a , 162 b using buried digit lines . the change in row logic design methodology greatly reduces the design area as compared to the prior art , and subsequently saves die area as the pattern is repeated across the length of the die . the illustrated datapath 170 contains io circuits 172 having enough drivers to drive eight bidirectional 10 pairs 174 connected to the first and second arrays 120 a , 120 b . the illustrated sdram 110 uses eight io pairs 174 per block 130 a , 130 b to obtain a 4n pre - fetch . thus , the illustrated embodiment includes four io pairs in addition to the four 10 pairs used in the ddr sdram 10 illustrated in fig3 . thus , the illustrated ddr sdram contains two times the number of io pairs per block than prior sdrams . in a desired embodiment , the additional four io pairs are routed across the array cores , running parallel to the lt metal - 2 lines ( thus being shielded by them ). the additional io pairs are dropped into the sense amplifier circuits 152 a , 152 b at the array gap cells 50 ( illustrated in fig2 ). thus , in the desired embodiment , the sense amplifier cell height is unaffected by the additional io signal lines . as such , the illustrated sdram 110 utilizes standard sense amplifier circuitry . this means that the sdram 110 has twice as many io pairs , yet does not have increased die size in comparison to prior sdrams ( e . g ., sdram 10 of fig3 ). in a desired embodiment , the arrays 120 a , 120 b share the same power bussing . that is , the arrays 120 a , 120 b share a power supply bus such as an array vcc bus and an array ground potential bus ( gnd bus ). the datapath 170 , on the other hand , is connected to periphery vcc and gnd power bussing . the separation of the array and periphery power bussing prevents power spikes and other sensitivities that may be experienced in the sdram 10 illustrated in fig3 . moreover , the separation of the row logic and datapath from a centralized throat region also simplifies the interface and hookup from peripheral areas ( i . e ., non - array areas ) of the sdram 110 . this alleviates the congestion of signals and power bussing usually found at these areas . this also improves the overall performance of the sdram 110 in comparison to the sdram 10 ( fig3 ). fig6 illustrates an exemplary processing system 900 which may utilize a memory device 110 constructed in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention . that is , the memory device 110 is a ddr sdram having unidirectional row logic , increased io lines , and improved routing and power bussing as illustrated in fig4 . the processing system 900 includes one or more processors 901 coupled to a local bus 904 . a memory controller 902 and a primary bus bridge 903 are also coupled to the local bus 904 . the processing system 900 may include multiple memory controllers 902 and / or multiple primary bus bridges 903 . the memory controller 902 and the primary bus bridge 903 may be integrated as a single device 906 . the memory controller 902 is also coupled to one or more memory buses 907 . each memory bus accepts memory components 908 which include at least one memory device 110 of the present invention . the memory components 908 may be a memory card or a memory module . examples of memory modules include single inline memory modules ( simms ) and dual inline memory modules ( dimms ). the memory components 908 may include one or more additional devices 909 . for example , in a simm or dimm , the additional device 909 might be a configuration memory , such as a serial presence detect ( spd ) memory . the memory controller 902 may also be coupled to a cache memory 905 . the cache memory 905 may be the only cache memory in the processing system . alternatively , other devices , for example , processors 901 may also include cache memories , which may form a cache hierarchy with cache memory 905 . if the processing system 900 include peripherals or controllers which are bus masters or which support direct memory access ( dma ), the memory controller 902 may implement a cache coherency protocol . if the memory controller 902 is coupled to a plurality of memory buses 907 , each memory bus 907 may be operated in parallel , or different address ranges may be mapped to different memory buses 907 . the primary bus bridge 903 is coupled to at least one peripheral bus 910 . various devices , such as peripherals or additional bus bridges may be coupled to the peripheral bus 910 . these devices may include a storage controller 911 , a miscellaneous i / o device 914 , a secondary bus bridge 915 , a multimedia processor 918 , and a legacy device interface 920 . the primary bus bridge 903 may also coupled to one or more special purpose high speed ports 922 . in a personal computer , for example , the special purpose port might be the accelerated graphics port ( agp ), used to couple a high performance video card to the processing system 900 . the storage controller 911 couples one or more storage devices 913 , via a storage bus 912 , to the peripheral bus 910 . for example , the storage controller 911 may be a scsi controller and storage devices 913 may be scsi discs . the i / o device 914 may be any sort of peripheral . for example , the i / o device 914 may be a local area network interface , such as an ethernet card . the secondary bus bridge may be used to interface additional devices via another bus to the processing system . for example , the secondary bus bridge may be a universal serial port ( usb ) controller used to couple usb devices 917 to the processing system 900 . the multimedia processor 918 may be a sound card , a video capture card , or any other type of media interface , which may also be coupled to one additional devices such as speakers 919 . the legacy device interface 920 is used to couple legacy devices , for example , older styled keyboards and mice , to the processing system 900 . the processing system 900 illustrated in fig6 is only an exemplary processing system with which the invention may be used . while fig6 illustrates a processing architecture especially suitable for a general purpose computer , such as a personal computer or a workstation , it should be recognized that well known modifications can be made to configure the processing system 900 to become more suitable for use in a variety of applications . for example , many electronic devices which require processing may be implemented using a simpler architecture which relies on a cpu 901 coupled to memory components 908 and / or memory devices 110 . these electronic devices may include , but are not limited to audio / video processors and recorders , gaming consoles , digital television sets , wired or wireless telephones , navigation devices ( including system based on the global positioning system ( gps ) and / or inertial navigation ), and digital cameras and / or recorders . the modifications may include , for example , elimination of unnecessary components , addition of specialized devices or circuits , and / or integration of a plurality of devices . the processes and devices described above illustrate exemplary methods and typical devices of many that could be used and produced . the above description and drawings illustrate embodiments , which achieve the objects , features , and advantages of the present invention . however , it is not intended that the present invention be strictly limited to the above - described and illustrated embodiments . any modification , though presently unforeseeable , of the present invention that comes within the spirit and scope of the following claims should be considered part of the present invention . | 6 |
fig1 shows an assembling apparatus of a resin frame in which a plurality of fusion welding devices 2 are mounted on a body 1 to assemble a frame 3 . each of the fusion welding devices 2 joins end portions in a longitudinal direction of two works at a determined angle by fusion welding , and provided at every corner of the frame 3 . in this embodiment , the fusion welding device 2 joins the end portions of the two works at 90 degree , and the frame 3 has a rectangular shape . the body 1 includes a laterally directed first body 1 a which is longer in a lateral direction ( a direction x ), a second body 1 b which is longer in a vertical direction ( a direction y ) and moves in the lateral direction along this first body 1 a , and a third body 1 c which is longer in the vertical direction and fixed to the first body 1 a . for example , a pair of first guide rails 4 are provided on the first body 1 a which is laterally longer , and the second body 1 b which is vertically longer is mounted on these first guide rails 4 so as to move in the lateral direction . a laterally directed first cylinder 5 is mounted across the second body 1 b and the first body 1 a , so that the second body 1 b can move in the lateral direction by extending and contracting the first cylinder 5 . the fusion welding device 2 includes a first fusion welding device 2 a which is attached to a lower part of the second body 1 b , a second fusion welding device 2 b which is attached to an upper part of the second body 1 b so as to move in the vertical direction , a third fusion welding device 2 c which is attached to a lower part of the third body 1 c , and a fourth fusion welding device 2 d which is attached to an upper part of the third body 1 c so as to move in the vertical direction . the first to fourth fusion welding devices 2 a to 2 d are respectively positioned in the four corner parts of the frame 3 in the rectangular shape . second guide rails 6 are respectively provided in the upper parts of the second and third bodies 1 b , 1 c in the vertical direction . the second and fourth fusion welding devices 2 b , 2 d are respectively mounted so as to move along the second guide rails 6 . vertically directed second cylinders 7 are mounted across the second and third bodies 1 b , 1 c and the second and fourth fusion welding devices 2 b , 2 d , so that the second and fourth fusion welding devices 2 b , 2 d can move in the vertical direction by extending and contracting the second cylinders 7 . when the second and fourth fusion welding devices 2 b , 2 d move , they come close to or move apart from the first and third fusion welding devices 2 b , 2 c . the first and second moving units are not limited to the cylinder , but may be a rack - and - pinion , or a feed screw and a nut . in this manner , by moving the second body 1 b in the lateral direction , the first and second fusion welding devices 2 a , 2 b move in the lateral direction , and it is possible to assemble the frames 3 having different sizes in the lateral direction . moreover , by moving the second and fourth fusion welding devices 2 b , 2 d with respect to the second body 1 b and the third body 1 c in the vertical direction , it is possible to assemble the frames 3 having different sizes in the vertical direction . further , by moving the second body 1 b in the lateral direction , and by moving the second and fourth fusion welding devices 2 b , 2 d in the vertical direction , it is possible to assemble the frames 3 having different sizes both in the lateral direction and in the vertical direction . as shown in fig2 a and 2b , end faces 8 a in the longitudinal direction of works 8 ( resin frame members which are components of the frame 3 ) to be joined by fusion welding with the fusion welding device 2 are inclined with respect to a right angle with the longitudinal direction . an angle of inclination θ 1 of the end faces 8 a of the works 8 is a half of a corner angleθ 2 of the frame 3 . for example , in case where the corner angle θ 2 of the frame 3 is 90 degree , as shown in fig2 a , the angle of inclination θ 1 is 45 degree . in case where the corner angle θ 2 is 60 degree , as shown in fig2 b , the angle of inclination θ 1 is 30 degree . then , the fusion welding device 2 ( 2 a , 2 b , 2 c , 2 d ) will be described referring to fig3 to 7 . the fusion welding device 2 includes a first holding unit 10 , a second holding unit 20 , and a heating unit 30 , as shown in fig3 . the first holding unit 10 and the second holding unit 20 can move along outer peripheral faces of the works 8 in the longitudinal directions thereof and hold the end portions of outer peripheral faces with almost no clearance . the first holding unit 10 and the second holding unit 20 respectively have contact faces 11 and 21 opposed to each other . expression “ with almost no clearance ” means both a case where the contact face is in contact with the outer peripheral face of the work 8 , and a case where the contact face is slightly apart from the outer peripheral face of the work 8 . for example , the first holding unit 10 and the second holding unit 20 have respective holding spaces 12 , 22 which have substantially the same shape as a cross sectional shape of the work 8 ( a sectional shape at a right angle with respect to the longitudinal direction ). these holding spaces 12 , 22 are open on end faces 13 , 23 at the opposite side to the contact faces 11 , 21 . specifically , as shown in fig4 a , the holding space 12 or 22 is formed by combining a recess 14 a , 24 a of a lower mold 14 , 24 and a recess 15 a , 25 a of an upper mold 15 , 25 . the outer peripheral face 8 b of the work 8 is held on an inner peripheral face of the holding space 12 , 22 with almost no clearance , but can move in the holding space 12 , 22 . as shown in fig4 b , by separating the upper mold 15 , 25 from the lower mold 14 , 24 , it is possible to set or remove the work 8 in or from the recess 14 a , 24 a in the lower mold 14 , 24 . the contact faces 11 , 21 of the first and second holding units 10 , 20 which are opposed to each other have the same angle as the angle of inclination of the end faces 8 a of the works 8 . when the works 8 are held by the first and second holding units 10 , 20 , the contact faces 11 , 21 and the end faces 8 a of the works 8 can be continued to be flush with each other . the first and second holding units 10 , 20 respectively move in parallel with each other between a first position where the contact faces 11 and 21 are in contact with each other , and second and third positions where the contact faces 11 , 21 are separated from each other . for example , the first and second holding units 10 , 20 are respectively moved by first and second parallel moving units 40 , 50 in parallel with each other . these movements by the first and second parallel moving units 40 , 50 are effected in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the works 8 which are respectively held by the holding units . moreover , the first and second holding units 10 , 20 are respectively moved synchronously in a direction along their contact faces 11 and 21 . for example , the first and second holding units 10 , 20 are moved synchronously in the direction along their contact faces 11 and 21 by a synchronous moving unit 60 . in short , both the first and second holding units 10 , 20 are moved at the same time . the aforesaid heating unit 30 has a first heating face 31 which is contacted with the contact face 11 of the first holding unit 10 , and a second heating face 32 which is contacted with the contact face 21 of the second holding unit 20 . these first and second heating faces 31 , 32 are flat . the heating unit 30 is moved between a heating position which is located between the first and second holding units 10 and 20 ( between the contact faces 11 and 21 ), and a retreating position where it has retreated from the position between the first and second holding units 10 , 20 . for example , the heating unit 30 is moved by a moving unit 70 between the heating position and the retreating position . in other words , the heating position is a position where the first heating face 31 can be contacted with the contact face 11 of the first holding unit 10 and the second heating face 32 can be contacted with the contact face 21 of the second holding unit 20 , when the heating unit 30 is disposed in the position . on the other hand , the retreating position is a position where the first heating face 31 cannot be contacted with the contact face 11 of the first holding unit 10 and the second heating face 32 cannot be contacted with the contact face 21 of the second holding unit 20 , when the heating unit 30 is disposed in the position . referring to fig5 and 6 , a specific embodiment of the aforesaid first and second parallel moving units 40 , 50 will be described . a first rail 41 and a second rail 51 are provided on a moving body 80 . then , a first guide 42 and a second guide 52 which are respectively provided on the first and second holding units 10 , 20 ( the lower molds 14 , 24 ) are slidably engaged with the first and second rails 41 , 51 so that the first and second holding units 10 , 20 can move in the directions perpendicular to the longitudinal directions of the works 8 which are held . for this reason , when the holding units move between the first position and the second and third positions , they can move to determined positions , even though the works 8 are movably held by the holding units . first and second electric motors 43 , 53 are mounted on the moving body 80 . then , feed screw rods 44 , 54 which are rotated by the first and second motors 43 , 53 are screwed with nuts 45 , 55 which are fitted to the first and second holding units 10 , 20 so as to rotate but not to move . when the first and second electric motors 43 , 53 are driven , the first and second holding units 10 , 20 are moved . in this manner , the first and second parallel moving units 40 , 50 are constructed . the first and second parallel moving units 40 , 50 are driven to move the first and second holding units 10 , 20 for the same distance , and controlled so that the first and second holding units 10 , 20 may be at symmetrical positions with respect to a corner part of the frame 3 . for example , the first electric motor 43 and the second electric motor 53 are synchronously controlled so that the first and second holding units 10 , 20 can move for the same distance . the first and second parallel moving units 40 , 50 are not limited to those as described above , but a cylinder or a rack - and - pinion may be employed as the parallel moving units . referring to fig7 , a specific embodiment of the synchronous moving unit 60 will be described . guides 61 provided on the moving body 80 are slidably engaged with rails 62 provided on a base member 81 . then , an electric motor 63 is mounted on the base member 81 , and a feed screw rod 64 rotated by the electric motor 63 is screwed with a nut 65 which is fitted to the moving body 80 so as to rotate but not to move . when the electric motor 63 is driven , the moving body 80 is moved with respect to the base member 81 . in this manner , the synchronous moving unit 60 is constructed . this movement by the synchronous moving unit 60 is called as synchronous movement , because the first and second holding units 10 , 20 are moved at the same time . in the above described structure , because it would be sufficient to drive and control the only one electric motor 63 , the structure is simple and can be easily controlled . the synchronous moving unit 60 is not limited to the structure as described above , but a cylinder or a rack - and - pinion may be employed for moving the moving body 80 . moreover , the first and second holding units 10 , 20 may be moved by separate moving units , provided that the separate moving units are synchronously driven . a specific embodiment of the moving unit 70 will be described . a rail 71 is mounted on the aforesaid moving body 80 , and a guide 72 engaged with this rail 71 is fitted to the heating unit 30 . a cylinder 74 is mounted on the moving body 80 by way of a bracket 73 , and a piston rod 75 of the cylinder 74 is coupled to the heating unit 30 . by extending and contracting the piston rod 75 of the cylinder 74 , the heating unit 30 moves between the heating position and the retreating position . in this manner , the moving unit 70 is constructed . as this moving unit 70 , a cylinder , and a rack - and - pinion may be employed . as shown in fig1 , the base member 81 of the first fusion welding device 2 a is attached to the lower part of the second body 1 b , and the base member 81 of the second fusion welding device 2 b is attached to the upper part of the second body 1 b so as to move in the vertical direction . the base member 81 of the third fusion welding device 2 c is attached to the lower part of the third body 1 c , and the base member 81 of the fourth fusion welding device 2 d is attached to the upper part of the third body 1 c so as to move in the vertical direction . then , the moving body 80 of the first fusion welding device 2 a and the moving body 80 of the fourth fusion welding device 2 d move in the respective directions opposed to each other . the moving body 80 of the second fusion welding device 2 b and the moving body 80 of the third fusion welding device 2 c move in the respective directions opposed to each other . specifically , the first and fourth fusion welding devices 2 a , 2 d are positioned in the two corner parts of the frame 3 which are opposed to each other on a diagonal line , while the second and third fusion welding devices 2 b , 2 c are positioned in the remaining two corner parts of the frame 3 which are opposed to each other on a diagonal line . then , operation of the fusion welding device 2 for joining the two works 8 to each other by fusion welding will be described . as shown in fig8 , the first and second holding units 10 , 20 are positioned in the third position where their contact faces 11 , 21 are remarkably separated , and the end portions of the works 8 are respectively held in the holding spaces 12 , 22 . in this state , the heating unit 30 is moved to the heating position , as shown by a phantom line in fig8 . as shown in fig9 , the first and second holding units 10 , 20 are moved , in parallel , to the second position where the contact faces 11 , 21 are separated , and the contact faces 11 , 21 are brought into contact with the first and second heating faces 31 , 32 of the heating unit 30 . in this state , the heating unit 30 is heated , and the moving body 80 is moved in a direction of an arrow mark a . with this movement , the first and second holding units 10 , 20 synchronously move in the direction along their contact faces 11 , 21 ( the direction of the arrow mark a ), and at the same time , the heating unit 30 also moves . accordingly , the works 8 move with respect to the first and second holding units 10 , 20 in their longitudinal directions opposed to each other , so as to project from the contact faces 11 , 21 . specifically , the end portion of the work 8 at an opposite side to the end portion which is held by one of the fusion welding devices 2 a to 2 d tends to move so as to project from the contact faces 11 , 21 of the first and second holding units 10 , 20 of the other fusion welding device 2 a to 2 d , whereby the end faces 8 a of the works 8 are strongly pressed to the first and second heating faces 31 , 32 of the heating unit 30 , and thus , the end portions of the works 8 are fused . in this manner , the end portions of the works 8 are pressed onto the heating unit 30 ( the first and second heating faces 31 , 32 ) in a state held in the holding spaces 12 , 22 of the first and second holding units 10 , 20 , thereby to be fused . therefore , the end portions of the works 8 will not protrude outward , when they are fused , and fins will not occur . in this embodiment , the works 8 are hollow - shaped , and are fused in such a manner that their end portions enter into the hollow spaces . therefore , a region to be fused is elongated , and it is possible to enlarge the region to be joined by fusion welding . moreover , when the end portions of the works 8 are fused , as described above , the works 8 do not move in their longitudinal directions in a state held in the holding spaces . therefore , in case of assembling the frame 3 , it is possible to fuse the end portions of the works 8 at the same time in the respective corner parts . thereafter , the first and second holding units 10 , 20 are moved , in parallel , to the above described third position , and the heating unit 30 is moved to the retreating position . in this state , the first and second holding units 10 , 20 are moved to the first position where the contact faces 11 , 21 are in contact , as shown in fig1 , whereby the contact faces 11 and 12 are brought into contact with each other . in this state , the moving body 80 is further moved in the direction of the arrow mark a , in the same manner as described above , whereby the end faces 8 a of the works 8 are pressed to each other and joined together . as described above , the end faces 8 a of the works 8 are pressed to each other and joined by fusion welding , in a state where the end portions are held in the holding spaces 12 , 22 of the first and second holding units 10 , 20 . therefore , fins will not occur in the joined region . moreover , the works 8 are moved in the respective longitudinal directions in a state opposed to each other , when the first and second holding units 10 , 20 are moved by the synchronous moving unit 60 , and when the end faces 8 a of the works 8 are in contact with each other , the works 8 do not move in the longitudinal directions in a state held in the holding spaces . therefore , in case of assembling the frame 3 , it is possible to join the respective corner parts at the same time . in the above described embodiment , the first and second holding units 10 , 20 and the heating unit 30 are mounted on the moving body 80 so that the heating unit 30 may move at the same time with the first and second holding units 10 , 20 , when the end portions of the works 8 are fused . however , the structure is not limited to the above described . in case where the first and second holding units 10 , 20 are moved by separate moving units as described above , it is possible to drive and control the moving unit 70 synchronously with the separate moving units or to move the heating unit 30 by an external force . in short , it would be sufficient that the heating unit 30 moves with the first and second holding units 10 , 20 , when the first and second holding units synchronously move . moreover , a manner of fusing the end portions of the works 8 is not limited to the above - described manner . for example , it is possible to fuse the end portions of the works 8 by butting the heating unit 30 against the end portions . then , operation for assembling a resin frame , employing the assembling apparatus of the resin frame as shown in fig1 will be described . the work 8 is described as a resin frame member 8 . as shown in fig1 , both end portions in a longitudinal direction of a first resin frame member 8 are set and held between the holding space 22 of the second holding unit 20 of the first fusion welding device 2 a and the holding space 12 of the first holding unit 10 of the second fusion welding device 2 b , as described above , and both end portions in a longitudinal direction of a second resin frame member 8 are set and held between the holding space 12 of the first holding unit 10 of the first fusion welding device 2 a and the holding space 22 of the second holding unit 20 of the third fusion welding device 2 c . in the same manner , both end portions in a longitudinal direction of a third resin frame member 8 are set and held between the holding space 12 of the first holding unit 10 of the third fusion welding device 2 c and the holding space 22 of the second holding unit 20 of the fourth fusion welding device 2 d , and both end portions in a longitudinal direction of a fourth resin frame member 8 are set and held between the holding space 12 of the first holding unit 10 of the forth fusion welding device 2 d and the holding space 22 of the second holding unit 20 of the second fusion welding device 2 b . in short , the first fusion welding device 2 a is adjacent to the second fusion welding device 2 b and the third fusion welding device 2 c , while the fourth fusion welding device 2 d is adjacent to the second fusion welding device 2 b and the third fusion welding device 2 c . both the end portions in the longitudinal direction of the resin frame member 8 are held between the holding spaces 12 and 22 of the first and second holding units 10 , 20 of the adjacent fusion welding devices . in this state , the first to fourth fusion welding devices 2 a to 2 d are operated at the same time , in the same manner as shown in fig8 to 11 , and the end portions of the resin frame members 8 are joined by fusion welding in the corner parts as shown in fig2 a and 2b . in other words , the first to fourth fusion welding devices 2 a to 2 d are moved , in a state where the contact faces 11 , 21 are in contact with each other , in such directions that distances of adjacent two of the first to fourth fusion welding devices 2 a to 2 d are reduced , so that the end portions of the frame members 8 are joined by fusion welding . in this case , the end faces 8 a of the four resin frame members 8 are pressed to each other in the respective corner parts , and hence , the end faces 8 a can be effectively joined by fusion welding . in the above described embodiment , the frame 3 in a rectangular shape is assembled . however , the frame 3 is not limited to the rectangular shape . it is possible to assemble the frame 3 of a desired shape , such as a triangular shape , a pentagonal shape . for example , as shown in fig1 , it is possible to assemble the frame 3 in a triangular shape by fusion welding , by providing the first , second and third fusion welding devices 2 a , 2 b , 2 c in the respective corner parts of the frame 3 in a triangular shape . in this case , the corner angle θ 2 is 60 degree , and so , the angle of inclination of the end faces 8 a of the works 8 is 30 degree . then , a second embodiment of the assembling apparatus of the resin frame will be described referring to fig1 . in the same manner as the aforesaid body 1 as shown in fig1 , the body 1 includes the first body 1 a , the second body 1 b , and the third body 1 c . the second body 1 b moves in a lateral direction with respect to the first body 1 a . the first and second fusion welding devices 2 a , 2 b are mounted on the second body 1 b , in the same manner as in the apparatus as shown in fig1 . the third and fourth fusion welding devices 2 c , 2 d are mounted on the third body 1 c , in the same manner as in the apparatus as shown in fig1 . the first to fourth fusion welding devices 2 a to 2 d have the same structure as the fusion welding device 2 as shown in fig3 , except that they are not provided with the synchronous moving unit 60 in the fusion welding device 2 as shown in fig3 . in short , each of the first to fourth fusion welding devices 2 a to 2 d includes the first and second holding units 10 , 20 , the heating unit 30 , the first and second parallel moving units 40 , 50 , and the moving unit 70 . these units are mounted on the first moving body 80 . in this embodiment , in the second and fourth fusion welding devices 2 b , 2 d , the moving body 80 is attached to the second guide rail 6 so as to move up and down , and the first and third fusion welding devices 2 a , 2 c are attached to the respective lower ends of the second and third bodies 1 b , 1 c . when the second body 1 b moves along the direction x so as to come close to or apart from the third body 1 c , the first fusion welding device 2 a moves close to or apart from the third fusion welding device 2 c . then , operation for assembling the frame 3 will be described . it is to be noted that the work 8 is described as the resin frame member 8 . in the same manner as described above , both the end portions in the longitudinal direction of the resin frame member 8 are set between the holding spaces 12 , 22 of the first and second holding units 10 , 20 of the fusion welding devices which are adjacent to each other , and held so as to move in the longitudinal direction . in the above described state , the first and second holding units 10 , 20 of the respective fusion welding devices 2 are positioned in the third position where they are separated , and the heating unit 30 is moved to the heating position . then , the first and second holding units 10 , 20 are moved to the second position , and the contact faces 11 , 21 are brought into contact with the heating unit 30 ( the first and second heating faces 31 , 32 ). in this state , the second body 1 b is moved in the lateral direction toward the third body 1 c , and the second and fourth fusion welding devices 2 b , 2 d ( the first moving body 80 ) are respectively moved in the vertical direction toward the first and third fusion welding devices 2 a , 2 c . in this manner , a distance between the first fusion welding device 2 a and the third fusion welding device 2 c , and a distance between the second fusion welding device 2 b and the fourth fusion welding device 2 d in the lateral direction are reduced . at the same time , a distance between the first fusion welding device 2 a and the second fusion welding device 2 b , and a distance between the third fusion welding device 2 c and the fourth fusion welding device 2 d in the vertical direction are reduced . in other words , the frame 3 in a rectangular shape is reduced in size keeping similarity , and the end faces 8 a of the adjacent resin frame members 8 are pressed to the heating unit 30 thereby to be fused . because this pressing force acts as a counteraction on the end faces 8 a at the opposite side , the end faces 8 a at the opposite side are also pressed to the heating unit 30 to be fused . thereafter , the first and second holding units 10 , 20 are moved to the third position where they are separated , and the heating unit 30 is moved to the retreating position . then , the first and second holding units 10 , 20 are moved to the first position to bring the contact faces 11 , 21 into contact . in this state , the second body 1 b , and the second and fourth fusion welding devices 2 b , 2 d are moved in the same manner as described above , whereby the end faces 8 a of the resin frame members 8 are pressed to each other thereby to be joined by fusion welding . in the above described first and second embodiments , the second body 1 b moves so as to approach and separate from the third body 1 c . alternatively , it is possible to move the third body 1 c or to move both the second and third bodies . according to an aspect of the present invention , the end portions of the works 8 which have been fused with the heating unit 30 are held by the first and second holding units 10 , 20 , and the first and second holding units 10 , 20 are synchronously moved by the synchronous moving unit 60 in a state where the contact faces 11 , 21 are in contact with each other , whereby the end faces 8 a of the works 8 are pressed in the longitudinal directions thereof inside the first and second holding units 10 , 20 to be joined . therefore , occurrence of fins can be reliably prevented , when the end portions of the works 8 are joined by fusion welding . moreover , there is no necessity of moving the works 8 in the longitudinal directions , because the works 8 are joined by moving the first and second holding units 10 , 20 . therefore , when the end portions of a plurality of the works 8 are joined by fusion welding to form the frame , it is possible to join the end portions of the works by fusion welding at the same time in the respective corner parts of the frame . according to an aspect of the present invention , the first and second holding units 10 , 20 are moved by the synchronous moving unit 60 in a state where the contact faces 11 , 21 of the first and second holding units are in contact with the first and second heating faces 31 , 32 of the heating unit 30 , whereby the end faces 8 a of the works 8 are pressed to the first and second heating faces 31 , 32 of the heating unit , and the end portions of the works 8 are fused inside the first and second holding units 10 , 20 . therefore , when the end portions of the works 8 are fused , fins will not occur . according to an aspect of the present invention , the moving body 80 is moved with respect to the base member 81 , whereby the first and second holding units 10 , 20 are synchronously moved , and the heating unit 30 is also moved at the same time . therefore , the synchronous moving unit 60 is simple in structure , and can be easily operated and controlled . according to an aspect of the present invention , the resin frame can be assembled by joining the end portions of the resin frame member by fusion welding , and fins will not occur at a time of joining by fusion welding . moreover , because the end portions of the resin frame members 8 can be joined by fusion welding at the same time in the respective corner parts of the resin frame , it is possible to assemble the resin frame efficiently in a short time . | 1 |
an important component of any digital receiver is a digital i / q mixer for converting narrowband ( about 5 mhz ) signals down from a few ghz . to achieve this goal with maximum efficiency the invention uses a circuit that is similar in principle to the gilbert quadrature mixer . see article by b . gilbert , “ a precise four quadrant multiplier with sub nanosecond response ,” ieee . j . solid - state circuits , vol . sc - 3 , pp . 365 - 373 , december 1968 . the basic idea of this mixer is to use square waves as a local oscillator signal instead of sine waves . the mathematical representation of a square wave is g ( t )= sign [ sin ( ω lo · t )], where ω lo · t is a local oscillator frequency . the digital version of such a mixer is comparably easy to implement in rsfq in case of single - bit coding , such as at the output of a delta - sigma modulator . the first implementation of a square wave digital mixer in rsfq is shown in fig1 . the right side of the device on the block diagram serves as a single - bit square wave generator with quadrature outputs . although , fig1 is shown as a two channel i / q mixer , the principles of the invention apply to a single channel mixer as well . as shown , the binary tree of resettable t flip - flops creates two ( i and q ) local oscillator signals with 90 degree relative phase shift . the t flip - flops control rs - type ndro cells , which , in turn , create digital square waves turning on and off a stream of sfq pulses . a modulated signal gets mixed with 90 degree . shifted square waves in xor cells , producing i channel and q channel output products . an rs - type ndro cell and a t flip - flop is used , instead of a t - type ndro cell , in order to avoid a possible collision between the ndro read - out pulse and reference pulse . such a collision may cause a wrong phase shift between i and q local oscillator signals . if such a problem occurs , the only way to correct it is by applying a reset signal , and one would not want to do that too often . despite its simple design , this version of the mixer has issues with timing , limiting its performance . to avoid this problem , we have designed a second novel mixer performing single - bit - stream xor multiplication ( fig2 ). in this case , we use the simple fact that a xor 0 = a and a xor 1 = ā . a rapid single - flux - quantum ( rsfq ) d flip - flop with complementary outputs ( dffc ) ( schematics and optimal parameters are in kirichenko et al ., “ a 4 - bit single flux quantum decoder ,” ieee transactions on applied superconductivity , vol . 5 , no . 2 , p . 2857 , june 1995 ), converts the modulated signal into a single - bit data stream along with its inverted ( complementary ) representation . multiplexing direct and inverted data outputs to the proper channel , it performs digital quadrature signal down - conversion . after the modulated signal passes through a d flip - flop with complementary outputs ( dffc ), it becomes asynchronous . multiplexing direct and inverted data outputs to the proper channel , we effectively perform digital i / q signal down - conversion . the multiplexing is done by two multiplexer cells controlled by the same t flip - flop binary tree as in fig1 , providing a 90 degree phase shift between i and q channels . again this circuit can be applied to single channel mixing as well as to i / q quadrature mixing . the multiplexer cell is shown in fig3 . this cell basically comprises a dual - port ndro cell . from this cell , a designer can build either a demultiplexer by merging inputs a and b , or a multiplexer by merging outputs a and b . see article by kirichenko et al ., “ a 4 - bit single flux quantum decoder ,” ieee transactions on applied superconductivity , vol . 5 , no . 2 , p . 2857 , june 1995 . we have designed and fabricated the fig3 version of the digital i / q mixer using the standard hypres 1 ka / cm 2 fabrication process . the same design was also converted to the standard hypres 4 . 5 ka / cm 2 fabrication process . the multiplexing is done by two 2 × 1 rsfq switches . the basic switch cell shown in fig3 a comprises a dual - port rsfq non - destructive read - out ( ndro ) cell with merged outputs , i . e ., electrically connected outputs 1 , 2 . applying an sfq pulse to the input “ set a ” causes the switch to connect input terminal “ in a ” to the output terminal “ out a ” and disconnect terminal “ in b ”. applying an sfq pulse to the input “ set b ” causes the switch to connect input terminal “ in b ” to the output terminal “ out b ” and disconnect terminal “ in a ”. the optimized parameters for the cell in fig3 a are in table 1 . both switches are controlled by a resettable t flip - flip binary tree . see description of t1 cell in s . polonsky , et al ., “ single flux quantum t flip - flop and its possible applications ”, ieee trans . on appl . supercond ., vol . 4 , p . 9 , 1994 , for the schematics and optimal parameters of the resettable tff . the tff tree converts a periodic reference signal into a control sequence of the switches , effectively creating two 90 - degree phase - shifted local oscillator square - wave signals of a half reference signal frequency . fig4 is a diagram of a digital i / q mixer utilizing an ndro cell to perform an and function asynchronously . like the other mixer designs , a reference clock drives a binary tree of t flip - flops with the outputs of the t flip - flop driving respective ndro cells which perform an and function with the data arriving from the delta - sigma modulator over a type d flip - flop . each of the three mixers described heretofore have their advantages and drawbacks . the circuit shown in fig4 , employing an and operation has a poor signal - to - noise ratio because of a dc component in the local oscillator . however , it is feasible for a multi - bit implementation . the digital i / q mixer employing xor operation shown in fig1 , has good gain and a good signal - to - noise ratio but there is no obvious multi - bit implementation . the streaming i / q mixer shown in fig2 , takes care of timing and synchronization issues , but may be hard to design for multi - bit data streams . thus , each of the three mixers described is preferred for a particular application . the xor mixer shown in fig1 , utilizes a t flip - flop , an rs - type ndro , an xor cell and a d flip - flop ( single output ). the streaming i / q mixer shown in fig2 utilizes the multiplexer shown in fig3 and a d flip - flop with complementary outputs . the and gate mixer shown in fig4 , utilizes t flip - flops , a multiplexer , such as that shown in fig3 , and a d flip - flop with complementary outputs . each of these elements utilized to construct the mixers described so far will now be described in more detail . fig5 shows a circuit for construction of an sfq resettable toggle flip - flop as used in the construction of the circuit of fig1 . the parameters for this schematic are found in the polonsky article , s . polonsky et al ., “ single flux , quantum b flip - flop and its possible applications ”, ieee , vol . 4 , no . 1 , march 1994 , p . 9 . the normalized “ personal superconducting circuit analayzer ” ( polonsky , s . ; shevchenko , p . ; kirichenko , a . ; zinoviev , d . ; rylyakoy , a ., “ pscan &# 39 ; 96 : new software for simulation and optimization of complex rsfq circuits ”, ieee transactions on applied superconductivity , volume 7 , issue 2 , june 1997 page ( s ): 2685 - 2689 ) ( pscan ) units are normalized to 125 pa for junction critical currents in and bias current values i , and to 2 . 63 pa for inductance values l . fig6 a is a diagram of an rs - type ndro cell used in fig1 . this cell functions as a non - destructive read - out with a single bit memory . one can change the state of the ndro by applying the reset or set inputs . if the cell is in state “ 1 ”, then the read input pulse goes to the output . if the cell is in state “ 0 ”, then the read input pulse is prevented from going to the output . the normalized pscan values for the circuit of fig6 a are as follows : fig7 a is a circuit diagram of an xor - type streaming mixer , indicated by the mux cell in fig2 . fig7 b is a diagram of a multiplexer / demultiplexer cell used in the xor circuit of fig7 a . this rsfq logic circuit functions as a multiplexer or demultiplexer , combining two input pulse streams into a single output stream or conversely . this was described in the u . s . pat . no . 5 , 982 , 219 , invented by a . kirichenko ( 1999 ). the normalized pscan values for the circuit of fig7 b are as follows : l1 = 4 . 51 , l2 = 1 . 77 , l3 = 0 . 37 , l4 = 0 . 60 , l5 = 0 . 30 , l6 = 0 . 62 , lc1 = 1 . 14 , lc2 = 0 . 75 . fig8 a shows a circuit for an sfq d flip - flop as used in the construction of the circuit of fig1 and 4 in which the complementary output is not used , and in fig2 , which uses the complementary output . if the data input is “ 1 ” ( i . e ., an sfq pulse ) then the true output gives “ 1 ” and the complement gives “ 0 ”. if the data input is “ 0 ” ( i . e ., no sfq pulse ), then the true output gives “ 0 ” and the complement gives “ 1 ”. the normalized pscan values for the circuit of fig8 a are as follows : l1 = 1 . 50 , l2 = 0 . 30 , l3 = 0 . 31 , l4 = 0 . 74 , l5 = 0 . 70 , l6 = 2 . 28 , l7 = 1 . 20 , l8 = 1 . 20 , l9 = 0 . 94 , l10 = 2 . 00 , l13 = 1 . 00 , fig8 b shows a partial moore diagram of the d flip - flop used in fig1 . fig9 is an exemplary layout of a digital i / q mixer of the type shown in fig1 . fig1 is an exemplary layout of a digital i / q mixer of the type shown in fig2 . fig1 is an exemplary layout of a digital i / q mixer of the type shown in fig4 . fig1 is a block diagram of a correlation receiver in accordance with one aspect of the invention . turning to fig1 , raw analog rf input is applied to an analog to digital convener ( adc ) preferably to an oversampled delta modulator or delta sigma modulator . the output of the adc is passed to a d flip - flop with complementary outputs and then to a multiplexer mux . the output of the multiplexer is then passed to a chain of t flip - flops tff1 - tff13 in this example the output ( digital output ) is taken from the last t flip - flop . the digital output is passed to another d flip - flop with complementary outputs to control the phase shift imported to a frequency reference by a string of alternating inverters and t flip - flop ( tff 1 - 4 ) cells . the output of the last t flip - flop connects to the set / reset inputs of the multiplexer of the streaming mixer . while various embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated herein in detail , it should be apparent that modifications and adaptations to those embodiments may occur to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present invention as set forth in the following claims . | 7 |
the present invention contemplates a fuel cell coolant particle filter which removes particles from a fuel cell coolant prior to distribution of the coolant through a fuel cell cooling system . while the fuel cell coolant particle filter is particularly well suited to filtering particles from coolant in a vehicle fuel cell cooling system , it will be recognized that the filter can be adapted to remove particles from a coolant in a fuel cell system which is used to power any type of electrical system . referring to fig1 , an illustrative embodiment of the fuel cell coolant vehicle filter , hereinafter “ filter ”, of the present invention is generally indicated by reference numeral 10 . the filter 10 includes a generally elongated , typically cylindrical filter housing 12 which may be metal or plastic , in non - exclusive particular . preferably , the filter housing 12 is polyvinylidene fluoride ( pvdf ). the filter housing 12 has a housing interior 14 . a housing inlet 16 communicates with the housing interior 14 at one end of the filter housing 12 , and a housing outlet 18 communicates with the housing interior 14 at the opposite end of the filter housing 12 . a filter element 20 is provided in the housing interior 14 , between the housing inlet 16 and housing outlet 18 , and separates the housing interior 14 into a pre - filtered region 22 and a filtered region 24 . the filter element 20 may have a generally conical or frustro - conical configuration , as shown , in which case the mouth 20 a of the filter element 20 is typically located adjacent to the housing inlet 16 and the apex 20 b of the filter element 20 is typically located adjacent to the housing outlet 18 . the filter element 20 may be metal , plastic or any other material which is compatible with a fuel cell coolant , which is typically a mixture of 40 % by volume ethylene glycol and 60 % by volume deionized water . preferably , the filter element 20 is a 316 stainless steel mesh and is rated for filtering particles at or above the size of 40 microns . a filter inlet conduit 26 is provided in fluid communication with the housing inlet 16 for distributing a flowing liquid fuel cell coolant 62 into the filter housing 12 , as will be hereinafter described . a filter outlet conduit 30 is provided in fluid communication with the housing outlet 18 for distributing the coolant 62 from the filter housing 12 . a reverse flow conduit 28 is provided in fluid communication with the filter inlet conduit 26 and extends in generally perpendicular relationship thereto . a coolant reservoir ( not shown ) may be provided in fluid communication with the reverse flow conduit 28 to receive reverse flowing coolant 62 a flowing from the filter inlet conduit 26 into the reverse flow conduit 28 , as will be hereinafter further described . upon partial or complete blockage of the filter element 20 due to prolonged usage of the filter 10 , as will be hereinafter described , reverse flowing coolant 62 a flows from the filter inlet conduit 26 , into the reverse flow conduit 28 . the pressure of the reverse flowing coolant 62 a is directly proportional to the degree of blockage of the filter element 20 . a pressure gauge 32 is connected to the fuel cell coolant filter 10 to measure and indicate the pressure of reverse flowing coolant 62 a in the reverse flow conduit 28 responsive to particle blockage of the filter element 20 , as will be hereinafter described . the pressure gauge 32 includes a pressure indicator 38 which is operably connected to the interior of the reverse flow conduit 28 to measure and indicate the pressure of reverse flowing coolant 62 a in the reverse flow conduit 28 . the pressure indicator 38 may include various indicator regions such as , for example , a first indicator region 40 a which corresponds to from 0 % to 25 % blockage of the filter element 20 ; a second indicator region 40 b which corresponds to from 25 % to 50 % blockage of the filter element 20 ; a third indicator region 40 c which corresponds to from 50 % to 75 % blockage of the filter element 20 ; and a fourth indicator region 40 d which corresponds to 75 % to 100 % blockage of the filter element 20 . the pressure indicator 38 may be a conventional pressure - sensing plate , membrane , diaphragm or coil , for example , which is capable of sensing the pressure of reverse flowing coolant 62 a in the reverse flow conduit 28 . the various indicator regions 40 a - 40 d may normally be a uniform background color such as white , for example , and change to a selected color upon activation depending on the pressure of the reverse coolant 62 a in the reverse flow conduit 28 . for example , the first indicator region 40 a may change from the uniform background color , such as white , to green when the filter element 20 is unblocked or the pressure of the reverse flowing coolant 62 a corresponds to up to a 25 % blockage of the filter element 20 . accordingly , the first indicator region 40 a is calibrated to change from the uniform background color to green when the pressure indicator 38 senses a pressure of the reverse flowing coolant 62 a which results due to a 25 % or less blockage of the filter element 20 . in similar fashion , the second indicator region 40 b may be calibrated to change from the uniform background color to yellow when the pressure indicator 38 senses a pressure of the reverse flowing coolant 62 a corresponding to a 25 % to 50 % blockage of the filter element 20 . the third indicator region 40 c typically changes from the background color to orange when the coolant pressure corresponds to a 50 % to 75 % blockage of the filter element 20 , and the fourth indicator region 40 d typically changes from the background color to red when the coolant pressure corresponds to a 75 % to 100 % blockage of the filter element 20 . it will be understood that alternative pressure gauges known by those skilled in the art may be used to sense and indicate the pressure of the reverse flowing coolant 62 a in the reverse flow conduit 28 . for example , the pressure indicator 38 may be provided with an indicator needle ( not shown ) which moves from left to right responsive to and in proportion to the magnitude of the pressure of the reverse flowing coolant 62 a in the reverse flow conduit 28 . in that case , the indicator needle would indicate the first indicator region 40 a when the filter element 20 is up to 25 % blocked ; the second indicator region 40 b when the filter element 20 is 25 % to 50 % blocked ; the third indicator region 40 c when the filter element 20 is 50 % to 75 % blocked ; and the fourth indicator region 40 d when the filter element 20 is 75 % to 100 % blocked . fig2 illustrates a typical installation position of the fuel cell coolant filter 10 in a fuel cell vehicle 50 , a bottom view of which is shown . the fuel cell vehicle 50 includes a front end 52 , a rear end 54 , a pair of front wheels 56 and a pair of rear wheels 58 . preferably , the filter 10 is mounted in a horizontal position between the front wheels 56 and rear wheels 58 and is accessible from the bottom 60 of the fuel cell vehicle 50 . an inlet 64 a of the vehicle coolant system 64 ( shown in phantom ) is connected to the filter outlet conduit 30 of the filter 10 , and an outlet 64 b of the vehicle coolant system 64 is connected to the filter inlet conduit 26 of the filter 10 . accordingly , the filter 10 is easily accessible on the fuel cell vehicle 50 for servicing , repair or replacement , as needed . the pressure indicator 38 of the pressure gauge 32 is typically provided on the dashboard ( not shown ) of the fuel cell vehicle 50 or in some other location which is visible to the driver of the fuel cell vehicle 50 . referring again to fig1 and 2 , in typical operation of the filter 10 , coolant 62 flows throughout the vehicle coolant system 64 ( fig2 ) to cool the fuel cell ( not shown ) of the fuel cell vehicle 50 , typically in conventional fashion . the expended coolant 62 flows from the vehicle coolant system 64 , through the outlet 64 b and into the filter inlet conduit 26 of the filter 10 , respectively . when the filter element 20 of the filter 10 is unblocked , the coolant 62 flows unimpeded from the filter inlet conduit 26 , through the housing inlet 16 and into the housing interior 14 of the filter housing 12 ; through the filter element 20 ; and into the filter outlet conduit 30 through the housing outlet 18 , respectively . as the coolant 62 flows through the filter element 20 , particles ( not shown ) having a size of typically about 40 microns and larger are removed from the coolant 62 and become entrapped in the filter element 20 . therefore , the coolant 62 which emerges from the filter 10 and is distributed back to the vehicle coolant system 64 through the inlet 64 a is substantially devoid of particles which would otherwise tend to clog coolant channels in the fuel cell ( not shown ). from about 95 to 98 percent of contaminant particles are typically removed from the coolant 62 within the first passage of coolant 62 through the filter 10 . when the filter element 20 is substantially unclogged by particles , the coolant 62 tends to flow unimpeded and uni - directionally from the filter inlet conduit 26 and into and through the filter housing 12 . therefore , substantially none of the coolant flows from the filter housing 12 back into the filter inlet conduit 26 and reverse flow conduit 28 as reverse flowing coolant 62 a . accordingly , the pressure gauge 32 measures a coolant pressure of “ 0 ” in the reverse flow conduit 28 . this coolant pressure is correlated with 0 % clogging of the filter element 20 . the pressure indicator 38 indicates this unclogged condition of the filter element 20 by imparting the “ activation ” color ( green , in this case ) to the first indicator region 40 a , while the remaining indicator regions 40 b - 40 d remain in the uniform background color . accordingly , the pressure indicator 38 is interpreted as indicating either an unclogged condition or a clogged condition of the filter element 20 which ranges from 1 % to 25 %. as the filter element 20 becomes progressively clogged by particles throughout prolonged use , some of the coolant begins to flow from the filter housing 12 and back into the filter inlet conduit 26 as reverse flowing coolant 62 a as the forward - flowing coolant 62 impinges against the blocked regions of the filter element 20 . some of this reverse flowing coolant 62 a flows into the reverse flow conduit 28 . the pressure gauge 32 measures the pressure of the reverse flowing coolant 62 a in the reverse flow conduit 28 , and the pressure indicator 38 indicates the measured pressure as a direct measure of the degree of blockage of the filter element 20 . in the event that the pressure of the reverse flowing coolant 62 a corresponds to a blockage of from 1 % to 25 % of the filter element 20 , the first indicator region 40 a of the pressure indicator 38 displays the “ activation ” color ( green in this case ). in the event that the pressure of the reverse flowing coolant 62 a in the reverse flow conduit 28 corresponds to a blockage of from 25 % to 50 % of the filter element 20 , the color of the second indicator region 40 b changes from the background color to the “ activation ” color ( yellow in this case ). in the event that the pressure of the reverse flowing coolant 62 a in the reverse flow conduit 28 corresponds to a blockage of from 50 % to 75 % of the filter element 20 , the color of the third indicator region 40 c changes from the background color to the “ activation ” color ( orange in this case ). in the event that the pressure of the reverse flowing coolant 62 a in the reverse flow conduit 28 corresponds to a blockage of from 75 % to 100 % of the filter element 20 , the color of the fourth indicator region 40 d changes from the background color to the “ activation ” color ( red in this case ). at that point , activation of the fourth indicator region 40 d indicates to a driver ( not shown ) of the fuel cell vehicle 50 that the fuel cell coolant filter 10 needs to be removed from the vehicle 50 and serviced or replaced . the filter 10 is preferably constructed in such a manner that it can survive coolant pressures of up to 75 psi without leakage or loss of functionality . the construction of the filter 10 facilitates operation at temperatures of 85 degrees c . without loss of structural integrity . the filter 10 is capable of operation without service for a minimum of one year or 15 , 000 miles . preferred operating ranges for the filter 10 include a humidity of between 0 % and 100 %, an elevation of between − 150 meters and 4 , 570 meters above sea level and a maximum pressure drop of 0 . 9 psi at 4 , 500 pump rpm and flow of 25 . 5 gpm . while the preferred embodiments of the invention have been described above , it will be recognized and understood that various modifications can be made in the invention and the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications which may fall within the spirit and scope of the invention . | 7 |
the following description of particular aspect ( s ) is merely exemplary in nature and is in no way intended to limit the scope of the invention , its application , or uses , which may , of course , vary . the invention is described with relation to the non - limiting definitions and terminology included herein . these definitions and terminology are not designed to function as a limitation on the scope or practice of the invention but are presented for illustrative and descriptive purposes only . while the processes or compositions are described as an order of individual steps or using specific materials , it is appreciated that steps or materials may be interchangeable such that the description of the invention may include multiple parts or steps arranged in many ways as is readily appreciated by one of skill in the art . it will be understood that when an element is referred to as being “ on ” another element , it can be directly on the other element or intervening elements may be present therebetween . in contrast , when an element is referred to as being “ directly on ” another element , there are no intervening elements present . it will be understood that , although the terms “ first ,” “ second ,” “ third ” etc . may be used herein to describe various elements , components , regions , layers , parameters and / or sections , these elements , components , regions , layers , parameters , and / or sections should not be limited by these terms . these terms are only used to distinguish one element , component , region , layer , parameter , or section from another element , component , region , layer , parameter , or section . thus , “ a first element ,” “ component ,” “ region ,” “ layer ,” “ parameter ,” or “ section ” discussed below could be termed a second ( or other ) element , component , region , layer , parameter , or section without departing from the teachings herein . the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular aspects only and is not intended to be limiting . as used herein , the singular forms “ a ,” “ an ,” and “ the ” are intended to include the plural forms , including “ at least one ,” unless the content clearly indicates otherwise . “ or ” means “ and / or .” as used herein , the term “ and / or ” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items . it will be further understood that the terms “ comprises ” and / or “ comprising ,” or “ includes ” and / or “ including ” when used in this specification , specify the presence of stated features , regions , integers , steps , operations , elements , and / or components , but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features , regions , integers , steps , operations , elements , components , and / or groups thereof . the term “ or a combination thereof ” means a combination including at least one of the foregoing elements . unless otherwise defined , all terms ( including technical and scientific terms ) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs . it will be further understood that terms such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries , should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and the present disclosure , and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein . as used herein the term “ regular geometric arrangement ” is defined as a constant or defined pattern or patterns with specific and defined spaces between individual instances where the overall geometric arrangement has a repeatability of geometric shape , size , or orientation of one element relative to another element on the same or different device recurring at a fixed interval of distance . as used herein , the term “ periodic geometric arrangement is a regular geometric arrangement with a specific periodicity of an element shape , size , or other characteristic appearing and / or recurring at a fixed interval or intervals . as used herein the term “ flow temperature ” is defined as any characteristic polymer temperature , such as a softening ( i . e . t g , glass transition ) or melting point that can be used to compare the thermal properties of different polymers and which in part determines appropriate drawing and printing process conditions for a given polymer system . as used herein the term “ physically associated ” is defined as in physical contact throughout at least a portion of one element relative to a second element . as used herein the term “ filament ” is an elongated material formed by the process of drawing , such as thermal drawing , from a preform to a cross sectional dimension that is less than the corresponding cross sectional dimension of the preform . as used herein the term “ preform ” is a three dimensional body of two or more materials with differing mechanical , physical , optical , electrical , or other desired properties arranged in a regular or irregular fashion and suitably dimensioned so as to allow the preform to be drawn into the form of a filament . provided herein are multi - component materials that are in the form of a preform or a filament useful as an end product or for further processing to form an article such as by methods of three dimensional printing . by combining two or more materials that differ in one or more properties into the configuration of a preform , the geometric arrangement of the preform is maintained throughout a drawing process so as to produce a filament with desired uses , configurations , or properties that are not easily obtainable by other filament manufacturing methods . a filament as provided herein can be used as an end product itself , can be further drawn into a smaller cross sectional dimension for other uses or for the manufacture of an article such as by three dimensional printing or other process . a filament has a stable cross sectional interrelationship between two or more materials that are included in the filament . such cross sectional stability is achieved in some aspects by creation of a larger preform with the desired interrelationship and drawing the preform into the form of a filament by a process such as thermal drawing . as such , the interrelationships provided between materials as described herein for a filament are also provided for the description of a preform with the exception of physical dimensions thereof which are larger in a preform . much of the description is directed to filaments for use in three dimensional printing , but it is equally appreciated that such filaments are suitable for many other uses and in many other configurations as is appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art in view of the description provided herein . in a first aspect , provided is a filament optionally suitable for use in three dimensional printing including a first filament material and a second filament material , the first filament material and the second filament material physically associated in a regular or other predetermined geometric arrangement . in some aspects , a first filament material or a second filament material are a thermoplastic polymer . optionally , both a first filament material and a second filament material are differing thermoplastic polymer in which a flow temperature of the first thermoplastic polymer is at least 10 degrees celsius higher than a flow temperature of the second thermoplastic polymer . a filament thusly composed is suitable as a material source for additive manufacturing processes that create physical models by melt - depositing thermoplastic filaments such as fused filament fabrication ( fff ) methods . the filaments provided have the ability to improve association between one layer of printed material and an adjacent layer of printed material , by depositing filament such that the lower flow temperature ( lft ) polymer flows in order to fill voids and form strong weld lines , while simultaneously retaining dimensional accuracy due to the mechanical stability of the higher flow temperature ( hft ) polymer . this way the regular geometric arrangement of the hft polymer stabilizes the localization of the lft polymer to promote geometric confinement of the lft polymer and overall geometric stability of the resulting article . in some aspects , the filament includes two thermoplastic polymer materials that differ in flow temperature by 10 ° c . or greater . it has been found that in some fff processes , the upper limit of flow temperature differences should be employed . as such , optionally , the two polymer materials differ in flow temperature by 10 ° c . to 150 ° c ., optionally 10 ° c . to 50 ° c ., or any value or range therebetween . optionally , the two polymer materials differ in flow temperature by 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 , or 50 ° c . optionally , the two polymer materials differ in flow temperature by 10 ° c . to 30 ° c . or any value or range therebetween . the presence of the tailored differing flow temperatures allows for improved weldline strength and geometric stability of the printed article . a first thermoplastic polymer may be made of the same or differing material ( s ) as a second thermoplastic polymer as long as the flow temperatures of the two materials differ by at least 10 ° c . a first or second thermoplastic polymer optionally includes one or more of the following materials : acrylonitrilebutadienestyrene ( abs ); high density polyethylene ( hdpe ); low density polyethylene ( ldpe ); polyamide ( nylon ); polyamide imide ( pai ); polyarylate ( par ); polyaryletherketone ( paek ); polybutylene terephthalate ( pbt ); polycarbonate ( pc ); polyester ; polyether sulfone ( pes ); polyetherketoneketone ( pekk ); polyetheretherketone ( peek or pk ); polyetherimide ( pei , ultem ); polyetherketone ( pek ); polyetherketonetherketoneketone ( pekekk ); polyethlyene ( pe ); polyethylene terephthalate ( pet ); polyimide ( pi ); polylactic acid ( pla ); polymethyl methacrylate ( pmma ); polyoxymethylene ( pom ); polyphenylene oxide ( ppo ); polyphenylene sulfide ( pps ); polyphenylsulfone ( ppsu ); polyphthalamide ( ppa ); polyphthalate carbonate ( ppc ); polyproplyene ( pp ); polystyrene ( ps ); polysulfone ( psf ); polyurethane ( pu ); polyvinyl chloride ( pvc ); polyvinylidene fluoride ( pvdf ); styrene acrylonitrile ( san ); styrene maleic anhydride ( sma ); ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene ( uhmwpe ); other thermoplastics , thermoplastic polymers and melt processable polymers . in some aspects , a thermoplastic polymer is electrically conductive . known electrically conductive thermoplastic polymers may be used . the electrically conductive material may be an inherently conductive polymer e . g . polyacetylene or polypyrrole , or a polymer filled with electrically conductive filler to a level giving acceptable conductivity . in some aspects , the polymer material itself is not electrically conductive such as but not limited to polyurethanes , silicon rubber , polysulphides , or polyamides , but are combined with one or more electrically conductive fillers to produce an electrically conductive polymer material . the filler may be any solid particulate material having sufficiently high electrical conductivity and having chemical compatibility with the matrix polymer . illustrative examples include the group of metals commonly used to conduct electricity , for example , aluminum , copper , nickel , silver , gold , tin / lead alloys , etc . or from the group of conductive carbons , for example , carbon black , graphite , etc ., or , optionally , from the class consisting of acetylene black , for example , shawinigan acetylene black , ucet acetylene black , etc . in some aspects , a filament material includes one or more optical properties . illustrative optical properties include optical transparency , translucency , fluorescence , phosphorescence , luminescence , or other optical property . optically transparent is defined as allowing light to pass through the material without being scattered , e . g . light passing through the material follows snell &# 39 ; s law . optically translucent materials allow light to pass through the material , but some degree of scattering occurs . illustrative polymeric materials that may be formed to allow light to pass through include polycarbonate , pmma , pvdf , polypropylene , fluorinated ethylene propylene , polymethylpentene , among others . other optically transparent materials include glass or other known suitable transparent material . optically transparent , translucent , fluorescent , phosphorescent or other optical property containing filament materials are optionally used to form a filament in the form of an optical waveguide where light is transmissible along the length of the filament . in some aspects , materials of contrasting index of refraction can be combined to create optical waveguides such as optical fiber . an optical property is optionally color , optionally visible color where the filament material is optically reflective to light having a wavelength in the visible spectrum — i . e . 390 nm to 700 nm . optionally , an optical property is color in the uv or ir ranges . thermoplastic polymers are obtainable commercially from many sources known in the art or are formed in situ . illustrative commercial sources include star thermoplastics ( broadview , ill .) among others . in some aspects , a filament material is a scavengable scaffold material that is capable of being selectively degraded when combined with a second or other filament material that is not a scavengable scaffold material . such scavengable materials are known in the art and may be degraded by either thermal , biological , or chemical methods . optionally , a scavengable scaffold material is a biodegradable plastic , illustratively polyhydroxyalkanoates ( such as poly - 3 - hydroxybutyrate ( phb ), polyhydroxyvalerate ( phv ) and polyhydroxyhexanoate ( phh )), polylactic acid ( pla ), polybutylene succinate ( pbs ), polycaprolactone ( pcl ), polyanhydrides , polyvinyl alcohol , among others . in some aspects a filament material is a glass . illustrative examples of a glass include but are not limited to glasses that include silica , alumina , chalcogenide , or phosphate . in some aspects , a filament material is or contains a metal . illustrative examples of a metal include but are not limited to a eutectic metal , metal solder , metal braze , copper , aluminum , steel , stainless steel , titanium , semi - conducting metal , and bulk metallic glass . in some aspects , a filament material includes an edible body that includes one or more human or animal edible materials . illustrative non - limiting examples of an edible body include a sugar , pasta , dough , vegetable paste , fruit paste , food paste , and a pharmaceutical . in some aspects , two filament materials are combined in a single filament , but a filament is not necessarily limited to two thermoplastic polymers . optionally , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , or more filament materials are combined . optionally , the geometric arrangement of at least one or more of the filament materials follows a regular or other predetermined geometric arrangement . optionally , and at least two of the filament materials have a flow temperature that differs by 10 ° c . or more . optionally , a filament includes at least two compositionally different filament materials where at least a portion of the compositionally different materials are present on the outer surface of the filament . compositionally different polymers are optionally of different chemical composition , optionally including differing types of chemical crosslinks , formed of different precursor materials ( i . e . differing length , type , etc . ), including differing additives , or of differing linkages . in one illustrative aspect , a first thermoplastic polymer includes poly ( methyl methacrylate ) ( pmma ), and a second thermoplastic polymer includes acrylonitrile butadiene styrene ( abs ). other combinations are readily formed . a first filament material and a second filament material may be physically associated , optionally in an interlocking manner , optionally in a side by side manner in the longitudinal direction , or other so as to form a single filament . a filament is optionally in the form of a cylinder , an rectangular prism , elongated prism structure with a cross sectional area in the shape of a circle , square , rectangle , trapezoid , hexagon , pentagon , other polygon as desired , or an irregular outer shape of the cross sectional area . a cross sectional shape optionally is continuous throughout the length of a filament . in some aspects , a cross sectional shape varies along the length of a filament . variation of a cross sectional shape is optionally non - random so as to form a useful shape . one illustrative example is a circular cross sectional shape along much of a filament length and terminating in a square cross sectional shape so as to be removably holdable in a filament holder for use in manufacturing processes . a cross sectional shape optionally varies non - randomly such as by design , or by regular and mathematically describable changes . a filament optionally has a length that is greater than a cross sectional dimension so as to form an elongated shape with a longitudinal dimension . a filament includes a first thermoplastic polymer that is optionally a high flow temperature thermoplastic polymer ( hft ) and a second thermoplastic polymer that is optionally a low flow temperature thermoplastic polymer ( lft ). here the terms “ low ” and “ high ” are terms relative to the flow temperature of the other polymer where a lft polymer has a lower flow temperature than and hft polymer , and an hft polymer has a higher flow temperature than a lft polymer . the hft and lft polymers are optionally in a regular geometric arrangement , optionally extending in a longitudinal direction . illustratively , a regular geometric arrangement is observed when viewing a filament by cross section . as an illustration , fig1 depicts preforms for creating two - polymer monofilaments illustrating how the materials for the creation of a filament can be arranged and produced . a preform that is thermally drawn to a filament is optionally suitable as feedstock for a three - dimensional printer where a filament is further reduced in cross section during the printing process . as illustrated in fig1 a the gray lft polymer and white hft polymer are in a regular arrangement with a number of design features . first , the outer faces of the preform show alternating lft and hft material in approximately equal proportion . this feature ensures that , when used for fff parts , there exists opportunity for continuous contact of lft and hft polymers throughout the entirety of the printed part , leading to a percolated , mutually interpenetrating geometry . a second feature is that the lft polymer is interlocked with the hft polymer so that that lft polymer is geometrically confined within the preform . this design allows the preform to be drawn to a filament at a temperature where the hft polymer can be viscously drawn while the lft polymer is at a much lower viscosity . without such confinement within the hft polymer , the lft polymer would be at such a low viscosity that it would likely break up or separate during drawing . a final feature of the preform is that the hft polymer is a single continuous body in the preform , while the lft polymer is arranged as discrete inserts . because the hft polymer is continuous , it provides mechanical stability during thermal drawing of the preform and during additive manufacturing of fff parts . if , instead , the hft polymer phase was not continuous , the monofilament produced by thermal drawing would likely be less stable mechanically . in one exemplary aspect illustrated in fig1 b , the hft and lft polymer components are each individually printed ( i . e . made ) separately and then manually ( or by machine ) combined into a single , interlocking preform . the base of the preform optionally also includes geometric features such as a tapped hole for mounting into a draw tower . various degrees of symmetry for the hft and lft material may be employed similar to fig1 a , e . g . 3 - way , 4 - way , 5 - way , 6 - way , and 7 - way , can be employed . in the exemplary aspects of fig1 a and b , the lft polymer is acrylonitrile butadiene styrene ( abs ), with a glass transition temperature ( t g ) of approximately 105 ° c ., and the hft polymer is polycarbonate ( pc ), with a t g of approximately 147 ° c . in some aspects , a geometric arrangement is a regular geometric arrangement . in some aspect , the geometric arrangement radially symmetric or symmetric about the long axis of the fiber . a “ regular ” arrangement includes any geometry which is spatially designed , orderly , and deterministically arranged . regular geometries include , but are not limited to , geometric patterns , images , text , symbols , logos , or barcodes . geometries that are not “ regular ” include random mixtures , and disordered material combinations with significant spatial variations in phase size , shape , and distribution , optionally so as not to form a human or machine cognizable image or unable to convey meaning or data . illustrative examples of regular arrangements are optionally where the first filament material is oriented , shaped , and positioned in regular , repeating intervals around the circumference of a preform . such an arrangement is also a periodic geometric arrangement , where a periodic geometric arrangement is defined as a regularly repeating arrangement of one filament material to another filament material in shape , orientation , and location within the filament or a preform . the first filament material , the second filament material , or both are optionally a single continuous body through a filament length , meaning that the filament material is continually present from one end of a filament to another . optionally , the single continuous body polymer is an hft polymer . optionally , an lft polymer is not continuous throughout a filament length . optionally , an lft polymer has a length that is less than the full length of the filament . a filament optionally includes a geometry where a hft filament material at least partially confines a lft filament material so that the lft filament material is restricted from release from the filament structure . an exemplary arrangement of such a construction is illustrated in fig1 a and b where a white hft polymer material is shaped to form “ t ” shaped extensions that prevent the release of the lft polymer from the overall structure in a direction other than a longitudinal direction . any shape of an hft filament material may be suitable for restricting release of the lft filament material , illustrative , l shape , barbs , curves , or other shape . a regular geometric arrangement is optionally in the form of human or machine recognizable text , a symbol , pattern , or barcode . as the preform may be made by fff processes , and the resulting filament may be made by thermal drawing processes , the shapes of the geometric arrangement are not limited and can be readily tailored to any desired shape . one innovative aspect of the filaments is that the shapes can be made in a larger form such as in the form of a preform that is readily made into any desirable shape , and are able to be drawn to a much smaller size in cross sectional dimension while still maintaining the regular geometric pattern and the overall shape and arrangement of the polymers in the material . thus , a barcode , text , or other geometric shape is able to be greatly reduced in size from an original preform size . a preform is optionally of larger cross sectional dimension relative to a final filament that is used for fff processes . optionally , a preform is between 1 . 1 and 100 times the cross sectional dimension . as such , also provided are preforms . a preform in some aspects is useable as a source for feedstock in devices for fff manufacturing or other . a preform optionally has a cross sectional dimension of 1 - 1000 mm , or any value or range therebetween , optionally 5 - 50 mm , optionally , 10 - 30 mm . a preform is drawable into a final filament with a smaller cross sectional dimension relative to the preform where the filament has substantially the same geometrical arrangement in cross section as the preform . a filament optionally has a cross sectional dimension , that is 0 . 01 - 100 mm , or any value or range therebetween . if the filament is to be used as a feedstock for fff manufacturing devices , it optionally has a cross sectional dimension of 0 . 5 - 5 . 0 mm , optionally , 1 - 3 mm . a cross sectional dimension is a dimension perpendicular to a longitudinal dimension of a filament . optionally , a cross sectional dimension is a diameter . a preform is optionally made by an additive manufacturing process in which material is selectively dispensed through a nozzle or orifice . in general these systems consist of a three or more axis , computer controlled gantry , deposition mechanism , feedstock supply and heated build platform . depending on the material system that is desired for a final part , the deposition mechanism can vary . the thermoplastic feedstock that is utilized in this art is in the form of a continuous filament with a consistent diameter that is typically between 1 mm to 3 mm . for processing of these types of thermoplastic filaments , a rudimentary deposition system consists of a drive train , heating element , and extrusion nozzle . the drive train consists of a motor or motors and a system of gears that feeds the thermoplastic filament through the rest of the process . a heating element creates a zone of elevated temperature that increases the flowability of the thermoplastic as it is forced through the system by the drive train . the thermoplastic continues through an extrusion nozzle that generally has a decreasing diameter along its length . the change in diameter of the extrusion nozzle causes the diameter of the thermoplastic to decrease . in this form of the deposition process the filament that exits the extrusion nozzle has been reduced to a diameter range of 0 . 05 mm to 0 . 5 mm . the deposition system can be mounted onto a gantry system that supports the deposition system above a base component . the gantry system allows the deposition system to move relative to the base component along “ x ,” “ y ,” and “ z ” axes . the movement is conducted in a preset order allowing for the fabrication of a three dimensional structure . the order is generally computer driven based on computer aided design ( cad ) software which generates controlled motion paths for the gantry system . the extruded filament is deposited onto the base component line by line to create a layer that is representative of the cross section of the desired three dimensional part . another layer is then deposited on top of the first . this iterative process continues until the part is completed . when the three dimensional part being fabricated has geometric complexities that require support during build ( overhangs , steep angles , or encapsulated volumes ) two deposition mechanisms may be used : 1 ) a deposition system that deposits the modeling material or the product material ; 2 ) a deposition system that deposits a support material ( eventually to be washed out , machined off or broken off ) to temporarily support said geometric complexities . the heating elements , of at least one deposition mechanism , may be capable of achieving temperatures such that a range of the filament materials with different softening temperatures ( i . e . glass transitions temperatures ) can be processed through the extrusion nozzle . the diameter of the extrusion nozzle tip &# 39 ; s orifice is recommended to be approximately 0 . 01 ″ ( 0 . 254 mm ). however , orifice dimensions are arbitrary and only restricted by the desired fidelity of the preform to be fabricated , granted it can be drawn into filament . a filament or preform is optionally formed by printing the shape in total or in parts . for example , a preform or filament is optionally itself formed by fff printing processes . in some aspects , the hft filament material is formed or printed separately from the lft material and then the two materials are manually or mechanically slid together for form a single filament or preform . in such aspects , the geometrical shape and dimensions of the hft material and the lft material are compatible such that the two materials may be associated by a physical interaction such that the two materials do not disassociate upon handling . optionally , the hft material and the lft material are printed simultaneously with the geometric arrangement between the materials formed in situ . in some aspects , a filament is formed by drawing a preform into a usably dimensioned filament . the filament is optionally formed using a draw tower to thermally draw preforms into a filament , illustratively by a process schematically depicted in fig1 c . a preform 2 is optionally itself printed using three dimensional printing processes on a three dimensional printer 1 as is readily commercially available . once the preform is made and optionally fully assembled , it may be placed in a draw tower or other drawing apparatus for the production of a filament . the preform 2 ( or 2 ′) is placed into a draw tower 3 that includes feed mechanism for the preform 4 , a heat source 5 and a take up spool 9 for collecting the formed filament 10 . the preform 2 is preheated and then brought to full draw temperature in a draw tower 3 that includes a heating element 5 such as in the form of a clam shell oven . shortly after heating and drawing , the filament optionally encounters a chilled coil 6 that quenches the filament to solidify it and prevent further drawing . upon exiting the chiller , the filament diameter and draw tension are optionally measured using a filament diameter measurement system 7 and optionally a filament tension transducer 8 before the filament 10 is collected on a take - up spool 9 . the preform may be fed into the heater at a very slow rate , controlled by a screw - driven linear actuator ( exemplary feed mechanism 4 ), and the take - up speed may be controlled by a stepper motor on the take - up spool . the oven temperature , chiller position , feed rate , and take - up rate can all be adjusted to achieve different levels of filament size and quality . as such , also provided are processes of forming a filament or of manufacturing an item using fff technologies incorporating a filament with two or more filament materials differing in flow temperature by 10 ° c . or more . a process includes : additively manufacturing a first filament material and a second filament material ; associating the first and the second filament materials optionally in a regular geometric arrangement to create a preform ; heating the preform to a drawing temperature ; and pulling the preform under tension to draw the preform down to a filament such that the regular geometric arrangement is preserved . a first filament material is optionally an hft filament material or an lft filament material . a second filament material is optionally an hft filament material or an lft filament material . the first , second , or both filament materials are optionally formed by extrusion by processes known in the art , or by additive manufacturing such as by printing the individual filament materials in shapes that are complementary so as to be physically and mechanically associated , or are simultaneously printed in a regular geometric pattern to create a preform . whether the first and second filament materials are formed together simultaneously or separately then physically associated , the shapes of the two ( or more ) filament materials are complementary so as to physically associate in the regular geometric arrangement . a preform is optionally heated to a drawing temperature . a drawing temperature is a temperature at which both the filament materials are flowable meaning that a drawing temperature is at or above a flow temperature for the hft filament material . a drawing temperature is optionally at the flow temperature for an hft material . in some aspects , drawing at a minimum flow temperature , where the material is very viscous and drawing is performed under high tensile stress , may be used in order to accurately replicate the preform geometry in the final drawn filament with minimal relaxations or distortions due to gravity , surface tension , interfacial tension , or diffusion . a drawing temperature is optionally from equal to the flow temperature of the hft material to 100 ° c . higher than the flow temperature of the hft material . the final filament is formed by pulling the preform when heated to the drawing temperature . the pulling is optionally under tension to draw the filament down to a cross sectional dimension that is lower than the cross sectional dimension of the preform , optionally 0 . 5 × to 0 . 01 × the cross sectional dimension of the preform . in all aspects , the geometric pattern of the preform is substantially maintained in the final filament whereby the relative arrangement , shapes and relative dimensions are preserved in the drawing process . in some aspects , the cross sectional shape of the preform is maintained , but is optionally changed such as from a polygon shape to a substantially circular or oval shape . also provided are processes of forming an article . a process optionally includes heating a filament at or above the flow temperature for the hft material to form a heated filament , optionally reducing the diameter of the filament by extrusion , drawing or other suitable process , and depositing the heated filament in a controlled manner to form a three dimensional object . the shape of the object is not limited and may be in any shape such as that of a tool , medical device , toy , electronic device or any other shape . in some aspects , the three dimensional object is formed using computer control of the way the heated filament is layered in three dimensions . computer control of such processes is known in the art as illustrated in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 362 , 427 . the filament is optionally heated to the flow temperature of the hft material , or a suitable temperature above the flow temperature of the hft material , optionally from 1 ° c . to 300 ° c . above the flow temperature of the hft material . the combination of at least two filament materials in a geometric pattern , optionally an interlocking geometric pattern allows for exceptional fff manufacturing methods to be achieved by promoting improved weldline characteristics as well as improved geometric stability of the resulting manufactured article . by varying the type of filament materials used , the overall characteristics such as electrical conductivity , optical properties , physical properties ( e . g . hardness ), and others can be readily tailored to the individual need of the user while promoting improved structures relative to those previously produced . the technique of three dimensional ( 3d ) printing a preform as described herein and drawing into a filament can be used to create logos , text , pictures , bar codes , and other geometrically complex identifiers that persist from the preform to the filament . this technique enables the encoding of such images into the core of a fiber in a way that would not otherwise be possible with conventional extrusion techniques due to the very small scale . using 3d printing to create the preform also enables a high degree of customization , for example allowing a different bar code to be printed each day or each hour to create custom bar - coded filaments with short lead times . the small size of the filament and cross - section image provides a number of application possibilities . first , such a filament would be advantageous for anti - counterfeiting . a logo or code could be embedded in a filament that is then incorporated into the product , for example knitted into the body of an expensive sneaker or molded into the plastic housing of a critical electronic component . the embedded image would not be obvious to an outside viewer , so a counterfeit product would not be likely to replicate this feature . to check for the pedigree of a product , the original manufacturer would know to extract a certain fiber or cross - section the housing in a special location , and look in a microscope to see the embedded logo , image , or code . in a different application , filaments are produced with internal bar codes . the bar codes can be customized for each product run , or day of the week , or even a detail of that particular product . the filament is then included or embedded in the product , and provides a permanent physical record of the product information . a user or manufacturer can magnify and image the bar code , and scan it to retrieve relevant product information . such a technique could similarly be used to embed a miniature qr code into a product , which could then be scanned by a user &# 39 ; s mobile phone and used to reference a webpage with relevant product information . the aforementioned technique of 3d printing a preform and drawing into filament can be used to create microfluidic fibers with internal flow channels for the transport of fluids or gasses . such microfluidic fibers have application as medical microtubing for intravenous or catheter procedures where various medical agents are introduced via each channel to provide a multi - step treatment , and gas flow or vacuum can also be used to further provide physical action at the procedure site . a more complex medical fiber could also include optical waveguides along with microfluidic channels to provide directed light to the procedure site for activating materials or biological responses . microfluidic fibers can also be used as heat and mass exchangers , for chemical processes or for active thermal management of materials or textiles . the processes of 3d printing a preform and drawing into filament can be used to create electronically active materials . applications include fibers that perform energy storage and release , such as : fuel cells , supercapacitors , capacitors , and batteries , including flow batteries ; fibers that serve as conductors , coaxial fibers , inductors , or resistors ; fibers that serve as sensors including but not limited to chemical , mechanical , and thermal sensors ; fibers that can serve as actuators ; and fibers that interact with radio frequency ( rf ) energy to serve as antennas or rfid structures . such electronic fibers also provide important capabilities for smart textiles , wherein factors such as body temperature , sweat salinity , skin conduction , and muscle flexion are tracked or directly manipulated to monitor or improve user health and fitness . the process of 3d printing a preform and drawing into filament can be used to create materials with tailored internal and external surface geometries . for example , a textured outer surface for controlled fluid wetting or controlled friction could be created in high detail by printing the geometry into a preform , and maintaining the geometry during drawing . similarly , for internal features , a controlled internal surface geometry can be used to control flow wetting or to control optical properties such as internal light scattering . the process of 3d printing a preform and drawing into filament can be used to print another preform , which is then drawn into filament and used again for printing . this process of repeated printing and drawing leads to a systematic and significant reduction in the internal material microstructure . for example , this approach can be used to create a “ deterministic mixing ” protocol for the combination of two or more materials . consider a 10 - mm - diameter preform that is printed with two different materials in a precise geometric relationship . thermally drawing this preform into 1 - mm - diameter filament , and then printing into 0 . 1 - mm - diameter extrudate leads to a 100 × reduction in the scale of the microstructure . if the extrudate is printed into a new 10 - mm - diameter preform , that is again thermally drawn and extruded from a printer , there would be another 100 × reduction in the microstructural scale . with just three cycles of printing and drawing , an original 10 - mm material feature would be reduced to 10 nm . moreover , because the thermal drawing and print extrusion processes are deterministic and generally affine , the mass and volume ratios of the two components should be nearly perfectly maintained at all scales . this process therefore allows for the assembly of 3d parts with perfectly homogenous distribution of two materials . in contrast , conventional compounding and molding processes often lead to internal gradients in structure and mixture ratio . the ability to tailor mixing deterministically could be important for a wide range of materials and applications , such selective diffusion membranes , pharmaceuticals , and propellants and explosives . this approach may also allow for fine - scaling mixing of incompatible ( physical or chemical ) materials that would otherwise not be mixable using conventional compounding equipment . the process of 3d printing a preform and drawing into a filament could also include materials that are intended to be scavenged or otherwise dissolved away from the part . for example , pla can be thermally or chemically decomposed in the presence of pc without a loss of pc . a preform could be created with both pc and pla components . the preform could then be drawn into filament , and a subsequent chemical or thermal process used to remove the pla while leaving the pc intact . this technique could be useful for supporting critical geometric features intact during drawing , such as open channels , finely - detailed features , sharp corners , or thin walls that might otherwise distort or collapse during drawing . the processes of 3d printing a preform and drawing into filament are not limited to polymeric materials . glasses are known to exhibit ideal newtonian behavior , so the process of 3d printing and drawing glass bodies is realizable by substituting the thermoplastic materials as described herein with one or more glasses . such filaments are ideally suited to waveguides , especially complex structured waveguides for tuned frequency guidance or for high powered lasers . glass microfluidic fibers are useful for specialized heat and mass transfer applications where high temperatures are required . metals can also be heated and drawn , and could be drawn in conjunction with other materials such as thermally compatible polymers and glasses . bulk metallic glasses in particular are attractive due to their viscous flow behavior . food products such as breads , sugars , cakes , and pastes could also be printed and drawn using this process . various aspects of the present invention are illustrated by the following non - limiting examples . the examples are for illustrative purposes and are not a limitation on any practice of the present invention . a preform is made using an acrylonitrile butadiene styrene ( abs ) lft polymer core with a glass transition temperature ( t g ) of approximately 105 ° c ., and extruded acrylic ( pmma ) hft polymer sheath with a t g of approximately 125 ° c . the source materials for the core were obtained from stratasys ( eden prairie , minn .). the source materials for the extruded acrylic sheath is from mcmaster carr ( robbinsville , n . j .). the preform combines a printed abs core made on a dual - head makerbot replicator 2 × ( makerbot industries , llc , brooklyn , n . y .) inserted within an extruded acrylic tube . the core was sized with some interference so that the fit into the sheath was mechanically tight . the resulting preform is illustrated in fig2 a . thermally drawing this material resulted in monofilament such as shown in fig2 b , with an outer diameter of 2 . 5 mm while accurately replicating the original geometry of the preform . this example shows that dual materials can be co - drawn with this process , and that printed materials can be combined with conventionally extruded materials to create complex preforms . furthermore , this example shows that hollow features can persist from perform to monofilament . a preform is made using a printed polycarbonate ( pc ) core and an extruded polycarbonate tube . the source materials for the core were obtained from stratasys ( eden prairie , minn . ), while the extruded polycarbonate tubing is from mcmaster carr ( robbinsville , n . j .). the preform combines a printed pc core made on a stratasys fortus ( eden prarier , minn .) where the core includes a relatively complex cross shape that is maintained when inserted within an extruded pc tube . the resulting preform is illustrated in fig3 a and b . the preform is thermally drawn down to monofilament to create a four - lobed microfluidic fiber with opaque inner walls and an optically transparent outer wall such as shown in fig3 c and 3d , with an outer diameter of approximately 600 μm while accurately replicating the original geometry of the preform . this example shows that dual materials can be co - drawn with this process while maintaining the shape of the original preform and relative dimensions thereof . the same processes are used to form more highly complex structures as is illustrated in fig4 a and b . the process produces a four - lobed , spiral - shaped , white , printed pc core is inserted into a transparent extruded pc sheath . the preform is drawn as in example 1 into a monofilament that , while not a perfect replicate of the original preform , captures the relevant features including multiple flow channels and cantilevered internal wall structures as illustrated in fig4 c and d . complex interlocking preforms are produced by independently printing by fff processes two independent interlocking shapes , the lft polymer is abs with a glass transition temperature ( t g ) of approximately 105 ° c ., and the hft polymer is polycarbonate ( pc ) with a t g of approximately 147 ° c . the individual polymer shapes are printed using a stratasys fortus ( eden prarier , minn .). the two components were sized with some interference so that the fit when combined was mechanically tight . the two components are fit together to produce the preform as illustrated in fig5 a illustrating the two elements in an intermediately combined state . the preform is thermally drawn down to a five - lobed monofilament with interlocking polymers as shown in fig5 b , with an outer diameter of approximately 1 . 6 mm while accurately replicating the original geometry of the preform . the preform is thermally drawn to a finer scale , five - lobed filament with interlocking polymers as shown in fig5 c , with an outer diameter of approximately 0 . 65 mm while accurately replicating the original geometry of the preform . the filament is used as a feedstock in a dual - head makerbot replicator 2 × ( makerbot industries , llc , brooklyn , n . y .) and a single material line is printed . the resulting monofilament is sectioned and analyzed as illustrated in fig5 d . the major features of the original preform and monofilament are replicated during fff printing , in this case down to a diameter of 0 . 4 mm . a full part was printed from this feedstock and sectioned , fig5 e . the geometric features of the original feedstock persist into the printed body . the same monofilament is used in the makerbot printer to print a three dimensional structure in the shape of astm d38 - iv dogbone missing one of the gripping ends and reduced to half its dimensions about its centroid . an identically shaped and sized structure is printed on the same printer using only the abs material . the two structures are then positioned adjacent to one another in an enclosed thermal chamber with a transparent façade . a video recording device is normally positioned at an approximately similar elevation to the two printed structures . the thermal enclosure is set to 180 ° c . and as the temperature rises in the chamber the response of the printed structures is continuously recorded . after an hour at 180 ° c ., the test is concluded . examination of the recorded images revealed that at a temperature of 168 ° c ., the dogbones printed with abs - only droop significantly under their weight , while the dogbones printed using abs + pc dual material monofilament are geometrically stable . a combined and interconnected preform is created by printing two differently colored abs materials into a single preform using the dual - head makerbot replicator 2 ×, where the printed materials form a corporate logo for the army research laboratory . a preform is illustrated in fig6 a . drawing the preform as in example 3 to monofilament demonstrates that the logo is reproduced with fidelity at diameters of 1 . 5 mm as illustrated in fig6 b , with smaller diameters possible and illustrated in fig6 c ( 0 . 95 mm diameter ) and d ( 0 . 52 mm diameter ). the example shows how one can create a fiber with a logo , special symbol , or information barcode that would be very small in size and only evident if examined with a microscope . such a fiber could be very useful for branding , labeling , or anti - counterfeit / anti - tamper applications . various modifications of the present invention , in addition to those shown and described herein , will be apparent to those skilled in the art of the above description . such modifications are also intended to fall within the scope of the appended claims . patents , publications , and applications mentioned in the specification are incorporated herein by reference to the same extent as if each individual patent , publication , or application was specifically and individually incorporated herein by reference . the foregoing description is illustrative of particular aspects of the invention , but is not meant to be a limitation upon the practice thereof . the following claims , including all equivalents thereof , are intended to define the scope of the invention . | 1 |
the present invention is designed particularly for use with an electric fork lift vehicle , wherein all or most of the electrical components of the vehicle are mounted in a so - called electrical box , in one compact location on the vehicle . also , most of the controls for the vehicle are mounted within a control console . in addition , the accelerator for the vehicle may take the form of an accelerator box . other groupings of vehicle components may exist in such a vehicle , and the choice of groupings illustrated in the preferred embodiment is intended to be illustrative and not limiting . in fig1 the control console is designated generally by reference numeral 1 , the steering wheel being indicated symbolically by reference numeral 2 . the accelerator box is designated by reference numeral 5 , and the electrical box is designated generally by reference numeral 8 . the components within each box are not shown , since a detailed knowledge of the contents of each box is not necessary for understanding of the invention . locomotion for the electric vehicle is provided by dc motor 10 . hydraulic lifting capabilities are provided by pump motor 12 . motors 10 and 12 contain fans 80 and 81 positioned within the motors to force air in the directions indicated by arrows 11 . a pair of ducts 15 and 16 are connected between motors 10 and 12 respectively , and electric box 8 . these ducts terminate in flapper valves 18 and 19 , located within chamber 20 , which is itself contained within electrical box 8 . the flapper valves close off ducts 15 and 16 except when air is flowing into the electrical box 8 . air exiting from ducts 15 and 16 passes through filter 21 , as indicated by arrow 22 . the purpose of the filter is to remove , from the air , carbon particles produced at the brushes ( not shown ) of the dc motors . the temperature regulation system is shown in fig1 in its closed - loop state , that is , in the condition suitable for operation within an extremely cold environment . under these conditions , air passing through ducts 15 and 16 , and through the electrical box 8 , is allowed to pass through valve 25 and into ducts 27 and 28 . duct 27 carries air to control console 1 , while duct 28 carries air to accelerator box 5 . after having passed through the control console and the accelerator box , air flows through ducts 30 and 31 , and then into chamber 32 . chamber 32 contains a small blower 70 which is positioned to direct the air through ducts 33 and 34 , thereby returning the air to motors 10 and 12 , to be reheated and recycled . the blower 70 also serves to decrease the back pressure in the ducts . only one blower in chamber 32 is shown , though more than one blower could be used . attached to chamber 32 is duct 40 which is connected to a valve assembly , designated generally by reference numeral 42 . this valve assembly comprises a valve plate 43 , which is shown in its closed position , that is , preventing outside air from entering the system , and preventing inside air from leaving the system . both the valve 25 and valve 43 are operated by solenoids , indicated by reference numerals 45 and 46 respectively . the structure of valve 25 is illustrated in more detail in fig2 which shows another cross sectional view . valve 25 comprises two portions , plate 46 and plate 47 . plates 46 and 47 are connected to pivot around pivot point 48 , in a rigid manner , controlled by piston 49 , which is itself moved by solenoid 45 . in the position shown in fig2 plate 47 is seen to cover an opening 50 in the wall 52 of electrical box 8 . when opening 50 is covered by plate 47 , plate 46 allows air to pass into chamber 55 , and then into duct 27 , as indicated by arrows 56 . when the position of the valve is changed , plate 48 closes chamber 55 to the flow of air , while opening electrical box 8 to the flow of air to the outside through opening 50 . temperature sensing is accomplished by the use of thermostats 60 and 61 , positioned to measure the temperature within electrical box 8 . in fact , thermostats could be located anywhere around the electrical vehicle . however , since the electrical box contains the components which are in greatest need of protection from extremes of temperature , the preferred embodiment shows the thermostats within the electrical box . in the preferred embodiment , thermostats 60 and 61 are connected in parallel , so that one may fail without causing the system to break down . the electrical connection between thermostats 60 and 61 , and solenoids 45 and 46 , is not shown in the drawing , but is accomplished in any conventional manner . the operation of the temperature regulation system will now be described . when the electric vehicle is located within an extremely cold environment , the position of the valves is as shown in the drawings . that is , valve plate 43 is positioned to close off chamber 32 from outside air . also , valve 25 is disposed as shown in the drawings , permitting air to flow from the electrical box into ducts 27 and 28 , but not to the outside through opening 50 . thus , the system functions as a closed - loop system , with air being driven by fans 80 and 81 in the respective motors 10 and 12 , around the system , in the direction of arrows 11 . when the temperature in the electrical box 8 reaches a predetermined value , generally 120 ° f ., thermostats 60 and 61 emit a signal , which causes solenoids 45 and 46 to change the positions of valves 25 and 42 . the position of valve 25 becomes such , that plate 46 closes chamber 55 to the passage of air , and opens electrical box 8 to outside air , via opening 50 . valve 42 simultaneously changes its position such that flapper valve 43 is in the position shown in phantom , thereby allowing outside air to enter chamber 32 , through duct 40 . in this situation , the system functions in its open - loop form . it is seen , in fig2 that the piston 49 is held in place by a spring 72 . thus , in the embodiment shown , the solenoid 45 would be energized in the closed - loop mode and de - energized in the open - loop mode . however , the invention clearly includes an embodiment wherein the solenoid is de - energized in the closed - loop mode and vice versa . the important thing is that the valves change position upon signal from the thermostat . the state of energization of the solenoid is not important , as long as the desired valves are opened and closed at the desired times . in the open - loop operation , air from the outside enters chamber 32 , and is directed through motors 10 and 12 , and into electrical box 8 , whereupon the air exits through opening 50 in the electrical box . during this time , air does not circulate through the other ducts in the system , i . e . the ducts connected to control console 1 and accelerator box 5 , because ducts 27 and 28 have been closed off by valve 25 . when operating in the open - loop system , outside air is therefore made to cool motors 10 and 12 as well as electrical box 8 . even if the electric vehicle is operating in an extremely warm environment the temperature differential between ambient air and the components will provide component cooling . air from the outside does not cool the control console 1 and accelerator box 5 . the components in the console 1 and accelerator 5 are of the type which can withstand higher operating temperatures than would be tolerated by the components of the electrical box 8 . of course , were there heat - sensitive elements in the control console and / or accelerator box ( or elsewhere ), the duct and valve system could be modified to maintain air flow to the components in need of cooling , within the teachings of this invention . in order to increase the efficiency of cooling of the electrical box , it is possible to place an additional fan ( not shown ) within the electrical box to facilitate the flow of air into the electrical box 8 and out of said box through opening 50 . it is seen that heat generated from the traction and pump motors 10 and 12 is made to serve a useful purpose , i . e ., the heating of the critical components of the vehicle , thereby preventing condensation in extremely cold environments . furthermore , the oil line 82 , which serves the power steering system of the vehicle , can be routed through chamber 32 , and can therefore be heated by the hot air which passes through the chamber on its return trip to the motors 10 and 12 . there is thus no need for an immersion heater in the oil tank . it is understood that the above described embodiment is only one of many variations possible within the spirit of the present invention . as stated earlier , the precise location of specific components around the vehicle can be varied in many ways , and additional ducts can be constructed to direct warm air to such locations . the location and number of thermostats can be varied as well . the location of fans , to assist in directing air along the desired path , can be varied in known configurations . it is therefore understood that the present invention is not to be deemed limited by the precise embodiment described herein . other embodiments are intended to be covered within the scope and spirit of the following claims . | 1 |
the following description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the present disclosure , application , or uses . with reference to fig1 , an internal combustion engine and cooling system or circuit is illustrated and generally designated by the reference number 10 . the engine and cooling system 10 includes an internal combustion engine 12 having an engine block 14 including cylinders and pistons , a head 16 including valves and an integrated exhaust manifold 18 . these components of the internal combustion engine 12 are surrounded by a cooling jacket 20 through which a liquid coolant is circulated by an electric pump 24 . the coolant pump 24 is driven by an electric motor 26 . from the electric pump 24 , the liquid coolant is circulated in a coolant supply line 28 to the components of the internal combustion engine 12 , a turbocharger 32 , a surge tank 34 and a heater core 36 . the coolant passing through the components of the internal combustion engine 12 exits in a coolant line 42 which includes an engine outlet temperature sensor 44 . the coolant then enters a first inlet port 48 of a two section coolant control valve 50 . a first section 52 of the coolant control valve 50 receives coolant flow from the internal combustion engine 12 through the first inlet port 48 and directs it to either a first exhaust port 54 connected through a line 56 to a radiator 60 or a second ( bypass ) exhaust port 62 connected to a line 64 which bypasses the radiator 60 and returns coolant to the inlet or suction side of the electric pump 24 . a second section 68 of the coolant control valve 50 receives coolant flow in a second inlet port 72 from both the integrated exhaust manifold 18 and the turbocharger 32 in a line 74 which also communicates with the inlet port 48 of the first section 52 of the coolant control valve 50 . a third inlet port 76 of the second section 68 of the coolant control valve 50 is connected to the electric pump 24 through the fluid supply line 28 . the second section 68 of the coolant control valve 50 also includes two exhaust ports : a third exhaust port 82 which directs coolant flow to an engine oil heater 84 and a fourth exhaust port 86 which directs coolant flow to a transmission oil heater 88 . return coolant flows from the engine oil heater 84 and the transmission oil heater 88 are carried in the line 64 which communicates with the inlet or suction side of the electric pump 24 . the coolant control valve 50 also includes a single , i . e ., tandem , spool or flow control element 92 which is linearly and bi - directionally translated by an electric or hydraulic actuator or operator 94 . both the electric motor 26 of the coolant pump 24 and the linear actuator or operator 94 of the coolant control valve 50 are under the control of an engine control module ( ecm ) 96 or other , similar global or dedicated electronic control module have i / o devices , static and transient memories and processors or microprocessors as well as associated electronic components . turning now to fig1 and 2 , a diagrammatic map of the position of the spool or flow control element 94 of the coolant control valve 50 is illustrated and designed by the reference number 100 . the upper portion 102 of the map 100 relates to the first section 52 of the coolant control valve 50 and the lower portion 112 relates to the second section 68 of the coolant control valve 50 . while the map 100 presents two portions 102 and 112 relating specifically to the two respective sections 52 and 68 of the coolant control valve 50 , it should be understood that since there is but a single linear operator 94 and a single ( tandem ) spool or flow control element 92 , the action of one section relative to the other is always the same . stated somewhat differently , at any given position of the spool or flow control element 92 , the actions or flow control conditions of the two section 52 and 68 will always be the same . turning next to the upper portion 102 of the map 100 , as noted , it relates to the first section 52 of the coolant control valve 50 . at the full left position of travel of the spool or flow control element 92 , all of the coolant flow is directed to the second ( bypass ) exhaust port 62 connected to the line 64 as indicated by the area 104 . as the spool 92 translates to the right , flow through the ( bypass ) second exhaust port 62 decreases while flow through the first exhaust port 54 connected through a line 56 to the radiator 60 increases . the latter flow is represented by the area 106 . at approximately the mid or center position of the spool or flow control element 92 all coolant flow from the first inlet port 48 of the first section 52 of the coolant control valve 50 is directed to the radiator 60 . as the spool or flow control element 92 continues to translate to the right , flow through the first inlet port 48 and the radiator 60 begins to decrease while flow through the second ( bypass ) exhaust port 62 and the line 64 begins to increase , as represented by the area 108 , until the limit of travel to the right is reached and all coolant flow bypasses the radiator 60 and flows through the second exhaust port and the line 64 . referring now to the lower portion 112 of the map 100 , it will be appreciated that for a short distance of travel of the spool or flow control element 92 neither of the inlet ports 72 and 76 are open . after this region , the second inlet port 72 from the integrated exhaust manifold 18 and the turbocharger 32 opens rapidly , represented by the area 114 , and stays open until the center point of the region or area 106 in the upper portion 102 is reached . at this center point , the second inlet port 72 is closed and the third inlet port 76 connected by the supply line 28 to the electric pump 24 is opened as represented by the area 116 . this condition persists for the remainder of translation to the right of the spool or flow control element 92 . when opened , the flows from the second inlet port 72 and the third inlet port 76 are provided to both the engine oil heater 84 and the transmission oil heater 88 . with reference now to fig3 , a graph presents current in amps ( a ) to the electric motor 26 of the pump 24 of fig1 on the x axis versus pump flow in liters per minute ( lpm ) in the y axis for several speed ( r . p . m .) conditions of the electrically powered pump 24 between 1000 r . p . m . and 5900 r . p . m ., which are labelled from left to right 1000 , 2000 , 3000 , 4000 , 5000 , and 5900 . note that at the slower pump speeds , particularly 1000 r . p . m . to 3000 r . p . m ., the locus of points is nearly vertical meaning that the relationship between pump current and flow cannot be utilized to accurately infer pump flow from current draw and voltage . contrariwise , at the higher speeds , such as 5000 and 5900 r . p . m ., the slope of the locus of points provides a readily utilized and accurate relationship between current flow and pump flow . the ability to accurately infer pump flow ( output ) from current flow is an important aspect of the present invention , and as fig3 illustrates , is most reliable and accurate when the electric motor 26 and the pump 24 are rotating at speeds above 4000 r . p . m . and preferably 5000 r . p . m . or higher . turning now to fig1 and 4 , a flow chart of a program , sub - routine or flowchart of the method of operating an electrically driven pump and control valve such as the pump 24 in an internal combustion engine cooling system or circuit 10 is illustrated and designated by the reference number 150 . preferably , the program or sub - routine embodying the method 150 may be contained within the control module 96 or a similar electronic device . the program or method 150 begins with a start or initializing step 152 of a continuous loop program and moves to a process step 154 which reads the current or instantaneous coolant temperature from the engine outlet temperature sensor 44 . next , a decision point 156 is encountered which determines whether the current coolant temperature is at or above a predetermined or design threshold temperature . this temperature will typically be engine and application specific . if the current temperature is below the predetermined threshold temperature , the decision point 156 is exited at no and the method 150 terminates at a stop or exit step 160 and repeats , as noted , in a continuous loop . if the current temperature is at or above the predetermined threshold temperature sensed in the process step 154 , the decision point 156 is exited at yes and the method moves to a process step 162 which infers from the current draw or senses or reads the present speed ( r . p . m .) of the electric motor 26 of the coolant pump 24 . a decision point 164 is then encountered which determines whether the speed of the electric motor 26 is at or above a predetermined or design threshold value . if the speed of the electric motor 26 is below the predetermined or design threshold , the decision point 164 is exited at no and the method 150 terminates at the stop or exit step 160 and repeats . if the speed of the electric motor 26 is at or above the predetermined or design threshold , the decision point 164 is exited at yes and the method 150 moves to a process step 166 . it should be appreciated that optimum control is achieved by the present method 150 , utilizing current sensing to infer motor speed , when the speed of the electric motor 26 and the pump 24 is at least 4000 r . p . m . and preferably 5000 r . p . m . or higher , as noted above , which is the optimal pump accuracy range . the process step 166 then determines the pump output or coolant flow which is a function of the speed ( r . p . m .) of the pump 24 , the electric current drawn or consumed by the electric motor 26 driving the pump 24 , the voltage supplied to the electric motor 26 . from this data , and utilizing an application specific look up table or similar computational or memory device or application , the present coolant flow is determined . the position of the coolant control valve 50 is also monitored by the control module 96 which may be achieved without feedback by reading the signal provided to the linear actuator or operator 94 or may be provided by feedback from a linear sensor ( not illustrated ) associated with the actuator or operator 94 . next , in a decision point 168 , the desired coolant flow is compared to the present coolant flow . the desired coolant flow is found in , for example , a look up table or read only memory which is engine specific and based upon prior dynamometer tests . the primary factors utilized to determine the desired coolant flow are engine speed , engine temperature and engine mode as well as other , optional , secondary factors . if the desired coolant flow is less than the present coolant flow such that more heat is being transported out of the engine 12 and its temperature is lower than is optimal , the decision point 168 is exited at no and the method 150 moves to a process step 172 . if the desired coolant flow is greater than the present coolant flow such that less heat is being transported out of the engine 12 and its temperature is higher than is optimal , the decision point 168 is exited at yes and the method 150 moves to a process step 174 . since the process step 172 is executed when , in the decision point 168 , it is determined that the desired coolant flow is less than the present coolant flow and the process step 174 is executed when , in the decision point 168 , it is determined that the desired coolant flow is greater than the present coolant flow , it should be appreciated that the two process steps 172 and 174 provide closed loop feedback in opposite directions : the former ( 172 ) reducing the coolant flow to the desired level or rate and the latter ( 174 ) increasing the coolant flow to the desired level or rate . turning first to the process step 172 , a flow correction factor f c is computed which is the difference between the desired and currently measured coolant flow . a flow learn value f l which represents all previous corrections as a function of coolant valve position is also computed . then , a flow multiplier f m which is a correction factor for coolant backpressure based on present coolant valve position is computed by subtracting the flow correction factor f c from the flow learn value f l . the corrected or new pump flow is then computed as the open loop ( unrestricted ) pump flow times the just computed flow multiplier f m . the computed corrected pump flow signal is then provided to the coolant control valve 50 by the control module 96 to adjust its position and to the electric motor 26 of the coolant pump 24 to provide an appropriate reduction in the coolant flow . the method ends at the stop or exit step 160 and then repeats . similar though inverse activity occurs in the process step 174 wherein a flow correction factor f c is computed which is the difference between the desired and currently measured coolant flow . the flow learn value f l which represents all previous corrections as a function of coolant valve position is also computed . then , a flow multiplier f m which is a correction factor for coolant backpressure based on present coolant valve position is computed by adding the flow correction factor f c to the flow learn value f l . the corrected or new pump flow is then the open loop ( unrestricted ) pump flow times the just computed flow multiplier f m . the computed corrected or new pump flow is then provided to the coolant control valve 50 by the control module 96 to adjust its position and to the electric motor 26 of the coolant pump 24 to provide an appropriate increase in the coolant flow . the method ends at the stop or exit step 160 and then repeats . it will thus be appreciated that an internal combustion engine cooling system of circuit having an electrically driven pump and coolant control valve which is operated according to the just described method is capable of not only matching coolant flow to varying operating conditions of the engine such as speed and ambient temperature but is also capable of compensating for short and long term variations in system backpressure that would otherwise interfere with attaining and maintaining optimal system operating temperatures . the description of the invention is merely exemplary in nature and variations that do not depart from the gist of the invention are intended to be within the scope of the invention . such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention . | 5 |
the present invention will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawing in which exemplary embodiments of the invention are shown . however , the invention may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the representative embodiments set forth herein . the exemplary embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be both thorough and complete , and will fully convey the scope of the invention and enable one of ordinary skill in the art to make , use and practice the invention . referring now to the drawings , a closed circuit rebreather ( ccr ) ( hereinafter the “ rebreather ”) according to the present invention is shown generally in fig1 at reference numeral 10 . for clarity of the invention , the rebreather includes four basic assemblies : a head assembly including a head , over pressure valve ( opv ), sensors , sensor wires and po2 monitors / handsets ; a breathing hose assembly including a dive surface valve ( dsv ), auto demand valve ( adv ) and bail out valve ( bov ), together with breathing hoses and hose couplings ; a counterlung assembly including an outer tube , scrubber assembly , counterlung and related tube hardware ; and a bottom section including a water drain , water trap and associated hardware . in addition , an oxygen tank and a diluent tank are connected to the head assembly through hoses and supply breathable gas . referring specifically to fig1 - 3 , the rebreather 10 includes a soft plastic mouthpiece 12 connected for gas flow to the dsv 14 and the adv / bov assembly 16 . the assembly shown is a twin hose mouthpiece design , and alternatively may include a breathing mask , where the direction of flow of gas through the loop is controlled by one - way valve assemblies , with the dsv 14 allowing the diver to take the mouthpiece 12 from the mouth while underwater or floating on the surface without allowing water to enter the loop . an inhale hose 18 and an exhale hose 20 communicate for gas flow with the adv / bov assembly 16 . the rebreather preferably incorporates the dsv and adv / bov valves into a simple and compact package , and in one embodiment a common housing , with adjustability of both the adv and bov valves with one control knob . an inflator hose 22 communicates with a buoyancy compensator ( bc ) 23 ( see particularly fig2 ) that functions to control the overall buoyancy of the diver to achieve neutral buoyancy , remain at a constant depth , or to descend or ascend in a controlled manner . as shown , the rebreather 10 is strapped to the side of the diver to provide a “ side - mounted ” configuration , however , it is envisioned that the compact and modular design of the rebreather allows for alternative mounting positions and configurations . counterlung position is critical to work of breathing and the diver &# 39 ; s trim in the water , thus the internal counterlung herein is centrally located to the diver &# 39 ; s lungs in either back - or side - mounted configurations to eliminate or reduce vertical distances between the lungs and counterlung . this counterlung design offers the diver a modular , well balanced , and excellent work of breathing characteristics rebreather . the diver is shown carrying an oxygen tank 24 and a diluent tank 26 on opposite sides of his body . the oxygen tank 24 includes an oxygen control valve ( ocv ) 28 with an inlet hose 30 to the rebreather 10 and an inlet hose 32 to the ocv 28 from the valve of oxygen tank 24 . the oxygen tank is operable for supplying the oxygen to the loop consumed by the diver . the diluent tank 26 may be filled with compressed air or another diving gas mix such as nitrox or trimix , and is used to reduce the percentage of oxygen breathed and increase the maximum operating depth of the rebreather . in a preferred embodiment , the diluent is not an oxygen - free gas and is breathable , and thus may be used in an emergency situation to either flush the loop with breathable gas or as a bailout . a wiring cable 34 communicates between the head 36 and a primary partial pressure o2 ( ppo2 ) meter 38 . hose 40 connects the rebreather 10 and the oxygen control valve 28 . a gas block 42 is mounted on the diluent tank 26 , and an inlet hose 44 conveys diluent from the diluent tank 26 to the gas block 42 . a feed hose 46 conveys diluent from the gas block to the adv / bov assembly 16 through the first stage 48 of the diluent tank 26 . a manual add hose 50 passes from the gas block 42 to the rebreather . with particular reference to fig2 - 3 , a secondary partial pressure o2 ( ppo2 ) meter 52 is connected by a wiring cable 54 to the rebreather head 36 . referring specifically to fig4 - 7 , the rebreather 10 includes a rebreather tank 56 with a removable bottom section 58 and the head 36 , which is releasably sealed onto the top opening 60 of the tank 56 . one key feature of the invention is the internal counterlung , which includes a plastic bladder 62 , or bag , that is water impervious and is sealed at its top end to an upper scrubber sealing flange 64 and a lower scrubber sealing flange on its lower end ( not shown ). the counterlung 62 contains two openings , located at the top and bottom . the sealed top and bottom openings do not permit water to pass therethrough , either from the inside out , or from the outside in . a cylindrical , foraminous tubular scrubber includes an outer tube 66 having a plurality of gas flow openings 68 therethrough defining axial gas flow passageways . the outer tube 66 is substantially enclosed along its longitudinal length within the water impervious counterlung bladder 62 . the counterlung is the flexible part of the loop and is designed to change in size by the same volume as the diver &# 39 ; s lungs when breathing . its purpose is to let the loop expand to hold the gas exhaled by the diver and to contract when the diver inhales letting the total volume of gas in the lungs and the loop remain constant throughout the diver &# 39 ; s breathing cycle . referring to fig8 , an alternative embodiment of the counterlung housing includes periodically arranged openings therethrough to improve water flow around the counterlung and improve work of breathing . it is envisioned that various opening patterns may be provided to optimize performance . an inner scrubber tube 70 is fitted into the scrubber 66 , and is centered and held in its proper concentric position by top and bottom annular washers 72 and 74 . as is shown , the inner scrubber tube 70 is perforated with a series of longitudinally - extending exhale flow channels 76 . referring specifically to fig5 , the inner scrubber tube 70 is covered with a fine mesh screen 78 . openings in the top and bottom washers 72 and 74 are likewise fully covered by a fine mesh screen 78 , and the scrubber 66 is also covered along its entire longitudinal periphery with a fine mesh screen 78 . the entire volume of the scrubber 66 except for the inner scrubber tube 70 is filled with a carbon dioxide absorbing material , such as soda lime . this material is , for example , sold under the trademark “ sodasorb .” this material , which resembles small marbles , acts to retain the exhaled co2 while allowing the oxygen and other air constituents , such as nitrogen , to pass through the material . as is shown in fig6 , when associated with fig3 - 5 , exhaled air flows through the exhale hose 20 into the inner scrubber tube 70 through a centrally positioned exhale port 80 in the head 36 . the exhaled air is pushed by its own pressure through the exhale flow channels 76 , through the soda lime , out through the inhale flow holes 68 in the scrubber 66 and into the counterlung 62 . co2 is scrubbed from the air by the chemical action of the soda lime , and the remaining air is inhaled by the diver through an inhale port 82 in the head 36 that communicates with the inhale hose 18 . four oxygen sensors 84 are also contained in the interior of the head 36 . the head 36 is sealed and latched into place on the top of the tank 56 . the head 36 includes the over pressure valve ( opv ) 86 , an inhale inlet 88 for connection to the inhale hose 18 , and an exhale outlet 90 for connection to the exhale hose 20 . the head 36 also has connections for the inlet hose 30 , wiring cable 34 , manual add hose 50 and wiring cable 54 . the rebreather may further include in the bottom end 58 adjacent the counterlung a water trap to stop large volumes of water from entering the gas loop in the event the diver removes the mouthpiece underwater without closing the valve , or if the diver &# 39 ; s lips get slack letting water leak in . the rebreather may further include temperature sensors located along the length of the scrubber for monitoring the exothermic reaction of the carbon dioxide and soda lime to monitor material life . while a closed circuit rebreather having an internal counterlung is described herein with reference to specific embodiments and examples , it is envisioned that various details of the invention may be changed without departing from the scope of the invention . furthermore , the foregoing description of the preferred embodiments of the invention and best mode for practicing the invention are provided for the purpose of illustration only and not for the purpose of limitation . | 1 |
in the following detailed description , numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the claimed subject matter . however , it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the claimed subject matter may be practiced without these specific details . in other instances , well - known methods , procedures , and components have not been described in detail so as not to obscure the claimed subject matter . unless specifically stated otherwise , as apparent from the following discussion , it is appreciated that throughout this specification a computing platform is a device such as a computer or a similar electronic computing device , that manipulates and / or transforms data represented as physical , electronic and / or magnetic quantities and / or other physical quantities within the computing platform &# 39 ; s processors , memories , registers , and / or other information storage , transmission , reception and / or display devices . accordingly , a computing platform refers to a system or a device that includes the ability to process and / or store data in the form of signals . thus , a computing platform , in this context , may comprise hardware , software , firmware and / or any combination thereof . where it is described that a user instruct a computing platform to perform a certain action it is understood that instruct may mean to direct or cause to perform a task as a result of a selection or action by a user . a user may , for example , may instruct a computing platform to embark upon a course of action by signifying a selection by pushing a key , clicking a mouse , maneuvering a pointer , touching a touch screen , and / or by spoken word . fig1 is a block diagram depicting an embodiment of an rfid tag signature - data file composite (“ composite ”). composite 100 may be created by operationally coupling an rfid tag signature with one or more computer files and / or computer file components . operationally coupling files may be accomplished where files that are logically or otherwise linked , joined , referenced , and / or utilized together . the process of operationally coupling files may produce operationally coupled files . a portion of a composite may comprise an rfid tag signature (“ signature ”). a signature 110 may also be commonly referred to as an rfid transponder response , rfid response signal , rfid answer , rfid music file , or rfid tone to name some , though not all , common descriptors . a signature 110 may be a duplicate or serviceable approximation of a signal returned by an rfid tag signature device in response to an interrogatory signal from a reader or command from some other computing platform for the rfid tag signature device to identify itself . a signature may be an electromagnetic signal . a reader comprises any computing platform capable of functioning as a reader and / or an rfid reader / writer . signature 100 may for example be captured , saved , created , emulated , emitted , transmitted , employed , implemented , and / or utilized as an analog signal ; or as a digitized approximation of an analog or time varying signal . composite 100 is comprised of signature 100 and one or more data files . data file 120 may , by way of non - limiting example , be comprised of office automation related data , e - commerce related data , and / or media related data . office automation related data includes for example , but is not limited to , data associated with , and / or providing support for , and / or conveying the content of , a word processing , spreadsheet , database , presentation , and / or data entry computer application . e - commerce related data includes for example , but is not limited to , data associated with , and / or providing support for , and / or conveying the content of , financial transactions as well as forms data such as purchase and sales orders , for example . examples of such data include purchase data which may be data related to a commercial purchase transaction and sale data which may be data related to a commercial purchase transaction . media related data includes for example , but is not limited to , data associated with , and / or providing support for , and / or conveying the content of , image , sound , and multi - media . any of the above listed examples of data file may overlap others and is not intended to be exclusive . further , multiple instances of data file 120 may occur within or be associated with composite 100 . any data described above as a “ related ” of data includes , but is not limited to , data specifically associated with the above - described data but also the related components utilized to implement their creation , transfer , and use . composite 100 may also comprise codec 130 and encryption 140 . any of the above described types of related data may comprise a data file of that type . for example , an office automation related file may be comprised of office automation related data . fig2 depicts an embodiment of a user display , such as a user screen , 200 displaying some functions available through a software application implementing a composite . such user screen may be implemented on any device capable of functioning as and / or supporting a reader . encryption and decryption functions 206 are suitable for use with sensitive files such as those containing financial and / or personal information . solutions providing such encryption / decryption functionality may , for example , be open source or proprietary . a data file may be unpacked 207 from a composite . libraries comprising composites may similarly be unpacked 208 . a signature may be unpacked 209 from a composite . signatures may be listed 210 by the software application . data file contents may be displayed by selecting a display data file function 211 . from user display 200 a signature may be sent 212 to a reader , an rfid tag signature device , and / or any other computing platform . another function may send an entire composite 213 to another computing platform for immediate or later use . an existing composite may also be saved 214 . lastly , in this embodiment , user display 200 presents the option to combine a data file and a signature together 215 into a composite . fig3 is a block diagram depicting an embodiment of a composite in a networked environment . more specifically , this embodiment illustrates a way a composite may be exchanged . composite 100 may first be created by outside file origination source 345 , a computing platform , and transmitted to server 340 via download or email for example . composite 100 may then be sent from server 340 to a third party device such as a reader , depicted here as cell phone 335 . cell phone 335 may have installed on it a software application adapted to process a composite . such software application may be tailored to particular operating systems and / or devices . alternatively , outside file origination source 345 may transmit composite 100 directly to computing platform 335 . similarly , computing platform 335 may originate or modify composite 100 and transmit it to server 340 and / or outside file origination source 345 . fig4 is a block diagram depicting installation of an embodiment of a computer software application suitable for operation with a composite . a computing platform such as cell phone 400 may have installed within it software application 410 adapted to process a composite . if software application 410 is installed while cell phone 400 is still at factory 420 the manufacturer may avail itself of several advantages . these advantages include , but are not limited to , the ability to load a large number of similar computing platforms with a tested version of the software application and quality assurance testing of the completed computing platforms . similarly , software application 410 may be installed via download 425 or by synchronizing it with computing platform 430 . fig5 is a block diagram of an embodiment illustrating transmission of a composite as an email attachment , and the subsequent storage , then user utilization of the composite . email 500 may be transmitted having composite 510 as an attachment . computing platform 590 , shown here by way of non - limiting example as a pda , may be capable of processing composite 510 because it is loaded with software application 550 in a storage medium such as memory 560 . computing platform 590 may receive and store email 500 with composite 510 as an attachment . memory 560 may be a storage medium comprised of volatile or non - volatile memory . composite 510 may be stored as part of library 520 . alternatively , composite 510 may be stored individually or with other files in folders 530 . user options may be displayed on user screen 595 . if a user initiates “ play signature ” 597 computing platform 590 may transmit the selected signature through a play assembly such as emitter 570 for example . the output of emitter 570 may be received by a capture assembly such as reader 580 for example or any other computing platform . reader 580 may then initiate a subsequent action if appropriate . fig6 diagrams an embodiment illustrating a possible user interface for a software application adapted to process a composite . computing platform 600 , shown here as a cell phone by way of non - limiting example , contains a software application running in short - term memory 610 . the software application is adapted to process a composite . long - term memory 620 may be a storage medium that may hold a composite and / or a library of composites for use with the aforementioned software application . user screen 630 may display application user interface 640 . application user interface 640 may offer such options as : get files ; create composite ; send composite ; and save composite ; to list but a few of the many possibilities . fig7 is a flow diagram depicting an embodiment of a composite in the context of a library query . utilizing computing platform 700 , shown here by way of non - limiting example as a cell phone , a user activates an appropriate user interface display 710 and logs in to a remote web site 720 , here for purposes of example , a registry of deeds website . from website user interface 725 a user selects a library to download . from a subsequent website user display 730 the user selects to which type of computing platform 700 the user wishes the library sent . this same selection may similarly be made automatically by , for example , the system running the website querying computing platform 700 for its relevant characteristics . knowing which type of device to send the library to will allow registry server 740 to send the library in a format compatible with the operating system and / or other operating characteristics of computing platform 700 . composites may then be exchanged between computing platform 700 and the registry website 720 . the user then may be able to locate data and / or files within the registry utilizing composite searches . this may include unpacking composites at the registry and utilizing a signature to search for information sought such as specific grantors and grantees within the registry indexes . fig8 illustrates an embodiment of a composite utilized to initiate a purchase transaction with an electronic vendor . a user operating computing platform 810 , shown here by way of non - limiting example as a cell phone , selects from user interface screen 820 an article for purchase . selection of an item may result from user choice while reviewing a website operated by or on behalf of vendor 840 . similarly , a user may download a library of composites relevant to the user &# 39 ; s interests . upon selecting an item and a vendor a user may instruct computing platform 810 to transmit a composite to vendor 840 . vendor 840 may unpack the composite into a data file specifying the number of units requested and a signature specifying the particular product requested . vendor 840 may then internally confirm the availability of the item specified by the signature in the quantity specified by the data component of the composite . vendor 840 may create its own composite and / or modify the received composite to include a photo of the product or other designator such as a stock keeping unit (“ sku ”) to verify that the potential buyer and seller are thinking of the same item . vendor 840 may additionally include within the composite pricing and availability information before sending back a new and / or modified composite to the user on computing platform 810 . alternatively , vendor 840 may utilize some other file type to communicate with the user on computing platform 810 . user interface screen 820 then may update to display 825 the response from vendor 840 . following user screen update 825 the user may elect to continue with the transaction or to end the transaction . should the user signal to vendor 840 the user &# 39 ; s intent to continue with the transaction vendor 840 may send a subsequent user screen update 830 asking the user to indicate if the user will pick up the item at a store or wishes the item delivered . the user may make this decision and then transmit not only this decision but also payment data . this data , as could any portion of this transaction , may be encrypted to limit exposing sensitive data to outsiders . upon receipt and processing of this information , vendor 840 may transmit confirmation information either as a composite or in some other form as may be appropriate . this confirmation message may then update the user screen 835 conveying to the user that either payment is still due or that payment has been successfully processed by vendor 840 . fig9 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a purchase pick - up transaction utilizing a composite . here a user has previously arranged for the purchase of an item , for example a desk lamp , utilizing computing platform 810 , shown here by way of non - limiting example as a personal electronic device . a user visits the store to pick up the item . at merchandise pick - up window 940 a user may send from computing platform 810 a copy , portion , and / or derivative of a composite purchase confirmation previously received and displayed 835 on computing platform 810 . vendor reader 930 receives the transmission and may query the vendor &# 39 ; s database 950 for the matching transaction data . upon locating the proper transaction the in - store register at the pick - up window may update 945 and signal computing platform 810 that final payment has already been made or is now due , and updating user display 960 to reflect such . if the user has not previously , the user may then initiate final payment by instructing computing platform 810 to send a composite containing a secure authorization to debit the user &# 39 ; s financial accounts of the agreed sum . fig1 is a flow diagram of an embodiment utilizing a composite to purchase theater tickets . a user utilizing computing platform 1000 initiates communication with a network operation center 1010 . the computing platform may be pre - loaded with a copy of a signature matching a movie the user wishes to attend . alternatively , the user may utilize computing platform 1010 to procure a signature from another source such as network operation center 1010 . the user may send to network operation center 1010 a composite containing the signature and a data component establishing search criteria ; such as for example , preferred time to attend , specific theater or area of town to attend movie , and number of tickets desired . a computer at the network operation center 1010 may then in turn interrogate a computer at movie theater 1020 . should movie theater 1020 satisfy the user &# 39 ; s criteria it may then notify network operation center 1010 of a match . network operation computer 1010 may in turn notify the user through computing platform 1000 of this result . alternatively , movie theater 1020 may contact computing platform 1000 directly regarding this transaction . should the user wish to pay for the tickets at this time the user may send a composite containing not only any of the previous composite components but also encrypted payment information . a composite from movie theater 1020 confirming successful payment may also serve as an electronic ticket . once at movie theater 1020 the user may instruct computing platform 1000 to transmit the previously received confirmation message to a reader 1030 and either receive admission or if the user has not previously made payment make payment and then receive admission . fig1 is a block diagram depicting the environment and primary data paths for a computing platform adapted to process a composite . computing platform 1100 may send and receive programming to and from a variety of devices in a variety of manners . the direction of the arrows in fig1 depict the primary , though not the only , direction of communication . at factory 1110 computing platform 1100 may have application software installed and tested . similarly , application software and / or updates to application software for computing platform 1100 may be installed by download across the internet , for example once in use , a user may instruct a computing platform to exchange , that is both send to and receive from , a composite with server 1130 . computing platform 1100 may send a signature to a reader . similarly , computing platform 1100 may receive a signature from a reader such as when a reader reports all tags currently within its range . computing platform 1100 can request rfid tag signature device 1150 for its signature and then acquire the returned signature . computing platform 1100 may also exchange a composite , data , and / or a signature with another computing platform 1160 . fig1 is illustrative of an embodiment wherein a user may utilize a composite to locate , order , and pick up a meal . this embodiment is illustrated where user 1200 is driving around and may decide to order food . user 1200 utilizes computing platform 1202 , shown here by way of non - limiting example as a pda , to send a request over user link 1205 to communications center 1250 . in the request , user 1200 asks for the identity of any local fast food restaurants . communications center 1260 responds via user link 1205 that fast food 1215 , faster food 1220 , and fastest food 1225 are nearby to user 1200 . user 1200 selects fast food 1215 and requests a menu . in response , a computing device ( not shown ) at fast food 1215 sends to user &# 39 ; s pda 1202 a menu comprising a library of composites . user 1200 opens the library and makes food selections and then communicates these selections to fast food 1215 . workers at fast food 1215 pick the selected items from inventory and place them in bag 1230 . bag 1230 may include rfid tag 1235 . a worker may scan rfid tag 1235 for its signature . a composite is then transmitted to user &# 39 ; s pda 1202 including within the composite the signature specific to bag 1230 . upon receipt of the composite user 1200 may or may not make payment . arriving at fast food 1215 user 1200 may transmit from user pda 1202 the composite including the signature associated with rfid tag 1235 thus identifying bag 1230 as containing user 1200 &# 39 ; s order . should user 1200 not previously have made payment user 1200 may now do so . payment may comprise transmitting an additional composite . fig1 illustrates a situation where a user downloads a library of composites , travels to a remote office , and utilizes a composite to locate a specific paper file . user 1300 , shown here by way of non - limiting example as an attorney , may learn that she is to travel to a remote office where she is unfamiliar with the filing system . in preparation user 1300 downloads from her home - office system 1310 to her user device 1305 , shown here by way of non - limiting example as a personal electronic device ( ped ), a library of composites . she then travels by plane 1315 to the remote office . she may then decide to physically locate a particular paper file stored somewhere on shelves 1320 among other files 1325 . user 1300 identifies the file of interest on user device 1305 by reading a visual rendering of the data file component of a composite . she may then cause user device 1305 to transmit the signature associated with the selected composite and its related paper file . upon receipt of the signature , reader 1330 , located within the sought after file , may blink a light and / or sound a buzzer to indicate the precise location of the file . fig1 depicts an embodiment of an rfid tag signature repeater system . system 1400 may be comprised of an rfid tag signature device 1410 and repeater device 1420 which may be a computing platform . a user , not shown , may cause repeater device 1420 to interrogate rfid tag signature device 1410 for its signature . repeater device 1420 may be an analog and / or digital device . upon receipt of the signature , repeater device 1420 may forward the signature to another computing device for matching to a descriptor of the tagged item . additionally , repeater device 1420 may process the signature by , for instance , digitizing the signature before forwarding it to a computing platform where it may be either matched as above or even forwarded again . a signature is emitted by an rfid tag signature device in its raw , i . e . native , format . digitizing a signature may involve receiving a signature in analog form and converting it into a digital signal for use in a computer by representing the original analog signal in digital form . an example of a computing device that may perform this conversion includes an analog - to - digital converter . digitizing an rfid tag signature may not necessarily include decoding an rfid tag signature into alpha / numeric code so that it may be readable by a human . examples of computing platforms that may serve as repeaters or be adapted to serve as repeaters include , but are not limited to , a cell phone , pda , any manner of personal electronic and / or entertainment device ( ped ), and or a variety of commercial devices including , but not limited to , dedicated and multi - function electronics . a repeater may be a device that receives , amplifies , and retransmits a signal . a repeater may utilize a capture assembly to receive a signal and a play assembly to send a signal . a repeater may also store a signal . the operation of a repeater may include reshaping or retiming a received signal . retransmitting a signal may include forwarding a signal . a repeater may amplify a signal regardless of the nature of the signal . capture and play assemblies may capture and / or play signals at or near a wide variety of frequency bands . these may include , but are not limited to , the ranges described below . for example , low frequency signals may be utilized at a frequency including and between 80 - 750 khz such as may be employed in access and inventory control applications , for example . intermediate frequency signals may be utilized at a frequency including and between 10 - 15 mhz such as may be employed in access control and smart card applications , for example . high frequency signals may be utilized at a frequency including and between 750 - 985 mhz and / or 1 . 0 - 9 . 8 ghz such as may be employed in transportation applications , for example . these frequencies are described for illustrative purposes and accordingly are not limiting . fig1 depicts a repeater device coupled to a computing platform . one aspect of this drawing provides a cut - away view of repeater device 1420 . repeater device 1420 may comprise processor 1530 , memory 1620 , and digitizer 1540 . processor 1530 may comprise a microprocessor , signal processor , microcontroller , dedicated processor , custom processor , application specific processor , field programmable processor to name some , though not all , contemplated devices and accordingly is not limited in these respects . memory 1520 may be a storage medium comprised of long and / or short term memory either in the form of integrated computer circuits such as ram or eeprom for example and / or storage device of another configuration such as a disk drive for example . digitizer 1540 may provide the functionality described above in the discussion of digitizing a signature . repeater device 1420 may communicate with computing platform 1550 for example via wireless , wired , or contact based communication . wireless communication may include such through - the - air communications as may be commonly utilized in wifi , cellular , other broadcast techniques , and technologies . wired communications may be effectuated , by way of non - limiting example , via twisted pair , ethernet , copper cable , and / or fiber optic cable . contact based communication may include where a repeater is swiped through a reader as commonly performed with a credit card , and / or brought in to contact with a computing device such as for example by being placed into a cradle . computing platform 1550 may comprise a server , router , and / or a virtual machine such as that which may support a distributed database for example . fig1 is a flow diagram illustrating a method of identifying an rfid tagged item without decoding a signature . the method 1600 is illustrated as a series of operations and selections which may or may not be performed in the order indicated and / or some may not even be performed at all . the method begins at start 1610 . first , the method may perform a read of signature 1620 . following this , a decision whether or not to digitize 1630 the signature may be made . a “ yes ” decision may cause the signal be sent to digitize 1640 . in contrast , a “ no ” decision ” may bypass digitize 1640 . at match 1650 the signature may then be matched to a descriptor relevant to the rfid tag signature device of interest . following this the method is completed and comes to end 1660 . in the preceding description , various aspects of claimed subject matter have been described . for purposes of explanation , systems and configurations were set forth to provide a thorough understanding of claimed subject matter . however , these are merely example illustrations of the above concepts wherein other illustrations may apply as well , and the scope of the claimed subject matter is not limited in these respects . it should be apparent to one skilled in the art having the benefit of this disclosure that claimed subject matter may be practiced without the specific details . in other instances , well - known features were omitted and / or simplified so as not to obscure claimed subject matter . while certain features have been illustrated and / or described herein , many modifications , substitutions , changes and / or equivalents will now occur to those skilled in the art . it is , therefore , to be understood that the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications and / or changes as fall within the true spirit of claimed subject matter . | 6 |
as required , a detailed embodiment of the present invention is disclosed herein . however , it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiment is merely exemplary of the invention which may be embodied in various forms . therefore specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting , but merely as a basis for the claims to be later added and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailed structure . reference is now made to the drawings , wherein like characteristics and features of the present invention shown in the various figures are designated by the same reference numerals . fig1 - 3 disclose a flashlight with a luminescent housing in the form of a tubular housing 24 shown generally at 10 . flashlight 10 contains a power circuit 30 connected to a high intensity low power consuming light emitting diode ( led ) 20 or a high intensity bulb 12 mounted within a conventional parabolic reflector 14 . also shown is a focusing shatter proof lens 16 disposed within a rotatable lens ring 18 , 18 ′ or 18 rotatably secured to housing 24 in front of reflector 14 , having a lens ring gripping surface 19 . the focusing feature is intended to be used with a single primary light source such as an incandescent bulb , but may in the future be usable with one or more led &# 39 ; s as well . also seen are two luminescent capsules 22 for making flashlight 10 luminescent and thus conspicuous and easily located in low light conditions . capsules 22 are secured longitudinally to opposing sides of housing 24 . housing 24 is formed of translucent , heavy duty , impact resistant plastic with circumferential ribs 24 a along most of its length to provide a virtually slip - proof gripping surface . lens ring 18 is internally threaded and the forward end of housing 24 is externally threaded to engagingly and rotatably receive lens ring 18 . two o - rings 26 are fitted into two o - ring grooves 28 in the exterior of housing 24 adjacent to the housing 24 external threads to create a waterproof seal between housing 24 and lens ring 18 . capsules 22 are a key inventive feature of the flashlight , and each contains a quantity of tritium 32 . by way of explanation tritium is a radioactive form or radioisotope of the hydrogen atom in which two neutrons are added to the normal single proton in the nucleus of the atom . the half life of this radioisotope is 12 . 3 years . tritium is not hazardous outside of living tissue , so therefore it is safe when kept within a specially designed container which , in the case of this invention are capsules 22 . capsules 22 are each transparent , extremely durable and virtually impenetrable . see fig2 and 7 . each capsule 22 preferably is formed of two mating capsule halves 34 made of very tough plastic , one of which has a recess 36 . in manufacturing capsules 22 , a small vial v of tritium 32 is placed into a recess 36 of a one of the capsule halves 34 . each of the capsule halves 34 are equipped with interior faces 38 , which are interrupted with one or more peg ( s ) 46 and bore ( s ) 48 . the one or more peg ( s ) 46 and bore ( s ) 48 are the preferred method to fixedly attach the capsule halves together . an alternative method is to add a bonding agent 42 in addition or in lieu of the peg ( s ) and bore ( s ), which is spread over the interior face 38 surrounding the recess 36 if used . in any event , the vial v of tritium 32 is placed in recess 36 of first capsule half 34 and then a second capsule half 34 is oriented so that first capsule interior face 38 is abutting face to face with the second capsule interior face 38 , and vial v is contained within the recess 36 and then the capsule is assembled . if bonding agent 42 is used , it grips and optionally partially melts the first and second capsule interior faces 38 so that they solidify together . whether or not bonding agent 42 is used , the assembly of the two capsule halves 34 form a monolithic capsule 22 containing a fully sealed hollow defined by the two opposing capsule halves 34 , one of which includes recess 36 . for all practical purposes , capsule 22 is virtually indestructible . capsules 22 are each fixedly attached , optionally with agent 42 , longitudinally on opposite sides along the outside surface of housing 24 adjacent to lens ring 18 , 18 or 18 . it is preferred that a pair of peg portions 46 protrude from one of the capsule half interior face 38 of one of the capsule halves 34 and penetrate into a pair of mating peg bores 48 disposed in the other of the capsule halves 34 for fixedly attaching the capsule halves 34 together . it is preferred that elongate loops 40 or 40 ′, formed of housing material , extend from opposing sides of housing 24 and define a region within loops 40 or 40 ′ which receive and fixedly retain the capsules 22 . loops 40 or 40 ′ protrude sufficiently from housing 24 that they abut the surface on which flashlight 10 rests when housing 24 rolls , to stop the rolling of housing 24 with the opposing loop 40 and its capsule 22 elevated over the remainder of housing 24 for the user to have an unobstructed view of the elevated capsule 22 so that it can be more readily seen in the dark . power circuit 30 includes several batteries 44 and a battery coil spring 50 , which biases batteries 44 forwardly within housing 24 . a conductive metal strip 52 is electrically connected to spring 50 and extends along and is embedded longitudinally within a side of housing 24 to deliver electrical power from batteries 44 to led 20 or to a bulb socket 54 . see fig6 . rotating the lens ring 18 , 18 ′ or 18 to tighten it over housing 24 advances the light source toward batteries 44 so that the terminal ends of batteries 44 make firm conductive contact with circuit 30 and thus complete circuit 30 to turn on the flashlight in the manner of a switch . the preferred led 20 is what is known as a high output , high intensity or ultra bright led which operates on 4 four volts of electric power . to create sufficient voltage to illuminate such an led 20 , three c or aa batteries are required , and housing 24 has to be about eight inches long to contain these batteries stacked in series . a larger diameter housing 24 is provided of a conventional , sufficient diameter to receive c batteries . see fig2 . an alternative smaller diameter housing 24 is provided of sufficient diameter to receive aa batteries . see fig4 - 5 . the larger diameter housing flashlight shown in fig2 may be converted to accept the smaller diameter aa batteries , and at the same time to become buoyant . to achieve this transformation , lens ring 18 and reflector 14 are momentarily removed from housing 24 and a square battery tube 60 is fitted longitudinally into housing 24 . see fig8 and 9 . battery tube 60 is preferably concentric and coaxial with housing 24 and thus defines an annular floatation air space 62 between battery tube 60 and housing 24 . battery tube 60 is sized in internal dimension and length to retain three of the aa size batteries , which have a smaller diameter than c size batteries . floatation air space 62 gives the flashlight buoyancy so that flashlight floats if dropped in the water . since the batteries 44 are heavy relative to the remainder of the flashlight and since their center of gravity is offset toward the rear of housing 24 , the flashlight floats with the forward end oriented upwardly . as a result , so that capsules 22 with their radiated light are at the water surface , rendering the flashlight visible . should the led 20 or bulb 12 in the flashlight be on , its beam of light also makes the flashlight highly visible while floating in this upright orientation . battery tube 60 has a square cross - section and its external corners loosely abut the interior of housing 24 to generally center tube 60 within housing 24 . the lens ring 18 , 18 ′ or 18 preferably contains a tab of catalyst material 64 secured along the ring inward surface for absorbing or neutralizing any hydrogen gas emitted by the batteries 44 . catalyst 64 thereby prevents a build - up of hydrogen gas within housing 24 , which might be detonated by electricity within circuit 30 and cause injury to the user . one or several led &# 39 ; s 20 may be attached through led ports in a disk - shaped mounting plate 72 . see fig2 . led &# 39 ; s 20 are spaced inwardly from the sides of plate 72 to be centered to cast more light out of housing 24 , and so a spacer ring 74 is preferably fitted around led &# 39 ; s 20 to fill the gap between the led &# 39 ; s and the outside diameter of housing 24 . catalyst 64 is preferably attached to the inward surface of spacer ring 74 . a compact flashlight is provided with a shorter housing 24 containing only one battery 44 . see fig1 - 3 , generally . one battery cannot create sufficient voltage to operate a high intensity lep 20 , and so an high intensity bulb 12 is substituted for led 20 . the preferred high intensity bulb 12 is what is known as a “ xenon ” bulb . while the invention has been described , disclosed , illustrated and shown in various terms with a preferred embodiment where it clear that other embodiments or modifications may be assumed in practice , the scope of the invention is not intended to be , nor should it be deemed to be , limited thereby and such other modifications or embodiments as may be suggested by the teachings herein are particularly reserved especially as they fall within the breadth and scope of the claims appended hereto . | 5 |
the figures ( fig .) and the following description relate to preferred embodiments of the present invention by way of illustration only . it should be noted that from the following discussion , alternative embodiments of the structures and methods disclosed herein will be readily recognized as viable alternatives that may be employed without departing from the principles of the claimed invention . reference will now be made in detail to several embodiments of the present invention ( s ), examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying figures . it is noted that wherever practicable similar or like reference numbers may be used in the figures and may indicate similar or like functionality . the figures depict embodiments of the present invention for purposes of illustration only . one skilled in the art will readily recognize from the following description that alternative embodiments of the structures and methods illustrated herein may be employed without departing from the principles of the invention described herein . fig4 illustrates how i / o is completed in a virtualized computer system , according to one embodiment of the present invention . i / o in the virtualized computer system according to the embodiment operates differently from i / o in conventional virtualized computer systems in that virtual interrupt routing information is normalized and exposed to the vmkernel 600 ( as well as the vmm 300 ). this is to enable the vmkernel 600 to post virtual interrupt carrying actions “ intelligently ” to the guest os - designated vcpu targets , reducing the physical ipi rate and the number of switches and improving the latency of virtual interrupt delivery . more specifically , when the guest o / s 220 requests a virtual i / o on a virtual system hardware 201 , the virtualization software ( the vmm 300 and the vmkernel 600 ) generates a physical i / o that corresponds to the virtual i / o request to the actual hardware device 100 backing up the virtual system hardware 201 . once the physical i / o is completed , the hardware device 100 generates a physical ( hardware ) interrupt to inform the virtualization software of completion of the physical i / o . when the vmkernel 600 posts an action to the virtual cpu to generate a virtual interrupt , it posts the action with the correct target vcpu designated by the guest os 220 to handle virtual interrupt , by consulting the vcpu set data structure 286 that contains such information . designation of the target vcpu by the guest os 220 may be indirect and “ soft ” in the sense that the guest os 220 does not designate the target vcpu for each interrupt at the interrupt delivery time but that the guest os 220 programs the interrupt system 280 much earlier , for example , during boot . in some cases , the designation of the target vcpu may be more explicit than in other cases . for example , the guest os 220 can specify that interrupts from certain devices must be bound to a particular vpcu or set of vcpus . the term “ vcpu set ” herein refers to a designation of one or more of the vcpus in a virtual machine . in other cases , the guest os 220 may leave the vcpu selection to the interrupt hardware with some qualifications such as always delivering an interrupt to the lowest priority vcpu . in one embodiment , the vcpu set data structure 286 includes an array of vcpu sets indexed by the interrupt vector number to designate the current destination vcpu set designated by the guest os 220 for each interrupt vector . this vcpu set data structure 286 is shared between the vmm 300 and the vmkernel 600 and hides the complexity of the guest interrupt system ( different modes of pic , ioapic , apic , msi , etc ., which are described in more detail below ). in another embodiment ( not shown herein ), the vmm 300 can simply notify the vmkernel 600 on each interrupt routing change without actually keeping a physically shared data structure . because the vmkernel 600 is aware of the correct destination vcpu designated by the guest os 220 for handling the virtual interrupt , there is no need for the vmm interrupt system 280 to reschedule the posted action to a different vcpu and thus the latency in delivering the virtual interrupt to the guest os 220 is significantly reduced . thus , the vmm 300 ( more specifically , the vmm interrupt system 280 including the virtual interrupt controller 282 and the vmm interrupt router 284 ) generates a virtual interrupt to the guest o / s 220 to inform the guest o / s 220 of completion of the i / o to the “ correct ” vcpu . fig5 is an interaction diagram illustrating how the vcpu set data structure 286 accessible by both the vmm 300 and the vmkernel 600 is established and maintained . the vmm 300 is responsible for keeping the vcpu set data structure 286 synchronized with the guest o / s 220 actions on each vcpu . the vmm 300 ( specifically , the vmm interrupt controller 282 ) of each vcpu 210 intercepts all guest instructions that change virtual interrupt system routing ( e . g ., guest os access 502 to the interrupt controller or device registers ). intercepting such guest instructions can be done via well known techniques such as traces for cpus without hardware virtualization support or by enabling exits for processors with hardware virtualization support ( vt , svm ). vt and svm refer to technology implementing virtualization features directly in the processor by intel corporation and advanced micro devices , inc ., respectively , and exit is the main operation in hardware virtualization systems based upon vt and svm that allows the hypervisor to intercept attempts by the guest os to change the state of the interrupt controller registers . the virtual interrupt routing information is derived by intercepting guest os instructions that modify certain states in the interrupt controller that deal with interrupt states . below are examples of how the virtual interrupt routing information is intercepted and derived for different types of guest interrupt systems . the master pic intr line ( output ) is wired into the ioapic line 0 and into linto input line of each local apic . by programming ioapic redirection register 0 as well as apic lvto register of each vcpu , the guest os can cause the 8259 pic to assert interrupts on an arbitrary set of vcpus . pic internal registers capture irq to interrupt vector mapping and the mask state of irq lines , which can be used to update the vcpu set data structure 286 . io apic is used throughout the buses , and the routing information is encoded by a redirection table that is used to route the interrupts it receives from peripheral buses to one or more local apics . the redirection table , combined with information in the local apics of individual vcpus , determines interrupt routing for each incoming interrupt line . the target vcpu information on each io apic redirection table register change is derived . the new entry value is parsed to determine the target vcpu ( s ) for the affected interrupt vector ( also contained in the redirection register ), which can be used to update the vcpu set data structure 286 . this is influenced by the following fields in each redirection register : ( i ) destination field : apic id physical or bitmask for logical , ( ii ) interrupt mask , ( iii ) destination mode : physical or logical , ( iv ) delivery mode : fixed , lowest priority , smi , nmi , init , extint , and ( v ) interrupt vector . in logical mode , destination field potentially defines a vcpu set . the lowest priority mode is used by several guest os families including microsoft windows . this delivery mode enables additional optimizations . when apic priorities of all vcpus are the same , a virtual chipset is free to choose any vcpu to be a virtual interrupt target . this is often the case for many common workloads . in such a state , the vmkernel 600 can elect to follow one of the following potentially workload specific policies to select the target : ( i ) select a currently scheduled vcpu to minimize rescheduling ; ( ii ) select a vcpu currently running on the physical cpu of the previous target for the same vector to exploit a previously established cache footprint of the guest interrupt handle ; and ( iii ) dispatch an interrupt to the vcpu to be scheduled next on the current physical cpu to avoid ipis to remote physical cpus . local apics manage external interrupts for the processor that it is part of . several apic registers influence interrupt routing for both local and external interrupts : ( i ) local apic id , ( ii ) local vector table ( lvt ) registers , ( iii ) task priority ( tpr ) and processor priority ( ppr ) register , ( iv ) logical destination ( ldr ) and destination format ( dfr ) registers , and ( v ) spurious interrupt vector register ( svr ), which can be used to update the vcpu set data structure 286 . msi / msi - x is a type of interrupt controller that writes to a segment of system memory to assert an interrupt . with msi / msi - x guest os programs , the interrupt routing information is derived similarly to the way it programs the io apic , but this information is available in the device pci configuration space . pci configuration space accesses are intercepted to extract the routing information and update the vcpu set data structure 286 . when there are changes to the vcpu sets designated by the guest os 220 , the vmm interrupt controller 282 communicates 504 the information on the changed mappings from the irqs to the pairs of ( vector , vcpu ). the vmm interrupt router 284 modifies and updates 506 the mappings from the irqs to the pairs of ( vector , vcpu ) in the vcpu set data structure 286 . note that the vmkernel 600 may run concurrently with updates to the vcpu set data structure 286 . in one embodiment , mutexes can be used to serialize accesses to the vcpu set data structure 286 by the vmkernel 600 and the vmms 300 . in another embodiment , this can be also relaxed to use reader / writer locks . in still another embodiment , because each element in the vcpu set data structure 286 is small enough to be updated atomically , the entire vcpu set data structure 286 can be maintained in a lock - free fashion . fig6 is an interaction diagram illustrating how i / o is requested and completed in a virtualized computer system in more detail , according to one embodiment of the present invention . the method described in fig6 is different from the method described in fig3 , mostly in that the vmkernel 600 is now capable of posting correct actions to issue the virtual interrupt with the correct vcpu information , because the vmkernel 600 has access to the correct ( interrupt vector , vcpu ) information via the vcpu set data structure 286 . referring to fig6 together with fig3 , the guest o / s 220 issues a virtual i / o request 302 to a virtual device 201 . the virtual device 201 makes a vmkernel call 304 to the vmkernel 600 , and the vmkernel 600 issues a command 306 corresponding to the vmkernel call 304 to the vmkernel driver 288 . based on the command 306 corresponding to the vmkernel call 304 , the vmkernel driver 288 makes a hardware specific i / o request 308 that is specific to the hardware device 100 to which the i / o request is destined . thereafter , typically some time will pass ( as indicated by the double dotted lines ), until the i / o is actually completed 310 by the hardware device 100 . the hardware device 100 makes a hardware interrupt 312 to the vmkernel driver 288 and to the vmkernel 600 to notify the vmkernel 600 that the hardware i / o is complete 310 . the vmkernel driver 288 inspects ( 314 , 316 ) the hardware device 100 to determine what kind of i / o occurred in the hardware device 100 . the vmkernel driver 288 makes the i / o data available 318 to the vmkernel 600 . in response , the vmkernel 600 refers to the vcpu set data structure 286 to determine to which vcpu a virtual interrupt should be sent to inform the completion of the i / o . the vmkernel 600 posts an asynchronous action 320 to the correct vcpu 210 ( virtual system hardware 201 ). in this regard , the vmkernel 600 knows which vcpu 210 is responsible for the i / o and for receiving the virtual interrupt at this time , and because it referred to such information available in the vcpu set data structure 286 . in response , the virtual device 201 asserts an irq ( interrupt request line ) 322 to obtain the ( interrupt vector , vcpu ) pair for the virtual interrupt to notify the guest o / s 220 of the completion of the i / o . the guest designated target vcpu is same as the original vcpu target selected by the vmkernel 600 in step 320 , because the vmkernel 600 referred to the current vcpu responsible for the i / o action in the vcpu set data structure 286 . the vmm 300 dispatches a virtual interrupt 328 to the final target vcpu set with a pair of the ( virtual interrupt vector , vpcu ). upon reading this disclosure , those of skill in the art will appreciate still additional alternative structural and functional designs for reducing the delivery of reducing the latency of virtual interrupt delivery in virtual machines through the disclosed principles of the present invention . thus , while particular 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 construction and components disclosed herein and that various modifications , changes and variations which will be apparent to those skilled in the art may be made in the arrangement , operation and details of the method and apparatus of the present invention disclosed herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims . | 6 |
this invention may be more fully described , but is not limited , by reference to the attached drawings and following discussion of the preferred embodiments discussed hereinafter . fig1 illustrates an installed ceiling system according to this invention wherein the ceiling system is supported by support wires 11 which are attached to a supporting structure . the supporting wires hold inverted - t runners 12 , which may or may not have an enlarged upper portion 13 which stiffens the inverted - t runner and provides additional strength for the system . spline members 20 engage inverted - t runners 12 and exposed flanges 14 . spline member 20 is disposed between the inverted - t runner and exposed flange whereby the spline connects the supporting inverted - t runner to the exposed flange with no direct physical engagement permitted between the inverted - t runner and exposed flange . the spline member may be comprised of one of many materials which have the required properties specified herein . thus the use herein of the term &# 34 ; loss of structural integrity &# 34 ; includes the following descriptions which are used interchangeably in this disclosure : deterioration , degradation , melting , fusing , softening and descriptions verbalizing the physical behavior of suitable spline materials which lose structural integrity upon exposure to temperatures within the range of values from about 200 ° to about 450 ° fahrenheit and thereupon disengage the decorative trim member and disengage from the inverted - t runner . envisioned in the preferred embodiment of this invention herein disclosed are ceiling tile comprising a fire - rated material since it is an object of this invention to continue support for tile upon exposure to heat from a flame or the like . also preferred is a fire retardant spline material which upon exposure to heat is non - flammable and does not produce toxic gases . such suitable spline materials are among vinyls or other polymers of plastic which have fire retardant additives . an exposed flange 14 provides a decorative surface underneath . a particularly desirable flange is one having a groove 15 on the underneath portion to create a shadow effect . the connective engagement by spline 20 of exposed flange 14 is made along the upper outsides of the exposed flange . as depicted in fig2 the exposed flange and spline members have equal horizontal dimensions , as such , their vertical outside walls lie in coplanar relationship . the horizontal dimension of the spline can be made smaller than that of the exposed flange , but not larger , so that from below , only the decorative underneath side of the exposed flange is visible when cutout ceiling tile are used in the system . a desirable esthetic effect is created by concealing the spline and inverted - t runner from view in the ceiling system herein disclosed . ceiling tile 16 are supported by the spline engaged inverted - t runner and may have this aforementioned cutout portion , if desired , to also enable the bottom surface thereof to be flush with the bottom surface of the exposed flange . in providing this flush configuration , cutout ceiling tile 16 allow the spline and inverted - t runner to be concealed from view as mentioned above . referring to fig2 the exposed flanges 14 abut one another at ends 17 to provide a continuous decorative surface . in the preferred embodiment of this invention , spline member 20 engages the exposed flange 14 for the full length of the exposed flange and correspondingly co - terminates at ends 17 . the inverted - t runners 12 , however , are discontinued at ends 18 a distance sufficiently removed from the end of the exposed flange that expansion of the inverted - t runner , upon exposure to heat , will not cause the ends of the inverted - t runner to contact one another and deform due to the expansion . the inverted - t runners may be connected to one another in a conventional manner such as by flange 24 , shown in fig2 and 3 , at one end of an inverted - t runner engaging a slot in a second crossing inverted - t runner . focusing on the inverted - t runner 12 , as shown in fig2 and 4 , the bottom engaging edge 19 is a cross - portion comprising the arms of the &# 34 ; t &# 34 ;. at the upper edge , an optional stiffening portion 13 may be provided for strength . engaging edge 19 movably engages spline 14 by means of slot 21 . the top of slot 21 opens upwardly and the web portion of inverted - t runner 12 resides free from contact with the spline member when engaging edge 19 engages slot 21 . a conventional roll - formed steel is envisioned as comprising inverted - t runner 12 so that fire resistance and supporting structural requirements for ceiling tile are both obtainable . it is the continuing support of ceiling tile upon exposure to heat that is the major feature of the invention as shown in fig5 and a conventional roll - formed steel has the required properties for use in this invention . the spline member 20 , as shown in fig2 and 4 , is interstitially disposed between inverted - t runner 12 and exposed flange 14 . slot 21 is supportingly engaged by engaging edge 19 of inverted - t runner 12 . slot 21 is comprised of flanges extending upwardly then inwardly from the upper outside corners of spline 20 wherein the inwardly disposed flanges terminate to provide an opening in the top of the slot . within this opening , the web portion of inverted - t runner 12 is disposed free from contact with spline 21 . the bottom side of the inwardly disposed flanges of slot 21 bear on the top of cross - portion 19 . the top side of the inwardly disposed flanges of slot 21 is the bearing surface for ceiling tile 16 on support edges 25 as shown in fig4 . spline 20 engages exposed flange 14 by means of grooves 22 disposed along the insides of downwardly disposed outside walls . grooves 22 grab the upper outside engageable grooves 23 of exposed flange 14 . when installed , the support runner allows no contact between exposed flange 14 and inverted - t runner 12 as the spline member 20 is therebetween disposed . slot 21 of spline 20 is a means for engaging inverted - t runner 12 which is separate and distinct engagement means from grooves 22 that engage exposed flange 14 . spline 20 is thus disclosed to be a connective device between the supporting inverted - t runner 12 and supported exposed flange 14 . exposed flange 14 , illustrated in fig2 and 4 is shown to comprise a groove 15 on the underneath side which is of a generally rectangular shape having an open side at the underneath portion . the vertical walls of groove 15 have engageable grooves 23 on the outsides which are engaged by grooves 22 of spline 20 . an extruded aluminum is envisioned as comprising the exposed flange in the preferred embodiments of the invention , although , other materials such as wood , plastic or rubber are equally adaptable to this invention . the non - engaged lower flanged portions of the walls of exposed flange 14 are shown to have sufficient width that when spline 20 engages exposed flange 14 the corresponding vertical sides of these coupled members lie in the same plane . it is desirable that the overall width of spline 20 be equal to , or smaller than , the overall width of exposed flange 14 so that , as viewed from below , the esthetic effect of observing only the decorative trim portion of the support runner herein disclosed is sustained . fig5 shows the major feature of this invention . upon exposure to heat , spline 20 , which in the preferred embodiment is comprised of a fire retardant material , undergoes loss of structural integrity when temperatures from a flame , or the like , reach values within the range of from about 200 ° to about 450 ° fahrenheit . within this range the spline willdeteriorate . its connective performance will lessen . as the spline continues to degrade it will disengage from inverted - t runner 12 and exposed flange 14 . that which occurs is a preventive action which prevents any debilitative heat deformation forces of the exposed flange from being transmitted to the inverted - t runner . thus this action will cause a disengagement of exposed flange 14 from the support runner prior to reaching temperatures above about 450 ° fahrenheit which otherwise would cause a harmful twisting and buckling of the aluminum envisioned as comprising exposed flange 14 . spline 20 degrades and exposed flange 14 drops away upon exposure to heat leaving inverted - t runner 12 to support ceiling tile . fig5 shows the inverted - t runner 12 after the disengagement last described . along with the fuse action feature of this invention , a separating inverted - t is disclosed . being connected only at the top , with or without stiffening portion 13 , inverted - t runner will separate upon disengagement of cross - portion 19 with slot 21 of spline 20 . during assembly of the support runner the web of the inverted - t runner is pinched such that cross - portion 19 fits within the slotted spline . inverted - t runner 12 is in tension upon installation and engagement with engageable slot 21 . inverted - t runner 12 is , however , not rigidly fixed but movably engaged within slot 21 such that minor longitudinal expansion of the inverted - t occurring before disengagement of spline member 20 is permitted . the support runner of this invention will absorb this minimal expansion , which occurs in the inverted - t runner at temperatures lower than the temperature range at which the spline will degrade , by allowing the inverted - t to move within the spline slot . upon exposure to sufficient heat the spline 20 will degrade , and disengage , leaving inverted - t runner 12 to relieve this tension by separating . the general shape , as shown in fig5 after disengagement with spline 20 , resembles an inverted &# 34 ; v &# 34 ; generally horizontally disposed cross - portions 19 at the bottom ends of the legs of this inverted &# 34 ; v &# 34 ;. separating to assume this configuration , inverted - t runner 12 continues to support cutout tiles 16 along their support edges 25 . support edge 25 , which bears on the top side of the inwardly disposed flanges of slot 21 of spline 20 when the ceiling tile are installed , will bear on the top side bearing surface of cross - portions 19 as the spline degrades upon exposure to heat . conventional ceiling tile 16 shrink upon exposure to heat from a flame or the like . to accommodate horizontal shrinking and lessening of bearing surface , the separation of inverted - t runner 12 is provided by this invention . in continuing to provide a supportive bearing surface , the support runner disclosed by this invention prevents contracting tile from dropping from the ceiling grid system herein disclosed . the benefits of providing a continuous barrier to the spread of a flame with this new and novel invention are most desirable to the construction industry involved with this art . while only the preferred embodiment of this invention has been described , other forms and embodiments within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art . therefore , the embodiment shown in the drawings is to be considered as illustrative in nature and not intended to limit the scope of the invention depicted and described herein . a new and novel support runner and ceiling system is made possible by this invention providing capabilities heretofore totally unknown in the construction industry . for the first time a ceiling system has been provided with exposed decorative flanges capable of remaining in place to present a barrier to the spread of flames upon exposure to heat . a significant advance in the construction industry has been made by this novel invention . | 4 |
dilithium initiators can be synthesized using the process of this invention by reacting a tertiary - alkyl lithium compound with m - diisopropenylbenzene in an aromatic solvent . the aromatic solvent will typically be an alkyl benzene . the alkyl group in the alkyl benzene will typically contain from 1 to 8 carbon atoms . it is preferred for the alkyl group in the alkyl benzene solvent to contain from 1 to about 4 carbon atoms . some preferred aromatic solvents include toluene , ethyl benzene , and propyl benzene . ethyl benzene is the most highly preferred aromatic solvent . it is critical for a tertiary - alkyl lithium compound to be reacted with the m - diisopropenylbenzene . the tertiary - alkyl lithium compound will typically contain from 4 to about 8 carbon atoms . it is preferred for the tertiary - alkyl lithium compound to be tertiary - butyl lithium . the reaction will typically be conducted at a temperature that is within the range of about 0 ° c . to about 100 ° c . it is normally preferred for the reaction between the tertiary - alkyl lithium and the m - diisopropenylbenzene to be carried out at a temperature that is within the range of about 10 ° c . to about 70 ° c . it is typically more preferred for the reaction temperature to be within the range of about 20 ° c . to about 40 ° c . a functionalized lithium initiator can be prepared by reacting a dilithium initiator with a halide compound . any dilithium initiator can be employed . however , dilithium initiators that are synthesized by reacting a tertiary - alkyl lithium compound with m - diisopropenylbenzene are highly preferred . the halide compound utilized will be selected from the group consisting of ( a ) tin halides of the structural formula : wherein x represents a halogen atom , and wherein r1 , r2 , and r3 can be the same or different and represent alkyl groups , aryl groups , or alkoxy groups containing from 1 to about 10 carbon atoms . r1 , r2 , and r3 will typically be alkyl groups containing from 1 to about 4 carbon atoms or alkoxy groups containing from 1 to 4 carbon atoms . it is preferred for r1 , r2 , and r3 to be methyl groups ( ch3 -), ethyl groups ( ch3 - ch2 -), methoxy groups ( ch3 — o —), or ethoxy groups ( ch3 — ch2 — o —). wherein x represents a neucleophile , and wherein r1 , r2 , and r3 can be the same or different and represent alkyl groups , aryl groups , or alkoxy groups containing from 1 to about 10 carbon atoms , can be reacted with the dilithium initiator in place of the halide compounds described above . in such compounds the neucleophile will typically be selected from the group consisting of aldehydes , ketones , esters , halides , and acetals . halides are typically preferred neucleophiles . the alkylaminoaryl compounds that can be reacted with the dilithium compound are typically of the structural formula : wherein r , r ′, and r ″ can be the same or different , wherein r is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen atoms , alkyl groups , aryl groups , alkaryl groups , and amino aryl groups , and wherein r ′ and r ″ represent alkyl groups . it is typically preferred for r ′ and r ″ to represent alkyl groups that contain from 1 to about 8 carbon atoms . it is generally more preferred for r ′ and r ″ to represent alkyl groups that contain from 1 to about 4 carbon atoms , such as methyl groups , ethyl groups , propyl groups , and butyl groups . highly preferred alkylaminoaryl compounds that can be utilized are of the structural formula : wherein r ′ and r ″ can be the same or different and wherein r ′ and r ″ represent alkyl groups . some highly preferred alkylaminoaryl compounds include n , n - dimethylaminobenzaldehyde and 4 , 4 ′- bis ( dimethylamino ) benzophenone . the functionalization reaction will typically be carried out at a temperature that is within the range of about − 80 ° c . to about 150 ° c . however , to enhance the probability of mono - functionalization , which reduces the probability of di - functionalization , the functionalization reaction will preferably be carried out at a reduced temperature . it is accordingly preferred for the functionalization reaction to be conducted at a temperature that is within the range of about − 70 ° c . to about 20 ° c . it is normally more preferred for the functionalization reaction to be conducted at a temperature that is within the range of about − 60 ° c . to about 0 ° c . it is also preferred for the halide compound to be added to a solution of the dilithium initiator ( rather than adding the dilithium initiator to the halide compound ). the functionalized initiators made by utilizing the technique of this invention offer significant advantages when used to initiate the anionic polymerization of diene monomers , such as 1 , 3 - butadiene or isoprene , into rubbery polymers . for instance , such functionalized initiators offer improved solubility in aliphatic solvents . more importantly , the rubbery polymers made with such functionalized initiators offer improved compatibility in rubber formulations that contain silica and / or carbon black . such rubbery polymer can optionally be coupled with tin and / or silicon compounds . for instance , such rubbery polymers can be coupled with tin tetrachloride or silicon tetrachloride . this invention is illustrated by the following examples that are merely for the purpose of illustration and are not to be regarded as limiting the scope of the invention or the manner in which it can be practiced . unless specifically indicated otherwise , parts and percentages are given by weight . in this example , a stable and hydrocarbon soluble dilithio initiator was prepared . neat m - diisoproprenylbenzene ( 100 mmoles ) was added , under nitrogen , to a dried quart ( 0 . 95 liter ) bottle containing 400 ml of reagent grade ethylbenzene at room temperature . then tert - butyllithium ( in hexanes ) was added in four portions of 50 mmoles with constant shaking . it was left at room temperature for two hours after the addition of the tert - butyllithium was completed . the bottle containing the reaction mixture was then rotated in a polymerization bath at 65 ° c . bath for two hours . after removing it from the bath , it was left to cool at room temperature . the resulting reddish brown solution containing dilithio initiator was titrated using the gilman double titration method for active lithium . the gc - ms analysis of the hydrolyzed ( with d2o ) product indicated that more than 95 % dilithio species was formed . in this experiment , the dilithium compound synthesized by the procedure described in example 1 was used to initiate the polymerization of 1 , 3 - butadiene monomer into polybutadiene rubber . in the procedure used , 2300 g of a silica / amumina / molecular sieve dried premix containing 20 weight percent of 1 , 3 - butadiene in hexanes was charged into a one - gallon ( 3 . 8 liters ) reactor . then , 19 . 6 ml of 0 . 234 m dilithio initiator ( di - li ) was added to the reactor . the target number averaged molecular weight ( mn ) was 100 , 000 . the polymerization was carried out at 75 ° c . for two hours . the gc analysis of the residual monomers contained in the polymerization mixture indicated that the 100 % of monomer was converted to polymer . the polymerization was then shortstopped with ethanol and the polymer cement was then removed from the reactor and stabilized with 1 phm of antioxidant . after evaporating hexanes , the resulting polymer was dried in a vacuum oven at 50 ° c . the polybutadiene produced was determined to have a glass transition temperature ( tg ) at − 99 ° c . it was also determined to have a microstructure , which contained 8 percent 1 , 2 - polybutadiene units , 92 percent 1 , 4 - polybutadiene units . the mooney viscosity ( ml - 4 ) at 100 ° c . for this polymer was also determined to be 44 . it was determined by gpc to have a number average molecular weight ( mn ) of 193 , 000 and a weight average molecular weight ( mw ) of 198 , 000 . the mwd ( mw / mn ) of this polymer was 1 . 03 . this example clearly validated the formation of dilithio species in the example 1 since the molecular weight of the polymer was double of the target value . in this example , a telechlic functionalized polybutadiene containing 4 , 4 ′- bis ( diethylamino ) benzophenol functional groups on both polymer chain ends was prepared . the procedure described in example 2 was utilized in these examples except that two molar quantity ( to di - li ) of 4 , 4 ′- bis ( diethylamino ) benzophenone was added to the live cement after the polymerization of 1 , 3 - butadiene was completed . the tg and microstructures of this functionalized pbd were identical to polymer made in example 2 . the mooney viscosity ( ml - 4 ) at 100 ° c . for this polymer was 48 . in this example , a telechlic functionalized styrene - butadiene rubber ( sbr ) containing tributyl tin groups on both polymer chain ends was prepared . the procedure described in example 2 was utilized in these examples except that a premix containing styrene / 1 , 3 - butadiene in hexanes was used as the monomers and the styrene to 1 , 3 - butadiene ratio was 15 : 85 . in addition , 0 . 75 molar ratio of tmeda ( n , n , n ′, n ′- tetramethylethylenediamine ) to di - lithium was used as the modifier . two molar quantities ( to di - lithium ) of t - butyltin chloride was added to the live cement after the polymerization of styrene / 1 , 3 - butadiene was completed . the glass transition temperature ( tg ) of this functionalized sbr was determined to be − 45 ° c . the mooney viscosity ( ml - 4 ) at 100 ° c . for this polymer was determined to be 45 . in this example , a telechlic tin - coupled styrene - butadiene rubber ( sbr ) at both polymer chain ends was prepared . the procedure described in example 4 was utilized in this example except that the target number average molecular weight ( mn ) was 75 , 000 instead of 100 , 000 . tin tetrachloride was added the live cement after the polymerization of styrene / 1 , 3 - butadiene was completed . the tg of this functionalized sbr was determined to be − 45 ° c . the mooney viscosity ( ml - 4 ) at 100 ° c . for the coupled sbr was 88 while the uncoupled base polymer ( precursor prior to coupling ) was 30 . in this experiment , 1000 grams of a silica / amumina / molecular sieve dried premix of styrene and 1 , 3 - butadiene in hexanes containing 20 weight percent monomer was charged into a one - gallon ( 3 . 8 liter ) reactor . the ratio of styrene to 1 , 3 - butadiene was 20 : 80 . copolymerization was initiated by charging sodium dedecylbenzene sulfonate and the dilithium initiator made in example 1 to the reactor at a molar ratio of 0 . 25 : 1 . the copolymerization was allowed to continue at 70 ° c . until all of the monomer was consumed ( for about one hour ). then an additional 1000 grams of monomer premix and n , n , n ′, n ′- tetramethylethylene - diamine ( tmeda ) was charged into the reactor containing the living polymer cement . the monomer premix added contained 40 % styrene and 60 % 1 , 3 - butadiene . the molar ratio of tmeda to dilithium initiator was 5 : 1 . the copolymerization was allowed to continue at 70 ° c . for an additional hour until the monomers were essentially exhausted . then the copolymerization was shortstopped and the polymer was stabilized by the addition of an antioxidant . the sbr made was then recovered and dried in a vacuum oven . the sbr had two glass transition temperatures at − 75 ° c . ( center block ) and − 20 ° c . ( outer blocks ). in this example , a soluble functionalized lithium initiator containing trimethyltin groups was prepared . in the procedure used , 34 ml of 1 m of trimethyltin chloride ( in hexane ) was added with a syringe to a quart ( 0 . 95 liter ) bottle containing 200 ml of 0 . 34 m 1 , 3 - bis ( 1 - lithio - 1 , 3 , 3 ′- trimethylbutyl ) benzene ( in ethyl benzene ). the mixture was shaken at room temperature for about two hours . the resulting mono - lithio initiator , 1 -( 1 - lithio - 1 , 3 , 3 ′- trimethylbutyl )- 3 -( 1 - trimethyltin - 1 , 3 , 3 ′- trimethylbutyl ) benzene was determined by gilman titration to be 0 . 13 m . in these examples , soluble mono - lithio initiators containing tributyltin , tributylsilyl , 2 -( n , n - dimethylamino ) ethyl functional groups were prepared using the same procedures as described in example 7 except that that tributyltin chloride , tributylsilicon chloride and 2 -( n , n - dimethylamino ) ethyl chloride were use in place of trimethyltin chloride . in this experiment , a polybutadiene containing a trimethyltin functional group was prepared . in the procedure used , 2300 g of a silica / amumina / molecular sieve dried premix containing 20 weight percent of 1 , 3 - butadiene in hexanes was charged into a one - gallon ( 3 . 8 liters ) reactor . 35 . 3 ml of 0 . 13 m a mono functionalized initiator , 1 -( 1 - lithio - 1 , 3 , 3 ′- trimethylbutyl )- 3 -( 1 - trimethyl tin - 1 , 3 , 3 ′- trimethylbutyl ) benzene was added to the reactor . the target number averaged molecular weight ( mn ) was 100 , 000 . the polymerization was carried out at 75 ° c . for 2 . 5 hours . the gc analysis of the residual monomers contained in the polymerization mixture indicated that the 100 % of monomer was converted to polymer . the polymerization was then shortstopped with ethanol and the polymer cement was then removed from the reactor and stabilized with 1 phm of antioxidant . the polymer was then recovered by evaporation of the hexanes solvent . the resulting polymer was dried in a vacuum oven at 50 ° c . the polybutadiene produced was determined to have a glass transition temperature ( tg ) at − 99 ° c . it was also determined to have a microstructure , that contained 9 percent 1 , 2 - polybutadiene units and 91 percent 1 , 4 - polybutadiene units . the mooney viscosity ( ml - 4 ) at 100 ° c . for this polymer was also determined to be 55 . in this example , a soluble functionalized lithium initiator containing dimethylaminophenyl was prepared . 34 ml . of 1 m p - dimethylaminobenzaldehyde ( in toluene ) was added , via a syringe , to a quart bottle containing 200 ml . of 0 . 34 m 1 , 3 - bis ( 1 - lithio - 1 , 3 , 3 - trimethylbutyl ) benzene ( in cyclohexane ) at room temperature . the mixture was shaken at room temperature for an hour . the resulting mono - lithio initiator , 1 -( 1 - lithio - 1 , 3 , 3 - trimethylbutyl )- 3 -( 1 -( p - dimethylaminophenyl , lithioxy ) methyl )- 1 , 3 , 3 - trimethylbutyl ) benzene was determined by gilman titration to be 0 . 15 m . in this example , a soluble mono - lithio initiators containing bis -( dimethylaminophenyl ) functional groups was prepared using the same procedure as described in example 12 except that 4 , 4 ′- bis -( dimethylamino ) benzophenone ( michler &# 39 ; s ketone ) was used in place of p - dimethylamino benzaldehyde . in this experiment , a 15 / 85 styrene - butadiene rubber ( sbr ) containing a 1 -( 4 - dimthylaminophenyl )- 1 - hydroxymethyl functional group was prepared . 2300 g of a silica / amumina / molecular sieve dried premix containing 20 weight percent of 1 , 3 - butadiene and styrene in hexanes was charged into a one - gallon ( 3 . 8 liters ) reactor . the ratio of styrene to 1 , 3 - butadiene was 15 : 85 . 16 . 1 ml . of 0 . 15 m a mono functionalized initiator , 1 -( 1 - lithio - 1 , 3 , 3 - trimethylbutyl )- 3 -( 1 -( p - dimethylaminophenyl , lithioxy ) methyl )- 1 , 3 , 3 - trimethylbutyl ) benzene was added to the reactor . the target number averaged molecular weight ( mn ) was 200 , 000 . the polymerization was carried out at 70 ° c . for 1 . 5 hours . the gc analysis of the residual monomers contained in the polymerization mixture indicated that the 100 % of monomer was converted to polymer . the polymerization was then shortstopped with ethanol and the polymer cement was then removed from the reactor and stabilized with 1 phm of antioxidant . after the hexanes solvent , the resulting polymer was dried in a vacuum oven at 50 ° c . the sbr produced was determined to have a glass transition temperature ( tg ) at − 38 ° c . it was also determined to have a microstructure , which contained 52 percent 1 , 2 - polybutadiene units , 33 percent 1 , 4 - polybutadiene units and 15 % random polystyrene units . the mooney viscosity ( ml - 4 ) at 100 ° c . for this polymer was also determined to be 73 . while certain representative embodiments and details have been shown for the purpose of illustrating the subject invention , it will be apparent to those skilled in this art that various changes and modifications can be made therein without departing from the scope of the subject invention . | 2 |
it will be understood that particular embodiments described herein are shown by way of illustration and not as limitations of the invention . the principal features of this invention can be employed in various embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention . those skilled in the art will recognize , or be able to ascertain using no more than routine study , numerous equivalents to the specific procedures described herein . such equivalents are considered to be within the scope of this invention and are covered by the claims . the use of the word “ a ” or “ an ” when used in conjunction with the term “ comprising ” in the claims and / or the specification may mean “ one ,” but it is also consistent with the meaning of “ one or more ,” “ at least one ,” and “ one or more than one .” the use of the term “ or ” in the claims is used to mean “ and / or ” unless explicitly indicated to refer to alternatives only or the alternatives are mutually exclusive , although the disclosure supports a definition that refers to only alternatives and “ and / or .” throughout this application , the term “ about ” is used to indicate that a value includes the inherent variation of error for the device , the method being employed to determine the value , or the variation that exists among the study subjects . as used in this specification and claim ( s ), the words “ comprising ” ( and any form of comprising , such as “ comprise ” and “ comprises ”), “ having ” ( and any form of having , such as “ have ” and “ has ”), “ including ” ( and any form of including , such as “ includes ” and “ include ”) or “ containing ” ( and any form of containing , such as “ contains ” and “ contain ”) are inclusive or open - ended and do not exclude additional , unrecited elements or method steps the term “ or combinations thereof ” as used herein refers to all permutations and combinations of the listed items preceding the term . for example , “ a , b , c , or combinations thereof is intended to include at least one of : a , b , c , ab , ac , bc , or abc , and if order is important in a particular context , also ba , ca , cb , cba , bca , acb , bac , or cab . continuing with this example , expressly included are combinations that contain repeats of one or more item or term , such as bb , aaa , mb , bbc , aaabcccc , cbbaaa , cababb , and so forth . the skilled artisan will understand that typically there is no limit on the number of items or terms in any combination , unless otherwise apparent from the context . as a source of antibody gene segment sequences , the skilled person will also be aware of the following available databases and resources ( including updates thereof ) the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference : the kabat database ( g . johnson and t . t . wu , 2002 ; world wide web ( www ) kabatdatabase . com ). created by e . a . kabat and t . t . wu in 1966 , the kabat database publishes aligned sequences of antibodies , t - cell receptors , major histocompatibility complex ( mhc ) class i and ii molecules , and other proteins of immunological interest . a searchable interface is provided by the seqhuntii tool , and a range of utilities is available for sequence alignment , sequence subgroup classification , and the generation of variability plots . see also kabat , e . a ., wu , t . t ., perry , h ., gottesman , k ., and foeller , c . ( 1991 ) sequences of proteins of immunological interest , 5th ed ., nih publication no . 91 - 3242 , bethesda , md ., which is incorporated herein by reference , in particular with reference to human gene segments for use in the present invention . kabatman ( a . c . r . martin , 2002 ; world wide web ( www ) bioinf . org . uk / abs / simkab . html ). this is a web interface to make simple queries to the kabat sequence database . imgt ( the international immunogenetics information system ®; m .- p . lefranc , 2002 ; world wide web ( www ) imgt . cines . fr ). imgt is an integrated information system that specializes in antibodies , t cell receptors , and mhc molecules of all vertebrate species . it provides a common portal to standardized data that include nucleotide and protein sequences , oligonucleotide primers , gene maps , genetic polymorphisms , specificities , and two - dimensional ( 2d ) and three - dimensional ( 3d ) structures . imgt includes three sequence databases ( imgt / ligm - db , imgt / mhc - db , imgt / primerdb ), one genome database ( imgt / gene - db ), one 3d structure database ( imgt / 3dstructure - db ), and a range of web resources (“ imgt marie - paule page ”) and interactive tools . v - base ( i . m . tomlinson , 2002 ; world wide web ( www ) mrc - cpe . cam . ac . uk / vbase ). v - base is a comprehensive directory of all human antibody germline variable region sequences compiled from more than one thousand published sequences . it includes a version of the alignment software dnaplot ( developed by hans - helmar althaus and werner müller ) that allows the assignment of rearranged antibody v genes to their closest germline gene segments . antibodies — structure and sequence ( a . c . r . martin , 2002 ; world wide web ( www ) bioinf . org . uklabs ). this page summarizes useful information on antibody structure and sequence . it provides a query interface to the kabat antibody sequence data , general information on antibodies , crystal structures , and links to other antibody - related information . it also distributes an automated summary of all antibody structures deposited in the protein databank ( pdb ). of particular interest is a thorough description and comparison of the various numbering schemes for antibody variable regions . aaaaa ( a ho &# 39 ; s amazing atlas of antibody anatomy ; a . honegger , 2001 ; world wide web ( www ) unizh . ch /˜ antibody ). this resource includes tools for structural analysis , modeling , and engineering . it adopts a unifying scheme for comprehensive structural alignment of antibody and t - cell - receptor sequences , and includes excel macros for antibody analysis and graphical representation . wam ( web antibody modeling ; n . whitelegg and a . r . rees , 2001 ; world wide web ( www ) antibody . bath . ac . uk ). hosted by the centre for protein analysis and design at the university of bath , united kingdom . based on the abm package ( formerly marketed by oxford molecular ) to construct 3d models of antibody fv sequences using a combination of established theoretical methods , this site also includes the latest antibody structural information . mike &# 39 ; s immunoglobulin structure / function page ( m . r . clark , 2001 ; world wide web ( www ) path . cam . ac . uk /˜ mrc7 / mikeimages . html ) these pages provide educational materials on immunoglobulin structure and function , and are illustrated by many colour images , models , and animations . additional information is available on antibody humanization and mike clark &# 39 ; s therapeutic antibody human homology project , which aims to correlate clinical efficacy and anti - immunoglobulin responses with variable region sequences of therapeutic antibodies . the antibody resource page ( the antibody resource page , 2000 ; world wide web ( www ) antibodyresource . com ). this site describes itself as the “ complete guide to antibody research and suppliers .” links to amino acid sequencing tools , nucleotide antibody sequencing tools , and hybridoma / cell - culture databases are provided . humanization by design ( j . saldanha , 2000 ; world wide web ( www ) people . cryst . bbk . ac . uk /˜ ubcg07s ). this resource provides an overview on antibody humanization technology . the most useful feature is a searchable database ( by sequence and text ) of more than 40 published humanized antibodies including information on design issues , framework choice , framework back - mutations , and binding affinity of the humanized constructs . see also antibody engineering methods and protocols , ed . benny k c lo , methods in molecular biology ™, human press . also at world wide web ( www ) blogsua . com / pdf / antibody - engineering - methods - and - protocolsantibody - engineering - methods - and - protocols . pdf any part of this disclosure may be read in combination with any other part of the disclosure , unless otherwise apparent from the context . all of the compositions and / or methods disclosed and claimed herein can be made and executed without undue experimentation in light of the present disclosure . while the compositions and methods of this invention have been described in terms of preferred embodiments , it will be apparent to those of skill in the art that variations may be applied to the compositions and / or methods and in the steps or in the sequence of steps of the method described herein without departing from the concept , spirit and scope of the invention . all such similar substitutes and modifications apparent to those skilled in the art are deemed to be within the spirit , scope and concept of the invention as defined by the appended claims . the following examples are put forth so as to provide those of ordinary skill in the art with a complete disclosure and description of how to make and use the invention , and are not intended to limit the scope of what the inventors regard as their invention . high human lambda variable region expression in transgenic mice comprising human lambda gene segments inserted into endogenous kappa locus insertion of human lambda gene segments from a 1 st igl bac to the igk locus of mouse ab2 . 1 es cells ( baylor college of medicine ) was performed to create a chimaeric light chain allele denoted the p1 allele ( fig1 ). the inserted human sequence corresponds to the sequence of human chromosome 22 from position 23217291 to position 23327884 and comprises functional lambda gene segments vλ3 - 1 , jλ1 - cλ1 , jλ2 - cλ2 , jλ3 - cλ3 , jλ6 - cλ6 and jλ7 - cλ7 ( the alleles of table 13 ). the insertion was made between positions 70674755 and 706747756 on mouse chromosome 6 , which is upstream of the mouse cκ region and 3 ′ eκ ( ie , within 100 kb of the endogenous light chain enhancer ) as shown in fig1 . the mouse vκ and jκ gene segments were retained in the chimaeric locus , immediately upstream of the inserted human lambda dna . the mouse lambda loci were left intact . mice homozygous for the chimaeric p1 locus were generated from the es cells using standard procedures . a second type of mice were produced ( p2 mice ) in which more human functional vλ gene segments were inserted upstream ( 5 ′) of human vλ3 - 1 by the sequential insertion of the bac1 human dna and then bac2 dna to create the p2 allele ( the alleles of table 14 ). the inserted human sequence from bac2 corresponds to the sequence of human chromosome 22 from position 23064876 to position 23217287 and comprises functional lambda gene segments vλ2 - 18 , vλ3 - 16 , v2 - 14 , vλ3 - 12 , vλ2 - 11 , vλ3 - 10 , vλ3 - 9 , vλ2 - 8 and vλ4 - 3 . mice homozygous for the chimaeric p2 locus were generated from the es cells using standard procedures . facs analysis of splenic b cells from the p1 and p2 homozygotes was performed to assess lambda versus kappa expression and human lambda versus mouse lambda expression in the transgenic mice . standard 5 ′- race was carried out to analyse rna transcripts from the light chain loci in p2 homozygotes . to obtain a single cell suspension from spleen , the spleen was gently passage through a 30 μm cell strainer . single cells were resuspended in phosphate - buffered saline ( pbs ) supplemented with 3 % heat inactivated foetal calf serum ( fcs ). rat anti - mouse lambda ( mca ) phycoerythrin ( pe ) antibody ( southern biotech ), rat anti - mouse kappa ( mcκ ) ( bd pharmingen , clone 187 . 1 ) fluorescein isothiocyanate ( fitc ), anti - human lambda ( hcλ ) ( ebioscience , clone 1 - 155 - 2 ) phycoerythrin ( pe ), anti - b220 / cd45r ( ebioscience , clone ra3 - 6b2 ) allophycocyanin ( apc ). nb : light chains bearing human cλ was expected to have variable regions derived from the rearrangement of inserted human vλ and human jλ . light chains bearing mouse cλ was expected to have variable regions derived from the rearrangement of mouse vλ and jλ from the endogenous lambda loci . 5 × 10 6 cells were added to individual tubes , spun down to remove excess of fluid , and resuspended in fresh 100 μl of pbs + 3 % fcs . to each individual tube the following antibodies were added : for staining of mλ versus mκ 1 μl of each antibody was added in addition to 1 μl of b220 / cd45r antibody . for detection of b cells expressing human lambda light chain , the mλ antibody was substituted with hλ antibody . cells were incubated in the dark at 6 ° c . for 15 minutes followed by several washes with fresh pbs + 3 % fcs to remove unbound antibody . cells were analysed using fluorescence - activated cell sorting ( facs ) analyser from miltenyi biotech . alive spleenocytes were gated using side scatter ( ssc ) and forward scatter ( fsc ). within the ssc and fsc gated population , a subpopulation of b220 / cd45r ( mouse b - cells ) was detected using the apc fluorochrome . single positive b220 / cd45r population was further subdivided into a cell bearing either mλ or hλ pe fluorochrome in conjunction with mκ fitc fluorochrome . the percentage of each population was calculated using a gating system . surprisingly , facs analysis of splenic b cells from the p1 homozygotes showed no detectable mouse cκ expression ( fig2 ), indicating that insertion of the human lambda locus dna from bac1 interrupts expression of the endogenous igk chain . the strong expression of endogenous cλ and weak expression of human cλ in the splenic b cells grouped by facs analysis ( mouse cλ : human cλ = 65 : 32 ) in these mice suggest that inserted human igl sequence , although interrupts the igk activity , cannot totally compete with the endogenous igl genes . the facs analysis again surprisingly showed no detectable mouse cκ expression in the p2 homozygotes ( fig3 a & amp ; b ). however , the human cλ greatly predominates in expressed b cells grouped as mouse or human cλ following facs analysis ( mouse cλ : human cλ = 15 : 80 corresponding to a ratio of 15 mouse lambda variable regions : 80 human lambda variable regions , ie , 84 % human lambda variable regions with reference to the grouped b - cells — which corresponds to 80 % of total b - cells ) from the p2 homozygotes . while not wishing to be bound by any theory , we suggest that the inserted human lambda locus sequence from the 2 nd bac provides some advantages to compete with endogenous lambda gene segment rearrangement or expression . we analysed human vλ and jλ usage in the p2 homozygotes . see fig4 which shows the human vλ usage in p2 homozygotes . the observed usage was similar to that seen in humans ( as per j mol biol . 1997 apr . 25 ; 268 ( 1 ): 69 - 77 ; “ the creation of diversity in the human immunoglobulin v ( lambda ) repertoire ”; ignatovich o et al ). further , the human jλ usage was similar to that seen in humans ( fig5 ). the vλ versus vκ usage analysis of human cλ transcripts by sequencing of non - bias 5 ′- race ( rapid amplification of cdna ends ) pcr clones showed that among 278 clone sequences , only one used vκ for rearrangement to jλ ( human jλ ), and all others ( 277 clones ) used human vλ ( fig6 & amp ; 7 ; vλ2 - 5 was detected at the rna transcript level , but this is a pseudogene which is usually not picked up by usage a the protein level ). while not wishing to be bound by any theory , we suggest that the retained mouse vκ gene segments essentially cannot efficiently rearrange with the inserted human jλ gene segments because they have the same type of rsss ( recombination signal sequences ; see explanation below ) and are incompatible for rearrangement ( fig8 ). this result also indicates that the inactivation of the endogenous igk activity and predominate expression of the inserted human lambda sequence can be achieved without further modification of the igk locus , for example , deletion or inversion of endogenous kappa loci gene segments is not necessary , which greatly simplifies the generation of useful transgenic mice expressing light chains bearing human lambda variable regions ( ie , variable regions produced by recombination of human vλ and jλ gene segments ). the arrangement of recombination signal sequences ( rsss ) that mediate v ( d ) j recombination in vivo is discussed , eg , in cell . 2002 april ; 109 suppl : s45 - 55 ; “ the mechanism and regulation of chromosomal v ( d ) j recombination ”; bassing c h , swat w , alt f w ( the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference ). two types of rss element have been identified : a one - turn rss ( 12 - rss ) and a two - turn rss ( 23 - rss ). in natural vj recombination in the lambda light chain locus , recombination is effected between a two - turn rss that lies 3 ′ of a v lambda and a one - turn rss that lies 5 ′ of a j lambda , the rsss being in opposite orientation . in natural vj recombination in the kappa light chain locus , recombination if effected between a one - turn rss that lies 3 ′ of a v kappa and a two - turn rss that lies 5 ′ of a j kappa , the rsss being in opposite orientation . thus , generally a two - turn rss is compatible with a one - turn rss in the opposite orientation . thus , the inventors have demonstrated how to ( i ) inactivate endogenous kappa chain expression by insertion of human lambda gene segments into the kappa locus ; and ( ii ) how to achieve very high human lambda variable region expression ( thus providing useful light chain repertoires for selection against target antigen )— even in the presence of endogenous lambda and kappa v gene segments . thus , the inventors have shown how to significantly remove ( lambda ) or totally remove ( kappa ) v gene segment competition and thus endogenous light chain expression by the insertion of at least the functional human lambda gene segments comprised by bacs 1 and 2 . in this example a very high level of human lambda variable region expression was surprisingly achieved ( 84 % of total lambda chains and total light chains as explained above ). high human lambda variable region expression in transgenic mice comprising human lambda gene segments inserted into endogenous lambda locus insertion of human lambda gene segments from the 1 st and 2 nd igl bacs to the lambda locus of mouse ab2 . 1 es cells ( baylor college of medicine ) was performed to create a lambda light chain allele denoted the l2 allele ( fig1 ). the inserted human sequence corresponds to the sequence of human chromosome 22 from position 23064876 to position 23327884 and comprises functional lambda gene segments vλ2 - 18 , vλ3 - 16 , v2 - 14 , vλ3 - 12 , vλ2 - 11 , vλ3 - 10 , vλ3 - 9 , vλ2 - 8 , vλ4 - 3 , vλ3 - 1 , jλ1 - cλ1 , jλ2 - cλ2 , jλ3 - cλ3 , jλ6 - cλ6 and jλ7 - cλ7 . the insertion was made between positions 19047551 and 19047556 on mouse chromosome 16 , which is upstream of the mouse cλ region and between eλ4 - 10 and eλ3 - 1 ( ie , within 100 kb of the endogenous light chain enhancers ) as shown in fig1 . the mouse vλ and jλ gene segments were retained in the locus , immediately upstream of the inserted human lambda dna . the mouse kappa loci were inactivated to prevent kappa chain expression . mice homozygous for the l2 locus were generated from the es cells using standard procedures . using a similar method to that of example 1 , facs analysis of splenic b cells from the l2 homozygotes was performed to assess lambda versus kappa expression and human lambda versus mouse lambda expression in the transgenic mice . the facs analysis of splenic b - cells in l2 homozygotes under the igk knockout background ( in which vκ and jκ gene segments have been retained ) surprisingly showed that expression of human cλ greatly predominates in b - cells grouped as mouse or human cλ following facs analysis ( mouse cλ : human cλ = 5 : 93 corresponding to a ratio of 5 mouse lambda variable regions : 93 human lambda variable regions , ie , 95 % human lambda variable regions with reference to the grouped b - cells — which corresponds to 93 % of total b - cells ) ( fig9 a ), demonstrating that inserted human igλ gene segments within the endogenous igλ locus can outcompete the endogenous igλ gene segment rearrangement or expression . thus , the inventors have demonstrated how to achieve very high human lambda variable region expression ( thus providing useful light chain repertoires for selection against target antigen )— even in the presence of endogenous lambda and kappa v gene segments . thus , the inventors have shown how to significantly remove endogenous lambda v gene segment competition and thus endogenous lambda light chain expression by the insertion of at least the functional human lambda gene segments comprised by bacs 1 and 2 . in this example a very high level of human lambda variable region expression was surprisingly achieved ( 95 % of total lambda chains and total light chains as explained above ). these data indicate that mice carrying either p ( example 1 ) or l ( example 2 ) alleles produced by targeted insertion of the functional gene segments provided by bac1 and bac2 can function in rearrangement and expression in mature b cells . these two types of alleles are very useful for providing transgenic mice that produce human ig lambda chains for therapeutic antibody discovery and as research tools . transgenic mice of the invention expressing human lambda variable regions develop normal splenic compartments in spleen , b cells are characterized as immature ( t1 and t2 ) and mature ( m ) based on the levels of cell surface markers , igm and igd . t1 cells have high igm and low igd . t2 cells have medium levels of both them . m cells have low igm but high igd ( fig1 ). see also j exp med . 1999 jul . 5 ; 190 ( 1 ): 75 - 89 ; “ b cell development in the spleen takes place in discrete steps and is determined by the quality of b cell receptor - derived signals ”; loder f et al . using methods similar to those described in example 3 below , splenic b - cells from the animals were scored for igd and igm expression using facs . we compared control mice ka / ka ( in which endogenous kappa chain expression has been inactivated , but not endogenous lambda chain expression ) with l2 / l2 ; ka / ka mice ( l2 homozyotes ). the l2 homozygotes surprisingly showed comparable splenic b - cell compartments to the control mice ( fig9 b ). assessment of b - cell and ig development in transgenic mice of the invention we observed normal ig subtype expression & amp ; b - cell development in transgenic mice of the invention expressing antibodies with human heavy chain variable regions substantially in the absence of endogenous heavy and kappa chain expression . using es cells and the rmce genomic manipulation methods described above , mice were constructed with combinations of the following ig locus alleles : s1f / ha , +/ ka =( i ) s1f — first endogenous heavy chain allele has one human heavy chain locus dna insertion , endogenous mouse vdj region has been inactivated by inversion and movement upstream on the chromosome ( see the description above , where this allele is referred to as s1 inv1 ); ( ii ) ha — second endogenous heavy chain allele has been inactivated ( by insertion of an endogenous interrupting sequence ); ( iii ) +— first endogenous kappa allele is a wild - type kappa allele and ( iv ) ka — the second endogenous kappa allele has been inactivated ( by insertion of an endogenous interrupting sequence ). this arrangement encodes exclusively for heavy chains from the first endogenous heavy chain allele . s1f / ha , k2 / ka =( i ) k2 — the first endogenous kappa allele has two kappa chain locus dna insertions between the most 3 ′ endogenous jκ and the mouse cκ , providing an insertion of 14 human vκ and jκ1 - jκ5 ; and ( ii ) ka — the second endogenous kappa allele has been inactivated ( by insertion of an endogenous interrupting sequence ). this arrangement encodes exclusively for heavy chains comprising human variable regions and substantially kappa light chains from the first endogenous kappa allele . +/ ha , k2 / ka — this arrangement encodes for mouse heavy chains and human kappa chains . +/ ha , +/ ka — this arrangement encodes for mouse heavy and kappa chains — the mice only produce mouse heavy and light chains . in bone marrow , b progenitor populations are characterized based their surface markers , b220 and cd43 . preprob cells carry germline igh and igk / l configuration and have low b220 and high cd43 on their cell surface . prob cells start to initiate vdj recombination in the igh locus and carry medium levels of both b220 and cd43 . preb cells carry rearranged igh vdj locus and start to initiate light chain vj rearrangement , and have high b220 but low cd43 . in spleen , b cells are characterized as immature ( t1 and t2 ) and mature ( m ) based on the levels of cell surface markers , igm and igd . t1 cells have high igm and low igd . t2 cells have medium levels of both them . m cells have low igm but high igd ( fig1 ). see also j exp med . 1991 may 1 ; 173 ( 5 ) 1213 - 25 ; “ resolution and characterization of pro - b and pre - pro - b cell stages in normal mouse bone marrow ”; hardy r r et al and j exp med . 1999 jul . 5 ; 190 ( 1 ): 75 - 89 ; “ b cell development in the spleen takes place in discrete steps and is determined by the quality of b cell receptor - derived signals ”; loder f et al . transgenic mice of the invention develop normal splenic and bm compartments for each mouse , to obtain a single cell suspension from spleen , the spleen was gently passaged through a 30 μm cell strainer . single cells were resuspended in phosphate - buffered saline ( pbs ) supplemented with 3 % heat inactivated foetal calf serum ( fcs ). 5 × 10 6 cells were added to individual tubes , spun down to remove excess of fluid and resuspended in fresh 100 μl of pbs + 3 % fcs . to each individual tube the following antibodies were added : anti - b220 / cd45r ( ebioscience , clone ra3 - 6b2 ) allophycocyanin ( apc ), antibody against igd receptor conjugated with phycoerythrin ( pe ) ( ebioscience , clone 11 - 26 ) and antibody against igm receptor conjugated with fluorescein isothiocyanate ( fitc ) ( ebioscience , clone 11 / 41 ). for staining of igm vs igd , 5 × 10 6 cells were used for each staining . to each vial containing splenocytes a cocktail of antibodies was added consisting of : anti - igd ( pe ), anti - igm ( fitc ) and anti - b220 / cd45r ( apc ). cells were incubated at 6 ° c . for 15 minutes , washed to remove excess unbound antibodies and analysed using a fluorescence - activated cell sorting ( facs ) analyser from miltenyl biotech . b - cells were gated as b220 high igm high igd low ( ie , b220 + igm + igd − ) for t1 population , b220 high igm high igd high ( b220 + igm + igd + ) for t2 population and b220 high igm low igd high ( b220 + igm − igd + ) for m population . percentage of cells was calculated using gating system . we used gates to identify and define subsets of cell populations on plots with logarithmic scale . before gates are applied a single stain antibody for each fluorochrome is used to discriminate between a positive ( high intensity fluorochrome ) and negative ( no detectable intensity fluorchrome ) population . gates are applied based on fluorochrome intensities in the same manner to all samples . the single stains were : alive spleenocytes were gated using side scatter ( ssc ) and forward scatter ( fsc ), within the ssc and fsc gated population , a subpopulation of b220 / cd45r positive cells ( mouse b - cells ) was detected using the apc fluorochrome . the single positive b220 / cd45r population was further subdivided into a cell bearing either igm fluorescein isothiocyanate ( fitc ) or igd fluorochrome in conjunction with mκ fitc fluorochrome . the percentage of each population was calculated using gating system . the splenic b - cell compartments in the mice of the invention are normal ( ie , equivalent to the compartments of mice expressing only mouse antibody chains ). to obtain a single cell suspension from bone marrow for each mouse , the femur and tibia were flushed with phosphate - buffered saline ( pbs ) supplemented with 3 % heat inactivated foetal calf serum ( fcs ). cells were further passage through a 30 μm cell strainer to remove bone pieces or cell clumps . cells were resuspended in cold pbs supplemented with 3 % serum . 2 × 10 6 cells were added to individual tubes , spun down to remove excess of buffer , and resuspended in fresh 100 μl of pbs + 3 % fcs . to each individual tube the following antibodies were added : anti - leukosialin ( cd43 ) fluorescein isothiocyanate ( fitc ) ( ebioscience , clone ebior2 / 60 ) and anti - b220 / cd45r ( ebioscience , clone ra3 - 6b2 ) allophycocyanin ( apc ). cells were incubated in the dark at 6 ° c . for 15 minutes followed by several washes with fresh pbs - 1 - 3 % fcs to remove unbound antibody . cells were analysed using a fluorescence - activated cell sorting ( facs ) analyser from miltenyi biotech . alive bone marrow cells were gated using side scatter ( ssc ) and forward scatter ( fsc ). we used gates to identify and define subsets of cell populations on plots with logarithmic scale . before gates are applied a single stain antibody for each fluorochrome is used to discriminate between a positive ( high intensity fluorochrome ) and negative ( no detectable intensity fluorchrome ) population . gates are applied based on fluorochrome intensities in the same manner to all samples . the single stains were : within the alive population a double population of b220 / cd45r and cd43 positive cells was identified as a pre - b , pro - b and pre - pro b cells . the splenic b - cell compartments in the mice of the invention are normal ( ie , equivalent to the compartments of mice expressing only mouse antibody chains ). 96 - well nunc plates were coated initially with a capture antibody ( goat anti - mouse fab antibody at 1 μg / ml ) overnight at 4 ° c .). the igg plates used anti - fab , ( m4155 sigma ) and the igm plates used anti - fab ( obt1527 abd serotec ). following three washes with phosphate buffer saline ( pbs ) containing 0 . 1 % v / v tween20 , plates were blocked with 200 μl of pbs containing 1 % w / v bovine serum albumin ( bsa ) for 1 hour at room temperature ( rt ). the plates were washed three times as above and then 50 μl of standards ( control mouse isotype antibodies , igg1 ( m9269 sigma ), igg2a ( m9144 sigma ), igg2b ( m8894 sigma ), igm ( m3795 sigma ) or serum samples diluted in pbs with 0 . 1 % bsa were added to each well , and incubated for 1 hour at rt . after washing three times as above 100 μl of detection antibody ( goat anti - mouse isotype specific antibody - horseradish peroxidase conjugated , 1 / 10000 in pbs with 0 . 1 % tween ) ( anti - mouse igg1 ( star132p abd serotec ), anti - mouse igg2a ( star133p add serotec ), anti - mouse igg2b ( star134p abd serotec ) and anti - mouse igm ( ab97230 abcam ) were added into each well and incubated for 1 hour at rt . the plates were washed three times as above and developed using tetramethylbenzidine substrate ( tmb , sigma ) for 4 - 5 minutes in the dark at rt . development was stopped by adding 50 μl / well of 1 m sulfuric acid . the plates were read with a biotek synergy ht plate reader at 450 nm . inversion of endogenous v h - d - j h following the human igh bac insertion results in inactivation of rearrangement of endogenous v h to inserted human d - j h . the inventors observed , however , that surprisingly the inactivation of endogenous heavy chain expression does not change the ratio of b - cells in the splenic compartment ( fig1 ) or bone marrow b progenitor compartment ( fig1 ) and the immunoglobulin levels in serum are normal and the correct ig subtypes are expressed ( fig1 ). this was shown in mice expressing human heavy chain variable regions with mouse light chains ( fig1 a and 12a ) as well as in mice expressing both human heavy chain variable regions and human light chain variable regions ( fig1 b and 12b ). these data demonstrate that inserted human igh gene segments ( an insertion of at least human v h gene segments v h 2 - 5 , 7 - 4 - 1 , 4 - 4 , 1 - 3 , 1 - 2 , 6 - 1 , and all the human d and j h gene segments d1 - 1 , 2 - 2 , 3 - 3 , 4 - 4 , 5 - 5 , 6 - 6 , 1 - 7 , 2 - 8 , 3 - 9 , 5 - 12 , 6 - 13 , 2 - 15 , 3 - 16 , 4 - 17 , 6 - 19 , 1 - 20 , 2 - 21 , 3 - 22 , 6 - 25 , 1 - 26 and 7 - 27 ; and j1 , j2 , j3 , j4 , j5 and j6 ) are fully functional in the aspect of rearrangement , bcr signalling and b cell maturation . functionality is retained also when human light chain vj gene segments are inserted to provide transgenic light chains , as per the insertion used to create the k2 allele . this insertion is an insertion comprising human gene segments vκ2 - 24 , vκ3 - 20 , vκ1 - 17 , vκ1 - 16 , vκ3 - 15 , vκ1 - 13 , vκ1 - 12 , vκ3 - 11 , vκ1 - 9 , vκ1 - 8 , vκ1 - 6 , vκ1 - 5 , vκ5 - 2 , vκ4 - 1 , jκ1 , jκ2 , jκ3 , jκ4 and jκ5 . greater than 90 % of the antibodies expressed by the s1f / ha ; k2 / ka mice comprised human heavy chain variable regions and human kappa light chain variable regions . these mice are , therefore , very useful for the selection of antibodies having human variable regions that specifically bind human antigen following immunisation of the mice with such antigen . following isolation of such an antibody , the skilled person can replace the mouse constant regions with human constant regions using conventional techniques to arrive at totally human antibodies which are useful as drug candidates for administration to humans ( optionally following mutation or adaptation to produce a further derivative , eg , with fc enhancement or inactivation or following conjugation to a toxic payload or reporter or label or other active moiety ). a further experiment was carried out to assess the igg and igm levels and relative proportions in transgenic mice of the invention that express antibodies that have human heavy and light ( kappa ) variable regions ( s1f / ha , k2 / ka mice ; n = 15 ). these were compared against 12 mice expressing only mouse antibody chains (+/ ha , +/ ka ( n = 6 ) and wild - type mice ( wt ; n = 6 )). the results are tabulated below ( table 19 ) and shown in fig1 . it can be seen that the mice of the invention , in which essentially all heavy chain variable regions are human heavy chain variable regions , expressed normal proportions of igm and igg subtypes , and also total igg relative to igm was normal . k3f / k3f = each endogenous kappa allele has three kappa chain locus dna insertions between the 3 ′ most endogenous jκ and the mouse cκ , providing insertion of human v gene segments vκ2 - 40 , vκ1 - 39 , vκ1 - 33 , vκ2 - 30 , vκ2 - 29 , vκ2 - 28 , vκ1 - 27 , vκ2 - 24 , vκ3 - 20 , vκ1 - 17 , vκ1 - 16 , vκ3 - 15 , vκ1 - 13 , vκ1 - 12 , vκ3 - 11 , vκ1 - 9 , vκ1 - 8 , vκ1 - 6 , vκ1 - 5 , vκ5 - 2 and vκ4 - 1 and human j gene segments jκ1 , jκ2 , jκ3 , jκ4 and jκ5 ( the human v gene segments being 5 ′ of the human j gene segments ); each endogenous kappa vj has been inactivated by inversion and movement upstream on the chromosome ; and the endogenous lambda loci are left intact ; l2 / l2 = as described in example 2 ( l2 homozygotes where human lambda variable region dna has been inserted into the endogenous lambda loci ; the endogenous kappa loci are left intact ); l2 / l2 ; ka / ka = as l2 / l2 but the endogenous kappa alleles have been inactivated ( by insertion of an endogenous interrupting sequence = ka ); l3 / l3 ; ka / ka = as l2 / l2 ; ka / ka but supplemented by a third human lambda variable region dna insertion 5 ′ of the second lambda dna insertion in the endogenous lambda loci such that the following human lambda gene segments are inserted between 3 ′ most endogenous jλ and the mouse cλ : human v gene segments vλ3 - 27 , vλ3 - 25 , vλ2 - 23 , vλ3 - 22 , vλ3 - 21 , vλ3 - 19 , vλ2 - 18 , vλ3 - 16 , vλ2 - 14 , vλ3 - 12 , vλ2 - 11 , vλ3 - 10 , vλ3 - 9 , vλ2 - 8 , vλ4 - 3 and vλ3 - 1 , human j and c gene segments jλ1 - cλ1 , jλ2 - cλ2 , jλ3 - cλ3 , jλ6 - cλ6 and jλ7 - cλ7 ( non - functional segments jλ4 - cλ4 , jλ5 - cλ5 were also included ), thus providing an insertion corresponding to coordinates 22886217 to 23327884 of human chromosome 22 inserted immediately after position 19047551 on mouse chromosome 16 ; s3f / ha ; ka / ka ; l3 / l3 = first endogenous heavy chain allele has three human heavy chain variable region dna insertions between the 3 ′ most endogenous j h and the e μ , providing insertion of human gene segments v h 2 - 26 , v h 1 - 24 , v h 3 - 23 , v h 3 - 21 , v h 3 - 20 , v h 1 - 18 , v h 3 - 15 , v h 3 - 13 , v h 3 - 11 , v h 3 - 9 , v h 1 - 8 , v h 3 - 7 , v h 2 - 5 , v h 7 - 4 - 1 , v h 4 - 4 , v h 1 - 3 , v h 1 - 2 , v h 6 - 1 , d1 - 1 , d2 - 2 , d3 - 9 , d3 - 10 , d4 - 11 , d5 - 12 , d6 - 13 , d1 - 14 , d2 - 15 , d3 - 16 , d4 - 17 , d5 - 18 , d6 - 19 , d1 - 20 , d2 - 21 , d3 - 22 , d4 - 23 , d5 - 24 , d6 - 25 , d1 - 26 , d7 - 27 , j h 1 , j h 2 , j h 3 , j h 4 , j h 5 and j h 6 ( in the order : human v gene segments , human d gene segments and human j gene segments ); the endogenous heavy chain vdj sequence has been inactivated by inversion and movement upstream on the chromosome ; and the endogenous lambda loci are left intact ; the second endogenous heavy chain allele has been inactivated by insertion of an endogenous interrupting sequence = ha ); the endogenous kappa alleles have been inactivated (= ka / ka ); and the endogenous lambda alleles have been modified by insertion of human lambda variable region dna (= l3 / l3 ); p2 / wt = p2 allele ( human lambda variable region dna as described in example 1 ) at one endogenous kappa locus ; the other endogenous kappa locus left intact ; both endogenous lambda loci left intact ; p2 / k2 = p2 allele at one endogenous kappa locus ; the other endogenous kappa locus having two dna insertions between the 3 ′ most endogenous jκ and the mouse cκ , providing insertion of human v gene segments vκ2 - 24 , vκ3 - 20 , vκ1 - 17 , vκ1 - 16 , vκ3 - 15 , vκ1 - 13 , vκ1 - 12 , vκ3 - 11 , vκ1 - 9 , vκ1 - 8 , vκ1 - 6 , vκ1 - 5 , vκ5 - 2 and vκ4 - 1 and human j gene segments jκ1 , jκ2 , jκ3 , jκ4 and jκ5 ( the human v gene segments being 5 ′ of the human j gene segments ); both endogenous lambda loci left intact ; p3 / k3f = as one endogenous kappa locus having an insertion between the following human lambda gene segments are inserted between the 3 ′ most endogenous jκ and the mouse cκ , providing insertion of human v gene segments vλ3 - 27 , vλ3 - 25 , vλ2 - 23 , vλ3 - 22 , vλ3 - 21 , vλ3 - 19 , vλ2 - 18 , vλ3 - 16 , vλ2 - 14 , vλ3 - 12 , vλ2 - 11 , vλ3 - 10 , vλ3 - 9 , vλ2 - 8 , vλ4 - 3 and vλ3 - 1 , human j and c gene segments jλ1 - cλ1 , jλ2 - cλ2 , jλ3 - cλ3 , jλ6 - cλ6 and jλ7 - cλ7 ( non functional segments jλ4 - cλ4 , jλ5 - cλ5 were also included ), thus providing an insertion corresponding to coordinates 22886217 to 23327884 of human chromosome 22 inserted immediately after position 70674755 on mouse chromosome 6 ; the other endogenous kappa locus having the k3f allele described above ( human v and j kappa gene segments inserted ); both endogenous lambda loci left intact ; p2 / p2 ; l2 / wt = as p2 / p2 but wherein one endogenous lambda locus has the l2 allele ( human lambda v and j gene segments inserted ) and the other endogenous lambda locus is wild - type ; and p2 / p2 ; l2 / l2 = homozygous for p2 and l2 alleles at endogenous kappa and lambda loci respectively . facs analysis of splenic b - cells ( as described above ) was carried out and proportions of light chain expression were determined . we also determined the proportions of t1 , t2 and mature ( m ) splenic b - cells and compared with wild - type mice , in order to assess whether or not we obtained normal splenic b - cell compartments in the transgenic mice . the results are shown in tables 20 and 21 . we also assessed the proportion of b220 positive cells as an indication of the proportion of b - cells in the splenic cell samples . as demonstrated by l2 / l2 ; ka / ka and l3 / l3 ; ka / ka , the human lambda variable region dna insertions at the endogenous lambda locus ( with an endogenous kappa knockout ) displayed predominate expression of light chains bearing human lambda variable regions ( indicated by the expression of cλ - positive chains at around 93 %). this surprisingly occurs even though endogenous mouse lambda variable region dna is still present , indicating that the inserted human lambda variable region dna can outcompete endogenous iga rearrangement . furthermore , mice having the human v and j gene segments present in the homozygous l3 insertion produce b - cells ( b220 positive cells ) at a proportion that is similar to wild - type and additionally produce a normal proportion or percentage of mature splenic b - cells ( ie , similar to wild - type ). this is confirmed not only by the l3 / l3 ; ka / ka mice , but also was observed for s3f / ha ; ka / ka ; l3 / l3 , which also comprises a chimaeric ( human - mouse ) igh locus . also , we observed that mice having the human v and j gene segments present in the homozygous k3f insertion produce b - cells ( b220 positive cells ) at a proportion that is similar to wild - type and additionally produce a normal proportion or percentage of mature splenic b - cells ( ie , similar to wild - type ). mice having the human v and j gene segments present in the homozygous p2 insertion at the endogenous kappa locus showed high expression of light chains comprising human lambda variable regions ( as indicated by an observed proportion of 76 %). we could skew to an even higher percentage overall by combining insertion of human lambda v and j gene segments at both the endogenous kappa and lambda loci ( see p2 / p2 ; l2 / wt at around 94 % and p2 / p2 ; l2 / l2 at around 95 %). furthermore , mice comprising the human v and j gene segment arrangement of p2 / p2 ; l2 / l2 produce a normal proportion or percentage of mature splenic b - cells ( ie , similar to wild - type ). when human lambda v and j gene segments were inserted at one endogenous kappa locus and the other endogenous kappa locus comprised an insertion of human kappa v and j gene segments , we obtained mice that could express light chains comprising lambda variable regions and also light chains comprising kappa variable regions . surprisingly observed that we could raise the proportion of light chains comprising lambda variable regions above that seen in a wild - type mouse where only 5 % or less of light chains typically comprise lambda variable regions . we observed a proportion of around 22 % for the p2 / k2 genotype and around 31 % for the p3 / k3f genotype . the proportion observed with the latter genotype approximates that seen in a human where typically around 60 % of light chains comprise kappa variable regions and around 40 % of light chains comprise lambda variable regions . also in the p2 / k2 and p3 / k3f cases , the mice produced a normal proportion of b - cells as compared with wild - type mice . furthermore , mice comprising the human v and j gene segment arrangement of p3 / k3f produce a normal proportion or percentage of mature splenic b - cells ( ie , similar to wild - type ). mouse were generated that comprised the specific igh alleles listed in table 3 ; and the specific igl alleles listed in tables 10 or 11 . mice were immunised with target antigens and antigen - specific antibodies were isolated . antibodies were assessed for binding specificity , maturation ( ie , extent of junctional and somatic mutation versus germline gene segment sequences ) and binding kinetics . corresponding b - cells were also obtained and in some cases hybridomas produced that express the selected antibodies . selected antibodies are summarised in table 22 . binding kinetics of some of these were determined as follows . an anti - mouse igg capture surface was created on a glm biosensor ™ chip by primary amine coupling using ge healthcare anti - mouse igg ( br - 1008 - 38 ). test antibodies as set out in table 22 were captured on this surface and the respective antigen was passed over the captured ab at the concentrations indicated . an injection of buffer ( i . e . 0 nm of antigen ) was used to double reference the binding curves , and the data was fitted to the 1 : 1 model inherent to the proteon xpr36 ™ analysis software . regeneration of the capture surface was carried out using 10 mm glycine , ph1 . 7 . the assay was run at 25 ° c . and using hbs - ep as running buffer . target 2 at 256 , 64 , 16 , 4 and 1 nm ; results of 3 experiments :- in conclusion , the present invention provides for in vivo affinity - matured antibodies with human variable domains that can expressed in in vivo systems , and specifically bind target antigens with very good affinities , on and off - rates . the invention thus provides for antibodies that are useful for human medicine , as well as non - human vertebrates , cells ( eg , b - cells and hybridomas ) for producing such antibodies . the s ( heavy ), k ( kappa into kappa locus ), l ( lambda into lambda locus ) and p ( lambda into kappa locus ) lines used to generate the data in the examples used the alleles of tables 1 to 18 and demonstrated that such collections of alleles can produce the surprising results shown ( eg , good b cell compartments , high human lambda v region expression , desirable lambda : kappa ratio in a mouse and normal repertoire of igh isotypes ). the isolated antibodies were all based on the alleles listed in table 1 to 18 above . all had v domains with mouse aid and tdt pattern mutation . from the foregoing description , it will be apparent that variations and modifications may be made to the invention described herein to adopt it to various usages and conditions . such embodiments are also within the scope of the following claims . the recitation of a listing of elements in any definition of a variable herein includes definitions of that variable as any single element or combination ( or subcombination ) of listed elements . the recitation of an embodiment herein includes that embodiment as any single embodiment or in combination with any other embodiments or portions thereof . all publications and patent applications mentioned in the specification are indicative of the level of skill of those skilled in the art to which this invention pertains . all publications and patent applications are herein incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each individual publication or patent application was specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference , | 2 |
in the figures , the same reference signs designate elements that are the same or functionally the same , unless otherwise described . fig1 shows production steps of a method according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure . in fig1 , reference sign 1 designates a first joining element in the form of a transparent thermoplastic . a second joining element 3 likewise takes the form of a transparent thermoplastic . arranged between the two joining elements 1 , 3 as a compensating means is an absorbent , thermoplastic elastomer film 2 . the two joining elements 1 , 3 are in this case of a sheet - like form . according to fig1 a , the structure from the bottom upward is as follows : arranged on the first joining element 1 is the thermoplastic elastomer film . this film is mechanically in the best possible contact with a surface of the joining element 1 . arranged on the thermoplastic elastomer film 2 , likewise mechanically in the best possible contact , is a second , transparent joining element 3 . the two - layer system , with the two joining elements 1 , 3 and the thermoplastic elastomer film 2 arranged between the two joining elements 1 , 3 , is then exposed to laser radiation 5 from above . the laser beam 5 thereby passes through the transparent joining element 3 from above and is absorbed by the thermoplastic elastomer film 2 . heat is produced at the point of the absorption of the laser beam 5 , and the thermoplastic elastomer film 2 is melted at this point . at the same time , the two joining elements 1 , 3 in the form of thermoplastics are likewise melted by the heat , so that the two joining elements 1 , 3 and the thermoplastic elastomer film 2 are connected by means of welded seams 4 . the welded seams 4 are in this case arranged regularly at a distance d from one another . in a second step according to fig1 b , a further thermoplastic elastomer film 2 a is then applied to the joining element 3 and to this in turn a third joining element 6 is applied . the joining element 3 , the thermoplastic elastomer film 2 a and the third joining element 6 are in turn in good mechanical contact with one another . by analogy with the description of fig1 a , a laser beam 5 is then radiated onto the thermoplastic elastomer film 2 a , while passing through the transparent third joining element 6 , to produce a welded seam 4 a between the second joining element 3 and the third joining element 6 . in this case , as described in the description of fig1 a , the thermoplastic elastomer film 2 a as well as the second joining element 3 and the third joining element 6 are in turn melted in the region of the point of impingement of the laser beam 5 on the thermoplastic elastomer film 2 a , the latter and the neighboring two joining elements 3 , 6 , and a welded seam 4 a is formed . in the viewing direction of the laser beam 5 , the welded seam 4 a between the two joining elements 3 , 6 is in this case arranged at half the distance d / 2 between two neighboring welded seams 4 between the two joining elements 1 , 3 . it goes without saying that this not only applies to a single welded seam 4 a and two welded seams 4 , but rather the welded seams 4 and 4 a between the first and second or second and third joining elements 1 , 3 , 6 may be respectively arranged offset in relation to one another by d / 2 respectively in the vertical viewing direction according to fig1 b , in order in this way to make possible a connection of the multilayer system comprising the three joining elements 1 , 3 , 6 that is as stable as possible . in this case it is likewise possible , for example , to provide a greater distance between the welded seams 4 or the welded seams 4 a in the inner region of the multilayer system 1 , 3 , 6 and a smaller distance in the peripheral region , in order to increase the strength of the multilayer system 1 , 3 , 6 in the peripheral region . it goes without saying that any other arrangement or distribution of the welded seams 4 , 4 a is also possible . fig2 shows a multilayer system according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure . in fig2 , a multilayer system with three joining elements 1 , 3 , 6 is shown by analogy with fig1 b . as a difference from fig1 b , the thermoplastic elastomer films 2 , 2 a between the joining elements 1 , 3 and the joining elements 3 , 6 are now not arranged continuously but in a structured manner , for example in the form of a grid . this has the effect of creating clearances f and portions 2 ′, 2 ″, 2 a ′, 2 a ″, 2 a ′″, 2 a ″″ of the elastomer films 2 , 2 a between the respective joining elements 1 , 3 and 3 , 6 following one another in the vertical direction . these clearances f may be used here for microfluidic applications . the joining elements 1 , 3 , 6 may in this case be formed such that not only is it possible for liquid to be transported in the plane of the thermoplastic elastomer film 2 , 2 a but the joining elements 1 , 3 , 6 may themselves be structured , that is to say for example comprise vertical and / or horizontal channels which interact with the corresponding channels or clearances f of the structured thermoplastic elastomer films 2 , 2 a , so that altogether a fluid of a microfluidic application can be transported or flow through the multilayer system both horizontally and vertically . to connect the two joining elements 1 , 3 to the thermoplastic elastomer film 2 as well as to connect the two joining elements 3 , 6 by means of the thermoplastic elastomer film 2 a , the laser beam 5 is used at the points at which film regions 2 ′, 2 ″, 2 a ′, 2 a ″, 2 a ′″, 2 a ″″ are arranged . these are then exposed to the laser beam 5 , so that welded seams 4 , 4 a are produced at the aforementioned points and the joining elements 1 , 3 or joining elements 3 , 6 are respectively connected by means of the respective film 2 , 2 a . although the present invention has been described above on the basis of preferred exemplary embodiments , it is not restricted to these but can be modified in various ways . | 1 |
a higher - rated circuit interrupter 10 , as described earlier , is depicted in fig1 and consists of a molded plastic case 11 to which a molded plastic cover 12 is fixedly secured . an accessory cover 13 is attached to the circuit interrupter cover and provides access to an electronic trip unit 14 and an actuator - accessory unit 15 . an operating handle 16 extends through the circuit interrupter cover by means of an access slot 17 and provides manual intervention to turn the circuit interrupter contacts 8 , 9 between their open and closed positions . the multiple latch assembly 18 used within the circuit interrupter of fig1 is depicted in fig2 prior to assembly . a die - cast metal support frame 19 supports the multiple latch components and includes a pair of legs 20 that provide attachment to the circuit interrupter case by means of corresponding angulated ends 22 and thru - holes 21 . a primary latch lever 23 which retains the circuit breaker cradle operator under the downwardly - extending tab 34 is positioned within the latch assembly recess 24 formed within the support frame . the primary latch lever is pivotally retained on the support frame by means of the primary latch pivot pin 25 , elongated slots 32 formed through the sides 35 of the u - shaped body member 31 and thru - holes 26 formed through the sides of the support frame . prior to insertion of the primary latch pivot pin 25 through the thru - holes 26 , the double - action torsion spring 27 is arranged between the sides 35 and the cylindrical winding 28 is aligned with the elongated slots 32 . the upwardly - extending ends 30 of the double - action torsion spring 27 are trapped behind the upwardly - extending tab 33 integrally - formed on the u - shaped body member 31 and provides return bias to the primary latch lever . the downwardly - extending loop 29 from the double - action torsion spring 27 interacts with the tertiary latch lever 52 in a manner to be described below in greater detail . the planar stops 36a on the top surface of the side extensions 36 on the primary latch lever 23 interact with the shelves 51 formed on the undersurface of the projections 50 on the support frame 19 to stop the rotation of the primary latch lever 23 against the bias provided by the double - action torsion spring 27 . a secondary latch lever 37 contains a pair of v - shaped side pieces 38 with an intervening roller 42 supported by means of a pin 43 at one end and held together by means of a connector pin 40 at an opposite end . a secondary latch lever spring 44 including an upwardly - extending leg 46 and a downwardly - extending leg 47 from a cylindrical winding 45 is positioned intermediate the side pieces 38 before pivotally connecting the secondary latch lever to the support frame by means of the secondary latch lever pivot pin 48 , thru - holes 41 in the side pieces and thru - holes 49 within the support frame . a pair of stops 39 formed on the bottom ends of the side pieces interact with the back surface 58a of the bottom 58 of the tertiary latch lever 52 limit the rotation of the secondary latch lever about the secondary latch lever pivot in one direction . the secondary latch lever 37 is biased in its rest position by the secondary latch lever spring 45 and is stopped against the back wall 61 of the support frame 19 by the back surfaces 38a of the side pieces 38 from rotation about the secondary latch lever pivot in an opposite direction . the tertiary latch lever 52 sits within the latch assembly recess 24 outboard the primary latch lever 23 and is positioned such that the extending sidearms 54 on the u - shaped body 53 stop against the projections 50 formed on the support frame 19 . these projections also serve to position the secondary latch lever while projections 50a serve to locate and position the primary latch lever within the latch assembly recess . when the tertiary latch lever is pivotally arranged on the support frame by means of the tertiary latch lever pivot pin 59 , thru - holes 56 on the tertiary latch lever and corresponding thru - holes 60 on the support frame , the primary latch lever 23 is constrained to rotate within the space 55 formed within the tertiary latch lever between the extending sidearms 54 . the projection 57 formed on the bottom of the u - shaped body 53 captures the downwardly - extending loop 29 of the double - action torsion spring 27 and biases the sidearms 54 away from the projections 50 on the support frame 19 and against the primary latch lever pivot pin 25 . the multiple latch assembly 18 is depicted in fig3 with the primary latch lever 23 arranged intermediate the secondary latch lever 37 and the tertiary latch lever 52 on the support frame 19 . the multiple latch assembly is depicted in its &# 34 ; latched &# 34 ; condition with the roller 42 in abutment with the upwardly - extending tab 33 and retained against the tab by means of the bias provided by the secondary latch lever spring 44 . the so - called &# 34 ; latching force &# 34 ; which is the amount of force required to retain the circuit interrupter operating mechanism cradle operator under the downwardly - extending tab 34 is substantially increased by the abutment of the roller 42 with the upwardly - extending tab 33 and by means of the tension exerted by the upwardly - extending ends 30 of the double - action torsion spring 27 arranged against the projection 57 on the tertiary latch lever 52 . the sidearms 54 interact with the circuit interrupter trip actuator to articulate the circuit interrupter operating mechanism and also to prevent the resetting of the circuit interrupter operating mechanism in the manner to be described below in greater detail . the positioning of the primary latch lever 23 between the secondary latch lever 37 arranged over the primary latch lever and the tertiary latch lever 52 arranged under the primary latch lever is best seen by referring now to the multiple latch assembly 18 shown in fig4 . the roller 42 on the secondary latch lever is depicted behind the upwardly - extending tab 33 held against the bias of the secondary latch lever return spring 44 . the double - action torsion spring 27 interacts between the primary latch lever 23 and the tertiary latch lever 52 by means of the upwardly - extending ends 30 in contact with the primary latch lever and with the downwardly - extending loop 29 trapped behind the projection 57 on the tertiary latch lever . this position represents the so - called &# 34 ; unlatched &# 34 ; condition of the multiple latch assembly 18 within the &# 34 ; tripped &# 34 ; circuit interrupter 10 shown in fig5 . when the multiple latch assembly 18 is mounted within the case of circuit interrupter 10 the primary latch lever 23 is accurately positioned next to the circuit interrupter cradle operator 62 by inserting the primary latch pivot pin 25 , extending from opposite ends of the multiple assembly support frame 19 , within the opposing pair of elongated slots 66 formed within the operating mechanism side frame 65 . the operating handle 16 is depicted in the circuit interrupter &# 34 ; tripped &# 34 ; condition with the cradle hook 63 at the end of the cradle operator 62 out from under the downwardly - extending tab 34 on the primary latch lever and the roller 42 on the secondary latch lever 37 away from the upwardly - extending tab 33 on the primary latch lever 23 . the cradle operator 62 is pivotally attached to the circuit interrupter operating mechanism sideframe 65 by means of the cradle operator pivot 67 such that the cradle is arranged to move independently from the operating handle 16 when the cradle hook 63 is trapped beneath the downwardly - extending tab 34 on the primary latch lever 23 . the multiple latch assembly 18 is in the &# 34 ; latched &# 34 ; or &# 34 ; reset &# 34 ; condition . the cradle operator then moves in unison with the operating handle 16 by operative connection with the handle yoke 16a in the manner to be described below with reference to fig6 and 7 . in the circuit interrupter tripped condition the movable contact arm 7 and attached movable contact 8 are separated from the fixed contact 9 . the tripped condition was brought about by displacement of the sidearms 54 of the tertiary latch lever by contact between the circuit interrupter actuator unit and one of the sidearms 54 of the tertiary latch lever , which side arm constitutes the circuit interrupter &# 34 ; trip bar &# 34 ; described in the aforementioned u . s . pat . no . 4 , 864 , 263 . the latched condition of the multiple latch assembly is such that the roller 42 on the secondary latch lever 37 is held against the upwardly - extending tab 33 on the primary latch lever 23 . the force of the cradle hook 63 provides the latching force described earlier which force attempts to rotate the primary latch in the counterclockwise direction as viewed in fig6 and 7 . referring to fig7 the planar stops 39 formed on the ends of the side pieces , one of which is shown at 38 abuts against the back surface 58a of the tertiary latch 52 . when the overcurrent condition occurs , the trip bar becomes displaced by operation of the circuit interrupter trip actuator to thereby rotate the tertiary latch counterclockwise and remove the back surface 58a from the planar stops allowing the secondary latch lever 37 and roller 42 to rotate counterclockwise away from the upwardly - extending tab 33 . this allows the primary latch 23 to immediately rotate counterclockwise under the large latching force provided by the cradle hook 63 and thereby articulate the circuit interrupter operating mechanism to separate the contacts 8 , 9 . as long as the circuit over current continues , the circuit interrupter contacts 8 , 9 cannot be closed because the primary latch lever 23 is incapable of engagement with the cradle hook 63 . the roller 42 on the secondary latch lever 37 in fig6 is unable to remain in contact with the upwardly - extending tab 33 on the primary latch lever 23 until the planar stops again contact the blocking surface . when an attempt is later made to move the operating handle 16 and handle yoke 16a and drive the cradle operator 62 and cradle hook 63 into operative engagement with the primary latch lever after the overcurrent condition has cleared , the trip bar is no longer in contact with the actuator unit and has returned to the rest position indicated in fig3 under the urgence of the return bias provided by the double - action torsion spring 27 through rotation of the tertiary latch lever 52 about the tertiary latch lever pivot pin 59 . the intermediate reset stage of the multiple latch assembly 18 is accomplished as depicted in the circuit interrupter 10 shown in fig6 and 7 wherein the operating handle 16 is first rotated in the indicated direction to thereby move the handle yoke 16a and rotate the cradle operator 62 about the cradle pivot pin 67 on the mechanism sideframe 65 in the counterclockwise direction as viewed in fig6 . the cradle hook 63 on the end of the cradle operator strikes the primary latch lever 23 rotating the primary latch lever in its clockwise direction about the primary latch pivot pin 25 while , at the same time , driving the primary latch lever away from the primary latch lever pivot pin within the elongated slot 32 . the roller 42 on the secondary latch lever 37 remains in contact with the upwardly - extending tab 33 on the primary latch lever as the secondary latch lever rotates a slight distance in the counterclockwise direction about the secondary latch lever pivot pin 48 . the projection 57 on the tertiary latch lever 52 remains in contact with the downwardly - extending loop 29 of the double - action torsion spring 27 . the primary latch 23 immediately rotates back to the latched position indicated in fig7 by the automatic reset function of the multiple latch assembly 18 . the cradle hook 63 at the end of the cradle operator 62 becomes trapped under the downwardly - extending tab 34 on the bottom of the primary latch lever provided that the overcurrent condition within the associated protected power distribution circuit has ceased to exist . in the event that the overcurrent condition continues , the cradle hook cannot be retained under the downwardly - extending tab thereby causing the circuit interrupter operating mechanism to again become articulated . this automatic reset function is brought about by the return bias provided by operation of the upwardly - extending legs 30 of the double - action torsion spring 2 rotating the primary latch clockwise about the primary latch lever pivot pin 25 . the roller 42 on the secondary latch lever 37 remains in abutment with the upwardly - extending tab 33 as the primary latch lever 23 slides along the primary latch lever pivot pin 25 to assume the &# 34 ; latched &# 34 ; position within the elongated slot 32 shown in fig7 . as described earlier the progression of the operating handle 16 from the tripped position indicated in fig5 to the intermediate reset position indicated in phantom in fig6 drives the cradle operator 62 in the counterclockwise direction about the cradle pivot pin 67 to simultaneously reset the primary latch lever 23 , secondary latch lever 37 , and tertiary latch lever 52 by the action of the secondary latch lever spring 44 and the double - action torsion spring 27 . with the multiple latch assembly 18 in the reset position , rotation of the operating handle 16 in the direction indicated in fig7 then allows the circuit interrupter operating mechanism ( not shown ) to rotate the movable contact arm 7 and the attached movable contact 8 from the &# 34 ; open &# 34 ; position indicated in fig6 to the &# 34 ; closed &# 34 ; position indicated in fig7 with the movable contact 8 in abutment with the fixed contact 9 . it has thus been shown that a multi - latch assembly containing a primary latch lever , secondary latch lever , and tertiary lever automatically becomes reset to allow the latching of the circuit interrupter operating mechanism by the single operation of the circuit breaker operating handle . the controlled cooperation between the secondary latch spring and the double - action torsion spring thereby allows the circuit breaker operating mechanism to be closed after the occurrence of a circuit interrupter trip operation . however , the multiple latch system only allows the circuit interrupter to return to its &# 34 ; closed &# 34 ; condition when the fault causing the overcurrent condition within the protected circuit has cleared . | 7 |
c . albicans , both as a commensal as well as a true pathogen , is found on areas ( submucosa ) highly enriched in dc - sign positive dendritic cells . in addition to viruses ( hiv - 1 , siv , ebola ) ( geijtenbeek et al ., 2000b ; alvarez et al ., 2002 ; baribaud et al ., 2001 ) and parasites ( leishmania ) ( colmenares et al ., 2002 ), the c - type lectin dc - sign has now been found to also bind yeast ( c . albicans ). accordingly , c - type lectins on dendritic cells are major pathogen recognition receptors ( figdor et al ., 2002 ). distinct from the toll like receptors ( medzhitov and janeway , 2000 ), they mediate antigen uptake rather than activating dendritic cells . the binding is via a β - 1 , 2 - oligomannoside on c . albicans and other microorganisms . thus other microorganisms comprising β - 1 , 2 - oligomannoside on their cell surface will bind to dendritic cells . the binding of these microorganisms to dendritic cells can be blocked by a variety of compounds as discussed below . use of these compounds can prevent or alleviate infection by said microorganisms . c . albicans has two major receptors on human monocyte derived dc , these being dc - sign and the mannose receptor ( mr ). dc - sign is expressed at sites in the skin ( dermis ) and the mucosa ( geijtenbeek et al ., 2000b ) where c . albicans is known to enter the host . dc - sign positive dc might therefore , through these c - type lectin receptors , form the first encounter with these pathogens and initiate an immune response ( d &# 39 ; ostiani et al ., 2000 ; newman and holly , 2001 ). although not wishing to be bound by the proposed theory , it is believed , in accord with the publications by yamamoto et al . ( 1997 ), shibata et al . ( 1997 ), forsyth et al . ( 1998 ), marth and kelsall ( 1997 ) and szabo et al . ( 1995 ) as set forth by d &# 39 ; ostiani et al . ( 2000 ), that the type of immune response to a pathogen , e . g . candida , infection depends upon the receptor used to phagocytose the pathogen . it is believed that uptake via the mannose receptor generates a positive immune response ( see , e . g ., yamamoto et al . ( 1997 ) and shibata et al . ( 1997 )) whereas uptake via certain other receptors leads to suppression of the immune response to c . albicans or other pathogen ( see , e . g ., forsyth et al . ( 1998 ), marth and kelsall ( 1997 ) and szabo et al . ( 1995 )). it is here shown that pathogens such as candida do bind to dendritic cells via dc - sign and it is theorized that uptake via dc - sign on dendritic cells results in a suppression of the immune response . consequently it is proposed that uptake of candida or other pathogens via the mannose receptor leads to a positive immune response whereas uptake of the pathogens via dc - sign leads to a suppression of the immune response . it is proposed that inhibiting the uptake of pathogens via dc - sign will help prevent a suppression of the immune response and candida - related or other pathogen - related pathology . preventing binding of the pathogen to dc - sign while allowing binding of the pathogen to mannose receptors is proposed to be a useful method to promote a proper response to promote an immune response against the pathogen . some pathogens are destroyed through a th1 response while others rely on a th2 response to be effectively eliminated . again not wishing to be bound by the proposed theory , the finding reported herein that candida and other pathogens are able to bind to dendritic cells via dc - sign leads to the proposal that a favorable immune response will be aided by administration of antigens of the infecting pathogen to a patient . in this method an antigen , e . g ., a purified antigen such as one on the surface of a pathogen such as c . albicans , is administered to a person . the antigen can be taken up by dendritic cells via dc - sign , processed by the dendritic cells and presented to t cells thereby resulting in promotion of an immune response against the pathogen . if the antigen is one that does not naturally bind to dc - sign or even if it does , binding of the antigen to dendritic cells can be promoted by targeting the antigen to the dendritic cells , e . g ., by binding the antigen to an antibody which binds to dc - sign . methods of binding an antigen to an antibody are well known to those of skill in the art . see , e . g ., u . s . pat . no . 6 , 548 , 275 and references cited therein . the antigen - anti - dc - sign antibody complex will bind to dc - sign and be taken up by and processed by the dendritic cells . it is proposed that binding to dc - sign on dendritic cells of just an antigen , rather than the complete pathogen , results in a positive immune response against the pathogen rather than the suppression of the immune response as is proposed to result when the complete pathogen binds to dc - sign and is taken up by dendritic cells . compounds that can be used in the compositions to inhibit binding of microorganisms in accordance with this disclosure include inhibitors for the c - type lectins known per se , including but not limited to those described in wo 93 / 01820 as mentioned above . in general , these are compounds that can bind or adhere to , preferably in a reversible manner , or that can serve as a ligand for , the c - type lectins , in particular the c - type lectin dc - sign or natural variants or equivalents thereof . examples are mannose carbohydrates such as mannan and d - mannose ; fucose carbohydrates such as l - fucose ; plant lectins such as concanavalin a ; antibiotics such as pradimicin a ; sugars such as n - acetyl - d - glucosamine and galactose ; as well as suitable peptidomimetic compounds and small drug molecules , which can for instance be identified using phage display techniques . furthermore , proteins such as gp120 and analogs or fragments thereof or similar proteins with binding capacity to c - type lectins on dendritic cells may be used , as well as isolated icam - receptors and analogs thereof , including parts or fragments thereof . such parts or fragments should then preferably still be such that they can bind to the c - type lectins on the surface of dendritic cells or macrophages . however , the use of carbohydrates is usually less desired from a therapeutic point of view , as they can be rapidly metabolized in vivo . also , the use of plant lectins such as concanavalin a and pradimicin antibiotics can have disadvantages in a therapeutic setting , in particular when treating patients with autoimmune disorders and / or hiv infections . preferably , one or more physiologically tolerable and / or pharmaceutically acceptable compounds are used , such as defined in wo 93 / 01820 . for instance , the use of gp120 or derivatives thereof may cause undesired side effects , in particular on the nervous system ( vide wo 93 / 01820 ). therefore , according to particularly useful embodiments of the present disclosure , preferably an antibody directed against a c - type lectin as present / expressed on the surface of a dendritic cell , or a part , fragment or epitope thereof , is used . as used herein , the term antibodies includes inter alia polyclonal , monoclonal , chimeric and single chain antibodies , as well as fragments ( e . g ., fab , f ( ab ′) 2 , f ( ab ′), fv , fd ) and an fab expression library . furthermore , “ humanized ” antibodies may be used , for instance as described in wo 98 / 49306 . such antibodies against the c - type lectins can be obtained as described hereinbelow or in any other manner known per se , such as those described in wo 95 / 32734 , wo 96 / 23882 , wo 98 / 02456 , wo 98 / 41633 and / or wo 98 / 49306 . for instance , polyclonal antibodies can be obtained by immunizing a suitable host such as a goat , rabbit , sheep , rat , pig or mouse with a c - type lectin or an immunogenic portion , fragment or fusion thereof , optionally with the use of an immunogenic carrier ( such as bovine serum albumin or keyhole limpet hemocyanin ) and / or an adjuvant such as freund &# 39 ; s , saponin , iscom &# 39 ; s , aluminum hydroxide or a similar mineral gel , or keyhole limpet hemocyanin or a similar surface active substance . after an immune response against the c - type lectin has been raised ( usually within 1 - 7 days ), the antibodies can be isolated from blood or serum taken from the immunized animal in a manner known per se , which optionally may involve a step of screening for an antibody with desired properties ( i . e . specificity ) using known immunoassay techniques , for which reference is again made to , for example , wo 96 / 23882 . monoclonal antibodies may be produced using continuous cell lines in culture , including hybridoma and similar techniques , again essentially as described in the above cited references . fragments such as f ( ab ′) 2 and fab may be obtained by digestion of an antibody with pepsin or another protease and reducing disulfide - linkages and treatment with papain and a reducing agent , respectively . fab - expression libraries may for instance be obtained by the method of huse et al . ( 1989 ). preferably , a monoclonal antibody against the c - type lectin ( s ) on dendritic or macrophage cells is used , more specifically against dc - sign or an antigenic part thereof . hereinbelow , the invention will be illustrated by means of monoclonals herein referred to as azn - d1 , azn - d2 , and azn - d3 although similar monoclonals with comparable specificity for c - type lectins may also be used . hybridomas that produce the monoclonals azn - d1 and azn - d2were deposited on apr . 8 , 1999 with the european collection of cell cultures ( ecacc ), centre for applied microbiology and research , porton down , salisbury , wiltshire sp4 ojg , united kingdom , under ecacc accession numbers 99040818 and 99040819 , respectively . a hybridoma that produces azn - d3 was deposited on jul . 18 , with the european collection of cell cultures ( ecacc ), centre for applied microbiology and research , porton down , salisbury , wiltshire sp4 01g , united kingdom , under ecacc accession number 03071801 . antibodies against the c - type lectins on dendritic cells , specifically against dc - sign , have been described by wo 00 / 63251 . for a further description of the methods and techniques known per se in which the antibodies of the invention can be used , reference is made to general textbooks , such as sites et al ., basic and clinical immunology 8th ed ., prentice - hall ( 1994 ) and roitt et al ., immunology , 2nd ed ., churchill livingstone ( 1994 ); both incorporated herein by reference . particular reference is made to the general uses of antibodies and techniques involved therein as mentioned in sections 2 . 7 to 2 . 17 of the general reference work by janeway - travers , immunobiology , the immune system in health and disease , third edition , which is incorporated herein by reference . a composition of the invention may contain one or more of the above - mentioned active compounds . for instance , an anti - c - type lectin antibody can be formulated with mannose or fucose carbohydrates , lectins and / or antibiotics such as pradimicin a , whereby a synergistic effect may be obtained . the present compositions may also contain or be used in combination with known co - inhibitory compounds , such as anti - lf3a ; as well as other active principles known per se , depending upon the condition to be treated . for instance , the present compositions may be formulated or used in combination with immunosuppressants or immunomodulants . compositions in accordance with this disclosure can further be formulated using known carriers and / or adjuvants to provide a pharmaceutical form known per se , such as a tablet , capsule , powder , freeze dried preparation , solution for injection , etc ., preferably in a unit dosage form . such pharmaceutical forms , their use and administration ( single or multi dosage form ), as well as carriers , excipients , adjuvants and / or formulants for use therein , are generally known in the art and are for instance described in wo 93 / 01820 , wo 95 / 32734 , wo 96 / 23882 , wo 98 / 02456 , wo 98 / 41633 and / or wo 98 / 49306 , all incorporated herein by reference . furthermore , the formulation can be in the form of a liposome , as described in wo 93 / 01820 . pharmaceutical formulations of antibodies , their administration and their use are generally described in wo 95 / 32734 , wo 96 / 23882 , wo 98 / 02456 , wo 98 / 41633 and / or wo 98 / 49306 . the present compositions may farther be packaged , for instance in vials , bottles , sachets , blisters , etc . ; optionally with relevant patient information leaflets and / or instructions for use . the compound or composition is in particular administered in such an amount that the interaction between dc - sign on dendritic cells and yeast or pathogen cells are altered or modified , more in particular in such an amount that the adhesion of dendritic cells to yeast or pathogen cells is reduced . alternatively , the compound or composition in administered in such an amount that the interaction between dc - sign on dendritic cells and an antigen , e . g ., a purified antigen , is enhanced . in all the above methods and embodiments , the compounds / compositions used will be administered in a therapeutically effective amount , for which term reference is generally made to wo 93 / 01820 , wo 95 / 32734 and / or wo 96 / 23882 . the administration can be a single dose , but is preferably part of a multidose administration regimen carried out over one or more days , weeks or months . all terms used herein have the normal meaning in the art , for which reference can be made to inter alia the definitions given in wo 93 / 01820 , wo 95 / 32734 , wo 96 / 23882 , wo 98 / 02456 , wo 98 / 41633 and / or wo 98 / 49306 , analogously applied . furthermore , although the invention is described herein with respect to the specific 44 kda c - type lectin receptor dc - sign , it is not excluded that other , generally similar c - type lectins , including natural variants of dc - sign , may also be present on dendritic cells and / or may be involved in dendritic cell / yeast ( or other pathogen ) cell interaction . such variants will usually have a high degree of amino acid homology ( more than 80 % to more than 90 %) with , and / or be functionally equivalent to dc - sign . also , any such receptor will generally display properties similar to those as described herein ; in particular that inhibition of this receptor , either by carbohydrate inhibitors or specific antibodies , will lead to an alteration of dendritic cell / yeast cell interaction . the following examples are offered by way of illustration and are not intended to limit the invention in any manner . standard techniques well known in the art or the techniques specifically described below are utilized . fluorescein isothiocyanate ( fitc ) was from fluka . mannan , d - mannose , and l - fucose were from sigma chemical co . ( st . louis , mo .). il - 4 and granulocyte macrophage colony stimulating factor ( gm - csf ) used for culturing monocyte - derived dendritic cells were from schering - plough ( international , kenilworth , usa ). the following abs were used : azn - d1 , azn - d2 , azn - d3 ( igg1 , anti - dc - sign ( geijtenbeek et al ., 2000a )); azn - l50 ( igg1 , anti - alcam ) ( nelissen et al ., 2000 ); nki - l19 ( igg1 anti - β 2 integrins ); mab clone 19 . 2 against mannose receptor was from bd biosciences pharmingen . β - 1 , 2 - oligomannoside was isolated as described ( shibata et al ., 1996 ; shibata et al ., 1985 ). c . albicans , strain uc820 , a clinical isolate that has been well described ( forsyth and mathews , 1996 ), was maintained on agar slants at 4 ° c . previous experiments showed that strain uc820 can develop hyphae and pseudohyphae in vitro and in vivo to the same extent as a panel of virulent control c . albicans . c . albicans uc820 was inoculated into 100 ml of sabouraud broth and was cultured for 24 hours at 37 ° c . after 3 washes with pyrogen - free saline by centrifugation at 1500 × g , the number of yeast cells was counted in a hemocytometer ; occasional strings of 2 yeast were counted as 1 cfu of c . albicans . the suspension was diluted to the appropriate concentration with pyrogen - free saline . microscopy confirmed that the suspension consisted of blastoconidia . when necessary , the blastoconidia were heat killed either at 56 ° c . for 1 hour or at 100 ° c . for 30 minutes . immature dendritic cells ( imdc ) were generated from human peripheral blood monocytes as described previously ( vissers et al ., 2001 ). briefly , monocytes were isolated by adherence to plastic and cultured in the presence of il - 4 ( 500 u / ml ) and gm - csf ( 800 u / ml ) for 6 - 7 days . k562 transfectants either expressing dc - sign or alcam were generated by transfection of k562 cells with 10 μg of plasmid by electroporation as described previously ( geijtenbeek et al ., 2000b ; nelissen et al ., 2000 ). positive cells were sorted several times to obtain stable transfectants with similar expression levels of dc - sign . labeling of candida cells was performed as follows : viable or heat killed ( 60 minutes at 56 ° c . or 30 minutes at 100 ° c .) yeast cells were resuspended to 2 × 10 8 / ml in 0 . 1 mg / ml fitc in 0 . 05 m carbonate - bicarbonate buffer ( ph 9 . 5 ). after incubation for 15 minutes at room temperature in the dark , fitc - labeled candida cells were washed twice in pbs containing 1 % bsa ( pba buffer ) and analyzed by flow cytometry . dc or k562 were stained in pba with primary abs and fitc - conjugated secondary abs and were analyzed by flow cytometry using the facscalibur ( bd biosciences , mountain view , calif .). isotype - specific controls were included . dc or k562 transfected cells were stained with anti - cd45 - apc prior to exposure to fitc labeled live or heat inactivated candida . dc or k562 cells expressing dc - sign or alcam ( control ) were or were not preincubated for 10 minutes at room temperature with mannan ( 300 μg / ml ), mannose ( 100 mm ), facose ( 100 mm ), egta ( 5 mm ), or a mixture of azn - d1 and azn - d3 ( 20 μg / ml ), in 20 mm tris ph 8 . 0 , containing 150 mm nacl , 1 mm cacl 2 , 2 mm mgcl 2 , and 1 % bsa ( tsa buffer ) or , when egta was used , in pbs . subsequently , fitc labeled candida were resuspended to the appropriate concentrations either in tsa or pbs and added in various cell / c . albicans ratios . after incubation , cell - candida conjugates were analyzed by flow cytometry , and the relative difference in mean fluorescence intensity of the double labeled events compared with that of control cells was calculated . cells were labeled with anti - cd45apc to discriminate cells binding fitc - labeled yeast particles from yeast aggregates . the fluorescent beads adhesion assay was performed as described earlier ( geijtenbeek et al ., 1999 ; nelissen et al ., 2000 ). briefly , carboxylate - modified transfluorspheres ( 488 / 645 nm , 1 . 0 μm ; molecular probes , eugene , oreg .) were coated with icam - 3 - fc or alcam - fc , and adhesion was determined by measuring the percentage of cells that have bound fluorescent beads by flow cytometry . in inhibition studies , the bead adhesion assay was performed in the presence of 0 . 3 mg / ml mannan , 5 mm egta , or 20 μg / ml antibodies against dc - sign or alcam . immature dc ( 5 × 10 5 ) were incubated with unopsonized live fitc - labeled candida cells ( 2 . 5 × 10 6 ) in a total volume of 500 μl at 37 ° c . in a water bath with orbital shaking at 150 rpm for various periods of time . at the end of the incubation period , the dc binding candida are separated from unbound candida by a ficoll gradient . the samples were then adhered on poly - l - lysine coated glass coverslips , fixed in 1 % paraformaldehyde in pbs for 15 minutes at room temperature , and permeabilized in cold methanol for 5 minutes on ice . after a blocking step in pbs / 3 % bsa for 60 minutes at room temperature , cells were labeled with mab ( 10 μg / ml in pbs / 3 % bsa ) for 60 minutes at room temperature and subsequently incubated with cy5 - conjugated goat - anti - mouse f ( ab ′) 2 fragments for 30 minutes at room temperature . finally , the anti - bleach reagent mowiol was added , and samples were analyzed using a mrc1024 confocal microscope ( bio - rad ). candida albicans is a ligand of dendritic cell specific icam - 3 grabbing non - integrin ( dc - sign ) the erythroleukemic cell line k562 transfectants stably expressing dc - sign ( k - sign ) ( geijtenbeek et al ., 2000a ) were used to investigate the potential of c . albicans to bind dc - sign in the absence of any other known c . albicans , receptors . binding to icam - 3 fluorescent beads was used as a positive control for dc - sign function . k562 cells transfected with the homotypic activated leukocyte cell adhesion molecule alcam ( nelissen et al ., 2000 ) ( k - alcam ), which is expressed by dc but does not bind any of the known ligands of dc - sign , were used as negative control . the monoclonal antibodies azn - d1 and azn - l50 were used to detect dc - sign and alcam , respectively . the k562 transfectants stably express dc - sign and alcam , ( fig1 a - 1 through 1 a - 3 ) with expression levels similar to that observed previously ( geijtenbeek et al ., 2000a ; nelissen et al ., 2000 ). transfectant cells were labeled with cd45apc to discriminate cells binding fitc labeled yeast from yeast aggregates . results from a representative experiment are shown in fig1 b . dc - sign clearly mediated adhesion to both c . albicans and icam - 3 - fc - coated beads . k - alcam cells , which are able to bind only alcam - fc beads , were used as negative control . c . albicans and icam - 3 specific adhesion was determined in the presence of blocking anti - dc - sign ( azn - d1 ) mab ( 20 μg / ml ). binding of c . albicans by k - sign is significantly inhibited by blocking antibodies against dc - sign ; in addition , the calcium chelator egta ( present at 5 mm ) abrogates binding ( fig1 c ). this ca 2 + dependence confirms that binding to c . albicans is mediated by the c - type lectin domain of dc - sign . depending on the concentration of c . albicans ( fig1 d ) and on the incubation time ( fig1 e ), binding of k - sign to the yeast cells increases significantly . additional studies were performed to determine the effect on binding of c . albicans to k562 transfectants . fig1 f shows results for k562 cells transfected with k - alcam , k - sign , k - sign - v351 ( k562 transfected with dc - sign with a mutation of valine to glycine at amino acid 351 ), k - signe324 ( k562 transfected with dc - sign with a mutation of glutamic acid to glutamine at amino acid 324 ), and d - l - sign ( k562 transfected with l - sign ( see wo 02 / 50119 or genbank accession no . af290887 for sequence of l - sign that is a protein related to dc - sign )). binding of c . albicans to each of these cells was performed in the presence of either : no blocker , azn - d1 + azn - d3 antibodies , l15 ( an antibody isotypic for azn - d1 and azn - d3 ), mannose , azn - d1 + azn - d3 + mannose , fucose , mannan , or egta . the results indicate binding of candida to k562 cells transfected with wild - type dc - sign . binding was not seen to either mutated form of dc - sign , to l - sign or to alcam . incubation in the presence of azn - d1 + azn - d3 greatly inhibited this binding . egta also prevented the binding . the presence of either mannose or fucose resulted in some inhibition of binding of c . albicans to the k562 cells transfected with wild - type dc - sign . a control experiment using an antibody isotypic to azn - d1 and to azn - d3 showed only a minor effect . further studies were performed as above but using other strains or species of yeast and also comparing binding of the conidiae versus binding of the hyphal form of the organism . fig6 shows the binding to k - sign cells of conidiae and hyphae of c . albicans strains v13 - 12 , v15 - 31 and v18 - 17 and c . dubliniensis strains v18 - 13 , 4247 and 3588 . these are clinical strains isolated from patients . it is seen that the conidiae or single - celled form of the yeast bind to dc - sign better than do the hyphae . the binding of each form to k - sign cells is inhibited by anti - dc - sign antibody and by egta ( fig6 ). fig7 is a different representation of the effect of anti - dc - sign antibody on binding of each of live conidiae and hyphae to immature dendritic cells for each of c . albicans and to c . dubliniensis . in each case the binding in buffer alone in the absence of antibody was set as 100 %. this shows that anti - dc - sign has a small but real inhibition of binding of the two species for both conidiae and hyphal forms . much of the binding to the immature dendritic cells is to mannose receptors , which binding is not affected by the anti - dc - sign antibody . fig8 a - f show the binding of various species of candida as well as aspergillus fumigatus to k - sign cells . the amount of binding varies between the species , but in all cases , except possibly c . tropicalis and c . parapsilosis which each had very low binding , the binding is inhibited by anti - dc - sign and by edta . this was true for both the conidiae and hyphae ( no data for c . glabrata for hyphae ). dc - sign binds live and heat inactivated yeast forms of candida albicans in various experiments , heat inactivated c . albicans were used instead of live cells . in order to exclude the possibility that the binding of dc - sign to heat - inactivated c . albicans was due to artifacts derived from the heat treatment , k - sign were allowed to interact with both live and heat - inactivated c . albicans yeast . as shown in fig2 , the percentage of binding did not increase significantly upon heat inactivation , when compared with binding to live yeast cells . in addition , the blocking of binding by using ab against dc - sign is also not profoundly altered by heat treatment . however , in similar experiments using c . dubliniensis it was found that heat killing the yeast changed the binding affinity , the heat killing resulting in a dramatic decrease in the binding of the single celled yeast form from about 47 % to about 10 %. dc are specialized in binding and uptake of antigen . ( sallusto et al ., 1995 ), and recently it has been published that the interaction between dc and candida is mediated by the mannose - fucose receptor ( d &# 39 ; ostiani et al ., 2000 ; newman and holly , 2001 ). however , considering the present findings on k - sign and the observation that c . albicans can be found in areas of the body ( sub - mucosa ) highly enriched in dc - sign positive cells , the contribution of dc - sign on immature dc in binding candida was further investigated by the present work . in fig3 a it is shown that human monocyte - derived immature dc are able to bind c . albicans , and that this interaction increases with time . for this experiment 50 × 10 3 dendritic cells were incubated with heat inactivated candida ( 500 × 10 3 ). this is in agreement with published results that dc are able to internalize c . albicans within 10 - 20 minutes of incubation at 37 ° c ., reaching a maximum after 60 minutes ( d &# 39 ; ostiani et al ., 2000 ; newman and holly , 2001 ). in an attempt to establish the contribution of both the mannose receptor and dc - sign , immature dc were incubated with specific inhibitors before interacting with c . albicans . immature monocyte derived dendritic cells ( 50 × 10 3 ), which were cd45apc labeled , were incubated with heat - inactivated candida ( 500 × 10 3 ) in the absence or presence of azn - d1 and azn - d3 , anti - dc - sign mab ( 20 μg / ml each ), mannose ( 100 mm ), and egta ( 5 mm ). the results ( an average of five independent experiments ) are shown in fig3 b . the binding to c . albicans in the absence of inhibitors was set as 100 %. * indicates p & lt ; 0 . 01 and ** indicates p & lt ; 0 . 001 percentage of binding in the presence of blocking agent vs . percentage of binding in the absence of blocking agent . the results show that antibodies against dc - sign block binding , though partially ( about 20 %) and to a minor extent with respect to the blocking exerted by mannose on the mr ( about 60 - 70 %). the combination of both anti - dc - sign abs and mannose increases blocking up to about 80 - 85 %. the observation that egta is the most effective blocking agent corroborates the finding that indeed c - type lectins are primarily involved in the binding of c . albicans on immature dc . the bar labeled “ isotype ” in fig3 b is a control incubation including an irrelevant isotypic antibody , the results indicating that inhibition of binding by anti - dc - sign is due to the specificity of the azn - d1 and azn - d3 antibodies rather than to the isotype of the anti - dc - sign antibodies . experiments were performed to measure the amount of each of dc - sign and mannose receptor on the surface of immature dendritic cells . the cells were incubated with antibody ( azn - d1 ) against dc - sign or with antibody against the mannose receptor . both antibodies stain the same number of cells with approximately the same intensity . these results are shown in fig3 c - 1 and 3 c - 2 . the results show that both receptors ( dc - sign and the mannose receptor ) are present in equal quantities on the surface of dendritic cells . additional studies were performed showing the effect on binding of increasing the ratio of candida to immature dendritic cells and the ability of various agents to inhibit this binding . the results are shown in fig3 d . immature dendritic cells and c . albicans were mixed at ratios of 1 : 2 , 1 : 5 and 1 : 10 . it is seen that binding increases as the ratio of candida to imdc increases . it is further seen that the antibodies azn - d1 and azn - d3 can only partially inhibit the binding of candida to imdc . mannose and fucose each have greater inhibitory effects on binding than do the anti - dc - sign antibodies ; the combination of antibodies , mannose and fucose has the greatest inhibitory effect . mannan did not block the binding , whereas egta largely eliminated binding . in addition to dc - sign and the mr , dc are known to express high levels of the β 2 - integrin mac1 , which has already been implicated in the binding of lymphocytes to c . albicans ( forsyth et al ., 1998 ). nevertheless , no blocking of c . albicans binding was detected when anti - β 2 - integrin antibody ( nki - l19 ) was used , suggesting that mac - 1 is not likely involved in c . albicans binding on human immature monocyte derived dc . moreover , the use of laminarin to interfere with the interaction between the dc specific c - type lectin dectin - 1 and c . albicans did not show any block either . these observations strongly suggest that on immature dc the binding of c . albicans is due to a greater extent to mr and also to a lesser extent to dc - sign . it was recently shown that dc - sign is an antigen uptake receptor , facilitating phagocytosis within minutes ( engering et al ., 2002 ). in order to determine whether dc - sign contributes also to the internalization of c . albicans by immature dc , experiments were performed allowing dc to interact with fitc - labeled candida for 60 minutes at 37 ° c . to allow phagocytosis . subsequently , the dc were fixed , permeabilized and fluorescently labeled with specific abs against various receptors . confocal microscopy images ( fig4 a - e ) of immature dc show that binding of fitc labeled c . albicans ( green ) co - localizes ( merged ) with cy5 labeled dc - sign ( blue ). labeling of β 2 integrins ( nki - l19 ), alcam ( nki - l50 ) and mannose receptor was used as controls . fig4 a and 4b represent labeling of the β 2 - integrin mac - 1 and alcam , respectively ; labeling of these receptors was used as negative control , since they were shown not to be involved in the binding of candida by dc . as expected , none of these adhesion receptors was detectable in vesicles containing candida . in contrast , fig4 c clearly shows colocalization of dc - sign with some of the internalized candida , indicating the involvement of this lectin in binding and uptake of this pathogen . the fact that the majority of vesicles do not seem to contain dc - sign is explained by the primary role of mr in the phagocytosis of c . albicans . in fact , as shown in fig4 d , a great colocalization between mr and ingested candida was observed . in order to determine whether dc - sign was able to internalize candida also in presence of inhibitors of mr , dc were allowed to phagocytose candida in the presence of mannose . as shown in fig4 e , vesicles containing dc - sign colocalizing with fitc - labeled candida could still be clearly observed despite the presence of mannose . the presence of egta almost completely blocked phagocytosis . binding of c . albicans to immature dendritic cells was performed in the presence of numerous possible inhibitors of binding . the results are shown in fig5 . binding was performed in the presence of buffer ( tsa ), anti - dc - sign antibodies azn - d1 + azn - d3 , mannose , fucose , mannose + fucose , azn - d1 + azn - d3 + mannose , azn - d1 + azn - d3 + fucose , azn - d1 + azn - d3 + mannose + fucose , nki - l19 ( an igg1 anti - β 2 - integrin )+ mannose + fucose , nki - l19 , mannan , laminarin ( a β - 1 , 3 - linked oligomannoside ), antibody to dcir ( a c - type lectin , see bates et al . ( 1999 )), β - 1 , 2 - oligomannoside , and egta . as seen above , the azn - d1 and azn - d3 inhibited the imdc / candida binding to only a small extent . also , l19 , mannan , laminarin and anti - dcir had only minor effects upon the binding . mannose and fucose inhibited binding to a large degree as did egta . additionally , it was found that β - 1 , 2 - oligomannoside greatly inhibited binding , contrasting with the lack of inhibition by laminarin . this indicates that binding between dc - sign and candida occurs via the β - 1 , 2 - oligomannoside on c . albicans . additional experiments will test the ability of an anti - candida monoclonal antibody that binds to β - 1 , 2 - oligomannoside to block the binding of c . albicans to dc - sign bearing cells . furthermore , a peptidomimetic ( fhenwps ( seq id no : 1 )) for this carbohydrate will be tested . jouault et al . ( 2001 ) have described that vaccination with this peptide gave anti - candida antibodies . dendritic cells are not only equipped with a highly specialized antigen presentation machinery , but they also possess a unique mechanism that enables them to migrate into tissues and to reach lymphoid compartments when activated to present antigen . due to the low number of dc present in the peripheral blood , dc were generated from human monocytes after culture in the presence of gm - csf and il - 4 . in addition to the known alterations in chemokine receptors , in performing experiments it was noticed that there were major phenotypical switches in adhesion molecules upon dendritic cell development and maturation . interestingly , it was observed that lfa - 1 as well as the other β 2 - integrins p150 . 95 and mac - 1 lose their ability to bind to icam - 1 , although the expression levels of these receptors are increased . moreover , lfa - 1 becomes unable to bind to icam - 3 ; in fact , the binding to this molecule on dc is completely dc - sign dependent . to explain these differences in adhesive properties , the cell surface distribution of these receptors was investigated . employing high resolution microscopy techniques , including electron microscopy and near - field scanning optical microscopy , clearly distinct patterns of distribution of lfa - 1 in comparison with dc - sign on these cell types were observed . the distribution in defined microdomains on the cell surface directly correlates with ligand binding . it will be appreciated that the methods and compositions of the instant invention can be incorporated in the form of a variety of embodiments , only a few of which are disclosed herein . it will be apparent to the artisan that other embodiments exist and do not depart from the spirit of the invention . thus , the described embodiments are illustrative and should not be construed as restrictive . aderem a and underhill d m ( 1999 ). annu . rev . immunol . 17 : 593 - 623 . colmenares m , et al . ( 2002 ). j . biol . chem . ( e - publication ahead of print , manuscript m205270200 published jul . 16 , 2002 ). curtis b m , et al . ( 1992 ). proc . natl . acad . sci . usa 89 : 8356 - 8360 . d &# 39 ; ostiani c f , et al . ( 2000 ). j . exp . med . 191 : 1661 - 1673 . figdor c g , et al . ( 2002 ). nat . rev . immunol . 2 : 77 - 84 . forsyth c b and mathews h l ( 1996 ). cell . immunol . 170 : 91 - 100 . janeway - travers : “ immunobiology the immune system in health and disease ”, third edition . marth t and kelsall b l ( 1997 ). j . exp . med . 185 : 1987 - 1995 . mosser d m and karp c l ( 1999 ). curr . opin . immunol . 11 : 406 - 411 . nelissen j m , et al . ( 2000 ). mol . biol . cell 11 : 2057 - 2068 . newman s l and holly a ( 2001 ). infect . immun . 69 : 6813 - 6822 . roitt i , et al . ( 1994 ). “ immunology ”, 2nd ed ., churchill livingstone . sites d p , et al . ( 1994 ). “ basic and clinical immunology ”, 8th ed ., prentice - hall . vidarsson g and van de winkel j g j ( 1998 ). curr . opin . infect . dis . 11 : 271 - 283 . vissers j l , et al . ( 2001 ). j . leukoc . biol . 69 : 785 - 793 . | 2 |
with further reference to the drawings , the improved log splitting device of the present invention , indicated generally at 10 , includes parallely disposed main frame means 11 and 12 . fixedly secured to the front or spitter end of frames 11 and 12 are upright members 13 and 14 , respectively . fixedly secured between the upper ends of upright members 13 and 14 is forward cross member 15 . fixedly secured to and extending between main frame means 11 and 12 intermediate their ends is intermediate cross member 16 . in the area adjacent the rear or handle end of main frame means 11 and 12 and fixedly secured thereto and extending therebetween are rear cross members 17 . handles 18 and 19 are boltingly secured to the rear portion of main frames 11 and 12 . a brace 20 extends between these handles and is fixedly secured thereto . a drive means such as motor or engine 21 is mounted on rear cross members 17 in the normal manner of such devices . this motor or engine is of the vertical shaft type with such drive shaft being indicated at 22 . this drive shaft , of course , extends below engine 21 and its supporting cross members 17 . wheel supports 22 and 23 are fixedly secured by weldment or other methods to the central section of main frames means 11 and 12 , respectively . fixedly secured to and extending between the upper portions of wheel supports 23 and 24 is intermediate cross member 16 . rotatively mounted on the lower portion of wheel supports 23 and 24 are wheels 26 and 27 , respectively . pivotably mounted on upright member 13 is a support arm 28 . fixedly secured to the outer end of this support arm is telescoping splitting device support and log control leg 29 . a quick release lock 30 is provided on telescoping leg 29 . since devices of this type for locking and releasing telescoping members are well known to those skilled in the art , further detailed discussion of the same is not deemed necessary . a flat plate - like foot 31 is secured to the lower or outer end of leg 29 . a generally vertically disposed shaft 25 is rotatively mounted on the central portion of intermediate cross member 16 . rotatively mounted to the central portion of forward cross member 15 is log splitting member 32 . this splitting member includes a conical shaped log engaging portion 33 which terminates at tip 34 and has helical or spiral grooves 35 on the exterior surface thereof . the log splitting member 32 also includes a sprocket portion 36 which is adapted to have a drive chain 37 trained thereabout . a sprocket 38 is fixedly secured to intermediate shaft 25 with drive chain 37 trained thereabout . tension arms 39 are pivotably mounted on forward cross member 15 at one end and rotatively mount tension sprockets 40 on their opposite ends . a tensioning means such as coil spring 41 is provided between the tension arms 39 to keep sprockets 40 in tensioned engagement with drive chain 37 as can be seen particularly clear in fig3 . fixedly mounted on intermediate shaft 25 above sprocket 38 is a large pulley 42 about which is trained drive belt 43 . this drive belt is also trained about pulley 44 which is fixedly mounted to drive shaft 22 of motor 21 . a clutch support bracket 44 is fixedly secured to and extends outwardly from intermediate cross member 16 . an l - shaped clutch arm 45 is pivotably mounted at its apex to support bracket 44 . one end of clutch arm 45 rotatively mounts clutch pulley 46 with clutch connecting rod 47 being operatively connected to the other end of such arm . the end of connecting rod 47 opposite its connection to clutch arm 45 is operatively connected to clutch handle arm 48 . this handle arm is fixedly secured to shaft 49 which is pivotably mounted on handle 19 through bearing tube 50 . fixedly secured to the end of shaft 49 opposite arm 48 is clutch handle 51 . as an additional feature , a reverse drive for log splitting member 32 can be provided . this reverse includes a bracket 52 which is fixedly secured to main frame means 11 at one end and pivotably mounts reverse lever 53 at its other end . a pulley 54 is rotatively mounted on reverse lever 53 at a point intermediate its ends as can clearly be seen in fig4 . a handle 55 is provided on the end of lever 53 opposite its attachment to bracket 52 . a reversing pulley 56 is fixedly mounted on drive shaft 22 in the same plane as pulley 54 mounted on reverse lever 53 . a large reverse pulley 57 is fixedly secured to intermediate shaft 25 , again in the same plane as pulleys 56 and 54 . a reversing belt 58 is trained about large pulley 57 and lever pulley 54 . when reverse handle 55 is moved from its position shown in solid lines in fig4 to the position shown in dotted lines , reversing belt 54 will be pulled into driving contact with motor pulley 56 thus making intermediate shaft 25 turn in the opposite direction from the direction it turns when driven by drive belt 43 . when the reversing belt 58 is in engagement with pulley 56 , clutch pulley 46 will , of course , have been already manipulated by clutch handle 51 out of engagement with drive belt 43 thus allowing such belt to slip and not drive shaft 25 . another option or feature which if desired can be included on the log splitting device 10 of the present invention is the self - propelling system shown in fig5 . this drive system includes a pair of drive arms 59 which are pivotably attached at one end to wheel supports 23 and 24 . the other end of the two drive arms rotatively mount shaft 60 . this shaft has fixedly secured at its two ends driving wheels 61 and 62 which are disposed in alignment with support wheels 26 and 27 , respectively . to manipulate wheels 61 and 62 into driving contact with wheels 26 and 27 , a pivot shaft 63 is provided which extends between main frames 11 and 12 adjacent the rear portion thereof . a drive engaging handle 64 is pivotably mounted on shaft 63 intermediate its ends and includes a depending bracket portion 65 fixedly secured to its end opposite handle grip 66 . the outer end of bracket portion 65 is mounted on rotatable shaft 60 . thus it can be seen that when handle grip 66 is moved downwardly , shaft 60 and its associated drive wheels 61 and 62 will be pushed into drive engagement with support wheels 26 and 27 . on the other hand when grip 66 is moved upwardly as shown in fig1 drive wheels 61 and 62 will be pivoted out of contact with support wheels 26 and 27 . to rotate shaft 60 , a pulley 67 is fixedly secured thereto and has a propulsion drive belt 68 trained thereover . this belt is in turn trained over pulley 69 which is fixedly secured to shaft 25 . from the above it can be seen that with clutch pulley 46 in driving engagement with drive belt 43 , intermediate shaft 25 will turn which in turn will drive drive wheels 61 and 62 through pulley 67 and belt 68 . if on the other hand clutch pulley 46 is out of engagement with belt 43 and reversing belt 58 is in engagement with pulley 56 to drive shaft 25 in the opposite direction , then drive wheels 61 and 62 will drive support wheels 26 and 27 in a reverse direction . when , of course , grip 66 and handle 64 are raised and held in such position by lock bar 70 , then drive wheels 61 and 62 will be out of engagement with support reels 26 and 27 and no propulsion power will be transmitted thereto . the lock bar 70 is , of course , necessary to prevent accidental engagement of the propulsion system . this bar is fixedly secured to handle 18 . since devices of this type are well known to those skilled in the art , further detailed description of the same is not deemed necessary . the forward and reverse drives for intermediate shaft 25 have been hereinabove discussed in detail . once this shaft 25 is rotated in either forward or reverse direction , this will drive log splitting member 32 in either the forward or reverse direction through the interconnection by drive chain 37 and its associated sprockets . a removable handle 71 is provided which will fit over the upper end of shaft 25 as can clearly be seen in fig1 . the purpose of this crank handle is to allow the log splitting member 32 to be manipulated even though it becomes stuck in a log or for removing the same from a log for example after running out of gas . to use the improved log splitting device of the present invention , the same is moved either manually or through engagement of the self - propelling system to a position wherein the log splitting member 32 is disposed over the log to be split which is laying on the ground . this log can either be straddled or the splitting device can be sitting off to the side . in any case the quick release lock on the telescoping leg 29 is released and the support arm 28 is maneuvered so that it is against the log to be split . the purpose of this is to prevent the log from simply turning around as the log splitting member 32 engages the same . once the improved log splitting device 10 is in position as hereinabove described , motor 21 is started and clutch pulley 46 is manipulated into engagement with drive belt 43 . through shaft 25 , this drives the log splitting member 32 in a clockwise direction as shown in the drawings . as handles 18 and 19 are raised , the tip 34 of the splitting member 32 will engage the log 72 . the spiraled grooves 35 will then take hold and the log engaging portion 33 will screw itself into the log 72 until the same splits open . two half logs are now lying on the ground and with simple manipulation of handles 18 and 19 , the tip 34 of the log engaging portion 33 of the log splitting member 32 can be placed in the center thereof and such half logs can be split into quarter logs . these quarter logs , which normally are of a usable size , can then be loaded onto a trailer or other desired means of conveyance ( not shown ). thus it can be seen that with only the slight effort required in manipulating the log splitting device of the present invention into position with the log splitting member adjacent the log to be split , such log can be reduced to at least quarter size and then , with much less effort than is required to lift a whole log , placed into a trailer or other conveyance means . due to the large size of the wheels 26 and 27 , the device of the present invention can be readily removed over rough terrain as well as over limbs and other debris with minimum effort . once the splitting function has been completed and the splitting device of the present invention is no longer to be used , the quick release lock 30 can be manipulated to lock the telescoping portion of leg 29 in down position allowing the same to act as a support stand as shown in fig1 and 2 . from the above it can be seen that the improved log splitting device of the present invention eliminates the necessity of loading whole logs prior to splitting the same . the device of the present invention also can be readily maneuvered in the field adjacent the cut up logs and then can readily split the same where they lie . on occasion the device of the present invention can simply straddle the logs where they lie and taking one at a time , can split the whole length of the tree . the log splitting device of the present invention is relatively inexpensive to manufacture , is highly efficient in operation as well as saving considerable time and effort in the rendering of whole logs into usable firewood . the terms such as &# 34 ; upper &# 34 ;, &# 34 ; lower &# 34 ;, &# 34 ; front &# 34 ;, &# 34 ; rear &# 34 ;, and so forth are used herein merely for convenience to describe the improved log splitting device and its parts as oriented in the drawings . it is to be understood , however , that these terms are in no way limiting to the invention since the device may obviously be disposed in different orientations when in use . the present invention may , of course , be carried out in other specific ways than those herein set forth without departing from the spirit and essential characteristics of the invention . the present embodiments are , therefore , to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive and all changes coming within the meaning and equivalency range of the appended claims are intended to be embraced therein . | 1 |
references to “ yoghurt texture ” include references to the texture of any intermediary gel produced during the yoghurt making process ( e . g . acid gel strength ). a “ milk ” refers to any source of milk which can be used to make yoghurt . in the embodiments described in the examples of this specification , the milk is reconstituted skim milk . however , other milk sources such as whole milk or skim milk may be used . the expression “ optimum ph ” means the ph for a measured casein : whey protein weight ratio in a milk to which whey protein has been added which results in a yoghurt having a desired gel strength after carrying out the process of the invention . the desired gel strength will usually be the highest , but other gel strengths may be selected . whey proteins are often added to yoghurt to improve its texture , water holding ability and mouthfeel . it is thought that the effect of whey protein on yoghurt texture is related to the heat denaturation of the whey proteins , particularly β - lactoglobulin , in the presence of casein micelles . the applicant has discovered that if whey protein fortified milk is heated at a ph below or above its natural ph , then the texture of the resulting yoghurt is altered . where the whey protein fortification level is relatively high , the applicant has discovered that heating the milk at a ph lower than the natural ph of the milk results in a firmer yoghurt texture . where the whey protein fortification level is relatively low , the applicant has discovered that heating the milk at a ph above the natural ph of the milk results in a firmer yoghurt texture as the ph increases . furthermore , the applicant has discovered that for any given level of whey protein to milk , there is an optimum ph for heat treatment which results in the firmest yoghurt texture . fig1 shows that as the heat treatment ph of a non - fortified milk is increased , the texture of the final acid gel strength increases , but tapers off after the heat treatment ph reaches approximately 7 . 0 . fig2 shows that the whey protein fortified starter ( in this example 10 % reconstituted skim milk with 1 . 2 % added 80 % whey protein concentrate ) results in increased acid gel strength with lower heat treatment ph . this is in stark contrast with the non - fortified milk example shown in both fig1 and 2 . fig3 shows that the whey protein concentration also affects the resulting acid gel strength . in this particular example , where the whey protein concentration was under 0 . 32 %, higher heat treatment ph levels resulted in higher acid gel strength . where the whey protein concentration was above 0 . 32 %, lower heat treatment ph levels resulted in higher acid gel strength . fig4 demonstrates that for any given whey protein fortified milk , the concentration of whey protein in the starter will affect what the optimal heat strength ph is ( in order to give the highest acid gel strength ). as used herein , “ wpc80 ” refers to a whey protein concentrate containing about 80 % protein . reconstituted skim milk samples were prepared by adding low heat skim milk powder ( 100 g , whey protein nitrogen index above 6 ; 37 % protein , fonterra co - operative group , pahiatua manufacturing site , new zealand ) to purified water ( 900 g , purified by reverse osmosis followed by filtration through milli - q ™ apparatus ) to a final concentration of 10 % ( w / w ) total solids . the casein to whey ratio was 4 : 1 in the sample . the reconstituted skim milk samples were allowed to equilibrate at ambient temperature ( about 20 ° c .) for at least 10 h before further treatment . the skim milk was separated into several sub - samples . the ph of the milk of each of the sub - samples was adjusted to be the range 6 . 5 to 7 . 1 with either 3m hcl or 3m naoh . the samples were allowed to equilibrate for at least 2 h and then minor re - adjustments were made . the ph - adjusted milk samples ( 50 g ) were placed in screw top glass bottles and heated at 80 ° c . for 30 minutes in a water bath . after heat treatment , the milk samples were cooled by immersion in cold running water until the temperature was below 30 ° c . the samples were stored for 6 h at ambient temperature after heat treatment and before any further analysis . the heated milk samples were carefully re - adjusted to the natural ph ( ph 6 . 7 ) with 3 m hcl or 3 m naoh . they were acidified by the hydrolysis of glucono - δ - lactone ( gdl sigma chemical co ., st louis , mo ., usa ) at a 2 % ( w / w ) level ( 9 . 8 g milk and 0 . 2 g gdl ) and at 30 ° c . the ph change with time was monitored using a combination glass electrode type inlab 422 ™ ( mettler toledo ™, urdorf , switzerland ) and standard ph meter . the ph gradually changed from ph 6 . 7 at the start to ph 4 . 2 after 6 h . the rheological changes during acidification were monitored with time using low amplitude dynamic oscillation on a standard controlled stress rheometer ( e . g a paar physica ™ us 200 rheometer with the z3 din ( 25 mm ) cup and bob arrangement ( physica ™ messtechnik , gmbh , stuttgart , germany ) or a bohlin cvo ™ rheometer and the c25 cup and bob arrangement ( bohlin instruments uk , cirencester , gloucestershire , england )). a typical method has been described in bikker et al ( 2000 ). a description of the storage modulus and other measured values ( such as loss modulus , phase angle ) are detailed in ferry ( 1980 ). after addition of the gdl to the milk and stirring , the appropriate quantity of milk was transferred to the rheometer and the rheological measurements were started . the strain applied was 0 . 01 . the samples were oscillated at a frequency of 0 . 1 hz and the temperature of the sample was maintained at 30 ° c . measurements were taken every 5 min for 6 h . the final gel strength was defined as the storage modulus ( g ′) after 6 h of acidification . after 6 h the ph of the samples was 4 . 2 . the samples heated at ph 6 . 5 had a gel strength ( storage modulus ) of 166 . 4 pa . the samples heated at ph 6 . 55 had a gel strength ( storage modulus ) of 205 . 1 pa . the samples heated at ph 6 . 6 had a gel strength ( storage modulus ) of 225 . 9 pa . the samples heated at ph 6 . 65 had a gel strength ( storage modulus ) of 241 . 9 pa . the samples heated at ph 6 . 7 had a gel strength ( storage modulus ) of 262 . 2 pa . the samples heated at ph 6 . 9 had a gel strength ( storage modulus ) of 283 . 5 pa . the samples heated at ph 7 . 1 had a gel strength ( storage modulus ) of 309 . 73 pa . these acid gel strength results are summarised in fig1 . this shows that the gel strengths of the acid gels can be varied depending on the ph at heating . acid gels prepared from reconstituted skim milk with added whey protein reconstituted skim milk samples were prepared by adding low heat skim milk powder ( 100 g , whey protein nitrogen index above 6 ; 37 % protein , fonterra co - operative group , new zealand ) to purified water ( 900 g , purified by reverse osmosis followed by filtration through milli - q apparatus ) to a final concentration of 10 % ( w / w ) total solids . whey protein concentrate ( 12 g , alacen ™ 132 , fonterra co - operative group , new zealand ) was added to the milk . the whey protein concentrate level ( 1 . 2 %) for wpc80 is equivalent to the addition of 1 . 0 % whey protein ( w / w ). this resulted in a casein to whey protein ratio of 1 . 6 : 1 . the whey fortified reconstituted skim milk samples were allowed to equilibrate at ambient temperature ( about 20 ° c .) for at least 10 h before further treatment . the ph adjustment , heat treatments , acidification and theological methodology were the same as described in example 1 . gel strength of the acid gel samples from milk samples fortified with 1 . 2 % wpc80 the samples heated at ph 6 . 5 had a gel strength ( storage modulus ) between 435 to 451 pa . the samples heated at ph 6 . 6 had a gel strength ( storage modulus ) between 417 to 419 pa . the samples heated at ph 6 . 7 had a gel strength ( storage modulus ) of 378 pa . the samples heated at ph 6 . 8 had a gel strength ( storage modulus ) between 361 to 376 pa . the samples heated at ph 6 . 9 had a gel strength ( storage modulus ) between 344 to 346 pa . the samples heated at ph 7 . 1 had a gel strength ( storage modulus ) between 330 to 332 pa . these acid gel strength results are summarised in fig2 , with a comparison with the results from example 1 . this shows that the gel strengths of the acid gels can be varied depending on the ph during heating . acid gels prepared from reconstituted skim milk with different levels of added whey protein . reconstituted skim milk samples were prepared by adding low heat skim milk powder ( 100 g , whey protein nitrogen index above 6 ; 37 % protein , fonterra co - operative group , new zealand ) to purified water ( 900 g , purified by reverse osmosis followed by filtration through milli - q ™ apparatus ) at 50 ° c . to a final concentration of 10 % ( w / w ) total solids . whey protein concentrate ( 0 to 12 g , alacen ™ 132 , fonterra co - operative group , new zealand ) was added to the milk . the whey fortified reconstituted skim milk samples were allowed to equilibrate at 50 ° c . for at least one hour before further treatment . after reconstitution , the sample was split into equal portions and ph adjusted using either 1 m naoh or 1 m hcl to values in the ph range 6 . 5 to 7 . 1 . after holding overnight at 4 ° c ., the samples were held at 30 ° c . for 30 min and the ph was readjusted . heat treatment ( 80 ° c . for 30 min ) was conducted in an 80 ° c . shaking waterbath . the sample ( 150 ml in 500 ml schott bottles ) were placed in the waterbath , and continuously shaken . after 30 min , the bottles were removed from the waterbath and placed in ice / water slurry . the sample was held at 30 ° c . for 4 . 5 h . the ph of the samples was then adjusted to 6 . 7 using 1 m naoh or 1 m hcl . table 4 summarises the samples that were prepared . heated milk ( 39 . 2 g ) and gdl ( 0 . 8 g ) were added together , stirred for 1 minute , poured into 50 ml plastic containers , and stored at 30 ° c . for 18 h . each sample was prepared in triplicate . after the gels were formed , the samples were analysed using a universal ta - xt2 ™ texture analyser with a real time graphics and data acquisition software package ( stable microsystems , haselmare , england ) to measure the gel strength . a 10 - mm diameter probe was pushed into the acid gel samples ( 20 ° c .) at a constant rate ( 1 mm / s ) for a set distance ( 20 mm ), and then withdrawn at the same rate . the response was measured as force versus time . the initial force required to penetrate the product , the breaking force and the positive area under the force / time curve were measured . the breaking force was a measure of the acid gel strength . there is an interaction between heat treatment ph and wpc80 addition . at low levels of wpc80 addition (& lt ; 0 . 4 % wpc80 ; equivalent to a casein : whey protein ratio of 72 . 7 ), higher heat treatment phs give the highest acid gel strength . however , at wpc80 addition levels above 0 . 4 % ( casein : whey protein ratio below about 2 . 7 ), this effect reverses , with increasingly lower ph giving higher acid gel strength . fig3 summarises the effect of heat treatment ph and wpc80 addition on the final acid gel strength . the way in which the maximum gel strength for a measured level of whey protein addition is determined is shown in fig4 . the phs coinciding with the maximum gel strengths are then plotted against casein : whey protein weight ratios in fig6 . acid gels prepared from 15 % reconstituted skim milk with different levels of added whey protein . reconstituted skim milk samples were prepared by adding low heat skim milk powder ( 100 g , whey protein nitrogen index above 6 ; 37 % protein , fonterra co - operative group , new zealand ) to purified water ( 90 g , purified by reverse osmosis followed by filtration through milli - q ™ apparatus ) at 50 ° c . to a final concentration of 15 % ( w / w ) total solids . whey protein concentrate ( 0 to 18 g , alacen ™ 131 , fonterra co - operative group , new zealand ) was added to the milk . the whey fortified reconstituted skim milk samples were allowed to equilibrate at 50 ° c . for at least one hour before further treatment . after reconstitution , the sample was split into equal portions and ph adjusted using either 6 m naoh or 6 m hcl to values in the ph range 6 . 3 to 6 . 7 . after holding overnight at 4 ° c . heat treatment ( 90 ° c . for 15 min ) was conducted in an 90 ° c . waterbath . the sample ( 200 g in 250 ml schott bottles ) were placed in the waterbath . after 15 min , the bottles were removed from the waterbath and placed in ice / water slurry . the sample was held at 30 ° c . for 4 . 5 h . the ph of the samples was then adjusted to 6 . 7 using 1 m naoh or 1 m hcl . table 6 summarises the samples that were prepared . heated milk ( 39 . 2 g ) and gdl ( 0 . 8 g ) were added together , stirred for 1 minute , poured into 50 ml plastic containers , and stored at 30 ° c . for 18 h . each sample was prepared in quadruplicate . after the gels were formed , the samples were analysed using a universal ta - xt2 ™ texture analyser with a real time graphics and data acquisition software package ( stable microsystems , haselmare , england ) to measure the gel strength . a 10 - mm diameter probe was pushed into the acid gel samples ( 20 ° c .) at a constant rate ( 1 mm / s ) for a set distance ( 20 mm ), and then withdrawn at the same rate . the response was measured as force versus time . the initial force required to penetrate the product , the breaking force and the positive area under the force / time curve were measured . the area was used as a measure of the acid gel strength . there is an interaction between heat treatment ph and wpc80 addition . at low levels of wpc80 addition (& lt ; 0 . 45 % wpc80 or & gt ; 2 . 9 : 1 casein : whey ratio ), higher heat treatment phs give the highest acid gel strength . however , at wpc80 addition levels above 0 . 45 % ( casein : whey protein ratio below 2 . 9 ) this effect reverses , with increasingly lower ph giving higher acid gel strength . fig4 summarises the effect of heat treatment ph and wpc80 addition on the final acid gel strength . as the casein : whey protein ratio is decreased below 2 . 9 , the optimum heat treatment ph steadily decreases . the optimum ph for maximum gel strength was determined as illustrated in fig5 and showed that the optimum ph decreased with increasing wpc80 addition . fig4 summarises the effect wpc80 addition level on the optimum heat treatment ph for both 10 and 15 % skim milk powder samples . the gel strength of the acid gels can be varied depending on the ph at heating and the casein : whey protein weight ratio after addition of whey protein . the above describes some preferred embodiments of the present invention and indicates several possible modifications but it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that other modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention . this is defined in the appended claims . lucey j & amp ; singh h ( 1998 ) formation and physical properties of acid milk gels : a review . food research international , 30 , 529 - 542 bikker , j . f ., anema , s . g ., li , y ., & amp ; hill , j . p ., international dairy journal , 10 , 723 - 732 , ( 2000 ). ferry , j . d . ( ed . ), viscoelastic properties of polymers , 3rd edn . new york : john wiley & amp ; sons . | 0 |
fig1 a is a block diagram illustrating a dealworks system 100 in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention . the dealworks system is an engine which executes and integrates the whole lifecycle of a deal via computer and interacting with a deal team 101 and other functional entities such as conflicts office 102 and business managers 103 . the deal team is a functional group which comprises personnel of a financial institution and carries out the deal , including setting up a deal , analyzing , pitching , winning , executing , and closing mandates . the dealworks system comprises a deal workspace 104 , a conflicts approval module 105 , an expense tracking pipeline 106 , and a deal closure module 107 . the deal workspace is a folder structure that is created to securely store and share documents related to a deal . the conflicts approval module is used to initiate a conflicts approval process as the deal becomes a formal pitch , and interact with the conflicts office to carry out an approval requirement . the expense tracking pipeline is a functional module of the dealworks system , which is used to track expenses occurring during a deal lifecycle , and is set up after submitting the conflicts form . the financial institution receives reports with classified information via this module such as who has been involved in a deal , and how much the incurred and potential fees are from the deal . the deal closure module is used to close a deal which achieved mandate status . the deal closure is a both legal and financial process , which makes documentation for that deal as well as potentially makes the information reusuable to appropriate clients . fig1 b is a block diagram illustrating a dealworks system 100 in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention . in this embodiment , the dealworks system 100 is configured so that an interface between a client 108 and the dealworks system is added . the client can access that particular deal &# 39 ; s documents in the deal workspace to directly involve and control the whole deal process . in addition , a company which is involved in a deal ( e . g ., in a merger and acquisition deal , the company which is purchased ) 109 can also access the dealworks system . although the deal team , the client , and the deal - related company are all allowed to access the workspace via the dealworks system as a platform during the deal , each one can only access its corresponding part of the workspace , which can be illustrated by a concept “ security bubble ” as shown in fig1 c . if the area enclosed by these circles is taken as the whole workspace of a deal , the deal team 101 can only access the part a + b + c + e of the workspace , the client 108 can only access the part a + b + d + f of the workspace , and the deal - involved company a 109 can only access the part a + c + d + g of the workspace . the domains in the workspace which all the deal team , the client , and the deal - involved company a are clearly defined and secured . for some deal - related documents of the workspace ( e . g ., part e ), only the deal team can access ( e . g ., deal - related expense revenue from the client ). likewise , for other documents of the workspace , only the client or the deal - involved company a can access ( e . g ., part f and part g respectively ). for some documents of the workspace ( e . g ., part a ), the deal team , the client , and the deal - involved company a can all access ( e . g ., the final legal documents of the deal ). for some documents of the workspace ( e . g ., b ), only the deal team and the client can access ( e . g ., deal analysis documents ). as the first step of a deal lifecycle , a user of a dealworks system ( hereafter called “ dw user ”) needs to create a project record for the deal with the dealworks system . this process will begin with definition of the deal within the dealworks system . a deal workspace is automatically created when a new deal record is created by the dw user . the deal workspace refers to a folder structure that is created in the dw system to securely store and share documents related to the deal . fig2 is a flowchart showing a process of creating a deal workspace for a new deal via a computer interface by a dw user in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention . fig3 is a diagram illustrating how to use a main deal tab to create a new deal in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention . fig4 is a diagram illustrating how to use a main deal tab to define deal folders in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention . fig5 is a diagram illustrating how to search a client name in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention . fig6 is a diagram illustrating how to add dw users and set their access rights in an access control list ( acl ) tab in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention . the process of fig2 is described in connection with fig3 , 5 , and 6 in order to set forth the process in a concrete fashion easily understood by the person of ordinary skills . however , this articulation of the process is exemplary only , and the process could be implemented differently from those of fig3 , 5 , and 6 . as set forth in fig2 , a dw user clicks on the “ create new deal ” button from a dw workspace 200 . the dw system opens a main deal tab , an empty form for entering deal information 201 ( also 300 as shown in fig3 and 400 in fig4 ). the dw user appears in the “ deal team assignments ” display window 301 as shown in fig3 . the default folders for the dw user 401 are listed in the deal folder definition tab 400 as shown in fig4 . the default product for the dw user is pre - selected for each user , which could be merger and acquisitions ( m & amp ; a ), equity capital markets ( ecm ), debt capital markets ( dcm ), or global credit risk management ( gcrm ) 302 as shown in fig3 . the dw user clicks on the client name search button to select a client 202 ( also 303 as shown in fig3 ). the dw system opens the client center search tab 203 ( also as shown in fig5 ). the dw user enters the first “ n ” letters of the client name and clicks “ lookup ” 204 ( also as shown in fig5 a , 5b ). the dw system displays a list of matching records 205 ( also as shown in fig5 c ). if the client does not exist in the client central 206 ( a ), the dw user closes the client center search tab 207 and the dw system returns to the main deal tab 208 . the dw user enters new client name , industry and region information 209 . the dw system then sends a new client alert to an appropriate business manager 210 ( also 303 - 309 as shown in fig3 ). if the client exists in client central 206 ( b ), the dw user selects its client name from the list 211 . the dw system closes the search tab and returns to the main deal tab 212 . the dw system automatically populates the client name , cas id , issuer name , industry , and region information 213 ( also 303 - 309 as shown in fig3 ). the dw user then enters deal specific information such as project name , product ( i . e ., m & amp ; a , ecm , dcm , or grcm ), sub - product ( i . e ., for m & amp ; a . advisory , acquisitions , mergers , leveraged buy out ( lbos ), fairness , sellside , defense , or equity private placements ( epp ); for ecm , initial public offering ( ipo ), rights issue , equity linked , abbs , or follow on ; for dca bonds , loans . loans / bonds , multilateral trade negotiation ( mtn ) prog , mtn trades , bond participation only , structured finance , or transaction and execution group ( teg other ); for grcm , bi lats ( i . e ., non - syndicated loans ), or tss - cash ( i . e ., treasure services )), description , and keywords 214 ( also 302 , 310 , 311 , 312 , and 313 as shown in fig3 ). to add deal users , the dw user opens the access control list tab 217 ( also 600 as shown in fig6 ). the default team assignments are displayed 601 as shown in fig6 . the dw user selects a user name and clicks the “ add ” button 218 ( also 602 as shown in fig6 ). the dw system populates the user display window with name of selected user 219 ( also 603 as shown in fig6 ). for adding multiple users , this step is repeated as necessary 220 . for each user , the dw user selects an access right ( i . e ., full , write , version , or read ) 221 ( also 604 as shown in fig6 ). the dw system populates the display with the selected access level 222 . to add or remove deal folders , the dw system goes to the deal folder definition tab 224 ( as shown in fig4 ). to add a deal folder , the dw user types in the name of a folder and clicks on the “ add folder ” button 224 ( also 402 and 403 as shown in fig4 ). to remove a deal folder , the dw user highlight a folder name in the folder display list and clicks on the “ remove folder ” button 226 ( also 404 as shown in fig4 ). the dw user then clicks the “ save ” button 227 ( also 405 as shown in fig4 ). once finishing these steps , the dw system returns to the main deal tab 228 . if the dw user decides to create a deal 229 ( a ), he clicks “ create deal ” button 230 . the dw system sends notifications , clears the main deal tab , creates a deal workspace , and opens a conflicts template 231 . if the dw user decides to reset the settings 229 ( b ), he clicks “ reset ” button 232 . the dw system opens a pop - up window to confirm 233 . if the user decides to proceed 234 ( a ), the dw system closes the pop - up and resets the main deal tab 235 . if the user decides not to proceed 234 ( b ), the dw system closes the pop - up 236 . as the deal becomes a formal pitch ( i . e ., winning the sale of a product to a client ), the dw user contacts the conflicts office to obtain approval . fig7 is a flowchart showing how a dw user submits a conflicts approval request in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention . fig8 is a diagram illustrating a conflicts tab for financing and advisory sub product as an exemplary embodiment in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention . the process of fig7 is described in connection with fig8 in order to set forth the process in a concrete fashion easily understood by the person of ordinary skills . however , this articulation of the process is exemplary only , and the process could be implemented differently from those of fig8 . as set forth in fig7 , the dw system opens the conflicts tab with an appropriate template form selected for the sub product entered during the folder setup 700 ( also 800 as shown in fig8 ). the dw system pre - populates the fields ( i . e ., primary deal contact , primary deal contact telephone number , project name , transaction type , client full name , client executive , exchange , description of business , industry , access control list ) with information gathered at the folder setup 701 . the dw user enters conflicts information into the conflicts tab 702 . if the user decides to proceed 703 ( a ), he selects “ submit ” button 704 ( also 801 as shown in fig8 ). the dw system saves the conflicts information to the deal record 705 . the dw system sends an alert to a conflicts mailbox and forwards the conflicts approval record for approval 706 . the dw system updates the deal stage status bar on the deal workspace 707 . the dw system opens the expense tracking pipeline tab to set up the project for expense tracking - related purposes 708 . if the dw user doesn &# 39 ; t want to submit the form 703 ( b ), he may selects “ save as draft ” 709 ( also 802 as shown in fig8 ). the dw system saves the conflicts information to the deal record 710 . the dw system updates the deal stage status bar on the deal workspace 711 and returns to the main deal tab 712 . if the dw user doesn &# 39 ; t want to submit the form 703 ( c ), he may also select “ cancel ” button 713 ( also 803 as shown in fig8 ). the dw system opens a pop - up asking “ all information will be lost . continue ?” 714 . if the dw user selects “ continue ” 715 ( a ), the dw system resets the conflicts template submission form 716 and returns to the main deal tab 712 . otherwise 715 ( b ), the dw system closes the form 717 . the conflicts tab for financing and advisory sub product is used for conflicts approval if the sub - product belongs to one of the following sub - products : advisory , buyside - acquisitions , buyside - mergers . buyside - lbos , buyside - fairness opinion , seilside , defense , epp , dcm bonds , dcm loans , leveraged finance , and structured finance . the dw system selects the conflicts equities template submission tab for the sub - products : ipo , right issue , equity linked , abb . follow on , and block trade . the dw system skips the conflicts submission phase if the following sub - products are selected at folder setup : mtn program , mtn trade , bi lats , teg other , and bond participation . as an exemplary embodiment , the fields of the conflicts tab for financing and advisory sub product are listed below . 27 . subsidiary / division / assets involved if subject of the transaction is not the entire company 31 . if deal is non - acquisition related credit facility / financing , indicate : purpose , agent bank , amount of jpm commitment . 32 . if deal is credit facility amendment , indicate : agent bank , covenants changes , increase / decrease in facility amount , maturity extension , whether “ troubled ” credit . 33 . is the deal team aware of any potential conflicts or any other issues ? 35 . which senior managers have confirmed that there are globally no conflicts or other issues — including any “ best horse ’/ foregone opportunities issues , relationship risks with other clients , or other reputation risks to the firm ? 41 . are there any board seats held by jpm chase employees ? 46 . if deal team has fee level ( s ) to propose to engagements — press here after submitting the conflicts tab , an expense tracking pipeline for the deal is set up so that the deal related expenses are centrally tracked using the project name and subsequently reimbursed by the client related to the project . fig9 is a flowchart showing how to set up the expense tracking pipeline in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention . fig1 a and 10b are diagrams illustrating how to set up the expense tracking pipeline for merger and acquisition ( m & amp ; a ) as an exemplary embodiment in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention . the process of fig9 is described in connection with fig1 a - b in order to set forth the process in a concrete fashion easily understood by the person of ordinary skills . however , this articulation of the process is exemplary only , and the process could be implemented differently from those of fig1 a - b . as set forth in fig9 , the dw system opens the expense setup and pipeline tab with an appropriate request form selected for the dw user 900 ( also 1000 as shown in fig1 a - b ). if the sub product selected does not require expense setup , the dw system bypasses this stage and returns to the deal workspace . the dw system pre - populates the fields with the information previously entered at the folder setup and the conflicts stages 901 ( e . g ., client address , client executive , client cas id , client full name , access control list , product area , project / issue description , project leader , project name , project status , and type of deal 1001 - 1011 as shown in fig1 a - b ). the dw user enters the mandatory fields and updates the fields if necessary ( e . g ., jv related , project name , access control list , project status , and industry group 1012 - 1015 , 1001 , 1007 , 1009 , and 1010 as shown in fig1 a - b ). the dw user also enters the pipeline information 902 ( e . g ., estimated size of deal , estimated gross fee , estimated completion date , and estimated percentage of success 1016 - 1019 as shown in fig1 b ). if the dw user decides to proceed 903 ( a ), he selects “ submit ” button 904 ( also 1020 as shown in fig1 b ). the dw system saves the information to the deal record 905 . the dw system sends alerts to the ecag / best teams and london control room 906 . the dw system forwards the information to the ecag / best approval queue 907 . the dw system updates the status bar on the deal workspace 908 . the dw system returns to the deal workspace 909 . if the dw user does not want to proceed 903 ( b ), he may select “ save ” button 910 . the dw system saves the information to the deal record 911 . the dw system updates the status bar on the deal workspace 912 . the dw system returns to the deal workspace 913 . if the dw user does not want to proceed 903 ( c ), he may also select “ cancel ” button 914 . the dw system opens a pop - up asking “ all information will be lost . continue . yes / no ?” 915 . if the dw user clicks “ yes ” 916 ( a ), the dw system closes the form , resets the form 917 , and returns to the deal workspace 913 . if the dw user clicks “ no ” 916 ( b ), the dw system closes the form . the dw system allows the dw user to navigate through different screens when the client tab is selected in the navigation tab . fig1 a - 1 are diagrams illustrating some exemplary navigation functions of the dw system in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention . once the dw user is logged in , the first screen displays the following items : a client dashboard which displays clients that the dw user is working on 1101 as shown in fig1 a . an a - z selection menu wherein a user can choose to list the clients according to client name 1102 . this screen appears as a result of selecting the client tab in the navigation bar 1103 . suppose the user wants to find a client that is not present in the client dashboard . the user clicks on alphabet m ( assuming the client name starts with m ) in the a - z selection menu . this lists all the client names starting with m as shown in fig1 b . the dw user can browse through the client name lists by scrolling up or down using the scroll bar . the dw user clicks on the client name ( e . g ., malka limited ) 1104 . the dw system adds the client malka limited to the client dashboard 1105 as shown in fig1 c . this is only a temporary addition and this client will not be present in the client dashboard when the user logs on the next session . the selection of malka limited from the a - z selection menu opens up the client marketing folder for the client . it expands the folders to 2 levels within the folder structure . the dw user can see two additional buttons in the navigation tab at the bottom called show client info 1106 and show deal info 1107 . both these buttons work as toggle buttons . the dw user clicks on show deal info button . this brings up a window which displays different deals under the client by project names and products 1108 as shown in fig1 d . the user can use the scroll bar to see the different deals under the client . the dw user clicks on show client info to display the client information . the dw system now displays a client information window 1109 . the show deal info button has changed to hide deal info 1110 and the dw user can click this to hide the deal info part of the screen . the dw user can click on hide client info tab 1111 to hide the client information window . to see the documents in the client marketing folder , the dw user clicks on one of the folders in the client marketing folder ( e . g ., dcm → presentations ) 1112 as shown in fig1 e . to see the deal documents , the dw user clicks on one of the deals ( e . g ., project chimpanzee ) inside the client deal information window 1113 as shown in fig1 d . the menu bar with file , edit and other options is also displayed 1114 as shown in fig1 f . the dw user can also see status of the deal folders 1115 . if the dw user clicks on show deal properties button 1116 , the deal information is displayed at the bottom of the screen on a separate pane 1117 as shown in fig1 g . this includes the information on client name , project name , and status and deal type . there is also an option for editing the deal team properties by clicking modify deal properties button 1118 . the deal folder is chequered because it is only a temporary addition . this means that this deal folder will disappear from the dashboard when the user logs off and logs in next time . the dw user selects the deal and clicks tools → add to deal dashboard permanently 1119 . this will add the deal project chimpanzee to the deal dashboard permanently and remove the chequered appearance 1120 as shown in fig1 h . if the dw user decides to remove the deal apple computer — geo from the deal dashboard , the dw user clicks on apple computer in the deal dashboard 1121 . the dw user clicks on tools → delete from dashboard permanently 1122 . the dw system displays the modified dashboard after the deletion . the dw user can selects multiple folders to add to the dashboard by ticking checkboxes 1123 as shown in fig1 i . the dw user clicks on acid to deal dashboard button 1124 . the dw system adds the deals to the deal dashboard and displays a message indicating that the deal folders have been added to the deal dashboard temporarily . the dw user can also click add to deal dashboard permanently 1125 . the dw system adds the folders on to the deal dashboard and removes the check marks in the checkbox displaying a message indicating that the deal folders have been added permanently to the dashboard . after successfully executing a deal , it will be closed . each deal has its own closure process with respect to the actions that have to be taken , which is partly legal and partly financial . the deal closure has to do with making documentation for that deal and documents of record , as well as potentially making the information reusuable to the appropriate audiences . the following is an exemplary embodiment illustrating how to close a merger and acquisition deal . fig1 is a flowchart showing a process of closing the deal in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention . fig1 is a diagram illustrating a list of deal - related files in the deal folder for closure in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention . fig1 is a diagram illustrating a deal closure confirmation screen in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention . the process of fig1 is described in connection with fig1 - 14 in order to set forth the process in a concrete fashion easily understood by the person of ordinary skills . however , this articulation of the process is exemplary only , and the process could be implemented differently from those of fig1 - 14 . as set forth in fig1 , when a dw user initiates a closure process 1200 , he is warned about implications of the deal closure before the dw system commences deal closure for the deal . the user is presented with a message : “ you are about to commence the deal closure process for a deal that achieved mandate status . this process is irreversible and at the end of the process files will be made read only . seven days following closure only the current versions of files will be available . the project leader for this deal will need to provide final approval at the end of the closure process . the project leader for this deal is currently set as [ project leader name ], please contact your pipeline / business manager if this is incorrect before continuing . do you wish to continue ?” options are “ continue ” and “ cancel ”. if the user selects “ cancel ”, then the dw system ends the deal closure process . if the user selects “ continue ”, then the user is asked to select which documents are sensitive . the user is presented with a list of deal - related files in the deal folder with only the latest versions of the files being available as shown in fig1 . the user is presented with a message : “ all data stored within dealworks is already restricted to ‘ inside ’ business users . for further security please select those files which you do not wish to be visible to others outside the immediate deal team . for further guidance on what may constitute a sensitive ( mmpi ) file please discuss with your local compliance contact ”. the user is able to select those files which are sensitive via the checkbox &# 39 ; s in the left most column of the list . there is no ‘ select all ’ option available . the user is also presented with the options “ cancel ”, “ continue ”, and “ save ”. if the user selects “ cancel ”, then the user is asked if they would like to save before canceling ; if the user has requested to save , then he is informed “ you may return to the deal closure process the next time you revisit this deal folder ”. if the user selects “ save ”, then the dw system sets the deal closure status to “ in progress ” and save entries made in deal closure screens for the user to return to in future sessions . if the user selects “ continue ”, then the dw system retains entries made in the deal closure screens for the user . the user is presented with a message : “ please complete the following checklist for the required documentation for this folder . for all documents please specify if the file is in dealworks , in a cardboard archive box , or if the document is not applicable .” after selecting , the user is presented with options “ cancel ”, “ save ”, “ back ”, and “ continue ”. if the user selects “ cancel ”, then the user is asked if they would like to save before canceling . if the user selects “ save ”, then the dw system sets the status bar to “ in progress ” and saves entries made in the deal closure screens for the user to return to in future sessions . if the user selects “ back ”, then the dw system retains entries made in the deal closure screens for the user and progress to the step of selecting sensitive documents . if the user selects “ continue ”, then the dw system retains entries made in deal closure screens for the user and checks are carried out to ensure that each row of the checklist has an option selected . if not , then the user is presented with an error message “ please complete all the rows in the checklist before proceeding further ”. checks are also carried out to ensure that a valid cardboard box id has been entered . the dw user then updates the project description . the dw system presents the user with 3 sections . the first is an editable text box “ description ” which is populated with contents of the fields “ summary of potential assignment ” as captured at the conflicts stage . the user is also displayed a message : “ please check / update the description for this project which will help identify it to others ”. the second is a pick list calendar and the message “ please select the date of deal closure ”. the third is a drop down box showing sub products for that particular product area . the drop down box will be set to the current sub product that was selected as part of the deal folder creation . the user is also presented with a message “ this deal folder is currently associated with the following type of product . please update this if this is incorrect ”. options are “ cancel ”, “ continue ”, “ save ”, and “ back ”. if the user selects “ cancel ”, then the user is asked if they would like to save before canceling and if the user has requested a save , now or prior to this stage , then they are informed “ you may return to the deal closure process the next time you revisit this deal folder ”, then the use case ends . if the user selects “ save ”, then the dw system changes the deal closure status to “ in progress ”, and saves the entries made in the deal closure screens for the user to return to in future sessions . if the user selects “ back ”, then the dw system retains the entries made in the deal closure screens for this session for the user and progresses to the step of the deal file checklist . if the user selects “ continue ”, then checks are carried out to ensure that all three sections have been completed . if the dw user is a member of the deal team but not a project leader , then the user is presented with a message “ please note that the deal file checklist and details of the files which you have marked as being sensitive / non - sensitive will now be sent to the project leader for review . if the project leader approves the closure of this deal folder then the project folder will be renamed with the addition of the deal closure date and the sub product type ”. options are “ cancel ”, “ save ”, and “ continue ”. if the user selects “ cancel ” and if the user has previously saved progress during the deal closure process , then the user is informed “ you may return to the deal closure process the next time you revisit this deal folder ”. if the user selects “ cancel ” and the user has not previously saved progress during the deal closure progress , then the user is asked if they would like to save their changes . if the user selects “ save ”, then the dw system sets the flag final deal documentation to “ in progress ” and saves entries made in deal closure screens for the user to return to in future sessions . if the user selects “ continue ”, then the following notification is sent to the project leader : “ the deal folder [ folder name ] has been marked for closure by [ deal team members &# 39 ; name ]. please review the deal folder and the associated deal file checklist by clicking on the link below [ url of deal folder ]. after reviewing the deal folder please approve or rejects this closure request in dealworks . if you have received this message in error or are not the project leader for this deal folder , then please contact the pipeline / business manager ”. the project leader clicks on the url in the notification which takes him / her to the deal folder and the deal closure screens 1201 . the project leader is able to make modifications to which files are to be marked as sensitive and which files are included as part of the deal file checklist . the project leader then has the ability to approve or reject the closure request 1202 . if the project leader clicks on reject , then the following actions occur : ( 1 ) the project leader is required to enter a brief explanation of why they are rejecting the deal closure request . ( 2 ) a notification is sent to the deal closer 1203 and to the pipeline along with the comments entered by the project leader ; the wording of the notification will be “ the deal closure process for [ project name ] has been rejected by [ project leader name ] for the following reasons : [ comments from project leader ]. ( 3 ) the data entered during the deal closure process is retained . ( 4 ) the deal closure status is updated to “ reject / in progress ”, with an associated yellow color on the deal status bar . ( 5 ) the date / time of the rejection is stored in the closure screen so that it is visible to pipeline / business managers and to the deal team . if the project leader decides to approve the request , he is prompted that the documents are checked out and locks that need to be broken as shown in fig1 . a notification is sent to the deal team , ecag ( i . e ., a group that uses famis to support the internal business in expense capture and reporting ) and pipeline / business manager “ the deal folder [ old deal folder name ] has been closed by the project leader [ project leader name ] and has been given the new name of [ new deal folder name ]. after 7 days only the latest versions of files will be retained . if you have any issues or concerns , please contact the project leader .” the deal closure status is updated to “ closed ”. the deal status bar is stored in the closure screen so that it is visible to pipeline / business managers and to the deal team . the color of folder as it appears in dealworks is changed to show the new closed status . copy of the deal file checklist is sent to the london control room . after seven days only the latest versions of files are retained . although an illustrative embodiment of the present invention , and various modification thereof have been described in detail herein with reference to the accompanying figures , it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to this precise embodiment and the described modifications , and that various changes and further modifications may be effected therein by one skilled in the art without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention as defined in the claims . | 6 |
fig1 shows a tub 1 of a standard type of pulping machine , working while open , with an average concentration of from 2 to 7 % of dry material . the rotor of the pulping machine is in simplified form in fig2 . the rotor 2 is in known manner , surrounded with a perforated grating 3 which is connected with a receptacle 30 which is provided with a discharge 32 for the fibre suspension constituting the pulp which is finally accepted . these parts are not shown in detail since they are known . on the other hand , according to the invention , the tub 1 has an outlet 4 combined with a valve 5 and situated at the lower part of the pulping machine . this outlet 4 leads to a volume 6 which is an entirely enclosed volume and is small compared to the volume of the tub 1 . this volume has , in addition to the inlet 4 which is controlled by the valve 5 , a low outlet 7 for rejected material , which is controlled by a valve 20 , a water inlet 8 , a compressed air inlet 9 , and a gas outlet 10 , these last two mentioned communicating with the volume 6 either separately or via a common channel 11 . the volume 6 also has a rotor 12 with blades 13 driven by a motor 14 , an impervious box 15 behind the rotor 12 , and an outlet 16 at the lower part of the box 15 , communicating with the tub 1 . the rotor 12 is made from a plate provided with blades or vanes 13 , the surface of the plate 12 being set back in relation to the surface 18 of the volume 6 so as to define a gap 31 , of predetermined dimensions , for the passage of the fibre suspension . the opening 17 of the side 18 of the volume 6 has a diameter which is substantially equal to that of the plate 12 and the gap 31 is approximately in the range of from 5 to 10 mm in thickness . the process according to the invention is as follows . the tub 1 is filled with water and with cellulose materials in the usual proportions ( about 5 % of dry cellulose materials ) and the rotor 12 is put into operation . at the end of an interval of time during which the pulp is disintegrated and discharged through discharge 32 , the openings of the grating 3 begin to become congested and the discharge flow in receptacle 30 and discharge 32 diminishes . the valve 5 is then opened and , the motor 14 at this stage being in operation , the volume 6 fills up , via the outlet 4 with a fibre suspension filled with impurities . this moving of the impurities which have accumulated on the grating 3 is ensured by the centrifugal effect of the rotor 2 at the bottom of the pulping machine 1 and by the suction of the rotor 12 which acts like a pump . the suspension which penetrates thus into the volume 6 undergoes a violet mixing and separation , the impurities remaining in the volume 6 , while the decontaminated suspension penetrates , by the action of the rotor 12 and by the gap 31 , into the box 15 to be returned to the tub 1 . after some time , which can be in the range of some minutes , it is established that the gap 31 is beginning to become congested and the rate of the extraction of the suspension drops . the valve 5 is then closed and the water inlet 8 is opened , which causes a progressive dilution of the pulp situated in the volume 6 . this phase can last for from 5 to 15 minutes , although these figures are not given by way of limitation . the phase is interrupted when the concentration of cellulose materials in the water which leaves through outlet 16 falls to the region of 1 %. next the gas outlet 10 is closed and the compressed air inlet 9 is opened . volume 6 empties by the action of the compressed air up to a point where its level reaches the lower part of the opening 17 . during this phase , the very diluted suspension contained in the volume 6 is continually thrown by the rotor 12 on to the sides of the latter which are washed in this way , and the impurities accumulate in the outlet 7 . after this phase , which likewise lasts a few minutes , the compressed air inlet 9 is closed , the rejection valve 20 is opened and the impurities are rejected . a new cycle such as the one described above can then be started up . using this process and this arrangement , the following results are obtained . the impurities discharged past outlet 7 contain practically no fibres and are made up of pieces of plastic , glass , wood , metal , string etc . this decreases the pollution considerably and indicates a high degree of recovery of fibres . the operating of the pulping machine is not interrupted . the tub 1 is replenished either continuously or discontinuously . the process and the device practically only use up the power of the motor , and the dilution water discharged into the volume 6 can be recycled water , commonly referred to as production water , which results from the draining or the concentration of the pulp . this water contains charges , paste , fibrils , dye etc ., which do not spoil the process . the power consumption of the motor is compensated for by the recovery of cellulose materials and by the economy which results from the avoidance of interruptions . for an effective operation of the device and of the process , a certain number of arrangements and complementary means are provided : ( a ) volume 6 is preferably in the shape of a section of a cylinder or a cone with its axis slightly inclined to the horizontal in the direction of the rotor 12 . ( b ) the rotor 12 is situated in the lower zone of one level side 18 which terminates volume 6 . ( c ) the end and opposite side 19 makes an open dihedral with the side 18 towards the bottom . ( d ) the side 18 is approximately vertical and the side 19 approximately perpendicular to the axis of volume 6 . ( e ) the outlet 7 is situated so that it constitutes a cavity or a receptacle above the valve 20 which controls it . ( f ) the outlet 16 is at a lower level at the lower part of the opening 17 . the objective and the advantages of these arrangements are as follows : while the rotor 12 turns , it produces a stirring of the suspension which involves a general rotation movement around the axis of volume 6 and a movement according to the arrows f . the rotation movement ensures a continuous washing of the lateral side of volume 6 , a washing which is very efficient when this side is a surface of revolution . the movement according to the arrows f ensures the cleaning of the higher parts of volume 6 , notably during the emptying phase of the latter , the water being thrown violently onto the sides and notably onto the high angles . the trapezium shape of the vertical section of volume 6 ensures a better cleaning of the high angles . the feature of the bottom of volume 6 being slightly inclined towards the rotor ensures a better back flow of the impurities towards the rotor 12 and the outlet 7 . the impurities are thrown by the rotor 12 against the side of volume 6 ; the arrangement of the outlet 7 in the shape of a receptacle in the lower part near the rotor , forms a kind of trap for the impurities , which accumulate and are wedged in the receptacle and do not move in spite of the violent movement of the water . moreover , behind the rotor 12 , blades 21 have been provided which ensure excess pressure in the box 15 and by this , ensure the back flow of the suspension via the outlet 6 towards the tub 1 , the rotor 12 functioning as a pump . the rotor 12 can be produced in different ways . in the example of fig1 it is a single component made of a plate carrying radial vanes 13 . the assembly of rotor 12 , box 15 and motor 14 forms a unit assembled on the side 18 , this assembly having an annular sheet of metal 18a in which the opening 17 is made . thus , this assembly can be removed as a unit . moreover , the gap between the rotor plate and sheet 18a is adjustable or regulatable , which enables it to be adapted to the materials which are to be treated . the edge of the opening 17 is chamfered . in the variation of fig2 , and 4 the rotor plate carries centrifugal blades 23 which can be of soft steel and terminal vanes 24 made of a metal which is more resistant to wear . the vanes 24 bear terminal edges 25 which project into the opening 17 . besides this , certain vanes bear bars 26 of a very hard material , such as tool steel or tungsten carbide , these bars being fixed parallel to the annular sheet 18a with a very small clearance , preferably less than 1 mm . the bars 26 cooperate with grooves 22 in the shape of hollow fissures in the annular sheet 18a of the side 18 which surrounds the opening 17 . the fissures 22 can be radial or inclined so as to make an angle with the vanes 24 . the effect of this arrangement is as follows : when the rotor 12 turns , the impurities in the form of strips , such as pieces of plastic , shreds of string etc . arrive in the gap between the rotor plate and the opening 17 , on both sides of the edge of this opening and they tend to remain stationary in this position . the clearance between the bars 26 and the grooves 22 , pushes these impurities into the grooves 22 where they are cut up by a scissor effect . some of the impurities thus reach the box 15 and they are recycled in the main pulping machine . they are thus gradually eliminated and do not pass into the pulp suspension extracted from the tub 1 . another arrangement of the invention consists in providing a water inlet 27 near the rotor 12 in order to ensure the cleaning of the latter . this water inlet can be used when the volume 6 is empty or nearly empty to ensure the elimination of the impurities on the surface of the rotor 12 and in the gap 31 . it can also be used while the volume 6 is still full if the force of the jet is sufficient to ensure this washing . as indicated above , the pulping machine can be used for continuous or discontinuous operation . in the case of a continuous operation , the tub 1 is constantly refilled with water and with cellulose materials and when the valve 5 is opened the hydrostatic pressure is relatively high . to avoid a sudden spattering of impurities on the rotor 12 , it is preferable to fill the volume 6 with water before opening the valve 5 . the suction effect of rotor 12 and the centrifugal effect of rotor 2 is sufficient to cause the introduction of the pulp charged with impurities into the volume 6 . with a discontinuous operation , it is possible on the other hand to open the valve 5 while volume 6 is empty . in fact in this type of operation , the tub 1 is half empty at least when the grating 3 begins to become obstructed , and the opening of valve 5 does not involve any risk of causing a too sudden spattering of impurities on the rotor 12 . it has been stated that volume 6 is small relative to the volume of the tub 1 . this point is a feature of the process and of the device of the invention . it is possible to adapt the assembly constituted by the volume 6 , the rotor 12 and their attachments on tubs 1 to very different volumes . the volume 6 will be , for example , in the region of 1 m 3 for the tubs 1 ranging from 10 m 3 to 60 m 3 . in all these cases , the ratio of volume 6 to the ratio of volume 6 to the volume of the tub 1 is in the range of at least 1 : 10 . thus the filling cycle of volume 6 and the extraction cycle of the impurities causes only a very small decrease of the level of tub 1 and it is with a continuous succession of partial purifications that the pulping machine is progressively cleared of its impurities . to take an example , if the opening phase of the valve 5 is six minutes , the phase of dilution with water by the inlet 8 after closing the valve 5 is ten minutes , the emptying phase by compressed air arising in 9 is 5 minutes and the cleansing of the impurities lasts 2 minutes , the total cycle of the process lasts 23 minutes and it can thus be repeated more than twice per hour . thus the process of the invention consists in putting into operation a partial extraction of pulp charged with impurities from the pulping machine , transferring it into an enclosed volume where it is stirred with the addition of water and pulp suspension extracted therefrom by a separation device until the pulp suspension is diluted to a concentration in the range of up to 1 % of dry materials . the process then consists in emptying this volume , for example , by the action of compressed air , of substantially the whole suspension and finally extracting the impurities , the suspension being returned to the pulping machine . the arrangement of the invention can be adapted to the existing pulping machines . in fact it suffices to make an opening in the bottom of the tub 1 for the association of volume 6 and of its attachments , including the channeling 16 ensuring the back flow to the tub 1 . the pulper , its rotor 2 and the grating 3 are known standard devices whose construction has not been modified . the operation in cycles can obviously be automated . an assembly of arrangements of automatic control of valves controlling the channels 4 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 and 27 , with the necessary time delays , as well as the operation of the motor 14 or of the arrangement for the compression of the air arriving in 9 , allows an automatic cyclic operation to be ensured . the air pressure necessary for emptying the volume 6 is low , in the range of 500 gr / cm 2 , and can be ensured by a simple ventilator . different variations can be adopted in the carrying out of the invention , notably concerning the shape of volume 6 and the arrangement of rotor 12 . the extraction of the suspension by the rotor 12 can be obtained by an annular , perforated side around the rotor instead of extraction through the annular gap 31 although this solution is preferred . nevertheless , the arrangement shown is the preferred arrangement , notably concerning the arrangement of the rotor 12 at the lower part of a nearly vertical side in relation to an outlet 7 forming the receptacle for impurities . this arrangement in fact allows the blocking of the impurities in the outlet receptacle in the course of emptying volume 6 while ensuring the cleaning of the latter by spatterings of liquid due to the operation of the rotor . the velocities of the rotors 2 and 12 can vary greatly . they are generally in the range of from 16 to 18 m / per second at the periphery of the turbine disc . | 3 |
the advantages and benefits of an oil supply system in accordance with the invention may be better appreciated by first considering three prior art systems . referring to fig1 a and 1 b , a first prior art oil supply system 100 includes a pressurizing pump 102 which draws intake hydraulic fluid 104 from a sump 106 . fluid 104 is typically engine oil and sump 106 is typically an engine crankcase . pressurized output oil 108 from pump 102 is directed through a regulating oil control valve ( rocv ) 110 which regulates pressure in a conventional oil gallery 112 to about 0 . 5 bar . pressurized oil is supplied from gallery 112 to cam bearings 114 and to a conventional hydraulic lash adjuster 116 disposed rotatably about its axis in a residence bore 115 in an engine head 117 . oil enters hla 116 through a first port 118 in hla body 120 , thence into an inner annular groove 122 formed in plunger 124 , thence through a second port 126 in plunger 124 which opens into a low - pressure reservoir 128 . from reservoir 128 , oil flows both into lash adjusting mechanism 130 and also out of hla 116 through a third port 132 which mates with a rocker arm or finger follower mechanism ( not shown , but see fig2 b ). an outer annular groove 119 in hla body 120 coincides with first port 118 , and hla 116 thus is free to rotate about its longitudinal axis while oil is supplied to port 118 from groove 119 at any angular orientation of the hla . rocv 110 is controlled by an engine control module ( not shown ). the “ normal ” (“ low ”) operating pressure 134 as noted above is about 0 . 5 bar . when deactivation of an associated switchable cam follower such a drff is desired , rocv 110 opens to permit higher oil pressure 136 ( which may be the same as pressure 108 or not ) to flow to hla 116 and thence into the drff . of course , the higher oil pressure is also felt by cam bearings 114 . as noted above , at high engine speed or high engine load a low oil pressure 134 required for full valve activation can rob the cam bearings 114 of adequate oil flow . referring now to fig2 a and 2 b , a second prior art oil supply system 200 includes pressurizing oil pump 102 which draws intake oil 104 from sump 106 , as in prior art system 100 ( fig1 a ). pressurized output oil 108 from pump 102 is fed through a first flow restriction 240 into a conventional oil gallery 112 at an unregulated intermediate pressure 242 sufficient to lubricate cam bearings 114 and fill the low - pressure reservoir 228 and lash adjusting mechanism 230 of a second prior art hla 216 disposed in a residence bore 215 in an engine head 217 . a second ( switching ) gallery 244 is provided in engine head 217 in parallel with conventional gallery 112 and communicates with a switchable cam follower such as drff 246 via a passage 248 independent of low - pressure reservoir 228 . in some engine systems , first flow restriction 240 is simply a small - diameter port where the oil feed passes through the engine head gasket . there is no rocv in this second prior art system . rather , a three - way on / off valve 250 controlled by an engine control module ( not shown ) governs flow of oil into switching gallery 244 . oil flow into switching gallery 244 is either at high pressure 108 or a very low pressure 254 . although the three - way valve 250 is only either open or closed , a bypass “ bleed ” 252 preferably is provided to maintain a slight charge pressure 254 in switching gallery 244 , as is desirable for some valve deactivation systems . prior art system 200 desirably divorces the lash adjusting and cam bearing lubrication functions from the valve deactivation functions . however , the presence of conventional oil gallery 112 where formed in existing engine heads leaves little room for the addition of a switching gallery 244 adjacent thereto . further , a longer hla is required , having in some designs a two - piece plunger , and the volume of the low - pressure reservoir is quite small , making an engine equipped with this system vulnerable to cold - starting clatter . referring to fig3 and 4 , a third prior art oil supply system 300 includes pressurizing oil pump 102 which draws intake oil 104 from sump 106 , as in prior art systems 100 and 200 ( fig1 a and 2 a ). as in system 200 , pressurized output oil 108 from pump 102 is fed through a first flow restriction 240 into a conventional oil gallery 112 at an unregulated intermediate pressure 242 sufficient to lubricate cam bearings 114 . however , the hla is entirely divorced from gallery 112 . a second gallery 244 is provided in engine head 217 adjacent conventional gallery 112 and supplies an hla 316 similar to hla 116 , filling the low - pressure reservoir and lash adjusting mechanism via a single feed . again , there is no rocv in this third prior art system . rather , a three - way on / off valve 350 governs flow of oil into switching gallery 244 . oil flow into switching gallery 244 is either at low pressure 334 ( fig3 , drff engaged for high valve lift )) or high pressure 108 ( fig4 , drff disengaged for no or low valve lift ). although three - way valve 350 is only either open or closed , a second flow restriction 352 around valve 350 and a pressure relief valve 356 maintains low pressure 334 in switching gallery 244 , preferably about 0 . 5 bar similar to pressure 134 as in first system 100 for lash adjusting functions of hla 316 . when high pressure to hla 316 is desired , valve 350 opens to oil pressure 108 and closes to relief valve 356 . third prior art system 300 achieves the objective of divorcing cam bearing lubrication from hla activities while utilizing a substantially unmodified production hla such as hla 116 ( fig1 a and 1 b ). however , the presence of the conventional oil gallery 112 where formed in existing engine heads leaves little room for the addition of a switching gallery 244 adjacent thereto . further , the first and second galleries and the hla are not readily purged of air and may have dead legs at various points therein . referring now to fig5 , 6 , and 7 , a first improved oil supply system 400 in accordance with the invention is similar to but improves upon prior art system 300 . improved system 400 includes pressurizing oil pump 102 which draws intake oil 104 from sump 106 as in prior art system 300 ( fig3 and 4 ). as in system 300 , pressurized output oil 108 from pump 102 is fed through a first flow restriction 240 into a conventional oil gallery 112 at an unregulated intermediate pressure 242 sufficient to lubricate cam bearings 114 . hla 416 is entirely divorced from gallery 112 . a second gallery 244 is provided in engine head 217 in addition to the conventional gallery 112 and supplies an improved hla 416 similar to conventional hla 116 , filling the low - pressure reservoir and lash adjusting mechanism via a single feed . as shown in fig5 , however , hla 416 differs from hla 116 in having no annular oil supply groove 119 formed in the unfeatured cylindrical exterior of hla body 420 ; and further , hla 416 is prevented from free rotation in the hla residence bore 215 ( fig2 b ) in engine head 217 by inclusion of an anti - rotation flat or other obvious mechanical preventer as known in the art . thus , the hla fill port 418 in body 420 is inaccessible to the conventional oil gallery 112 disposed in an existing head in which hla 416 might be retrofitted and is positioned to communicate with only second gallery 244 for all hla oil supply functions . as in prior art embodiment 300 , there is no rocv in first improved oil supply system 400 . rather , a three - way on / off valve 350 governs flow of oil into switching gallery 244 . oil flow into switching gallery 244 is either at low pressure 434 ( fig6 , drff engaged for high valve lift )) or high pressure 108 ( fig7 , drff disengaged for no or low valve lift ). although the three - way valve 350 is only either open or closed , a second flow restriction 452 in a connecting passage 453 between the distal ends 455 , 457 respectively of conventional oil gallery 112 and switching oil gallery 244 , which distal ends are not connected in the prior art embodiments , combined with a pressure relief valve 356 in gallery 244 maintains low pressure 434 in switching gallery 244 , preferably about 0 . 5 bar similar to pressure 134 as in first system 100 for lash adjusting functions of hla 316 , when three - way valve 350 is closed to high pressure oil flow 108 in a first position . switching gallery 244 is open to pressure relief valve 356 . referring to fig7 , when high pressure oil to hla 416 is desired , valve 350 opens switching gallery 244 to a second position to oil pressure 108 and closes switching gallery 244 to relief valve 356 . first improved oil supply system 400 achieves the objective of divorcing cam bearing lubrication from hla activities while utilizing a minimally modified production hla such as hla 116 ( fig1 a and 1 b ), and while accommodating a conventional oil gallery passage in a current head . system 400 also provides several other important advantages not available in the prior art . first , any air bubbles in either of the oil galleries are automatically purged through pressure relief valve 356 when the system is in low pressure mode as shown in fig6 . second , because galleries 112 and 244 are connected at their distal ends by connector 453 , there are no dead legs in the flow path and thus all air is purged , unlike the prior art systems wherein each of the oil galleries has a dead terminal leg . third , the conventional oil gallery 112 and the switching oil gallery 244 are formed in engine head 217 on opposite sides of hla 416 . this arrangement makes it relatively easy to form the two galleries in an existing engine head mold with minimal required retooling of the mold . the arrangement also provides maximal flow separation of the two galleries within the residence bore of the hla and thus minimizes hydraulic cross - talk between the two galleries , whereas in the prior art ( fig2 b ) the two galleries , being adjacent and on the same side of the residence bore , are separated by only a few millimeters of bore wall . referring now to fig8 , 9 , and 10 , a second improved oil supply system 500 in accordance with the invention is similar to first improved system 400 , differing only in the implementation of a pressure reducing flow restriction between the two galleries . as just described , in system 400 the ends of the conventional and switching galleries 112 , 244 are joined via a connector 453 containing flow restrictor 452 . in the low pressure mode ( fig6 ), oil flows from the conventional gallery through restrictor 452 and into the switching gallery . pressure relief valve 356 and flow restrictor 452 are sized to regulate the pressure in the switching gallery to the desired 0 . 5 bar pressure . in addition , air from gallery 112 is swept by pressurized oil through connector 453 where it joins with air in gallery 244 and both are purged through relief valve 356 . in system 500 , the ends of galleries 112 , 244 are not joined except through the final hla in an engine bank ; thus there are still no dead flow legs . however , in this embodiment , the pressure reducing flow restrictions are located in the body of the hla rather than in connector 453 as in system 400 . each hla 516 ( fig8 ) is identical to hla 416 except that an orifice or flow restriction 552 is provided through hla body 520 in communication with conventional oil gallery 112 . thus , referring to fig9 , oil flows from the conventional gallery through the flow restriction into the hla low pressure chamber and switching gallery and eventually out the pressure relief valve . the pressure relief valve and flow restrictors are sized to regulate the pressure in the switching gallery to the desired 0 . 5 bar pressure . this eliminates having to manufacture connector 453 containing restriction 452 of system 400 . air in gallery 112 is purged into low - pressure reservoir 528 and thence out of the hla via tip opening 532 . continued purging from gallery 112 through hla 516 drives air in port 518 and switching gallery 244 out through three - way valve 350 and relief valve 356 ( fig8 and 9 ). an added advantage of systems 400 and 500 is that in high - pressure mode ( fig7 and 10 ) the flow restrictions ( 452 , 552 ) are slightly back flushed , which can help to keep the orifice from becoming plugged with engine debris in long - term use . as in system 400 , hla 516 must be prevented from rotation to keep the supply ports in the hla registered with the proper oil gallery . the benefits of improved oil distribution systems in accordance with the invention may be summarized as follows : a ) they utilize a smaller , faster , and less expensive on / off ocv than the rocv of the prior art ; b ) they utilize two separate oil galleries to avoid cam bearing lubrication concerns , especially in valve - deactivation applications ; c ) the conventional and switching oil galleries are in communication for excellent purging of air and have no dead legs ; d )) the conventional and switching oil galleries are on opposite sides of the residence bore for the hla ; e ) the low pressure limit for default operation of an associated drff can be set lower than for a prior art rocv system , which aids switching performance ; f ) the conventional oil gallery remains positioned as in prior art engines , requiring minimal retooling of engine molds ; and g ) although a modified hla is required , the necessary changes involve less risk than for the prior art dual feed system 200 ; further , only the hla body requires modification , so the advantages of the prior art single - piece plunger can be retained . while the invention has been described by reference to various specific embodiments , it should be understood that numerous changes may be made within the spirit and scope of the inventive concepts described . accordingly , it is intended that the invention not be limited to the described embodiments , but will have full scope defined by the language of the following claims . | 5 |
the present invention will be clearer from the following description when viewed together with the accompanying drawings , which show , for purpose of illustrations only , the preferred embodiment in accordance with the present invention . referring to fig1 - 3 , a shock absorber in accordance with the present invention comprises : a driving member 10 , a first flow - restricting member 20 , a holder 30 , a second flow - restricting member 40 and an elastic member 50 . the driving member 10 includes a connecting head 11 , a driven rod 12 and a piston 13 . the connecting head 11 is formed with a radial restricting hole 111 at one end thereof , and the other end of the connecting head 11 is axially defined with an assembling portion 112 in the form of an inner threaded hole . the driven rod 12 is formed at one end thereof with a first assembling portion 121 which is in the form of an outer threaded portion for screwing with the assembling portion 112 of the connecting head 11 , and formed at the other end thereof with a second assembling portion 122 which is in the form of an inner threaded hole to be matched with the piston 13 . the piston 13 has one end formed with an assembling portion 131 in the form of an outer threaded portion to be screwed with the second assembling portion 122 of the driven rod 12 . around the outer surface of the piston 13 are defined three spaced - apart grooves 132 for accommodation of two stopping members 133 and a wear - resistance member 134 , respectively . the stopping members 133 and the wear - resistance member 134 are all o rings . the piston 13 is axially formed with an eccentric flow - restricting passage 135 . the first flow - restricting member 20 is a flat piece being axially defined with a central through hole 21 for insertion of the assembling portion 131 of the piston 13 , and at the outer edge of the first flow - restricting member 20 is formed a flow - restricting portion 22 . when the assembling portion 131 of the piston 13 is assembled with the second assembling portion 122 of the driven rod 12 , the flow - restricting member 20 is pressed onto the piston 13 by the driven rod 12 in such a manner that the flow - restricting portion 22 of the first flow - restricting member 20 cooperates with the flow - restricting passage 135 . the holder 30 includes an inner tube 31 , a first leak - proof member 32 , a second leak - proof member 33 , a positioning member 34 and an outer tube 35 . the inner tube 31 is used for axial insertion of the piston 13 of the driving member 10 , such that the piston 13 is in contact with the inner surface 31 of the holder 30 via the stopping members 133 and the wear - resistance 134 . the first leak - proof member 32 is axially defined with a through hole 321 in which are disposed a bush 322 , a stopping member 323 and a guiding member 324 , respectively , which are all o rings . the through hole 321 of the first leak - proof member 32 is provided for axial insertion of the driven rod 12 of the driving member 10 in such a manner that the first leak - proof member 32 is brought into contact with the outer surface of the driven rod 12 by the bush 322 , stopping member 323 and guiding member 324 . around the outer surface of the first leak - proof member 32 are defined two spaced - apart grooves 325 for accommodation of two stopping members 326 , respectively , which are o rings . one end of the first leak - proof member 32 is engaged with one end of the inner tube 31 , and the outer surface of the first leak - proof member 32 abuts against one end inner surface of the outer tube 35 . the second leak - proof member 33 is defined in the outer surface thereof with two spaced - apart grooves 331 for accommodation of two stopping members 332 which are all o rings . one end of the second leak - proof member 33 is defined with an assembling portion 333 which is cylinder - shaped . around the outer surface of the second leak - proof member 33 is formed a groove 334 for accommodation of a stopping member 335 . the second leak - proof member 33 is further provided with two flow - restricting passages 336 that are not connected to each other . one end of each of the flow - restricting passages 336 penetrates one end of the second leak - proof member 33 , and the other end of each of the flow - restricting passages 336 penetrates a side of the second leak - proof member 33 . the other end of the second leak - proof member 33 is axially defined with a connecting head 337 which is formed with a radial restricting hole 338 . the positioning member 34 has one end to be axially assembled with the assembling portion 333 of the second leak - proof member 33 . the assembling portion 333 of the second leak - proof member 33 is engaged with the other end of the inner tube 31 , and the outer surface of the second leak - proof member 33 abuts against the other end inner surface of the outer tube 35 . both ends of the inner tube 31 are engaged with the first leak - proof member 32 and the second leak - proof member 33 to define a first inner pace a . subsequently , the first leak - proof member 32 , the inner tube 31 and the second leak - proof member 33 are placed into the outer tube 35 . the outer surface of the first leak - proof member 32 is in contact with one end inner surface of the outer tube 32 via the stopping members 326 , and the outer surface of the second leak - proof member 33 is in contact with the other end inner surface of the outer tube 35 via the stopping members 332 in such a manner that a second inner space b is defined between the inner tube 31 and the outer tube 35 . in addition , one end of each of the flow - restricting passages 336 of the second leak - proof member 33 communicates with first inner space a , and the other end of each of the flow - restricting passages 336 of the second leak - proof member 33 communicates with the second inner space b . the second flow - restricting member 40 is a flat piece being axially defined with a central through hole 41 for insertion of the positioning member 34 , and at the outer surface of the second flow - restricting member 40 is formed with a flow - restricting portion 42 . when the positioning member 34 is inserted through the through hole 41 of the second flow - restricting member 40 and then assembled with the assembling portion 333 of the second leak - proof member 33 , the second flow - restricting member 41 is pressed onto the second leak - proof member 33 by the positioning member 34 in such a manner that the flow - restricting portion 42 of the second flow - restricting member 40 cooperates the flow - restricting passage 336 of the second leak - proof member 33 . the elastic member 50 is a spring mounted on the positioning member 34 . one end of the elastic member 50 elastically abuts against the positioning member 34 , and the other end of the elastic member 50 elastically abuts against the second leak - proof member 33 . the first inner space a and the second inner space b of the holder 30 are both pre - filled with an appropriate amount of buffer liquid . the restricting hole 111 of the connecting head 11 of the driving member 10 and the restricting hole 338 of the connecting head 337 of the second leak - proof member 33 respectively cooperate with positioning pieces and screws to position the shock absorber in accordance with the present invention between two beams ( as shown in fig4 and 5 ), so that when the beams are subjected to external force to shake ( please refer to fig6 ), the driving member 10 and the holder 30 of the shock absorber in accordance with the present invention will extend and retract axially . when the shock absorber in accordance with the present invention retracts , the driving member 10 will utilize the driven rod 12 to drive the piston 13 to move axially from the first leak - proof member 32 to the second leak - proof member 33 in the inner tube 31 , so that the buffer liquid between the piston 13 and the second leak - proof member 33 will be compressed to press the second flow - restricting member 40 to abut against assembling portion 333 of the second leak - proof member 33 closely . as a result , the speed at which the buffer liquid in the first inner space a flow to the second inner space b will decrease . while the piston 13 moves forwards , under the condition that the first inner space a is fixed , the buffer liquid in the space defined between the piston 13 and the second leak - proof member 33 will move toward the space defined between the first leak - proof member 32 and the piston 13 . the flow of the buffer liquid will be restricted by the flow - restricting passage 135 of the piston 13 and the flow - restricting portion 22 of the first flow - restricting member 20 , and the flow speed of the buffer liquid can be changed by changing the inner flow passage space . when the shock absorber in accordance with the present invention extends , the driving member 10 will utilize the driven rod 12 to drive the piston 13 to move axially from the second leak - proof member 33 to the first leak - proof member 32 in the inner tube 31 , and the buffer liquid between the piston 13 and the first leak - proof member 32 will be compressed by the piston , so that the second flow - restricting member 40 will not be pressed to abut against the assembling portion 333 of the second leak - proof member 33 closely . as a result , the speed at which the buffer liquid in the second inner space b flow to the second inner space b through the flow - restricting passage 336 of the second leak - proof member 33 will increase . while the piston 13 moves forwards , under the condition that the first inner space a is fixed , the buffer liquid in the space defined between the piston 13 and the first leak - proof member 32 will move toward the space defined between the second leak - proof member 33 and the piston 13 . the flow of the buffer liquid will be restricted by the flow - restricting passage 135 of the piston 13 and the flow - restricting portion 22 of the first flow - restricting member 20 . by such arrangements , the flow - restricting passage 135 of the piston 13 and the flow - restricting portion 22 of the first flow - restricting member 20 can provide such a flow speed that the inertia displacement of the shock absorber can be defeated to decrease the retracting speed of the shock absorber to absorb energy and increase the extending speed of the shock absorber to release the energy . the flow speed of the buffer liquid can be changed by changing the inner flow passage space . referring to fig7 , the piston 13 is provided with an elastic member 60 at each of two ends thereof in the first inner space a . the elastic members 60 are provided to retain and position the shock absorber for preventing the shock absorber from being shaken to deform uncontrollably . the above shock absorber is applicable to houses , motorcycles , cars or mechanical equipments . while we have shown and described various embodiments in accordance with the present invention , it is clear to those skilled in the art that further embodiments may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention . | 4 |
fig1 shows a perspective view of an overall polishing apparatus having a solid polishing member according to the first embodiment of the present invention . the apparatus comprises a base plate 30 ; a table 40 moving linearly in the direction c by a drive mechanism ( not shown ); a wafer holder 45 disposed on the table 40 ; a polishing member 10 disposed at the end of a drive shaft 50 extending from the bottom surface of a support arm 31 . the wafer holder 45 has a wafer holding section for holding the wafer 100 , and is rotated by a drive mechanism provided inside the table 40 . the polishing member 10 has a ring - shaped abrading member 11 ( or pellet - like abrading member arranged in a ring shape ) on the bottom surface of a polishing member support disk ( polishing member holder ) 13 , and is rotated by the shaft 50 . between the drive shaft 50 and the polishing member 10 , a spherical bearing 52 ( fig2 a ) is provided for transmitting a pressing force from the drive shaft 50 to the polishing member 10 . also , drive pins and passive pins ( not shown ) are provided for transmitting rotation from the drive shaft 50 to the polishing member 10 , as in the conventional polishing apparatus shown in fig1 , 12 . the pressure against the wafer is mainly applied by the drive shaft . on both sides of the shaft 50 , pressing devices 20 each having a top end fixed to a side surface at the distal end of the support arm 31 are provided . each pressing device 20 has a pressing cylinder 21 , a rod 23 extending therefrom , and a rotatable roller 25 disposed at the bottom end of the rod 23 . the rollers 25 are on opposite sides of and straddle the rotation axis of the polishing member 10 ; relative to direction c of linear movement of the polishing member 10 , and the rolling surfaces run along the circumferential periphery of the polishing member 10 so as to press on the back surface ( top surface in fig1 ) of the polishing member 10 near its edge . it is permissible to provide one or more than three pressing devices 20 . pressing cylinders ( only one is shown in fig1 ) 21 have respective pressure control units 27 , 28 , and share a control section 29 ( having cpu and other components ) to output control signals for the units 27 , 28 . table 40 is provided with position sensors to detect the position of the table 40 . a pressing pressure control section is thus comprised by the control section 29 , pressure control units 27 , 28 and position sensors disposed on the table 40 . the operation of the apparatus will be explained with reference to fig2 . first , the wafer holder 45 and the polishing member 10 are independently rotated in the respective a , b directions , and the table 40 is linearly and reciprocatingly moved along the direction c to perform uniform polishing of the overall surface of the wafer 100 with the abrading member 11 . the control section 29 detects the positions of the table 40 and the polishing member 10 according to signals output by the position sensors , and outputs control signals to pressure control units 27 , 28 . as illustrated in fig2 a , not only when the polishing member 10 is entirely situated within the wafer 100 , but even when a part of the polishing member is extending out of the wafer 100 , as illustrated in fig2 b , there is no danger of the polishing member 10 tilting , so that control signals are output in such a way that the pressure control units 27 , 28 produce the same pressures . on the other hand , when the control section 29 detects , from the position sensor signals on the table 40 , that the rotation axis of the polishing member 10 is outside the periphery of the wafer 100 , as illustrated in fig2 c , the control section 29 outputs control signals to pressure control units 27 , 28 so that they will be outputting different pressures against the polishing member 10 through the respective cylinders 21 . in other words , pressing pressure of the pressing device 20 for the on - wafer side is made higher relative to that for the off - wafer side . in this manner , the application point of a balancing or leveling pressure will always be projected on the wafer 100 , and there will be no tilting of the polishing member 10 . rotation of the polishing member 10 is not affected adversely by the pressing device 20 because the pressure of cylinders 21 is applied to the back surface of the polishing member 10 through friction reducing rollers 25 . fig3 a ˜ 3 c show a pressure control methodology using the cylinders 21 . the horizontal axis of all the graphs relates to relative positions of wafer and abrading member , and on the vertical axis , fig3 a shows ratios of contact area of abrading member to wafer ; fig3 b shows ratios of pressures in the pressing cylinders ; and fig3 c shows respective cylinder pressures . as shown in fig3 a , when the rotation axis m of the polishing member 10 is near the central area of the wafer 100 , the total surface area of the abrading member 11 is in contact with the wafer 100 . when the polishing member 10 moves to the left or the right to overhang from the edge of the wafer 100 , the contact area between the abrading member 11 and the wafer changes rapidly . therefore , in order to maintain the pressure of abrading member 11 on the wafer constant , the pressing force exerted on the polishing member 10 must be reduced accordingly . as shown in fig3 b , when the rotation axis m of the polishing member 10 moves away from the edge of the wafer 100 , the off - wafer side pressing device 20 must exert less pressure relative to the on - wafer side pressing device 20 . the two pressing devices 20 are operated in such a way that the further the polishing member 10 is away from the edge of the wafer 100 the higher the ratio of the pressures in the two pressing devices 20 so as to maintain a balancing pressure within the wafer 100 . as shown in fig3 c , the magnitude of the pressure is maintained the same in each pressing device 20 when the rotation axis m is located within the wafer 100 , but as the rotation axis m moves away from the edge of the wafer , the pressure in the on - wafer side pressing device 20 is made higher than that in the off - wafer side pressing device 20 . as the rotation axis m moves further away from the edge of the wafer 100 , pressures are altered as shown in fig3 c , so that the actual magnitude of the pressure will be adjusted according to the ratios of the pressures as seen in fig3 b at corresponding relative locations of the abrading member 11 and the wafer 100 . accordingly , even when the rotation axis m moves off the edge of the wafer 100 , it is possible to control the orientation or desired posture of the abrading member 11 to abrade on the wafer 100 , thereby expanding the operational range of the polishing member 10 . the same effect can be achieved by using magnetic bearings . fig4 a ˜ 4 c show examples of the use of different types of magnetic bearings . a pair of magnetic bearings 121 , 121 a , 121 b are used as shown in fig4 a ˜ 4 c to non - contactingly support abrading member support disk 13 e to balance the load on polishing member 10 e . in fig4 b , the balancing mechanism is provided on a cylindrical portion of the abrading member support disk 13 e . such arrangements of paired magnetic bearings 121 , 121 a , 121 b are effective in leveling the abrading member support disk 13 and expand the operational control range of the polishing member 10 . fig5 shows essential parts of a second embodiment of polishing member 10 a and pressing devices 20 a . this polishing member 10 a includes an abrading member support disk 13 a and a ring - shaped abrading member 11 a ( or pellet - like abrading member arranged in a ring shape ) and is provided with an outer edge or brim section 15 a around the circumference of the disk 13 a that is outside the abrading member 11 a . in this case , shaft 50 a is used only to support the polishing member 10 a and is not rotated . the pressing devices 20 a comprises a pair of upper rollers 25 a and a pair of lower rollers 26 a , each provided at the end of a rod 23 a extending from the bottom of a respective pressing cylinder 21 a . left and right pairs of upper and lower rollers 25 a , 26 a are used to clamp the brim section 15 a . one upper roller 25 a is rotated by an abrading member drive motor 27 a provided on the outside of the respective pressing device 20 a . in this polishing member 10 a , abrading member drive motor 27 a is operated to rotate the polishing member 10 a , and concurrently the pressures of the pressing devices 20 a are individually adjusted to maintain the polishing member 10 a in a level position or desired posture even if the rotation axis m of the polishing member 10 a moves away from the edge of the wafer 100 . fig6 a , 6 b show essential parts of a third embodiment of polishing member 10 b and three pressing devices 20 b in a side view in fig6 a , and in a plan view in fig6 b . the polishing member 10 b is the same as the polishing member 10 a shown in fig5 and comprises an abrading member 11 b attached to the bottom surface of an abrading member support disk 13 b , and a brim section 15 b on the edge of the abrading member support disk 13 b . however , this polishing member 10 b does not have a shaft 50 a shown in fig5 . the pressing device 20 b is also the same as the pressing device 20 a shown in fig5 and comprises upper and lower rollers 25 b , 26 b attached to the end of a rod 23 b so as to clamp the brim section 15 b , and one of the pressing rollers 20 b is provided with a drive motor 27 b . in this embodiment , each pressing device 20 b is provided , at the end of the respective rod 23 b , with an edge guide roller 17 b to guide the abrading member support disk 13 b , by contacting the outer vertical periphery of the disk 13 b . in effect , the shaft 50 a for supporting the polishing member 10 a in the second embodiment is replaced with the edge guide rollers 17 b in this embodiment . the polishing member 10 b is rotated by operating the abrading member drive motor 27 b , and concurrently , individual pressures in the pressing devices 20 b are adjusted to maintain the polishing member 10 b in a level position or desired posture even if the rotation axis m of the polishing member 10 b moves away from the edge of the wafer 100 , as in the second embodiment . fig7 shows a schematic side view of pressing devices 20 c for leveling a polishing member 10 c in a fourth embodiment . the polishing member 10 c is the same as the polishing member 10 a shown in fig5 and comprises an abrading member 11 c attached to the bottom surface of an abrading member support disk 13 c , and a brim section 15 c on the edge of the abrading member support disk 13 c . in this case , shaft 50 c supports and rotates the polishing member 10 c . each pressing device 20 c is provided with only a lower roller 26 c provided at the end of a rod 23 c , extending from the bottom of a respective pressing cylinder 21 c , to contact the bottom surface of the brim section 15 c . in this embodiment , the polishing member 10 c is rotated by rotating the shaft 50 c , and concurrently , each of the pressing devices 20 c is adjusted to vary the lift force exerted through the rod 23 c to maintain the polishing member 10 c in a level position or desired posture even if the rotation axis m of the polishing member 10 c moves away from the edge of the wafer 100 , as in the second embodiment . fig8 shows a schematic side view of pressing devices 20 d for leveling a polishing member 10 d in a fifth embodiment . the polishing member 10 d is the same as the polishing member 10 a shown in fig5 and comprises an abrading member 11 d attached to the bottom surface of an abrading member support disk 13 d , and a brim section 15 d on the edge of the abrading member support disk 13 d which is rotated with a shaft 50 d . the pressing device 20 d is the same as the pressing device 20 c shown in fig7 and is provided with only a lower roller 26 d provided at the end of a rod 23 d , extending from the bottom of a respective pressing cylinder 21 d , to contact the bottom surface of the brim section 15 d . in this embodiment , two position sensors 60 are provided near the edge of the top surface of the polishing member 10 d , and signals output from the position sensors 60 are input in a position sensor signal amplification circuit 63 in a control device 61 , and a pressing cylinder drive circuit 67 outputs control signals to the pressing cylinders 21 d according to an abrading member tilt computation section 65 . in this embodiment , polishing is performed with the polishing member 10 d inclined at angle θ to the wafer 100 , as shown in fig8 . regardless of the location of the rotation axis m of the polishing member 10 d , pressure values for the pressing cylinders 21 d are computed and controlled so that , in this case , the vertical distance between the right position sensor 60 and the polishing member 10 d is longer than the distance between the left position sensor 60 and the polishing member 10 d . by controlling the pressing cylinders 21 d in this manner , the abrading member 11 d is tilted at a given angle , and moves over the surface of the wafer 100 while maintaining such tilt or desired posture . the reason for tilting the abrading member 11 is as follows . when the abrading member 11 d is made to contact the wafer 100 at a given angle , as illustrated in fig8 and 9 , because of a specific elasticity of the abrading member 11 d , contact occurs not over a line contact but over a contact area s . the contact area s is always a specific constant value , no matter where the abrading member 11 is moved over the wafer 100 . therefore , uniform polishing of the entire surface of the wafer may be achieved easily , by controlling the feed speed of the abrading member 11 d , and because the contact area s is always constant , pressure control is simplified . in contrast , when the entire abrading surface of the abrading member 11 d is in contact with the wafer 100 , the contact area varies depending on where the abrading member 11 d is on the wafer so that the control parameters ( feed speed for abrading member 11 d and pressing pressure on abrading member 11 d ) to provide uniform polishing become more complex . the control method based on position sensors 60 and the control device 61 can be applied to the foregoing first to fourth embodiments . in other words , the method is equally applicable when it is not desired to tilt the polishing member . also , the above embodiments each utilizes a cup - type abrading member ( 11 , 11 a , 11 b , 11 c , 11 d ), but a disc - type abrading member can be used to produce the same effects . locations for applying balancing pressure and the number of pressing devices are not limited to those demonstrated in the foregoing embodiments , and they can be changed to suit each application , for example , the pressing location may only be one location . in the case of first to third embodiments , the abrading member is pushed towards the workpiece to be polished , therefore , when the rotation axis projects off the wafer , it is necessary to press on any area still remaining on the workpiece by lowering the pressing cylinders . on the other hand , in fourth and fifth embodiments , the abrading member is forced to be lifted away from the workpiece so that , when the rotation axis projects off the workpiece , it is necessary to lift any area that is off the workpiece by raising the pressing cylinders . the important point is to adjust the pressing devices in such a way that even though the rotation axis may be off the workpiece , the point of applying a balancing pressure is always projected within the workpiece . also , in the fifth embodiment , pressing devices 20 d were controlled according to position sensors 60 , but the pressures of the pressing devices 20 d can be controlled by using other sensing means such as to directly detect the tilting angle of the cup - type abrading member 10 d . in some cases , the conventional cmp process may be applied either before or after the polishing process based on the abrading member according to the present invention . fig1 shows a schematic side view of a sixth embodiment of the polishing member used in conjunction with a combination of a turntable and a top ring . the polishing apparatus comprises a rotating turntable 71 and a polishing cloth ( polishing tool ) 72 mounted on top thereof , and a rotating top ring 73 holding a wafer ( workpiece ) 74 in the bottom section to press against the polishing cloth 72 . polishing is performed using a polishing solution including free abrading grains suspended therein . as in the first embodiment , a pair of pressing devices 76 are provided for balancing purposes so as to straddle the rotation axis 0 of the top ring 73 . in this example , they are disposed symmetrically across the rotation axis 0 . the pressing devices 76 can be selected from many choices including hydraulic pressure devices based on water or oil or air , and balance control may be achieved by elasticity , piezoelectric controls and others means . in this case , the top ring 73 is rotated by a rotation shaft 75 and , at the same time , is pressed against the wafer 73 by the two pressing devices 76 . this arrangement is effective in providing balanced polishing or desired posture , even when the rotation axis 0 is off the edge of the table 71 , by adjusting the pressures in the pressing devices 76 so as to maintain the projected point of applying a balancing pressure for the top ring 73 within the turntable 7 to prevent tilting of the top ring 73 . polishing cloth 72 may be replaced with a polishing member of various types such as an abrasive stone . locations of the pressing devices 76 and their designs may be changed to suit each application . the number of pressing devices may be varied from a minimum of one device to more than three devices . also , the pressing devices 76 may be made in the same manner as those in the second to fifth embodiments . | 1 |
the present invention is not limited to the specific exemplary embodiments illustrated herein . in addition , although several embodiments of sub - cube interpolation will be discussed in the context of a color laser printer , one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize after understanding this specification that the disclosed embodiments of sub - cube interpolation have applicability in any interpolative data transformation between spaces . for example , the interpolations required for the rendering of three dimensional graphics could advantageously use the disclosed interpolation techniques . sub - cube interpolation using tetrahedral interpolation to generate each of the vertices of the successive sub - cubes is taught in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 748 , 176 the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein . however , the method for generation of the sub - cube vertex values disclosed in this patent requires a large number of computations . a need exists for a method of generating the sub - cube vertex values which is more computationally efficient . shown in fig1 a is a cubic lattice 1 . the cubic lattice is formed of a multiplicity of cubes with the vertices of the cubes representing values in the output color space . the input color space values are each partitioned into an upper portion and a lower portion . the upper portion of each of the input color space values serves as an index to address the vertex values of the cubic lattice 1 used for interpolation . the lower portion of each of the input color space values is used to interpolate between the output color space values accessed using the upper portion of the input color space value . each of the dimensions of the cubic lattice 1 correspond to one of the components of the input color space value . the values associated with the vertices of cubic lattice 1 are used to generate output color space values . each of the output color space values has multiple components corresponding to the dimensions of the output color space . conversion is done from the input color space values to components of the output color space values . conversion to each output color space value component uses a distinct set of vertex values . for the case in which there are three components to each of the output color space values , there are three sets of vertex values used for the color space conversion . for this case , it would be possible to regard each vertex value as formed of three values with each of the three values selected from one of the three sets . viewing the vertex values in this way , the conversion to each of the components of the output color space values would be performed in parallel . it is also possible to perform the conversion to each of the output color space components serially . done in this manner , the conversion can be viewed as using three separate cubic lattices , one corresponding to each set of vertex values . shown in fig1 b is a general graphical representation of the interpolation process . consider , for example the conversion of an input color space value ( a , b , c ) 10 , representing a color in a cylindrical color space , to an output color space value ( x , y , z ) representing that same color in a cartesian color space . in this example , each of a , b , and c are represented by eight bits . each of the three groups of eight bits can be partitioned , for example , into four upper bits 10a ( represented by a u , b u , and c u ) and four lower bits 10b ( represented by a l , b l , and c l ). the three groups of four upper bits 10a are used as an index into the cubic lattice 1 to retrieve the eight values corresponding to the vertices of a cube within the cubic lattice 1 that will be used as interpolation data values . the three groups of four lower bits 10b are then used to interpolate between the eight interpolation data values corresponding to the vertices of the cubic lattice 1 to generate a component of the output color space value 11 . one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that other partitions of the bits of the input color space value 10 are possible . the particular partition of the bits will depend upon such things as the size of the memory available to store the values of the output color space used for the interpolation and the amount of change in the output color space value that occurs between vertices of cubic lattice 1 . a tradeoff exists between the accuracy of the interpolation and the size of the memory used to store the output color space values used as the interpolation data values . if the characteristics of the output color space are such that it changes relatively linearly throughout the color space , then fewer vertices in cubic lattice 1 are necessary to deliver an acceptable level of interpolation accuracy . the index formed by a u , b u , and c u serves as an entry point into the cubic lattice . the index addresses one vertex of the eight vertices of the cube used as the interpolation data values . each of the vertices of the cube corresponds to a value used for interpolating to generate one component of the output color space value 11 . the eight associated vertices of a cube in the cubic lattice 1 have the following relative addresses : the cube subdivision interpolation method disclosed in the u . s . pat . no . 5 , 748 , 176 performs an interpolation by generating a sub - cube using the values associated with the vertices of the previously generated sub - cube . the initial cube formed by the vertex values associated with the three groups of upper order bits ( a u , b u , c u ) 10a is used to generate the first sub - cube . this initial cube can be divided into eight sub - cubes . the three groups of lower order bits 10 b ( a l , b l , c l ) are used to select one of the eight possible sub - cubes formed for the next iteration of sub - cube division . these three groups of lower order bits 10b identify in which of the eight possible sub - cubes the result of the interpolation will be located . when the sub - cube which contains the result of the interpolation is identified , this sub - cube is used to generate the next sub - cube which contains the result of the interpolation . this process is successively repeated until the last sub - cube containing the result of the interpolation is generated . one of the values associated with a vertex of this last sub - cube generated is used as the result of the interpolation . fig2 a through 2d graphically represent the selection of a sub - cube using the three groups of lower order bits 10b ( a l , b l , c l ). for purposes of explaining the sub - cube selection , consider the case in which the lower order bits 10b for each component of the input color space value consists of four bits . shown in each of fig2 a through 2d are the axes corresponding to the a , b , and c components of the input color space value . each of these axes corresponds to a dimension of the input color space . sub - cubes are designated using one corresponding bit ( corresponding in the sense that they are coefficients of the same power of 2 ) from the lower order bits 10b of each component of the input color space value . each bit position of the lower order bits 10b of each component can be viewed as dividing the cube in half along the dimension corresponding to the component . the value of the bit for each component determines which half of the cube is selected in the corresponding dimension , for the purpose of determining in which sub - cube the result of the interpolation is located . the selected sub - cube will be the volume defined by the intersection of the cube halves selected by the corresponding bits of each component of the lower order bits 10b of the input color space value . if the bit of the lower order bits 10b for the component is a &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ;, a corner of the selected cube half is displaced one half the length along the corresponding axis from the origin of the cube . if the bit of the component is a &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ;, the corner of the selected cube half includes the origin of the cube . shown in fig3 a through 3h are the eight possible sub - cubes defined by the common intersection of the cube halves designated by the corresponding bit from each of a l , b l , and c l . by numbering the vertices of the cubes in a manner that is consistent with the assignment of the groups of lower order bits 10b of the components of the input color space value to the axes , the vertex of the cube used to generate the sub - cube associated with a vertex of the sub - cube to be generated , is designated by the binary value formed by combining the corresponding bits from each of the groups of lower order bits 10b of the components . shown in fig4 is a cube with the axes labeled and with the vertices numbered . the cube used to generate a sub - cube and the generated sub - cube share a vertex . with this assignment of vertex numbers , the number of the vertex of the cube used to generate the sub - cube which is included within the sub - cube generated is the binary value formed from the corresponding bits of a l , b l , and c l for a given bit position . an example will be explained to illustrate the interpolation using the sub - cube generation . assume that the following values are used for a l , b l , and c l : with these values assigned to a l , b l , and c l , the vertex number 6 ( computed by selecting the most significant bit from each of a l , b l , and c l and concantenating these into a binary value ) of the cube used to generate the first sub - cube is also a vertex of the first sub - cube . the vertex of the first sub - cube included within the second sub - cube generated is vertex number 2 ( computed by selecting the second most significant bit from each of a l , b l , and c l and concantenating these into a binary value ). the vertex of the second sub - cube included with the third sub - cube generated is vertex number 7 ( computed by selecting the third most significant bit from each of a l , b l , and c l and concantenating these into a binary value ). the vertex of the third sub - cube included with the fourth sub - cube generated is vertex number 1 ( computed by selecting the fourth most significant bit from each of a l , b l , and c l and concantenating these into a binary value ). the vertex values of the first sub - cube are generated with the vertex values accessed using the upper order bits ( a u , b u , c u ) 10a of the components of the input color space value . the vertex values of the second sub - cube are generated using the vertex values generated for the first sub - cube . the vertex values of the third sub - cube are generated using the vertex values generated for the second sub - cube . finally , the vertex values of the fourth sub - cube are generated using the vertex values generated for the third sub - cube . in sub - cube interpolation , the value associated with the vertex numbered 0 of the final sub - cube generated is the value used as the result of the interpolation . this result is one component of the output color space value . this sub - cube generation procedure could be applied with an arbitrary number of bits used to specify each component of the lower order bits 10b of the input color space value . a variety of methods have been previously employed for the generation of the sub - cube values . these methods include tetrahedral , pyramid , prism , and trilinear . radial sub - cube generation is a new method of sub - cube generation which achieves a substantial reduction in the computational complexity required to generate the sub - cubes . it should be recognized that each interpolation method can generate different results because the interpolation process is an approximation of the color space conversion . depending upon the location in the color space where the conversion is performed and the preferred characteristics of the result , one method may yield more desirable results than another . shown in fig5 is a graphical representation of the radial sub - cube generation method . clearly explaining the radial sub - cube generation process requires some notational definition . as was previously the case , a l , b l , and c l designate the lower order bits 10b of the respective a , b , and c components of input color space value . the value of the variable i will be used to designate the bit position within the lower order bits 10b ( a l , b l , c l ), as shown below , for the case in which four bits are used to designate each component of the lower order bits 10b . the maximum value of i ( a value of 3 ) corresponds to the most significant bit position of the lower order bits 10b . the minimum value of i ( a value of 0 ) corresponds to the least significant bit position of the lower order bits 10b . as one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize , this notation is easily adapted for a different number of bits used for each component of the lower order bits 10b . for n bits used to represent the lower order bits 10b , the value of i ranges from n - 1 to 0 . table 2______________________________________i : 3 2 1 0______________________________________a . sub . 1 : 1 0 1 0b . sub . 1 : 1 1 1 0c . sub . 1 : 0 0 1 1______________________________________ using this notation , the value of i indirectly indicates the iteration of the sub - cube generation . a value of i equal to 3 , corresponds to generation of the first sub - cube . this first sub - cube includes vertex number 6 from the cube formed by accessing the values of cubic lattice 1 using the upper order bits 10a . for the value of i equal to 0 , the fourth sub - cube is generated . this fourth sub - cube includes vertex number 1 from the third sub - cube generated . to determine the vertex number of the cube used to generate the sub - cube which is included within the sub - cube , the following equation is used : in equation 1a , v ( i ) represents the vertex number of the cube included within the generated sub - cube . each of the a l ( i ), b l ( i ), and c l ( i ) represents the binary value associated with the &# 34 ; ith &# 34 ; position in the respective component of the lower order bits 10b . for each value of i , equation 1a yields the correct number of the vertex of the cube used to generate the sub - cube which will be included within the desired sub - cube . the values which i may assume include the integers from n - 1 to 0 inclusive , where n is the number of bits used to specify each of the components of the lower order bits 10b of the input color space value . the value of the vertex having the number v ( i ) is designated by p [ v ( i )]. equation 1a can be generalized for input color space value 10 formed from d components . given below is a generalized expression for v [ i ]: v [ i ]= 2 . sup . d - 1 × 1b . sub . l [ i ]+ 2 . sup . d - 2 × 1b . sub . 2 [ i ]+ 2 . sup . d - 3 × 1b . sub . 3 [ i ]+ . . . + 2 . sup . d - d × 1b . sub . d [ i ] eqn . 1b in equation 1b , each of the &# 34 ; 1b &# 34 ; represent the lower order bits 10b one of the d components of the input color space value 10 . as in equation 1a , the values of i include the integers from n - 1 to 0 inclusive . the values associated with the eight vertices of the sub - cube are generated from the cube as shown in table 3 . those vertex values designated by p &# 39 ;[ sub - cube vertex number ] represent sub - cube vertex values and those vertex values designated by p [ cube vertex number ] represent the vertex values of the cube used to generate the sub - cube vertex values . a given value of a sub - cube vertex is generated by averaging the corresponding vertex value of the cube from which the sub - cube is generated with the value of the vertex of the cube used to generate the sub - cube included within the sub - cube ( this is the value designated by p [ v ( i )]. shown in fig6 a through fig6 e is a graphical representation of multiple iterations of the sub - cube division process used in radial interpolation . the values used for the components of the lower order bits 10b of the input color space value in the example of fig6 are the same as those shown in table 2 . the values of the vertices of the cube used for generation of the first sub - cube ( these values are accessed using the higher order bits 10a of the input color space value ) are loaded from a color table stored in memory . after the final iteration of sub - cube division , vertex number 0 of the final sub - cube is used as the result of the interpolation process . to prevent the accumulation of rounding errors during the actual computation of the sub - cube vertex values , the required division by 2 for each iteration of sub - cube generation is performed only on the values of the vertices of the final sub - cube generated . when the division is performed in this manner , the divisor used is 2 n , where n is the number of bits assigned to each component of the lower order bits 10b . division by 2 n can be performed easily by performing a right shift operation . for the case in which n = 4 , this divisor is 16 . with the division operation not performed until after the generation of the final sub - cube vertex values , the sub - cube generation process reduces to a series of additions of selected vertex values of the generated sub - cubes . shown in fig7 is a hardware implementation of a radial interpolator 100 . in addition , fig7 illustrates the progression of the radial interpolation through radial interpolator 100 using values for v [ i ] corresponding to lower order bits 10b of table 2 . each of the values ( p [ 0 ] through p [ 7 ]) associated with the eight vertices selected using upper order bits 10a is coupled to a multiplexer input of first multiplexer 101 . the value of v [ i ], for i equal to 3 , is coupled to the control input of first multiplexer 101 . the value of v [ i ], for i equal to 3 , is used to select the value associated with the vertex of the cube selected using upper order bits 10a that will be included in the first sub - cube generated . the output of first multiplexer 101 is coupled to a first input of each adder of a first set of adders 102 composed of eight adders . the second input of each adder of the first set of adders 102 is coupled to one of the values selected using upper order bits 10a . first multiplexer 101 and first set of adders 102 form a first stage of radial interpolator 100 . it can be seen , that with this configuration of multiplexer 101 and first set of adders 102 , the averaging operations of table 3 ( without the division by two , which , as previously mentioned , is delayed until all the iterations of radial interpolation are completed ) for a single iteration of radial interpolation are completed . a second , third , and fourth stage of radial interpolator 100 are formed from , respectively , a second multiplexer 103 and second set of adders 104 , a third multiplexer 105 and third set of adders 106 , and a fourth multiplexer 107 and fourth set of adders 108 . the control inputs of the second 103 , third 105 , and fourth 107 multiplexer inputs are coupled to , respectively , v [ i = 2 ], v [ i = 1 ], and v [ i = 0 ]. the second , third , and fourth stages of radial interpolator perform successive iterations of radial interpolation with each iteration using the relationships of table 3 ( again delaying the division by two until completion of all iterations ). shown in fig8 is high level flow diagram of a method for performing a single iteration of radial interpolation . first , 2 d of interpolation data values are selected 200 using upper order bits 10a . for the case in which the radial interpolation is used for color space conversion , the interpolation data values correspond to vertex values of the selected cube . in addition , for color space conversion d is typically equal to 3 , the number of components of the input color space value 10 . after vertex values are selected 200 , the vertex number of the vertex value required for that iteration is computed 201 . for d equals 3 , equation 1 a is used to compute 201 the required vertex number . depending on the iteration of radial interpolation , the value of i used to compute v [ i ] can range from i = 3 to i = 0 . after computation 201 of the vertex number , one of the 2 d of interpolation data values is selected 202 using the computed vertex number . finally a set of 2 d averages is computed 203 according to the relationships of table 3 . to avoid rounding errors the required divisions by 2 for averaging are delayed until all iterations of interpolation are performed . it was recognized that the number of computations required to perform radial interpolation as shown in fig7 could be substantially reduced . examination of the radial interpolation process of fig7 reveals that determination of the interpolation result does not require the use of all eight of the vertex values accessed by the upper order bits 10a , nor does it require the use of all the adders shown in fig7 . shown in fig9 is a diagrammatic representation of pruned radial interpolation . fig9 can be understood by working backward from the interpolation result shown in fig7 to determine the values of the vertices ( accessed using the upper order bits 10a ) that are required to generate the result . as previously mentioned , the value of vertex number 0 ( p [ 0 ]) of the final sub - cube generated is used as the result of the interpolation . using the equations listed in table 3 ( without the division by 2 ), the vertices of the sub - cube immediately previous to the final sub - cube that are used to compute the value of vertex number 0 of the final sub - cube can be determined . similarly , the equations listed in table 3 can be used to determine the vertices of the sub - cube two previous to the final sub - cube that are necessary to compute the needed vertices of the sub - cube immediately previous to the final sub - cube . this method for determining the vertices of each of the sub - cubes necessary to compute p [ 0 ] of the final sub - cube is performed with each value of i from 0 to 3 for the case in which n = 4 . if this is done , the result shows that the values used to compute p [ 0 ] of the final sub - cube consist of only some of the values corresponding to the vertices of the cube accessed by the higher order bits 10a of the input color space value . as a result , only 10 of the 32 adders of fig7 are used for computing a interpolation result from a given input color space value 10 . for the values of the lower order bits 10b shown in table 2 , the vertex numbers of the cube accessed by the higher order bits 10a to which the values used to compute p [ 0 ] of the final sub - cube correspond are : 0 , 6 , 2 , 7 , and 1 . the values of the vertices of the cube accessed by the higher order bits 10b corresponding to this are : p [ 0 ], p [ 6 ], p [ 2 ], p [ 7 ], and p [ 1 ]. in general , the values of the vertices of the cube accessed using the higher order bits 10a that are used to compute p [ 0 ] of the final sub - cube are p [ 0 ], p [ v ( i = 3 )], p [ v ( i = 2 )], p [ v ( i = 1 )], p [ v ( i = 0 )]. the general expression which can be derived for n = 4 is : equation 2 is an expression for computing a result using pruned radial interpolation with n = 4 . a generalized expression for the pruned radial interpolation is : ## equ1 ## equation 3 can be used to generalize the computation of the pruned radial interpolation result . it should be noted that in equation 2 and the generalized expression in equation 3 , the value associated with vertex number 0 of the cube selected using higher order bits 10a is always used . had the value of a vertex number other than vertex number 0 of the final sub - cube generated been used as the result of the interpolation , the value of that vertex number of the originally selected cube would be used in place of p [ 0 ]. the hardware functional blocks required to perform the pruned radial interpolation include adders and multiplexers . with d dimensions in the output color space and n bits representing each group of lower order bits 10b of the input color space value , the requirements of the hardware implementation of the pruned radial interpolation can be computed as : it should be noted that extra adder specified in equation 4 is used for the purpose of rounding . additional operations which must be performed by the hardware include multiplication , division , and concatenation . the multiplication and division operations by a power of two can be performed by shifting bit positions . in hardware , this shifting is accomplished by connecting a line corresponding to a bit to a higher order position for multiplication or to a lower order position for division . in hardware , concatenation is accomplished by grouping lines , corresponding to bit positions , together . therefore , the multiplication , division , and concatenation operations can be performed without the necessity of adding additional hardware . to generate the gate level design necessary to implement the pruned radial interpolation in hardware , a commonly used hardware description language , such as vhdl , may be used . included in fig3 is a listing of the vhdl code which can generate a hardware implementation of pruned radial interpolation . shown in fig1 is a hardware implementation of a pruned radial interpolator 300 for n equal to 4 . it should be noted that the hardware implementation shown in fig1 can be used to generate a single component of the output color space value 11 . this same hardware could be used repetitively for an additional ( d - 1 ) passes to generate the remaining d - 1 components of the output color space value 11 . or , there could be an additional ( d - 1 ) replications of the hardware implementation shown in fig1 to generate each of d components simultaneously . pruned radial interpolator 300 is a hardware implementation of equation 2 without the division by 16 . the division by 16 could be accomplished by bit shifting the result of the additions . selection of four of the five vertex values ( p [ 6 ], p [ 2 ], p [ 7 ], and p [ 1 ]) used to compute the interpolation result requires four multiplexers 301 - 304 . the four required additions are accomplished using four adders 305 - 308 . the fifth vertex value required for computation of the interpolation result , p [ 0 ], is hard wired into the inputs of one of the adders . it should be noted that because of the associative property of addition , the hardware implementation of fig1 may be implemented so that the additions are performed in a number of different orders . the order shown in fig1 minimizes propagation delay through the adders . furthermore , other means for adding may be used . for example , a single adder that had a sufficient number of inputs could be used . or , a microprocessor could be used to accomplish the additions . the three multiplication operations 309 - 311 correspond to multiplication by the coefficients 8 , 4 , and 2 of the first three terms on the right side of equation 2 . it should be noted that multiplication operations 309 - 311 are accomplished in hardware by routing of the lines corresponding to the bit positions on each of the respective multiplexer outputs . therefore , these multiplications are implemented without additional hardware cost . it is possible to implement the multiplications through the routing of lines because all of the coefficients are powers of 2 . one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the hardware implementation shown in fig1 is adaptable for values of n greater than 4 or less than 4 . consider the hardware implementation of a pruned radial interpolator for n equal to 1 . this hardware implementation of pruned radial interpolation would be useful for an interpolation which performs a single iteration of cube subdivision and then selects one of the vertex values of the generated sub - cube as the interpolation result . this hardware implementation of pruned radial interpolation requires only a single multiplexer and a single adder ( of course the rounding at the end requires an additional adder but this additional adder is not shown in fig1 ). shown in fig1 is a high level flow diagram of a generalized method of pruned radial interpolation for input color space values 10 having d components with each set of lower order bits 10b having n bits . first , n values are computed 400 using equation 1b , next , n + 1 interpolation data values ( which correspond to vertex values in a color space conversion ) are selected 401 using the computed n values and higher order bits 10a . finally , the interpolation result is computed 402 by multiplying and adding the selected n + 1 interpolation data values according to equation 3 . a software implementation of the pruned radial interpolation is computationally very efficient . with d input dimensions , d output dimensions and 2 n values between vertices of cubic lattice 1 , the number of computations required to generate an interpolation result can be computed as : the number of memory accesses required to generate the interpolation result can be computed as : it should be noted that , unlike many other interpolation methods , both the number of alu operations and the number of memory accesses are linear in d , d , and , n which results in the relative computational efficiency of pruned radial interpolation . shown in fig1 is a high level flow diagram of a method implemented in software to perform the pruned radial interpolation . first , a determination 500 is made if any one of the components of the input color space value ( a , b , c ) 10 corresponds to a location on an outer boundary of the cubic lattice 1 . this is the case if any one or more of the components of the input color space value has a value of ff hexadecimal . if this is the case , then , for purposes of generating the index into the cubic lattice 1 to retrieve the necessary vertex values , the components of the input color space value 10 which have a value of ff hexadecimal are assigned 501 a value of 100 hexadecimal . assignment of a value of 100 hexadecimal to those input color space values of ff hexadecimal is done to address a special case in the interpolation . to illustrate this special case , consider the representation of the input color space values 10 by eight bits for each component , with each component partitioned into four upper order bits and four lower order bits . with this partitioning , the higher order bits can form the index values 00 , 10 , 20 , 30 , . . . f0 hexadecimal for each component . the four lower order bits for each component will be used to interpolate between the output color space values 11 accessed using the index values . the difference between the pair of output color space values 11 accessed using successive index values from 00 hexadecimal to f0 hexadecimal is spanned in 16 equal increments . with each successive increment , the associated value is increased 1 / 16 of the difference between the accessed pair of output color space values 11 , when going from the lower output color space value to the higher output color space value . for example , after 5 increments , the associated value is 5 / 16 of the difference between the accessed pair of output color space values 11 . using the four lower order bits , the value associated with the corresponding number of increments is added to the output color space value 11 selected using the higher order bits to generate the interpolation result . however a problem arises between index values f0 and ff ( index value 100 does not exist in the table ) for each component of the input color space value 10 . between f0 and ff there are only 15 increments and the output color space value 11 accessed by ff corresponds to an outer boundary of the output color space . however , the interpolation process is designed to operate on 16 increments between the output color space values 11 accessed using the index values . to address this problem , the output color space values 11 corresponding to the index value ff are mapped to a location having and address of 100 hexadecimal . this mapping effectively distributes the difference in the output color space values 11 corresponding to index values f0 and ff hexadecimal over 16 increments instead of 15 . because of this , there will be slight errors resulting from the interpolation between index values f0 and ff . although not shown in the hardware block diagrams , the handling of this special case in the interpolation is performed in the hardware implementations of the various interpolator embodiments . after any necessary reassignment of input color space value 10 , the indices used to access the values corresponding to the required vertices of the selected cube in cubic lattice 1 are computed 502 . finally , the values for each component of the output color space value ( x , y , z ) 11 are computed 503 . provided in fig3 of this specification is the code of an implementation in c , for n = 4 , of the high level method of pruned radial interpolation shown in fig1 . it should be recognized that a number of possible processor specific optimizations of the software for performing pruned radial interpolation can be performed . for example , by combining all the components of each output color space values 11 into a single word , the number of memory accesses required to perform the conversion to the output color space value 11 can be reduced . another possible optimization exploits the ability of the alu to perform 32 bit operations . by assigning bits 0 - 7 of an alu word to handle the computation of the y component of the output color space value and bits 16 - 23 to handle the computation of the x component of the output color space value , a single sequence of shifts and adds can be used to generate the x and y components in parallel . it is also possible to implement pruned radial interpolation in hardware . the computational efficiencies which existed in the software implementation of pruned radial interpolation are present in the hardware implementation as reduced hardware requirements . tetrahedral interpolation partitions the cube accessed by the higher order bits 10a of the color space input value into a number of tetrahedrons used for generation of the sub - cube containing the result of the interpolation . the resulting sub - cube is then partitioned into tetrahedrons . two of these tetrahedrons are then used to generate yet another sub - cube containing the result of the interpolation . the successive division of generated sub - cubes into tetrahedrons is performed n times , where n is the number of bits used to represent each of the components of the lower order bits 10b of the input color space value 10 . shown in fig1 is representation of the outer bounds of a cmy or a rgb color space . as can be seen from fig1 , the vertices of the cube 600 formed by the outer bounds of these color spaces include values corresponding to the constituent colors of each of the color spaces . a characteristic of the cmy and rgb color spaces is that the diagonal connected between the white 601 and black 602 vertices of the color space corresponds to the luminance axis . points along the luminance axis have values which correspond to various shades of gray . as previously mentioned , the higher order bits 10a of the input color space value 10 are used to access eight associated values forming a cube located within cube 600 . analogous to the cube 600 representing the cmy or rgb color space , each of the selected cubes can be regarded as a kind of miniature color space , with the values corresponding to each of the eight vertices having colors which are weighted toward the colors of the corresponding vertices of cube 600 . for example , the vertex of the selected cube spatially corresponding to the yellow vertex 603 is the vertex having a value closest to the value for the color yellow within in the selected cube . the other seven vertices of the selected cube can be viewed similarly . the diagonal connecting vertex 0 and vertex 7 serves to define a constant chromance line between the colors associated with the vertices of the selected cube . certain artifacts can arise from the reproduction of colors in the printing process . these artifacts are visually perceptible as colors which deviate from those specified by the color space value input to the printing process . the artifacts are particularly noticeable for input color space values located near the luminance axis . input color space values near the luminance axis correspond to shades of gray with small amounts of color . factors in the color reproduction process which may push the resulting color farther off the luminance axis than intended are easily perceived in a gray field . the artifacts appear as colors in fields which should include only various shades of gray along the luminance axis . the artifacts can arise from , among other things , the characteristics of the process used for printing ( such as an electrophotographic or inkjet printing process ) or characteristics of the colorants ( such as toner or ink ) used in the printing process . variability in the parameters of the printing process result in the reproduction of colors off the luminance axis when the result should have been gray . tetrahedral interpolation , in some circumstances , reduces the degree to which these types of artifacts are perceivable . the reduction in print artifacts occurs because the value of one vertex of the sub - cube generated from the tetrahedron is computed using the values associated with vertex number 0 and vertex number 7 . as previously mentioned , the diagonal formed between vertex number 0 and vertex number 7 defines a constant chromance line for the selected cube . computing a vertex of the sub - cube along this mid - point color boundary line produces a weighting in the interpolation which tends to reduce the rate of change in the output color space value as the input color space value 10 moves off the diagonal of the cube selected by the higher order bits 10a . this in turn tends to somewhat compensate for the variability in printing process parameters which produce non - gray output with gray input color space values . shown in fig1 is a graphical representation of the generation of a sub - cube 700 from a tetrahedron 701 . each value of a vertex of the tetrahedron 701 used to compute the value of a vertex of the sub - cube 700 is also a value of a vertex of the cube 702 from which the tetrahedron 701 was partitioned . let p [ k ] denote the value associated with vertex k of a cube . let p &# 39 ;[ k ] denote the value associated with vertex k of a sub - cube included within the cube having vertex k . it can be shown that the value p &# 39 ;[ k ] is computed as : i represents the bit position in the lower order bits 10b in the input color space value the sub - cube generation that can be accomplished using equation 8 provides a new method of computing vertex values for a tetrahedral interpolation . by using equation 8 , the indices used to access the values of the vertices used for computing the sub - cube vertex values can be computed . this provides an advantage over interpolation methods that require accessing of a look - up table in order to determine the indices used to access the vertex values . the use of a look - up table requires memory accesses . as a result , using a look - up table to generate the indices requires a significantly greater number of machine cycles than would be required using the processor to compute the indices . therefore , using equation 8 to compute the indices used to access the vertex values provides a substantial speed advantage in tetrahedral interpolation over previous methods of performing tetrahedral interpolation . furthermore , implementing equation 8 in hardware for computation of the multiplexer control inputs used to select the vertex values provides a simpler hardware implementation of tetrahedral interpolation . as was the case for pruned radial interpolation , the value of vertex number 0 of the last sub - cube generated is the result in the tetrahedral interpolation . it was recognized that not all the values of the vertices of all of the sub - cubes generated were required to generate the result of the interpolation . this led to the development of a further improvement in tetrahedral interpolation referred to as pruned tetrahedral interpolation . shown in fig1 is a diagrammatic representation of pruned tetrahedral interpolation . in fig1 , the prime indicator associated with the term representing the value of each vertex indicates the level of sub - cube generation . for example , terms designated as p &# 39 ;[] represent vertex values after the first cube subdivision iteration , terms designated as p &# 34 ;[] represent vertex values after the second cube subdivision iteration . this method of designating vertex values applies for the generation of successive sub - cubes . fig1 represents the pruned tetrahedral interpolation using 4 bits for the lower order bits 10b of the input color space value 10 . the terms shown in fig1 can be generated by starting with the end result of the interpolation p &# 34 ;&# 34 ;[ 0 ], and determining , successively , using equation 8 , the values of the vertices of the previous sub - cube required to generate the values of the vertices of the current sub - cube until the values required to generate the current sub - cube are obtained by accessing the values of the vertices in cubic lattice 1 using higher order bits 10a . as was the case for pruned radial interpolation , the divide by 2 operation is not performed until the value of vertex number 0 of the final sub - cube is obtained in order to prevent the accumulation of rounding errors . pruned tetrahedral interpolation provides a substantial computational savings over tetrahedral interpolation . with d input dimensions , d output dimensions , and n lower order bits 10b , the number of computations required to perform the pruned tetrahedral interpolation is computed as : ## equ2 ## it should be noted that , for these equations , the computations vary linearly as a function of d and d for the number of alu operations , exponentially as a function of d for the number of memory accesses , and exponentially as a function of n for the number of memory accesses . as shown in fig1 , pruned tetrahedral interpolation is implemented so that 2 n memory references are required . however , it is possible to implement pruned tetrahedral interpolation so that the number of memory references required is a maximum of 2 d , which for d = 3 , is the number of vertices within a cube . this is done by recognizing that redundancy exists in the 2 n memory accesses . by using some of the accessed vertex values for multiple of the input values required in fig1 fewer memory accesses are required . comparing equations 9 and 10 with equations 4 and 5 it can be seen that , with all other things equal , pruned tetrahedral interpolation is more computationally costly than radial interpolation . shown in fig1 is a high level flow diagram of a generalized method for performing tetrahedral interpolation . for this method , the input color space values 10 are formed of d components . each of the d components is partitioned into a set of higher order bits 10a and lower order bits 10b . each of the d sets of lower order bits 10b is formed of n bits . the d sets of lower order bits are each designated as 1b 1 , 1b 2 , 1b 3 , . . . , 1b d . the bit position of each of the lower order bits is designated from the most significant bit to the least significant bit by a value of i ranging , correspondingly from n - 1 to 0 . first , a value is computed 800 according to v [ i ]= 2 d - 1 × 1b 1 [ i ]+ 2 d - 2 × 1b 2 [ i ]+ 2 d - 3 × 1b 3 [ i ]+ . . . + 2 d - d 1b d [ i ] for i equal to n - 1 . next , a set of and values is computed 800 according to v [ i ] & amp ; k , for the value of k ranging from 2 d - 1 to 0 , where &# 34 ;& amp ;&# 34 ; represents the bitwise and operation . then , a set of or values is computed 802 according to v [ i ]| k for the value of k ranging from 2 d - 1 to 0 , where &# 34 ;|&# 34 ; represents the bitwise or operation . next , 2 d pairs of the vertex values are selected 803 using the set of and values and the set of or values . each of the pairs are selected using an and value and an or value computed for a corresponding value of k . finally , a set of 2 d sums is computed 804 by summing each of the 2 d pairs of vertex values . the method shown in fig1 is for a single iteration of tetrahedral interpolation . performing successive iterations would require computing additional values of v [ i ], computing additional and and or values , selecting values from 2 d sums computed in the previous iteration using the additionally computed and and or values , and computing additional sets of 2 d sums . after the final iteration of tetrahedral interpolation , each of the final 2 d sums is divided by 2 n ( not shown in fig1 ), where n is the number of iterations , and one of the resulting values is selected as the result of the interpolation . the division by 2 n is done after the final iteration , instead of dividing by two after each iteration , to prevent round - off error accumulation . shown in fig1 is a hardware implementation of a tetrahedral interpolator 900 for conversion of input color space values 10 to a component of output color space values 11 . this same hardware could be used repetitively for an additional ( d - 1 ) passes to generate the remaining d - 1 components of the output color space value 11 . or , there could be an additional ( d - 1 ) replications of part of the hardware implementation shown in fig1 to generate each of d components simultaneously . the hardware used for generating multiplexer control inputs could be used for each of the d replications . the tetrahedral interpolator 900 shown in fig1 corresponds to d = 3 and n = 4 for the input color space value 10 . the hardware implementation shown in fig1 implements equation 8 for the generation of the sub - cube vertex values . the tetrahedral interpolator 900 of fig1 is formed from a first , second , third , and fourth stage 901 - 904 . each of the four stages 901 - 904 includes 2 3 adders , one of which is labeled as 905 . each of the four stages 901 - 904 further includes 2 × 2 3 multiplexers , one of which is labeled as 906 , arranged as 2 3 pairs of multiplexers . finally , each of the four stages 901 - 904 includes 2 3 bitwise or blocks , one of which is labeled as 907 , band 2 3 bitwise and blocks , one of which is labeled as 908 . each of stages 901 - 904 performs an iteration of interpolation . some interpolation applications may require that only a single iteration of interpolation be performed . for a single iteration of interpolation n = 1 . this corresponds to a hardware implementation of tetrahedral interpolator 900 using only first stage 901 . an additional stage would be added for each additional iteration of interpolation required for the particular application . each of the inputs of the multiplexers in the first stage 901 are connected to the eight vertex values selected using higher order bits 10a . the two outputs of each pair of multiplexers in first stage 901 are connected to the first and second inputs of the corresponding adder . the output of each of the adders of the first stage 901 is the vertex value of the first sub - cube . as previously mentioned , the division by two for each iteration of sub - cube generation is deferred until the last sub - cube is generated . the vertex values of the last sub - cube generated are divided by 2 n , where n is the number of bits in the lower order bits of the input color space value and n corresponds to the number of stages in the tetrahedral interpolator . the inputs of each multiplexer for the second , third , and fourth stages 902 - 904 are coupled to the outputs of the adders of the previous stage . the control input of one the multiplexers of each pair of multiplexers is connected to the output of a bitwise or block . the control input of the other one of each pair of multiplexers is connected to the output of a bitwise and block . the multiplexers used in the tetrahedral interpolator 900 have the capability to select one of eight , eight bit values using a three bit control input . the bitwise or blocks and the bitwise and blocks each perform , respectively , bit by bit or operations or and operations on the values input to them . for this d = 3 implementation of tetrahedral interpolator 900 , each of the inputs to the bitwise or blocks and bitwise and is a 3 bit quantity . the output of each of the bitwise or blocks and bitwise and blocks to each of the multiplexers is a 3 bit quantity . the adders associated with each pair of multiplexers performs an addition of the selected eight bit values from each of the multiplexers . as indicated by equation 8 , the vertex number corresponding to the vertex value generated is connected to one of the inputs for each corresponding bitwise or block and bitwise and block . because these values are fixed they can be hardwired to the correct values . the other inputs for each corresponding pair of bitwise and blocks and bitwise or blocks in a stage are connected to the value of v [ i ] corresponding to the stage . for the first stage 901 , the value is v [ 3 ]. for the second stage 902 , the value is v [ 2 ]. for the third stage 903 , the value is v [ 1 ]. for the fourth stage 904 , the value is v [ 0 ]. interpolation is performed by supplying the vertex values selected using higher order bits 10a to the multiplexer inputs of the first stage 900 and supplying the appropriate v [ i ] values to the bitwise or blocks and bitwise and blocks of each stage . the tetrahedral interpolator 900 computes the vertex values for four iterations of sub - cube generation . the values p &# 34 ;&# 34 ;( 7 ) through p &# 34 ;&# 34 ;( 0 ) are the values of the vertices of the fourth sub - cube generated . in this embodiment , p &# 34 ;&# 34 ;( 0 ) is selected , divided by 16 , and used as the result of the interpolation . the division by 16 is implemented by shifting bits and is not represented in fig1 . one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that one of the other computed values p &# 34 ;&# 34 ;( 7 ) through p &# 34 ;&# 34 ;( 1 ) may be selected , divided by 16 , and used as the result of the interpolation . using values corresponding to different vertices of the final sub - cube to generate the interpolation result will bias the result of the interpolation differently . this is a consideration in selecting which vertex value of the final sub - cube generated will be divided by 16 to generate the result of the interpolation . shown in fig1 is a hardware implementation of a pruned tetrahedral interpolator 1000 for conversion of input color space values 10 to a component of output color space values 11 . this same hardware could be used repetitively for an additional ( d - 1 ) passes to generate the remaining d - 1 components of the output color space value 11 . or , there could be an additional ( d - 1 ) replications of part of the hardware implementation shown in fig1 to generate each of d components simultaneously . the hardware used for generating multiplexer control inputs could be used for each of the d replications . the pruned tetrahedral interpolator 1000 shown in fig1 corresponds to d = 3 and n = 4 for the input color space value 10 . the pruned tetrahedral interpolator 1000 implements the diagrammatic representation of pruned tetrahedral interpolation shown in fig1 the implementation of pruned tetrahedral interpolator 1000 requires considerably less hardware than the implementation of tetrahedral interpolator 900 . for d = 3 , bitwise and blocks 1001a through 1001k each perform a bit by bit and operation on three bit input quantities to generate 3 bit output quantities . likewise , for d = 3 , bitwise or blocks 1002a through 1002k each perform a bit by bit or operation on 3 bit input quantities to generate 3 bit output quantities . each of the 3 bit outputs of bitwise and blocks 1001a - 1001g and bitwise or blocks 1002a - 1002g is used to control the selection of one of eight , 8 bit quantities in the corresponding of multiplexers 1003a through 1003n . the outputs of each of multiplexers 1003a - 1003o are connected to the inputs of adders 1004a - 1004h . an interpolation operation is performed using pruned tetrahedral interpolator 1000 by supplying the vertex values selected using higher order bits 10a to the inputs of multiplexers 1003a - 1003o and supplying the computed values of v [ i ] to the inputs of bitwise or blocks 1002a - 1002k and bitwise and blocks 1001a - 1001k as shown in fig1 . in addition , a vertex value selected using higher order bits 10a is supplied to the input of adder 1004h . using the computed values of v [ i ], the bitwise and blocks 1001a - 1001k and the bitwise or blocks 1002a - 1002k compute the values input to the control inputs of multiplexers 1003a - 1003n . multiplexer 1003o uses v [ 3 ] directly . the values selected by multiplexers 1003a - 1003o are those necessary to compute the interpolation result according to the diagrammatic representation of pruned tetrahedral interpolation shown in fig1 . the vertex values selected by y multiplexers 1003a - 1003o are sent to the inputs of adders 1004a - 1004h for summation . the output of the last adder in the chain of additions is divided by 16 and used as the result of the interpolation . the division by 16 is accomplished by bit shifting and is not shown in fig1 . the pruned tetrahedral interpolator shown in fig1 is implemented for d = 3 and n = 4 . for some applications , less than four iterations of interpolation may be sufficient . other applications may require more than four iterations of interpolation . the hardware implementation of pruned tetrahedral interpolation for d = 3 and n = 1 would use only a single adder and a single multiplexer to generate p &# 39 ;( 0 ), as shown in fig1 . the hardware implementations for n = 2 and n = 3 to generate , respectively , p &# 34 ;( 0 ) and p &# 39 ;&# 34 ;( 0 ) as shown in fig1 , require more bitwise and blocks , bitwise or blocks , multiplexers , and adders . shown in fig1 is a high level flow diagram of a generalized method for performing pruned tetrahedral interpolation . for this method , the input color space values 10 are formed of d components . each of the d components is partitioned into a set of higher order bits 10a and lower order bits 10b . each of the d sets of lower order bits 10b is formed of n bits . the d sets of lower order bits are each designated as 1b 1 , 1b 2 , 1b 3 , . . . , 1b d . the bit position of each of the lower order bits is designated from the most significant bit to the least significant bit by a value of i ranging , correspondingly from n - 1 to 0 . first , 2 n - 2 values are computed 1100 according to the types of bitwise and and bitwise or operations shown in fig1 with v [ i ]= 2 d - 1 × 1b 1 [ i ]+ 2 d - 2 × 1b 2 [ i ]+ 2 d - 3 × 1b 3 [ i ]+ . . . + 2 d - d × 1b d [ i ] for i ranging from n - 1to 0 . next , the minimum of 2 n and 2 d of interpolation data values are selected 1101 using unique ones of the 2 n - 2 values computed in step 1100 , a value of v [ n - 1 ], and higher order bits 10a . then , the sum of the interpolation data values selected in step 1101 is computed 1102 . the method shown in fig1 is for n iterations of pruned tetrahedral interpolation . the sum computed in step 1102 is divided by 2 n to generate the result . this division is not shown in fig1 . shown in fig2 is a high level flow diagram of a method implemented in software to perform pruned tetrahedral interpolation . first , a determination 1200 is made if any one of the components of the input color space value ( a , b , c ) 10 corresponds to a location on an outer boundary of the cubic lattice 1 . this is the case if any one or more of the components of the input color space value has a value of ff hexadecimal . if this is the case , then , for purposes of generating the index into the cubic lattice 1 to retrieve the necessary vertex values , the components of the input color space value 10 which have a value of ff hexadecimal are assigned 1201 a value of 100 hexadecimal . next , the offsets from the origin of the cube in cubic lattice 1 accessed using higher order bits 10a and the sub - cubes generated during the pruned tetrahedral interpolation are computed 1202 using the relationships shown in the diagrammatic representation of the pruned tetrahedral interpolation of fig1 . then , the indices used to access the values corresponding to the required vertices of the selected cube in cubic lattice in a look - up table are computed 1203 . finally , the values for each component of the output color space value ( x , y , z ) 11 are computed 1204 . provided in fig4 of this specification is the code of an implementation in c , for n = 4 , of the high level method of pruned tetrahedral interpolation shown in fig2 . it is also possible to implement pruned tetrahedral interpolation in hardware . the computational efficiencies which existed in the software implementation of pruned tetrahedral interpolation are present in the hardware implementation as reduced hardware requirements . as previously mentioned , shifts and concatenations are implemented without requiring additional hardware elements . the hardware functional blocks required to perform the pruned tetrahedral interpolation include adders , and gates , or gates , and multiplexers . with d dimensions in the output color space , d dimensions in the input color space , and n bits representing each group of lower order bits 10b of the input color space value , the requirements of the hardware implementation of the pruned subdivision interpolation can be computed as : to generate the gate level design necessary to implement the pruned radial interpolation in hardware , a commonly used hardware description language , such as vhdl , may be used . included in fig4 is a listing of the vhdl code which can generate a hardware implementation of pruned radial interpolation . as previously discussed , radial interpolation can result in print artifacts in conversions between the rgb and cmy color spaces for certain input color space values . because of these print artifacts , a tetrahedral interpolation may yield more desirable results . to reduce complexity , the tetrahedral interpolation can be implemented using pruned tetrahedral interpolation , although this interpolation technique is still more computationally intensive than the radial interpolation . however , for conversions between other color spaces ( such as cielab , luv , or yc b c r ) the radial interpolation may be preferable because it yields adequate results and is very computationally efficient . additionally , it is possible that radial interpolation may actually produce more pleasing results than tetrahedral interpolation in some cases . if the interpolation methods are implemented in software , using alternative methods is easily done by calling different routines . however , implementing different interpolation methods in hardware can require separate logic . because the separate hardware implementations of the two interpolation techniques are under utilized , this solution is expensive . a common hardware implementation provides the capability for alternatively performing radial interpolation and pruned tetrahedral interpolation with less hardware than a separate hardware implementation of these interpolation techniques . shown in fig2 is a diagrammatic representation of a common radial interpolation and pruned tetrahedral interpolation implementation . as indicated in fig2 , the interpolation technique performed is determined by the vertex values which are input to the hardware . usually , the number of bits used to express each v ( i ) term is fewer than the number of bits used to express each of the p [ v ( i )] terms . because of this , it is generally less complex to multiplex the v ( i ) terms prior to the memory access to retrieve the values associated with the p [ v ( i )] terms . it should be noted from fig2 that two of the vertex values used for both the radial interpolation and the pruned tetrahedral interpolation are the same for all values of n . therefore , a common hardware implementation of radial interpolation and pruned tetrahedral interpolation requires an additional 2 n - 2 multiplexers ( each having d control bits ) to be added to the hardware implementation of the pruned tetrahedral interpolation . included in fig4 is the vhdl code for a hardware implementation of common radial interpolation and pruned tetrahedral interpolation . shown in fig2 is a hardware implementation of a common pruned radial and pruned tetrahedral interpolator 1300 . the hardware implementation of common pruned radial and pruned tetrahedral interpolation is similar to that of pruned tetrahedral interpolation . the difference is the addition of 14 multiplexers 1301a - 1301n used to select the data to the control inputs of multiplexers 1302a - 1302n . a single bit is used to control the selection of the data at the inputs of multiplexers 1301a - 1301n . the single bit controls whether the multiplexer control inputs to multiplexers 1302a - 1302n are for pruned tetrahedral interpolation or for pruned radial interpolation . the multiplexer control input for multiplexers 1302a - 1302n determines which of the interpolation data values are coupled to the adders . with the bit in the first of its two states , the hardware of fig2 performs as a pruned radial interpolator . with the bit in the second of its two states , the hardware of fig2 performs as a pruned tetrahedral interpolator . the control bit for multiplexers 1301a - 1301n is used to select between values of v ( i ) and values computed using bitwise or blocks 1303a1303k and bitwise and blocks 1304a1304k . adders 1305a1305o sum the outputs of multiplexers 1302a - 1302o . by shifting bits , the resulting sum is divided by 16 ( not shown in fig2 ) to generate the result . the hardware of fig2 could be used repeatitively for an additional ( d - 1 ) passes to generate the remaining d - 1 components of the output color space value 11 . or , there could be an additional ( d - 1 ) replications of part of the hardware implementation shown in fig2 to generate each of d components simultaneously . the hardware used for generating multiplexer control inputs could be used for each of the d replications . the common pruned radial and pruned tetrahedral interpolator 1300 shown in fig2 corresponds to d = 3 and n = 4 for the input color space value 10 . the common pruned radial and pruned tetrahedral interpolator 1300 implements the diagrammatic representation of common pruned radial and pruned tetrahedral interpolation shown in fig2 . in the interpolation process , the higher order bits 10a of an input color space value 10 form an index used to access interpolation data values . the interpolation is performed using the lower order bits 10b of the input color space value . as previously mentioned , the accessed values correspond to the vertices of a cube in a cubic lattice 1 . depending upon the characteristics of the output color space , the values associated with the vertices of the accessed cube may vary at rates dependent upon the dimension of cubic lattice 1 or dependent upon the region of the cubic lattice 1 in which the selected cube is located . because of this possibility , improved interpolation results may be produced by varying the interpolation resolution between values of the vertices throughout cubic lattice 1 corresponding to the varying rates of change between vertex values . adjusting the interpolation resolution based upon the location of the selected cube within cubic lattice 1 can be implemented by allowing the partitioning of the input color space value 10 into upper order bits 10a and lower order bits 10b to vary . in regions of cubic lattice 1 having high non - linear rates of change in the values of the vertices , the differences between the values of the vertices would be relatively large using a number of bits not adapted to the color space characteristics to represent each component of the upper order bits 10a . to reduce the values between the vertices , a larger number of bits are used to represent the components of the higher order bits 10a . consequently , in these regions a smaller number of bits are used to represent the lower order bits 10b . for regions of cubic lattice 1 having lower rates of change or more linear rates of change in the values of the vertices , the differences between the values of the vertices using a number of bits not adapted to the color space characteristics to represent each component of the upper order bits 10a would be relatively small or relatively linear . to increase the values between the vertices a smaller number of bits are used to represent the components of the higher order bits 10a . to implement an interpolation technique which can support a varying interpolation resolution over the output color space represented by cubic lattice 1 , the interpolation technique must accommodate the changing number of bits used to represent the components of the lower order bits 10b . to accomplish this , a value , ( n , p , q ), is defined so that n bits are used to interpolate between lattice points in the &# 34 ; a &# 34 ; dimension , p bits are used to interpolate between lattice points in the b dimension , and q bits are used to interpolate between lattice points in the c dimension . it is possible to constrain the values of each of the n , p , and q so that they are fixed over the entirety of cubic lattice 1 or to permit each of the values of the n , p , and q to vary independently or co - dependently throughout regions of the cubic lattice 1 . shown in fig2 a through fig2 e is a graphical representation of a non - symmetric radial interpolation process that uses 4 bits to represent the a , component , 3 bits to represent the b l component , and 2 bits to represent the c l component of the lower order bits 10b of the input color space value . the first iteration of the cube subdivision is the selection of a sub - cube occupying one half of the cube selected by the higher order bits 10a using the bit from a , corresponding to the i = 3 position . there are no bits present for the b l and the c l for the i = 3 position . the second iteration of cube subdivision is the selection of a sub - cube occupying one fourth of the previous sub - cube using one bit each from a l and from b l . the third iteration of cube subdivision is the selection of a sub - cube occupying one eighth of the previous sub - cube using one bit each from a l , b l , and c l . the fourth iteration of cube subdivision is also the selection of a sub - cube occupying one eighth of the previous sub - cube using one bit each from a l , b l , and c l . as can be seen from this , the number of bits of the components of the lower order bits 10b available to generate the sub - cube determines the fraction of the cube used to generate the sub - cube occupied by the sub - cube . shown in table 4 and equations 14 through 19 are the relationships necessary to calculate the values of the sub - cube vertices for each iteration of radial sub - cube generation . equations 14 through 19 generate the values used in the relationships shown in table 4 so that the correct sub - cube vertex values will be generated with or without the corresponding bits of a l , b l , and c l present for that iteration of sub - cube generation . if for a given iteration of sub - cube generation , a bit in any one or more of a l , b l , or c l is not present , equation 19 will generate the number of the vertex of the cube used in generating a vertex value of the sub - cube to compensate for the missing bit ( s ). shown in fig2 is a graphical representation of the generation of a sub - cube 1400 from a cube 1401 using non - symmetric radial sub - cube generation . on the particular iteration of the sub - cube generation shown in fig1 , the bit corresponding to the iteration for components b , and cl is not present . therefore , the relationships in table 4 , with f ( n , i ) calculated for the bits of b l and c l corresponding to the iteration not present , dictate that the vertex values p &# 39 ;[ 7 ], p &# 39 ;[ 6 ], p &# 39 ;[ 5 ], and p &# 39 ;[ 4 ] are calculated as the average of the values of the two vertices vertically aligned with each of p &# 39 ;[ 7 ], p &# 39 ;[ 6 ], p &# 39 ;[ 5 ], and p &# 39 ;[ 4 ]. the computation of vertex values for other combinations in which each of a l , b l , or c l are present or not present is handled analogously by equation 19 . shown in fig2 is a diagrammatic representation of the non - symmetric pruned radial interpolation computation . the number of computations required to perform the non - symmetric pruned radial interpolation is computed as : ## equ4 ## in fig2 , 2 n memory references are shown . however , a selected cube has a maximum of 2 d vertex values , where d is the number of dimensions of the input color space value 10 . therefore , some of the 2 n ( 16 values for n = 4 ) values shown at the inputs to the diagram of fig2 are redundant . it follows that for 2 n greater than 2 d , the number of memory accesses performed can be limited to the number of vertices in the cube for each dimension of the output of color space . therefore , the number of memory accesses required for d dimensions in the output color space is : shown in fig2 is a high level flow diagram of a generalized method for performing non - symmetric pruned radial interpolation . for this method , the input color space values 10 are formed of d components . each of the d components is partitioned into a set of higher order bits 10a and lower order bits 10b . the d sets of lower order bits are each designated as 1b l , 1b 2 , 1b 3 , . . . , 1b d . each of the d sets of lower order bits 10b is formed from , respectively , of n 1 , n 2 , n 3 , . . . n d bits . the bit position of each of the d sets of lower order bits is designated from the most significant bit to the least significant bit by corresponding values of i 1 , i 2 , i 3 . . . i d each ranging , correspondingly , from n 1 - 1 to 0 , n 2 - 1 to 0 , n 3 - 1 to 0 , . . . n d - 1 to 0 . first , a set of 2 n - n - 1 values is computed 1500 using f ( n , i )= v [ i ]|( n & amp ; ˜ m [ i ]), where m [ i ]= 2 d - 1 × mask 1 [ i ]+ 2 d - 2 × mask 2 [ i ]+ 2 d - 3 × mask 3 [ i ]+ . . . + 2 d - d × mask d [ i ]. for this computation the values of mask j = 2 k - 1 are each computed for a value k selected from n 1 , n 2 , n 3 , . . . n d with the value of j corresponding to the value of the subscript of the selected one of n 1 , n 2 , n 3 , . . . n d . the values of j range from 1 to d . the values of v [ i ] are computed as m [ i ] & amp ; ( 2 d - 1 × 1b 1 [ i ]+ 2 d - 2 × 1b 2 [ i ]+ 2 d - 3 × 1b 3 [ i ]+ . . . + 2 d - d × 1b d [ i ]) for values of i ranging from n - 1 to 0 , where n equals the greatest of n 1 , n 2 , n 3 , . . . n d . the value of n corresponds to the vertex numbers ranging from 1 to 2 d . next , a number of interpolation data values , equal to the minimum of 2 n and 2 d are selected 1501 using the unique values in the set of 2 n - n - 1 values , values of v [ i ] for i ranging from n - 1 to 0 , and the d sets of higher order bits . finally , the selected interpolation data values are added 1502 to generate a sum . to avoid roundoff error the generated sum is divided by 2 n . this step is not shown in fig2 . shown in fig2 is a high level flow diagram of method implemented in software to perform non - symmetric radial interpolation . first , the mask values are generated 1600 for each component of the input color space value 10 . next , a determination 1601 is made if any one of the components of the input color space value ( a , b , c ) 10 corresponds to a location on an outer boundary of the cubic lattice 1 . this is the case if any one or more of the components of the input color space value has a value of ff hexadecimal . if this is the case , then , for purposes of generating the indices to retrieve the necessary vertex values , the components of the input color space value 10 which have a value of ff hexadecimal are assigned 1602 a value of 100 hexadecimal . then , the values of each of the m [ i ] and v [ i ] are computed 1603 . next , the indices used to access each of the vertex values used for the interpolation are computed 1604 . finally , each of the components of the output color space value are computed 1605 using the values accessed by the indices computed in step 1604 . included in fig4 is a listing in c of the code for a software implementation of non - symmetric radial interpolation . for the non - symmetric radial interpolation , the computed indices correspond to offsets from the origin of the cube selected by the higher order bits 10a . because of the changing resolution used throughout the output color space , the values of the vertices for three cubes ( one cube for each dimension of the output color space ) selected by the higher order bits 10a is passed into the routine of fig4 each time color space conversion is performed on an input color space value 10 . this is different than the code for the pruned radial and pruned tetrahedral interpolation in which the color table is passed as an array into the routine and indices into this table are computed in the routine . it is also possible to implement non - symmetric radial interpolation in hardware . as previously mentioned , shifts and concatenations are implemented without requiring additional hardware elements . the hardware functional blocks required to perform the non - symmetric radial interpolation include adders , and gates , or gates , and multiplexers . with d dimensions in the output color space , d dimensions in the input color space , and n bits representing the maximum number of bits used to represent one of the components of the input color space value , the requirements of the hardware implementation of the non - symmetric radial interpolation can be computed as : to generate the gate level design necessary to implement the non - symmetric pruned radial interpolation in hardware , a commonly used hardware description language , such as vhdl , may be used . included in fig4 is a listing of the vhdl code which can generate a hardware implementation of non - symmetric pruned radial interpolation . shown in fig2 is a hardware implementation of a non - symmetric pruned radial interpolator 1700 . control input computation blocks 1701a - 1701k compute the values used by the control inputs of multiplexers 1702a - 1702o that are coupled to control input computation blocks 1701a - 1701k . each of control input computation blocks 1701a - 1701k performs the computations of equations 14 - 19 on the input to that control input computation block . as shown in fig2 , some of the control inputs of multiplexers 1702a - 1702o use values of v [ i ]. adders 1703a - 1703o sum the outputs of multiplexers 1702a - 1702o . this sum is divided by 2 n through bit shifting ( not shown in fig2 ) to generate the interpolation result . the hardware of fig2 could be used repeatitively for an additional ( d - 1 ) passes to generate the remaining d - 1 components of the output color space value 11 . or , there could be an additional ( d - 1 ) replications of part of the hardware implementation shown in fig2 to generate each of d components simultaneously . the hardware used for generating multiplexer control inputs could be used for each of the d replications . the non - symmetric pruned radial interpolator 1700 shown in fig2 corresponds to d = 3 and the maximum one of n 1 , n 2 , n 3 , . . . n d equal to 4 for the input color space value 10 . the non - symmetric pruned radial interpolator 1700 implements the diagrammatic representation of pruned tetrahedral interpolation shown in fig2 . shown in fig2 is a high level flow diagram of a generalized method for performing non - symmetric radial interpolation using the equations of table 4 . first , a first set of 2 d values are computed 1800 using f ( n , i )= v [ i ]|( n & amp ; ˜ m [ i ]). next , 2 d pairs of interpolation data values are selected 1801 with each pair formed from the interpolation data value selected using one of the first set of 2 d values and the interpolation data value corresponding the vertex designated by the value of n . finally , 2 d sums are computed 1802 from the selected 2 d pairs of interpolation data values . the method shown in fig2 is for a single iteration of non - symmetric radial interpolation . it should be recognized that further iterations would be performed by repeating the steps of fig2 with the successive sets of 2 d values computed using f ( n , i ) for values of v [ i ] and m [ i ] corresponding to successively decremented values of i , selecting successive sets of 2 d pairs of values from the previously computed set of 2 d sums , and computing successive sets of 2 d sums from the successive sets of 2 d pairs of values . after performing n iterations , where n equals the greatest of n 1 , n 2 , n 3 , . . . n d , one of the 2 d sums of the last set computed is divided by 2 n to generate the result . the division by 2 that could be performed after each iteration is delayed until after the final iteration to avoid round - off error . shown in fig3 a and 30b is a hardware implementation of a non - symmetric radial interpolator 1900 for conversion of input color space values 10 to a component of output color space values 11 . this same hardware could be used repeatitively for an additional ( d - 1 ) passes to generate the remaining d - 1 components of the output color space value 11 . or , there could be an additional ( d - 1 ) replications of part of the hardware implementation shown in fig3 a and 30b to generate each of d components simultaneously . the hardware used for generating multiplexer control inputs could be used for each of the d replications . the non - symmetric radial interpolator 1900 shown in fig3 a and 30b corresponds to d = 3 and n = 4 , where n equals the greatest of n 1 , n 2 , n 3 , . . . n d , for the input color space value 10 . the hardware implementation shown in fig3 a and 30b implements equations 14 - 19 and the equations of table 4 for the generation of the sub - cube vertex values . the non - symmetric radial interpolator 1900 of fig3 a and 30b is formed from a first , second , third , and fourth stage 1901 - 1904 . each of the four stages 1901 - 1904 includes 2 3 adders , one of which is labeled as 1905 . each of the four stages 1901 - 1904 further includes 2 3 multiplexers , one of which is labeled as 1906 . finally , each of the four stages 1901 - 1904 includes 2 3 control input computation blocks for performing the computations of equations 14 - 19 with the indicated inputs . one of these control input computations blocks is labeled as 1907 . each of stages 1901 - 1904 performs an iteration of interpolation . some interpolation applications may require that only a single iteration of interpolation be performed . for a single iteration of interpolation n = 1 . this corresponds to a hardware implementation of non - symmetric radial interpolator 1900 using only first stage 1901 . an additional stage would be added for each additional iteration of interpolation required for the particular application . each of the inputs of the multiplexers in the first stage 1901 are connected to the eight vertex values selected using higher order bits 10a . the outputs of each multiplexer in first stage 1901 are connected to the first input of the corresponding adder . the second input of the adder is connected to the value corresponding to the number of the vertex equal to one of the inputs of the corresponding control input computation blocks . the output of each of the adders of the first stage 1901 is a vertex value of the first sub - cube . as previously mentioned , the division by two for each iteration of sub - cube generation is deferred until the last sub - cube is generated . the vertex values of the last sub - cube generated are divided by 2 n , where n corresponds to the number of stages in the non - symmetric radial interpolator . the inputs of each multiplexer for the second , third , and fourth stages 1902 - 1904 are coupled to the outputs of the adders of the previous stage . the control input of each multiplexer is connected to the output of the corresponding control input computation block . the multiplexers used in the non - symmetric radial interpolator 1900 have the capability to select one of eight , eight bit values using a three bit control input . for this d = 3 , n = 4 implementation of non - symmetric radial interpolator 1900 , each of the inputs to the control input computation blocks is a 3 bit quantity . the output of each of the control input computation blocks is a 3 bit quantity . the adders associated with each multiplexer performs an addition of the selected eight bit values from each of the multiplexers . interpolation is performed by supplying the vertex values selected using higher order bits 10a to the multiplexer inputs of the first stage 1901 . the inputs to the control input computation blocks are hardwired . the non - symmetric radial interpolator 1900 computes the vertex values for four iterations of sub - cube generation . the values p &# 34 ;&# 34 ;( 7 ) through p &# 34 ;&# 34 ;( 0 ) are the values of the vertices of the fourth sub - cube generated . in this embodiment , p &# 34 ;&# 34 ;( 0 ) is selected , divided by 16 , and used as the result of the interpolation . the division by 16 is implemented by shifting bits and is not represented in fig3 a and 30b . one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that one of the other computed values p &# 34 ;&# 34 ;( 7 ) through p &# 34 ;&# 34 ;( 1 ) may be selected , divided by 16 , and used as the result of the interpolation . using values corresponding to different vertices of the final sub - cube to generate the interpolation result will bias the result of the interpolation differently . this is a consideration in selecting which vertex value of the final sub - cube generated will be divided by 16 to generate the result of the interpolation . pruned tetrahedral interpolation can be adapted for implementation in a color space represented by a non - symmetric cubic lattice . as was the case for pruned tetrahedral interpolation , the vertices of the sub - cube generated are computed using the vertices of a tetrahedron partitioned from the cube used to generate the sub - cube . however , for some iterations of sub - cube generation , the corresponding bits of each of the a l , b l , and c l components may not be present . for these cases , the computation of the sub - cube vertices must be modified to compensate for the missing corresponding bits in one or more of the al , bl , and cl components . shown in table 5 and equations 25 and 26 are the relationships necessary to calculate the values of the sub - cube vertices for non - symmetric pruned tetrahedral sub - cube generation . equations 25 and 26 along with equations 14 through 18 are used to generate the proper values so that in the relationships listed in table 5 , the correct sub - cube vertex values will be generated with or without the bits of a l , b l , and c l corresponding to that iteration of sub - cube generation present . if for a given iteration of sub - cube generation , a bit in any one or more of a l , b l , or c l is not present , equation 25 and equation 26 will generate the number of the vertex of the cube used in generating a vertex value of the sub - cube so that compensation is made for the missing bit ( s ). although fig2 provides a graphical representation of the generation of a sub - cube 1400 from a cube 1401 using non - symmetric radial sub - cube generation , fig2 can also provide a graphical representation of non - symmetric pruned tetrahedral sub - cube generation . on the particular iteration of the sub - cube generation shown in fig2 , the bit corresponding to the iteration for components b l and c l is not present . therefore , the relationships in table 5 , with g ( n , i ) and h ( n , i ) calculated for the corresponding bits of b l and c l not present , dictate that the vertex values p &# 39 ;[ 7 ], p &# 39 ;[ 6 ], p &# 39 ;[ 5 ], and p &# 39 ;[ 4 ] are calculated as the average of the values of the two vertices vertically aligned with each of p &# 39 ;[ 7 ], p &# 39 ;[ 6 ], p &# 39 ;[ 5 ], and p &# 39 ;[ 4 ]. the computation of vertex values for other combinations in which each of a l , b l , or c l are present or not present is handled analogously by equations 25 and 26 . shown in fig3 is a diagrammatic representation of the non - symmetric pruned tetrahedral interpolation computation . the number of computations required to perform the non - symmetric pruned tetrahedral interpolation is computed as : ## equ6 ## shown in fig3 is a high level flow diagram of a generalized method for performing non - symmetric pruned tetrahedral interpolation . for this method , the input color space values 10 are formed of d components . each of the d components is partitioned into a set of higher order bits 10a and lower order bits 10b . the d sets of lower order bits are each designated as 1b 1 , 1b 2 , 1b 3 , . . . , 1b d . each of the d sets of lower order bits 10b is formed from , respectively , of n 1 , n 2 , n 3 , . . . n d bits . the bit position of each of the d sets of lower order bits is designated from the most significant bit to the least significant bit by corresponding values of i 1 , i 2 , i 3 . . . i d each ranging , correspondingly , from n 1 - 1 to 0 , n 2 - 1 to 0 , n 3 - 1 to 0 , . . . n d - 1 to 0 . first , a set of 2 n - 2 values is computed 2000 using g ( n , i )=( v [ i ]|˜ m [ i ] & amp ; n ) and h ( n , i )=( v [ i ]| n ), where m [ i ]= 2 d - 1 × mask 1 [ i ]+ 2 d - 2 × mask 2 [ i ]+ 2 d - 3 × mask 3 [ i ]+ . . . + 2 d - d × mask d [ i ]. for this computation the values of mask j = 2 k - 1 are each computed for a value k selected from n 1 , n 2 , n 3 , . . . n d with the value of j corresponding to the value of the subscript of the selected one of n 1 , n 2 , n 3 , . . . n d . the values of j range from 1 to d . the values of v [ i ] are computed as m [ i ] & amp ; ( 2 d - 1 × 1b 1 [ i ]+ 2 d - 2 × 1b 2 [ i ]+ 2 d - 3 × 1b 3 [ i ]+ . . . + 2 d - d × 1b d [ i ]) for values of i ranging from n - 1 to 0 , where n equals the greatest of n 1 , n 2 , n 3 , . . . n d . the value of n corresponds to the vertex numbers ranging from 1 to 2 d . next , a number of interpolation data values , equal to the minimum of 2 n and 2 d are selected 2001 using the unique values in the set of 2 n - 2 values , a value of v [ i ] for i in the range from n - 1 to 0 , and the d sets of higher order bits . finally , the selected interpolation data values are added 2002 to generate a sum . to avoid roundoff error the generated sum is divided by 2 n . this step is not shown in fig3 . shown in fig3 is a high level flow diagram of a method implemented in software to perform non - symmetric pruned tetrahedral interpolation . first , the mask values are generated 2100 for each component of the input color space value 10 . next , a determination 2101 is made if any one of the components of the input color space value ( a , b , c ) 10 corresponds to a location on an outer boundary of the cubic lattice 1 . this is the case if any one or more of the components of the input color space value has a value of ff hexadecimal . if this is the case , then , for purposes of generating the index into the cubic lattice 1 to retrieve the necessary vertex values , the components of the input color space value 10 which have a value of ff hexadecimal are assigned 2102 a value of 100 hexadecimal . then , the values of each of the m [ i ] and v [ i ] are computed 2103 . next , the indices used to access each of the vertex values used for the interpolation are computed 2104 using g ( n , i ) and h ( n , i ). finally , each of the components of the output color space value are computed 2105 using the values accessed by the indices computed in step 2104 . included in fig4 is a listing of the code for a software implementation of non - symmetric pruned tetrahedral interpolation in c . for the non - symmetric pruned tetrahedral interpolation , the computed indices correspond to offsets from the origin of the cube selected by the higher order bits 10a . because of the changing resolution used throughout the output color space , the values of the vertices for three cubes ( one cube for each dimension of the output color space ) selected by the higher order bits 10a is passed into the routine of fig4 each time color space conversion is performed on an input color space value 10 . this is different than the code for the pruned radial and pruned tetrahedral interpolation in which the color table is passed as an array into the routine and indices into this table are computed in the routine . it is also possible to implement non - symmetric pruned tetrahedral interpolation in hardware . as previously mentioned , shifts and concatenations are implemented without requiring additional hardware elements . the hardware functional blocks required to perform the non - symmetric pruned tetrahedral interpolation include adders , and gates , or gates , and multiplexers . with d dimensions in the output color space , d dimensions in the input color space , and n bits representing the maximum number of bits used to represent one of the components of the input color space value , the requirements of the hardware implementation of the non - symmetric pruned tetrahedral interpolation can be computed as : # of multiplexers = d ×( 2 . sup . n - 1 ) eqn . 30 ## equ7 ## to generate the gate level design necessary to implement the non - symmetric pruned tetrahedral interpolation in hardware , a commonly used hardware description language , such as vhdl , may be used . included in fig4 is a listing of the vhdl code which can generate a hardware implementation of non - symmetric pruned tetrahedral interpolation . shown in fig3 is a hardware implementation of a non - symmetric pruned tetrahedral interpolator 2200 . control input computation blocks 2201a - 2201v compute the values used by the control inputs of multiplexers 2202a - 2202n . the control input computation blocks 2201a - 2201v apply the functions of equations 25 and 26 , as indicated in fig3 to compute the control inputs for multiplexers 2202a - 2202n . as shown in fig3 , multiplexer 2202o uses a value of v [ i ] for its control input . each of multiplexers 2202a - 2202o select from eight interpolation data values selected using higher order bits 10a . adders 2203a - 2203o sum the outputs of multiplexers 2202a - 2202o . this sum is divided by 2 n through bit shifting ( not shown in fig3 ) to generate the interpolation result . the hardware of fig2 could be used repeatitively for an additional ( d - 1 ) passes to generate the remaining d - 1 components of the output color space value 11 . or , there could be an additional ( d - 1 ) replications of part of the hardware implementation shown in fig2 to generate each of d components simultaneously . the hardware used for generating multiplexer control inputs could be used for each of the d replications . the non - symmetric pruned tetrahedral interpolator 2200 shown in fig3 corresponds to d = 3 and the maximum one of n 1 , n 2 , n 3 , . . . n d equal to 4 for the input color space value 10 . the non - symmetric pruned tetrahedral interpolator 2200 implements the diagrammatic representation of non - symmetric pruned tetrahedral interpolation shown in fig3 . shown in fig3 is a high level flow diagram of a generalized method for performing non - symmetric tetrahedral interpolation . first , a first and a second set of 2 d values are computed 2300 using , respectively g ( n , i ) and h ( n , i ). next , 2 d pairs of interpolation data values are selected 2301 using the first and second set of values . finally a set of 2 d sums are computed 2302 using the 2 d pairs of interpolation data values . the method shown in fig3 is for a single iteration of non - symmetric tetrahedral interpolation . it should be recognized that further iterations would be performed by repeating the steps of fig3 with the successive sets of 2 d values computed using g ( n , i ) and h ( n , i ) for values of v [ i ] and m [ i ] corresponding to successively decremented values of i , selecting successive sets of 2 d pairs of values from the previously computed set of 2 d sums , and computing successive sets of 2 d sums from the successive sets of 2 d pairs of values . after performing n iterations , where n equals the greatest of n 1 , n 2 , n 3 , . . . n d , one of the 2 d s of the last set computed is divided by 2 n ( not shown in fig3 ) to generate the result . the division by 2 that could be performed after each iteration is delayed until after the final iteration to avoid round - off error . shown in fig3 a and 36b is a hardware implementation of a non - symmetric tetrahedral interpolator 2400 for conversion of input color space values 10 to a component of output color space values 11 . this same hardware could be used repeatitively for an additional ( d - 1 ) passes to generate the remaining d - 1 components of the output color space value 11 . or , there could be an additional ( d - 1 ) replications of part of the hardware implementation shown in fig3 a and 36b to generate each of d components simultaneously . the hardware used for generating multiplexer control inputs could be used for each of the d replications . the non - symmetric tetrahedral interpolator 2400 shown in fig3 a and 36b corresponds to d = 3 and n = 4 , where n equals the greatest of n 1 , n 2 , n 3 , . . . n d , for the input color space value 10 . the hardware implementation shown in fig3 a and 36b implements equations 25 and 26 and the equations of table 5 for the generation of the sub - cube vertex values . the non - symmetric tetrahedral interpolator 2400 of fig3 a and 36b is formed from a first , second , third , and fourth stage 2401 - 2404 . each of the four stages 2401 - 2404 includes 2 3 adders , one of which is labeled as 2405 . each of the four stages 1901 - 1904 further includes 2 × 2 3 multiplexers , one of which is labeled as 2406 . the multiplexers for each stage are arranged into 2 3 pairs . finally , each of the four stages 2401 - 2404 includes 2 3 control input computation blocks for computing g ( n , i ) and 2 3 control input computation blocks for computing h ( n , i ). one of the control input computation blocks for computing g ( n , i ) is labeled as 2407 and one of the control input computation blocks for computing h ( n , i ) is labeled as 2408 . each of stages 2401 - 2404 performs an iteration of interpolation . some interpolation applications may require that only a single iteration of interpolation be performed . for a single iteration of interpolation n = 1 . this corresponds to a hardware implementation of non - symmetric tetrahedral interpolator 2400 using only first stage 2401 . an additional stage would be added for each additional iteration of interpolation required for the particular application . each of the inputs of the multiplexers in the first stage 2401 are connected to the eight vertex values selected using higher order bits 10a . the outputs of each pair of multiplexers in stages 2401 - 2404 are connected to , respectively , the first and second inputs of the corresponding adder . the output of each of the adders of the first stage 1901 is a vertex value of the first sub - cube . as previously mentioned , the division by 2 for each iteration of sub - cube generation is deferred until the last sub - cube is generated . the vertex values of the last sub - cube generated are divided by 2 n ( not shown in fig3 a and 36b ), where n corresponds to the number of stages in the non - symmetric tetrahedral interpolator . the inputs of each multiplexer for the second , third , and fourth stages 2402 - 2404 are coupled to the outputs of the adders of the previous stage . the control input of each multiplexer is connected to the output of the corresponding control input computation block . the multiplexers used in the non - symmetric tetrahedral interpolator 2400 have the capability to select one of eight , eight bit values using a three bit control input . for this d = 3 implementation of non - symmetric tetrahedral interpolator 2400 , each of the inputs to the control input computation blocks is a 3 bit quantity . the output of each of the control input computation blocks is a 3 bit quantity . the adders associated with each multiplexer performs an addition of the selected eight bit values from each of the multiplexers . interpolation is performed by supplying the vertex values selected using higher order bits 10a to the multiplexer inputs of the first stage 2401 . the inputs to the control input computation blocks are hardwired . the non - symmetric tetrahedral interpolator 2400 computes the vertex values for four iterations of sub - cube generation . the values p &# 34 ;&# 34 ;( 7 ) through p &# 34 ;&# 34 ;( 0 ) are the values of the vertices of the fourth sub - cube generated . in this embodiment , p &# 34 ;&# 34 ;( 0 ) is selected , divided by 16 , and used as the result of the interpolation . the division by 16 is implemented by shifting bits and is not represented in fig3 a and 36b . one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that one of the other computed values p &# 34 ;&# 34 ;( 7 ) through p &# 34 ;&# 34 ;( 1 ) may be selected , divided by 16 , and used as the result of the interpolation . using values corresponding to different vertices of the final sub - cube to generate the interpolation result will bias the result of the interpolation differently . this is a consideration in selecting which vertex value of the final sub - cube generated will be divided by 16 to generate the result of the interpolation . a common hardware implementation of non - symmetric radial interpolation and non - symmetric pruned tetrahedral interpolation is possible . as can be seen from the diagrammatic representations of the non - symmetric radial interpolation and the non - symmetric pruned tetrahedral interpolation in fig2 and fig3 , respectively , a common hardware implementation could be accomplished by multiplexing the indices used to access the input vertex values . included in fig4 is a listing of the vhdl code which can generate a common hardware implementation of non - symmetric radial and non - symmetric pruned tetrahedral interpolation . shown in fig3 a , 37b , and 37c is a hardware implementation of a common non - symmetric pruned radial and non - symmetric pruned tetrahedral interpolator 2500 . the hardware implementation of common non - symmetric pruned radial and non - symmetric pruned tetrahedral interpolation incorporates the control input computation blocks of the non - symmetric pruned radial 1700 and non - symmetric pruned tetrahedral 2200 interpolators . multiplexers 2501a - 2501n are used to select data to the control inputs of multiplexers 2502a - 2502n . a single bit is used to control the selection of the data at the inputs of multiplexers 2501a - 2501n . the single bit controls whether the multiplexer control inputs to multiplexers 2502a - 2502n are for non - symmetric pruned tetrahedral interpolation or for non - symmetric pruned radial interpolation . the multiplexer control input for multiplexers 2502a - 2502n determines which of the interpolation data values are coupled to the adders . with the bit in the first of its two states , the hardware of fig3 a , 37b , and 37c performs as a non - symmetric pruned radial interpolator . with the bit in the second of its two states , the hardware of fig3 a , 37b , and 37c performs as a non - symmetric pruned tetrahedral interpolator . adders 2503a - 2503o sum the outputs of multiplexers 2502a - 2502o . by shifting bits , the resulting sum is divided by 16 ( not shown in fig2 ) to generate the result . control input computation blocks 2504a - 2504k implement equations 14 - 19 and control input computation blocks 2505a - 2505v implement equations 25 and 26 . the hardware of fig3 a , 37b , and 37c could be used repeatitively for an additional ( d - 1 ) passes to generate the remaining d - 1 components of the output color space value 11 . or , there could be an additional ( d - 1 ) replications of part of the hardware implementation shown in fig3 a , 37b , and 37c to generate each of d components simultaneously . the hardware used for generating multiplexer control inputs could be used for each of the d replications . the common non - symmetric pruned radial and non - symmetric pruned tetrahedral interpolator 2500 shown in fig3 a , 37b , and 37c corresponds to d = 3 and n = 4 for the input color space value 10 . it should be recognized that for each of the disclosed hardware embodiments of interpolators , computations are required to supply the multiplexer control inputs . these computations may be implemented in dedicated hardware or performed using a microprocessor under software control . using a microprocessor to compute the multiplexer control inputs results in a hardware savings at the expense of increasing the time required to perform the multiplexer control input computations . although several embodiments of the inventions have been illustrated , and their forms described , it is readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that various modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention or from the scope of the appended claims . | 6 |
a stern luminaire as navigation luminaire of a ship has the following parts in accordance with fig2 : a rear wall 20 , a circuit board 21 with electrical and electronic components and circuits for driving an led 22 , a housing part 23 preferably made of aluminum , a small circuit board 24 with the led 22 held centrally , a lens 25 , a light - transmissive covering 26 , a housing covering 27 and suitable fixing means , here a screw 28 with head covering 29 , nut 30 and spreading sleeve 31 . the luminaire according to the invention constitutes a further development of the luminaires shown in ep 1 470 999 a2 . there is correspondence with regard to the configuration of the lens 25 as far as the deflection of the externally visible emitted light is concerned . significant deviations according to the invention in the construction of the lens 25 in relation to the representation in the aforementioned european patent application are explained in more detail further below . the light is emitted through the lens , in accordance with the legal regulations , essentially only via a laterally delimited sector of a horizontal plane . the led 22 is arranged fixedly on the small circuit board 24 . the latter has contacts 32 for the connection of electrical lines ( not shown ). the housing part 23 essentially comprises a central housing wall 33 , on which is formed a connecting link 34 for receiving the small circuit board 24 . furthermore , the housing wall 33 is provided with a peripheral side wall 35 . the latter has on the exterior a shoulder 36 for bearing a corresponding area ( not shown ) of the housing covering 27 . the small circuit board 24 has a peripheral edge with cutouts 37 into which corresponding projections 38 of the connecting link 34 enter . moreover , the cutouts 37 and projections 38 are arranged and designed such that the small circuit board 24 can be inserted into the connecting link 34 only in a defined position . when the small circuit board 24 has been inserted into the connecting link 34 , this and the led 22 bear as closely as possible on the housing wall 33 . the heat that arises is thus effectively dissipated or distributed over the housing part 23 altogether . the essentially annular connecting link 34 is at the same time provided with cutouts 39 on the inside , corresponding projections 40 of the lens 25 being held in said cutouts . further parts of the lens 25 rest on the exterior of the connecting link 34 ( apart from an exception mentioned further below ). consequently , the lens 25 also has a precisely defined relative position with respect to the connecting link 34 and thus with respect to the housing part 23 . the circuit board 21 is arranged in a manner resting on the rear side 41 of the housing wall 33 , said rear side being remote from the connecting link 34 , and may be held there for example by means of an adhesive - bonding connection . an internal space 42 is formed between the rear side 41 and the rear wall 20 and serves for receiving the components arranged on the circuit board 21 . the rear wall 20 has two cutouts 43 , namely for insertion of the spreading sleeve 31 and for the passage of electrical connecting lines 44 . an essential special feature is a pin - type extension 45 on the lens 25 , to be precise essentially parallel to the projections 40 . the extension 45 is arranged at the edge , in particular at the corner , on the lens 25 and extends counter to a main emission direction — arrow 46 — of the led 22 . the housing wall 33 has a cutout or hole for the extension 45 , to be precise outside the connecting link 34 . as a result , the light from the led 22 does not pass directly to the extension 45 . however , the extension 45 receives light only via its contact with the rest of the lens 25 or else part of the lens 25 . on account of the length of the extension 45 , a light exit area 48 at the end thereof lies in the region of the rear side 41 of the housing wall 33 . the circuit board 21 is provided with a light - sensitive sensor 49 , which is arranged in direct proximity to the light exit area 48 and can be used to measure the light intensity of the led 22 indirectly , namely via the lens 25 and the extension 45 . furthermore , the circuit board 21 has a programmable control unit ( not specifically shown ) formed from electronic components which serves for driving the led . the housing covering 27 has a window 50 , into which the light - transmissive covering 26 is inserted from the inside . directly beside the window 50 , the housing covering 27 has a cutout , namely a hole 51 for passage of the screw 28 . the light - transmissive covering 26 lies over a partly cylindrically curved outer light exit area 52 of the lens 25 , to be precise at a small distance in the region of a vertex 53 and at larger distances laterally alongside the latter , see fig6 in particular . the starboard luminaire in accordance with fig1 , 12 , 13 and also the port luminaire are constructed in an analogous manner . angular connecting links 54 are provided in order to represent an obliquely lateral light emission . moreover , the housing coverings 27 are provided with laterally offset windows 56 . in the embodiment shown here , the luminaire has precisely one led . the latter receives an led current of approximately 200 ma at the beginning of its service life . the led is maximally loaded with 350 ma . for the stern luminaire , use is made of a light - intense white led , in particular an led from the manufacturer lumileds lighting llc , san jose , calif ., usa , preferably of the type lxhl - pd01 luxeon emitter ( hemispherical dome ). of course , it is also possible to use leds from other manufacturers with similar specifications . the current values mentioned relate to the white led . a green led is used in the starboard luminaire and a red led in the port luminaire . the colored leds have in some instances a higher luminous efficiency than white leds . the electrical values must be adapted correspondingly . the operation of the luminaire and the function of the circuit are explained with reference to the flowchart in fig1 . a distinction is to be made between the first time that the luminaire is switched on , normal operation , the waiting mode , the defect mode . the luminaire ( lantern ) is switched on for the first time in dark surroundings , so that the sensor 49 does not receive any light , preferably in the factory after production of the luminaire . the luminaire is switched on . the led remains off , however . firstly , the sensor checks the presence of light . if light is detected , the led continues to remain off . if the sensor 49 signals surroundings without light , the led is switched on after a pause of 5 seconds . after a further 5 seconds , the light intensity measured by the sensor 49 is assumed as initial value and a light intensity that is up to 10 % less than that is stored as desired value . the stored desired value is preferably 97 % of the light intensity detected by the sensor . the desired value is also designated as reference value . afterward , the led automatically goes out or the luminaire is switched off manually . after the luminaire has been switched on in normal operation ( middle branch of the flowchart in fig1 ), the light intensity of the led is measured . if the desired value ( reference value ) is undershot , the initial led current is increased by a defined magnitude . the resultant led current is stored as present current value . after a waiting time of 5 seconds , the light intensity is measured again by the sensor 49 and , if appropriate , the led current is increased . the light intensity of the led decreases due to ageing . it is possible to maintain the light intensity by adapting the current value . in this case , the current value in the present example increases from initially 200 ma to a maximum of 350 ma . the increase is effected in discrete steps , preferably in 256 approximately identical steps . after the maximum current value has been reached , a further increase in the current intensity is not recommendable . the thermal , mechanical and / or electrical safety of the luminaire might be jeopardized . moreover , the luminaire is only operated for a specific time duration ( waiting time ) and can no longer be switched on after this has elapsed . the first time the desired light intensity is undershot with the maximum current value being present simultaneously , the waiting time begins ; a waiting time flag is set . starting from this point in time , the operating duration , in particular the operating hours of the led , is counted and stored . after 200 hours have elapsed , the waiting time has elapsed and the led is deemed to be defective . luminaires are usually switched on and off again dependent on daylight , so that a daily cycle is established with a cycle duration that is significantly shorter than the waiting time . as a result , enough time remains for the maintenance personnel to implement measures for exchanging the luminaire or just the led . in order to facilitate such measures , when the luminaire is switched on , firstly a check is made to ascertain whether the waiting time flag is set . if this is the case , the led briefly flashes a number of times , in particular three times , upon switch - on and then lights up without any further interruption . the flashing led makes the maintenance personnel aware of the imminent failure of the led . after the waiting time has elapsed , the led is deemed to be defective , although generally only light with a reduced light intensity is emitted . in the defect mode , the led is no longer switched on . correspondingly , when the luminaire is switched on , a check is made to ascertain whether the waiting time has elapsed . if so , the led remains dark . in order to avoid a failure of the luminaire in darkness , the led is not automatically switched off during operation in progress . it is only prevented from being switched on again after the waiting time has elapsed . the signaling of a specific operating state of the led depending on the light intensity and / or the led current may be effected when the luminaire is switched on or off , in particular by means of a brief flashing mode of the led . the functions described for operation of the luminaire are realized in suitable electronic circuits ( control unit ) with corresponding software on the circuit board 21 . with knowledge of the functions described , the construction of such a circuit is possible for a person skilled in the art of electronics , even without effecting an inventive step in this case . | 5 |
fig6 is a circuit diagram of a first embodiment according to the present invention at non - zero input , in which the controller and input signal of the switching amplifier are omitted from depiction . a load 20 is connected between output terminals outp and outn , a current source 22 and a resistor 24 are connected in series between a power supply vdd and a node lx 1 , and a resistor 26 and a current source 28 are connected in series between a node lx 2 and a ground terminal gnd . when the input signal vin has a positive or negative value , the output stage works as a normal ternary modulation switching amplifier . in this case , the output current il is mainly supplied from the power switches of the h - bridge during the period , and the additional sourcing current would not affect the function . in normal operation , the current supplied by the current sources 22 and 28 is much less than the current il supplied by the h - bridge to the load 20 . however , as shown in fig7 , as the input signal vin approaches zero , the current sources 22 and 28 would dominate and supply a small current i 0 to introduce a small value voltage drop across the load 20 . therefore , the current across the load 16 during the zero input is small and the power consumption is reduced . unlike prior arts , which are necessary to generate a minimum pulse width to maintain a small current at zero input , the current i 0 in this embodiment is offered by the additional current sources 22 and 28 . this small current i 0 reduces the common mode voltage bouncing at zero input , and thus reduce the emi effect . in this embodiment , the small current i 0 is less than 10 μa . fig8 is a circuit diagram of a second embodiment according to the present invention , in which a current source 32 and a resistor 34 are connected in series between a power supply vdd and a node lx 2 , and a resistor 36 and a current source 38 are connected in series between a node lx 1 and a ground terminal gnd , by which a small current i 0 is provided to generate a small voltage across the load 30 between the nodes lx 1 and lx 2 at zero input . this circuit operates identically to that of fig6 . fig9 is a circuit diagram of a third embodiment according to the present invention , in which a current source 42 and a resistor 44 are connected in series between a power supply vdd and a node lx 1 , a resistor 46 and a current source 48 are connected in series between the node lx 1 and a ground terminal gnd , a current source 52 and a resistor 54 are connected in series between the power supply vdd and a node lx 2 , and a resistor 56 and a current source 58 are connected in series between the node lx 2 and the ground terminal gnd . thereby , a small voltage will be present across the load 50 between the nodes lx 1 and lx 2 at zero input and reduces or eliminates the common mode voltage bouncing . there is an additional benefit for solving emi problem of the output stage . if the source currents are designed properly , the nodes lx 1 and lx 2 would be kept at a constant voltage , usually half of the supply voltage vdd , overall period . the common mode voltage of the output then is kept constant without variation so that the emi issue due to the unstable common mode voltage can be avoided . fig1 is a waveform diagram of the output currents il at zero input ( vin = 0 ) of ( a ) a conventional switching amplifier , ( b ) a general ternary modulation switching amplifier with minimum pulse width , and ( c ) a switching amplifier according to the present invention . as shown in fig1 ( a ), the conventional switching amplifier has a large load current 60 and an output voltage 62 switched between two levels . the general ternary modulation switching amplifier with minimum pulse width , as shown in fig1 ( b ), has a load current 64 slightly smaller than that of fig1 ( a ), and an output voltage 66 staying at zero most of the time but having a minimum pulse width . as shown in fig1 ( c ), the switching amplifier according to the present invention has a very small load current 68 and a constant output voltage 70 . as illustrated by the above embodiments , by adding proper current source ( s ), the power dissipation can be reduced without the need to generate a minimum pulse width to offer the output current at zero input . in addition , the output common voltage would be kept at a specific voltage to avoid the emi affection due to the variable common mode voltage at the output . while the invention has been described by way of example and in terms of the preferred embodiment , it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments . on the contrary , it is intended to cover various modifications and similar arrangements as would be apparent to those skilled in the art . therefore , the scope of the appended claims should be accorded the broadest interpretation to encompass all such modifications and similar arrangements . | 7 |
for the member , shown as a beam in fig1 ( a ), resting on two supports , distance l apart , the bending moment b , at the midpoint where p is applied , is found as b = pl / 4 . equilibrium demands that b at any location be resisted by the moment of the longitudinal ( i . e ., “ normal ”) stresses within the beam material and that the net force from such stresses be zero . these requirements are met in beams with cross sections having mirror image symmetry about a center line normal to both p and l , e . g ., round tubular cross sections , by the symmetrical distribution of tensile (+ ψ ) and compressive (− ψ ) stresses indicated in fig1 ( c ). the stress magnitude at distance c ( fig1 ( b )) from the beam &# 39 ; s central plane ( the “ neutral axis ”) is found as 4 : ψ = bc / i , where i is the moment of inertia of the cross section about its diameter . for a tubular section with outside diameter d and inside diameter d , i = π ( d 4 − d 4 )/ 64 . for a thin tube , wherein d ≈ d , c may be expressed with adequate precision in terms of the position angle α , as c = d sin α / 2 . in terms of the force p ( with downward directed forces considered negative ), the geometric features indicated , and the configuration of fig1 ( a ), the normal stress within the tube material can be found from : prior to the application of any forces , the tubular beam will have been substantially circumferentially magnetized , either by a field of saturating intensity from a short duration unipolar current through an axially concentric conductor , or by rotation on its axis in the fringing field of a suitable magnet 6 . in ideal , stress , and defect free polycrystalline materials , the magnetization in each ( non - interacting ) crystallite will lie along the easy axis nearest to the circumferential direction . in samples comprised of randomly oriented cubic crystals these easy axes lie within a solid angle of 110 °. in real materials , the local fields arising at grain boundaries and defects , as well as the anisotropy associated with microstresses , generally act to further widen this orientation distribution . in the tubular element being considered it is only necessary to recognize that the local magnetization orientation varies over a wide angular range . for a crystal wherein the saturation magnetization , m s , is oriented at some angle θ to the circumferential direction , the circumferential component m c = m s cos θ . within the entire tube , m c = m s cos θ , the volume weighted average of all the local magnetization orientations . as magnetized , m c is substantially circumferentially uniform . a simplified analysis , wherein the magnetostriction , λ , of the beam material is considered isotropic and the crystal anisotropy is approximated by a uniaxial constant , k , is sufficient to demonstrate the operating principle of the sensor . it is convenient to consider the distribution of spin vector orientations within the magnetized beam to be comprised of an equivalent distribution of vector pairs , the members of each being symmetrical in orientation and representative of equal volumes . it is also assumed that there are equal volumes of all of the orientations comprising the distribution . within pairs , and hence within the entire beam , the axial and radial components of the saturation magnetization , m s , initially sum to zero , and , following from their symmetry , continue to sum to zero however their orientations be altered by flexural stress . the circumferential components of the individual members of any pair remain always equal to each other and contribute additively to m c . one such vector pair , having quiescent orientations θ l and θ r , as determined by k l and k r respectively , is illustrated in fig2 . the stress anisotropy , 3λψ / 2 , arising with the application of p acts to rotate the m s vectors away from k through an angle φ . for materials wherein λ & gt ; 0 , tensile stress will rotate the vectors towards the tube axis as shown in fig2 ( a ), whereas under compressive stress they will rotate towards the circumferential direction as shown in fig2 ( b ). the angle φ can be found by minimizing the sum of the crystal and magnetoelastic anisotropies . a normalized ( against k ) stress anisotropy , s , can be defined and expressed in terms of p and geometric features from ( 1 ) as : or as a variation expressing s in terms of b rather than p , applicable to any beam configuration ( e . g ., cantilever , rigid supports , non central loading , etc . ): ( 2a ) and ( 2b ) can each be expressed as s = s peak sin α . in any case the total magnetic energy density , e , is found as : although the sensor develops a magnetic field under the action of p , no magnetostatic energy term associated with this field is included in equation ( 3 ), above . the ( quiescently uniform ) substantially circumferential component of magnetization , m c = m s cos θ is seen to be changed to m c = m s cos ( θ + φ ) by the application of p . since φ is dependent on s , and s varies with α , the consequence of applying p ( in a configuration producing bending moments ), is that m c is no longer circumferentially uniform . the effects of bending stress on vector distributions and the consequential effects on m c are graphically depicted in fig3 . fig4 shows the effect of s peak = 0 . 5 on the variation of m c with α for vector pairs having initial vector orientations of θ = 15 °, 30 °, 45 °, 60 °, and 75 °. the asymmetrical effects of tensile and compressive stress are clearly apparent in these plots . by contrast , however , the plot ( bold dashed line ) showing the variation of m c in a tubular beam wherein the magnetization is characterized by a distribution containing all 5 of the indicated vector pairs is seen to approach a perfect sinusoid , a tendency found to grow even more with distributions populated by wider and more finely divided orientations . this close approximation to sinusoidal variation diminishes rapidly as s peak increases above 1 . the peak amplitudes , a , of the positional variation of m c with 0 ≦ s peak ≦ 1 . 5 for orientation distributions from 1 ° to 89 ° are plotted in fig5 . the linearity falls off rapidly for values of s peak & gt ; 1 , reflective of saturation in the rotation of many of the vector orientations . within the linear range where m c = a sin α ( closely ), dm c / dα = a cos α . since ∇· m c ∝ dm c / dα , hypothetical “ free ” poles with surface density ρ ∝ a cos α appear on the surface of the beam . maximum absolute values of ρ thus occur at α = 0 ° and 180 ° and have opposite polarities at these positions . the model thus predicts that a magnetic field will arise when p is applied . the field will have peak intensities on the beam &# 39 ; s neutral plane and be off opposite polarities on diametrically opposite sides . the intensity of this field will expectedly vary directly with a , hence , in the linear range of s peak & lt ; 1 , directly with s peak and therefore with p . the field polarity reverses between push and pull forces . two experimental transducers , having tubular beams 60 mm long with d = 15 . 9 mm and d = 12 . 7 mm , were constructed , one of 18 % ni maraging steel , centered , and attached thereto with silver solder to a 12 . 7 mm diameter , 300 mm long isi type 303 stainless steel rod , and the other of cold drawn nickel 200 attached with anaerobic adhesive to an identical rod . the tubes were circumferentially polarized by ˜ 1000 a , 1 ms current pulses conducted axially through the rods . an allegro type 3615 hall effect ic , oriented to detect radial fields , was cemented to the surface at the center of each tube . each assembly , in turn , was installed into a four point bending apparatus which allowed for applying a measured force normal to the rod axis , at any selected angular position of the field sensor , thereby effectively varying α . this manner of loading establishes a constant b over the full tube length , thereby eliminating any possible effects of bending moment gradients . the measured field , h , at every 10 ° for 0 ≦ α ≦ 360 ° for p = 1288 n corresponding to peak tensile and compressive stresses on the tube surface of 125 mpa is plotted in fig6 for the maraging steel sample . also plotted is h peak cos α , which , by its obvious close concurrence with the data , confirms a key prediction of the analytical model . transfer function data from both experimental assemblies , for both push and pull forces are plotted in fig7 , as are their linear regression lines . the excellent linearity of the plots , the polarity reversal between push and pull forces and between λ of opposite signs , further support this understanding . hysteresis is seen as the major source of linearity error . force transducers using a novel combination of mechanical , magnetoelastic , and magnetostatic principles have been described . measurements of the operational characteristics of experimental devices support the theoretical basis of the analytical model . the high quality of these transfer functions clearly supports this approach . scaling laws , applicable materials , configurational variations , stability over time , effects of temperature , and other environmental conditions are among the factors those in the art will consider when adapting this invention for various applications in devices configured to exploit the underlying phenomena described herein . the present invention has many applications . for example , it can be used in helicopter rotor load measurement , wherein the main rotor is typically loaded in multiple ways , including by torque , bending , and tension / compression . the present invention will also find application in the context of wind turbine rotor shafts and other associated driveline components , wherein once again a variety of loadings ( e . g ., torque , bending , and / or tension / compression ) can be experienced by the components . the present invention can additionally be applied to structures , machines , devices , and components wherein combined multidirectional loading is present , such as robot joints , rotating machines , linear actuators , automotive suspension components , civil engineering structures ( e . g ., bridges , buildings , dams , etc . ), et cetera . the present invention can also be utilized in conjunction with a variety of industrial devices and machines instrumented with load cells ; such devices include hydraulic and electric actuators , scales , weighing stations , aircraft structures , and pressing and molding equipment , among others . depending upon the particular application , the sensors of the invention can also be integrated with other sensor types , including , for example , torque sensors , rate of change of torque sensors , speed sensors , position sensors , pressure sensors , accelerometers , and thermocouples . particularly preferred torque sensors include those described in u . s . pat . nos . 6 , 553 , 847 , 6 , 490 , 934 , 6 , 260 , 423 , 6 , 145 , 387 , 6 , 047 , 605 , 5 , 708 , 216 , 5 , 591 , 925 , 5 , 520 , 059 , 5 , 465 , 627 , 5 , 367 , 257 , 5 , 351 , 555 , 5 , 195 , 377 , and 5 , 052 , 232 . particularly preferred rate of change torque sensors include those described in u . s . pat . no . 7 , 832 , 289 . 1 d . son and j . sievert , ieee trans . magn ., vol . 26 , 1990 , pp . 2017 - 2019 . 2 i . j . garshelis , j . appl . phys . 73 ( 10 ), may 1993 , pp . 5629 - 5631 . 3 t . a . baudendistel and m . l . turner , ieee sensors journal , vol . 7 , no . 2 , 2007 , pp . 245 - 250 . 4 stresses in beams . david roylance . department of materials science and engineering . massachusetts institute of technology . cambridge , mass . 02139 ( 21 nov . 2001 ), accessible as a webpage at : web . mit . edu / course / 3 / 3 . 11 / www / modules / bstress . pdf 5 chikazumi , soshin , physics of magnetism , new york : wiley , 1964 , pp . 249 - 251 . 6 i . j . garshelis and s . p . l . tollens , ieee trans . magn . vol . 41 , no . 10 , 2005 , pp . 2796 - 2798 . all of the articles and methods disclosed and claimed herein can be made and executed without undue experimentation in light of the present disclosure . while the articles and methods of this invention have been described in terms of preferred embodiments , it will be apparent to those of skill in the art that variations may be applied to the articles and methods without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . all such variations and equivalents apparent to those skilled in the art , whether now existing or later developed , are deemed to be within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims . it will also be appreciated that computer - based embodiments of the instant invention can be implemented using any suitable hardware and software . all patents , patent applications , and publications mentioned in the specification are indicative of the levels of those of ordinary skill in the art to which the invention pertains . all patents , patent applications , and publications are herein incorporated by reference in their entirety for all purposes and to the same extent as if each individual publication was specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference in its entirety for any and all purposes . the invention illustratively described herein suitably may be practiced in the absence of any element ( s ) not specifically disclosed herein . thus , for example , in each instance herein any of the terms “ comprising ”, “ consisting essentially of ”, and “ consisting of ” may be replaced with either of the other two terms . the terms and expressions which have been employed are used as terms of description and not of limitation , and there is no intention that in the use of such terms and expressions of excluding any equivalents of the features shown and described or portions thereof , but it is recognized that various modifications are possible within the scope of the invention claimed . thus , it should be understood that although the present invention has been specifically disclosed by preferred embodiments and optional features , modification and variation of the concepts herein disclosed may be resorted to by those skilled in the art , and that such modifications and variations are considered to be within the scope of this invention as defined by the appended claims . | 6 |
[ 0013 ] fig1 is a representation of an animal trap display system including a central display unit 101 having a receiving antenna 103 and a display board 149 including a list of animal trap identities 105 in association with a list of trap states 107 . as shown , each trap identity e . g . 109 is associated with a pair of light emitting diodes ( led ) 111 of different colors . for example , one led 113 on the left is green to indicate that the associated trap remains set and a second led 115 is red to indicate that the associated trap needs attention . also included in the system of fig1 is a plurality of animal traps 1 through n of which trap 1 is assigned reference numeral 117 and trap n is assigned reference numeral 119 . each trap 117 through 119 includes a trap sensor 121 ( fig2 ) and a wireless transmitter in addition to the normal trap mechanism 125 as shown in fig2 . the trap mechanism in fig2 is a standard household rodent trap , however , other trap mechanisms might be employed . the trap may be a humane trap of the cage variety with a closing door or a more rugged outdoor variety of the clamp trap such as the type used to capture fur bearing animals such as bear and mink . the only requirement of the trap mechanism is that a detector should be able to sense that the trap has been sprung or that the trap contains one or more captured animals . in the following embodiment , the trap is shown and described as a household rodent trap commonly called a mouse trap . the trap includes a movable portion 122 which is used in the normal manner to trap animals . [ 0015 ] fig3 represents the electrical circuit associated with the traps 117 - 119 . such circuitry may be embedded within the trap body as shown in fig2 or separate therefrom provided that the circuitry can sense the state of the trap . in fig3 the sensor 121 is represented as a single pole single throw switch 127 which is connected to a controller 129 . the sensor 121 may be mechanically , magnetically , electrically or optically coupled to the moving portion 122 of the trap . the exact nature of the sensor is not critical to applicant &# 39 ; s invention . also shown is a transmitter 133 with an associated antenna 135 . the transmitter is of a type well known in the art which am modulates a carrier frequency to transmit signals . it should be mentioned that the transmitters of all of the traps 117 - 119 transmit at the same carrier frequency in the present embodiment , however , such is not required . also included in the transmitter system of fig3 are an identity code storage 137 and a battery 131 . the code stored by storage 137 is unique to a particular trap so that the code can be decoded at a receiver to identify which trap is transmitting . in the present embodiment , thirty two traps 117 - 119 are possible so the identity code should comprise at least 5 binary digits ( bits ). other numbers of traps can be used in other embodiments and codes of different length are necessary . the controller 129 periodically reads the state of sensor switch 127 and transmits a message including the code of the transmitting trap and the then present state of the trap . additionally , the controller senses each change of state of the trap and transmits a signal within a few seconds of the change of state to contemporaneously signal the new state to a control unit . a block diagram of the central display unit 101 is shown in fig4 . a receiver 141 of the central display unit is tuned to receive the rf transmissions from the traps 117 - 119 and to connect the code and trap state received in those transmissions to a processor 143 which may be a programmed micro processor having a memory 145 . memory 145 stores the program and data for controlling the processor and may consist of a plurality of memory circuits including rom for the program and non - volatile ram for storing certain trap related data . also stored in memory 145 is a data table having an entry for each trap 117 - 119 which stores the last look state of the trap and the identification code representing the trap . the table of trap data is represented in fig5 as 147 . display unit 101 also includes a display section 149 comprising the pair of leds for each trap and a printed designation for the associated trap . as shown in fig4 thirty two trap designations are arranged in a column and the associated pair of leds e . g . 113 and 115 are arranged in a row with the trap designations . in addition , the central unit 101 may be equipped to provide trap state data to remote locations when the animal trap identifying system is not readily available . when so equipped , the system includes remote communication unit 146 which is advised of each trap state change detected by processor 143 . upon being advised , the remote communication 146 dials a preset telephone number to alert a human operator or initiates an automatic e mail message to the operator . each trap includes a code storage device 137 to store the unique code of the trap . this storage device 137 may be a permanently written code in the rom of controller 129 or in the present embodiment in a multi position dip switch . the user sets the positions of the dip switches of each trap to a different combination of positions . the display unit 101 includes a learn mode switch 153 connected to the processor 143 which , when depressed by the user , causes processor 143 to enter the learn mode . in the learn mode , which may last for 10 - 20 seconds , the processor receives a code and state transmitted from a trap and checks each trap entry of table 147 to see if the received code is being used by another trap . when the code is not already in use and thus is not stored in table 147 the new code is so stored in the next available position of trap table and both leds associated with that first available entry are flashed to alert the user of a successful learning operation . when an already in use code is received during a learn operation , such is identified by the check of codes and no leds are flashed . learning mode operation is described in detail in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 750 , 118 which is hereby incorporated by reference , and is generally well known in the art . the present embodiment includes dip switches in the traps and learning of identity codes by the display unit , however , other methods for trap identification could be used . for example , the traps and display could be sold as a set and each trap identity fixed in the trap and permanently memorized by the display unit . [ 0020 ] fig6 is a flow diagram of the operation of the trap transmitters 123 during normal operation . the flow begins with a start operation 161 which is initiated by the placement of batteries 131 into the trap . start operations generally comprise those initialization operations normally performed by a processor on power up . after the start is completed , the flow proceeds to a block 163 in which the state of switch 127 is read and assigned to a variable new_state . flow then proceeds to store the new_state in a block 165 and the new state is compared with a variable old_state which is stored by controller 129 . it should be apparent that an old state represents the state of switch 127 and thus movable trap portion 122 during a last check of trap status . when new_state equals old_state , no current state change has occurred and flow proceeds to block 169 to determine whether two minutes has expired since the last transmission . when two minutes has not passed , flow proceeds to a pause block 171 which is used to delay the excursions through the program loop represented by fig6 . during the pause other processor functions may be performed . after the pause which may only be for 0 . 5 seconds , for example , flow proceeds back to block 163 . when the decision step 169 determines that 2 minutes has passed since the last transmission , flow proceeds to block 173 where a 2 minute timer is reset and on to block 175 in which the identity code of the device is read from storage 137 and both the identity code and new state are transmitted via transmitter 133 and antenna 135 . after such transmission , the variable old_state is set to new_state in block 177 and flow continues to the pause block 171 and back to the program loop discussed above . similarly , when the performance of decision block 167 determines that new_state and old_state are not equal flow proceeds to the transmit step 175 where the identity code of the trap and the new_state are transmitted as before . from the above it can be seen that the trap continues to test for a state change and for the expiration of two minutes . when either event occurs , the trap code and then present state of the movable portion are rf transmitted and the process continues . in the display unit , the processor continues to scan for received codes . when a valid code is received , it is successively compared with the codes stored in table 147 to identify which trap sent the code . when the trap is identified , memory 145 table 147 for the just received trap code is updated to represent the new_state of the trap . processor 143 also performs a continuous loop to read the states of the traps 117 - 119 from memory 145 and energize the appropriate led e . g . 113 to visually represent the trap state . when operating as above described , a baited trap will continue to send a state indication that the trap is ready for use . when an animal takes the bait and springs the trap , the movable portion 122 of the trap moves to catch the animal . the sensor 121 will detect the movement of the movable member and when controller 129 next reads the sensor a signal will be sent to the display unit to reflect the state change . alternatively , as long as the trap remains unsprung and the movable portion does not move the transmitter 133 will be used every 2 minutes to notify the display unit that the state has not changed . | 0 |
reference is made to fig1 a - 1e which schematically illustrate various stages of a cell division process . fig1 a illustrates a cell 10 at its normal geometry , which can be generally spherical ( as illustrated in the drawings ), ellipsoidal , cylindrical , “ pancake - like ” or any other cell geometry , as is known in the art . fig1 b - 1d illustrate cell 10 during different stages of its division process , which results in the formation of two new cells 18 and 20 , shown in fig1 e . as shown in fig1 b - 1d , the division process of cell 10 is characterized by a slowly growing cleft 12 which gradually separates cell 10 into two units , namely sub - cells 14 and 16 , which eventually evolve into new cells 18 and 20 ( fig1 e ). a shown specifically in fig1 d , the division process is characterized by a transient period during which the structure of cell 10 is basically that of the two sub - cells 14 and 16 interconnected by a narrow “ bridge ” 22 containing cell material ( cytoplasm surrounded by cell membrane ). reference is now made to fig2 a and 2b , which schematically illustrate non - dividing cell 10 being subjected to an electric field produced by applying an alternating electric potential , at a relatively low frequency and at a relatively high frequency , respectively . cell 10 includes intracellular organelles , e . g ., a nucleus 30 . alternating electric potential is applied across electrodes 28 and 32 that can be attached externally to a patient at a predetermined region , e . g ., in the vicinity of the tumor being treated . when cell 10 is under natural conditions , i . e ., part of a living tissue , it is disposed in a conductive environment ( hereinafter referred to as a “ volume conductor ”) consisting mostly of electrolytic inter - cellular liquid . when an electric potential is applied across electrodes 28 and 32 , some of the field lines of the resultant electric field ( or the current induced in the tissue in response to the electric field ) penetrate the cell 10 , while the rest of the field lines ( or induced current ) flow in the surrounding medium . the specific distribution of the electric field lines , which is substantially consistent with the direction of current flow in this instance , depends on the geometry and the electric properties of the system components , e . g ., the relative conductivities and dielectric constants of the system components , that can be frequency dependent . for low frequencies , e . g ., frequencies lower than 10 khz , the conductance properties of the components completely dominate the current flow and the field distribution , and the field distribution is generally as depicted in fig2 a . at higher frequencies , e . g ., at frequencies of between 10 khz and 1 mhz , the dielectric properties of the components becomes more significant and eventually dominate the field distribution , resulting in field distribution lines as depicted generally in fig2 b . for constant ( i . e ., dc ) electric fields or relatively low frequency alternating electric fields , for example , frequencies under 10 khz , the dielectric properties of the various components are not significant in determining and computing the field distribution . therefore , as a first approximation , with regard to the electric field distribution , the system can be reasonably represented by the relative impedances of its various components . using this approximation , the intercellular ( i . e ., extracellular ) fluid and the intracellular fluid each has a relatively low impedance , while the cell membrane 11 has a relatively high impedance . thus , under low frequency conditions , only a fraction of the electric field lines ( or currents induced by the electric field ) penetrate membrane 11 of the cell 10 . at relatively high frequencies ( e . g ., 10 khz - 1 mhz ), in contrast , the impedance of membrane 11 relative to the intercellular and intracellular fluids decreases , and thus , the fraction of currents penetrating the cells increases significantly . it should be noted that at very high frequencies , i . e ., above 1 mhz , the membrane capacitance can short the membrane resistance and , therefore , the total membrane resistance can become negligible . in any of the embodiments described above , the electric field lines ( or induced currents ) penetrate cell 10 from a portion of the membrane 11 closest to one of the electrodes generating the current , e . g ., closest to positive electrode 28 ( also referred to herein as “ source ”). the current flow pattern across cell 10 is generally uniform because , under the above approximation , the field induced inside the cell is substantially homogeneous . the currents exit cell 10 through a portion of membrane 11 closest to the opposite electrode , e . g ., negative electrode 32 ( also referred to herein as “ sink ”). the distinction between field lines and current flow can depend on a number of factors , for example , on the frequency of the applied electric potential and on whether electrodes 28 and 32 are electrically insulated . for insulated electrodes applying a dc or low frequency alternating voltage , there is practically no current flow along the lines of the electric field . at higher frequencies , the displacement currents are induced in the tissue due to charging and discharging of the electrode insulation and the cell membranes ( which act as capacitors to a certain extent ), and such currents follow the lines of the electric field . fields generated by non - insulated electrodes , in contrast , always generate some form of current flow , specifically , dc or low frequency alternating fields generate conductive current flow along the field lines , and high frequency alternating fields generate both conduction and displacement currents along the field lines . it should be appreciated , however , that movement of polarizable intracellular organelles according to the present invention ( as described below ) is not dependent on actual flow of current and , therefore , both insulated and non - insulated electrodes can be used efficiently . advantages of insulated electrodes include lower power consumption , less heating of the treated regions , and improved patient safety . according to one exemplary embodiment of the present invention , the electric fields that are used are alternating fields having frequencies that are in the range from about 50 khz to about 500 khz , and preferably from about 100 khz to about 300 khz . for ease of discussion , these type of electric fields are also referred to below as “ tc fields ”, which is an abbreviation of “ tumor curing electric fields ”, since these electric fields fall into an intermediate category ( between high and low frequency ranges ) that have bio - effective field properties while having no meaningful stimulatory and thermal effects . these frequencies are sufficiently low so that the system behavior is determined by the system &# 39 ; s ohmic ( conductive ) properties but sufficiently high enough not to have any stimulation effect on excitable tissues . such a system consists of two types of elements , namely , the intercellular , or extracellular fluid , or medium and the individual cells . the intercellular fluid is mostly an electrolyte with a specific resistance of about 40 - 100 ohm * cm . as mentioned above , the cells are characterized by three elements , namely ( 1 ) a thin , highly electric resistive membrane that coats the cell ; ( 2 ) internal cytoplasm that is mostly an electrolyte that contains numerous macromolecules and micro - organelles , including the nucleus ; and ( 3 ) membranes , similar in their electric properties to the cell membrane , cover the micro - organelles . when this type of system is subjected to the present tc fields ( e . g ., alternating electric fields in the frequency range of 100 khz - 300 khz ) most of the lines of the electric field and currents tend away from the cells because of the high resistive cell membrane and therefore the lines remain in the extracellular conductive medium . in the above recited frequency range , the actual fraction of electric field or currents that penetrates the cells is a strong function of the frequency . fig2 schematically depicts the resulting field distribution in the system . as illustrated , the lines of force , which also depict the lines of potential current flow across the cell volume mostly in parallel with the undistorted lines of force ( the main direction of the electric field ). in other words , the field inside the cells is mostly homogeneous . in practice , the fraction of the field or current that penetrates the cells is determined by the cell membrane impedance value relative to that of the extracellular fluid . since the equivalent electric circuit of the cell membrane is that of a resistor and capacitor in parallel , the impedance is a function of the frequency . the higher the frequency , the lower the impedance , the larger the fraction of penetrating current and the smaller the field distortion ( rotshenker s . & amp ; y . palti , changes in fraction of current penetrating an axon as a function of duration of stimulating pulse , j . theor . biol . 41 ; 401 - 407 ( 1973 ). as previously mentioned , when cells are subjected to relatively weak electric fields and currents that alternate at high frequencies , such as the present tc fields having a frequency in the range of 50 khz - 500 khz , they have no effect on the non - dividing cells . while the present tc fields have no detectable effect on such systems , the situation becomes different in the presence of dividing cells . reference is now made to fig3 a - 3c which schematically illustrate the electric current flow pattern in cell 10 during its division process , under the influence of alternating fields ( tc fields ) in the frequency range from about 100 khz to about 300 khz in accordance with one exemplary embodiment . the field lines or induced currents penetrate cell 10 through a part of the membrane of sub - cell 16 closer to electrode 28 . however , they do not exit through the cytoplasm bridge 22 that connects sub - cell 16 with the newly formed yet still attached sub - cell 14 , or through a part of the membrane in the vicinity of the bridge 22 . instead , the electric field or current flow lines — that are relatively widely separated in sub - cell 16 — converge as they approach bridge 22 ( also referred to as “ neck ” 22 ) and , thus , the current / field line density within neck 22 is increased dramatically . a “ mirror image ” process takes place in sub - cell 14 , whereby the converging field lines in bridge 22 diverge as they approach the exit region of sub - cell 14 . it should be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that homogeneous electric fields do not exert a force on electrically neutral objects , i . e ., objects having substantially zero net charge , although such objects can become polarized . however , under a non - uniform , converging electric field , as shown in fig3 a - 3c , electric forces are exerted on polarized objects , moving them in the direction of the higher density electric field lines . it will be appreciated that the concentrated electric field that is present in the neck or bridge area in itself exerts strong forces on charges and natural dipoles and can disrupt structures that are associated therewith . one will understand that similar net forces act on charges in an alternating field , again in the direction of the field of higher intensity . in the configuration of fig3 a and 3b , the direction of movement of polarized and charged objects is towards the higher density electric field lines , i . e ., towards the cytoplasm bridge 22 between sub - cells 14 and 16 . it is known in the art that all intracellular organelles , for example , nuclei 24 and 26 of sub - cells 14 and 16 , respectively , are polarizable and , thus , such intracellular organelles are electrically forced in the direction of the bridge 22 . since the movement is always from lower density currents to the higher density currents , regardless of the field polarity , the forces applied by the alternating electric field to organelles , such as nuclei 24 and 26 , are always in the direction of bridge 22 . a comprehensive description of such forces and the resulting movement of macromolecules of intracellular organelles , a phenomenon referred to as “ dielectrophoresis ” is described extensively in literature , e . g ., in c . l . asbury & amp ; g . van den engh , biophys . j . 74 , 1024 - 1030 , 1998 , the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety . the movement of the organelles 24 and 26 towards the bridge 22 disrupts the structure of the dividing cell , change the concentration of the various cell constituents and , eventually , the pressure of the converging organelles on bridge membrane 22 results in the breakage of cell membrane 11 at the vicinity of the bridge 22 , as shown schematically in fig3 c . the ability to break membrane 11 at bridge 22 and to otherwise disrupt the cell structure and organization can be enhanced by applying a pulsating ac electric field , rather than a steady ac field . when a pulsating field is applied , the forces acting on organelles 24 and 26 have a “ hammering ” effect , whereby pulsed forces beat on the intracellular organelles towards the neck 22 from both sub - cells 14 and 16 , thereby increasing the probability of breaking cell membrane 11 in the vicinity of neck 22 . a very important element , which is very susceptible to the special fields that develop within the dividing cells is the microtubule spindle that plays a major role in the division process . in fig4 , a dividing cell 10 is illustrated , at an earlier stage as compared to fig3 a and 3b , under the influence of external tc fields ( e . g ., alternating fields in the frequency range of about 100 khz to about 300 khz ), generally indicated as lines 100 , with a corresponding spindle mechanism generally indicated at 120 . the lines 120 are microtubules that are known to have a very strong dipole moment . this strong polarization makes the tubules , as well as other polar macromolecules and especially those that have a specific orientation within the cells or its surrounding , susceptible to electric fields . their positive charges are located at the two centrioles while two sets of negative poles are at the center of the dividing cell and the other pair is at the points of attachment of the microtubules to the cell membrane , generally indicated at 130 . this structure forms sets of double dipoles and therefore they are susceptible to fields of different directions . it will be understood that the effect of the tc fields on the dipoles does not depend on the formation of the bridge ( neck ) and thus , the dipoles are influenced by the tc fields prior to the formation of the bridge ( neck ). since the present apparatus ( as will be described in greater detail below ) utilizes insulated electrodes , the above - mentioned negative effects obtained when conductive electrodes are used , i . e ., ion concentration changes in the cells and the formation of harmful agents by electrolysis , do not occur when the present apparatus is used . this is because , in general , no actual transfer of charges takes place between the electrodes and the medium and there is no charge flow in the medium where the currents are capacitive , i . e ., are expressed only as rotation of charges , etc . turning now to fig5 , the tc fields described above that have been found to advantageously destroy tumor cells are generated by an electronic apparatus 200 . fig5 is a simple schematic diagram of the electronic apparatus 200 illustrating the major components thereof . the electronic apparatus 200 generates the desired electric signals ( tc signals ) in the shape of waveforms or trains of pulses . the apparatus 200 includes a generator 210 and a pair of conductive leads 220 that are attached at one end thereof to the generator 210 . the opposite ends of the leads 220 are connected to insulated conductors 230 that are activated by the electric signals ( e . g ., waveforms ). the insulated conductors 230 are also referred to hereinafter as isolects 230 . optionally and according to another exemplary embodiment , the apparatus 200 includes a temperature sensor 240 and a control box 250 which are both added to control the amplitude of the electric field generated so as not to generate excessive heating in the area that is treated . the generator 210 generates an alternating voltage waveform at frequencies in the range from about 50 khz to about 500 khz ( preferably from about 100 khz to about 300 khz ) ( i . e ., the tc fields ). the required voltages are such that the electric field intensity in the tissue to be treated is in the range of about 0 . 1 v / cm to about 10 v / cm . to achieve this field , the actual potential difference between the two conductors in the isolects 230 is determined by the relative impedances of the system components , as described below . when the control box 250 is included , it controls the output of the generator 210 so that it will remain constant at the value preset by the user or the control box 250 sets the output at the maximal value that does not cause excessive heating , or the control box 250 issues a warning or the like when the temperature ( sensed by temperature sensor 240 ) exceeds a preset limit . the leads 220 are standard isolated conductors with a flexible metal shield , preferably grounded so that it prevents the spread of the electric field generated by the leads 220 . the isolects 230 have specific shapes and positioning so as to generate an electric field of the desired configuration , direction and intensity at the target volume and only there so as to focus the treatment . the specifications of the apparatus 200 as a whole and its individual components are largely influenced by the fact that at the frequency of the present tc fields ( 50 khz - 500 khz ), living systems behave according to their “ ohmic ”, rather than their dielectric properties . the only elements in the apparatus 200 that behave differently are the insulators of the isolects 230 ( see fig7 - 9 ). the isolects 200 consist of a conductor in contact with a dielectric that is in contact with the conductive tissue thus forming a capacitor . the details of the construction of the isolects 230 is based on their electric behavior that can be understood from their simplified electric circuit when in contact with tissue as generally illustrated in fig6 . in the illustrated arrangement , the potential drop or the electric field distribution between the different components is determined by their relative electric impedance , i . e ., the fraction of the field on each component is given by the value of its impedance divided by the total circuit impedance . for example , the potential drop on element δv a = a /( a + b + c + d + e ). thus , for dc or low frequency ac , practically all the potential drop is on the capacitor ( that acts as an insulator ). for relatively very high frequencies , the capacitor practically is a short and therefore , practically all the field is distributed in the tissues . at the frequencies of the present tc fields ( e . g ., 50 khz to 500 khz ), which are intermediate frequencies , the impedance of the capacitance of the capacitors is dominant and determines the field distribution . therefore , in order to increase the effective voltage drop across the tissues ( field intensity ), the impedance of the capacitors is to be decreased ( i . e ., increase their capacitance ). this can be achieved by increasing the effective area of the “ plates ” of the capacitor , decrease the thickness of the dielectric or use a dielectric with high dielectric constant . in order to optimize the field distribution , the isolects 230 are configured differently depending upon the application in which the isolects 230 are to be used . there are two principle modes for applying the present electric fields ( tc fields ). first , the tc fields can be applied by external isolects and second , the tc fields can be applied by internal isolects . electric fields ( tc fields ) that are applied by external isolects can be of a local type or widely distributed type . the first type includes , for example , the treatment of skin tumors and treatment of lesions close to the skin surface . fig7 illustrates an exemplary embodiment where the isolects 230 are incorporated in a skin patch 300 . the skin patch 300 can be a self - adhesive flexible patch with one or more pairs of isolects 230 . the patch 300 includes internal insulation 310 ( formed of a dielectric material ) and the external insulation 260 and is applied to skin surface 301 that contains a tumor 303 either on the skin surface 301 or slightly below the skin surface 301 . tissue is generally indicated at 305 . to prevent the potential drop across the internal insulation 310 to dominate the system , the internal insulation 310 must have a relatively high capacity . this can be achieved by a large surface area ; however , this may not be desired as it will result in the spread of the field over a large area ( e . g ., an area larger than required to treat the tumor ). alternatively , the internal insulation 310 can be made very thin and / or the internal insulation 310 can be of a high dielectric constant . as the skin resistance between the electrodes ( labeled as a and e in fig6 ) is normally significantly higher than that of the tissue ( labeled as c in fig6 ) underneath it ( 1 - 10 kω vs . 0 . 1 - 1 kω ), most of the potential drop beyond the isolects occurs there . to accommodate for these impedances ( z ), the characteristics of the internal insulation 310 ( labeled as b and d in fig6 ) should be such that they have impedance preferably under 100 kω at the frequencies of the present tc fields ( e . g ., 50 khz to 500 khz ). for example , if it is desired for the impedance to be about 10 k ohms or less , such that over 1 % of the applied voltage falls on the tissues , for isolects with a surface area of 10 mm 2 , at frequencies of 200 khz , the capacity should be on the order of 10 − 10 f ., which means that using standard insulations with a dielectric constant of 2 - 3 , the thickness of the insulating layer 310 should be about 50 - 100 microns . an internal field 10 times stronger would be obtained with insulators with a dielectric constant of about 20 - 50 . using an insulating material with a high dielectric constant increases the capacitance of the electrodes , which results in a reduction of the electrodes &# 39 ; impedance to the ac signal that is applied by the generator 1 ( shown in fig5 ). because the electrodes a , e are wired in series with the target tissue c , as shown in fig6 , this reduction in impedance reduces the voltage drop in the electrodes , so that a larger portion of the applied ac voltage appears across the tissue c . since a larger portion of the voltage appears across the tissue , the voltage that is being applied by the generator 1 can be advantageously lowered for a given field strength in the tissue . the desired field strength in the tissue being treated is preferably between about 0 . 1 v / cm and about 10 v / cm , and more preferably between about 2 v / cm and 3 v / cm or between about 1 v / cm and about 5 v / cm . if the dielectric constant used in the electrode is sufficiently high , the impedance of the electrodes a , e drops down to the same order of magnitude as the series combination of the skin and tissue b , c , d . one example of a suitable material with an extremely high dielectric constant is cacu 3 ti 4 o 12 , which has a dielectric constant of about 11 , 000 ( measured at 100 khz ). when the dielectric constant is this high , useful fields can be obtained using a generator voltage that is on the order of a few tens of volts . since the thin insulating layer can be very vulnerable , etc ., the insulation can be replaced by very high dielectric constant insulating materials , such as titanium dioxide ( e . g ., rutile ), the dielectric constant can reach values of about 200 . there a number of different materials that are suitable for use in the intended application and have high dielectric constants . for example , some materials include : lithium niobate ( linbo 3 ), which is a ferroelectric crystal and has a number of applications in optical , pyroelectric and piezoelectric devices ; yttrium iron garnet ( yig ) is a ferromagnetic crystal and magneto - optical devices , e . g ., optical isolator can be realized from this material ; barium titanate ( batio 3 ) is a ferromagnetic crystal with a large electro - optic effect ; potassium tantalate ( ktao 3 ) which is a dielectric crystal ( ferroelectric at low temperature ) and has very low microwave loss and tunability of dielectric constant at low temperature ; and lithium tantalate ( litao 3 ) which is a ferroelectric crystal with similar properties as lithium niobate and has utility in electro - optical , pyroelectric and piezoelectric devices . insulator ceramics with high dielectric constants may also be used , such as a ceramic made of a combination of lead magnesium niobate and lead titanate . it will be understood that the aforementioned exemplary materials can be used in combination with the present device where it is desired to use a material having a high dielectric constant . one must also consider another factor that affects the effective capacity of the isolects 230 , namely the presence of air between the isolects 230 and the skin . such presence , which is not easy to prevent , introduces a layer of an insulator with a dielectric constant of 1 . 0 , a factor that significantly lowers the effective capacity of the isolects 230 and neutralizes the advantages of the titanium dioxide ( rutile ), etc . to overcome this problem , the isolects 230 can be shaped so as to conform with the body structure and / or ( 2 ) an intervening filler 270 ( as illustrated in fig1 c ), such as a gel , that has high conductance and a high effective dielectric constant , can be added to the structure . the shaping can be pre - structured ( see fig1 a ) or the system can be made sufficiently flexible so that shaping of the isolects 230 is readily achievable . the gel can be contained in place by having an elevated rim as depicted in fig1 c and 10 c ′. the gel can be made of hydrogels , gelatins , agar , etc ., and can have salts dissolved in it to increase its conductivity . fig1 a - 10 c ′ illustrate various exemplary configurations for the isolects 230 . the exact thickness of the gel is not important so long as it is of sufficient thickness that the gel layer does not dry out during the treatment . in one exemplary embodiment , the thickness of the gel is about 0 . 5 mm to about 2 mm . preferably , the gel has high conductivity , is tacky , and is biocompatible for extended periods of time . one suitable gel is ag603 hydrogel , which is available from amgel technologies , 1667 s . mission road , fallbrook , calif . 92028 - 4115 , usa . in order to achieve the desirable features of the isolects 230 , the dielectric coating of each should be very thin , for example from between 1 - 50 microns . since the coating is so thin , the isolects 230 can easily be damaged mechanically or undergo dielectric breakdown . this problem can be overcome by adding a protective feature to the isolect &# 39 ; s structure so as to provide desired protection from such damage . for example , the isolect 230 can be coated , for example , with a relatively loose net 340 that prevents access to the surface but has only a minor effect on the effective surface area of the isolect 230 ( i . e ., the capacity of the isolects 230 ( cross section presented in fig1 b ). the loose net 340 does not effect the capacity and ensures good contact with the skin , etc . the loose net 340 can be formed of a number of different materials ; however , in one exemplary embodiment , the net 340 is formed of nylon , polyester , cotton , etc . alternatively , a very thin conductive coating 350 can be applied to the dielectric portion ( insulating layer ) of the isolect 230 . one exemplary conductive coating is formed of a metal and more particularly of gold . the thickness of the coating 350 depends upon the particular application and also on the type of material used to form the coating 350 ; however , when gold is used , the coating has a thickness from about 0 . 1 micron to about 0 . 1 mm . furthermore , the rim illustrated in fig1 can also provide some mechanical protection . however , the capacity is not the only factor to be considered . the following two factors also influence how the isolects 230 are constructed . the dielectric strength of the internal insulating layer 310 and the dielectric losses that occur when it is subjected to the tc field , i . e ., the amount of heat generated . the dielectric strength of the internal insulation 310 determines at what field intensity the insulation will be “ shorted ” and cease to act as an intact insulation . typically , insulators , such as plastics , have dielectric strength values of about 100v per micron or more . as a high dielectric constant reduces the field within the internal insulator 310 , a combination of a high dielectric constant and a high dielectric strength gives a significant advantage . this can be achieved by using a single material that has the desired properties or it can be achieved by a double layer with the correct parameters and thickness . in addition , to further decreasing the possibility that the insulating layer 310 will fail , all sharp edges of the insulating layer 310 should be eliminated as by rounding the corners , etc ., as illustrated in fig1 d using conventional techniques . fig8 and 9 illustrate a second type of treatment using the isolects 230 , namely electric field generation by internal isolects 230 . a body to which the isolects 230 are implanted is generally indicated at 311 and includes a skin surface 313 and a tumor 315 . in this embodiment , the isolects 230 can have the shape of plates , wires or other shapes that can be inserted subcutaneously or a deeper location within the body 311 so as to generate an appropriate field at the target area ( tumor 315 ). it will also be appreciated that the mode of isolects application is not restricted to the above descriptions . in the case of tumors in internal organs , for example , liver , lung , etc ., the distance between each member of the pair of isolects 230 can be large . the pairs can even by positioned opposite sides of a torso 410 , as illustrated in fig1 . the arrangement of the isolects 230 in fig1 is particularly useful for treating a tumor 415 associated with lung cancer or gastro - intestinal tumors . in this embodiment , the electric fields ( tc fields ) spread in a wide fraction of the body . in order to avoid overheating of the treated tissues , a selection of materials and field parameters is needed . the isolects insulating material should have minimal dielectric losses at the frequency ranges to be used during the treatment process . this factor can be taken into consideration when choosing the particular frequencies for the treatment . the direct heating of the tissues will most likely be dominated by the heating due to current flow ( given by the i * r product ). in addition , the isolect ( insulated electrode ) 230 and its surroundings should be made of materials that facilitate heat losses and its general structure should also facilitate head losses , i . e ., minimal structures that block heat dissipation to the surroundings ( air ) as well as high heat conductivity . using larger electrodes also minimizes the local sensation of heating , since it spreads the energy that is being transferred into the patient over a larger surface area . preferably , the heating is minimized to the point where the patient &# 39 ; s skin temperature never exceeds about 39 ° c . another way to reduce heating is to apply the field to the tissue being treated intermittently , by applying a field with a duty cycle between about 20 % and about 50 % instead of using a continuous field . for example , to achieve a duty cycle of 33 %, the field would be repetitively switched on for one second , then switched off for two seconds . preliminary experiments have shown that the efficacy of treatment using a field with a 33 % duty cycle is roughly the same as for a field with a duty cycle of 100 %. in alternative embodiments , the field could be switched on for one hour then switched off for one hour to achieve a duty cycle of 50 %. of course , switching at a rate of once per hour would not help minimize short - term heating . on the other hand , it could provide the patient with a welcome break from treatment . the effectiveness of the treatment can be enhanced by an arrangement of isolects 230 that focuses the field at the desired target while leaving other sensitive areas in low field density ( i . e ., protected areas ). the proper placement of the isolects 230 over the body can be maintained using any number of different techniques , including using a suitable piece of clothing that keeps the isolects at the appropriate positions . fig1 illustrates such an arrangement in which an area labeled as “ p ” represents a protected area . the lines of field force do not penetrate this protected area and the field there is much smaller than near the isolects 230 where target areas can be located and treated well . in contrast , the field intensity near the four poles is very high . the following example serves to illustrate an exemplary application of the present apparatus and application of tc fields ; however , this example is not limiting and does not limit the scope of the present invention in any way . to demonstrate the effectiveness of electric fields having the above described properties ( e . g ., frequencies between 50 khz and 500 khz ) in destroying tumor cells , the electric fields were applied to treat mice with malignant melanoma tumors . two pairs of isolects 230 were positioned over a corresponding pair of malignant melanomas . only one pair was connected to the generator 210 and 200 khz alternating electric fields ( tc fields ) were applied to the tumor for a period of 6 days . one melanoma tumor was not treated so as to permit a comparison between the treated tumor and the non - treated tumor . after treatment for 6 days , the pigmented melanoma tumor remained clearly visible in the non - treated side of the mouse , while , in contrast , no tumor is seen on the treated side of the mouse . the only areas that were visible discernable on the skin were the marks that represented the points of insertion of the isolects 230 . the fact that the tumor was eliminated at the treated side was further demonstrated by cutting and inversing the skin so that its inside face was exposed . such a procedure indicated that the tumor has been substantially , if not completely , eliminated on the treated side of the mouse . the success of the treatment was also further verified by histopathological examination . the present inventor has thus uncovered that electric fields having particular properties can be used to destroy dividing cells or tumors when the electric fields are applied to using an electronic device . more specifically , these electric fields fall into a special intermediate category , namely bio - effective fields that have no meaningful stimulatory and no thermal effects , and therefore overcome the disadvantages that were associated with the application of conventional electric fields to a body . it will also be appreciated that the present apparatus can further include a device for rotating the tc field relative to the living tissue . for example and according to one embodiment , the alternating electric potential applies to the tissue being treated is rotated relative to the tissue using conventional devices , such as a mechanical device that upon activation , rotates various components of the present system . moreover and according to yet another embodiment , the tc fields are applied to different pairs of the insulated electrodes 230 in a consecutive manner . in other words , the generator 210 and the control system thereof can be arranged so that signals are sent at periodic intervals to select pairs of insulated electrodes 230 , thereby causing the generation of the tc fields of different directions by these insulated electrodes 230 . because the signals are sent at select times from the generator to the insulated electrodes 230 , the tc fields of changing directions are generated consecutively by different insulated electrodes 230 . this arrangement has a number of advantages and is provided in view of the fact that the tc fields have maximal effect when they are parallel to the axis of cell division . since the orientation of cell division is in most cases random , only a fraction of the dividing cells are affected by any given field . thus , using fields of two or more orientations increases the effectiveness since it increases the chances that more dividing cells are affected by a given tc field . in vitro experiments have shown that the electric field has the maximum killing effect when the lines of force of the field are oriented generally parallel to the long axis of the hourglass - shaped cell during mitosis ( as shown in fig3 a - 3c ). in one experiment , a much higher proportion of the damaged cells had their axis of division oriented along the field : 56 % of the cells oriented at or near 0 ° with respect to the field were damaged , versus an average of 15 % of cells damaged for cells with their long axis oriented at more than 22 ° with respect to the field . the inventor has recognized that applying the field in different directions sequentially will increase the overall killing power , because the field orientation that is most effectively in killing dividing cells will be applied to a larger population of the dividing cells . a number of examples for applying the field in different directions are discussed below . fig2 a , 27 b , and 27 c show a set of 6 electrodes e 1 - e 6 , and how the direction of the field through the target tissue 1510 can be changed by applying the ac signal from the generator 1 ( shown in fig1 ) across different pairs of electrodes . for example , if the ac signal is applied across electrodes e 1 and e 4 , the field lines f would be vertical ( as shown in fig2 a ), and if the signal is applied across electrodes e 2 and e 5 , or across electrodes e 3 and e 6 , the field lines f would be diagonal ( as shown in fig2 b and 27c , respectively ). additional field directions can be obtained by applying the ac signal across other pairs of electrodes . for example , a roughly horizontal field could be obtained by applying the signal across electrodes e 2 and e 6 . in one embodiment , the ac signal is applied between the various pairs of electrodes sequentially . an example of this arrangement is to apply the ac signal across electrodes e 1 and e 4 for one second , then apply the ac signal across electrodes e 2 and e 5 for one second , and then apply the ac signal across electrodes e 3 and e 6 for one second . this three - part sequence is then repeated for the desired period of treatment . because the efficacy in cell - destruction is strongly dependant on the cell &# 39 ; s orientation , cycling the field between the different directions increases the chance that the field will be oriented in a direction that favors cell destruction at least part of the time . of course , the 6 electrode configuration shown in fig2 a - c is just one of many possible arrangement of multiple electrodes , and many other configurations of three or more electrodes could be used based on the same principles . application of the field in different directions sequentially is not limited to two dimensional embodiments , and fig2 shows how the sequential application of signals across different sets of electrodes can be extended to three dimensions . a first array of electrodes a 1 - a 9 is arranged around body part 1500 , and a last array of electrodes n 1 - n 9 is arranged around the body part 1500 a distance w away from the first array . additional arrays of electrodes may optionally be added between the first array and the last array , but these additional arrays are not illustrated for clarity ( so as not to obscure the electrodes a 5 - a 9 and b 5 - b 8 on the back of the body part 1500 ). as in the fig2 embodiment , the direction of the field through the target tissue can be changed by applying the ac signal from the generator 1 ( shown in fig1 ) across different pairs of electrodes . for example , applying the ac signal between electrodes a 2 and a 7 would result in a field in a front - to - back direction between those two electrodes , and applying the ac signal between electrodes a 5 and a 9 would result in a roughly vertical field between those two electrodes . similarly , applying the ac signal across electrodes a 2 and n 7 would generate diagonal field lines in one direction through the body part 1500 , and applying the ac signal across electrodes a 2 and b 7 would generate diagonal field lines in another direction through the body part . using a three - dimensional array of electrodes also makes it possible to energize multiple pairs of electrodes simultaneously to induce fields in the desired directions . for example , if suitable switching is provided so that electrodes a 2 through n 2 are all connected to one terminal of the generator , and so that electrodes a 7 through n 7 are all connected to the other terminal of the generator , the resulting field would be a sheet that extends in a front - to - back direction for the entire width w . after the front - to - back field is maintained for a suitable duration ( e . g ., one second ), the switching system ( not shown ) is reconfigured to connect electrodes a 3 through n 3 to one terminal of the generator , and electrodes a 8 through n 8 to the other terminal of the generator . this results in a sheet - shaped field that is rotated about the z axis by about 40 ° with respect to the initial field direction . after the field is maintained in this direction for a suitable duration ( e . g ., one second ), the next set of electrodes is activated to rotate the field an additional 40 ° to its next position . this continues until the field returns to its initial position , at which point the whole process is repeated . optionally , the rotating sheet - shaped field may be added ( sequentially in time ) to the diagonal fields described above , to better target cells that are oriented along those diagonal axes . because the electric field is a vector , the signals may optionally be applied to combinations of electrodes simultaneously in order to form a desired resultant vector . for example , a field that is rotated about the x axis by 20 ° with respect to the initial position can be obtained by switching electrodes a 2 through n 2 and a 3 through n 3 all to one terminal of the generator , and switching electrodes a 7 through n 7 and a 8 through n 8 all to the other terminal of the generator . applying the signals to other combinations of electrodes will result in fields in other directions , as will be appreciated by persons skilled in the relevant arts . if appropriate computer control of the voltages is implemented , the field &# 39 ; s direction can even be swept through space in a continuous ( i . e ., smooth ) manner , as opposed to the stepwise manner described above . fig2 a and 29b depict the results of in vitro experiments that show how the killing power of the applied field against dividing cells is a function of the field strength . in the fig2 a experiment , b16f1 melanoma cells were subjected to a 100 khz ac field at different field strengths , for a period of 24 hours at each strength . in the fig2 b experiment , f - 98 glioma cells were subjected to a 200 khz ac field at different field strengths , for a period of 24 hours at each strength . in both of these figures , the strength of the field ( ef ) is measured in volts per cm . the magnitude of the killing effect is expressed in terms of ter , which is which is the ratio of the decrease in the growth rate of treated cells ( gr t ) compared with the growth rate of control cells ( gr c ). the experimental results show that the inhibitory effect of the applied field on proliferation increases with intensity in both the melanoma and the glioma cells . complete proliferation arrest ( ter = 1 ) is seen at 1 . 35 and 2 . 25 v / cm in melanoma and glioma cells , respectively . fig3 a and 30b depict the results of in vitro experiments that show how the killing power of the applied field is a function of the frequency of the field . in the experiments , b16f1 melanoma cells ( fig3 a ) and f - 98 glioma cells ( fig3 b ) were subjected to fields with different frequencies , for a period of 24 hours at each frequency . fig3 a and 30b show the change in the growth rate , normalized to the field intensity ( ter / ef ). data are shown as mean + se . in fig3 a , a window effect is seen with maximal inhibition at 120 khz in melanoma cells . in fig3 b , two peaks are seen at 170 and 250 khz . thus , if only one frequency is available during an entire course of treatment , a field with a frequency of about 120 khz would be appropriate for destroying melanoma cells , and a field with a frequency on the order of 200 khz would be appropriate for destroying glioma cells . not all the cells of any given type will have the exact same size . instead , the cells will have a distribution of sizes , with some cells being smaller and some cells being larger . it is believed that the best frequency for damaging a particular cell is related to the physical characteristics ( e . g ., the size ) of that particular cell . thus , to best damage a population of cells with a distribution of sizes , it can be advantageous to apply a distribution of different frequencies to the population , where the selection of frequencies is optimized based on the expected size distribution of the target cells . for example , the data on fig3 b indicates that using two frequencies of 170 khz and 250 khz to destroy a population of glioma cells would be more effective than using a single frequency of 200 khz . note that the optimal field strengths and frequencies discussed herein were obtained based on in vitro experiments , and that the corresponding parameters for in vivo applications may be obtained by performing similar experiments in vivo . it is possible that relevant characteristics of the cell itself ( such as size and / or shape ) or interactions with the cell &# 39 ; s surroundings may result in a different set of optimal frequencies and / or field strengths for in vivo applications . when more than one frequency is used , the various frequencies may be applied sequentially in time . for example , in the case of glioma , field frequencies of 100 , 150 , 170 , 200 , 250 , and 300 khz may be applied during the first , second , third , fourth , fifth , and sixth minutes of treatment , respectively . that cycle of frequencies would then repeat during each successive six minutes of treatment . alternatively , the frequency of the field may be swept in a stepless manner from 100 to 300 khz . optionally , this frequency cycling may be combined with the directional cycling described above . fig3 a is an example of such a combination using three directions ( d 1 , d 2 , and d 3 ) and three frequencies ( f 1 , f 2 , and f 3 ). of course , the same scheme can be extended to any other number of directions and / or frequencies . fig3 b is an example of such a combination using three directions ( d 1 , d 2 , and d 3 ), sweeping the frequency from 100 khz to 300 khz . note that the break in the time axis between t 1 and t 2 provides the needed time for the sweeping frequency to rise to just under 300 khz . the frequency sweeping ( or stepping ) may be synchronized with directional changes , as shown in fig3 a . alternatively , the frequency sweeping ( or stepping ) may be asynchronous with respect to the directional changes , as shown in fig3 b . in an alternative embodiment , a signal that contains two or more frequencies components simultaneously ( e . g ., 170 khz and 250 khz ) is applied to the electrodes to treat a populations of cells that have a distribution of sizes . the various signals will add by superposition to create a field that includes all of the applied frequency components . turning now to fig1 in which an article of clothing 500 according to one exemplary embodiment is illustrated . more specifically , the article of clothing 500 is in the form of a hat or cap or other type of clothing designed for placement on a head of a person . for purposes of illustration , a head 502 is shown with the hat 500 being placed thereon and against a skin surface 504 of the head 502 . an intra - cranial tumor or the like 510 is shown as being formed within the head 502 underneath the skin surface 504 thereof . the hat 500 is therefore intended for placement on the head 502 of a person who has a tumor 510 or the like . unlike the various embodiments illustrated in fig1 - 13 where the insulated electrodes 230 are arranged in a more or less planar arrangement since they are placed either on a skin surface or embedded within the body underneath it , the insulated electrodes 230 in this embodiment are specifically contoured and arranged for a specific application . the treatment of intra - cranial tumors or other lesions or the like typically requires a treatment that is of a relatively long duration , e . g ., days to weeks , and therefore , it is desirable to provide as much comfort as possible to the patient . the hat 500 is specifically designed to provide comfort during the lengthy treatment process while not jeopardizing the effectiveness of the treatment . according to one exemplary embodiment , the hat 500 includes a predetermined number of insulated electrodes 230 that are preferably positioned so as to produce the optimal tc fields at the location of the tumor 510 . the lines of force of the tc field are generally indicated at 520 . as can be seen in fig1 , the tumor 510 is positioned within these lines of force 520 . as will be described in greater detail hereinafter , the insulated electrodes 230 are positioned within the hat 500 such that a portion or surface thereof is free to contact the skin surface 504 of the head 502 . in other words , when the patient wears the hat 500 , the insulated electrodes 230 are placed in contact with the skin surface 504 of the head 502 in positions that are selected so that the tc fields generated thereby are focused at the tumor 510 while leaving surrounding areas in low density . typically , hair on the head 502 is shaved in selected areas to permit better contact between the insulated electrodes 230 and the skin surface 504 ; however , this is not critical . the hat 500 preferably includes a mechanism 530 that applies a force to the insulated electrodes 230 so that they are pressed against the skin surface 502 . for example , the mechanism 530 can be of a biasing type that applies a biasing force to the insulated electrodes 230 to cause the insulated electrodes 230 to be directed outwardly away from the hat 500 . thus , when the patient places the hat 500 on his / her head 502 , the insulated electrodes 230 are pressed against the skin surface 504 by the mechanism 530 . the mechanism 530 can slightly recoil to provide a comfortable fit between the insulated electrodes 230 and the head 502 . in one exemplary embodiment , the mechanism 530 is a spring based device that is disposed within the hat 500 and has one section that is coupled to and applies a force against the insulated electrodes 230 . as with the prior embodiments , the insulated electrodes 230 are coupled to the generator 210 by means of conductors 220 . the generator 210 can be either disposed within the hat 500 itself so as to provide a compact , self - sufficient , independent system or the generator 210 can be disposed external to the hat 500 with the conductors 220 exiting the hat 500 through openings or the like and then running to the generator 210 . when the generator 210 is disposed external to the hat 500 , it will be appreciated that the generator 210 can be located in any number of different locations , some of which are in close proximity to the hat 500 itself , while others can be further away from the hat 500 . for example , the generator 210 can be disposed within a carrying bag or the like ( e . g ., a bag that extends around the patient &# 39 ; s waist ) which is worn by the patient or it can be strapped to an extremity or around the torso of the patient . the generator 210 can also be disposed in a protective case that is secured to or carried by another article of clothing that is worn by the patient . for example , the protective case can be inserted into a pocket of a sweater , etc . fig1 illustrates an embodiment where the generator 210 is incorporated directly into the hat 500 . turning now to fig1 and 16 , in one exemplary embodiment , a number of insulated electrodes 230 along with the mechanism 530 are preferably formed as an independent unit , generally indicated at 540 , that can be inserted into the hat 500 and electrically connected to the generator ( not shown ) via the conductors ( not shown ). by providing these members in the form of an independent unit , the patient can easily insert and / or remove the units 540 from the hat 500 when they may need cleaning , servicing and / or replacement . in this embodiment , the hat 500 is constructed to include select areas 550 that are formed in the hat 500 to receive and hold the units 540 . for example and as illustrated in fig1 , each area 550 is in the form of an opening ( pore ) that is formed within the hat 500 . the unit 540 has a body 542 and includes the mechanism 530 and one or more insulated electrodes 230 . the mechanism 530 is arranged within the unit 540 so that a portion thereof ( e . g ., one end thereof ) is in contact with a face of each insulated electrode 230 such that the mechanism 530 applies a biasing force against the face of the insulated electrode 230 . once the unit 540 is received within the opening 550 , it can be securely retained therein using any number of conventional techniques , including the use of an adhesive material or by using mechanical means . for example , the hat 500 can include pivotable clip members that pivot between an open position in which the opening 550 is free and a closed position in which the pivotable clip members engage portions ( e . g ., peripheral edges ) of the insulated electrodes to retain and hold the insulated electrodes 230 in place . to remove the insulated electrodes 230 , the pivotable clip members are moved to the open position . in the embodiment illustrated in fig1 , the insulated electrodes 230 are retained within the openings 550 by an adhesive element 560 which in one embodiment is a two sided self - adhesive rim member that extends around the periphery of the insulated electrode 230 . in other words , a protective cover of one side of the adhesive rim 560 is removed and it is applied around the periphery of the exposed face of the insulated electrode 230 , thereby securely attaching the adhesive rim 560 to the hat 500 and then the other side of the adhesive rim 560 is removed for application to the skin surface 504 in desired locations for positioning and securing the insulated electrode 230 to the head 502 with the tumor being positioned relative thereto for optimization of the tc fields . since one side of the adhesive rim 560 is in contact with and secured to the skin surface 540 , this is why it is desirable for the head 502 to be shaved so that the adhesive rim 560 can be placed flushly against the skin surface 540 . the adhesive rim 560 is designed to securely attach the unit 540 within the opening 550 in a manner that permits the unit 540 to be easily removed from the hat 500 when necessary and then replaced with another unit 540 or with the same unit 540 . as previously mentioned , the unit 540 includes the biasing mechanism 530 for pressing the insulated electrode 230 against the skin surface 504 when the hat 500 is worn . the unit 540 can be constructed so that side opposite the insulated electrode 230 is a support surface formed of a rigid material , such as plastic , so that the biasing mechanism 530 ( e . g ., a spring ) can be compressed therewith under the application of force and when the spring 530 is in a relaxed state , the spring 530 remains in contact with the support surface and the applies a biasing force at its other end against the insulated electrode 230 . the biasing mechanism 530 ( e . g ., spring ) preferably has a contour corresponding to the skin surface 504 so that the insulated electrode 230 has a force applied thereto to permit the insulated electrode 230 to have a contour complementary to the skin surface 504 , thereby permitting the two to seat flushly against one another . while the mechanism 530 can be a spring , there are a number of other embodiments that can be used instead of a spring . for example , the mechanism 530 can be in the form of an elastic material , such as a foam rubber , a foam plastic , or a layer containing air bubbles , etc . the unit 540 has an electric connector 570 that can be hooked up to a corresponding electric connector , such as a conductor 220 , that is disposed within the hat 500 . the conductor 220 connects at one end to the unit 540 and at the other end is connected to the generator 210 . the generator 210 can be incorporated directly into the hat 500 or the generator 210 can be positioned separately ( remotely ) on the patient or on a bedside support , etc . as previously discussed , a coupling agent , such as a conductive gel , is preferably used to ensure that an effective conductive environment is provided between the insulated electrode 230 and the skin surface 504 . suitable gel materials have been disclosed hereinbefore in the discussion of earlier embodiments . the coupling agent is disposed on the insulated electrode 230 and preferably , a uniform layer of the agent is provided along the surface of the electrode 230 . one of the reasons that the units 540 need replacement at periodic times is that the coupling agent needs to be replaced and / or replenished . in other words , after a predetermined time period or after a number of uses , the patient removes the units 540 so that the coupling agent can be applied again to the electrode 230 . fig1 and 18 illustrate another article of clothing which has the insulated electrodes 230 incorporated as part thereof . more specifically , a bra or the like 700 is illustrated and includes a body that is formed of a traditional bra material , generally indicated at 705 , to provide shape , support and comfort to the wearer . the bra 700 also includes a fabric support layer 710 on one side thereof . the support layer 710 is preferably formed of a suitable fabric material that is constructed to provide necessary and desired support to the bra 700 . similar to the other embodiments , the bra 700 includes one or more insulated electrodes 230 disposed within the bra material 705 . the one or more insulated electrodes are disposed along an inner surface of the bra 700 opposite the support 710 and are intended to be placed proximate to a tumor or the like that is located within one breast or in the immediately surrounding area . as with the previous embodiment , the insulated electrodes 230 in this embodiment are specifically constructed and configured for application to a breast or the immediate area . thus , the insulated electrodes 230 used in this application do not have a planar surface construction but rather have an arcuate shape that is complementary to the general curvature found in a typical breast . a lining 720 is disposed across the insulated electrodes 230 so as to assist in retaining the insulated electrodes in their desired locations along the inner surface for placement against the breast itself . the lining 720 can be formed of any number of thin materials that are comfortable to wear against one &# 39 ; s skin and in one exemplary embodiment , the lining 720 is formed of a fabric material . the bra 700 also preferably includes a biasing mechanism 800 as in some of the earlier embodiments . the biasing mechanism 800 is disposed within the bra material 705 and extends from the support 710 to the insulated electrode 230 and applies a biasing force to the insulated electrode 230 so that the electrode 230 is pressed against the breast . this ensures that the insulated electrode 230 remains in contact with the skin surface as opposed to lifting away from the skin surface , thereby creating a gap that results in a less effective treatment since the gap diminishes the efficiency of the tc fields . the biasing mechanism 800 can be in the form of a spring arrangement or it can be an elastic material that applies the desired biasing force to the insulated electrodes 230 so as to press the insulated electrodes 230 into the breast . in the relaxed position , the biasing mechanism 800 applies a force against the insulated electrodes 230 and when the patient places the bra 700 on their body , the insulated electrodes 230 are placed against the breast which itself applies a force that counters the biasing force , thereby resulting in the insulated electrodes 230 being pressed against the patient &# 39 ; s breast . in the exemplary embodiment that is illustrated , the biasing mechanism 800 is in the form of springs that are disposed within the bra material 705 . a conductive gel 810 can be provided on the insulated electrode 230 between the electrode and the lining 720 . the conductive gel layer 810 is formed of materials that have been previously described herein for performing the functions described above . an electric connector 820 is provided as part of the insulated electrode 230 and electrically connects to the conductor 220 at one end thereof , with the other end of the conductor 220 being electrically connected to the generator 210 . in this embodiment , the conductor 220 runs within the bra material 705 to a location where an opening is formed in the bra 700 . the conductor 220 extends through this opening and is routed to the generator 210 , which in this embodiment is disposed in a location remote from the bra 700 . it will also be appreciated that the generator 210 can be disposed within the bra 700 itself in another embodiment . for example , the bra 700 can have a compartment formed therein which is configured to receive and hold the generator 210 in place as the patient wears the bra 700 . in this arrangement , the compartment can be covered with a releasable strap that can open and close to permit the generator 210 to be inserted therein or removed therefrom . the strap can be formed of the same material that is used to construct the bra 700 or it can be formed of some other type of material . the strap can be releasably attached to the surrounding bra body by fastening means , such as a hook and loop material , thereby permitting the patient to easily open the compartment by separating the hook and loop elements to gain access to the compartment for either inserting or removing the generator 210 . the generator 210 also has a connector 211 for electrical connection to the conductor 220 and this permits the generator 210 to be electrically connected to the insulated electrodes 230 . as with the other embodiments , the insulated electrodes 230 are arranged in the bra 700 to focus the electric field ( tc fields ) on the desired target ( e . g ., a tumor ). it will be appreciated that the location of the insulated electrodes 230 within the bra 700 will vary depending upon the location of the tumor . in other words , after the tumor has been located , the physician will then devise an arrangement of insulated electrodes 230 and the bra 700 is constructed in view of this arrangement so as to optimize the effects of the tc fields on the target area ( tumor ). the number and position of the insulated electrodes 230 will therefore depend upon the precise location of the tumor or other target area that is being treated . because the location of the insulated electrodes 230 on the bra 700 can vary depending upon the precise application , the exact size and shape of the insulated electrodes 230 can likewise vary . for example , if the insulated electrodes 230 are placed on the bottom section of the bra 700 as opposed to a more central location , the insulated electrodes 230 will have different shapes since the shape of the breast ( as well as the bra ) differs in these areas . fig1 illustrates yet another embodiment in which the insulated electrodes 230 are in the form of internal electrodes that are incorporated into in the form of a probe or catheter 600 that is configured to enter the body through a natural pathway , such as the urethra , vagina , etc . in this embodiment , the insulated electrodes 230 are disposed on an outer surface of the probe 600 and along a length thereof . the conductors 220 are electrically connected to the electrodes 230 and run within the body of the probe 600 to the generator 210 which can be disposed within the probe body or the generator 210 can be disposed independent of the probe 600 in a remote location , such as on the patient or at some other location close to the patient . alternatively , the probe 600 can be configured to penetrate the skin surface or other tissues to reach an internal target that lies within the body . for example , the probe 600 can penetrate the skin surface and then be positioned adjacent to or proximate to a tumor that is located within the body . in these embodiments , the probe 600 is inserted through the natural pathway and then is positioned in a desired location so that the insulated electrodes 230 are disposed near the target area ( i . e ., the tumor ). the generator 210 is then activated to cause the insulated electrodes 230 to generate the tc fields which are applied to the tumor for a predetermined length of time . it will be appreciated that the illustrated probe 600 is merely exemplary in nature and that the probe 600 can have other shapes and configurations so long as they can perform the intended function . preferably , the conductors ( e . g ., wires ) leading from the insulated electrodes 230 to the generator 210 are twisted or shielded so as not to generate a field along the shaft . it will further be appreciated that the probes can contain only one insulated electrode while the other can be positioned on the body surface . this external electrode should be larger or consist of numerous electrodes so as to result in low lines of force - current density so as not to affect the untreated areas . in fact , the placing of electrodes should be designed to minimize the field at potentially sensitive areas . optionally , the external electrodes may be held against the skin surface by a vacuum force ( e . g ., suction ). fig2 illustrates yet another embodiment in which a high standing collar member 900 ( or necklace type structure ) can be used to treat thyroid , parathyroid , laryngeal lesions , etc . fig2 illustrates the collar member 900 in an unwrapped , substantially flat condition . in this embodiment , the insulated electrodes 230 are incorporated into a body 910 of the collar member 900 and are configured for placement against a neck area of the wearer . the insulated electrodes 230 are coupled to the generator 210 according to any of the manner described hereinbefore and it will be appreciated that the generator 210 can be disposed within the body 910 or it can be disposed in a location external to the body 910 . the collar body 910 can be formed of any number of materials that are traditionally used to form collars 900 that are disposed around a person &# 39 ; s neck . as such , the collar 900 preferably includes a means 920 for adjusting the collar 900 relative to the neck . for example , complementary fasteners ( hook and loop fasteners , buttons , etc .) can be disposed on ends of the collar 900 to permit adjustment of the collar diameter . thus , the construction of the present devices are particularly well suited for applications where the devices are incorporated into articles of clothing to permit the patient to easily wear a traditional article of clothing while at the same time the patient undergoes treatment . in other words , an extra level of comfort can be provided to the patient and the effectiveness of the treatment can be increased by incorporating some or all of the device components into the article of clothing . the precise article of clothing that the components are incorporated into will obviously vary depending upon the target area of the living tissue where tumor , lesion or the like exists . for example , if the target area is in the testicle area of a male patient , then an article of clothing in the form of a sock - like structure or wrap can be provided and is configured to be worn around the testicle area of the patient in such a manner that the insulated electrodes thereof are positioned relative to the tumor such that the tc fields are directed at the target tissue . the precise nature or form of the article of clothing can vary greatly since the device components can be incorporated into most types of articles of clothing and therefore , can be used to treat any number of different areas of the patient &# 39 ; s body where a condition may be present . now turning to fig2 - 22 in which another aspect of the present device is shown . in fig2 , a body 1000 , such as any number of parts of a human or animal body , is illustrated . as in the previous embodiments , two or more insulated electrodes 230 are disposed in proximity to the body 1000 for treatment of a tumor or the like ( not shown ) using tc fields , as has been previously described in great detail in the above discussion of other embodiments . the insulated electrode 230 has a conductive component and has external insulation 260 that surrounds the conductive component thereof . each insulated electrode 230 is preferably connected to a generator ( not shown ) by the lead 220 . between each insulated electrode 220 and the body 1000 , a conductive filler material ( e . g ., conductive gel member 270 ) is disposed . the insulated electrodes 230 are spaced apart from one another and when the generator is actuated , the insulated electrodes 230 generate the tc fields that have been previously described in great detail . the lines of the electric field ( tc field ) are generally illustrated at 1010 . as shown , the electric field lines 1010 extend between the insulated electrodes 230 and through the conductive gel member 270 . over time or as a result of some type of event , the external insulation 260 of the insulated electrode 230 can begin to breakdown at any given location thereof . for purpose of illustration only , fig2 illustrates that the external insulation 260 of one of the insulated electrodes 230 has experienced a breakdown 1020 at a face thereof which is adjacent the conductive gel member 270 . it will be appreciated that the breakdown 1020 of the external insulation 260 results in the formation of a strong current flow - current density at this point ( i . e ., at the breakdown 1020 ). the increased current density is depicted by the increased number of electric field lines 1010 and the relative positioning and distance between adjacent electric field lines 1010 . one of the side effects of the occurrence of breakdown 1020 is that current exists at this point which will generate heat and may burn the tissues / skin which have a resistance . in fig2 , an overheated area 1030 is illustrated and is a region or area of the tissues / skin where an increased current density exits due to the breakdown 1020 in the external insulation 260 . a patient can experience discomfort and pain in this area 1030 due to the strong current that exists in the area and the increased heat and possible burning sensation that exist in area 1030 . fig2 illustrates yet another embodiment in which a further application of the insulated electrodes 230 is shown . in this embodiment , the conductive gel member 270 that is disposed between the insulated electrode 230 and the body 1000 includes a conductor 1100 that is floating in that the gel material forming the member 270 completely surrounds the conductor 1100 . in one exemplary embodiment , the conductor 1100 is a thin metal sheet plate that is disposed within the conductor 1100 . as will be appreciated , if a conductor , such as the plate 1100 , is placed in a homogeneous electric field , normal to the lines of the electric field , the conductor 1100 practically has no effect on the field ( except that the two opposing faces of the conductor 1100 are equipotential and the corresponding equipotentials are slightly shifted ). conversely , if the conductor 1100 is disposed parallel to the electric field , there is a significant distortion of the electric field . the area in the immediate proximity of the conductor 1100 is not equipotential , in contrast to the situation where there is no conductor 1100 present . when the conductor 1100 is disposed within the gel member 270 , the conductor 1100 will typically not effect the electric field ( tc field ) for the reasons discussed above , namely that the conductor 1100 is normal to the lines of the electric field . if there is a breakdown of the external insulation 260 of the insulated electrode 230 , there is a strong current flow - current density at the point of breakdown as previously discussed ; however , the presence of the conductor 1100 causes the current to spread throughout the conductor 1100 and then exit from the whole surface of the conductor 1100 so that the current reaches the body 1000 with a current density that is neither high nor low . thus , the current that reaches the skin will not cause discomfort to the patient even when there has been a breakdown in the insulation 260 of the insulated electrode 230 . it is important that the conductor 1100 is not grounded as this would cause it to abolish the electric field beyond it . thus , the conductor 1100 is “ floating ” within the gel member 270 . if the conductor 1100 is introduced into the body tissues 1000 and is not disposed parallel to the electric field , the conductor 100 will cause distortion of the electric field . the distortion can cause spreading of the lines of force ( low field density - intensity ) or concentration of the lines of field ( higher density ) of the electric field , according to the particular geometries of the insert and its surroundings , and thus , the conductor 1100 can exhibit , for example , a screening effect . thus , for example , if the conductor 1100 completely encircles an organ 1101 , the electric field in the organ itself will be zero since this type of arrangement is a faraday cage . however , because it is impractical for a conductor to be disposed completely around an organ , a conductive net or similar structure can be used to cover , completely or partially , the organ , thereby resulting in the electric field in the organ itself being zero or about zero . for example , a net can be made of a number of conductive wires that are arranged relative to one another to form the net or a set of wires can be arranged to substantially encircle or otherwise cover the organ 1101 . conversely , an organ 1103 to be treated ( the target organ ) is not covered with a member having a faraday cage effect but rather is disposed in the electric field 1010 ( tc fields ). fig2 illustrates an embodiment where the conductor 1100 is disposed within the body ( i . e ., under the skin ) and it is located near a target ( e . g ., a target organ ). by placing the conductor 1100 near the target , high field density ( of the tc fields ) is realized at the target . at the same time , another nearby organ can be protected by disposing the above described protective conductive net or the like around this nearby organ so as to protect this organ from the fields . by positioning the conductor 1100 in close proximity to the target , a high field density condition can be provided near or at the target . in other words , the conductor 1100 permits the tc fields to be focused at a particular area ( i . e ., a target ). it will also be appreciated that in the embodiment of fig2 , the gel members 260 can each include a conductor as described with reference to fig2 . in such an arrangement , the conductor in the gel member 260 protects the skin surface ( tissues ) from any side effects that may be realized if a breakdown in the insulation of the insulated electrode 230 occurs . at the same time , the conductor 1100 creates a high field density near the target . there are a number of different ways to tailor the field density of the electric field by constructing the electrodes differently and / or by strategically placing the electrodes relative to one another . for example , in fig2 , a first insulated electrode 1200 and a second insulated electrode 1210 are provided and are disposed about a body 1300 . each insulated electrode includes a conductor that is preferably surrounded by an insulating material , thus the term “ insulated electrode ”. between each of the first and second electrodes 1200 , 1210 and the body 1300 , the conductive gel member 270 is provided . electric field lines are generally indicated at 1220 for this type of arrangement . in this embodiment , the first insulated electrode 1200 has dimensions that are significantly greater than the dimensions of the second insulated electrode 1210 ( the conductive gel member for the second insulated electrode 1210 will likewise be smaller ). by varying the dimensions of the insulated electrodes , the pattern of the electric field lines 1220 is varied . more specifically , the electric field tapers inwardly toward the second insulated electrode 1210 due to the smaller dimensions of the second insulated electrode 1210 . an area of high field density , generally indicated at 1230 , forms near the interface between the gel member 270 associated with the second insulated electrode 1210 and the skin surface . the various components of the system are manipulated so that the tumor within the skin or on the skin is within this high field density so that the area to be treated ( the target ) is exposed to electric field lines of a higher field density . fig2 also illustrates a tapering tc field when a conductor 1400 ( e . g ., a conductive plate ) is disposed in each of the conductive gel members 270 . in this embodiment , the size of the gel members 270 and the size of the conductors 1400 are the same or about the same despite the differences in the sizes of the insulated electrodes 1200 , 1210 . the conductors 1400 again can be characterized as “ floating plates ” since each conductor 1400 is surrounded by the material that forms the gel member 270 . as shown in fig2 , the placement of one conductor 1400 near the insulated electrode 1210 that is smaller than the other insulated electrode 1200 and is also smaller than the conductor 1400 itself and the other insulated electrode 1200 is disposed at a distance therefrom , the one conductor 1400 causes a decrease in the field density in the tissues disposed between the one conductor 1400 and the other insulated electrode 1200 . the decrease in the field density is generally indicated at 1410 . at the same time , a very inhomogeneous tapering field , generally indicated at 1420 , changing from very low density to very high density is formed between the one conductor 1400 and the insulated electrode 1210 . one benefit of this exemplary configuration is that it permits the size of the insulated electrode to be reduced without causing an increase in the nearby field density . this can be important since electrodes that having very high dielectric constant insulation can be very expensive . some insulated electrodes , for example , can cost $ 500 . 00 or more ; and further , the price is sensitive to the particular area of treatment . thus , a reduction in the size of the insulated electrodes directly leads to a reduction in cost . as used herein , the term “ tumor ” refers to a malignant tissue comprising transformed cells that grow uncontrollably . tumors include leukemias , lymphomas , myelomas , plasmacytomas , and the like ; and solid tumors . examples of solid tumors that can be treated according to the invention include sarcomas and carcinomas such as , but not limited to : fibrosarcoma , myxosarcoma , liposarcoma , chondrosarcoma , osteogenic sarcoma , chordoma , angiosarcoma , endotheliosarcoma , lymphangiosarcoma , lymphangioendotheliosarcoma , synovioma , mesothelioma , ewing &# 39 ; s tumor , leiomyosarcoma , rhabdomyosarcoma , colon carcinoma , pancreatic cancer , breast cancer , ovarian cancer , prostate cancer , squamous cell carcinoma , basal cell carcinoma , adenocarcinoma , sweat gland carcinoma , sebaceous gland carcinoma , papillary carcinoma , papillary adenocarcinomas , cystadenocarcinoma , medullary carcinoma , bronchogenic carcinoma , renal cell carcinoma , hepatoma , bile duct carcinoma , choriocarcinoma , seminoma , embryonal carcinoma , wilms &# 39 ; tumor , cervical cancer , testicular tumor , lung carcinoma , small cell lung carcinoma , bladder carcinoma , epithelial carcinoma , glioma , astrocytoma , medulloblastoma , craniopharyngioma , ependymoma , pinealoma , hemangioblastoma , acoustic neuroma , oligodendroglioma , meningioma , melanoma , neuroblastoma , and retinoblastoma . because each of these tumors undergoes rapid growth , any one can be treated in accordance with the invention . the invention is particularly advantageous for treating brain tumors , which are difficult to treat with surgery and radiation , and often inaccessible to chemotherapy or gene therapies . in addition , the present invention is suitable for use in treating skin and breast tumors because of the ease of localized treatment provided by the present invention . in addition , the present invention can control uncontrolled growth associated with non - malignant or pre - malignant conditions , and other disorders involving inappropriate cell or tissue growth by application of an electric field in accordance with the invention to the tissue undergoing inappropriate growth . for example , it is contemplated that the invention is useful for the treatment of arteriovenous ( av ) malformations , particularly in intracranial sites . the invention may also be used to treat psoriasis , a dermatologic condition that is characterized by inflammation and vascular proliferation ; and benign prostatic hypertrophy , a condition associated with inflammation and possibly vascular proliferation . treatment of other hyperproliferative disorders is also contemplated . furthermore , undesirable fibroblast and endothelial cell proliferation associated with wound healing , leading to scar and keloid formation after surgery or injury , and restenosis after angioplasty or placement of coronary stents can be inhibited by application of an electric field in accordance with the present invention . the non - invasive nature of this invention makes it particularly desirable for these types of conditions , particularly to prevent development of internal scars and adhesions , or to inhibit restenosis of coronary , carotid , and other important arteries . in addition to treating tumors that have already been detected , the above - described embodiments may also be used prophylactically to prevent tumors from ever reaching a detectable size in the first place . for example , the bra embodiment described above in connection with fig1 and 18 may be worn by a woman for an 8 hour session every day for a week , with the week - long course of treatment being repeated every few months to kill any cells that have become cancerous and started to proliferate . this mode of usage is particularly appropriate for people who are at high risk for a particular type of cancer ( e . g ., women with a strong history of breast cancer in their families , or people who have survived a bout of cancer and are at risk of a relapse ). the course of prophylactic treatment may be tailored based on the type of cancer being targeted and / or to suit the convenience of the patient . for example , undergoing a four 16 hour sessions during the week of treatment may be more convenient for some patients than seven 8 hour session , and may be equally effective . thus , the present invention provides an effective , simple method of selectively destroying dividing cells , e . g ., tumor cells and parasitic organisms , while non - dividing cells or organisms are left affected by application of the method on living tissue containing both types of cells or organisms . thus , unlike many of the conventional methods , the present invention does not damage the normal cells or organisms . in addition , the present invention does not discriminate based upon cell type ( e . g ., cells having differing sizes ) and therefore may be used to treat any number of types of sizes having a wide spectrum of characteristics , including varying dimensions . while the invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to preferred embodiments thereof , it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . | 0 |
the substrate of the turntable of the present invention is formed of a thermoplastic composite resin having the following characteristics : ( 1 ) a dynamic shear modulus , g &# 39 ;, of at least 1 . 5 × 10 10 dyne / cm 2 as measured at a temperature in the range of - 40 ° c . to 100 ° c . ; ( 2 ) the ratio of g 1 &# 39 ; to g 2 &# 39 ; of up to 1 . 5 , g 1 &# 39 ; being the dynamic shear modulus at - 40 ° c . and g 2 &# 39 ; being the dynamic shear modulus at 100 ° c . ; and a thermoplastic composite resin whose g &# 39 ; is less than 1 . 5 × 10 10 dyne / cm 2 is not suitable because it does not have sufficient rigidity to be used as the substrate of a turntable . a thermoplastic composite resin that has a g 1 &# 39 ;/ g 2 &# 39 ; ratio of more than 1 . 5 is also unsuitable as a turntable substrate , even though it has a g &# 39 ; value of at least 1 . 5 × 10 10 dyne / cm 2 , since it will experience temperature - dependent changes in its characteristics . the thermoplastic composite resin of which the turntable substrate is made preferably has a dynamic shear modulus , g &# 39 ;, of at least 1 . 8 × 10 10 dyne / cm 2 , more preferably at least 2 . 0 × 10 10 dyne / cm 2 , over the temperature range of - 40 ° c . to 100 ° c . the ratio of g 1 &# 39 ; to g 2 &# 39 ; of the resin is preferably up to 1 . 3 , more preferably up to 1 . 2 . the density of the resin is preferably in the range of 1 . 0 to 1 . 8 g / cm 3 , more preferably in the range of 1 . 2 to 1 . 7 g / cm 3 . thermoplastic composite resins that satisfy the aforementioned characteristics ( 1 ) to ( 3 ) can be prepared by blending non - crystalline thermoplastic resins such as polycarbonate , styrene - modified polycarbonate , polysulfone or polyether ketone , preferably polycarbonate or styrene - modified polycarbonate , that have glass transition points of at least 100 ° c ., preferably at least 120 ° c ., with reinforcing fibers such as carbon fibers , silicon carbide fibers , glass fibers or boron fibers , preferably glass fibers , with the reinforcing fibers being incorporated in amounts ranging from 19 vol % to 70 vol % of the sum of the non - crystalline thermoplastic resins and the reinforcing fibers . preferably , 10 the reinforcing fibers are incorporated in amounts of from 22 vol % to 50 vol % of the thermoplastic composite resin . a particularly preferably thermoplastic composite resin is such that it incorporates from 25 vol % to 50 vol % of glass fibers having an average diameter of up to 9 μm . the non - crystalline thermoplastic resin and the reinforcing fibers are mixed in a molten state in a kneader such as a uniaxial or biaxial extruder and the extrudate is cut into pellets , which are injection - molded to form a disk - shaped substrate . the thermoplastic composite resin that satisfies the characteristics ( 1 ) and ( 2 ) concerning the dynamic shear modulus and the characteristic ( 3 ) relating to the density has the advantages that it displays a high specific rigidity over a broad temperature range of from a low temperature to a high temperature of at least 100 ° c . and that its specific rigidity experiences very small changes with temperature . in addition , this thermoplastic composite resin has the high degree of surface flatness and dimensional precision that is necessary for use as the substrate of a turntable . so long as it satisfies the characteristics ( 1 ) to ( 3 ), the thermoplastic composite resin may be modified by incorporating a suitable additive such as an inorganic filler ( e . g ., calcium carbonate , talc , mica or clay ) or a pigment ( e . g ., titanium white , zinc oxide or carbon black ). when injection - molding a disk - shaped substrate from the thermoplastic composite resin , preferred results are attained by using a molding machine having a high clamping pressure and by employing high molding temperature . the injection pressure is selected at a value in the range of 1 , 000 to 2 , 000 kg / cm 2 , preferably in the range of 1 , 500 to 2 , 000 kg / cm 2 . the mold temperature is selected at an appropriate value that suits the specific conditions . after a disk - shaped substrate is shaped from the thermoplastic composite resin described above , a receiving portion is formed from a thermoplastic elastomer on top of the substrate as an integral part thereof . the thermoplastic elastomer which forms the receiving portion of the turntable of the present invention has a hardness of 5 to 40 , preferably 10 to 30 , as measured by the procedures specified in jis k 6301 , &# 34 ; spring - type hardness test &# 34 ;. many types of thermoplastic elastomers are available and they include copolymer types such as those based on polystyrenes , polyolefins and polyesters , and composite types which have incorporated rubber in thermoplastic resins . thermoplastic elastomers selected from these known types and those which have a hardness of 5 to 40 are used in the present invention . particularly preferred thermoplastic elastomers are those which have as one component a hydrogenated derivative of block copolymer of the general formula a --( b -- a ) n ( wherein a is a polymer block of a monovinyl substituted aromatic hydrocarbon such as styrene ; b is an elastomeric polymer block of a conjugated diene ; n is an integer of 1 to 5 ) and which have a hardness of 5 to 40 . an example of the specific construction of a turntable for a video disk is shown in fig1 and 2 in which the turntable is generally indicated by 1 . as shown therein , the turntable 1 basically comprises a disk - shaped substrate 2 and receiving portions 6 and 7 . the substrate 2 has a plurality of small through - holes 3 formed on its circumference and a groove 4 formed concentrically around its center . a plurality of small through - holes 5 are also formed in the bottom of the groove 4 . the small throughholes 3 and 5 serve to ensure strong adhesion between the substrate and each of the receiving portions 6 and 7 which are formed of a thermoplastic elastomer . the substrate 2 has a hole 8 through which the rotating shaft of the video disk player is to be inserted . the substrate 2 also has a recessed central portion with holes 9 into which a fastening device is to be inserted for securing the turntable to the player . receiving portions 6 and 7 are formed of a thermoplastic elastomer on the top of the substrate 2 at selected positions in such a way that they project from the substrate 2 . the receiving portions 6 and 7 are generally formed 10 in a continuous annular form but , if desired , each of them may be formed of discrete receiving portions spaced in a ring form . alternatively , projecting spots may be spaced on the substrate 2 . in the embodiment shown in fig1 and 2 , the substrate has two continuous annular receiving portions 6 and 7 formed on its outer and inner circumferences , respectively , with circular projections 10 being formed in the space between these receiving portions . in order to ensure an increased damping effect for the turntable , it is preferred that a coating of thermoplastic elastomer is formed on both the outer and inner circumferences of the substrate 2 . by employing a suitable forming method such as injection molding or compression molding , the receiving portion may be formed along the outer circumference , inner circumference or at some other selected position of the preformed substrate 2 placed in a mold cavity . for instance , the substrate 2 is placed in the mold cavity defined by injection molds 12 and 13 as shown in fig3 and the receiving portions 6 and 7 are injection molded from a thermoplastic elastomer in such a way that they project from the substrate 2 . in order to ensure that the receiving portions 6 and 7 are firmly secured to the substrate 2 with high dimensional precision , the substrate 2 must be set accurately in the mold cavity while it is firmly fixed and retained in the latter . to this end , a uniform pressure must be exerted on the entire portion of the parting surfaces of the molds and the clamping force must be adjusted to an appropriate value so that the pressure exerted will not produce any strain that would cause adverse effects on the dimensional precision of the surface of the substrate 2 . to state this more specifically , the injection molds are set in such a way that their inner surfaces will exert on the substrate a pressure ranging from 300 to 800 kg / cm 2 , preferably from 400 to 500 kg / cm 2 . if a double injection machine is used , successive formation of the substrate and receiving portions may be accomplished by performing injection molding in the same mold assembly . fig4 shows a turntable for mounting an audio compact disk . the turntable comprises a disk - shaped substrate 2 and . receiving portion 6 that is formed along its outer circumference . the substrate 2 has an annular rib 14 on the top of its central portion . the rib 14 is bevelled along its peripheral edge and serves as a centering member for the compact disk . the substrate is also provided with a boss 15 on the underside of its central portion so that it engages the motor shaft on the compact disk player . the turntable thus prepared in accordance with the present invention will experience a reduced amount of warpage , is assured of a good dimensional precision in its surface , and is lightweight . because of these features , the turntable is highly suitable for use in video and audio apparatus such as a video disk player and a compact disk player . the turntable of the present invention also has good damping properties and therefore is most suitable for use with a video disk of the vhd format in connection with which there is a strong need to achieve improvements in damping effects . the dynamic shear modulus , g &# 39 ;, of the thermoplastic composite resin of which the substrate of the turntable of the present invention is made is measured by the following methods . the dynamic shear modulus , g &# 39 ;, is measured in accordance with the standard test method for dynamic mechanical properties of plastics by means of a torsional pendulum as described in astm d 2236 - 81 , except that the forced torsional vibration method is employed under constant strain (≦ 1 . 0 %) and constant frequency ( 11 hz ) conditions . the testing apparatus usually employed is one having a forced torsional vibration mode such as a mechanical spectrometer model 605m or 705m produced by rheometrics inc ., u . s . a . depending on the shape and size of the test specimen used , the forced tensile vibration method may be employed under constant strain (≦ 1 . 0 %) and constant frequency ( 11 hz ) conditions , provided that one third of the dynamic elastic tensile modulus , e &# 39 ;, determined by this method is used as the equivalent dynamic shear modulus g &# 39 ; the forced tensile vibration method is usually implemented with a testing apparatus having a forced tensile vibration mode such as a rheopipron model ii or iii of toyo baldwin co ., ltd ., japan , or a high - frequency viscoelastic spectrometer model ves - hc produced by iwamoto seisakusho , k . k ., japan . other usable methods are the forced compressive vibration method and the forced bending vibration method and in these methods , too , one third of the dynamic elastic modulus determined is used as the equivalent dynamic shear modulus g &# 39 ;. measurement of g &# 39 ; is conducted over a temperature range of from - 40 ° c . to 100 ° c ., with the speed of temperature elevation being set in such a manner that the temperature of the test specimen is at equilibrium . the temperature of the test specimen may be elevated stepwise or continuously ( i . e ., linearly ). usually , temperature elevation may be effected in increments of 2 ° to 5 ° c . with retension times of 3 to 5 minutes , or alternatively , it may be continuously effected at a rate of 1 ° to 2 ° c ./ min . after g &# 39 ; measurements have been conducted in this way , the values at - 40 ° c . and 100 ° c . are used as g 1 &# 39 ; and g 2 &# 39 ;, respectively . cylindrical or rectangular specimens are cut from the shaped article . while the size of the test specimens is not limited to any particular value , they should be as large as possible in order to provide ease of measurement . the size parameters to be measured are diameter and length if the specimens are cylindrical , and width , thickness and length if the specimens are rectangular . the clamp and other components of the testing apparatus should be so selected that they are appropriate for the specific shape and size of a specimen . for example , specimens that are 12 . 7 mm in width , 0 . 5 to 6 . 4 mm in thickness and 40 to 63 . 5 mm in length are suitable for the standard clamp for causing torsional vibrations on a mechanical spectrometer . smaller specimens are applicable if special clamps are employed . specimens that are 2 mm in width , 1 mm in thickness and 1 . 5 mm in length ( all being maximum sizes ) are suitable for the standard clamp for causing tensile vibrations on a high - frequency viscoelastic spectrometer , and specimens that are 10 mm in width , 1 mm in thickness and 15 mm in length ( all being maximum sizes ) are suitable for the standard clamp for causing compressive vibrations on the same type of apparatus . all test specimens cut from the shaped article are conditioned at 23 ± 2 ° c . and 50 ± 5 % relative humidity for at least 40 hours . after conditioning , the specimens are immediately subjected to measurements so that they will not undergo any thermal hysteresis other than what is applied during their molding . the following example is provided for the purpose of further illustrating the present invention but is in no way intended to limit the same . a modified polycarbonate was prepared by styrene impregnation polymerization . this polymer had a glass transition point of 149 ° c . and a styrene content of 5 wt %. a mixture of 65 vol % of this polymer with 35 vol % of glass fibers ( average diameter : 8 μm ) was kneaded in a uniaxial extruder and the extrudate was cut into pellets . the pellets were charged into a precision injection molding machine having a clamping pressure of 350 tons and molded at a cylinder temperature of 320 ° c ., at a mold temperature of 100 ° c . and at an injection pressure of 1 , 800 kg / cm 2 so as to produce an annular shaped article that measured 260 mm in diameter and 2 mm in thickness and which had a central hollow portion with a diameter of about 70 mm . this article had a density of 1 . 60 g / cm 3 . test specimens that were 63 . 5 mm in length , 12 . 7 mm in width and 2 mm in thickness were cut out from the shaped article and conditioned at 23 ± 2 ° c . and 50 ± 5 % relative humidity for 48 hours . thereafter , the dynamic shear moduli of the specimens were measured at a frequency of 11 hz with a mechanical spectrometer of rheometrics , inc ., u . s . a . the results were as follows : g 1 &# 39 ; ( at - 40 ° c . )= 2 . 2 × 10 10 dyne / cm 2 ; g 2 &# 39 ; ( at 100 ° c . )= 2 . 0 × 10 10 dyne / cm 2 ; and g 1 &# 39 ; g 2 &# 39 ;= 1 . 1 . the substrate prepared above was set in a mold assembly and a thermoplastic elastomer having a hardness of 20 was injection - molded to form a shaped article having receiving portions along the outer and inner circumferences of the substrate as shown in fig1 . the thermoplastic elastomer was a blend of hydrogenated derivatives of block copolymers of the formula a --( b -- a ) n ( wherein a is a polymer block of styrene ; b is an elastomeric polymer block of butadiene ; and n is an integer of 1 to 5 ), non - aromatic mineral oil , and polypropylene . the so formed shaped article was used as a turntable for a video disk player of the vhd format and its performance was formed to be excellent because of its short access time and high damping effects . while the invention has been described in detail and with reference to specific embodiments thereof , it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope thereof . | 6 |
to facilitate an understanding of the adaptive aspects of the present disclosure , exemplary apparatus and method for sensing external influence upon a device is described . the specific construction and operation of the adaptive aspects of the apparatus and method for sensing external influence upon the device of the present disclosure are described with reference to an exemplary device with a first mems device and a second mems device . fig1 shows a device 100 , with a first mems device 102 and a second mems device 104 . in one example , the first mems device 102 may be configured to change state of a state indicator 115 when the external influence exceeds one or more threshold limits . various adaptive aspects of the first mems device 102 will be later described in detail . the second mems device 104 may be configured to have one or more sensor 106 . the sensor 106 may be configured as a gyroscope , accelerometer , magnetometer , barometer , microphone and the likes . the first mems device 102 is configured to selectively measure any external influence the sensor 106 of the second mems device 104 may be subjected to . in some examples , the external influence may be imparted during the life cycle of the device . in some examples , the external influence may be imparted during an assembly process of the device 100 . in yet other examples , the external influence may be imparted during the transportation or storage of the device 100 . in yet another example , the external influence may be imparted during the operation of the device 100 , for example , in an appliance into which the device 100 is incorporated into . in some examples , the external influence may be a shock . in some examples , the external influence may be a strain . in some examples , the external influence may be a temperature . the first mems device 102 , is further configured to be a passive device where only the energy from the external influence is used to change and store a state in a state indicator 115 of the first mems device 102 . the passive device requires no external power supply like a battery or the likes . the state of the first mems device may be determined by visually looking at the device through a microscope like infra - red , optical or other . the first mems device could also be coupled to a signal processor 117 . the signal processor 117 may be configured to read the state indicator 115 of the first mems device 102 and output the status 119 that indicates the reliability of the second mems device 104 . in another embodiment the first mems device 102 , second mems device 104 and signal processor 117 may be anchored to a common surface or substrate 121 . now , referring to fig2 , an example first mems device 102 is described . the first mems device 102 includes a handle layer 108 , a device layer 110 and a ic substrate 112 . one or more threshold sensors are formed on the device layer 110 . a fusion bond layer 114 bonds the handle layer 108 to device layer 110 , to form an upper cavity 116 , defined by the lower side 118 of the handle layer 108 and upper side 120 of the device layer 110 . fig2 also shows trench pattern 122 - 1 , a mass 124 . the mass 124 is movable and is attached to a spring 126 . the spring 126 is created by forming a plurality of trench patterns ( not shown ) on the device layer 110 , for example , using a drie process . the mass 124 is configured to substantially move along a first direction . the mass 124 includes a plunger 128 . in some examples , the plunger 128 may extend beyond the lower side 130 of the device layer 110 . the device layer 110 includes a standoff 132 . the standoff 132 surrounds one or more threshold sensors formed on the device layer 110 . a seal ring 134 is disposed between the standoff 132 and a top surface 136 of the ic substrate 112 so as to seal the threshold sensor of the first mems device 102 . the ic substrate 112 in some examples may be a cmos substrate . the ic substrate 112 includes a substrate cavity 138 . a first conductor 140 is disposed over the substrate cavity 138 . the first conductor 140 is disposed relative to the plunger 128 such that upon sensing an external influence at or above a threshold value , for example , a force along the first direction at or above a threshold value , the plunger 128 will impact the first conductor 140 and break the first conductor 140 . the first conductor 140 includes a first end 142 and a second end 144 . the first end 142 is coupled to a first terminal 146 and the second end 144 is coupled to a second terminal 148 . the mems device 102 described in fig2 is an example of a normally closed switch . a low resistance between the first terminal 146 and the second terminal 148 is indicative that the first conductor 140 is not broken . in other words , the device 100 has not experienced an external influence , in this example , a force substantially along the first direction above a threshold value . in some examples , this may be indicative of a first status of the second mems device 104 . a high resistance between the first terminal 146 and the second terminal 148 is indicative that the first conductor 140 is broken . in other words , it is indicative that the device 100 has experienced an external influence , in this example , a force substantially along the first direction above a threshold value . in some examples , this may be indicative of a second status of the second mems device 104 . in some examples , the second status may indicate that the second mems device 104 may have suffered damage which may render the second mems device 104 to not perform at its optimum performance level . in yet other examples , the second status may indicate that the second mems device 104 is inoperative due to the external influence above the threshold value . one or more electronic circuits ( not shown ) may be disposed over the ic substrate 112 and the first terminal 146 and the second terminal 148 may be configured to electrically couple to the electronic circuit . in some examples , the resistance of the first conductor 140 is selectively measured on demand so that minimal energy ( or power ) is expended to measure the status of the first conductor 140 as to whether the first conductor 140 is broken or not . in other words , no energy ( or power ) is expended to operate the first mems device 102 and minimal energy ( or power ) is selectively expended to measure the status of the first conductor 140 . in the above example as described with reference to fig2 , the mass 124 and the plunger 128 is configured to move normal to the device layer 110 and the first conductor 140 is formed on the substrate 112 . in some examples , the mass 124 and the plunger 128 may be configured move in - plane relative to the device layer 110 and the first conductor 140 may be formed on the device layer 110 , instead on the substrate 112 . in such an example , the plunger 128 is configured to move due to an excitation in a direction that is in - plane with the device layer . the first conductor 140 is disposed relative to the plunger 128 such that upon sensing an external influence at or above a threshold value , for example , a force along a direction in - plane relative to the device layer 110 , at or above a threshold value , the plunger 128 will impact the first conductor 140 and break the first conductor 140 . a pair of conductors may be disposed on the device layer coupled to a distal end of the first conductor 140 to permit measurement of a resistance of the first conductor 140 . as previously discussed , a change in a resistance of the first conductor 140 may indicate a change in a status of the second mems device 104 . now referring to fig3 , another example first mems device 102 - 1 is described . in this example , the first mems device 102 - 1 is similar to the first mems device 102 in that the ic substrate 112 includes a substrate cavity 138 and the first conductor . however , in this example , a second conductor 150 is disposed in the substrate cavity 138 . the second conductor 150 is disposed relative to the first conductor 140 so as to define a gap g . the plunger 128 , the first conductor 140 and the second conductor 150 are disposed relative to each other such that upon sensing an external influence , for example , a force along the first direction , the gap g reduces . and , at or above a threshold value , the plunger impacts the first conductor 140 and the first conductor 140 couples to the second conductor 150 . in one example , a third terminal 152 is coupled to the first conductor 140 and a fourth terminal 154 is coupled to the second conductor 150 . the mems device 102 - 1 describe in fig3 is an example of a normally open switch . in one example , the first conductor 140 and the second conductor 150 form electrodes of a capacitor and a change in the gap g changes a capacitance value of the capacitor so formed . as the gap g reduces , the capacitance value of the capacitor reduces . this change in capacitance due to change in the gap g , in one example , may indicate a corresponding value of the external influence imparted to the first conductor 140 . at or above a threshold value , the first conductor 140 couples to the second conductor 150 , thereby reducing the gap g to zero , which will indicate a substantially zero capacitance value . in another example , a high resistance between the third terminal 152 and the fourth terminal 154 is indicative that the first conductor 140 has not been moved by the plunger 128 to couple to the second conductor 150 . in other words , the device 100 has not experienced an external influence , in this example , a force substantially along the first direction above a threshold value . in some examples , this may be indicative of a first status of the second mems device 104 . a low resistance between the third terminal 152 and the fourth terminal 154 is indicative that the first conductor 140 has been moved by the plunger 128 to couple to the second conductor 150 . in other words , it is indicative that the device 100 has experienced an external influence , in this example , a force substantially along the first direction above a threshold value . in some examples , this may be indicative of a second status of the second mems device 104 . in some examples , the second status may indicate that the second mems device 104 may have suffered damage which may render the second mems device 104 to not perform at its optimum performance level . in yet other examples , the second status may indicate that the second mems device 104 is inoperative due to the external influence above the threshold value . one or more electronic circuits ( not shown ) may be disposed over the ic substrate 112 and the third terminal 152 and the fourth terminal 154 may be configured to electrically couple to the electronic circuit . in some examples , the resistance between the third terminal 152 and the fourth terminal 154 is selectively measured on demand so that minimal energy ( or power ) is expended to measure the status of the first conductor 140 as to whether it has moved sufficiently to couple to the second conductor 150 . in other words , no energy ( or power ) is expended to operate the first mems device 102 and minimal energy ( or power ) is selectively expended to measure the status of the first conductor 140 . in the above example as described with reference to fig3 , the mass 124 and the plunger 128 is configured to move normal to the device layer 110 and the first conductor 140 and second conductor 150 are formed on the substrate 112 . in some examples , the mass 124 and the plunger 128 may be configured move in - plane relative to the device layer 110 and the first conductor 140 and second conductor 150 may be formed on the device layer 110 , instead on the substrate 112 . in such an example , the plunger 128 is configured to move due to an excitation in a direction that is in - plane with the device layer 110 . the first conductor 140 is disposed relative to the plunger 128 such that upon sensing an external influence at or above a threshold value , for example , a force along a direction in - plane relative to the device layer 110 , at or above a threshold value , the plunger 128 will impact the first conductor 140 and move the first conductor 140 . a pair of conductors may be disposed on the device layer coupled to a distal end of the first conductor 140 and second conductor 150 so as to measure status of the second mems device 104 , as previously described with reference to fig3 . now , referring to fig4 , yet another example first mems device 102 - 2 is shown . in this example , a first mass 402 is movably coupled to a first anchor 404 and a second anchor 406 . a first spring 408 couples the first mass 402 to the first anchor 404 . a second spring 410 couples the first mass 402 to the second anchor 406 . a first contact 412 is coupled to the first mass 402 and disposed about a first end 414 of the first mass 402 . a second contact 416 is coupled to the first mass 402 and disposed about a second end 418 of the first mass 402 . the first mass 402 is configured to move along a first direction and a second direction . a third contact 420 is disposed on a third anchor 422 . for example , the third contact 420 may be disposed on a first arm 424 coupled to and extending from the third anchor 422 . the third contact 420 is disposed relative to the first contact 412 such that when the first mass 402 moves sufficiently along the first direction , the first contact 412 slides over a first surface 426 of the third contact 420 , slips over the third contact 420 and rests on a second surface 428 of the third contact 420 . for example , the first contact 412 may be configured to slip over the third contact 420 , when an external influence along the first direction is at or above a first threshold value . in some examples , the third contact 420 acts as a latch and holds the first contact 412 in place . in other words , the third contact 420 prevents the mass 402 from returning to its previous position once the external influence has exceeds a first threshold value . a fourth contact 430 is disposed on a fourth anchor 432 . for example , the fourth contact 430 may be disposed on a second arm 434 coupled to and extending from the fourth anchor 432 . the fourth contact 430 is disposed relative to the second contact 416 such that when the first mass 402 moves sufficiently along the second direction , the second contact 416 slides over a third surface 436 of the fourth contact 430 , slips over the fourth contact 430 and rests on a fourth surface 438 of the fourth contact 430 . for example , the second contact 416 may be configured to slip over the fourth contact 430 , when an external influence along the second direction is at or above a second threshold value . in some examples , the fourth contact 430 acts as a latch and holds the second contact 416 in place . in other words , the fourth contact 430 prevents the mass 402 from returning to its previous position once the external influence has exceeds a second threshold value . after the second contact has slipped over the fourth contact 430 , fifth contact 440 comes into play . the fifth contact 440 is disposed on a fifth anchor 442 . for example , the fifth contact 440 may be disposed on a third arm 444 coupled to and extending from the fifth anchor 442 . the fifth contact 440 is disposed relative to the second contact 416 such that after the second contact has slid over the fourth contact 430 , an external influence at or above the third threshold value will cause the first mass 402 to move along the second direction . the movement of the first mass 402 causes the second contact 416 to slide over the fifth surface 446 of the fifth contact 440 and slides over the fifth contact 440 and rests on the sixth surface 448 of the fifth contact 440 . for example , the second contact 416 may be configured to slip over the fifth contact 440 , when an external influence along the second direction is at or above a third threshold value . in some examples , the fifth contact 440 acts as a latch and holds the second contact 416 in place . in other words , the fifth contact 440 prevents the mass 402 from returning to its previous position once the external influence has exceeds a third threshold value . as one skilled in the art appreciates , the first mems device 102 - 2 in this example is configured to sense one threshold value , for example , first threshold value in the first direction and two threshold values , for example , second threshold value and third threshold value in the first directions . as one skilled in the art appreciates , the first mems device 102 - 2 may be configured to measure a plurality of threshold values in each direction , by appropriately configuring and positioning additional contacts that operatively work with the first contact and the second contact at different threshold values of the external influence . in some examples , one or more terminals may be coupled to the first contact , second contact , third contact , fourth contact and the fifth contact to measure a resistance between the first contact and the third contact , second contact and the fourth contact and the second contact and the fifth contact . as an example , if the resistance between the first contact and the third contact is low , it indicates that the first mems device was subjected to an external influence at or above a first threshold value in the first direction . similarly , if the resistance between the second contact and the fourth contact is low , it indicates that the first mems device was subjected to an external influence at or above a second threshold value in the second direction . similarly , if the resistance between the second contact and the fifth contact is low , it indicates that the first mems device was subjected to an external influence at or above a third threshold value in the second direction . as one skilled in the art appreciates , the first mass 402 may be appropriately doped to be conductive and may form a conductive path to measure the resistance between contacts discussed above . similarly , first anchor 404 , second anchor 406 , third anchor 422 , fourth anchor 432 and fifth anchor 442 may be appropriately doped to be conductive and may form a conductive path to measure the resistance between contacts discussed above . now , referring to fig5 , yet another example first mems device 102 - 3 is shown . the first mems device 102 - 3 of fig5 is similar to the first mems device 102 - 2 of fig4 , except that a first thermal actuator 502 couples the first mass 402 to the first anchor 404 . in some examples , the first thermal actuator 502 is a passive bimorph thermal actuator . and , a second thermal actuator 504 couples the first mass 402 to the second anchor 406 . in some examples , the second thermal actuator 504 is a passive bimorph thermal actuator . the first thermal actuator 502 and the second thermal actuator 504 are configured such that when the first mems device 102 - 3 is subjected to a temperature lower than an ambient temperature , the first mass 402 moves in a direction substantially along the first direction . further , the first thermal actuator 502 and the second thermal actuator 504 are configured such that when the first mems device 102 - 3 is subjected to a temperature higher than an ambient temperature , the first mass 402 moves in a direction substantially along the second direction . the first mems device is configured such that the first contact 412 slides over the third contact 420 , when a temperature the first mems device is subjected to is above a first threshold value , in other words , when the temperature is at or below a certain value . similarly , first mems device is configured such that the second contact 416 slides over the fourth contact 430 , when a temperature the first mems device is subjected to is above a second threshold value . further , the first mems device is configured such that the second contact 416 slides over the fifth contact 440 , when a temperature the first mems device is subjected to is above a third threshold value . as previously described with reference to fig4 , in some examples , the third contact 420 acts as a latch and holds the first contact 412 in place . in other words , the third contact 420 prevents the mass 402 from returning to its previous position , once the external influence has exceeded a preset threshold value . similarly , fourth contact 430 and fifth contact 440 may act as a latch and hold the second contact 416 in place . in other words , the fourth contact 430 and fifth contact 440 prevent the mass 402 from returning to its previous position once the external influence has exceeded a preset threshold value . now , referring to fig6 a - 6d , an example friction spring configuration implementation for the contacts is described . the friction spring configuration for the contacts may be used in one or more example first mems device 102 previously described . now , referring to fig6 a , the second mass 602 is movably coupled to a sixth anchor 604 by a third spring 606 . the second mass 602 is configured to move along a third direction . the sixth contact 608 is movably coupled to the second mass 602 by a fourth spring 610 . a seventh contact 612 is coupled to a seventh anchor 614 . the sixth surface 616 of the sixth contact 608 is configured to touch and slide over a seventh surface 618 of the seventh contact 612 , when the second mass 602 moves in the third direction . now , referring to fig6 b , when an external influence , for example , a force is applied in the third direction , the third spring 606 expands and the second mass 602 moves in the direction of the third direction . as the second mass 602 continues to move due to the external influence , the sixth surface 616 of the sixth contact 608 comes in contact with the seventh surface 618 of the seventh contact 612 . now , referring to fig6 c , based on the extent of the external force , as the second mass 602 continues to move in the third direction , the sixth contact 608 continues to slide over the seventh contact 612 and the fourth spring 610 continues to contract . as sixth surface 616 slides over seventh surface 618 a friction force from the compression of spring 610 and the coefficient of friction of sixth surface 616 and seventh surface 618 opposes the motion . now , referring to fig6 d , at a threshold value of the external influence , for example , a fourth threshold value , the sixth contact 608 completely slides over the seventh surface 618 of the seventh contact 612 and rests on the first side 620 of the seventh contact 612 . the fourth spring 610 expands from its contracted position and holds the sixth contact 608 on the first side 620 of the seventh contact 612 . a low resistance between the sixth contact 608 and the seventh contact 612 indicates that an external influence at or above the fourth threshold value was experienced . a high resistance between the sixth contact 608 and the seventh contact 612 indicates that an external influence at or above the fourth threshold value was not experienced . the strength of the spring 610 , the geometry of sixth surface 616 and seventh surface 618 and the coefficient of friction of the sixth surface 616 and seventh surface 618 set the threshold limit of the switch . once the device has reached position as shown in fig6 d a certain amount of work energy is required to reach this state . it is this work energy that sets the threshold limit . for example , a stiffness , shape and size of the friction surface and the spring determine a threshold value . now , referring to fig7 a - 7d another example friction spring configuration implementation describing the threshold contact operation is shown . the friction spring configuration for the contact may be used in one or more example first mems device 102 previously described . now , referring to fig7 a , the third mass 702 is movably coupled to an eighth anchor 704 by a fifth spring 706 . the third mass 702 is configured to move along a fourth direction . the eighth contact 708 is coupled to the third mass 702 . in this example , the eighth contact 708 is configured to be compliant , for example , like a leaf spring . a ninth contact 712 is coupled to a ninth anchor 714 . in this example , the ninth contact 712 is configured to be compliant , for example , like a leaf spring . the eighth surface 716 of the eighth contact 708 is configured to touch and slide over a ninth surface 718 of the ninth contact 712 , when the third mass 702 moves in the fourth direction . now , referring to fig7 b , when an external influence , for example , a force is applied in the fourth direction , the fifth spring 706 expands and the third mass 702 moves in the direction of the fourth direction . as the third mass 702 continues to move due to the external influence , the eighth surface 716 of the eighth contact 708 comes in contact with the ninth surface 718 of the ninth contact 712 . now , referring to fig7 c , based on the extent of the external force , as the third mass 702 continues to move in the fourth direction , the eighth contact 708 continues to slide over the ninth contact 712 , as both eighth contact 708 and the ninth contact 712 comply and bend to slide over each other . now , referring to fig7 d , at a threshold value of the external influence , for example , a fifth threshold value , the eighth contact 708 completely slides over the ninth surface 718 of the ninth contact 712 , as shown and rests on the first side 720 of the ninth contact 712 . at this point , both the eighth contact 708 and ninth contact 712 have returned back to their original shape . the eighth contact 708 continued to rest on the first side 720 of the ninth contact 712 . a low resistance between the eighth contact 708 and the ninth contact 712 indicates that an external influence at or above the fifth threshold value was experienced . a high resistance between the eighth contact 708 and the ninth contact 712 indicates that an external influence at or above the fifth threshold value was not experienced . the strength of the spring formed by the eighth contact 708 and ninth contact 712 and the geometry of the eighth surface 716 and ninth surface 718 set the threshold limit of the switch . once the device has reached position as shown in fig7 d a certain amount of work energy is required to reach this state . it is the work energy that sets the threshold limit . now , referring to fig8 a and 8b , an example strain gauge configuration implementation for the contacts is described . the strain gauge configuration for the contacts may be used in one or more example first mems device 102 previously described . now , referring to fig8 a , a tenth anchor 802 and an eleventh anchor 804 is provided . a first connector 806 couples the tenth anchor 802 to an arm 808 at a first location 810 . a second connector 812 couples the eleventh anchor 804 to the arm 808 at a second location 814 . a tenth contact 816 is disposed at a distal end 818 of the arm 808 , away from the first location 810 . an eleventh contact 820 is disposed in an operative relationship to the tenth contact 816 and coupled to a twelfth anchor 822 . the second location 814 is separated from the first location 810 by a distance so that when an external influence , for example , a strain is applied in the fifth direction , the tenth anchor 802 moves in the direction of the fifth direction and the eleventh anchor 804 moves ( or pushed ) in a direction opposite to the fifth direction , thereby rotating the arm 808 in a direction shown by the arrow 824 . now , referring to fig8 b , when an external influence greater than fifth threshold value is applied in the fifth direction , the arm 808 is sufficiently rotated along the direction shown by the arrow 824 , wherein the tenth contact 816 goes past the eleventh contact 820 and rests on the upper side 826 of the eleventh contact 820 . as one skilled in the art appreciates , the tenth contact 816 may be constructed such that the tenth contact 816 continues to rest on the upper side 826 of the eleventh contact 820 even when the external influence in the fifth direction is no longer present . a low resistance between the tenth contact 816 and the eleventh contact 820 indicates that an external influence at or above the fifth threshold value was experienced . a high resistance between the tenth contact 816 and the eleventh contact 820 indicates that an external influence at or above the fifth threshold value was not experienced . now , referring to fig9 an exemplary second mems device 104 is described . second mems device 104 includes a mems substrate 901 and integrated circuit substrate 926 . mems substrate 901 includes a handle layer 902 and a device layer 904 . a fusion bond layer 906 bonds the handle layer 902 to device layer 904 , to form an upper cavity 908 , defined by the lower side 910 of the handle layer 902 and upper side 912 of the device layer 904 . now referring to device layer 904 , a plurality of standoff 914 structures are formed on the device layer 904 , for example , by deep reactive ion etching ( drie ) process . fig9 further shows trench patterns 920 - 1 and 920 - 2 , an actuator 922 , device pads 924 , integrated circuit substrate 926 , ic pads 928 and seal ring 930 . seal ring 930 in some examples may be a conductive metal seal . a movable actuator 922 is created by forming a plurality of trench patterns 920 - 1 and 920 - 2 on the device layer 904 , for example , using a drie process . actuator 922 may be configured as a sensor , for example , to measure acceleration , angular rotation and the likes . next , device pads 924 , for example , made of germanium alloys are deposited and patterned on the device layer 904 . integrated circuit substrate 926 includes one or more electronic circuits that communicate with various sensors formed on the device layer 904 . ic pads 928 , for example , made of aluminum alloys are deposited and patterned on the integrated circuit substrate 926 . ic pads 928 are coupled to device pads 924 to provide a communication path to various sensors formed on the device layer 904 . for example , device pads 924 may be conductively bonded with ic pads 928 . standoff 914 - 1 surrounds various devices formed on the device layer 904 . a seal ring 930 is formed on the standoff 914 - 1 to bond the device layer 904 with integrated circuit substrate 926 , for example , to hermitically seal various devices formed on the device layer 904 . height of the standoff 914 - 1 , along with seal ring 930 define height of the lower cavity 932 . as one skilled in the art appreciates , first mems device 102 may also be constructed as part of the second mems device 104 . in one examples , a common handle layer may be used for first mems device 102 and second mems device 104 . in some examples , elements of both first mems device 102 and second mems device 104 may be constructed on a common device layer . in yet other examples , the first mems device 102 and second mems device 104 may be constructed separately but packaged together in a device , for example , device 100 . fig1 shows another example first mems device 102 - 4 . the first mems device 102 - 4 may be substantially similar to the first mems device 102 - 2 , but reconfigured to be an event counter . mems device 102 - 4 has a movable mass 1002 connected to an anchor 1004 through a spring 1006 . the movable mass 1002 further includes a contact 1008 . a plurality of flexible latches 1010 - 1 to 1010 - 4 are disposed at substantially equal distance from the moveable mass 1002 . under an external excitation the contact 1008 of the moveable mass 1002 contacts the flexible latch and if the external influence exceeds a threshold the moveable mass moves past the flexible latch and the moveable mass 1002 is prevented from moving backwards . in this embodiment the stiffness of the flexible latch 1010 - 1 to 1010 - 4 is much greater than the stiffness of spring 1006 and therefore although the plurality of flexible latches 1001 - 1 to 1010 - 4 are disposed at different locations the threshold value is substantially the same . in this configuration the state of mems devices 102 - 4 represents the number of times the mems device 102 - 4 exceeds a single threshold value . as one skilled in the art appreciates , although first mems device 102 - 4 has a pair of contacts 1008 and corresponding pairs of flexible latches 1010 - 1 to 1010 - 4 , first mems device 102 - 4 may be modified to have a single contact and a plurality of single flexible latches . as one skilled in the art appreciates , various examples of the first mems device described in this disclosure may be implemented in a single device that may be configured to measure threshold of different external influences . further , various examples of the first mems device described in this disclosure may be implemented in a single device to measure different thresholds of the same external influence . additionally , various examples of the first mems device described in this disclosure may be implemented in a single device to measure different thresholds of the same external influence in different directions . while embodiments of the present invention are described above with respect to what is currently considered its preferred embodiments , it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to that described above . to the contrary , the invention is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements within the spirit and scope of the appended claims . | 7 |
the present invention is best shown in fig1 and 3 and contains an indicating unit 10 provided within a casing 40 . this casing may be inserted directly into , on top of or under the dashboard of any motor vehicle . the unit 10 includes a plurality of circular indicating members or dials 12 , each dial having two columns of integers 14 , 16 . one column 16 contains the numerals 0 - 9 in ascending order , and the other column 14 contains the numerals 9 - 0 in regressing order relative to the first column . fig1 shows a device containing four such of these indicating mechanisms for indicating the hundreds , tens , units and tenths position of the mile posts indicators . it can , of course , be appreciated that the exact number of indicating mechanisms is not crucial to the present invention and any number of dials could be used . all of these circular dials are co - adjacent to one another and are rotatably connected to a central axle 18 for rotation therearound . as shown in fig2 each dial need only rotate in a single direction . therefore , while fig2 shows the dials rotating in a counterclockwise motion , it can also be appreciated that they may be rotated only in a clockwise direction . the central axle 18 itself does not rotate . rotating on this axle 18 is gear 20 , which is driven by gear 22 as shown in fig1 . gear 22 is directly connected to clutch 51 and then to unmarked dial 50 and then through a state - of - the - art tens - transfer mechanism which is utilized in a gearing mechanism to the four dials 12 . the driving gear 22 is attached to the transmission 26 of the power train of the automobile via cable 24 in a manner similar to that of a standard odometer such as through worm gear 52 and gear 54 . the indicating mechanism ( as shown in fig1 and 2 ) would constantly be rotating regardless of whether it is being utilized . however , if desired , a spring - activated detant mechanism ( not shown but used with clutch 51 ) could be installed and activated by a control means which would disengage the indicating device when not needed . a number of thumb wheels 28 , one for each of the dials 12 , is included for manually setting each of said dials to a specific numeral . these thumb wheels 28 are spring biased by compression springs 30 and run on central axles 32 , and since the thumb wheels 28 only engage the dials 12 when said dials are being manually set , the thumb wheels 28 would not rotate when the dials are automatically in use . as depicted in fig1 to operate , the user would merely depress slightly each thumb wheel 28 which engages a ring gear 34 provided on each of the dials for setting the indicating mechanism to the desired mileage reading . to ensure that only one dial rotates when an appropriate thumb wheel 28 is depressed , a ratchet bar 56 is provided having a spring biased means 58 and a tip 60 for each ring gear 34 . a standard override mechanism is included allowing the thumb wheels 28 to set the dials 12 to a specific numeral while overriding the standard tens - transfer indexing means such as is shown in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 202 , 353 issued to nowak et al . as described in the first full paragraph in column 4 , the override device includes a counter wheel and retaining ball 96 whereby pressure on indicia sleeves 90 , 92 , and 94 generates torque sufficient to cam the retaining ball out of its recess so that the sleeves can move relative to the counter wheels . it is interesting to note that the present invention would properly function only if the sum of each of the laterally adjacent integers on each dial is nine , as shown in fig1 . this occurs since , for example , the dial indicating the hundreds position must be indexed when the column of the tens dial in the ascending mode travels between nine and zero and simultaneously , the column of the tens dial in the regressive mode travels between zero and nine . therefore , the zero and nine in each column of a single dial must be adjacent to the nine and zero respectively of the second column of that dial . as shown in fig3 a longitudinally moving shutter 36 containing a single window 38 for each of the indicator dials 12 is employed to present a single integer of the ascending column of integers 16 , or the regressing column of integers 14 on each of the dials 12 to the viewer . the shutter 36 is positioned on the outside of the indicator casing 40 and is adapted to move in a longitudinal direction according to the need of the user . the shutter 36 is constructed of a flexible , opaque material and is maintained in its longitudinal movement by cooperation with channel members 44 running the length of the shutter 36 . stops 46 and 48 are provided on the indicator casing 40 to limit the movement of the shutter 36 . the letters a and r are printed or otherwise affixed to the indicator casing 40 in the manner depicted in fig3 . these letters are used to indicate whether the mechanism is operated in the ascending mode ( a ) or the regressive mode ( r ). the ascending mode is employed when the mile post indicators are increasing and the regressive mode is employed when said mile post indicators are decreasing . as shown in fig3 when the indicator is to be used in ascending mode , shutter 36 is moved to the right stop means 46 uncovering letter a but hiding the letter r from view . similarly , when the regressive mode is employed , shutter 36 is moved adjacent to stop means 48 , a is covered and r is unmasked . if the dials 12 rotate in the direction opposite to that shown in fig2 the present invention would operate merely by interchanging the letters a and r . in operation , once the vehicle has entered upon a highway containing mile post indicators , the shutter is moved to the mode ( advancing or regressing ) for direction of travel , the indicating mechanism is manually set to the last noted mile post indicator by the use of thumb wheels 28 . as an example , fig3 shows that the indicator is being operated in the ascending mode and that the vehicle is presently in the vicinity of mile post indicator 569 . 0 . therefore , if the vehicle &# 39 ; s &# 34 ; 10 - 20 &# 34 ; is needed by the driver , the driver would only have to glance at the indicator mechanism to ascertain his exact position . this would also be helpful during an emergency situation when the driver could radio his exact position to assist vehicles in coming to his aid . the present invention could also be used to indicate the exact mileage that has been traversed in a trip . to accomplish this end , the indicating mechanism is set to its zero position after the shutter has been set in its ascending position . in this manner , once the trip has been completed , the entire distance is easily noted by directly reading the figure appearing through the slide window . alternatively the present invention may be utilized for indicating how much more distance must be navigated before the driver reaches a certain destination . to determine this figure , a driver would set the indicating mechanism to the total distance of the trip after setting the shutter to the regressive mode . while the present invention has been described in terms of a mile post or a mileage indicator , other uses would become apparent to one possessing ordinary skill in the art . additionally , the gearing mechanism used to advance the indicating mechanisms is not to be construed to be the only such gearing mechanism which can be used . other gearing mechanisms would be readily apparent to one possessing ordinary skill in the art . furthermore , the indicator mechanism disclosed herein can be modified without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention . for example , the dials could be illuminated by a light or series of lights placed in the mechanisms casing or utilized luminescent numerals . also , to facilitate that the user will quickly recognize the mode that the indicator mechanism is operating , the numerals of the additive mode would be marked in one color , and the numerals of the regressive mode would be marked in a contrasting color . additionally , each column could be driven electromagnetically through the use of solenoids or by electrical or electronic means , such as a pulse counter . | 6 |
fig1 shows an immersion lithography apparatus 100 to which cleaning methods and systems of this invention may be applied . as shown in fig1 , the immersion lithography apparatus 100 comprises an illuminator optical unit 1 including a light source such as an excimer laser unit , an optical integrator ( or homogenizer ) and a lens and serving to emit pulsed ultraviolet light il with wavelength 248 nm to be made incident to a pattern on a reticle r . the pattern on the reticle r is projected onto a wafer w coated with a photoresist at a specified magnification ( such as ¼ or ⅕ ) through a telecentric light projection unit pl . the pulsed light il may alternatively be arf excimer laser light with wavelength 193 nm , f 2 laser light with wavelength 157 nm or the i - line of a mercury lamp with wavelength 365 nm . in what follows , the coordinate system with x -, y - and z - axes as shown in fig1 is referenced to explain the directions in describing the structure and functions of the lithography apparatus 100 . for the convenience of disclosure and description , the light projection unit pl is illustrated in fig1 only by way of its last - stage optical element ( such as a lens ) 4 disposed opposite to the wafer w and a cylindrical housing 3 containing the rest of its components . the reticle r is supported on a reticle stage rst incorporating a mechanism for moving the reticle r in the x - direction , the y - direction and the rotary direction around the z - axis . the two - dimensional position and orientation of the reticle r on the reticle stage rst are detected by a laser interferometer ( not shown ) in real time and the positioning of the reticle r is affected by a main control unit 14 on the basis of the detection thus made . the wafer w is held by a wafer holder ( not shown ) on a z - stage 9 for controlling the focusing position ( along the z - axis ) and the tilting angle of the wafer w . the z - stage 9 is affixed to an xy - stage 10 adapted to move in the xy - plane substantially parallel to the image - forming surface of the light projection unit pl . the xy - stage 10 is set on a base 11 . thus , the z - stage 9 serves to match the wafer surface with the image surface of the light projection unit pl by adjusting the focusing position ( along the z - axis ) and the tilting angle of the wafer w by the auto - focusing and auto - leveling method , and the xy - stage 10 serves to adjust the position of the wafer w in the x - direction and the y - direction . the two - dimensional position and orientation of the z - stage 9 ( and hence also of the wafer w ) are monitored in real time by another laser interferometer 13 with reference to a mobile mirror 12 affixed to the z - stage 9 . control data based on the results of this monitoring are transmitted from the main control unit 14 to a stage - driving unit 15 adapted to control the motions of the z - stage 9 and the xy - stage 10 according to the received control data . at the time of an exposure , the projection light is made to sequentially move from one to another of different exposure positions on the wafer w according to the pattern on the reticle r in a step - and - repeat routine or in a step - and - scan routine . the lithography apparatus 100 described with reference to fig1 is an immersion lithography apparatus and is hence adapted to have a liquid ( or the “ immersion liquid ”) 7 of a specified kind such as water filling the space ( the “ gap ”) between the surface of the wafer w and the lower surface of the last - stage optical element 4 of the light projection unit pl at least while the pattern image of the reticle r is being projected onto the wafer w . the last - stage optical element 4 of the light projection unit pl may be detachably affixed to the cylindrical housing 3 and is designed such that the liquid 7 will contact only the last - stage optical element 4 and not the cylindrical housing 3 because the housing 3 typically comprises a metallic material and is likely to become corroded . the liquid 7 is supplied from a liquid supply unit 5 that may comprise a tank , a pressure pump and a temperature regulator ( not individually shown ) to the space above the wafer w under a temperature - regulated condition and is collected by a liquid recovery unit 6 . the temperature of the liquid 7 is regulated to be approximately the same as the temperature inside the chamber in which the lithography apparatus 100 itself is disposed . numeral 21 indicates supply nozzles through which the liquid 7 is supplied from the supply unit 5 . numeral 23 indicates recovery nozzles through which the liquid 7 is collected into the recovery unit 6 . the structure described above with reference to fig1 is not intended to limit the scope of the immersion lithography apparatus to which the cleaning methods and devices of the invention are applicable . in other words , the cleaning methods and devices of the invention are applicable to immersion lithography apparatus of many different kinds . in particular , the numbers and arrangements of the supply and recovery nozzles 21 and 23 around the light projection unit pl may be designed in a variety of ways for establishing a smooth flow and quick recovery of the immersion liquid 7 . a method embodying this invention of removing the portion of the liquid 7 such as water absorbed by the last - stage optical element 4 made of a hygroscopic material , as well as dirt , debris , etc ., is explained next with reference to fig1 and 4 . after the wafer w is exposed with light from the illuminator optical unit 1 through the light projection unit pl in the presence of the liquid 7 as shown in fig1 , the liquid 7 is removed from underneath the light projection unit pl and a cleaning device 30 is brought into contact with the last - stage optical element 4 as shown in fig4 . in the case of a portable kind , as shown in fig4 , the cleaning device 30 may be placed on the z - stage 9 or the aforementioned wafer holder thereon , as shown in fig4 , in place of the wafer w . different types and kinds of cleaning devices 30 can be used for the purpose of this invention . as a first example , the cleaning device 30 may be a container containing a liquid (“ cleaning liquid ”) having a strong affinity to the immersion liquid 7 that is absorbed by the optical element 4 . if the immersion liquid 7 is water , the cleaning device 30 may contain ethanol because ethanol has a strong affinity to water . any cleaning liquid may be used provided it has a sufficiently strong affinity to the liquid to be removed and does not damage the optical element 4 or its coating . the bottom surface of the optical element 4 is soaked in the cleaning liquid for a period of time sufficiently long to reduce the level of the absorbed immersion liquid . the cleaning device 30 is removed thereafter and the optical element 4 is ready to be exposed to the liquid 7 again . as another example , the cleaning device 30 may contain a heat - generating device and / or a vacuum device ( not separately shown ). the combination of heat and vacuum on the surface of the optical element 4 causes the absorbed liquid to undergo a phase change into vapor , or to evaporate from the surface . the reduction in liquid density on the surface of the optical element 4 draws the liquid 7 that is absorbed more deeply in the element 4 to the surface of the optical element 4 . fig5 shows a third example in which use is made of an ultrasonic transducer ( or ultrasonic vibrator ) 32 attached to the housing 3 of the light projection unit pl . as the ultrasonic transducer 32 ( such as a piezoelectric transducer ) is activated , pressure waves are generated and propagated , serving to clean the surface of the optical element 4 . during the cleaning operation in fig5 , the gap adjacent to the optical element 4 is filled with the immersion liquid 7 . in this case , the supply and recovery nozzles can continue to supply and collect the immersion liquid 7 , or the supply and recovery nozzles can stop supplying and collecting the immersion liquid 7 . also during the cleaning operation , the optical element 4 can face a surface of wafer w , a surface of the z - stage 9 , or a surface of another assembly . fig6 is a fourth example using a vibratory tool 34 placed below the optical element 4 to be cleaned . the tool 34 may be shaped like the wafer w with thickness more or less equal to that of the wafer w , or about 0 . 5 - 1 mm , and may be made entirely of a piezoelectric material such that its thickness will fluctuate when activated . as the tool 34 is placed below the optical element 4 , like the wafer w as shown in fig1 , and the gap between the optical element 4 and the tool 34 is filled with the liquid 7 , pressure waves are generated in the immersion liquid 7 to clean the optical element . during the cleaning operation of fig6 , the gap adjacent to the optical element 4 is filled with the immersion liquid 7 . in this case , the supply and recovery nozzles can continue to supply and collect the immersion liquid , or the supply and recovery nozzles can stop supplying and collecting the immersion liquid 7 . in another example , the vibrator tool 34 may be a ultrasonic transducer attached to the wafer holder on a z - stage 9 , or another assembly . fig7 shows another tool 36 , structured alternatively , having a plurality of piezoelectric transducers 38 supported by a planar supporting member 39 . fig8 shows still another example of a cleaning device having two planar members 40 of a piezoelectric material attached in a face - to - face relationship and adapted to oscillate parallel to each other and out of phase by 180 ° with respect to each other . as a result , these members 40 , attached to each other , will vibrate in the transverse directions , as shown in fig8 in a very exaggerated manner . the vibration has node points at constant intervals where the members 40 are not displaced . the members 40 are supported at these node points on a supporting member 41 . as voltages are applied to these members 40 so as to cause the vibrations in the mode described above , ultrasonic pressure waves are thereby generated and propagated through the liquid 7 , and the optical element 4 is cleaned , as desired . fig9 shows still another example of a cleaning device that cleans the optical element 4 by creating cavitating bubbles . cavitating bubbles trapped and energized by ultrasound are high - temperature , high - pressure microreactors and intense energy released by the implosive compression of the bubbles is believed to rip molecules apart . the example shown in fig9 is characterized as comprising a pad 43 with fins protruding upward and rapidly moved horizontally as shown by an arrow below the optical element 4 with a bubble - generating liquid 17 filling the gap in between ( structure for moving the pad 43 not being shown ). as the pad 43 is thus moved , the fins serve to stir the liquid 17 and to generate cavitating bubbles that in turn serve to clean the optical element . fig1 shows a different approach to the problem of cleaning the last - stage optical element 4 by applying a cleaning liquid on its bottom surface by using the same source nozzles 21 used for supplying the immersion liquid 7 . for this purpose , a switch valve 25 is inserted between the supply nozzle 21 and the liquid unit 5 such that the immersion liquid 7 and the cleaning liquid can be supplied selectively through the supply nozzle 21 . it is again noted that the cleaning methods and systems according to this invention are applicable to immersion lithography apparatus of different kinds and types , for example , having different numbers of source nozzles . a switch valve as described above need not necessarily be provided to each of the source nozzles but may be provided to a group of the source nozzles . the wafer w itself or a pad 18 of a suitable kind may be placed below the optical element 4 to provide a suitable gap in between when the cleaning liquid is thus supplied through the supply nozzles 21 . this embodiment of the invention is advantageous because the same nozzles already present for supplying the immersion liquid can be utilized for the cleaning process . although various methods have been separately described above , they may be used in combinations , although that is not separately illustrated in the drawings . for example , the pad 43 with fins shown in fig9 may be used instead of the pad 18 of fig1 . in other words , the examples described above are not intended to limit the scope of the invention , and many modifications and variations are possible within the scope of this invention . for example , a polishing pad similar to one used in chemical mechanical polishing may be used for this purpose . the cleanup procedure shown in fig4 - 10 may be carried out with ultraviolet light . the light may irradiate the optical element 4 . the light may be normal exposure light from the illuminator optical unit 1 or some other light of an appropriate wavelength for the purpose of the cleanup . in another example , the ultraviolet light for the purpose of the cleanup may be used without the cleanup procedure shown in fig4 - 10 , and may be used under a condition in which the gap adjacent to the optical element 4 is filled with the immersion liquid 7 from the liquid supply unit 5 . all such modifications and variations that may be apparent to a person skilled in the art are intended to be within the scope of this invention . any of the above described cleaning methods for removing immersion fluid absorbed by the last - stage optical element also may be used to remove salts , deposits , dirt and debris that may have accumulated . the term cleaning therefore refers to both of these phenomena . fig2 is referenced next to describe a process for fabricating a semiconductor device by using an immersion lithography apparatus incorporating a cleaning device embodying this invention . in step 301 the device &# 39 ; s function and performance characteristics are designed . next , in step 302 , a mask ( reticle ) having a pattern is designed according to the previous designing step , and in a parallel step 303 , a wafer is made from a silicon material . the mask pattern designed in step 302 is exposed onto the wafer from step 303 in step 304 by a photolithography system such as the systems described above . in step 305 the semiconductor device is assembled ( including the dicing process , bonding process and packaging process ), then finally the device is inspected in step 306 . fig3 illustrates a detailed flowchart example of the above - mentioned step 304 in the case of fabricating semiconductor devices . in step 311 ( oxidation step ), the wafer surface is oxidized . in step 312 ( cvd step ), an insulation film is formed on the wafer surface . in step 313 ( electrode formation step ), electrodes are formed on the wafer by vapor deposition . in step 314 ( ion implantation step ), ions are implanted in the wafer . the aforementioned steps 311 - 314 form the preprocessing steps for wafers during wafer processing , and selection is made at each step according to processing requirements . at each stage of wafer processing , when the above - mentioned preprocessing steps have been completed , the following post - processing steps are implemented . during post - processing , initially , in step 315 ( photoresist formation step ), photoresist is applied to a wafer . next , in step 316 ( exposure step ), the above - mentioned exposure device is used to transfer the circuit pattern of a mask ( reticle ) onto a wafer . then , in step 317 ( developing step ), the exposed wafer is developed , and in step 318 ( etching step ), parts other than residual photoresist ( exposed material surface ) are removed by etching . in step 319 ( photoresist removal step ), unnecessary photoresist remaining after etching is removed . multiple circuit patterns are formed by repetition of these preprocessing and post - processing steps . while a lithography system of this invention has been described in terms of several preferred embodiments , there are alterations , permutations , and various substitute equivalents which fall within the scope of this invention . there are many alternative ways of implementing the methods and apparatus of the invention . | 6 |
although the disclosure hereof is detailed and exact to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention , the physical embodiments herein disclosed merely exemplify the invention which may be embodied in other specific structure . while the preferred embodiment has been described , the details may be changed without departing from the invention , which is defined by the claims . it will be obvious to one informed in the relevant art however , that the concept of the present invention applies generally to all double hydroxide systems having a layered structure and possessing anion exchange capability , as earlier specified . specifically , however , and with no intent on limiting the scope of the present invention , the subsequent disclosures which relate to the synthesis of pigment grade corrosion inhibitor host - guest compositions generally will be exemplified by hydrotalcite based systems , that is , by the synthesis of double hydroxides with layered structure of : [ m ( ii ) 1 - x m ( iii ) x ( oh − ) 2 ][ a n − x / n . y h 2 o ], stated as a generic composition , where m ( ii ) and m ( iii ) are mg ( ii ) and al ( iii ), respectively , and a n − is diverse corrosion inhibitor anionic species . htlc matrices and related mg — al — o mixed oxide precursors , employed in the reconstruction procedure of htlc derivatives , are inherently quite alkaline , having a hydrolysis ph ˜ 11 , observed pursuant to the present invention . if the reconstruction synthesis is performed in alkaline salt solutions , this inherent alkalinity additionally limits the absorption of guest anionic species into htlc matrices , resulting in htlc derivatives of low load in guest species . as indicated earlier , the load of a n − quest anionic species is variable between the limits of 1 / n ≦ a n − / m ( iii )≦ 1 in htlc derivatives and potentially will be minimized by oh − , the dominant anionic species in these systems . it has been discovered , pursuant to the present invention , that the reconstruction procedure performed in solutions or dispersions of weak acids , acid salts of weak poly - basic acids or neutral salts with hydrolysis ph & lt ; 9 , rather than in solutions of alkaline salts of such acids , yields a high load of the guest anionic species in the resulting htlc derivatives . it is the current understanding that because of the comparatively low concentration of oh − in these systems , the competition for the limited number of sites available for guest species in the matrix tends to maximize the absorption of the guest anionic species . this maximized absorption is apparent primarily with acids which do not form insoluble salts with mg ( ii ) and / or al ( iii ) cations , such as thio - organic compounds with acidic — sh functionalities , as demonstrated in several subsequently presented examples . ( contrast comparative example 2 with examples 2 - 4 ). it has been also discovered pursuant to the present invention that absorption of guest species of neutral or alkaline salts can be enhanced and assisted by employing strong acids , preferably mono - basic acids for ph adjustment . for example , hno 3 can be employed to enhance absorption of anions of alkaline salts into an htlc matrix . it has been further observed that poly - valent anionic species appear to display enhanced affinity toward htlc matrices . poly - valent species are preferably absorbed as compared to mono - valent species . also pursuant to the present invention , several new htlc derivatives have been synthesized , containing guest anionic species with corrosion inhibitor ability , as follows : moo 4 −− , po 4 −−− , bo 2 − , ncn −− , no 2 − , and 2 , 5 - dimercapto - 1 , 3 , 4 - thiadiazole (−−) (“ dmtd ”), 2 - mercaptobenzothiazole (−) , and trithiocyanuric acid (−−−) ( tmt ). htlc derivatives containing cro 4 −− species , which are known to the art , were also synthesized , but with a significantly higher guest species content , as described in example 2 . these pigment grade products are generally characterized by high guest anionic species content and are applicable in paint formulations and organic coatings . once in contact with an aqueous medium , it has been observed that the htlc derivatives produced according to the present invention release guest anionic species by dissolution and by anion exchange at rates controlled by the environment . thus , these derivatives function as pigment grade corrosion inhibitors , thereby greatly extending the number of known corrosion inhibitor pigments . in practice , the reconstruction synthesis was carried out by dispersing a finely ground mg — al — o mixed oxide precursor ( obtained by thermal decomposition of htlc - co 3 ) in a solution or dispersion of weak acids , anhydrides or acid salts or neutral salts of weak acids . the mixture was then extensively stirred . notably , in the case of some weak acids , such as phosphoric acid , which form insoluble phosphates with mg ( ii ) and al ( iii ), the conversion of the solid matrix was prevented by maintaining a ph & gt ; 8 in the system . subsequent to the completion of the absorption process , the solid phases were separated by filtration . the resultant presscakes were than washed extensively with a volume of water approximately 2 - 5 times the volume of the filtrate , dried overnight at 110 ° c ., and pulverized . the guest species load of the htlc derivatives was determined by analysis of the resultant filtrates and wash waters for contents of the same species . in some specific cases , as noted in the following relevant examples , the ir spectrum of the synthesized pigment grade htlc derivative has an altered structure in comparison to htlc and indicates the presence of the guest species . the examples subsequently presented are intended to provide evidence regarding existing limitations of the art in comparison to the present invention . more specifically , the subsequent examples are intended to present the “ reconstruction ” procedure currently practiced in the art and to identify the only known , prior to this invention , htlc derivative containing guest anionic species with corrosion inhibitor capability , which is htlc - cro 4 2 − . a generic mg — al — co 3 — oh type of hydrotalcite , htlc - co 3 containing about 9 % co 3 , ( from sigma - aldrich ), was thermally decomposed by ignition as known in the art , as follows : approximately 50 g of finely ground such product was heated to approximately 600 ° c ., maintained for about one ( 1 ) hour , and subsequently cooled in a closed environment . a weight loss of approximately 43 % was observed , due to decarbonation and dehydration . the resulting solid powder , believed to be a mixed mg — al — o oxide , with an appearance similar to the original htlc , was used in all subsequent examples of the present invention . relevant analytical data are presented below in table 1 . fig1 presents both , the ir spectrum of the original non - ignited htlc and of the mixed mg — al — o oxide . a generic mg — al — oh — cro 4 2 − type of htlc was produced by the reconstruction procedure known to the art as follows : 20 g of finely ground mixed mg — al — o oxide precursor ( see comparative example 1 ), was dispersed into 200 ml of a 0 . 2m na 2 cro 4 solution , stirred intensively at ambient temperature for four ( 4 ) hours , and filtered . the resultant presscake was washed extensively with a volume of water approximately four times that of the volume of the filtrate and subsequently dried overnight at 110 ° c . the filtrate appeared yellow in color , and a filtrate ph = 13 was observed . this is an indication that , under the given practical condition , the absorption capacity of the solid matrix was exhausted and the maximum load of cro 4 2 − possible under the experimental conditions was absorbed into the matrix of the resultant htlc - cro 4 2 − derivative . the cro 4 2 − content of the product was determined by iodometric titration of the filtrate and the wash water . pertinent analytical data are presented below in table 2 . the comparatively low load of the cro 4 2 − ( 5 . 8 % by weight ) was noted as significant . the following examples are references to be used in formulating specific examples and test subjects to be used in connection with specific examples listed in the example section . this example is intended to disclose one synthesis procedure applicable for incorporating dmtd into a complex solid matrix corresponding to the general composition of 45 % zn ( dmtd ) 2 / 32 % zn 3 ( po 4 ) 2 2h 2 o / 23 % zno . 6 . 33 moles ( 515 . 0 g ) of high grade zno ( 0 . 25 micron average particle size ), was re - slurried in 2000 ml water at 50 - 60 ° c . and intense agitation for 1 ( one ) hour . after that , 1 . 5 moles of h 3 po 4 , as 50 % solution , were introduced gradually into the zno slurry and the same conditions were continued for 30 minutes . subsequently , an aqueous suspension of 2 . 5 moles of dmtd in 1500 ml water was introduced in about 30 minutes . the intensively stirred slurry was heated to 75 - 80 ° c . and the same conditions were maintained for 2 ( two ) hours . the solid phase was isolated by filtration , dried at 100 - 105 ° c . to 0 . 5 - 2 % moisture content and pulverized . table a measured quality parameters determined values appearance light yellow powder specific gravity 2 . 7 solubility , at 24 ° c . 0 . 3 g / l ph ( saturated extract ) 5 - 6 oil abortion , lbs / 100 lbs 33 yield , g 992 pigment grade sr - doped amorphous silica of srsio 3 . 11sio 2 . 5 . 7h 2 o composition , containing approximately 9 . 5 % sr species , was synthesized according to the following procedure : initially , solution a was prepared by reacting 0 . 51 mole of srco 3 and 3 . 5 moles of hno 3 and dissolving the composition in 1300 ml of water . solution b was prepared by dissolving 1 . 9 moles of sodium silicate of na 2 o ( sio 2 ) 3 . 22 composition ( from hydrite chemical co ., wi . ), in 900 ml of water . solutions a and b were delivered simultaneously and with identical rates for approximately 1 ( one ) hour into 500 ml of intensively stirred water at 70 - 85 ° c . at the end , the ph was adjusted to 8 - 8 . 5 and the same conditions were maintained for an additional 2 ( two ) hours , after which the resultant solid phase was separated by filtration , washed to soluble salt - free conditions , dried at approximately 105 ° c . overnight , and pulverized . relevant analytical data and ir spectrum results are presented below in table b and fig7 , respectively . table b measured parameters determined values appearance white powder specific gravity 1 . 8 - 1 . 9 ph ( saturated extract ) 9 . 0 - 9 . 3 oil absorption , lbs / 100 lbs 52 - 60 sr , % ( calculated ) 9 . 5 h 2 o , % ( by ignition at 600 ° c .) 16 . 5 yield , g 471 a pigment grade mixture of trithiocyanuric acid + sr - doped amorphous silica of srsio 3 . 11sio 2 . 5h 2 o + 1tmt ( approximate composition ), containing about 8 % sr ( calculated ) and 17 % tmt ( calculated ), was produced as follows : 100 g of trithiocyanuric acid , in powder form , were blended into 460 g of sr - doped amorphous silica in dry granular form . the sr - doped amorphous silica was synthesized and processed as shown in referential example 2 . the obtained mixture was subsequently pulverized to a fineness of about 6 on the hegman scale . trithiocyanuric acid was obtained from an aqueous solution of tri - sodium - trithiocyanurate , by adjusting the ph of the solution to about 3 , filtering , washing , and drying the resultant solid phase . relevant analytical data and ir spectrum results are presented below in table c and in fig8 , respectively . table c measured parameters determined values appearance light yellow powder specific gravity 1 . 7 ph ( saturated extract ) 6 . 9 oil absorption , lbs / 100 lbs 75 - 85 sr , % ( calculated ) 7 . 9 tmt % ( calculated ) 17 yield , g 560 this example is intended to demonstrate the application of trithiocyanuric acid (“ tmt ”) as a corrosion inhibitor constituent of an amorphous silica + tmt pigment grade mixture in a typical coil coating formulation . the pigment grade mixture of srsio 3 . 11sio 2 . 5h 2 o + 1tmt composition was synthesized according to the process in referential example 3 , and was tested ( see test formulation , table d ) on galvanized steel ( from l . t . v . steel co . ), in comparison with commercial strontium chromate ( control a formulation , table d ), the “ gold ” standard of the industry for corrosion inhibitor pigments , and respectively , sr - doped amorphous silica synthesized according to referential example 2 ( control b formulation , table d ). the typical solvent - borne polyester coil primer formulation is specifically recommended for galvanized steel protection . description of the test formulation , and control formulations a and b are presented below in table d . table d parts by weight trade names & amp ; control components of suppliers of test formulation formulations components formulation a b polyester resin eps 3302 ( 1 ) 536 . 0 536 . 0 536 . 0 solvents aromatic 150 118 . 0 118 . 0 118 . 0 diacetone 73 . 5 73 . 5 73 . 5 alcohol fillers rcl - 535 tio 2 ( 2 ) 46 . 0 46 . 0 46 . 0 aerosil r972 ( 3 ) 2 . 1 2 . 1 2 . 1 catalyst cycat 4040 ( 4 ) 7 . 6 7 . 6 7 . 6 hardener cymel 303 ( 4 ) 73 . 6 73 . 6 73 . 6 corrosion inhibitor pigments strontium srcro 4 - 176 ( 5 ) — 143 . 5 — chromate sr - doped as shown in — — 120 . 0 amorphous referential silica example 2 sr - doped silica + tmt as shown in 150 . 0 — — pigment referential grade mixture example 3 total weight 1006 . 8 1000 . 3 976 . 8 raw material suppliers : ( 1 ) engineering polymer solutions ( 2 ) millennium inorganic materials ( 3 ) degussa corporation ( 4 ) cytec . ( 5 ) wayne pigment corporation the formulation was ground to a fineness of 6 . 5 - 7 . 0 hegman before application . di - cyclohexyl mono - ammonium salt of trithiocyanuric acid was synthesized according to the following procedure : 0 . 1 mole of di - cyclohexylamine ( from aldrich chemical ), dissolved in 0 . 15 moles of h 2 so 4 solution of approximately 20 %, was subsequently reacted by agitation with 0 . 1 mole of na - trithiocyanurate ( from aldrich chemical ) dissolved in 100 ml water . after the ph was adjusted to 6 . 5 - 7 . 0 , the resulting slurry was filtered , washed to a soluble salt free condition , dried at approximately 100 ° c ., and the solid product was subsequently pulverized . the relevant ir spectrum is presented in fig6 . all subsequently presented examples are intended to provide detailed descriptions to demonstrate the effectiveness of the present invention with respect to corrosion inhibition . a generic mg — al — oh — cro 4 2 − type of htlc was produced in a similar fashion as described in comparative example 2 , except that in the present example , 20 g of the mg — al — o precursor ( see comparative example 1 ) was dispersed in 200 ml of 0 . 2m na 2 cr 2 o 7 ( an acidic salt of chromic acid ) and stirred for ( 4 ) four hours . the filtrate appeared yellow color and had a ph = 13 . pertinent analytical data is presented below in table 3 . a generic mg — al — oh — cro 4 2 − type of htlc was produced in a similar fashion as described in example 1 , except that in the present example , 20 g of the mg — al — o precursor was dispersed in 200 ml solution containing 10 . 0 g ( 0 . 1 moles ) of cro 3 ( chromic acid ) and stirred for 4 ( four ) hours . after filtration , the resulting presscake was washed thoroughly , until the wash water filtered through the presscake was colorless . a total filtrate volume of about 800 ml was collected , appearing yellow with a ph = 7 . 5 . pertinent analytical data is presented below in table 4 . the high cro 4 2 − load ( 19 % by weight ) of the resultant htlc derivative when compared to comparative example 2 was noted as significant . a generic mg — al — oh - dmtd ( where dmtd stands for 2 , 5 - dimercapto - 1 , 3 , 4 - thiadiazole ) type of htlc was produced following the procedure described in example 1 , except that in the present example 20 g of the mg — al — o precursor was dispersed in 200 ml water containing 0 . 066 moles of na 2 - dmtd and stirred for ( 4 ) four hours . the total dmtd content of the filtrate and wash water was determined gravimetrically by precipitation as pb - dmtd . the collected yellow filtrate was alkaline with a ph = 12 . 5 . pertinent analytical data is presented below in table 5 . a generic mg — al — oh - dmtd type of htlc was produced following the procedure described in example 3 , except that in the present example 20 g of the mg — al — o precursor was dispersed in 200 ml water containing 16 g of dispersed and partially dissolved dmtd , and stirred for ( 4 ) four hours . the collected yellow filtrate was alkaline at ph = 8 . 5 . relevant analytical data is shown below in table 6 and ir spectrum is presented in fig2 . of significance , the ir spectrum of this product appears altered and shows the presence of the dmtd guest in the matrix . the high load of dmtd ( 22 % by weight ) was also noted . a generic mg — al — oh — moo 4 2 − type of htlc was produced in similar fashion as described in example 1 except that in the present example 20 g of the mg — al — o mixed oxide precursor was dispersed in 200 ml solution containing 0 . 04 moles of na 2 moo 4 . the total moo 4 2 − content of the filtrate and wash water was determined gravimetrically by precipitation as srmoo 4 . the collected filtrate was alkaline at ph = 13 . relevant analytical data is presented below in table 7 . a generic mg — al — oh — moo 4 2 − type of htlc was produced according to example 5 except that in the present example 20 g of the mg — al — o mixed oxide precursor was dispersed in 200 ml water containing 8 . 0 g of moo 3 and was stirred for ( 4 ) four hours . the resultant filtrate &# 39 ; s ph was 9 . 7 . relevant analytical data is presented below in table 8 . the comparatively high moo 4 2 − load of the resultant htlc derivative was noted . a generic mg — al — oh - tmt type of htlc ( where tmt stands for 1 , 3 , 5 - triazine - 2 , 4 , 6 ( 1h , 3h , 5h )- trithione , or trithiocyanuric acid was produced in similar fashion as described in example 3 , except that in the present example , 20 g of the mg — al — o mixed oxide precursor was dispersed in 200 ml water containing 0 . 02 moles of tri - sodium salt of tmt and was stirred for ( 4 ) four - hours . the collected wash water mixed with the filtrate was analyzed for tmt content by gravimetric assessment by precipitation at a ph = 3 . the resultant filtrate was very alkaline with a ph = 13 . 4 . relevant analytical data is presented below in table 9 . a generic mg — al — oh - tmt type of htlc was produced in similar fashion as described in example 7 except that in the present example 20 g of the mg — al — o mixed oxide precursor was dispersed in 200 ml water containing 19 . 0 g of tmt in dispersed form , and was stirred for ( 4 ) four hours . the resultant filtrate had a ph = 8 . 7 . relevant analytical data are shown below in table 10 and the pertinent ir spectrum is presented in fig3 . the high load ( 40 % by weight ) of tmt in the resultant htlc derivative was noted as significant . a generic mg — al — oh - mbt type of htlc ( where mbt stands for 2 - mercaptobenzothiazole ) was produced in similar fashion as described in example 7 except that in the present example 20 g of the mg — al — o mixed oxide precursor was dispersed in 200 ml water containing 9 . 0 g of mbt in dispersed form , and was stirred for ( 4 ) four hours . the resultant filtrate was determined gravimetrically by precipitation at ph = 3 to contain approximately 0 . 6 g of mbt . the filtrate &# 39 ; s ph was determined to be 9 . 0 . relevant analytical data is shown below in table 11 and relevant ir spectrum is presented in fig4 . the high load ( 41 % by weight ) of mbt in the resultant htlc derivative was noted as significant . a generic mg — al — oh — bo 2 − type of htlc was produced in similar fashion as described in example 7 except that in the present example 20 g of the mg — al — o mixed oxide precursor was dispersed in 200 ml water containing 4 . 44 g of boric acid ( h 3 bo 3 ) in dispersed form , and was stirred for ( 4 ) four hours . the resultant filtrate &# 39 ; s ph was 10 . 3 and was found to be void of borate species . pertinent analytical data is presented below in table 12 . a generic mg — al — oh — ncn 2 − type of htlc was produced in similar fashion as described in example 7 , except that in the present example 20 g of the mg — al — o mixed oxide precursor was dispersed in 200 ml water containing 4 . 5 g of h 2 ncn ( cyanamidic acid ) and was stirred for ( 4 ) four hours . the filtrate &# 39 ; s ph was 10 . 3 and the filtrate was found void of cyanamide species . relevant analytical data is presented below in table 13 and pertinent ir spectrum is presented in fig5 . a generic mg — al — oh — no 2 − type of htlc was produced in similar fashion as described in example 7 except that in the present example , 20 g of the mg — al — o mixed oxide precursor was dispersed in 200 ml water containing 14 . 0 g of nano 2 , and by gradual addition of diluted hno 3 , a ph = 9 was established . subsequently , the dispersion was stirred for four hours and processed . the filtrate &# 39 ; s ph was 9 . 7 . analytical data and ir spectrum are presented below in table 14 and fig9 , respectively . 5 . 0 g of finely ground htlc - dmtd was dispersed in 50 ml of water by intense stirring for 2 ( two ) hours , after which it was filtered . the presscake was then washed and the resultant filtrate and wash water were analyzed for dmtd content . in order to assess dmtd release by anion exchange mechanism , the same process was simultaneously performed on a distinct 5 . 0 g of htlc - dmtd with an additional 0 . 5 g of nacl ( 0 . 008 moles ) introduced into the system . the amount of dmtd release was 0 . 06 g ( 0 . 0004 moles ) when in contact with water , and 0 . 15 g ( 0 . 001 moles ) when in the presence of cl − species . a good correlation between cl − ions available for ion exchange and released dmtd ( see the above mole numbers ) was observed and it was concluded that the htlc - dmtd derivative synthesized according to the present invention releases dmtd species preferentially by the anion exchange mechanism . a generic mg — al — oh — cro 4 2 − type of htlc derivative ( containing 19 % cro 4 2 − ) was synthesized according to example 2 , and was tested for cro 4 2 − release in water , as follows : 5 . 0 g of the present htlc - cro 4 2 − derivative in a finely ground form was dispersed in 100 ml water by stirring for one ( 1 ) hour . the derivative was then left to settle and the yellow color of the supernatant was visually observed . it was concluded that this htlc - cro 4 2 − derivative displays cro 4 2 − release when in contact with water , similarly to the behavior of chromate pigments . this example shows application of one of the guest species , a dmtd derivative , as a constituent of a corrosion inhibitor pigment : a pigment grade composite of 45 % zn ( dmtd ) 2 / 32 % zn 3 ( po 4 ) 2 . 2h 2 o / 23 % zno , synthesized according to referential example 1 , was tested on aluminum , and compared to a double control : commercial strontium chromate ( control a ), which is the “ gold ” standard of the industry for corrosion inhibitor pigments and a molybdate - based product ( control b ), which is considered representative of commercially available non - chromate corrosion inhibitor pigments . the test was performed in a typical two - component aircraft primer formulation , specifically recommended for aluminum protection . the description of the different versions of this formulation , the test primer and of the control a and control b primers , are presented below in table 15 . in order to comparatively assess the corrosion inhibitor activity of dmtd derivatives , the test primer of example 14 , as well as control a and control b primer formulations , were applied by wire - wound rod , on several alodine 1200 ( mil - c - 5541 ) treated bare 2024 t - 3 aluminum panels ( from the q - panel co . ), at 0 . 6 - 0 . 8 mils dry film thickness , aged for 7 days at room temperature , scribed and subsequently subjected to salt spray exposure ( according to astm b - 117 ) for 2000 hours . notably , the scribes were applied in the typical cross form , at an approximate width of 2 mm , and , in order to remove the alodine 1200 conversion coating from the area , at an appropriate depth . by visual examination of their physical state at the end of the test period , the coatings &# 39 ; corrosion inhibitor performance , considered directly proportional to the tested pigment components &# 39 ; corrosion inhibitive activity was qualified . the scribed area was especially examined and the absence or presence of corrosion products , respectively , was interpreted as display of , or absence of , the respective corrosion inhibitor pigment &# 39 ; s “ throw power ”. it will be apparent that the “ throw power ” is the discriminative characteristic of effective corrosion inhibitor pigments . test results are summarized in table 16 . both control coatings and the test coating were found intact in the field at the end of the test period and it was concluded that 2000 hours of salt spray exposure was not sufficiently discriminate . similarly to cro 4 −− , dmtd displayed throw power , however , by maintaining the scribe area void of corrosion products , in a passive state for the duration of the salt spray exposure test . in the same conditions , moo 4 −− did not show throw power . it was concluded that dmtd derivatives possess effective corrosion inhibitor activity on aluminum and are applicable in pigment grades in organic primers intended for such . the following is an example of applicability of a guest species , dmtd in soluble forms , in conversion coatings for aluminum protection . a dmtd based conversion coating was applied on several 2024 t - 3 aluminum ( the test and control ) panels according to the following protocol : de - greasing , rinsing , deoxidizing ( i ), rinsing , deoxidizing ( ii ), rinsing , treatment with dmtd ( only of the test panels ), drying , post treatment with zr ( iv )/ k 2 zrf 6 solution , rinsing and drying . in practice , rinsing ( performed in stirred water at ambient temperature for 1 minute ) and all operations were carried out by immersion as follows : the test and control panels were de - greased in an alkaline cleaner solution ( containing 2 % of both na 2 co 3 and na 3 po 4 ) at 50 ° c . for 1 minute , followed by rinsing at ambient temperature for 1 minute . deoxidizing was performed in two phases . phase ( i ) was carried out in 25 % h 2 so 4 solution at 60 ° c . for 1 minute , followed by rinsing . phase ( ii ) was performed in 50 % hno 3 solution at ambient temperature for 30 seconds , followed by subsequent rinsing . the dmtd based conversion coating was applied ( only on the test panels ) by immersion for 10 minutes in saturated dmtd solution at 60 ° c ., under agitation and , without rinsing , by subsequent drying at about 100 - 110 ° c . for approximately 10 minutes . both the test and the control panels ( the latter without dmtd coating ) were post - treated by immersion , for 10 minutes , in a solution containing 0 . 5 % zrno 3 + 0 . 5 % k 2 zrf 6 , at 60 ° c . under agitation . the treatment was finalized by rinsing and drying the test and control panels at 110 ° c . for 10 minutes . in order to assess the quality of dmtd - based conversion coating on 2024 t - 3 aluminum , the test panels were tested for corrosion resistance ( according to astm b - 117 ) and paint adhesion ( tape test ), in comparison with the control panels , as well as with alodine 1200 treated 2024 t - 3 aluminum panels , the latter being the standard of the industry . the test results are presented below in table 17 . as the presented data indicates , dmtd - based conversion coating on 2024 t - 3 aluminum , applied according to the present invention , possesses robust resistance to corrosion and good paint adhesion , similar to chromate - based alodine 1200 conversion coatings . it was concluded that the treated dmtd derivatives are applicable as corrosion inhibitors in conversion coating technologies intended for aluminum protection . this example demonstrates the applicability of di - mercapto and tri - thio derivatives according to the present invention , as corrosion inhibitor additives in paint formulations . specifically , the application of trithiocyanuric acid - di - cyclohexylamine , in a salt of a 1 : 1 ratio , as an additive in a typical coil primer formulation , is disclosed . the coil primer formulation prepared was identical to the test formulation described in referential example 4 ( see table d ), except that the corrosion inhibitor constituent consisted of 120 parts by weight sr - doped amorphous silica , prepared according to example 13 , and 30 parts by weight of trithiocyanuric acid - di - cyclohexylamine , in a salt of a 1 : 1 ratio . this was introduced into the formulation to end up with 1006 . 8 parts by weight of paint and ground to 6 . 5 - 7 . 0 fineness on the hegman . the trithiocyanuric acid - di - cyclohexylamine 1 : 1 salt was synthesized according to referential example 5 of the present invention . consequently , the corrosion inhibitor constituent of the test formulation according to example 19 consists of an ordinary physical mixture of the above two components . the results are shown in table 18 ( see example 20 ). this example demonstrates the efficiency of di - mercapto derivatives , in general , and of trithiocyanuric acid and its derivatives , in particular , as corrosion inhibitor pigments or additives in coil primer formulations and on typical coil substrates , such as galvanized steel . it will be , however , apparent to one skilled in the art that the concept of the present invention applies for primers intended for steel protection in general . in order to comparatively assess the corrosion inhibitor activity of trithiocyanuric acid and its derivatives , the test primers of referential example 4 & amp ; example 19 , along with control formulations a & amp ; b from referential example 4 , were applied by wire - wound rod , on several galvanized steel panels ( from l . t . v . steel co . ), at 0 . 6 - 0 . 7 mil dry film thickness , aged for at least 2 ( two ) days at room temperature , scribed and subsequently subjected to salt spray exposure ( according to astm b - 117 ). the scribes were applied in the typical cross form , and , in order to cut through the protective galvanic zinc coating from the area of the scribes , at appropriate depth . during salt spray exposure , the coatings &# 39 ; physical state was assessed periodically by visual examination . scribe areas were observed for the absence or presence of corrosion products ( white rust ), and “ field ” areas were observed for the physical integrity of coatings and the presence of white rust . notably , the protective performance of the tested coatings was qualified by the service life of coatings , defined as the total hours of salt spray exposure that result in extensive corrosion along the scribes and considerable corrosion in the “ field ” areas . service life of a coating is considered directly proportional to the related pigments &# 39 ; or additives &# 39 ; corrosion inhibitor performance , which is conveniently qualified by e i , the inhibitor efficiency index , defined as : it is important to note , that the service life of control formulation a from referential example 4 , containing srcro 4 as a corrosion inhibitor pigment , was considered as the test control , or ( service life ) control . it will be apparent , that values of e i & gt ; 0 indicate comparatively better corrosion inhibitor performance than the control &# 39 ; s ( srcro 4 &# 39 ; s ) performance , whereas values of e i & lt ; 0 indicate a poorer corrosion inhibitor performance than that of the control . the test results are summarized below in table 18 . the disclosed e i values indicate that , in comparison with sr - doped amorphous silica , trithiocyanuric acid and trithiocyanuric acid - di - cyclohexylamine , 1 : 1 salt significantly extend the service life of the coatings . trithiocyanuric acid extends the service life of coil coatings on galvanized steel by 100 % over sr - doped amorphous silica , and trithiocyanuric acid - di - cyclohexylamine , 1 : 1 salt , extends the service life by 200 % over sr - doped amorphous silica . likewise , both compounds displayed considerably better corrosion inhibitor performance than srcro 4 , and more specifically trithiocyanuric acid - di - cyclohexylamine , 1 : 1 salt displayed the best corrosion inhibiting performance . also , sr - doped amorphous silica , as expected , displayed significantly poorer inhibitor performance than srcro 4 . this example is intended to demonstrate one possible application of a pigment grade htlc - dmtd derivative , specifically in a typical coil coating paint formulation . the pigment grade htlc - dmtd derivative ( at 22 % dmtd content ) was synthesized according to the process described in example 4 , and the derivative was formulated into a solvent - borne , polyester - based coil formulation as described in referential example 4 . ( see control formulation a , in table d ). in this formulation , 143 . 5 g of pigment grade srcro 4 was replaced with 92 . 0 g of htlc - dmtd . the resultant polyester - based coil formulation was applied by wire - wound rod , on galvanized steel panels ( from l . t . v . steel co . ), at 0 . 6 - 0 . 7 mil dry film thickness , aged for at least 2 ( two ) days at room temperature , scribed and subsequently subjected to protective performance test . this example is intended to demonstrate the application of a pigment grade htlc - dmtd derivative in a typical solvent - borne , two - component aircraft primer formulation specifically recommended for aluminum protection . the pigment grade htlc - dmtd derivative ( at 10 % dmtd content ) was synthesized according to the process described in example 3 and was formulated into the aircraft primer formulation presented in example 15 ( see control primer a in table 15 ). in this formulation , 107 . 5 g of pigment grade srcro 4 was replaced with 69 . 0 g of htlc - dmtd . the resulted aircraft primer was applied by wire - wound rod , on alodine 1200 ( mil - c - 5541 ) treated bare 2024 t - 3 aluminum panels ( from the q - panel co . ), at 0 . 6 - 0 . 8 mils dry film thickness , aged for 7 days at room temperature , scribed and subsequently subjected to protective performance test . this example is intended to demonstrate the usefulness , as corrosion inhibitor pigments , of double hydroxides with layered structure of [ m ( ii ) 1 - x m ( iii ) x ( oh − ) 2 ][ a n − x / n . y h 2 o ] general composition and anion - exchanged with selected anionic species . more specifically , this example demonstrates the effectiveness of the htlc - dmtd host - guest composition ( for example as synthesized according to example 4 ) as pigment grade inhibitors of the atmospheric corrosion of al 2024 . the inhibitor performance test on the pigment grade htlc - dmtd derivative was carried out according to the procedure developed by m . kendig and m . hon at the rockwell scientific company ( see patent application ser . no . 10 / 690 , 787 , “ apparatus for the rapid evaluation of corrosion inhibiting activity of paint and coatings ”). this procedure essentially measures the rate of the cathodic oxygen reduction reaction ( as related and directly proportional cathodic current in the absence ( i no inh ) and , respectively , in the presence ( i inh ) of dissolved corrosion inhibitor species , and specifically in the present example , on an immersed cu rotating disk cathode . it will be apparent that the cu cathode , in this example , models the cathodically polarized cu - rich intermetallics sites on cu - rich al alloy surfaces and allows the assessment of inhibitors dissolved , dispersed or leached into ( from coatings ) the aqueous immersion phase , with latter typically being a neutral 5 % nacl solution . the effectiveness of inhibitors is quantified by the inhibitor strength = i no inh / i inh or by r , the reversibility factor = i r / i no inh , where i r is measured in the absence of an inhibitor on an electrode previously exposed to inhibitor solution . it will be apparent that high inhibitor strength and low reversibility factor values indicate high inhibitor efficiency and vice versa . the experimental results on htlc - co 3 ( control ), htlc - dmtd at 13 % load and at 20 % load ( with the latter being synthesized according to the process stated in example 4 ), all dispersed in 5 % neutral nacl , as well as on cro 4 ( 2 −) ( standard ) dissolved at 10 mm concentration and ph = 6 , are presented below in table 19 . the presented experimental data indicates that the htlc - dmtd derivatives function as a reservoir of inhibitor species , it operates by releasing dmtd guest species into aqueous medium by an anion exchange mechanism . notably , the inhibitor efficiency of htlc - dmtd derivative appears to be directly proportional to the load of the dmtd guest species . also , the experimental data constitute compelling evidence on the efficiency and the corrosion inhibitor mechanism of dmtd on cu rich aluminum alloys , that is , on the inhibition by dmtd of the o 2 reduction process which takes place on discrete cu rich intermetallics sites such as typical for al 2024 . the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention . furthermore , 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 . while the preferred embodiment has been described , the details may be changed without departing from the invention , which is defined by the claims . | 2 |
with reference to fig1 a magnetic resonance diagnostic imaging apparatus generates a volumetric image of an internal region of the patient including a blood vessel such as the aorta or the carotid artery . the diagnostic imager , in the illustrated embodiment , is a horizontal field magnetic resonance imaging system that includes a solenoidal , preferably superconducting , magnet 10 . it is to be understood that an open , vertical field magnet assembly is also applicable . the horizontal field arrangement offers higher fields and steeper gradient fields . however , an open system offers improved patient access and possible application in interventional surgery and other applications . the magnet 10 generates a horizontal magnetic field through an imaging region 12 along the axis of its bore . a patient support 14 is movable in and out of the bore to position a region of interest of a subject 16 in the imaging region 12 . with continuing reference to fig1 and further reference to fig2 a sequence controller 20 controls a radio frequency control circuit 22 and a transmitter 24 to generate magnetic resonance excitation and manipulation pulses which are transmitted into the imaging region 12 by a whole body radio frequency coil 26 . in magnetic resonance angiography , dipoles in a region 28 upstream in a flow direction from the imaging region 12 are typically pretreated . the sequence controller controls a gradient controller 30 and gradient amplifiers 32 to apply appropriate gradient pulses to limit the pretreatment to the region 28 . although a single region 28 is illustrated in fig2 it is to be appreciated that pre - treatment regions can be disposed on other sides of the imaging region to pretreat blood flows from other directions . as shown in fig2 the venous flow is pre - saturated which does not influence arterial flow pattern estimation . the saturated blood then flows into the imaging region . typically , a time duration between the pretreatment and the commencement of an imaging sequence is based on the velocity of blood flow and the displacement distance d 1 . more specifically , the time delay is typically the amount of time it takes for blood to flow from the pretreatment region to the imaging region . as discussed above , the signal from the blood tends to diminish across the imaging region with distance from the pretreatment region 28 . this diminution of signal is commonly counteracted by applying rf pulses with a greater tip angle at the far end of the imaging region relative to the slice closest to the pretreatment region . in the present application , a sequence controller 34 causes the sequence control 20 to implement a precalibration sequence . the material in the pretreatment region 28 is pretreated . after the projected time for blood to flow from the pretreatment region to the imaging region , a series of data lines are collected . more specifically to the preferred embodiment , a data line 361 is collected which represents the center or k y = 0 data line with no phase encoding in a first slice 40 1 . this process is repeated for the central data line 36 1 - 36 n . for each of n slices 40 1 - 40 n . the magnetic resonance signals with the k y = 0 phase encoding are received either by the whole body radio frequency coil 26 or a localized receive coil , such as coil 50 . the received resonance signals are demodulated by a receiver 52 to form the data lines 36 1 - 36 n . a processor 54 includes slice intensity calculating hardware or software 56 which calculates an intensity for each of the n slices from the data lines 36 1 - 36 n . curve fitting hardware or software 58 fits the intensity values for each of the n slices to a curve . an exemplary intensity versus slice curve is illustrated in fig3 . in the preferred embodiment , the n intensities are fit to an n th order polynomial . it is to be understood that a polynomial is one of many methods and algorithms that can be used to estimate flow - signal relationships . one example is the computational fluid dynamic model ( cfd ). tip angle adjustment software or hardware 60 adjusts the tip angle at each slice position across the imaging volume in accordance with the curve . more specifically to the preferred embodiment , the coefficients of the nth order polynomial are used to address a look - up table which generates the tip angle correction factors which are then supplied to the sequence synthesizer 34 . once the tip angles have been calibrated , a selected imaging sequence is conducted and the detected resonance signals are demodulated by the receiver 52 into data lines which are reconstructed by a reconstruction processor 62 into a volumetric image representation . the volumetric image representation is stored in a volumetric image memory 64 . a video processor 66 withdraws selected portions of the volumetric image representation and converts them into appropriate format for display on a human - readable monitor 68 such as a video monitor , active matrix monitor , lcd display , or the like . typical displays include selected slices , volume renderings , projections , and the like . looking to the preferred pre - calibration sequence in greater detail , a polynomial has the basic form : θ ( z )= c 0 + c 1 z + c 2 z 2 + ( 1 ) or more generally , θ ( z ) = ∑ i = 0 n c i z i ( 2 ) the value of n , also the order of the polynomial , is determined by the number of axial encoding steps k z , that is , the number of slices perpendicular to a z - axis , desired in the imaging sequence . for a given number n of k z encoding steps , n linear equations can be determined . thus , it is possible to construct a polynomial of the n th order . it is to be understood that a polynomial of order less than n may be used , without sacrificing observable quality . optionally , a windowing function , that is , a function having a finite band width or discrete points , can be applied to control the transition of the slice profile . once the order of the polynomial is selected , a process to adaptively design and evaluate a ramped rf pulse is initiated . in the preferred embodiment , the designated phase encoded signals are collected to analyze blood flow through the imaging region in vivo . more specifically to the preferred embodiment , phase encoding is disabled , and the k = 0 line of k - space is sampled in each of the slices . these values that are not phase encoded are processed into intensities . these intensity values are used to design the rf pulse with spatially dependent flip angles . optionally , multiple iterations of this process are performed in order to optimize vascular imaging parameters more fully . of course , the intensity versus distance from the preparation region 28 can be measured in other ways . analogously , other localized blood velocity measurements can be used to generate values that are fit to the polynomial analogously . with reference to fig4 during construction of the rf pulse profile , flow information is extracted and analyzed 70 . the flow information is used to design the rf pulse profile and other imaging parameters 72 . the designed parameters are checked for compatibility and accuracy 74 . if deemed satisfactory , the rf pulse profile is implemented in a magnetic resonance scan 76 . in addition to positional calibrating of the rf pulse , other parameters are on - the - fly calculated to improve the imaging sequence . the rf pulse duration is adjusted to reduce the dephasing effect due to flowing spins , and to reduce the peak magnetic field dose in a high field system . another parameter that is adjusted is the amount of off - resonance excitation the rf pulse affects . that is , the frequency spectrum of the rf pulse is adjusted to affect more or fewer dipoles . the time used for this design and evaluation process is short , relative to the length of a full scan . depending on how many iterations are desired , a normal scan is lengthened roughly 6 - 12 %. the time it takes to generate an image of this kind is : where n y is the phase encoding steps on the k y axis , n z is the number of slices or phase encoding steps along the k z axis , and t r is the repetition time . adding in the rf design and evaluation it becomes : t imaging =( n z + m )* n y * t r ( 4 ) where m is the number of iterations as shown by the dashed line in fig4 . the change in imaging time is then : δ t % = ( n z + m ) * n y * t r - n z * n y * t r n z * n y * t r = m n z ( 5 ) for a typical parameter setting of n z = 16 and m = 1 , the imaging time increases by 6 . 25 %. for n z = 16 and m = 2 , the imaging time increases by 12 . 5 %. using m & gt ; 2 is redundant in most situations . in an alternate embodiment , an image using a volumetric sequence with phase encoding along the z - axis as opposed to a multiple slice sequence is generated . in this embodiment , the base function is different from the slice embodiment but again depends on velocity and vascular geometry . typically , resonance data is generated from a slab , which is several slices thick , and which slab is disposed adjacent the preconditioning region . to image a larger volume , additional slabs contiguous to the first slab are imaged . the intensity values across each slab are retained and used to scale or otherwise match the slab images to each other . in this manner , the amount by which the slabs are overlapped for matching purposes is reduced or eliminated . in another alternate embodiment , the operator places a region of interest in the imaging region and generates a low resolution or real time image to evaluate the level of blood flow . in another alternate embodiment , when the wavelength becomes comparable to the size of the object , the rf excitation profile is accounted for at different field strengths . because this method is dependent on size , other k - space trajectory , polynomial approximation , etc ., can be utilized . in another alternate embodiment , adjustments to the rf pulse profile account for deposited sar in a region to overcome inherent limits . preferably , on - the - fly recalculations of the rf pulse profile , dependent on the subject , field strength , and available gradient performance are made . in another alternate embodiment , a library or look - up - table is used . based on a known geometry , preferred models are stored in a memory . the nearest match is chosen when the initial time boundary conditions are generated , to save the computation of designing an rf sequence on - the - fly . optimization can be used to improve the model . in another alternate embodiment , navigator echos are used to predict blood velocity vectors in the imaging region . from that information , the preconditioning region is positioned and dimensioned and rf pulse profiles are designed . in yet another alternate embodiment , non - mri methods such as ultrasound or laser doppler can be used to generate an assessment of blood flow within the imaging region . this information then is fed back into the mri system for generation of the rf pulse profile . the invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiment . modifications and alterations will occur to others upon a reading and understanding of the preceding detailed description . 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 . | 6 |
the present invention will be described as implemented in a programmed digital computer . it will be understood that a person of ordinary skill in the art of digital image processing and software programming will be able to program a computer to practice the invention from the description given below . the present invention may be embodied in a computer program product having a computer readable storage medium such as a magnetic or optical storage medium bearing machine readable computer code . alternatively , it will be understood that the present invention may be implemented in hardware or firmware . the present invention describes the use of camera metadata for scene classification , and in particular a preferred embodiment for solving the problem of indoor - outdoor scene classification . it is also demonstrated that metadata alone ( which can be retrieved and processed using negligible computing resources ) can be used as an “ ultra - lite ” version of the indoor - outdoor scene classifier , and can obtain respectable results even when used alone ( without any content - based cues ). a preferred inference engine ( a bayesian network ) is used to combine evidence from a content - based classifier and from the metadata , which is especially useful when some or all of the metadata tags are missing . classification of unconstrained consumer images in general is a difficult problem . therefore , it can be helpful to use a hierarchical approach , in which classifying images into indoor or outdoor images occurs at the top level and is followed by further classification within each subcategory ( see a . vailaya , m . figueiredo , a . jain , and h . j . zhang , “ content - based hierarchical classification of vacation images ”, in proceedings of ieee international conference on multimedia computing and systems , 1999 ). in the present invention , a baseline content - based classifier in - house for indoor / outdoor classification ( 10 c ) is implemented as described by serreno at al . ( see n . serrano , a . savakis , and j . luo , “ a computationally efficient approach to indoor / outdoor scene classification ”, in proceedings of international conference on pattern recognition , 2002 ). briefly summarized , a plurality of color and textures features are first extracted from image sub - blocks in a 4 × 4 tessellation and then used as the input to a support vector machine which generates estimates for individual sub - blocks , and these estimates are combined to provide an overall classification for the entire image as either an indoor or outdoor image . in general , most digital cameras encode metadata in the header of the exif file . among the metadata tags , and of potential interest to scene classification , are datetime , flashused , focallength ( fl ), exposuretime ( et ), aperturefnumber ( ap ), ( subject ) distance , isoequivalent , brightnessvalue ( bv ), subjectdistancerange ( sd ), and comments . a large body of research is concerned with the combination of text ( e . g ., comments and key word annotations ) and image retrieval ( see , for example , y . lu , c . hu , x . zhu , h . j . zhang , and q . yang , “ a unified framework for semantics and feature based relevance feedback in image retrieval systems ”, in acm multimedia conference , los angeles , calif ., october 2000 ), which , however , are not the subject of the present invention . other metadata fields appear to discern certain scene types , even if weakly . for example , flash tends to be used more frequently on indoor images than on outdoor images . because sky is brighter than indoor lighting , the exposure time on outdoor images is often shorter than on indoor images . in general , only outdoor images can have a large subject distance . sunset images tend to have a brightness value within a certain range , distinct from that of mid - day sky or of artificial lighting . it is clear that some tags will be more useful than others for a given problem . in a preferred embodiment of the present invention , the tags that are most useful for the problem of indoor - outdoor scene classification are identified through statistical analysis . other metadata can be derived from the recorded metadata . for instance , moser and schroder ( see s . moser and m . schroder , “ usage of dsc meta tags in a general automatic image enhancement system ”, in proceedings of international symposium on electronic imaging , 2002 ) defined scene pseudo - energy to be proportional to for exposure time t and aperture f - number f . scene energy was proposed as a metric highly correlated with scene types and different illuminations . note that moser and schroder do not teach scene classification in general using metadata . they use metadata , and metadata only , to decide what proper image enhancement process to apply . three families of tags useful for scene classification in general and indoor - outdoor scene classification in particular are categorized in the following : distance ( subject distance , focal length ). with few exceptions , only outdoor scenes contain large distances . while less direct and less intuitive than subject distance , focal length is related to distance ( in the camera &# 39 ; s auto - focus mode ); however , it would be expected to be far less reliable , because although the zoom - in function is more likely to be used for distant outdoor objects , it is also used for close - ups in indoor pictures ; zoom - out is used with equal likelihood for both indoor and outdoor occasions to expand the view . scene brightness ( exposure time , aperture , brightness value , shutter speed ). overall , outdoor scenes are brighter than indoor scenes , even under overcast skies , and therefore have a shorter exposure time , a smaller aperture , and a larger brightness value . the exception to this , of course , is night outdoor scenes ( which arguably should be treated as indoor scenes for many practical applications ). flash . because of the lighting differences described above , ( automatic ) camera flash is used on a much higher percentage of images of indoor scenes than of outdoor scenes . statistics of various metadata tags , comparing distributions over indoor images with those over outdoor images , are described here . the statistics are presented as probabilities : proportions of images of each type that take on a given certain metadata value . fig5 shows the distribution of subject distance ( sd ). most indoor scenes have a distance of between 1 - 3 meters , while outdoor scenes have a relatively flat distribution of distances , except for a peak at infinity , corresponding to long - range scenery images . fig2 shows the distributions of exposure times ( et ). those over 1 / 45 ( 0 . 022 ) second are more likely to be indoor scenes , because of lower lighting . however , extremely long exposure times ( over 1 second ) are usually night scenes with the exposure time set manually . fig3 shows the distribution of aperture values ( ap ), which appear to be less discriminatory than other tags . fig4 shows the distribution of scene energy ( se ) as a function of exposure time and f - number ( defined by moser and schroder ). note that scene energy does not appear to be as good a feature for discriminating indoor scenes from outdoor scenes as , for example , exposure time . table 1 presents typical camera flash statistics . it is clear that flash is a strong cue for indoor - outdoor scene classification . scene brightness and exposure time , in particular , are highly correlated to the illuminants present in the captured scenes . the choice of metadata tags in the preferred embodiment is largely motivated by this physical property of illuminant and the apparent separabilities shown by these plots . a bayesian network is a robust method for combining multiple sources of probabilistic information ( see , for example , j . luo and a . savakis , “ indoor vs . outdoor classification of consumer photographs using low - level and semantic features ”, in ieee international conference on image processing , thessaloniki , greece , october 2001 ). in the preferred embodiment of the present invention , a bayesian net of the topology shown in fig6 is used to fuse low - level image cues 610 and metadata cues 630 . the low - level input is pseudo - probabilistic , generated by applying a sigmoid function to the output of the low - level scene classifier ( e . g ., a support vector machine classifier , see serrano at al .). the metadata input is either binary ( e . g ., flash fired ) or discrete ( e . g ., exposure time is divided into discrete intervals , and the exposure time for a single test image falls into exactly one of those intervals ). referring again to fig6 , scene classification of an image into either indoor or outdoor is achieved at the root node 600 once the bayesian network is settled after belief propagation . there are three types of potential evidences ( cues ), namely low - level cues 610 , semantic cues 620 , and metadata cues 630 , that can contribute to the final scene classification . examples of low - level image features 610 include “ color ” 611 and “ texture ” 612 . examples of semantic cues 620 include “ sky ” 621 and “ grass ” 622 , which are strong indicators of outdoor scenes . the corresponding broken lines related to semantic features 621 and 622 simply indicate that semantic features are not used in the preferred embodiment of the present invention because it would be a natural extension . fig6 shows only a few of the potential input cues that could be used for metadata , i . e ., “ subject distance ” 631 , “ flash fired ” 632 , and “ exposure time ” 633 . for indoor - outdoor scene classification , they are the best of the categories discussed previously . if used , nodes for other metadata , such as the aforementioned “ brightness value ” or “ scene energy ”, would be siblings of the existing metadata nodes . bayesian networks are very reliable in the presence of ( either partially or completely ) missing evidence . this is ideal when dealing with metadata , because some tags , e . g ., subject distance , are often not given a value by many camera manufacturers . there are a few issues related to the proper combination of multiple cues . first , combining multiple cues of the same category ( e . g . brightness value , exposure time , and scene energy ) would hurt the classifiers &# 39 ; accuracy due to the violation of the conditional independence necessary for bayesian networks . second , the most reliable cues , when used in combination , appear to be exposure time , flash , and subject distance , in that order . third , combining multiple cues from different categories ( e . g ., exposure time and flash ) does improve accuracy . in practice , the highest accuracy is achieved when using exactly one ( the best ) of each of the cue types ( exposure time , flash , and subject distance ). while the low - level cues were less accurate in general and the camera metadata cues were more reliable , combining low - level and metadata cues gave the highest accuracy . in practice , not all cameras store metadata and among those that do , not all the useful metadata tags are available . therefore , a more accurate measure of performance of the combined system should take missing metadata into account . table 2 shows example statistics on the richness of the metadata that is currently typically available in the market . using the same data set but simulating the actual availability of metadata according to table 2 , the overall accuracy increase is about 70 % of the best - case scenario ( with all tags ). this is a more realistic estimate of how the method might do with general consumer images , because metadata is not yet fully supported by all camera manufacturers . fig1 shows a diagram of the method for scene classification of a digital image using camera and content - based cues according to the invention . initially , an input image 10 is provided . the input image is processed 20 to extract metadata and image data . the image data 30 and the metadata 80 will be processed separately in two paths . if it is decided that there is a need to use scene content for image classification in step 40 , a plurality of image features , such as color , texture or even semantic features , are extracted directly from the image data 30 in step 50 . content - based scene classification is performed in step 60 using the image - based features and a trained classifier such as a support vector machine . otherwise if there is no need to use scene content for classification , a “ null ” estimate is generated in step 70 . a “ null ” estimate has no effect on a subsequent integrating scene classification step 140 . in the meantime , if pre - determined metadata tags are found to be available in step 90 among the extracted metadata 80 , they are extracted in step 100 and then used to generate metadata - based scene classification estimates in step 110 . otherwise , a “ null ” estimate is generated in step 120 . again , a “ null ” estimate has no effect on the subsequent integrating scene classification step 140 . the estimates from both the image data path and the metadata path are combined to produce an integrated scene classification 150 in the integrating scene classification step 140 according to the invention . in a preferred embodiment of the present invention , a pre - determined ( trained ) bayesian network 130 is used to perform the integration . as indicated by the broken lines connecting the “ null ” estimate generation steps of 70 and 120 , the method according to the present invention can allow either one of the processing paths to be missing ( e . g ., metadata ), or turned off ( e . g ., content - based classification ) for speed and accuracy reasons , within a unified system . as mentioned in the background section , scene classification can improve the performance of image - based systems , such as content - based image organization and retrieval . scene classification can also find application in image enhancement . rather than applying generic color balancing and exposure adjustment to all scenes , we could customize them to the scene , e . g ., retaining or boosting brilliant colors in sunset images while removing warm - colored cast from tungsten - illuminated indoor images . for instance , a method for image enhancement of a digital image according to the present invention could include the steps of : ( a ) performing scene classification of the digital image into a plurality of scene classes based on image feature and metadata ; and ( b ) applying a customized image enhancement procedure in response to the scene class of the digital image . thereupon , in a given situation wherein the image enhancement is color balancing , the customized image enhancement procedure could include retaining or boosting brilliant colors in images classified as sunset scenes and removing warm - colored cast from indoor images classified as tungsten - illuminated scenes . 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 . | 6 |
referring now to fig1 there is illustrated a signal recording apparatus according to the present invention . more specifically , it is a video camera / recorder , generally indicated with a reference numeral 1 . the video camera / recorder 1 is provided with a portable memory card , and incorporates a video tape 10 and a nonvolatile memory 13 as recording media . the video camera / recorder 1 is adapted to record a moving picture and still picture into the video tape 10 while recording a still picture into the nonvolatile memory 13 . when the user selects a mode of still picture recording , the video camera / recorder 1 will generate one trigger sound for recording into the video tape 10 and another trigger sound destined for recording into the nonvolatile memory 13 and which is definitely different from the sound for recording into the video tape 10 . as seen from fig1 the video camera / recorder 1 comprises a camera 2 , operation keys 4 , and a microcomputer 5 which controls a select switch 3 to select recording into either the video tape 10 or into the nonvolatile memory 13 according to a selection made by the user operating the operation keys 4 . further , the video camera / recorder 1 comprises an image control circuit 8 which provides an image processing to be effected appropriately when the microcomputer 5 places the select switch 3 at a position for recording a still picture into the video tape 10 , and a magnetic head 9 to record an image signal from the image control circuit 8 into the video tape 10 . also , the video camera / recorder 1 comprises an image control microcomputer 11 which provides an image processing to be effected appropriately when the microcomputer 5 places the select switch 3 at a position for recording a still picture into the nonvolatile memory 13 . the microcomputer 5 is connected thereto via a switch 6 a sound generator 7 which generates a pulse sound like “ crackling ” as a trigger sound when a still picture is recorded into the video tape 10 . the sound generator 7 generates the sound in the pwm ( pulse width modulation ) mode . the image control microcomputer 11 is connected thereto a sound generator 12 which generates a shutter sound like “ clicking ” as a trigger sound when a still picture is recorded into the nonvolatile memory 13 . the sound generator 12 is in the sleep mode when the microcomputer 5 is detecting a recording into the video tape 10 , namely , when the sound generator 12 is not in use . therefore , the sound generator 12 will consume no extra power . the video camera / recorder 1 functions as will be described below : in the video camera / recorder 1 , the microcomputer 5 detects a function selected by the user operating the keys 4 , and selects any one of the recording media to which an input picture is to be recorded . when the video tape 10 is selected as a destination of this recording , a contact c of the switch 3 is connected to a terminal a and thus an picture picked up by a camera 2 is passed through the image control circuit 8 and recorded into the video tape 10 via the magnetic head 9 . at this time , the microcomputer 5 will turn on a switch 6 so that the sound generator 7 will generate a “ crackling ” alarm sound upon pressing , by the user , of a photo key included in the operation keys 4 . when the user selects one of the operation keys 4 for recording into the nonvolatile memory 13 , the switch contact c of the switch 3 is connected to a terminal b and thus an picture picked up by the camera 2 is passed through the image control microcomputer 11 and recorded into the nonvolatile memory 13 . at this time , the microcomputer 5 will turn off the switch 6 and the sound generator 12 connected to the image control microcomputer 11 will generate a “ clicking ” sound upon pressing , by the user , of the photo key included in the operation keys 4 . the video tape 10 can record a moving picture in addition to a still picture , but the nonvolatile memory 13 can record only a still picture . since the video camera / recorder 1 operates similarly to a conventional still camera , so the operation alarm sound should desirably be similar to the operating sound of still camera . in case one video camera / recorder 1 has similar functions as mentioned above , it is provided with the two sound generators 7 and 12 one of which is put into operation by the microcomputer 5 detecting which one of the functions has been selected , thereby providing an alarm sound for the selected function , which is discernible from a one for another selected function . if it is allowed from the econoimcal aspect to use a microcomputer 5 having a relatively high capability of processing , the sound generator 12 may be connected to the image control microcomputer 11 . further , only the sound generator 7 may be used to generate two alarm sounds without using the sound generator 12 . when an apparatus having a single function is already available and a new apparatus which incorporates the existing apparatus is designed , a sound source which generates a sound similar to the alarm sound issued for the single function may be provided to allow the user to clearly understand the function incorporated in the new apparatus . [ 0029 ] fig2 shows a video camera / recorder i using a pc card as the second recording medium in place of the nonvolatile memory 13 . the video camera / recorder 1 operates on a battery 21 . the pc card 23 is inserted into the vide camera / recorder 1 through a card slot 22 as shown in fig3 . the pc card 23 can record a still picture picked up by the video camera / recorder 1 as in the above , and an picture already existent on the video tape 10 also set in the video camera / recorder 1 . the video tape 10 can also record a still picture and also a moving picture . when the user selects to record a still picture into the pc card 23 and presses a photo button 24 , a “ clicking ” sound is generated from the sound generator 12 at the same time . also , when the user selects to record a still picture into the video tape 10 and presses the photo button 24 , a “ crackling ” sound is generated from the sound generator 7 at the same time . thus , the user can be informed , by such different sounds , of which one of the functions is performed . as having been described in the foregoing , the present invention permits to inform the user of which one of similar functions incorporated in one apparatus is performed . | 7 |
the invention will be described in detail for a system that receives the iclid information via the class / cms delivery mechanism . the system , with the exception of the iclid receiver , is the same for all protocols . one ordinarily skilled in the art could reasonably be expected to replace the class / cms receiver with a receiver for centrex , isdn or other signalling . the specifications for these interfaces are readily available . with reference to fig1 the simplest way to describe the present invention is as a telephone line interface 12 , coupled to an iclid receiver 10 , and an iclid transmitter 11 . the telephone line interface 12 provides the appropriate electrical terminating characteristics to comply with network interfacing standards for the iclid transmission standard used in this instance of the system . the iclid receiver 10 decodes the iclid transmission received through the telephone line interface 12 and stores it . the incoming call is not answered ( because there is no one in attendance ) and , eventually , the calling party hangs up . the iclid transmitter now proceeds to the off hook state and places a telephone call to a predetermined destination . the iclid transmitter 11 forwards the iclid information from the iclid receiver 10 once the destination has answered . with reference to fig2 this mechanism may be extended by increasing the functionality between steps ( 5 ), ( 6 ) and ( 7 ). by inserting processing means 20 between the iclid receiver 10 and the iclid transmiter 11 , greater functionality can be added . this functionality can include the ability to react in different manners to different iclids , to map this iclid information to other pieces of information or other formats , etc . for example , with reference to fig3 a typical decision tree followed by processing means 20 in response to an iclid transmission and reception might be as shown . iclid reception 30 occurs . this corresponds to the completion of step ( 5 ) above . in response to the iclid reception , the processing means 20 can determine whether the name / number is known 31 or unknown 32 via table or database lookup , whether the iclid was unavailable 33 , or suppressed by the calling party 34 ( also known as &# 34 ; invoking privacy &# 34 ;), or if there was some other condition such as the iclid being received but corrupted and other default conditions 35 . there are three basic responses that can be generated by the processing means 20 . the call can be ignored ( don &# 39 ; t answer ) and the iclid information received and stored . the call can be answered very briefly ( less than one second ) and a confirmation tone applied . if the call is answered and the confirmation tone is very brief then billing is not engaged by the telephone company and the confirmation tone has been received for free . finally , the call can be answered and appropriate voice or machine prompts can be provided . the iclid information 30 can be used by the processing means 20 to screen incoming calls and determine the response to generate . for example , if the iclid is known 31 an answer may not be necessary 36 -- an example of a &# 34 ; please call me &# 34 ; message , or no answer for security screening . alternatively , a short confirmation tone 37 could be applied to the line to confirm receipt of the iclid guaranteeing the ability to return the call , or the call could be answered 38 to allow the caller to leave messages or gain access to the system . if the iclid is not known 32 to the processing means 20 then the system could answer the call and use voice prompts , or some other means , to elicit the corresponding information from the calling party . alternatively , the processing means 20 could refuse to answer the call 39 as a security measure . if the delivery of the iclid has been suppressed 34 the processing means 20 can take this as an indication of the intent of the caller and refuse to answer the call 39 . if the system is being used in a customer service setting , for example , the processing means 20 could decide to answer the call anyway 38 . the iclid delivery could be corrupted , the system could experience difficulties , unforeseen issues may occur . these default conditions 35 may result in either an answer 38 or don &# 39 ; t answer 39 state as defined by the operator of the system . with reference to fig4 we will now investigate an example of a fully configured system for the receipt of class / cms iclid information . the vast majority of the system is the same for all forms of iclid reception . only the line interface 40 , the ring detector 41 , and the fsk demodulator 43 are likely to change with different forms of iclid reception . one reasonably skilled in the art would be able to replace these portions of the system with their counterparts for other signalling mechanisms ( such as centrex ®, or isdn ) simply with reference to the corresponding standards and utilizing commercially available components and subsystems . within the context of the class / cms iclid example , the system operates as follows . the line interface 40 provides the proper electrical termination characteristics to satisfy eia rs - 470 and bellcore tr - tsy - 000030 requirements . it also has the ability to go to the on hook or off hook states as directed by the microprocessor 42 . the ring detector 41 detects the presence or absence of power ring ( nominal 88v ac superimposed on - 48v dc ) and signals this condition to the microprocessor 42 . this information is used by the microprocessor 42 to determine the timing of the ring signals in order to take advantage of the coded ring signalling ( commonly known as &# 34 ; distinctive ringing &# 34 ;) available from the lecs ( local exchange carriers ). the fsk ( frequency shift key ) demodulator 43 converts the fsk iclid transmission to a ttl level bit stream and forwards it to the microprocessor 42 . the microprocessor then stores this information in ram 49 or on disk 50 . the microprocessor 42 can then use the iclid transmission as an index into a database stored in ram 49 or on disk 50 . this database can contain information such as the name associated with the number ( or vice versa ), the security clearance , etc . once the database search has been completed , the microprocessor 42 can decide whether to not answer the call , to give a confirmation tone , or to answer the incoming call . the microprocessor 42 uses software stored in rom 48 , ram 49 , or on secondary storage such as disk 50 to determine how to answer the incoming call . as illustrated , a number of options are available . the microprocessor 42 directs the line interface 40 to go to the off hook state . the microprocessor 42 can then instruct the voice synthesizer 54 to place voice prompts on the telephone line . in response to these voice prompts the calling party may enter dtmf or dial pulse signals , fax signals , modem signals , or attempt to leave a voice message . these responses can be received and interpreted by the microprocessor via one or more of the dtmf / dial pulse decoder 44 , the fax modem 45 , the modem 46 , or the voice digitizer 47 . information about received calls is forwarded under control of the microprocessor 42 by directing the line interface 40 to go to the off hook state . it should be noted that it is not necessary that the line interface for outgoing calls be the same as the line interface for incoming calls . using the same interface for incoming and outgoing calls reduces system cost but reduces system throughput . by placing the outgoing calls over a different line than the incoming calls , throughput can be increased at the expense of greater system complexity . once the line interface is in the off hook state , the microprocessor 42 can direct the dtmf / dial pulse generator to dial the predetermined destination for forwarding of the received iclid information . when a connection has been established with the forwarding destination , the iclid information could be forwarded using one or more of the dtmf / dial pulse generator 51 , the modem 52 , the fax modem 53 , or the voice synthesizer 54 ( or other means ) depending on whether the receiving party is a machine or a human being . if it is a human being , the voice synthesizer 54 could deliver a message such as &# 34 ; you have received a call from 555 - 5555 &# 34 ; where &# 34 ; 555 - 5555 &# 34 ; represents the iclid information received by the invention . if the iclid information is being forwarded to another automated system then the more conventional data transmission means of dtmf / dial pulse generation 51 , modems 52 , or fax modems 53 could be used . alternatively , the iclid information could be routed over internal network facilities such as private lines , or a lan , using the internal network interface 55 to the local communications facilities . many further extensions to the operating sequences are , of course , possible . it is the intent of the present invention to disclose an iclid driven platform for automated attendant operation . it is obvious that the present invention can be used for many other functions than as an automated attendant . for example , secure fax servers , data servers , and voice mail facilities could all be implemented using the iclid as a first stage in a security system . | 7 |
traditionally , regulators are not effective as sealing devices . a regulator &# 39 ; s function is to control its downstream pressure in a flow condition . at no flow , the upstream pressure will gradually leak through the internal seat , resulting in a decrease of upstream pressure and an increase of downstream pressure . this phenomenon is known as “ creep .” furthermore , regulators having more precise output regulation ( e . g ., +/− 0 . 1 mpa ) make the creep phenomena more significant , particularly where additional components downstream of a regulator require pressure variation to be within a precise range for proper operation . fig1 shows a traditional bi - directional mechanization for a hydrogen storage system . fill line 20 provides a fluid ( gas or liquid ) through check valve 22 to a point that diverts into two directions along spending line 24 : one direction to storage tank 30 and another direction to regulator 40 . this bi - directional mechanization has multiple advantages . for example , redundant tubing is avoided inasmuch as portions of spending line 24 are the same as portions of fill line 20 . thus , this mechanization provides minimal tubing connections and minimal joints for external leak . according to aspects of at least one exemplary implementation , storage tank 30 is provided with appropriate control and regulation devices to manage the flow and conditions of fluid of storage tank 30 . for example , tank valve 32 may be provided at the entrance and exit line of storage tank 30 . tank valve 32 may be a solenoid valve , a manual valve , an air activated valve , or other valve to selectively control flow in and out of storage tank 30 . according to aspects of at least one exemplary implementation , tank valve 32 may be part of a broader system for managing storage tank 30 . for example , as shown in fig2 , active on tank device 31 of storage tank 30 may include temperature sensor 34 , pressure sensor 33 , excess flow valve 35 , filter 36 , manual valve 37 , tank valve 32 , thermal pressure relief device 38 , defueling valve 39 , orifice 41 , and appropriate inlets and outlets . according to aspects of at least one exemplary implementation , regulator 40 may be provided between storage tank 30 and the destination , such as injector 90 or other component that receives a flow of the fluid from storage tank 30 , as shown in fig1 . for example , single stage regulator 40 may be provided . regulator 40 may be configured to reduce any upstream pressure from storage tank 30 to within an acceptable range with tolerances ( i . e ., a target pressure ). for example , regulator 40 may be configured to reduce the downstream pressure to 0 . 9 mpa ( g )+/− - 0 . 1 . the acceptable range with tolerances may correspond to limitations imposed by an intermediate or ultimate destination of the fluid . one or more devices at or downstream of a destination of a system may be sensitive to pressure . for example , regulator 40 may be configured to manage downstream pressure to injector 90 , which may only be configured to receive fluid within certain pressure conditions without sustaining undesirable damage . without adequate accommodation , leakage from tank valve 32 or regulator 40 may cause an undesirable pressure load to be delivered to the destination . according to aspects of at least one exemplary implementation , devices and configurations for managing the downstream pressure to the destination may be managed to mitigate leaks at tank valve 32 or regulator 40 stage of the system . according to aspects of at least one exemplary implementation , a bi - directional system is shown in fig3 . system isolation valve 50 may be provided between regulator 40 and the destination ( e . g ., injector 90 ), as shown in fig3 . system isolation valve 50 may be a solenoid valve that can be open at very low electrical power ( i . e ., because the pressure load is as low as 0 . 9 mpa ( g ) nominal ). upon initiation of the system , system isolation valve 50 may open and provide its upstream flow from regulator 40 to the destination . according to aspects of at least one exemplary implementation , creep at regulator 40 will provide an initially excessive upstream pressure to system isolation valve 50 . for example , first line 51 may be defined as the connection between tank valve 32 and regulator 40 . second line 52 may be defined as the connection between regulator 40 and system isolation valve 50 . creep at regulator 40 occurring while tank valve 32 and system isolation valve 50 are closed will eventually cause the pressure between in first line 51 ( upstream to regulator 40 ) to balance with the pressure in second line 52 ( downstream to regulator 40 ). this may present an excessive pressure condition to the destination when system isolation valve 50 is opened . if system isolation valve 50 opens , downstream injector 90 will receive higher pressure impulse . such a high pressure impulse may cause injector 90 to leak , which may be particularly dangerous if the fluid leaked is volatile . moreover , the operation life of injector 90 may be shortened due to these high pressure conditions . furthermore , system isolation valve 50 and injector 90 would require more power to overcome the increase pressure differential due to regulator creep . according to aspects of at least one exemplary implementation , a volumetric solution is provided to provide an acceptable pressure to the destination of a system , even after an occurrence of regulator creep . this solution is based on the isothermal balance of the fluid . according to aspects of at least one exemplary implementation , first line 51 is provided between tank valve 32 and regulator 40 . first line 51 has a first volume ( v 1 ) and first pressure ( p 1 ) therein . according to aspects of at least one exemplary implementation , second line 52 is provided between regulator 40 and system isolation valve 50 . second line 52 has a second volume ( v 2 ) and second pressure ( p 2 ) therein . according to aspects of at least one exemplary implementation , third line 53 is provided between system isolation valve 50 and injector 90 ( or other destination device ). third line 53 has a third volume ( v 3 ) and third pressure ( p 3 ) therein . according to aspects of at least one exemplary implementation , a target pressure ( p t ) may be defined as an acceptable pressure to be provided to injector 90 . according to aspects of at least one exemplary implementation , the system has an initial state at or before the time system isolation valve 50 is opened . in the initial state , the second pressure results from the existence of any regulator creep leading up to the time of the initial state . the third pressure may be equal to or substantially equal to zero , because prior cycles would deplete the amount of fluid in third line 53 after system isolation valve 50 is closed . according to aspects of at least one exemplary implementation , when system isolation valve 50 is opened , the fluid in second line 52 will be distributed across second line 52 and third line 53 . accordingly , a distribution pressure ( p d ) may be defined as the pressure resulting from the substantially even distribution of the fluid in second line 52 across the combined volume of second line 52 and third line 53 ( v 2 + v 3 ) at the time system isolation valve 50 is opened . according to boyle &# 39 ; s law , pressure multiplied by volume and divided by temperature in the first state will be equal to pressure multiplied by volume and divided by temperature in the second state . this may be expressed as : ( p a * v a )/ t a =( p b * v b )/ t b ( formula 1 ). where temperature remains substantially constant across both states , this reduces to : thus , the pressure and volumes of a system during a state prior to the opening of system isolation valve 50 as compared to a state after opening system isolation valve 50 may be expressed as : ( p 2 * v 2 )+( p 3 * v 3 )= p d *( v 2 + v 3 ) ( formula 3 ). where the third pressure is equal to zero , this reduces to : ( p 2 * v 2 )= p d *( v 2 + v 3 ) ( formula 4 ). to determine what the distributed pressure will be once system isolation valve 50 is opened , formula 4 may be rearranged and expressed as : p d =( p 2 * v 2 )/( v 2 + v 3 ) ( formula 5 ). according to aspects of at least one exemplary implementation , the system may be configured with known dimensions and parameters . furthermore , the pressure in second line 52 may be measured by low pressure sensor 42 located at second line 52 . the known dimensions of the system and the measured pressure allow a distribution pressure to be calculated according to formula 5 . according to aspects of at least one exemplary implementation , a startup phase as shown in fig4 may be performed . tank valve 32 and system isolation valve 50 may be closed while the system is at rest in a rest phase ( operation 200 ). during this rest phase , the pressure in second line 52 may increase due to regulator creep , but the pressure may be contained while system isolation valve 50 is closed . when a startup command is received , a startup phase may be initiated ( operation 202 ). the pressure in second line 52 may be measured ( e . g ., by a low pressure sensor 42 ( operation 204 ). with the measured pressure in second line 52 and know values for the volumes of second line 52 and third line 53 , a distribution pressure may be calculated , for example with formula 5 ( operation 206 ). if the distribution pressure exceeds the target pressure , then system isolation valve 50 may remain closed until corrective measures are taken ( operation 208 ). a warning or other indication may be sent to an operator or another system ( operation 210 ). if the distribution pressure does not exceed the target pressure , then tank valve 32 and system isolation valve 50 may be opened ( operations 212 and 214 ). while fluid flows from storage tank 30 to injector 90 , the system may maintain a steady state phase of operation . when a shutdown command is received , at least one of system isolation valve 50 and tank valve 32 may be closed , if needed . ( operations 216 , 218 , and 220 ). according to aspects of at least one exemplary implementation , a bi - directional system is shown in fig5 . devices for relieving excessive pressure may be provided . for example , as shown in fig5 , pressure relief valve 60 may be provided in fluid communication with second line 52 . pressure relief valve 60 may be a pressure responsive valve , such as a valve that only conducts fluid when its upstream pressure reaches a certain threshold . the pressure threshold for activation of pressure relief valve 60 is disclosed further herein , according to aspects of at least one exemplary implementation . according to aspects of at least one exemplary implementation , system isolation valve 50 and pressure relief valve 60 may operate together to mitigate pressure of the system . the activation pressure of pressure relief valve 60 may be the pressure at which a calculated distribution pressure exceeds the target pressure of the destination device . for example , where the distribution of the fluid in second line 52 across second line 52 and third line 53 by opening system isolation valve 50 is still insufficient to achieve the target pressure , then it can be said that the hypothetical distribution pressure is greater than the target pressure . pressure relief valve 60 may be configured to become activated under such conditions so that the pressure in second line 52 is reduced and the hypothetical distribution pressure is equal to or less than the target pressure . according to aspects of at least one exemplary implementation , the volumes of second line 52 and first line 51 may be selected to correspond to the activation pressure of pressure relief valve 60 . this is the scenario in which the distribution pressure is the target pressure , thus formula 3 may be rearranged and expressed as : v 2 / v 3 =( p d − p 2 )/( p 3 − p d ) ( formula 6 ). according to aspects of at least one exemplary implementation , the pressure at which pressure relief valve 60 becomes activated may be defined as the release pressure ( p r ). the release pressure may correspond to the pressure in second line 52 while system isolation valve 50 is closed , at which pressure the calculated distribution pressure would equal the target pressure . the release pressure may be determined and adjusted based on physical characteristics of pressure relief valve 60 . with this configuration , pressure relief valve 60 may reduce the pressure in second line 52 such that the distribution pressure does not exceed the target pressure when system isolation valve 50 is opened . with this , formula 6 may be expressed as : v 2 / v 3 =( p d − p r )/( p 3 − p d ) ( formula 7 ). for example , pressure relief valve 60 may be configured to become activated at p r = 1 . 6 mpa ( g ), as measured in second line 52 ; the target pressure desired for the distribution pressure to achieve may be p d = 0 . 9 mpa ( g ); and the pressure in third line 53 may be p 3 = 0 while system isolation valve 50 is closed . under these conditions , the ratio of v 2 / v 3 is calculated as 0 . 77 based on formula 7 . thus , with second line 52 and third line 53 having this ratio , pressures in second line 52 exceeding 1 . 6 mpa ( g ) will be released through pressure relief valve 60 . furthermore , pressures in second line 52 not exceeding 1 . 6 mpa ( g ) will be distributed across second line 52 and third line 53 when system isolation valve 50 opens , and the distribution pressure will not exceed the target pressure . in this way , pressure relief valve 60 and system isolation valve 50 may operate together to ensure that the pressure to the destination device does not exceed the target pressure . according to aspects of at least one exemplary implementation , for automatic operation , bleed valve 62 may be provided upstream of pressure relief valve 60 or otherwise disposed between regulator 40 and pressure relief valve 60 . bleed valve 62 may be a solenoid valve , manual valve , or other valve having “ open ” and “ closed ” states . in some applications , particularly in a vehicle with tight spaces , a manual valve may be less desirable because of the tight space ; thus other valves , such as a solenoid valve , may be provided . according to aspects of at least one exemplary implementation , bleed valve 62 may address issues relating to continual leakage through regulator 40 and release by pressure relief valve 60 . for example , while system isolation valve 50 is closed , regulator 40 may experience creep there through . where pressure relief valve 60 is provided , the pressure in second line 52 may be constantly reduced to the release pressure . according to aspects of at least one exemplary implementation , release of fluid through pressure relief valve 60 may be continual , planned , programmed , scheduled , controlled , variable , or otherwise configurable . in some instances , some fluids may be flammable and introduce a risk of fire . the pressure in first line 51 may be reduced to the release pressure if pressure relief valve 60 is permitted to operate continually . where the release pressure is low relative to the pressure in storage tank 30 , this causes a high differential across tank valve 32 , thereby increasing the energy requirement for opening tank valve 32 . furthermore , the fluid may be vented through pressure relief valve 60 to an unrecoverable state , such as into the atmosphere or surrounding environment . where the fluid is a fuel , this decreases fuel efficiency . according to aspects of at least one exemplary implementation , a startup phase as shown in fig6 may be performed . bleed valve 62 may be closed while system isolation valve 50 is closed and the system is at rest in a rest phase ( operation 300 ). during this rest phase , the pressure in second line 52 may increase due to regulator creep , but the pressure may be contained while system isolation valve 50 and bleed valve 62 are closed . when a startup command is received , a startup phase may be initiated ( operation 302 ). the pressure in second line 52 may be measured ( e . g ., by a low pressure sensor 42 ) ( operation 304 ). if the pressure in second line 52 exceeds the release pressure , bleed valve 62 may be opened prior to system isolation valve 50 , whereby the pressure in second line 52 is reduced to the release pressure by pressure relief valve 60 ( operations 306 and 308 ). low pressure sensor 42 may verify that second line 52 has achieved the release pressure . when the pressure in second line 52 does not exceed the release pressure , one or more of the following may be performed : closing bleed valve 62 , opening tank valve 32 , and opening system isolation valve 50 ( operations 310 , 312 , and 314 ). while fluid flows from storage tank 30 to injector 90 , the system may maintain a steady state phase of operation . when a shutdown command is received , at least one of system isolation valve 50 , tank valve 32 , and bleed valve 62 may be closed , if needed ( operations 316 , 318 , and 320 ). according to aspects of at least one exemplary implementation , maintaining bleed valve 62 in a closed state during a rest phase reduces the amount of fluid that may be lost if pressure relief valve 60 is active during a rest phase . without bleed valve 62 , tank valve 32 and regulator 40 may both leak , whereby the fluid in storage tank 30 may continuously feed to first line 51 and second line 52 . given sufficient time , storage tank 30 may entirely empty through pressure relief valve 60 . regulator 40 may better maintain a seal to substantially or completely limit creep where the downstream pressure is high . where bleed valve 62 maintains any pressure within second line 52 , regulator 40 may experience limited and improved creep phenomena . the fluid maintained in at least second line 52 may be preserved for later use by the system , rather than lost to unintended leakage . furthermore , the release of fluid during a startup phase in excess of the release pressure occurs within a known period of time and location , thereby allowing the system or user to make adequate accommodations . according to aspects of at least one exemplary implementation , the energy requirement for opening tank valve 32 is reduced . for example , the pressure in first line 51 is maintained by preventing pressure relief valve 60 to vent the fluid leaked via regulator creep . where the volume of first line 51 is large in comparison to the volume of second line 52 , the leak of fluid via regulator creep may not significantly reduce the pressure in first line 51 as long as second line 52 is contained by system isolation valve 50 and bleed valve 62 . thus , the energy requirement for opening tank valve 32 may be reduced because the pressure downstream ( i . e ., in first line 51 ) of tank valve 32 is substantially similar to the pressure upstream ( i . e ., from storage tank 30 ). according to aspects of at least one exemplary implementation , the energy requirement for opening system isolation valve 50 is also reduced . because the pressure in second line 52 may be reduced to the release pressure , as disclosed herein , the pressure upstream of system isolation valve 50 ( i . e ., in second line 52 ) is brought closer to the pressure downstream of system isolation valve 50 ( i . e ., in third line 53 , which pressure may be zero ). according to aspects of at least one exemplary implementation , systems and methods of the present disclosure may mitigate issues relating to leak of both regulator 40 and tank valve 32 . as disclosed herein , when system isolation valve 50 and bleed valve 62 are closed , the fluid within second line 52 may be contained . thus , undesirable loss through pressure relief valve 60 during a rest phase may be avoided even where both regulator 40 and tank valve 32 leak the fluid from storage tank 30 into second line 52 . according to aspects of at least one exemplary implementation , reducing the energy requirements during operation of one or more valves of a system may improve energy efficiency of the system . furthermore , reducing creep resistance requirements of one or more regulators may improve cost efficiency by allowing implementation of devices that are not entirely creep resistant . according to aspects of at least one exemplary implementation , bleed valve 62 may be configured to be capable of opening under a maximum differential pressure occurring within the system . for example , bleed valve 62 may be capable of opening at a differential equal to a maximum fill pressure of storage tank 30 . bleed valve 62 may be provided with a current drive as needed to operate under such conditions . according to aspects of at least one exemplary implementation , system isolation valve 50 may be configured to selectively contain at least maximum upstream pressure corresponding to the maximum pressure occurring within the system . for example , system isolation valve 50 may be capable of containing an upstream pressure equal to a maximum fill pressure of storage tank 30 . system isolation valve 50 may further be configured to open at the release pressure . according to aspects of at least one exemplary implementation , pressure sensors of the system , such as high pressure sensor 33 or low pressure sensor 42 , may be configured to operate and sustain the maximum pressure occurring with the system ( e . g ., a maximum fill pressure of storage tank 30 ). according to aspects of at least one exemplary implementation , adequate control systems and devices may be provided in connection with relevant components to monitor the system , control operation thereof , and interface with a user or other systems . such control systems may store , process , and communicate operation parameters , commands , data , and information relating to the system . according to aspects of at least one exemplary implementation , any given device or component of the present disclosure may be provided in plurality through the system . for example , multiple valves , etc . may be provided in series or parallel to provide customizable results . by further example , multiple storage tanks 30 may be provided and connected to a common line leading to a destination , as shown in appendix a , the entirety of which is incorporated by reference , as if fully set forth herein . according to aspects of at least one exemplary implementation , where pressures are disclosed herein , such pressures may represent absolute pressure values or pressure values relative to a reference point , such as atmospheric pressure , as those skilled in the art will recognize . aspects of exemplary implementations disclosed herein are intended to be capable of combination , separation , and exchange with other aspects of exemplary implementations disclosed herein , except where expressly stated otherwise . while the method and apparatus have been described in terms of what are presently considered to be the most practical and preferred exemplary implementations , it is to be understood that the disclosure need not be limited to the disclosed exemplary implementations . it is intended to cover various modifications and similar arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the claims , the scope of which should be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and similar structures . the present disclosure includes any and all exemplary implementations of the following claims . it should also be understood that a variety of changes may be made without departing from the essence of the invention . such changes are also implicitly included in the description . they still fall within the scope of this invention . it should be understood that this disclosure is intended to yield a patent covering numerous aspects of the invention both independently and as an overall system and in both method and apparatus modes . further , each of the various elements of the invention and claims may also be achieved in a variety of manners . this disclosure should be understood to encompass each such variation , be it a variation of an exemplary implementation of any apparatus exemplary implementation , a method or process exemplary implementation , or even merely a variation of any element of these . particularly , it should be understood that as the disclosure relates to elements of the invention , the words for each element may be expressed by equivalent apparatus terms or method terms — even if only the function or result is the same . such equivalent , broader , or even more generic terms should be considered to be encompassed in the description of each element or action . such terms can be substituted where desired to make explicit the implicitly broad coverage to which this invention is entitled . it should be understood that all actions may be expressed as a means for taking that action or as an element which causes that action . similarly , each physical element disclosed should be understood to encompass a disclosure of the action which that physical element facilitates . any patents , publications , or other references mentioned in this application for patent are hereby incorporated by reference . in addition , as to each term used it should be understood that unless its utilization in this application is inconsistent with such interpretation , common dictionary definitions should be understood as incorporated for each term and all definitions , alternative terms , and synonyms such as contained in at least one of a standard technical dictionary recognized by artisans and the random house webster &# 39 ; s unabridged dictionary , latest edition are hereby incorporated by reference . finally , all referenced listed in the information disclosure statement or other information statement filed with the application are hereby appended and hereby incorporated by reference ; however , as to each of the above , to the extent that such information or statements incorporated by reference might be considered inconsistent with the patenting of this / these invention ( s ), such statements are expressly not to be considered as made by the applicant ( s ). in this regard it should be understood that for practical reasons and so as to avoid adding potentially hundreds of claims , the applicant has presented claims with initial dependencies only . support should be understood to exist to the degree required under new matter laws — including but not limited to united states patent law 35 usc 132 or other such laws — to permit the addition of any of the various dependencies or other elements presented under one independent claim or concept as dependencies or elements under any other independent claim or concept . to the extent that insubstantial substitutes are made , to the extent that the applicant did not in fact draft any claim so as to literally encompass any particular exemplary implementation , and to the extent otherwise applicable , the applicant should not be understood to have in any way intended to or actually relinquished such coverage as the applicant simply may not have been able to anticipate all eventualities ; one skilled in the art , should not be reasonably expected to have drafted a claim that would have literally encompassed such alternative exemplary implementations . further , the use of the transitional phrase “ comprising ” is used to maintain the “ open - end ” claims herein , according to traditional claim interpretation . thus , unless the context requires otherwise , it should be understood that the term “ compromise ” or variations such as “ comprises ” or “ comprising ”, are intended to imply the inclusion of a stated element or step or group of elements or steps but not the exclusion of any other element or step or group of elements or steps . such terms should be interpreted in their most expansive forms so as to afford the applicant the broadest coverage legally permissible . | 8 |
fig1 shows a schematic sectional view of a known optical free space communication system that is improved upon by the present invention and that is described in detail in german patent de 101 07 538 b4 . a “ distributor ” or transmitter 1 which is mounted on the transportation means , e . g ., on a holder 17 , is arranged in such a way that the light emitted by it strikes a surface 7 at a distance on a ceiling 8 of a transportation means . the transportation means is , for example , an airplane , a motor vehicle , a motor vehicle , a train , bus , streetcar , satellite or the like . data stations 5 a , 5 b , 5 c , 5 d , 40 and the respective multimedia stations 4 a , 4 b , 4 c , 4 d are arranged at a distance from the distributor 1 and receive the light reflected and / or scattered by the surface 7 . thus the light goes by an indirect route from the distributor 1 to the data stations ; an oblique hatched region illustrates the light emitted by the distributor and a region 6 a , 6 b , 6 c , 6 d having oblique hatching in the other direction represents the reception area of the respective data stations . the overlapping area with crosshatching in fig1 denotes the light that is emitted by the distributor 1 and reaches the data stations 5 a - 5 d , 40 in the respective reception areas 6 a - 6 d . due to the fact that the light is scattered at the surface 7 , there must not be any direct line of sight contact between the distributor 1 and the data stations 5 a - 5 d , 40 , i . e ., there may even be an obstacle between the two . the reference numerals 3 a - 3 e in this diagram indicate passenger seats . the known free - space communication system according to fig1 is part of a preferred embodiment of the invention which reflects the known system . the surface 7 may be a part of the interior paneling in the transportation means , for example , e . g ., the roof liner of a motor vehicle or the side paneling of the doors , the paneling of the roof pillars or ir reflecting window surfaces , etc . it is also possible to use as the surfaces 7 , e . g ., in an airplane or a train the ceiling , the floor , the side walls , paneling parts of the interior , etc . in general terms , any surface onto which a light source can be directed and which will then reflect or scatter at least a portion of the incident radiation is suitable . in waiting rooms or transportation means , many such surfaces are available and can be used as part of the optical free - space communication system in the manner according to the present invention . however , it is also possible to provide a special reflection or scattering element having a structured surface for deflecting the beams of light as part of the system . in the case of bidirectional transmission , transmission units are also integrated into the data stations 5 a , 5 b , 5 c , 5 d , 40 . the areas 6 a , 6 b , 6 c , 6 d are therefore at the same time also the corresponding beam angles of the transmission units integrated into the data stations . the two beam angles of the receiver and transmitter of a data station need not be identical ; in that case differentiation of the transmission direction is the responsibility of the protocol . however , in this basic diagram according to fig1 they are not differentiated for reasons of simplicity . a portable computer or handheld device 40 which is designed as a data station and / or has an inventive input unit and / or transmission unit for communication via the surface 7 is installed at the additional seat 3 e . according to a preferred embodiment of the invention , the distributor 1 consists of one or more leds , edge - emitting laser diodes , laser diodes or vcsel laser diodes as the light source . the output power of the light source here is limited at the lower end by the fact that depending on the geometric factors of the transportation means and the reflexivity of the surfaces in the interior , a sufficient quantity of light is able to reach the data stations via reflection . the output power of the light source of the distributor 1 is limited at the upper end by the limit of eye safety , i . e ., so that the possibility of eye damage is ruled out during operation . depending on the specific embodiment of the transportation means , it is possible to work with a low output power accordingly . however , if the required output powers of traditional leds or vcsel laser diodes is in the near infrared , i . e ., usually at a wavelength & lt ; 1 μm , which is higher than the limit set by law , then leds or vcsel laser diodes which emit at a wavelength having a much higher damage limit with regard to retinal tolerability , e . g ., 1 . 55 μm may be used . the distributor 1 which is mounted on the transportation means by means of the holder 17 may emit , e . g ., along the fuselage of an airplane , so that it directs signals at one or more ceiling panels 8 along an aisle . it may thus be mounted across the fuselage , so that it directs optical signals at a single ceiling panel from head rack to head rack , for example , or may be arranged at any angle in between with oblique signal reflection characteristics accordingly . for example , it may also be accommodated together with the optical signal equipment for the compartment in a shared housing . in the case of leds as the cabin optical signal means , this would actually be especially advantageous . the receiver which is included at least in the data stations 5 a - 5 d and / or in the handheld device 40 but also in the distributor 1 consists of one or more photodetectors , the surface of which is limited by the capacitance and thus the possible data rate . the restriction at the lower end is determined by the sensitivity . for detection of the radiation reaching the detector by reflection in the interior of the transportation means , the detector surface usually amounts to at least a few mm 2 . using leds allows wide - area signal radiation of the reflecting surfaces and / or surfaces or inside walls of the transportation means because of the high divergence , although the output power here is limited . if necessary , several leds may be used to generate a higher power output . vscel laser diodes that are small in size and can be manufactured especially inexpensively have a much higher output power at a much higher efficiency . in other words , low currents occur , typically & lt ; 10 - 20 ma at less than 5 v . the emission characteristic of this vcsel , however , differs significantly from the bundled characteristic , where divergence is typically in the range of a few degrees . vcsel laser diodes may also be controlled directly by electronic driver modules and / or standard ttl drivers on the basis of the low voltages and extremely low currents . this optionally takes place with the use of a voltage divider . therefore , the power supply is very simple and an extremely high data rate is made possible , e . g ., greater than 1 gb / s , in addition to the low capacity of the vcsel elements . fig2 shows an inventive arrangement with spatially separate regions of two aisles 61 and 62 that form the cells z 1 , z 2 . the respective elements of the two cells z 1 , z 2 are labeled as follows : 5 a , 5 b represent the data stations of the aisle 61 , whereas the data stations of the aisle 62 are labeled as 7 a and 7 b . a distributor 11 is assigned as a transmitter or transceiver to the aisle 61 . another distributor 12 as a transmitter or transceiver is assigned to the aisle 62 . the distributor 11 and / or the transmitter for the aisle 61 and the respective receiver and / or data stations 5 a , 5 b are aimed at the shared surface 8 a . the distributor 12 for the aisle 62 and the respective receivers and / or data stations 7 a , 7 b are directed at the shared surface 8 b . the data stations 5 a , 5 b and 7 a , 7 b each have a field of view and / or reception angle 9 a , 9 b and / or 10 a , 10 b , which corresponds here at the same time to the respective emission characteristics of transmitters optionally contained in the data stations 5 a , 5 b , 7 a , 7 b . the distributors 11 and 12 each have an emission characteristic 11 a and 12 a , respectively , which corresponds here at the same time to the field of view of receivers optionally contained in the distributors 11 , 12 . the data stations 5 a , 5 b and 7 a , 7 b are each mounted at a seat 3 a , 3 b and 13 a , 13 b respectively , whereby the group of seats 3 a , 3 b belongs to the aisle 61 and the group of seats 13 a , 13 b belongs to the aisle 62 . the two communication cells are independent of one another and cannot have crosstalk because there is shielding of the shared surface 8 a for the components of the aisle 61 due to the central baggage compartment 30 and conversely there is shadowing of the surface 8 b for the components of the aisle 62 . this results in two cells of a communications network which are assigned to the two aisles 61 and 62 and can be operated independently and without mutual crosstalk . as a result of this measure , the total data rate transmitted can be doubled in comparison with a simple system . fig3 shows another preferred embodiment of the invention in which several independent cells are provided and operated along an aisle 61 and / or 62 . therefore , it is possible to achieve even a much higher data rate , which is required , for example , with transportation means having a great many data stations , in particular in airplanes having a very large number of seats . in the example shown here , the seats 3 a , 3 b , 3 c , 3 d are assigned to a first cell z 1 and additional seats 14 a , 14 b , 14 c , 14 d are assigned to a second cell z 2 . crosstalk , for example , is prevented by the fact that the surfaces reflecting the optical signals of each individual cell z 1 , z 2 are adequately separated , so that the field - of - view areas of the seats 14 a - 14 d do not see the areas of the cell z 1 that are reflecting and vice versa . a different approach is to shape the lenses of the distributors in such a way that there is a definite separation of the surfaces reflecting signals , as explained in greater detail below . fig4 a shows the interior , i . e ., the cabin of a passenger airplane . a data station 5 a , 7 a and 17 a is provided at each row of seats or seats 3 a , 14 a , 15 a . a number of distributors 11 , 12 , 19 are mounted on the ceiling panel or wall panel , emitting signals across the axis of fuselage and / or across the longitudinal direction of the cabin with a beam angle 11 a , 12 a , 19 a . thus a number of separate cells are formed , specifically three in this example . the data stations 5 a with its field of view and / or reception beam angle 9 a is assigned precisely to the distributor 11 . the data station 7 a with its field of view 10 a is assigned to the distributor 12 and the data station 17 a with its field of view 18 a is assigned to the distributor 19 . the distributors 11 , 12 and 19 with their beam angles 11 a , 12 a , 19 a form different independent cells z 1 , z 2 , z 3 . in this way , the beam shaping of the optical medium which can be shaped in a very defined manner allows clear - cut separation of the shared surfaces and thus crosstalk - free creation of separate communication cells . fig4 b shows another embodiment of the invention in which shading elements 40 are mounted on the ceiling panels of the cabin limiting the beam propagation . this results in shaded areas that restrict the field of view 9 a , 10 a , 18 a of the respective data station 5 a , 7 a , 17 a so that here again separate cells z 1 , z 2 and z 3 are formed . beam propagation of the individual distributors is limited in particular by the shading elements 40 so that each distributor emits signals at a respective surface element that is shaded with respect to the incident light from other distributors . the data stations 5 a , 7 a and 17 a provided at the seats 3 a , 14 a and 15 a belong to independent communication cells z 1 , z 2 and z 3 that are separate from one another , each having different distributors and / or transmitters that are separate from one another and different surface elements that reflect and / or scatter the light and are separated from one another by the shading elements 40 . the fields of view 9 a , 10 a and 18 a are each directed exactly at such a surface element . fig5 a shows an especially advantageous embodiment of the invention in which multiple crosstalk - free cells z 1 , z 2 , z 3 , z 4 are operated along the aisle 61 of the airplane , using two different transmission wavelengths l 1 and l 2 . in this example , the beams and the fields of view of the respective cells are not specially shaped or limited , but instead they may even overlap optically . the individual cells z 1 , z 2 , z 3 , z 4 are designed so that the wavelengths used alternate along the rows of cells . in this example , the cell z 1 is operated at the wavelength l 1 while the cell z 2 adjacent thereto is operated at the wavelength l 2 which is different from the wavelength l 1 . in the next cell z 3 but one , which is adjacent to the cell z 2 , again the first wavelength l 1 is used because this then generally originates from the area of the field of view 90 of the data stations of the first cell z 1 . in this way , almost any alignment of independent communication cells can be implemented with only two different wavelengths that are used in alternation . in the present example , seats 3 a - d are assigned to the first cell z 1 , seats 14 a - 14 d are assigned to the second cell z 2 , seats 15 a - 15 d are assigned to the third cell z 3 and seats 27 a - 27 d are assigned to the fourth cell z 4 . all the cells are situated along the aisle 61 . the second aisle 62 may be designed like the first aisle 61 , i . e ., having cells z 1 through z 4 . in an airplane comprised of two aisles and three rows of seats , the outer rows of seats each having two seats and the inner row of seats having four seats , so that the airplane has a total of 336 seats arranged in such a way , for example , the ceiling panels of the two aisles are used as the shared surface for reflection / as the field of vision . all three rows of seats are alternated between the two wavelengths . the data stations of the middle row of seats are aligned so that each is directed at the more proximate aisle panels . in this way , 12 seats are always assigned to one communication cell . independent communication cells are formed along each aisle by the alternation of the wavelength 14 used , yielding a total of 28 cells . if each cell has a data rate of 100 mbit / s , for example , then in the entire airplane a data rate of 2 . 8 gbit / s can be transmitted independently for each . a rate of 8 mbit / s can be assigned to each individual seat . however , each of the 12 seats of a 100 mbit / s cell can also be wired in such a way that it is able to utilize the full data rate of 100 mbit / s as needed if the other seats are not transmitting any data and / or the data rate is shared differently . fig5 b shows a detailed view of the arrangement described here with overlapping cells . the distributor 11 , which is a transmitter or a transceiver , emits signals at the surface 8 a with light sources in the form of leds of the wavelength l 1 . the surface 8 a is seen by the receiver of the data station 5 a through its field of view 9 a . the light reflected by the surface 8 a passes through a lens 41 that defines the field of view 9 a and strikes a photodetector 43 , whereby a filter 42 a is installed between the lens 41 and the photodetector 43 . the filter 42 a allows light of wavelength l 1 to be transmitted and blocks light of wavelength l 2 . this filter may of course also be mounted on the lens 41 or on the photodetector 43 , e . g ., in the form of dielectric layers and / or through a suitable choice of materials or the color of lens 41 . another distributor 12 directs signals at the surface 8 b which overlaps with the surface 8 a , whereby light sources of the wavelength l 2 are used . the overlap is not obligatory but instead there may also be a separation between the surfaces reflecting signals 8 a and 8 b . the data station 7 a assigned to the distributor 12 is designed like the data station 5 a , but the filter 42 b blocks the light of the wavelength l 1 while it allows the light of wavelength l 2 emitted by the distributor 12 to be transmitted . fig6 shows a combination of the various features of the inventive communication system according to yet another preferred embodiment . this combination has a great many independent cells and thus an extremely enhanced data rate in comparison with the use of only a single cell . the cells z 1 and z 1 a in the neighboring aisles 61 and 62 may have the same wavelength , but there is no crosstalk between them because the baggage compartments 30 in the middle ( see fig2 ) of the airplane optically shade the shared surfaces of the two cells z 1 , z 1 a from one another , and the respective receivers cannot see the shared surfaces of the other cells . along the aisle 61 there is another cell z 2 which is adjacent to the cell z 1 , whereby the optionally overlapping optical regions of the cells z 1 and z 2 are separated to prevent crosstalk by using a second wavelength . by analogy with that , the two cells z 1 and z 2 are arranged in the neighboring aisle 62 . the two next cells z 3 and z 4 in the aisle 61 are shaded with respect to one another and with respect to the cells z 1 and z 2 by a shading element 45 such that there cannot be any crosstalk here . the shading element 45 is , for example , a class divider in the passenger cabin , i . e ., a curtain . likewise there is no crosstalk between cells z 1 and z 2 due to this shading element 45 on the one hand but also due to the separation of cells z 1 and z 2 . similarly , the cells z 3 a and z 4 a which are also protected from crosstalk with respect to cells z 1 a and z 2 a by the shading element 45 are arranged in aisle 62 . the two neighboring cells z 3 and z 4 and / or z 3 a and z 4 a have different wavelengths l 1 and l 2 . the next cells z 5 and z 6 in the aisle 61 and / or cells z 5 a and z 6 a in aisle 62 are separated from cells z 4 and z 4 a by a great spatial separation , i . e ., the shared surfaces of the cells are each outside of the field of view of the receivers of the other cell so that no crosstalk takes place here either . the neighboring cells z 5 and z 6 and / or z 5 a and z 6 a in turn differ in their wavelengths l 1 and l 2 . accordingly , the entire fuselage of the airplane can be equipped with independent crosstalk - free cells through a suitable combination or selection of the inventive measures such that a very broadband data network can be implemented with a multiple of the nominal bandwidth of an individual cell . through the inventive measures , the advantageous properties of the optical transmission medium are utilized in particular — in the field of wireless transmission , such multiple occupancy of the same transmission band is impossible because of the completely different propagation behavior here . the proposed data transmission system is therefore suitable for transmission of very high data rates , so that it causes a low emf and nevertheless has a very high flexibility . a direct line - of - sight connection between the transmitter and receiver is not necessary so there is a very high flexibility with respect to their spatial arrangement . the transmission and reception modules may be integrated directly into data stations such as displays , miniature computers , etc . the number of transmission and reception elements is not limited by cables , plugs or the like and can be kept flexible . in addition , increased security against interception is ensured , thus offering an advantage over traditional wireless approaches . due to the low possibility of penetration of optical radiation with respect to most materials , modulated light radiation cannot penetrate out of the transportation means . in the case of windows , no radiation can be detected at a distance of a few meters away from the transportation means owing to the high divergence and relatively low intensity of the scattered radiation . to further suppress even this residual radiation , the window surfaces may also be coated in such a way that the wavelength of the transmitter radiation , which is usually in the near - infrared , cannot be transmitted through the window without restricting the transmission of the windows in the visible range . certain coatings , in particular dielectric layers may be provided for this purpose , for example . in summary , the present invention relates to an optical free - space data communication system for broadband transmission of high - speed data , e . g ., video data comprising at least one transmitter and at least one receiver , whereby the data transmission within a transportation means , e . g ., a motor vehicle , plane , train , boat , satellite and the transmitter has at least one light source , e . g ., led , vcsel or the like which is modulated at the frequency of the data to be transmitted and optionally encoded , and the receiver contains at least one photodetector that receives the light scattered and / or reflected on the walls in the interior of the transportation means without requiring a direct line - of - sight connection between the transmitter and receiver , and this modulated light signal is converted back into an electric signal . no cabling is necessary so the weight is reduced . plugs , cable distributors or the like are emitted . therefore increased flexibility is achieved . the damping is low . a transmission of high data rates is possible with this system , but there is only little or no emf . furthermore , no line - of - sight connection is required , which is why the system can be placed flexibly . integration into displays or the like is possible . furthermore , increased security against interception is provided . | 7 |
fig1 illustrates a connecting apparatus 10 of the present invention , which includes a mounting structure or housing 12 with lower and upper housing parts 14 , 16 and a connecting structure 18 that connects the housing parts . in an outer space environment , the housing parts may lie on separate space structures or vehicles which are brought into proximity before mating . the lower and upper housing parts are portions of lower and upper units 20 , 22 that each includes a corresponding connector 24 , 26 at the ends of cables 27 , 28 . when a motor module 30 is energized , it moves down a carrier 32 on which the upper connector 26 is mounted , to move down the upper connector until it mates with the lower one . during downward movement of the carrier 32 , a pair of movable members 36 , 38 pivot down , out of the way of the carrier 32 and upper connector 26 . the members 36 , 38 , which pivot about axes 40 , 42 , serve as shields or shield doors that initially protect the bottom of the upper housing 16 and the upper connector 26 . as will be discussed later , the members 36 , 38 also serve as force - transmitting members that transmit mating and unmating reaction forces . the lower unit 20 includes a pair of shield parts 44 , 46 that protect the lower connector 24 prior to mating . fig1 includes vertically extending arrows u , d that extend in up and down mating directions , arrow a that extends in lateral directions , and arrow b that extends in longitudinal directions . the pivot axes 40 , 42 of the pivoting members 36 , 38 extend in the longitudinal directions b . it should be noted that while applicant uses terms such as &# 34 ; up &# 34 ;, &# 34 ; down &# 34 ;, &# 34 ; horizontal &# 34 ;, etc . to aid in understanding the invention as it is illustrated , it should be understood that the apparatus can be used in any orientation with respect to gravity . fig2 illustrates some details of the upper unit 22 , which includes the carrier 32 and the upper connector 26 which is mounted on the carrier . the upper housing 16 has opposite sides 50 , 52 that are laterally spaced in directions a , and opposite ends 54 , 56 that are longitudinally spaced along the directions b . the carrier 32 has a pair of plate - like portions 60 , 62 that each lie substantially in a plane that is normal to the axes 40 , 42 . each plate - like portion has a slot such as 64 . each pivotable member 36 , 38 carries a cam follower 66 which is received in the slot . when the carrier 32 moves downwardly , the cam followers 66 force the movable members from their initial closed positions shown in solid lines in fig2 to down or open positions shown in phantom lines at 36a , 38a . the carrier is moved down by turning a pair of screws 70 , 72 which are threadably coupled to nuts on the carrier . fig5 - 7 show the apparatus during three stages in its operation between the initial unmated position of fig1 and the fully mated position of fig7 . fig5 shows the carrier at 32b after it has moved a small distance c downwardly from its initial position . during such downward movement by the distance c , the cam followers 66 that are mounted on the pivoting members at 36b , 38b , move along the carrier slots 64 and cause the pivoting members to pivot partially downwardly . further downward movement of the carrier by the distance e causes the pivoting members to pivot further to the positions 36c , 38c . fig6 shows the apparatus with the carrier having moved down by the distance f to the position 32d . during movement between the distances e of fig5 and f of fig6 a pusher or location 80 , engages a follower member 82 of the lower unit 20 . the pusher 80 moves down the follower member 82 and causes pivoting apart of the shield parts 44 , 46 , to expose the upper or mating end 84 of the lower connector 24 . each of the shield parts 44 , 46 is pivotally mounted about a longitudinally - extending lower shield axis 86 . the follower member 82 is connected by links 90 , 92 to the shield parts 44 , 46 . the lower end of each link 90 , 92 is pivotally connected to a corresponding shield part , and the upper ends of the links are pivotally connected ( although the follower member 82 can be fixed to one of the links ). as the follower member 82 moves down , the shield parts : 44 , 46 pivot further apart , until they reach the positions shown in fig7 . fig7 shows the apparatus in the fully mated position , wherein the carrier at 32a has moved down by the distance g from its initial position . the lower and upper connectors 24 , 26 are fully mated . the movable members at 36a , 38a will have already been moved to their final position wherein they extend vertically . in fact , the members reach their final positions 36a , 38a just prior to the intermediate position of fig6 which is prior to mating of the connectors . as shown in fig6 each slot 64 has a horizontal lower portion 100 and a vertical upper portion 102 . when the cam follower 66 lies in the horizontal portion 100 as shown in fig5 downward movement of the carrier causes pivoting of the movable members 36 , 38 . - however , when the cam follower 66 lies in the vertical slot portion 102 , any downward movement of the carrier does not cause any pivoting of the members 36 , 38 . the parts are constructed so that the members 36 , 38 reach their vertical positions shown in fig6 and 7 prior to actual mating ,! or physical contact , of the connectors . it would be possible to merely position opposite longitudinally - spaced ends of the movable members in the path of the descending carrier , but this would result in more rapid pivoting , requiring more power to pivot the members . when the pivoting members reach their final positions such as shown at 36a in fig8 they extend vertically . the pivoting member in the final or down position 36a , has a lower end at 110 which lies directly below its upper end at 112 . the upper end is pivotally mounted on a shaft 114 about the axis 42 . the lower end 110 forms a plurality of force - transmitting socket elements 116 . the lower housing part 14 includes a plurality of force - transmitting pin elements 120 that are ! each positioned so that as a pivoting member such as 36a pivots in the direction 122 to its downward position , the pin element or pin 120 is received in a corresponding socket element or socket 116 . the terms &# 34 ; pin &# 34 ; and &# 34 ; socket &# 34 ; should be understood to include two parts that can be moved apart and together , and when together they lie adjacent and can transmit forces in a plurality of directions between themselves . applicant prefers to taper each pin and socket to guide them into engagement . when a pin and socket are engaged as shown , they have abutting locations such as 124 , 126 which face at least partially in the mating directions u , d so mating and unmating forces can be transmitted through ; the pin and socket elements . as the upper and lower connectors 24 , 26 first engage each other during mating , a considerable - mating force usually must be applied to press them together to the full mating position . in the case of electrical connectors , mating requires the entrance of numerous pin contacts into corresponding socket contacts that are made to resist pin entrance to assure good electrical connections . also , shells of the two connectors mate , and there is typically a slight interference fit between them to assure that both shells are grounded . furthermore , force may be required to shift and tilt one connector with respect to the other to mate them . comparable , though usually somewhat greater mating forces may be required in the mating of fluid connectors , and comparable forces must be applied in the unmating of electrical or fluid connectors . if the mating reaction forces had to be transmitted through the connecting structure 18 shown in fig1 and that structure 18 had to keep the upper and lower housing parts substantially aligned , then the structure 18 would have to be rigid , which would require a large and heavy connecting structure . in the case of space vehicles that lie in proximity , the momentum of the vehicles is considered to be the &# 34 ; connecting structure &# 34 ; that keeps the housing parts in gross alignment until the movable members couple the housing parts . applicant avoids the need for a rigid connecting structure ( or small rockets to supplement momentum ) by relying upon the pivoting members such as 36a in fig8 to transmit mating and unmating reaction forces between the upper and lower housing parts and to assure gross alignment of the housing parts prior to the mating of the connectors . the movable members such as 36a initially align the housing parts as the sockets 116 engage the pins 120 , which occurs prior to the connectors closely approaching each other . considerable force can be applied to the movable members to pivot them to their down positions , and the tapered pins and sockets can cause slight shifting of the housing parts relative to each other as the pins and sockets engage each other . longitudinally - facing locations such as 130 on the pins provide gross alignment in a longitudinal direction , while laterally - facing locations such as 132 on the pins provide gross alignment in a lateral direction b . as mentioned earlier , locations such as 124 , 126 transmit mating and unmating reaction forces . while the upper connector 26 is fixed to the carrier 32 , and the carrier is fixed against lateral and longitudinal movement with respect to the upper housing part , the lower connector 24 is mounted so it can shift position and orientation . as shown in fig1 the lower connector 24 is mounted on a flange member 140 . the flange member is supported by four resiliently deflectable supports 142 that each comprises a stack of belleville washers . fig . 9 shows a portion of one of such stacks , which includes numerous conically deformed washers 144 , with every other washer having its middle upwardly bowed and the in between washers having their middles downwardly bowed . the stack of belleville washers is compressed by bolts 146 ( fig1 ) that also aligned them . the belleville washers permit slight sideward shifting and tilting of the lower connector to enable mating of the connectors . fig4 shows some details of the mechanism for moving the carrier 32 . each lead screw 70 , 72 is rotatably mounted by a pair of bearings 150 , 152 on the upper housing part 16 . each plate - like portion such as 60 of the carrier has a nut 154 which is : threadably engaged with a corresponding lead screw . the motor module 30 , i or motor is connected through a gear box with gears such as 156 to the screws to turn them . a limit switch 170 engages a location on the carrier ( not shown ) to stop energization of the motor when the carrier has moved a predetermined distance which assures full mating of the connectors . applicant has constructed and tested a connecting apparatus of the general construction shown in fig1 with the upper housing having a height h of 10 . 1 inches and with the other parts being in proportion as illustrated in that figure . the connectors were able to mate despite a lateral or longitudinal misalignment of plus or minus 0 . 25 inch , and despite an angular misalignment of up to 2 °. the particular apparatus was constructed for use in a spacecraft application . thus , the invention provides a connecting apparatus or umbilical mechanism which can automatically mate and unmate a pair of connectors . the apparatus includes upper and lower housing parts and a connecting structure that holds them in approximate desired positions , with the upper connector mounted on a carrier that can be moved down by a motor to mate the upper connector to the lower : one . a pair of movable members pivotally mounted on the upper housing part , pivot down to engage the lower housing part prior to mating of the connectors , so that mating forces can be transmitted through the pivoting members , instead of requiring the connecting structure to transmit such forces . pin and socket elements on the pivoting members and on the lower housing part engage each other to transmit forces as well as provide moderate alignment of the connectors . the pivoting members can serve as shields to protect the upper connector when it is in the fully unmated position . a lower shield can protect the lower connector , and can include a pair of shield parts that are pivotally mounted on the lower housing and that are moved by a follower member that is activated by the descending carrier . although particular embodiments of the invention have been described and illustrated herein , it is recognized that modifications and variations may readily occur to those skilled in the art , and consequently , it is intended that the claims be interpreted to cover such modifications and equivalents . although the claims refer to &# 34 ; upper &# 34 ;, &# 34 ; lower &# 34 ;, etc ., this refers only to the relative positions of the parts , and they can be used in any orientation with respect to gravity . | 1 |
referring now more specifically to the drawings , wherein like reference numerals indicate like parts throughout the several views , a first form of dispensing device d1 is shown in fig1 - 5 and comprises a body member 10 having a generally disc - shaped base plate 11 with a depending annular skirt 12 thereon having internal threads 13 therein for cooperation with a threaded neck or top on a suitable container c . a first expansible chamber means 14 is formed integrally with the base plate 11 substantially centrally thereof on the upper surface of the base plate and includes oppositely outwardly opening cylindrical bores 15 and 16 defining first and second piston chambers having open outer ends and terminating at their inner ends in a dividing wall member 17 having a passageway 18 extending through the lower end thereof communicating at its opposite ends with the piston chambers 15 and 16 . the partition 17 also has an elongate bore 19 extending upwardly therethrough in communication at its lower end with the passageway 18 and includes a diametrically enlarged portion 20 opening through the upper surface thereof . the bore portions 19 and 20 define an upwardly facing shoulder 21 on which a spring means 22 is seated . an o - ring seal 23 is fitted in the bore 19 adjacent the lower end thereof for sealing engagement with a downwardly extending tubular member 24 of a discharge means 25 . the tubular member 24 has a radially enlarged collar 26 thereon between the ends thereof which cooperates with the spring 22 to normally urge the discharge means 25 upwardly to the position shown in fig2 and 3 . the tubular member 24 also has an elongate passageway 27 formed axially therethrough and terminating at its lower end spaced upwardly from the lower end of the tubular member and having transverse passages 28 in the tubular member communicating with the passageway 27 at the lower end thereof . a pair of pistons 29 and 30 are reciprocably received in the piston chambers 15 and 16 and have rearwardly extending body portions 31 and 32 which are generally cross - shaped in cross - section and the body portions have cutaway sections 33 and 34 on the upper surfaces thereof on which upstanding posts 35 and 36 are respectively formed . a manually operable , externally accessible operating or loading member or means 37 is secured to the body member 10 and includes a top wall 38 and a depending , annular peripheral side wall or skirt 39 projecting at its lower edge below the bottom surface of base plate or member 11 . suitable retaining means , such as snap ring 40 or the like , is engaged between the bottom edge of skirt 39 and base member 11 for retaining the operating or loading member in operative position on the dispensing device . the operating member is rotatable relative to the body member 10 and has a downwardly projecting , undulating formation 41 on its undersurface , with a correspondingly shaped undulating channel or cam track 42 formed in the undersurface thereof . the upstanding posts 35 and 36 on the pistons 29 and 30 are engaged in the cam track 42 , whereby rotation of the operating member 37 effects reciprocating movement of the pistons 29 and 30 to alternately draw material from the container c into the piston chambers 15 and 16 and to then discharge the material therefrom into an accumulating chamber 43 . the accumulating chamber 43 is defined in a second expansible chamber means 44 comprising a cylindrical housing 45 having a top wall 46 received in a recess 47 in the underside of base 11 and suitably secured thereat as by an ultrasonic seal or cement or the like . the top wall 46 has a central opening 48 formed therethrough and a flexible flap valve 49 is secured to the underside of the top wall 46 in a position to overlie the opening 48 to close the opening against the pressure of material in the accumulating chamber 43 , but openable upon movement of the tubular member 24 downwardly through the opening 48 into engagement with the flap valve 49 . an o - ring seal 50 is positioned in the opening 48 at the juncture or separating line between top wall 46 and base 11 for sealing engagement with the sides of the tubular member 24 when it is extended through the opening 48 to prevent escape of material past the tubular member 24 . in the downward position of the tubular member 24 , the transverse passage 28 therein is disposed below the o - ring 50 , whereby material in the accumulating chamber 43 is enabled to escape upwardly through the tubular member and outwardly through the discharge device 25 . a bottom wall 51 is suitably sealed in place on the lower end of cylindrical housing 45 and the bottom wall has an opening 51a formed through the center thereof . a piston 52 is slidably reciprocably received in the housing 45 and biasing means , such as coil spring 53 , is engaged between the bottom wall 51 and the under side of piston 52 , urging the piston upwardly , whereby material in the accumulating chamber 43 is pressurized . a blowby channel or passage 54 is formed in the interior surface of the side wall of cylindrical housing 45 and extends through bottom wall 51 upwardly to a location spaced just above the upper surface of piston 52 when the piston 52 is in its lowermost position , whereby the accumulating chamber cannot be overcharged or overfilled with material . in other words , as the operating member 37 is rotated to effect reciprocation of the pistons 29 and 30 , material is incrementally charged into the accumulating chamber , gradually moving the piston 52 downwardly , and when the piston 52 reaches its lowermost position , any additional material charged into the accumulating chamber will bypass the piston through the channel 54 and return to the container . further , as seen in fig3 and 5 , an enlargement 55 is formed axially along one side of the cylindrical housing 45 and a passageway 56 extends therethrough . the enlargement projects downwardly at its lower end 57 below the bottom wall 51 of expansible chamber means 44 and a tube or the like 58 is received thereon . the tube 58 extends to adjacent the bottom of container c for receiving material therefrom . a check valve 59 is provided at the upper end of passage 56 and prevents reverse flow into passage 56 from a laterally extending passage 60 communicating at one end with the passage 56 and at its other end with the passage 18 . accordingly , when the pistons 29 and 30 are reciprocated outwardly , the piston chambers 15 and 16 are enlarged , thereby drawing material upwardly through tube 58 and passage 56 past check valve 59 and through passage 60 into passage 18 into the piston chambers . subsequent reciprocation of the pistons in an inward direction pressurizes the material in the piston chambers , forcing it downwardly through opening 48 and past flap valve 49 into the accumulating chamber 43 . if desired , a bleed opening 61 may be provided in the side wall of cylindrical housing 45 adjacent the upper end thereof , as viewed in fig2 to enable slow leak back of material from accumulating chamber 43 into the container . this feature ensures that the material will not be retained in the accumulating chamber 43 for long periods of time , whereby an unsuspecting person might pick up the container with the dispensing device thereon and press the discharge means 25 and thereby effect an unexpected discharge of material from the accumulating chamber . the opening 61 is dimensioned such that it does not enable sufficient leak back during normal operation to interfere with the discharge time or pressure of material from the accumulating chamber , but it does enable leak back of material in the event the accumulating chamber is charged and the contents thereof are not dispensed at that time . a first modification of the invention is indicated generally at d2 in fig6 and portions of the device d2 have been removed for clarity of illustration . the structure and operation of the device d2 are substantially the same as that described in reference to fig1 - 5 , except that the piston 52 &# 39 ; has a pair of sealing rings 52a and 52b thereon and rather than a coil spring in the housing 45 &# 39 ;, the expansible chamber means 44 &# 39 ; utilizes a pressurized fluid such as air or the like in a chamber 62 for urging the piston 52 &# 39 ; upwardly . a suitable fitting 63 may be provided for charging the biasing chamber 62 prior to assembly of the device d2 . in connection with this form of the invention , it should be noted that seal ring 52a on the piston 52 &# 39 ; seals the pressurized gaseous fluid in chamber 62 , while seal ring 52b seals the material in accumulating chamber 43 . a second modification of the invention is illustrated in fig7 and 9 and is indicated generally at d3 , and comprises a body member 10 &# 39 ;, including a base 11a having an internally threaded depending cylindrical wall 12 for attachment to a container c . the upper surface of the base 11a has a semi - cylindrical circumferential channel 64 formed therein and a transversely extending semi - cylindrical cavity or chamber 65 disposed radially inwardly of the channel 64 and communicating at one end with an axially extending bore 66 which opens through a downwardly extending projection 67 inwardly of the cylindrical wall 12 for receipt of a tube 58 thereover . a check valve 68 is associated with the tube 58 and projection 67 for preventing backflow from passage 66 through tube 58 . a semi - cylindrical groove 69 communicates at one end with the semi - cylindrical cavity 65 and at its other end with the channel 64 . the body member 10 &# 39 ; also includes a top body portion 11b suitably secured and sealed to the base 11a and having a mating , complemental , semi - cylindrical , circumferential channel 64a therein , which defines with the channel 64 in base 11a a cylindrical , circumferential accumulating chamber 70 . the top body member 11b also has an integrally formed , semi - cylindrically shaped structure 71 which cooperates with semi - cylindrical cavities or channels 65 and 69 to define a cylindrical piston chamber 72 and passage 73 . a flap valve 74 is suitably secured to the body member 10 &# 39 ; in overlying relationship to the end of passage 73 opening into accumulating chamber 70 to permit flow from piston chamber 72 into accumulating chamber 70 but prevent reverse flow therethrough . a piston 75 is reciprocable in piston chamber 72 and includes an upstanding post 76 engaged in a cam track 42 &# 39 ; formed in the undersurface of an undulating , downwardly projecting wall 41 &# 39 ; on the undersurface of operator 37 &# 39 ; and spaced radially inwardly of the annular accumulating chamber 70 . as seen in fig7 and 9 , a passage 77 extends from accumulating chamber 70 to a cavity 78 in which a flap valve 79 is secured in normally closing relationship to an opening 80 through which a stem 81 of discharge device 25 &# 39 ; extends . a spring 82 is engaged with the stem 81 to normally urge it upwardly . a piston 83 is reciprocable in accumulating chamber 70 and is biased in a first direction by spring 84 in a direction to reduce the size of accumulating chamber 70 . a partition or dividing wall 85 is formed in the chamber 70 and with the piston 83 , define the opposite ends of the chamber . thus , in use , the operating member 37 &# 39 ; is rotated to effect reciprocation of piston 75 in piston chamber 72 and draw material up through tube 58 past check valve 68 and through passage 66 into piston chamber 72 . continued rotation of operator 37 &# 39 ; moves the piston 75 to reduce the size of chamber 72 , thereby forcing the material through passage 73 and past flap valve 74 into accumulating chamber 70 . continued rotation of operator 37 &# 39 ; effects continued reciprocation of piston 75 , thereby charging material into the accumulating chamber in increments and gradually storing or accumulating a quantity of material therein . thereafter , the discharge means 25 is depressed , causing stem 81 to move downwardly and opening flap valve 79 , enabling the pressurized material to escape from accumulating chamber through passage 77 and up through the bore in stem 81 . in fig1 a third form of the invention is indicated generally at d4 and utilizes essentially the identical operating structures of either of the previously described forms of the invention . however , in this form of the invention , rather than a discharge nozzle 25 or 25 &# 39 ;, as previously described , a valve operating button b has a stem s extended into the dispensing device to open the flap valve and a tube t is connected with an outlet fitting 86 to convey the pressurized fluid to a catheter 87 for use as desired . for example , the invention may be used to administer a douche or enema , and in this connection , the dicharge pressure may be regulated with suitable conventional means provided either in the tube t or by fixed means in the fluid passages in the dispensing device to control the pressure to a suitable level , as , for example , that equivalent to three or four feet of head of water . in fig1 a further form of the invention is indicated generally at d5 , and utilizes essentially the same operating structure as that previously described , except that rather than being positioned at the top of the container , the dispensing device is positioned on the bottom of the container . an elongate tube ( not shown ) may extend from the discharge mechanism 25 to adjacent the bottom of the container , much as in the embodiment of the invention illustrated in fig7 in co - pending application ser . no . 724 , 006 now u . s . pat . no . 4 , 105 , 145 , filed sept . 16 , 1976 . fig1 illustrates a fifth modification of the invention and is substantially identical to fig3 except that rather than the check valve 59 &# 39 ; being positioned at the upper end of passage 56 , it is positioned at the lower end thereof in the projection 57 &# 39 ;. a sixth modification of the invention is indicated generally at d7 in fig1 and 14 and 15 , and comprises an inverted , generally cup - shaped actuating or loading member 88 having a top wall 89 and depending , cylindrical side wall 90 . a downwardly projecting web or wall 91 is formed in the interior of the actuator 88 at one side thereof , and has a socket or recess 92 formed in the underside thereof . a body member 93 has a depending cylindrical wall 94 internally threaded for cooperation with mating threads on a container c and has a depending cylindrical wall 95 spaced radially inwardly of the wall 94 defining an accumulating chamber 96 . a piston 97 is reciprocable in the accumulating chamber and is urged upwardly by a spring 98 to reduce the size of the chamber 96 . a closure wall 99 is secured at the bottom end of wall 95 and has a central opening 100 therethrough . the upper surface of body member 93 has a semi - cylindrical arcuate channel 101 formed therein , which cooperates with a similarly formed semi - cylindrical channel 102 in an upper body portion 103 to define a pair of cylindrical , arcuately shaped piston chambers 104 and 105 on opposite sides of a septum or dividing wall 106 , disposed substantially diametrically opposite the web or projection 91 on the operator 88 . a semi - circular , double - ended piston 107 is reciprocably positioned in the circular chamber defined by top and bottom body portions 103 and 93 and has a cutout area 108 intermediate the ends thereof with an upstanding post 109 thereon received in the socket 92 in the web 91 of operator 88 , whereby rotary motions of the operator 88 in opposite directions effects reciprocating movement of the piston 107 in the respective piston chambers 104 and 105 , such that the piston heads 107a and 107b are operative to alternately draw material into the respective piston chamber and then discharge it therefrom . in this connection , a passage 56 is formed through an enlargement 55 on one side of the accumulating chamber housing 95 and a valve 59 &# 39 ; is provided therein , such that when piston 107 is reciprocated in a first direction , as , for example , in a clockwise direction when viewed in fig1 , piston head 107b moves to enlarge piston chamber 105 , creating a suction in valve chamber 108a , moving valve 109a from its seat and establishing communication with passage 110 and passage 56 , whereby material is drawn upwardly through passage 56 and past valve 109a into piston chamber 105 . simultaneously with this action , the piston head 107a is moving toward the septum 106 , reducing the size of piston chamber 104 , creating a pressure therein and moving valve 109b in valve chamber 108b to its seat , thereby interrupting or blocking communication between piston chamber 104 and passages 110 and 56 . however , the pressure is communicated through passageway 111 , whereby valve 112 is moved to the right , establishing communication between passage 111 and passage 113 in chamber 114 , whereby the material previously drawn into piston chamber 104 is discharged through passages 111 and 113 into the accumulating chamber 96 . upon movement of the piston 107 in the opposite or counterclockwise direction , flow occurs as indicated by the arrows in fig1 ; therefore , alternate rotary movements of the operator 88 in opposite directions effects to and fro reciprocating movement of the piston 107 to incrementally charge the material into the accumulating chamber 96 for discharge thereof through the discharge means 25 . a seventh form of the invention is indicated generally at d8 in fig1 , 17 and 18 . in this form of the invention , a generally cup - shaped inverted operator 115 has a top wall 116 and a depending side wall 117 and a downwardly projecting , undulating formation 118 is formed in the interior of the operator 115 adjacent the upper edge of side wall 117 and has a correspondingly shaped cam track or channel 119 formed in the undersurface thereof . a bottom plate 120 is assembled to the operator 115 and has an upstanding , elongate formation 121 formed generally diametrically thereof and has a septum or dividing wall 122 intermediate the ends thereof defining a pair of opposite piston chambers 123 and 124 . pistons 125 and 126 are reciprocable in the piston chambers 123 and 124 and have upstanding posts 127 and 128 thereon , respectively , engaged in the cam track 119 , whereby rotation of the operator 115 effects simultaneous reciprocation of the pistons 125 and 126 . a pair of similar accumulating chambers 129 and 130 are formed as a unit and are suitably secured and sealed to the underside of base 120 , and the accumulating chambers 129 and 130 have pistons 131 and 132 reciprocable therein , respectively . the chambers 129 and 130 communicate at their upper ends with passages 133 and 134 , respectively , which are selectively placed in communication with a transverse opening 135 in discharge stem 136 . a bore 137 extends through the discharge stem and is in communication with the passage 135 , whereby the materials in the respective accumulating chambers 129 , 130 enter the passage 135 and are admixed and flow through the passage 136 for discharge as desired . an example of a particular use for the apparatus described in these figures is for dispensing shave cream , wherein a liquid is mixed with air to effect foaming action . air is drawn into piston chamber 123 through an opening 138 in the structure 121 and the opening 138 is closeable by a flap valve 139 when the piston 125 is moved to reduce the size of piston chamber 123 . the air in piston chamber 123 is discharged through opening 140 and past flap valve 141 into the accumulating chamber 129 . similarly , liquid is drawn into piston chamber 124 through passage 142 and is discharged therefrom through opening 143 past flap valve 144 . as seen best in fig1 , the discharge stem 136 has a valve plug or closure 145 on the lower end thereof which is sized to close the openings 133 and 134 when the stem is in the up or non - discharge position . an eighth form of the invention is indicated generally at d9 in fig1 and is similar to that form of the invention illustrated in fig1 in co - pending application ser . no . 724 , 006 , now u . s . pat . no . 4 , 105 , 145 in that it comprises an overcap arrangement 147 secured to a container c of metal or the like by means of a heat sealed depending cylindrical wall 148 attached to an annular bead 149 on the container top wall 150 . the wall 148 is formed on a base plate 151 , which is assembled to the overcap 147 and the base plate 151 is secured against relative rotation by a key structure 152 , whereby relative rotation between the base 151 and container c is prevented , but rotation between the cap 147 and base plate 151 is permitted . a cylindrical housing 153 is suitably secured to the underside of base 151 and defines an accumulating chamber 154 therein and includes a piston 155 urged upwardly by a spring 156 . a cam plate 157 is formed integrally with the cap 147 and has a downwardly projecting undulating formation 158 formed on the underside thereof with a cam track 159 formed therein . the base plate 151 also has an upstanding , cylindrical structure 160 thereon defining a pair of piston chambers 161 and 162 in which pistons 163 and 164 are reciprocably received . the pistons 163 and 164 have upstanding posts 165 and 166 thereon received in the cam track 159 , whereby rotation of the cap 147 effects reciprocation of the pistons 163 and 164 . the cap also includes a depressable button or top wall portion 167 which has secured thereto an actuating stem 168 with an axial passage 169 formed therethrough , such that when the button 167 is moved downwardly , the stem 168 moves downwardly to a position indicated in dotted lines opening a flat valve 170 to enable escape of pressurized material from accumulating chamber 154 through the passage 169 and through a discharge nozzle 171 . in fig2 , a ninth form of the invention is indicated generally at d10 and in this form of the invention , a trigger operated mechanism 172 includes a piston chamber 173 formed therein in which a piston 174 is reciprocably mounted . the piston is urged outwardly by a spring 175 and a stem or pin 176 projects outwardly of the chamber 173 for cooperation with a trigger 177 , whereby movement of the trigger 177 reciprocates the piston 174 in a direction to reduce the size of chamber 173 . release of the trigger enables the spring 175 to urge the piston 174 to the left , as viewed in fig2 , thereby drawing material upwardly through a tube 178 past a valve 179 and through a passage 180 into the piston chamber 173 . rearward movement of the trigger pressurizes the material in chamber 173 , forcing it upwardly through a passage 181 and past a flap valve 182 into an accumulating chamber 183 , thereby urging a piston 184 in the accumulating chamber downwardly against the bias of spring 185 . when it is desired to discharge the material from accumulating chamber 183 , a discharge means 186 is depressed , moving a stem 187 downwardly to open a flap valve 188 and establishing communication between the accumulating chamber 183 and a passage 189 in the stem . additionally , and if desired , a fill opening may be provided anywhere on the container for refilling it with material when the contents have been exhausted . one specific example of a suitable fill opening and removable closure therefor is shown at 69 , 70 , 72 in fig7 of co - pending application ser . no . 724 , 006 now u . s . pat . no . 4 , 105 , 145 . of course , the fill opening could be in the side , top or bottom of the container as desired ; and any of the forms of the invention described herein could have such an opening . as this invention may be embodied in several forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof , the present embodiment is , therefore , illustrative and not restrictive , since the scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims rather than by the description preceding them , and all changes that fall within the metes and bounds of the claims or that form their functional as well as conjointly cooperative equivalents are , therefore , intended to be embraced by those claims . | 1 |
with reference to the simplified diagram of fig1 , the reference number 1 indicates an oil transfer assembly for supplying oil into a moving , rotating tube 2 ( partially illustrated ), which makes up part of a propeller 3 ( partially illustrated ) supported by a drive shaft 4 , normally also called a propeller shaft . the drive shaft 4 extends along a rotational axis 5 , is axially hollow and is driven by a planetary gearbox 6 ( partially illustrated ) housed in a drive housing 7 . as can be seen in fig2 , the planetary gearbox 6 comprises a satellite gear holder 8 ( partially illustrated ), in turn comprising a support plate 11 which extends transversely to the axis 4 , and is fixed with respect to the drive housing 7 in the particular example taken into consideration . at the same time , the drive shaft 4 is driven by a crown gear ( not illustrated ) of the planetary gearbox 6 by means of a bell - shaped element 12 ( partially illustrated ), so as to rotate around the axis 5 . in general , it cannot be ruled out that other configurations of the planetary gearbox 6 may be provided for transmitting the rotation motion to the drive shaft 4 . again with reference to fig1 , the propeller 3 comprises an nose cone 14 and a number of blades 15 , for which the pitch can be adjusted by operating a hydraulic actuator ( not illustrated ), which is housed in the nose cone 14 and is supplied with oil through the tube 2 . the tube 2 also extends along the axis 5 and is supported in a manner not illustrated so as to rotate together with the propeller 3 around the axis 5 and in such a way as to translate axially in response to the activation of the hydraulic actuator . one of the axial ends of the tube 2 is coupled to the hydraulic actuator in a known way ( not illustrated ), while the opposite axial end is designated by the reference number 20 , extends inside the drive shaft 4 and defines an inlet for the oil . as can be seen in fig2 , the tube 2 has an axial channel 21 for the transfer of oil from the end 20 to the hydraulic actuator . more generally , however , a greater number of channels could be provided in the tube 2 for the axial transfer of oil , for example , in the case in which the hydraulic actuator of the propeller 3 is of the double - acting type . at the end 20 , the channel 21 is axially blind and , in particular , is watertight by an element 23 making up part of a sensor that provides a feedback signal on the axial position of the tube 2 and indicates , indirectly , the value of the pitch of the blades 15 . the end 20 is defined radially by a cylindrical outer surface 24 provided with one or more radial holes 26 in order to convey oil from the assembly 1 into the channel 21 . the assembly 1 comprises the plate 11 , a sleeve 28 fitted on the surface 24 and three tubular bodies 29 , 30 and 31 that join the sleeve 28 to the plate 11 , so as to maintain the sleeve 28 in an axial position that is substantially fixed and angularly stopped around the axis 5 with respect to the plate 11 . the surface 24 and the sleeve 28 define two chambers 32 , 33 , from which the oil flows directly into the holes 26 . in particular , the sleeve 28 comprises a tubular wall 34 , which is coaxial and spaced radially from the surface 24 , and three internal flanges 35 that protrude from the wall 34 , axially delimit the chambers 32 , 33 and terminate with the respective cylindrical surfaces 36 joined to the surface 24 in a sliding and watertight manner with metal - to - metal coupling without any additional seal ring . therefore , the sleeve 28 is perfectly concentric with the end 20 , while it ensures the sealing of the fluid when the oil goes from the chambers 32 , 33 to the channel 21 through the holes 26 . the tubular bodies 29 , 30 , 31 radially delimit between their two annular channels 37 , 38 , each of which communicates permanently with a related chamber 32 , 33 through radial holes 39 made in the wall 34 in order to convey oil from the plate 11 to the chamber 32 , 33 . according to variations not illustrated , the number of the chambers 32 , 33 and of the corresponding channels 37 , 38 may be other than two , for which there may be a different number of tubular bodies 29 , 30 , 31 to convey the oil to the sleeve 28 and support the sleeve 28 itself . the tubular bodies 29 , 30 , 31 project axially from the plate 11 in the axial cavity of the drive shaft 4 and , according to an embodiment of the present invention , they support the sleeve 28 “ softly ”, i . e . in such a way as to let the sleeve 28 float with respect to plate 11 with freedom to move around in any one direction orthogonal to the axis 5 and with the freedom to move radially . this freedom of movement of the sleeve 28 compensates for the inevitable concentricity tolerances of the end 20 with respect to the axis 5 and is conferred by the appropriate coupling clearances between the sleeve 28 and the tubular bodies 29 , 30 , 31 and / or between the tubular bodies 29 , 30 , 31 and the plate 11 ; these clearances are set during the phases of the project on the basis of the specific application , in particular , due to appropriate simulations on the computer . in particular , the tubular body 29 is the outermost one and comprises two end sections 40 , 41 opposite each other : the section 40 is coupled to the plate 11 in a fixed position , for example , by means of screws 42 ; the section 41 , instead , is joined to an axial end 44 of the wall 34 in a fixed angular position and with coupling clearance in a radial and axial direction . as can be seen in fig5 , the angular locking is determined by the coupling between a tooth or projection 46 and a corresponding retention base 47 . in particular , the tooth 46 forms part of an outer flange 48 of the end 44 , while the base 47 is obtained in the section 41 . with reference to fig2 , the assembly 1 also comprises a plate with an axial stop 49 axially facing the section 41 and fixed to the latter , for example , by means of the screws 50 . the flange 48 is axially constrained , albeit with the aforesaid axial clearance between the section 41 and the plate 49 , to which the sleeve 28 remains in an axial position substantially fixed , as mentioned above . the tubular body 30 is between the tubular bodies 29 and 31 and comprises two end sections 51 , 52 opposite one another : the section 51 engages a base 53 defined by a protruding collar 54 of the plate 11 ; the section 52 , instead , is fitted on an intermediate section 56 of the wall 34 . similarly , the tubular body 31 includes two end sections 58 and 59 , of which the section 58 engages a base 60 defined by a protruding collar 61 of the plate 11 , while the section 59 is fitted on an axial end 64 of wall 34 , opposite the end 44 . the sections 40 , 51 and 58 are joined to the plate 11 by means of respective sealing rings 65 , 66 , 67 for ensuring the seal of the inlet of the channels 37 and 38 . similarly , the sections 41 , 52 and 59 are joined to the outer surface of the wall 34 by the respective sealing rings 68 , 69 , 70 for ensuring the seal of the outlet of the channels 37 and 38 . to ensure the freedom of direction of the sleeve 28 , the sections 51 and 58 are not secured to the plate 11 , but are joined to the corresponding collars 54 and 61 in an axially sliding manner and with radial clearance so as to allow a slight rotation of the tubular bodies 30 and 31 around any direction orthogonal to the axis 5 and passing through the coupling zone ( in practice , this rotation axis intersects the sealing rings 66 and 67 , which then define a virtual hinge ). as an alternative or in combination with the freedom of movement provided for the sections 51 and 58 on the bases 53 and 60 , a similar relative freedom of movement may be provided between the sections 52 and 56 and between the section 59 and the end 64 . as can be seen in fig3 and 4 , the tubular body 29 comprises an intermediate section 71 that is shaped internally so as to define a radial shoulder 72 and an axial shoulder 73 arranged around and , respectively , facing the section 52 , with pre - set clearances , which leave freedom of movement for the section 52 itself . in the meantime , the axial shoulder 73 is intermittent in a circumferential direction so as to allow the oil to flow out freely into the channel 37 . similarly , the tubular body 30 comprises an intermediate section 76 that is shaped internally so as to define a radial shoulder 77 and an axial shoulder 78 arranged around and , respectively , facing the section 59 , with pre - set clearances that leave freedom of movement for the section 59 itself . in the meantime , the axial shoulder 78 is intermittent in a circumferential direction to allow the oil to flow out freely into the channel 38 . the shoulders 72 , 73 , 77 and 78 define respective bases that , when in use , place a limit on the freedom of movement of the tubular bodies 30 and 31 . in particular , the shoulders 73 and 78 prevent the tubular bodies 30 and 31 from axially disengaging the corresponding bases 53 and 60 . in addition , the shoulders 72 and 77 define a centering system that supports the tubular bodies 30 and 31 when the sleeve 28 is withdrawn axially from the tubular body 29 , for example , during maintenance operations , in order to be able to axially insert the sleeve 28 back into its original position relatively easily . with reference to fig2 , when in use , the oil passes through the plate 11 in the manner illustrated , so as to arrive at the inlet of the channels 37 , 38 . through the latter and through the holes 39 , the oil flows into the chambers 32 , 33 . during normal operating conditions , the chamber 32 is closed , while the holes 29 are located at the chamber 33 and make the oil flow from the channel 38 into the tube 2 , which then conveys the oil to the hydraulic actuator of the propeller 3 . the chamber 32 communicates with the holes 29 and then transfers oil from the channel 37 to the tube 2 only in the case of the reverse thrust of the blades 15 . the rotation of the propeller 3 causes the rotation of the tube 2 around the axis 5 , but the actual axis of the end 20 may not perfectly coincide with the axis 5 , because of the tolerances of assembly and implementation and distortions due to the operating loads . these concentricity errors are , however , compensated for by the capacity that the sleeve 28 has to move with respect to the plate 11 , as a result of the clearances described above . in fact , the actual axis of the sleeve 28 and the end 20 can be arranged parallel to the axis 5 or can be slanted with respect to the axis 5 , as a result of the radial clearance that the sleeve 28 has with respect to the tubular body 29 and plate 11 . the axial clearance of the sleeve 28 with respect to the tubular body 29 is calibrated simply to allow the pitch of the sleeve 28 with respect to axis 5 , and not to allow a substantial axial translation . as mentioned above , it is possible to perform maintenance operations in a relatively simple manner after uncoupling the propeller 3 from the drive shaft 4 and removing the tube 2 from the sleeve 28 . in fact , continuing to operate from the side where the propeller 3 was mounted , the screws 50 are unscrewed so as to remove the plate 49 , in order to then axially withdraw the sleeve 28 from the tubular bodies 29 , 30 , 31 . as mentioned above , after removing the sleeve 28 , the section 52 of the tubular body 30 is supported radially on the shoulder 72 of the tubular body 29 , and the section 59 of the tubular body 31 is supported radially on the shoulder 77 of the tubular body 31 . in other words , the shoulders 72 and 77 stop the pitch of the tubular bodies 30 and 31 due to their weight and , therefore , they keep sections 41 , 52 and 59 substantially aligned . it is thus possible to insert the sleeve 28 again in these sections 41 , 52 and 59 at the end of the maintenance operations without any difficulty . from the above description , it is obvious that the assembly 1 makes it possible to supply oil into the channel 21 without providing radial holes through the drive shaft 4 , ensures the necessary watertight seal around the end 20 of the tube 2 during the operation and , at the same time , compensates the misalignment of the end 20 with respect to the axis of rotation 5 as a result of the clearances provided between the sleeve 28 and the plate 11 . the assembly 1 also has a relatively low number of components , which are manufactured and then assembled in a relatively simple manner . the same simplicity of assembly is also found in the maintenance operations which , in particular , can be performed from an axial side of the drive housing 7 , and not radially through the drive shaft 4 . from the foregoing it is evident that the assembly 1 can be subject to modifications and variations without thereby departing from the protective scope as defined by the attached claims . in particular , the sleeve 27 and / or the tubular bodies 29 , 30 , 31 may have dimensions and / or shapes different from those illustrated by way of example . finally , the assembly 1 may be used in applications other from that of a propeller 3 of a turbo - propeller engine , for example , in facilities for wind energy and marine propulsion facilities . this written description uses examples to disclose the invention , including the preferred embodiments , and also to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the invention , including making and using any devices or systems and performing any incorporated methods . the patentable scope of the invention is defined by the claims , and may include other examples that occur to those skilled in the art . such other examples are intended to be within the scope of the claims if they have structural elements that do not differ from the literal language of the claims , or if they include equivalent structural elements with insubstantial differences from the literal languages of the claims . | 5 |
fig1 is a cross section of a micromodule cable 10 according to a first embodiment and having an outer diameter 14 . the optical cable 10 comprises a jacket 20 having a wall thickness 24 and an outside diameter 28 ( also corresponding to the cable 10 diameter ). the jacket 20 surrounds and contacts the outer surface of a buffer tube 30 having an inner diameter 34 and an outer diameter 38 . the jacket 20 can be formed from , for example , a polymer material such as polyethylene . the buffer tube 30 defines an interior 40 of the cable 10 . the cable interior 40 accommodates a plurality of optical waveguides 50 . in the illustrated embodiment , the optical waveguides 50 are arranged as a stack of fiber optic ribbons with a ribbon stack diagonal dimension 54 . pairs of strength members 60 are arranged on opposite sides of the cable 10 cross section . the strength members 60 are wholly or substantially embedded in the cable jacket 20 , and may be adjacent to and / or abut the buffer tube 30 . in the illustrated embodiment , the strength members 60 are circular in cross - section with diameter 64 and with a strength member height 68 for each pair . the jacket 20 , the buffer tube 30 , the ribbon stack 50 , and the strength members 60 can all extend longitudinally along the entire or substantially all of the length of the cable 10 . according to one aspect of the present embodiment , the ribbon stack freespace can be lower than that of conventional cables . referring to fig1 , “ ribbon stack freespace ” is generally defined as the difference between the buffer tube 30 inside diameter 34 and the ribbon stack major dimension — in this case diagonal 54 . in conventional cables , the ribbon stack freespace has historically been above 2 . 0 mm , with some designs having a freespace as high as 3 . 38 mm according to one aspect of the present embodiments , the ribbon stack freespace can be less than 1 . 5 mm , and more particularly less than 1 . 0 mm . in one embodiment , the cable 10 is a 48 fiber , 4 . 1 mm tube inner diameter 34 cable with a ribbon stack freespace of 0 . 71 mm cables according to the present embodiment with reduced freespace can show minimal attenuation response , especially when incorporating bend - improved fibers in the ribbon stack 50 . the ribbon stack 50 is free to move radially with respect to a center line 70 of the cable 10 , so the spacing between the buffer tube 30 in general will not be constant with respect to any of the corners of the ribbon stack 50 . according to another aspect of the present embodiment , the strength member height 68 can be relatively close to the buffer tube outside diameter 38 in order facilitate access to the cable interior 40 . for example , in one embodiment , the strength member height 68 is 3 . 2 mm , with each strength member 60 having a diameter of 1 . 60 mm , and the buffer tube inner diameter 34 is 4 . 1 mm . the difference between strength member height 68 and buffer tube inner diameter 34 can be relatively small — in the range of 1 . 3 mm or less , or more particularly in the range of 1 . 0 mm or less . using the strength members 60 as a blade guide , the cable jacket 10 and buffer tube 30 may be shaved away from the cable 10 without damaging the ribbons in the stack 50 . six strength members 60 of 1 . 25 mm diameter , for example , with three members on each side of the buffer tube 30 , would further decrease the difference between the buffer tube outer diameter 38 and the strength member height 68 . also , if this feature is desired in the field , strength members 60 can be spaced or separated ( in the vertical direction in fig1 ) in order to increase the overall strength member height 68 . in the illustrated embodiment , the strength members 60 are dielectric rigid / semi - rigid strength members , and can be glass - reinforced plastic ( grp ) rods with circular cross - sections , although other materials ( e . g . steel ) and / or cross - sections can be used . referring to fig1 , the “ strength member height ” is defined as the spacing between the outermost edges ( shown as the uppermost and lowest edges in fig1 ) of the outermost strength members on one side of the cable . in the illustrated embodiment , the strength members 60 abut one another so the strength member height 68 is the sum of the diameters of the strength members 60 on each side of the cable 10 . it is generally preferable that the strength members 60 abut the buffer tube 30 to prevent jacket material from coming between the strength members 60 and the buffer tube 30 . according to another aspect of the present embodiment , by reducing the strength member diameter 64 , the jacket thickness 24 can also be reduced . for example , a 0 . 55 mm reduction in strength member diameter 64 was achieved for the cable 10 when compared with a conventional design . this corresponds to the same jacket thickness 24 reduction in the thick portions ( or , portions not overlying the strength members 60 ) of the jacket 20 . similar conventional cable arrangements require at least a 2 . 80 mm jacket wall to meet minimum jacket thickness requirements . minimum jacket thickness is the thickness of the jacket required over the strength members 60 , indicated generally by the arrow 75 in fig1 . the cable 10 in the illustrated embodiment has a jacket 20 of about 2 . 30 mm thickness . the relatively thin jacket 20 significantly reduces material costs for the cable 10 . in an alternative embodiment , a cable having six 1 . 25 mm diameter strength members 60 — three strength members on each side — reduces the jacket thickness even further to 2 . 00 mm cables according to the present embodiments can be constructed to maintain a substantially round outer diameter while retaining the required minimum jacket thickness . the jacket thickness 24 can be , for example , in the range of 2 . 00 mm to 2 . 80 mm , or more particularly in the range of 2 . 30 mm to 2 . 80 mm . another way to characterize the relationship between the jacket 20 and the strength members 60 is to compare the cross - sectional area of the jacket 20 with that of the strength members 60 . jacket to strength member area ratio data are tabulated in fig2 for cables at room temperature . when using strength members 60 of round cross - section , the thickness of the jacket 20 is determined by the diameter of the strength members 60 plus the minimum jacket thickness 75 required over the strength members 60 . in the illustrated embodiment , the strength member diameter 64 is 1 . 60 mm , with two strength members 60 on each side of the jacket 20 . the minimum jacket thickness 75 is in the range of 0 . 7 - 1 . 0 mm . reducing the size of the strength members 60 allows a reduction in jacket size , which reduces the costs of material for the cable . in this specification , the term “ strength member area ” refers to the sum of the cross - sectional areas of all of the strength members in the jacket , and the term “ jacket area ” refers to the total cross - sectional area for the jacket material . referring to fig2 , the conventional design ( the lowest data points on the plot , indicated by diamond data points ), has lower jacket area to strength member area ratios for various fiber counts . data describing the cable 10 illustrated in fig1 correspond to the intermediate values on the plot , and are indicated by square data points . for a cable 10 as shown in fig1 , with two 1 . 60 mm diameter strength members on each side of the cable , the ratio for 12 - 48 fiber count cables lies in the range of 6 - 8 . for 48 - 72 fiber cables , the ratio lies in the range of 7 - 9 . for 72 - 96 fiber cables , the ratio lies in the range of 7 . 5 - 9 . 5 . for 96 - 144 fiber cables , the ratio lies in the range of 8 - 10 . jacket area can be further reduced by using only two strength members , of 2 . 05 mm diameter , one on each side of the jacket 20 . in fig2 , data describing this cable correspond to the highest values on the plot , and are indicated by round data points . for this embodiment , the jacket to strength member ratio for 12 - 48 fiber count cables lies in the range of 10 - 12 . for 48 - 72 fiber cables , the ratio lies in the range of 11 - 13 . for 72 - 96 fiber cables , the ratio lies in the range of 12 - 14 . for 96 - 144 fiber cables , the ratio lies in the range of 12 - 15 . according to another aspect of the present embodiment , the ratio of the product of elastic modulus e and total area a ( ea ) for the fibers in the ribbon stack 50 and the strength members 60 is higher than in conventional designs . in this specification , the term “ fiber area ” refers to the sum of the cross - sectional areas of all of the optical fibers in the cable , including the fiber coatings , and , for ribbonized fibers , includes the total cross - sectional area of the fibers plus coatings in the fiber ribbons . the term “ ribbon stack fiber area ” could also be used to describe the total cross - sectional area of the optical fibers plus coatings in the fiber ribbons . fig3 is a plot of fiber area multiplied by fiber elastic modulus ( or , “ fiber ea ”) divided by the strength member ea . the fiber elastic modulus e is typically calculated to include the fiber and coating ( s ) applied thereto . in fig3 , data showing the ratio of fiber ea to strength member ea for the cable 10 illustrated in fig1 is indicated by diamond data points , while data for a conventional cable is indicated by round data points . according to one embodiment , the ratio of fiber ea ( or “ ribbon stack ea ” for ribbonized fibers ) to strength member ea is at least 0 . 0015 × fiber count . in the illustrated embodiment , the ratio is about 0 . 0021 × fiber count . common matrix material used to cover multiple fibers in a fiber optic ribbon has a relatively low elastic modulus and is not used to calculate ribbon stack fiber area or ribbon stack ea . the interior 40 of the cable 10 can be filled with a filling compound such as , for example , a waterblocking material such as thixotropic gel or grease . gel - free designs with or without foam tapes can also be used . it is understood in this specification that values for jacket thickness 24 , cable diameter 28 , buffer tube inside diameter 34 and outside diameter 38 , ribbon stack diagonal 54 , strength member diameter 64 , strength member height 68 , etc . may vary to some degree according to manufacturing tolerances . the values in this specification may therefore be considered to be averages for a typical cross - section of the cable . the cross - sections in the cable may not necessarily be perfect geometric shapes ; for example , the illustrated circular cross - sections may have some degree of ovality in the manufactured cable . diameter values may therefore be considered to the average diameter of a cross - section at any point along the length of the cable . the cable 10 can be constructed of materials similar to single - tube ribbon ( sst - ribbon ™) cables available from corning cable systems , inc . of hickory n . c . the cable 10 can include one or more ripcords ( not illustrated ). an armored version of the cable 10 can include metallic or dielectric armor coatings . the present cable embodiments may utilize tensile yarns as tension relief elements that provide tensile strength to the cables . a preferred material for the tensile yarns is aramid ( e . g ., kevlar ®), but other tensile strength materials could be used . for example , high molecular weight polyethylenes such as spectra ® fiber and dyneema ® fiber , teijin twaron ® aramids , fiberglass , etc . may also be used . the yarns may be stranded to improve cable performance . many modifications and other embodiments of the present invention , within the scope of the claims will be apparent to those skilled in the art . for instance , the concepts of the present invention can be used with any suitable fiber optic cable design and / or method of manufacture . for instance , the embodiments shown can include other suitable cable components such as an armor layer , coupling elements , different cross - sectional shapes , or the like . thus , it is intended that this invention covers these modifications and embodiments as well those also apparent to those skilled in the art . | 6 |
a new and novel imaging display analysis device is shown in fig1 and generally designated 10 . a single pulse of x - rays is provided from a source 12 along axis a to and through a patient . the x - rays passing through the patient are incident upon binary screen 12 . the composition of binary screen 12 will be described in greater detail below . light emitted from binary screen 12 is detected by cameras 14 and 16 , which in the preferred embodiment are charge coupled device ( ccd ) cameras . as will be explained , camera 14 detects light of a first wavelength , while camera 16 detects light of a second wavelength . a shroud or cover 18 is provided in order to prevent ambient light from interfering with cameras 14 and 16 . the image signals generated by cameras 14 and 16 are provided to processor 20 . processor 20 calculates a dual energy image in response to the image signals . the dual energy image is displayed on display 22 . the dual energy acquisition system of the present invention utilizes a single x - ray pulse but does not require stacked detectors . this technique is specifically tailored for charge coupled device ( ccd ) camera acquisition , a technology which holds great promise in digital radiography . the binary screen technique utilizes an intensifying screen 12 with two rare - earth phosphors , each with a different elemental composition and hence different x - ray ( k - edge related ) energy absorption characteristics . the two phosphors are thoroughly mixed together as powders prior to being incorporated into the screen , resulting in a uniform , heterogeneous distribution of the two phosphors in binary screen 12 . each phosphor is designed to emit a markedly different wavelength of visible light than the other . two ccd cameras 14 and 16 are focused on screen 12 . as shown in fig1 camera 14 is spectrally sensitive to the emission of the low k - edge phosphor due to the use of optical filter 24 . camera 16 is sensitive to only the emission wavelengths of the high k - edge phosphor due to the use of optical filter 26 . the resulting parallel , two channel imaging system shown in fig2 can be used to acquire the high and the low energy images simultaneously using one pulse of x - rays . there are no moving parts in this system , and the recycle time is dependent only on the read - out time of the ccd cameras . furthermore , registration between the images is achieved by mechanical alignment of the cameras and possibly a digital image warping technique to reduce spatial non - linearities , and once calibrated there is no need for re - registration on an image by image basis . the binary screen approach has several distinct advantages over stimulable phosphor techniques . because at present stimulable phosphors employ only one phosphor ( barium fluoro - halide ), k - edge separation cannot be exploited . in other words , the relative concentration of the two phosphors in the binary screen can be adjusted to deliver comparable quantum absorption efficiency between the two phosphors at the optimal kv . before describing experimentation with the binary screen , binary screen absorption will be described mathematically . the table below describes the terms used : ______________________________________symbol description______________________________________i . sub . l ( x , y ) low energy imagei . sub . h ( x , y ) high energy imagef . sub . 1 weight fraction of phosphor 1f . sub . 2 weight fraction of phosphor 2μ . sub . 1 mass attenuation coefficient of phosphor 1 ( cm . sup . 2 / gm ) μ . sub . 2 mass attenuation coefficient of phosphor 2 ( cm . sup . 2 / gm ) t total mass thickness of the binary screen ( gm / cm . sup . 2 ) φ ( e ) photon spectrum emitted by the x - ray tube ( photons / cm . sup . 2 ) μ . sub . t attenuation coefficient of a pre - patient filtert . sub . f filter thicknessμ . sub . m attenuation coefficient of a mid - screen filtert . sub . m mid - filter thicknessμ . sub . p attenuation coefficient of the patientt . sub . p patient thicknessg . sub . 1 collective gain ( and efficiency ) terms for phosphor 1g . sub . 2 collective gain ( and efficiency ) terms for phosphor 2______________________________________ the low and high energy images generated using the binary screen are given by : ## equ1 ## these equations are analogous with those governing absorption by two different attenuation processes , such as photoelectric and compton absorption . if μ 1 ( e )= μ 2 ( e ) in the above equations , no energy separation would be possible . the photon spectrum incident upon the patient should be tailored to the detector &# 39 ; s energy sensitivities , by adjusting the kv of the x - ray generator and the composition and thickness of a pre - patient filter . optimization along these lines will result in a bimodal spectrum , with each mode tailored to the k - edges of each phosphor int eh binary screen . by comparison , the equations governing the formation of the low and high energy images for stacked stimulable phosphor detector systems are : ## equ2 ## contrary to the binary screen case , with photostimulable phosphor detectors there exists the condition that μ 1 ( e )= μ 2 ( e ), because of the single phosphor used in photo - stimulable phosphor systems . computer simulations were used to examine properties of the binary screen system , and for comparison with photostimulable phosphor ( psp ) systems . the simulations consisted primarily of numerical integration over the energy spectrum , following the equations outlined above . the attenuation coefficients for all elements were obtained from log - log polynomial fit data tabulated by w . h . mcmasters et al ., compilation of x - ray cross sections , u . s . dept . of commerce , springfield , va 1969 . the x - ray spectra were generated using an algorithm , which is essentially the birch and marshall technique , see r . birch et al ., computation of bremsstrhlung x - ray spectra and comparison with spectra measured with a ge ( li ) detector , phys . biol . and med ., vol . 24 , pps . 505 et seq . ( 1979 ). the computations were performed on a 486 pc ( northgate , plymouth , mn ). a dos - extended c compiler ( itel c code builder ) was used , which allowed true 32 bit code to utilize all 16 megabytes of cpu ram . the dual energy subtraction algorithm used was adopted from d . l . ergun et al ., single - exposure dual - energy computed radiography : improved detection and processing , radiology , vol . 125 , pps . 243 - 245 ( 1977 ), and takes the form : where s is the signal . when the constants in equation 5 are chosen such that : ## equ3 ## where the μ &# 39 ; s ( effective attenuation coefficients ) are for tissue , the signal s represents the tissue - subtracted image ; where ξ represents the attenuation coefficient for bone , and t bone is the thickness of bone . it can be shown that the signal to noise ratio ( snr ) for this procedure is given by : ## equ4 ## the computer simulations were performed to assess the optimal values for the parameters of kv , pre - patient filter composition and thickness , and the weight ratio of the first phosphor to the total phosphor thickness , w 1 /( w 1 + w 2 ). since optimization in x - ray imaging implies the best image quality for a given integral dose to the patient , a figure of merit ( fom ) was chosen where : ## equ5 ## this fom is independent of exposure . the dose to the patient was calculated using parameterized energy absorption values from monte carlo calculations , which modeled the energy absorption in homogeneous water phantoms of various thicknesses and of infinite lateral extent . the absorbed energy is the incident energy minus the sum of the backscattered energy , forward scattered energy , and the transmitted primary energy . the binary screen simulations involved numerically integrating equations 1 and 2 , and from these calculations the effective attenuation coefficients and the number of absorbed photons ( n 1 and n 2 ) were determined . the relative integral dose ( i . e . absorbed energy in the object ) was also calculated . these values were then inserted into equation 9 via equation 8 to assess the figure of merit for each set of parameters . the psp system simulations required numerical integration using equations 3 and 4 , which yielded the effective values of the attenuation coefficients and n 1 and n 2 , which were also used to evaluate the fom via equations 8 and 9 . the psp system simulations included two other parameters , the mid - detector filtration atomic number and thickness . after preliminary studies , copper was chosen as the mid - detector filter material ( z = 29 ), and only the filter thickness was included in the iterative optimization . the prefilter thicknesses were constrained to keep the tube loading factor under 10 . the binary screen detector shows a ridge of high foms for prefilters of atomic numbers between about 58 and 68 . a similar ridge exists or the psp system between z = 56 and z = 66 . in both cases , the atomic number corresponding to the highest point on the fom surface increases gradually with increasing kv . outside the relatively narrow range of optimal prefilter atomic numbers , there is comparatively little z dependence of the fom , for both binary and psp systems . in contrast , the kv dependence of the fom surfaces is relatively strong . the optimum values for all parameters corresponding to the best fom surfaces is relatively strong . the optimum values for all parameters corresponding to the best fom for each object thickness are given in table 1 for the binary screen and in table 2 for the psp system . table 1__________________________________________________________________________binary screen parameters at optimal fom100 mg / cm . sup . 2 total screen thickness prefilterobject atomic prefilter phosphor e . sub . 1 e . sub . 2 δethickness kv number thickness . sup . 1 ratio . sup . 2 fom ( kev ) ( kev ) ( kev ) __________________________________________________________________________10 cm 64 58 200 90 % 27 , 188 39 . 7 46 . 2 6 . 5 mg / cm . sup . 220 cm 62 58 200 85 % 640 . 8 41 . 8 48 . 5 6 . 7 mg / cm . sup . 230 cm 64 60 200 80 % 26 . 65 45 . 1 51 . 6 6 . 5 mg / cm . sup . 2__________________________________________________________________________ . sup . 1 the prefilter thickness was constrained by requiring that the tube loading factor be under 10 . . sup . 2 the phosphor ratio refers to the weight ratio of the y . sub . 2 o . sub . 2 s phosphor to the total phosphor in the screen , w . sub . 1 ( w . sub . 1 + w . sub . 2 ). table 2__________________________________________________________________________photostimulable phosphor system parameters at optimal fom100 mg / cm . sup . 2 total screen thicknesscopper midfilter material prefilterobject atomic prefilter phosphor midfilter e . sub . 1 e . sub . 2 δethickness kv number thickness . sup . 1 ratio . sup . 2 thickness . sup . 3 fom ( kev ) ( kev ) ( kev ) __________________________________________________________________________10 cm 62 58 200 65 300 22 , 080 40 . 9 47 . 4 6 . 5 mg / cm . sup . 2 mg / cm . sup . 220 cm 68 60 200 60 300 502 . 5 46 . 5 53 . 2 6 . 7 mg / cm . sup . 2 mg / cm . sup . 230 cm 70 62 200 60 300 21 . 39 50 . 1 55 . 8 5 . 6 mg / cm . sup . 2 mg / cm . sup . 2__________________________________________________________________________ . sup . 1 the prefilter thickness was constrained by requiring that the tube loading factor be under 10 . . sup . 2 the phosphor ratio refers to the weight ratio of the front screen phosphor to the total phosphor in the screen , w . sub . 1 ( w . sub . 1 + w . sub . 2 ). . sup . 3 the optimal midfilter thickness was searched between 0 - 300 mg / cm . sup . 2 . the optimal spectra for the binary and psp systems for a 20 cm object thickness were determined . the incident spectrum is noticed at the 40 kev k - edge of the cerium filtration , which produced a bimodal spectrum . in principle , the low energy lobe is tailored to the yttrium k - edge , and the high energy lobe is matched of the gadolinium k - edge . once the incident spectrum passed through the patient ( i . e . 20 cm of water ), the transmitted spectrum showed a more even distribution in the number of photons between the two lobes of the bimodal distribution , due to greater attenuation at lower photon energies . whereas the absorption spectrum for the y 2 o 2 s phosphor component in the binary screen essentially mirrored the spectral distribution incident upon it , the absorption spectrum in the gd 2 o 2 s phosphor reflected the increased absorption above the 50 kev k - edge of gadolinium . in order to make comparisons between theory and experiment , experimental x - ray spectra were characterized using the equivalent spectrum technique . in this technique , the experimentally measured aluminum attenuation is compared iteratively with aluminum attenuation values derived from computer - generated spectra ( based on measured spectra ), and the computer - generated spectrum which best matches the measured aluminum attenuation properties represents the characterized or so - called equivalent spectrum . binary screens composed of y 2 o 2 s : gd + 3 and gd 2 o 2 s : eu + 3 were manufactured for this project . the optical emission spectra were determined and the y 2 o 2 s : gd emission was primarily at 514 nm , ( green ) and the gd 2 o 2 s : eu emission was primarily at 624 nm ( red ). kodak wratten optical filters were used to isolate the emission wavelengths . the manufactured binary screens included a support and the mixed binary composition applied in a dispersed state in a binder . the support can be formed from a film such as polyethylene terephthalate ( pet ) or from other materials such as paper , cardboard , glass and metal . the screen is prepared by dispersing the phosphor particles in a solution of the binder and coated on the support . the coating application can be performed by any known technique such as doctor blade coating , spraying or dip coating . suitable binders which are transparent to x - ray radiation and emitted radiation are organic polymers such as acrylates , polyurethanes and polycarbonates . phosphor coverage on the screen can be in the range of 30 to 150 mg / cm 2 . it is also noted that a light reflecting layer such as titanium dioxide may be provided between the phosphor containing layer and the support to enhance the output of light . it is preferred that the support onto which the phosphor is coated may be black or light absorbing in order to increase image sharpness . colored dyes and pigments can also be added to achieve this result . other intensifying screen techniques can be used with the invention such as overcoating and the use of subbing layers . the linearity of the photodetectors was determined by comparing their response with that of a radiometer ( eg & amp ; g gamma scientific , san diego , ca ), when placed in a light field generated from an adjustable dc halogen source filtered by a 600 nm band - pass filter ( oriel ). the bandpass filter resulted in a pseudo - monoenergetic light source . the bandpass filter was necessary to assure that the linearity curve was not distorted by the minor differences in the spectral responses between the photodiodes and the radiometer , since the spectral output of the light source does change with intensity ( i . e ., applied voltage ). the signal voltage from the photodiodes was digitized using a computer - mounted 12 bit analog to digital converter ( adc ) ( model 2801 - a , data translation , marlboro , ma ). 512 samples were acquired with a sampling period of 50 microseconds and averaged for the linearity study . the photodiode linearity was determined over 4 decades of optical exposure . linear regression analysis between the two photodiode responses and the radiometer yielded correlation coefficients of 0 . 99993 and 0 . 99998 . linear regression analysis on log - log data indicated γ of 1 . 029 and 1 . 039 for the two photodiodes . the photodiodes exhibited excellent linearity , and thus no correction techniques were necessary to compensate for the characteristic curve of these photodetectors . it should be noted that the linearity of the photodetectors was found to be crucial in demonstrating the energy dependence of the dual detector system . because the intensity of light striking each of the photodetectors fluctuates significantly as a function of kv , nonlinearities in the detector response will yield artifactual energy response curves . the photodetector arrangement described , was chosen after prior attempts with phototransistors ( which lacked enough sensitivity ) and different photodiodes ( which proved too noisy ). prior to the development of the y 2 o 2 s : pr / gd 2 o 2 s : eu screen described above , y 2 o 3 : gd / gd 2 o 2 s : eu binary screens were manufactured . the y 2 o 3 : gd emits at 315 nm ( ultraviolet ), and therefore has better spectral separation from the 624 nm gd 2 o 2 s : eu than the 514 nm y 2 o 2 s : pr . however , after extensive testing it is believed that the gd 2 o 2 s : eu phosphor absorbed much of the uv emission of the y 2 o 3 : gd . the difficulties of detecting the uv emission were exacerbated by the relative insensitivity of photodetectors to uv and their large sensitivity to the red emission . to measure the energy dependency of the binary screen as a function of kilovoltage , two photodiodes were sampled simultaneously ( multiplexed acquisition at 20 khz ) during an x - ray exposure . each photodiode was optically filtered to select for either the green emission of the y 2 o 2 s : gd phosphor or the red emission of the gd 2 o 2 s : eu phosphor . the signal acquisition was synchronized to the x - ray pulse by triggering off of the signal derived from a phototransistors coupled to a small ( 2 mm × 2 mm ) piece of x - ray screen , mounted in the x - ray collimator . a single phase , full wave rectified x - ray generator ( siemens heliphos ), coupled to a machlett dynamax dual focus ( 1 . 0 / 2 . 0 mm ) was employed as the x - ray source . to avoid exposing the photodiodes to the x - ray beam , a front surfaced mirror was used to reflect the optical radiation to the photodetectors , which were protected from the x - ray beam by 2 cm of pb . the single phase x - ray source made data analysis more complicated . after each x - ray exposure was acquired , the 512 element waveform for each photodiode was computer processed , the peaks in the waveform were selected , and the voltages at the peaks were averaged to yield the photodiode output value . this peak - detect regime was used to simulate the effects of x - ray generators with less voltage ripple , e . g . three phase and inverter types . the energy dependence of the binary screen as determined from the photodiode experiment is shown in fig4 . the ratio of the measured intensities illustrates the energy dependence , and this is related to the logarithmic difference signal used in the actual dual energy image calculations . as expected , the red emission from the gd 2 o 2 s : eu increases with increasing incident beam energy . the experiment was also performed with no optical filtration , and this resulted in the horizontal line of data on the fig4 illustrating no energy dependence when the optical filtration is removed . the isometric plots illustrating the functional dependence of the foms on kv and filter composition are quite similar between the binary screen system and the psp systems . the most striking feature of these results is the sharp fom ridges within a very narrow range of prefilter atomic numbers . the range of z &# 39 ; s is remarkably similar between the two detector systems , considering that the k - edges of the detectors differ substantially . the binary screen simulated here consisted of yttrium and gadolinium , based phosphors , with k - edges of 17 kev and 50 kev , respectively . the barium k - edge of the ( bafbr ) psp screens is at 37 kev . the foms are composed of both a snr component and an integral dose component . it was determined that when graphed , sharp fom ridges can be attributed to an improvement in the snr , and not a reduction in the integral does . the optimal kvs ( for both detector systems ) are low , compared to conventional x - ray imaging kvs , for thick objects . this is not really surprising , since the fidelity of dual energy images relies on differential energy dependence between the attenuation coefficients of calcium and tissue . there is a tendency in the dual energy imaging literature to equate the energy separation between the low and the high images ( δe ) as a loose measure of subtraction quality . in fact , a large δe at high energies is less valuable than a smaller δe at lower energies , where the attenuation coefficients have large functional dependencies on energy . the signal amplitude was calculated as ## equ6 ## the signal resulting from a δe of 5 kev was higher at 40 kev than that resulting from a δe of 20 kev at 57 kev . although the optimal dual energy subtraction signal region is below 20 kev , this increased when the effects of noise and dose are included . it will be noted that if y 2 o 2 s : pr is used it is further preferred to combine this phosphor with the gd 2 o 2 s : eu phosphor in equal , i . e . 50 / 50 , proportions . in other words , the relative concentration of the two phosphors in the binary screen can be adjusted to deliver comparable quantum absorption efficiency between the two phosphors at the optimal kv . the optimal distribution of photons between the two phosphors is a function of the weighting coefficient between the high and low energy images . see r in equation 5 . when r = 1 the optimal weighting coefficient is 0 . 5 . in sum , the present invention introduces the use of binary screen 12 , enabling the use of dual ccd cameras in dual energy imaging . two phosphors , y 2 o 2 s : gd phosphor and gd 2 o 2 s : eu phosphor are combined into a single , binary screen . the difference in k - edges results in energy dependent x - ray absorption by each of the phosphors . each phosphor is designed to emit a different wavelength of visible light , 514 nm ( green ) and 624 nm ( red ), respectively . the screen is optically coupled to dual ccd cameras 14 and 16 , which are optically filtered such that one camera is sensitive to only the emission of the low k - edge phosphor and the other camera is sensitive to the emission spectra of the high k - edge phosphor . a dual channel system utilizing no moving parts and capable of simultaneous dual energy acquisition results . while the invention has been described and illustrated with reference to specific embodiments , those skilled in the art will recognize that modification and variations may be made without departing from the principles of the invention as described herein above and set forth in the following claims . | 6 |
the device . iadd . a . iaddend . of fig1 and 2 is carried mainly by a plate 2 fixed to a piston 1 of an electrical discharge machining machine . this device a is connected to a bracket 5 of the machine by .[. two .]. . iadd . a . iaddend . threaded .[. rods .]. . iadd . rod . iaddend . β engaging in . iadd . a . iaddend . setting .[. nuts .]. 4 . the device is generally symmetrical about a plane of symmetry 6 , only its left hand part being shown in fig1 . a second rod , identical to rod 3 , is thus disposed to the right of the machine and is not shown in the drawings . during finishing machining , the piston 1 is moved axially . the plate 2 carries a block 7 enclosing a gear mechanism and provided with an electrode support 8 . piston 1 , plate 2 and block 7 form a compact unit in relation to which the electrode support 8 can move in translation in its horizontal plane . this displacement of support 8 in relation to the block 7 is made possible by tie - bolts 9 which each pass through a bore of block 7 with a play 10 . the support 8 is connected to block 7 by the tie - bolts 9 with interposed abutment bearings 11 allowing displacement of the support 8 in relation to block 7 within the limits of play 10 . the support 8 has screw - threaded openings 12 for receiving bolts securing an electrode , not shown . the parts of the device a which serve to produce translational displacements of the support 8 in relation to block 7 will now be described . a hollow guide shaft 13 passes through the block 7 and electrode support 8 . this shaft 13 has a longitudinal groove 14 having a terminal part forming a ramp 15 . the shaft 13 turns freely about a rod 16 which passes through the shaft 13 and is threaded at least at each end . rod 16 is fixed in a piece 17 connected to the threaded rod 3 . piece 17 has a portion 18 in which rod 3 is secured by a transverse pin 19 . thus , rod 3 , portion 18 , piece 17 and rod 16 form a rigid assembly in the longitudinal direction . at the lower end of rod 16 is a nut 20 axially fixing the shaft 13 to said rigid assembly , while allowing it to turn freely on two axial ball - bearings 21 and 22 . the piece 17 has an external thread screwed in a setting nut 23 bearing on a cap 24 secured on block 7 by screws . hence , all of the elements of the device , in as much as they are not supported by bracket 5 , are carried by the plate 2 . the block 7 is provided with two combined axial and radial needle bearings 25 and 26 on which a sleeve 27 is .[. pivotally .]. . iadd . rotatably . iaddend . mounted . bearings 25 and 26 are .[. set .]. . iadd . held . iaddend . by a nut 28 . the shaft 13 is slidably mounted in sleeve 27 by means of a ball - slide 29 , known per se . it is hence possible to control an axial movement of the shaft 13 in sleeve 27 either by nut 23 or by nut 4 , as will be explained further on . the electrode support 8 has a housing 30 in which is disposed a radial needle - bearing 31 on which an eccentric 32 is .[. pivotally .]. . iadd . rotatably . iaddend . mounted . the eccentric 32 is annular and surrounds the shaft 13 with a play 33 which may be equal to play 10 . the upper part of eccentric 32 and the lower part of sleeve 27 engage with one another by a radial slide 34 so that the eccentric 32 may move radially in relation to the sleeve 27 by the amount of play 33 . this radial movement of the eccentric 32 is controlled by a roller 35 mounted on the eccentric for cooperation with ramp 15 . a spring 36 , acting between the sleeve 27 and eccentric 32 , biases the eccentric 32 to tend to keep it centred in relation to shaft 13 . the block 7 also houses transmission members including a bevel pinion 37 fixed on a toothed wheel 38 meshing with another toothed wheel 39 which in turn meshes with an external toothing 40 on sleeve 27 . the bevel pinion 37 is rotatably driven by a bevel pinion 41 of an electric motor 42 . as the roller 35 of eccentric 32 is engaged in the slot 14 of shaft 13 , the latter is also rotatably driven by the eccentric 32 . when the eccentric 32 is disposed centrally about the shaft 13 , i . e . with zero eccentricity , no displacement of the electrode support 8 relative to block 7 is produced in response to rotation of the shaft 13 and eccentric 32 . the bracket 5 is provided with a sleeve 43 of insulating material through which the threaded rod 3 passes with play . this sleeve 43 carries the setting .[. screw .]. . iadd . nut . iaddend . 4 by the intermediary of an axial ball bearing 44 . the transverse pin 19 is urged by two traction springs 46 . iadd ., fig2 . iaddend . so that shaft 13 correctly bears against the bracket 5 fixed on the frame 45 of the machine . the springs 46 are indirectly connected to block 7 . as shown in fig2 block 7 also carries a bracket 47 adapted to carry a .[. comparator .]. . iadd . dial indicator . iaddend ., not shown . it has already been stated above that the device is generally symmetrical about the plane 6 . however , this symmetry does not apply to the elements , 1 , 2 , 7 , 8 , 41 , 42 , 37 , 38 and 45 . in accordance with this symmetry , the device comprises two eccentrics 32 with two slides 34 parallel to one another for a given position of the eccentrics disposed on the same line . when the . iadd . axis of the . iaddend . eccentric 32 is . [. decentred in relation to .]. . iadd . no longer aligned with the axis of the . iaddend . shaft 13 , the entire electrode support 8 moves as an eccentric connecting rod . in an example of carrying out the method according to the invention , the device of fig1 and 2 is used as follows : firstly , one proceeds to adjust the position of eccentrics 32 so that they have a zero eccentricity on their respective shaft 13 when the nut 23 bears against the upper face of cap 24 . this adjustment is carried out by turning each nut 23 relative to piece 17 to axially displace the shaft 13 until the roller 35 lies on ramp 15 in a position giving zero eccentricity . to carry out this adjustment , a .[. comparator .]. . iadd . dial indicator . iaddend . is placed on each bracket 47 with a sensor of the .[. comparator .]. . iadd . dial indicator . iaddend . applied against the electrode support 8 . the motor 42 is started , and the described adjustment is carried out until the .[. comparator .]. . iadd . dial indicator . iaddend . indicates that the support 8 is not deviated while the motor continues to rotate the eccentrics . then the desired depth of machining is adjusted by acting on nut 4 . if , during this adjustment , the electrode rests on the upper face of the workpiece , the depth of machining corresponds to the distance the nut must travel to abut against the axial bearing 44 , plus the displacement during finishing machining and the spark distance during the finishing phase . rough machining is then carried out , by advancing the electrode in the conventional manner to make it penetrate in the workpiece . during this first phase of machining , the nut 23 rests on the cap 24 so that the electrode is not subjected to a translational movement since the device has a zero eccentricity . during this first phase , the piston 1 controls the advance of the electrode . as this advance progresses , the nut 4 moves towards its position of abutment against the bracket 5 and , when this position is reached , the machining passes from the rough phase to the finishing phase . as soon as the nut 4 abuts against the bearing 44 , any further displacement of the piston 1 towards the workpiece produces a displacement of shaft 13 relative to the main part of the device and hence produces an increasing eccentricity of shaft 13 . this eccentricity is very small and in general remains well below one millimeter . consequently , the cavity machined in the workpiece has the same shape as the electrode . the rigid linkage which determines the degree of eccentricity of the translational movement as a function of the advance of the electrode from the moment when the nut 4 has reached its axial abutment position produces a virtual dilatation of the electrode in a plane perpendicular to the axial direction along which it advances . this arrangement is very advantageous since as soon as the machining conditions tend to deteriorate and it is consequently necessary to slightly withdraw the electrode , this withdrawal is accompanied by a reduction of the amplitude of translation and hence of the virtual dilatation of the electrode . hence , the servo - control device , which operates solely in the axial direction , simultaneously controls a radial withdrawal of the envelope generated by the translational movement of the electrode . thus , the servo - control device can operate to adjust the position of the electrode as a function of the instantaneous machining conditions while taking into account the conditions of both the frontal machining distance and the lateral machining distance . the embodiment of fig3 to 6 involves an improvement in that the device is of simpler construction without a reduction of the quality of machining . in this embodiment , the device is not symmetrical about plane 6 . the machine has a frame 45 and a piston 1 carrying plate 2 . there is only a single control device , visible in the left hand part of fig3 . the block 7 &# 39 ; is fixed to the plate 2 and a casing 55 is rigidly fixed , with an interposed insulating plate 56 , to the plate 2 . electrode support 8 &# 39 ; is connected to block 7 &# 39 ; by a table with a cross - sliding arrangement including slides 48 and 49 . the support 8 &# 39 ; is rigidly connected to a lower casing 58 with an interposed insulating plate 57 . the casings 55 and 58 are connected together by tie - bolts 9 having bearings 11 allowing relative displacements of the casings in a horizontal plane , within the limits of play 10 . a device for producing a translational movement of support 8 &# 39 ; with a variable radius comprises a vertical rod 59 having a square portion 60 as well as a threaded part 61 towards its lower end , as shown in fig5 . the lower end of rod 59 is mounted in two axial bearings 62 and 63 so as to be connected without axial play to a piece 64 while being able to freely turn in relation to piece 64 . the upper end of piece 64 has a toothing 65 by which it can be rotatably driven by a motor . iadd . 42 . iaddend . and gears , not shown , analogous to those of the first embodiment . this piece 64 has a lower fork - shaped part having lateral branches 66 and 67 ( fig6 ). these branches 66 , 67 have , on their inner faces , a part of two rectilinear guide devices 68 . the two guide devices 68 are inclined to the axis of rotation of piece 64 at an angle of 45 ° in the example shown . the piece 64 is placed in a sleeve 69 carrying a cage of balls 70 forming a bearing with the casing 55 and allowing both rotation and axial displacement of the piece 64 in casing 55 . the rod 59 protrudes from casing 55 by its threaded portion 61 which carries an abutment nut 71 which can be locked in position by a screw 72 . for the purposes of assembly , the casing 55 is formed of two parts , a hollow rectangular part 73 and a cover 74 . an eccentric 75 of variable eccentricity is formed by a triangular plate 76 sliding between the branches 66 and 67 along guide devices 68 . this plate 76 carries two downwardly - protruding coaxial studs 77 and 78 pivoting in casing 58 by the intermediary of a radial bearing 79 and two axial bearings 80 . to eliminate any axial play between the eccentric 75 and casing 58 , a nut 83 is screwed on a threaded terminal portion of stud 78 . this nut 83 is locked by a safety washer 82 and enables adjustment of the axial bearings 80 by the intermediary of a washer 81 . the eccentric 75 also has an axial bore in which is placed a .[. setting .]. . iadd . set . iaddend . screw 84 forming a hooking point for an end of a spring 87 whose other end is hooked on a pin 85 of piece 64 . this spring 87 biases the rod 59 and piece 64 downwards towards the eccentric 75 . the eccentric 75 is thus situated at the lower end of piece 64 , and the guide devices 68 form a ramp between the piece 64 and eccentric 75 . an axial displacement of piece 64 in relation to casing 55 produces a radial displacement of the eccentric 75 together with casing 58 . the upper part of rod 59 is smooth and engages in an opening of a casing 88 . iadd ., fig3 and 4 , . iaddend . fixed to the frame 45 of the machine . this rod 59 carries an adjustable piece 89 whose position on rod 59 can be set by a screw 90 . piece 89 has the same role as the nut 4 of fig1 i . e . it determines the depth of penetration of the electrode from which machining should be carried out with translation of the electrode . the casing 88 also contains a wedge 91 able to be moved towards the right , fig3 by means of a setting screw 92 against the action of a biasing spring , not shown . a plate 93 is placed on wedge 91 and is applied against it by two traction springs 94 . these springs 94 are hooked at their lower ends on pins 95 held under the casing 88 and at their upper ends on pins 96 bearing on the plate 93 which forms an abutment for piece 89 . the position of plate 93 , set by the screw 92 and wedge 91 , can be detected by a .[. comparator .]. . iadd . dial indicator . iaddend . 98 having a feeler in contact with the end of a screw 97 engaged in a threaded hole of plate 93 . . iadd . another dial indicator 99 , supported by a bracket 101 , is useful for checking the relative position of the cross - slides , but forms no part of the invention . . iaddend . operation of the device of fig3 to 6 is very similar to that of the first embodiment . the position of nut 71 can be set to provide a zero eccentricity of the eccentric 75 when the nut 71 bears on cover 74 . adjustment of the position of piece 89 on rod 59 sets the distance by which the electrode penetrates in the workpiece without translation . during machining , the piston 1 is controlled to move the electrode and make it penetrate into the workpiece . this movement is purely axial as long as the piece 89 has not come to abut against the plate 93 . however , from this moment , the rod 59 can no longer advance at the same time as the plate 2 so that a relative axial displacement is produced between the rod 59 and casing 55 . the device of fig5 then controls an eccentricity which increases linearly with the axial advance produced by piston 1 . to obtain a translational movement with a substantially circular trajectory , it is of course necessary to rotatably drive the piece 64 by means of electric motor 42 . it is clear that in certain cases , a circular translational movement of the electrode may be undesirable . for example , when the cavity to be machined must have in its lateral wall an angle or a . [. dihedron having .]. . iadd . two surfaces intersecting at . iaddend . a sharp angle . [. in cross - section . ]., a circular translation must not be used ; to the contrary , it is advantageous to machine with a radial translation along a given direction , preferably in a plane that bisects the sharp angle . this is obtained by stopping the motor 42 and angularly setting the guide devices 68 parallel to said plane . it should be remarked that although the described guide devices 68 are inclined by 45 °, good results may be obtained with other angles of inclination . when translation is provided in a radial plane , i . e . when the motor 42 does not drive piece 64 , orientation of the radial plane is facilitated by an arrangement , shown in fig3 consisting of a stop rod 102 slidably mounted in the cover 74 and having an end that can be placed in any one of a series of notches in the upper face of piece 64 . hence , the piece 64 can be locked in a well determined angular position during the machining operation in question . it is also clear that when carrying out the method it is not essential to provide a purely axial advance of the electrode during the initial phase of machining . to the contrary , it is possible when carrying out the preliminary adjustments to leave a certain eccentricity of the device , namely by the adjustment provided by means of nut 23 in the case of fig1 or that provided by the nut 71 in the case of fig5 . hence , at the beginning of the finishing phase of machining , translational movements will be provided about the generatrices of a cone starting from points eccentric in relation to the axis of the cone . | 1 |
referring to the figs ., the present invention provides a game caller , generally designated 10 , having a size and shape suitable for support against the roof of a user &# 39 ; s mouth for impingement with exhausted pulmonary air to simulate sounds normally made by wild game . the caller comprises a support structure for first and second generally flat , latex sheet - like diaphragms 11 and 12 . the diaphragms are fixedly retained by the support structure in a generally parallel spaced - apart relationship with one diaphragm 11 generally overlying the other diaphragm 12 on the support structure . each diaphragm has a different surface area exposed from the support structure and each diaphragm presents an edge free of the support structure to vibrate from the exhausted pulmonary air . the respective vibratory edges 14 and 15 are disposed in a generally parallel relationship to each other , but with one edge 14 being generally offset from the generally parallel edge 15 of the other diaphragm in a direction normal to the parallel edges along a reference plane generally parallel to the diaphragms , as best shown in fig1 . the first diaphragm 11 has at least two slits 20 and 21 generally perpendicular to its vibratory edge 14 to provide a flap 25 on the diaphragm 11 . the second diaphragm 12 has at least one slit 22 generally parallel to its vibratory edge 15 . the support structure of the game caller comprises a spacer 16 , a frame 17 , and a fastener 18 . the frame 17 is initially generally elliptical in shape with a centrally - disposed window . during assembly , the frame is bent in half to form first and second generally c - shaped frame half portions . the frame 17 is bent in half so that the c - shaped half portions of the frame generally align with each other . the spacer 16 is generally c - shaped so that it may be positioned between at least portions of the two diaphragms and then aligned and held in position between the bent c - shaped frame halves . as such , one diaphragm is supported between the spacer and the first frame half and the other diaphragm is supported between the spacer and the second frame half . the frame 17 is bent in half and compressed to hold the spacer and the diaphragms in position . the spacer , the frame , and the diaphragms are in turn held together in a fixed of a generally pliable sheet - like casing . the first and second diaphragm 11 and 12 are both made of latex or other suitable material . the diaphragms 11 and 12 preferably have generally straight vibratory edges 14 and 15 , respectively . the diaphragms are placed against opposite sides of the approximately c - shaped spacer 16 which is made of paper or other suitable material so that the diaphragms may be held by the frame 17 in the generally spaced - apart relationship by the c - shaped spacer positioned therebetween . the diaphragms 11 and 12 are stretched to a desired tension and are fixedly retained by the bent and compressed frame 17 in the spaced - apart relationship with one diaphragm generally overlying the other diaphragm . the diaphragms are held in tension between the bent - over half portions of the frame 17 . the free edges 14 and 15 of the diaphragms are confined between the bends of the frame 17 , as best shown in fig2 with the c - shaped spacer positioned in general alignment between the c - shaped half frame sections of the bent frame 17 , as best shown in fig1 . the spacer 16 may be dimensioned to protrude from the side of the bent frame 17 distal to the diaphragms . as shown in fig2 and 3 , frame 17 is bent to hold the diaphragms so that the bent portion of the frame covers the gap between the diaphragms at the outer ends of vibratory edges 14 and 15 . the frame 17 is typically made of aluminum , plastic or other suitable material that is capable of taking a permanent set when the frame is bent in half to hold the diaphragms and the spacer together . the fastener 18 which is used to hold the diaphragms 11 and 12 , the spacer 16 , and the frame 17 together in a fixed relationship is preferably a thin , generally flat sheet - like plastic casing having a generally c - shaped configuration . the casing covers and adheres to the outer top and bottom surfaces of each bent frame half portion and the top and bottom surfaces of the spacer projecting from the frame 17 . the casing is preferably made of latex or adhesive tape sheets that are bonded together along the outer edge 19 of the casing , as shown in fig2 and 3 . preferably , the first diaphragm 11 is shorter than the second diaphragm 12 in a manner such that the vibratory edge 14 of the first diaphragm 11 is generally parallel to , but offset from the vibratory edge 15 of the second diaphragm 12 . also , the generally shorter first diaphragm 11 is preferably positionable during use proximate to the roof of the user &# 39 ; s mouth . as shown in fig1 and 2 , the first diaphragm 11 has at least two slits 20 and 21 , generally perpendicular to vibratory edge 14 , and preferably approximately equidistant from the center of free edge 14 . each slit originates at vibratory edge 14 to provide a central flap 25 on the first diaphragm 11 . the flap 25 has reduced tension relative to the remaining portion of the diaphragm 11 so that it is free to flutter during use . as shown in fig1 the second diaphragm 12 has at least one slit 22 generally parallel to vibratory edge 15 . preferably slit 22 is positioned so that when pulmonary air is exhausted through the slit 22 , the air impinges on the first diaphragm 11 and particularly the flap 25 to create a desired fluttering or raspy effect . for this purpose , the slit 22 should generally be positioned beneath the flap 25 . as shown in fig1 the slit 22 in diaphragm 12 is generally shorter in width than the width of flap 25 . while certain preferred embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described , the present invention is not limited thereto but may be variously modified or embodied within the scope of the following claims . | 0 |
fig1 shows an isometric view of a preferred embodiment of the improved fire extinguisher 10 . the chamber 20 is substantially a cylindrical shape with a bottom 22 and a top . in the preferred embodiment the chamber is molded from a lightweight resilient material , but it is further contemplated that the chamber be made of aluminum , steel , brass or copper . the preferred embodiment of plastics allows the extinguisher to be placed in locations that could cause corrosion of metals . the top 40 is screwed onto the chamber , but it could also be attached with a bayonet or latching mechanism . the top 40 fits on top of an enlarged opening 70 on the chamber to allow easier filling of the chamber 20 with fire retardant materials . a wall hanging mechanism can be incorporated into the top of the extinguisher , wrap around the body of the cylinder or fork the top of the extinguisher . a handle 40 allows the operator to hold the extinguisher in an upright orientation when it is being used . the fire extinguisher can also be stored and or transported in the upright orientation , but the upright orientation is not critical for the storage or operation of the extinguisher . within the handle 40 a pressurized canister 50 is located . while in the preferred embodiment the pressurized canister is shown within the handle other locations such as within the top of the extinguisher or adjacent to the hose are contemplated . the canister consists essentially of a pressurized chamber , but canisters of different types of gas are possible that do not promote spreading of the fire . because the gas within the canister is under high pressure or in a liquid state , a small canister of pressurized gas is required to expel the contents of the chamber 20 . it is also contemplated that multiple pressurized canisters can be placed within the handle to accommodate a larger fire extinguisher without deviating from the inventive nature of the design . pressurized canisters are available from a variety of sources and can be replaced or serviced without the need to service the entire fire extinguisher . the handle 40 provides some protection to the canister in the event the fire extinguisher is dropped or roughly handled . an arm 42 extends from the underside of the handle 40 to provide structural strength to the top of the fire extinguisher as well as providing a hole for gripping . a flip open door mechanism located on the top of the fire extinguisher 60 and is raised to expose the trigger located under the door 60 . the trigger mechanism opens the pressurized canister to pressurize the chamber and expel the fire extinguishing media out the front of the extinguisher out the application nozzle 90 . the location of the activation trigger the fire extinguisher to provide a fire extinguisher that is designed with both the safety pin and the hose retainer for ease of access for right and left handed person . since the majority of individuals are right handed this creates real problems in life threatening situations . the trigger on top of the fire extinguisher and requires the operator to press down on the extinguisher to operate the extinguisher , but other embodiments are contemplated including but not limited to a finger trigger or a slide mechanism . a safety pin can be incorporated to prevent accidental operation of the extinguisher . the extinguisher is hung from a wall using a fork type holder that is not shown . it is further contemplated that the top housing has an extended tab on one or more side for hanging on an existing wall hanger . the extended tab includes a variety of details located on the top and sides of the extended tab for mounting on wall hangers that are available with older fire extinguisher . the extinguisher has an expelling valve 80 that is rotated to open the nozzle 90 . this valve can be rotated back to the closed position to prevent extinguishing powder from pouring out of the extinguisher when not desired . the path from the pressurized canister 50 to the nozzle 90 is best shown and described in fig2 . fig2 shows a side sectional view of the preferred embodiment of the fire extinguisher 10 shown in fig1 . this figure shows the chamber 20 filled with the fire extinguishing media 70 such as chemical retardant abc , bc , purple k etc . various types of fire extinguishing media can be placed within the chamber . the upper portion of the chamber includes an enlarged opening 28 where it joins with the top 30 of the extinguisher . the enlarged opening 70 is greater than 50 % of the diameter of the cylindrical fire extinguisher , but could be up to and including the same diameter as the cylinder with a threading mechanism located on the exterior lip of the cylinder at one or both ends of the cylinder . threading or other fastening means is used to secure the top 30 and or bottom of the fire extinguisher onto the cylinder . the fastening means can be with internal or external threading on the cylinder and mating end closures or by methods of fastening such as but not limited to bayonet , pins , welding or adhesives . it is also contemplated that the cylinder be fabricated from tubular stock where both the top and the bottom of the extinguisher is identical and the ends are attached to the tube when the fire extinguisher is assembled . the bottom of the extinguisher 20 has a port , hole or opening 102 to allow access to the fluffing knob 100 . in the preferred embodiment the top opening is between 75 % and 90 % of the diameter of the fire extinguisher . the larger opening allows the contents of the fire extinguisher to be filled , emptied , inspected , and serviced more easily . the top is screwed onto the chamber , but it could also be attached with a bayonet or latching mechanism . the top 30 of the fire extinguisher provides the propellant and the connections to emit the fire extinguishing material 70 . the head ( delivery system ) has an emission port and an entry port plus a pick - up tube . it has a safety guard 64 over the charging pin and a lever 60 to fire the powder through the emission port . the powering cartridge 50 is easily installed in the handle 40 attached to the head of the extinguisher . the powder cartridge has a fluffier tube with an opening to accept the pick - up tube within the head . current fire extinguishers must be torn down every six years to fluff the powder , check for caking and to check the condition of the chemical . this extinguisher does not have to be broken down ; the powder can be fluffed each month , once a year or the chemical cartridge can simple be replaced . the current fire extinguishers have to be subjected to a hydo test every five years for fleet vehicles and every twelve years for the standard extinguishers . a gas filled pressurized canister 50 is located within the handle 40 of the extinguisher . it can be seen from this figure that the pressurized canister exists substantially within the handle . the handle provides some protection to the canister for accidental damage . a small portion of the pressurized canister extends beyond the end of the handle to allow access to the pressurized canister so it can be installed , removed or serviced without the need to disassemble other parts of the fire extinguisher . the pressurized canister is threaded into a fitting 52 within the handle of the extinguisher . the fitting can be of a variety of types that allows engagement of the canister to the extinguisher allowing the gas to be exhausted from the canister into the body of the fire extinguisher . a trigger 60 or other activation mechanism controls a valve 62 to regulate the flow of the gas from the canister through tube 54 and into the fire extinguisher . the end of the inlet tube 54 blows gas into the cylinder such that it creates a swirl of the fire retardant media . various safety pins , locks , tabs or other devices can be incorporated to reduce or prevent the possibility of accidental activation of the trigger . in this fig2 the chamber is shown to provide a view of the fluffing mechanism ( s ) 120 . the fluffing mechanism conditions the fire retardant media to provide anti - bridging of the media within the chamber to agitate , fluff , turn , disturb , stir , ruffle , and or alters the condition of the media to allow the media to maintain a powder consistency . this allows the fire retardant powder media to remain in a liquefied state so it is easier to spray the powder onto a fire . the conditioning of the media can be performed using a variety of methods and in the preferred embodiment the conditioning is performed with an appendage 110 that can be articulated from the exterior 100 of the chamber . the appendage is a shaft that extends the length of the chamber and has a number of flaps 120 attached to the appendage . while flaps are shown and used in the preferred embodiment a variety of other appendages are contemplated that can condition the media that include but are not limited to rods , paddles , arms , disks , cable , chains or combination thereof . it is also contemplated that the appendage can be a simple hook or chain that conditions the fire extinguishing media . the fluffer is formed from two halves of material that is joined to create the fluffing shaft . it is contemplated that the fluffing can be accomplished by blowing gas into the chamber through a hole 103 and through the fluffing shaft to fluff the media within the chamber where the gas blows through the shaft and out fluffing holes 104 . as previously described the appendage terminates 100 at the bottom of the chamber where it can be articulated , but the appendage could terminate at the top or sides of the chamber . the termination at the bottom of the chamber 100 to allow articulation that requires either a key to attach to the appendage , or may terminate with manual knob , handle , wheel or other extension . a manually rotatable handle is shown for manual fluffing of the fire extinguishing media . the nozzle 90 can be turned to direct the spray of fire retardant material as desired . a valve handle 80 is rotated up to allow the fire extinguishing media to be expelled and rotated down to block the flow of fire retardant material from falling out of the extinguisher when the tank is tipped . in operation when the trigger 60 is depressed the valve 62 is opened and gas from the canister 50 is expelled from the tube 54 into the chamber 20 . the chamber becomes pressurized and fire suppressant media 70 is pushed into hole 122 in the bottom of the chamber where it is further pushed up through the central shaft and through the head 92 and out the nozzle 90 where it is dispensed out the opening . the nozzle is shown in a fixed direction but in another contemplated embodiment the nozzle is flexible to allow a user to hold the fire extinguisher and direct the fire extinguishing media out of the nozzle to a fire . while a nozzle is shown in the preferred embodiment other dispensing orifices can be used such as valves , tubing , spray nozzles or similar are contemplated . it is contemplated that an over pressure relief valve can be incorporated within the fire extinguisher to vent any excessive pressure from within the cylinder that could cause the fire extinguisher to burst due to over pressurization of the chamber . another contemplated feature can be a pressure gauge that will provide information on the amount of pressure in the canister to ensure that it is sufficiently charged for use when needed . after using the fire extinguisher , it can be opened , refilled and the canister replaced to allow the fire extinguisher to be returned to service like other types of office equipment like copiers or printers . this is shown and described in more detail with fig6 . fig3 shows a bottom view of the preferred embodiment of the fire extinguisher 10 shown in fig1 . this view is one contemplated embodiment with access to the articulating appendage with a hex or similar key drive 100 attachment and a handle knob 105 that can be manually turned to fluff the fire retardant media within the chamber 20 . a battery powered drill or screwdriver can be attached to the hex drive socket and the powder within the fire extinguisher can be quickly fluffed . it is further contemplated that the fluffer could be operated by an automatic or manual motor that operates on a timer to fluff the powder at intervals . in this view the canister 50 is shown within the handle 40 . in assembling the extinguisher the end of fluffing shaft 108 is guided into the orifice 94 in the top housing . fig4 shows a mid cylinder sectional view of the preferred embodiment shown in fig1 . this sectional view is cut through the chamber 20 to show the flapper ( s ) 120 on the appendage 110 . the inlet tube 54 from the pressurized canister is shown in one contemplated location . the end of the inlet tube 54 is shown . the pressurized canister 50 is shown within the handle 40 shown in the safety or bent down orientation . the exhaust hole 82 is shown that transports fire retardant media from the fire extinguisher out the application nozzle 90 . fig5 shows a top view of the preferred embodiment of the fire extinguisher 10 shown in fig1 . this view is one contemplated view as the fire extinguisher would appear when viewed from the top of the extinguisher . the pressurized canister is not visible because it is covered with the top housing and the handle 40 . the handle 40 further provides some protection to the pressurized canister to reduce the possibility of damaging the pressurized canister . the chamber exists under the top 30 of the fire extinguisher and the nozzle 90 is shown on the side opposite the handle . fig6 shows a re - filling operation that allows a spent extinguisher to be re - filled or re - charged . the top 30 of the fire extinguisher is removed 230 from a used body 29 of the fire extinguisher 10 . any remaining fire retardant powder is discarded . the mixing of old and new fire retardant material as well as the mixing of fire retardant material from different manufacturers as well as different types of fire retardant material causes contamination to the fire retardant material and makes the fire retardant material less effective . the top of a refill canister 200 of appropriately rated fire retardant material is removed 240 and the new powder cartridge is installed 210 onto the top 30 of the spend fire extinguisher 30 . the spent gas cartridge 59 is removed 58 and a new gas cartridge 50 is inserted 51 into the handle of the fire extinguisher . in one contemplated use of the fire extinguisher , a fireman can carry the fire extinguisher a power refill cartridges 200 and pressurized canisters 50 . once the extinguisher has been used the fireman can re - fill the canister at the fire . the fireman can also carry an empty fire extinguisher with a variety of fire extinguishing media , and can fill the fire extinguisher at the site of the fire once they determine the most appropriate material to use on the fire . one contemplated fill or refill mechanism is shown as where fire retardant material is contained within the cartridge 200 . in this contemplated embodiment the cartridge slides into the fire extinguisher cylinder body 20 . the fire extinguishing media cartridge 200 is configured with wing , arm , flap or tabs that are articulated from the exterior of the replacement cartridge to keep spare cartridges sufficiently fluffed and ready for use . the spent fire suppressant media cartridges and or pressurized cartridges are recyclable for future re - use . thus , specific embodiments of an improved fire extinguisher have been disclosed . it should be apparent , however , to those skilled in the art that many more modifications besides those described are possible without departing from the inventive concepts herein . the inventive subject matter , therefore , is not to be restricted except in the spirit of the appended claims . | 0 |
the following description should be read with reference to the drawings , in which like elements in different drawings are numbered in like fashion . the drawings , which are not necessarily to scale , depict selected embodiments and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention . although examples of construction , dimensions , and materials are illustrated for the various elements , those skilled in the art will recognize that many of the examples provided have suitable alternatives that may be utilized . fig1 is a perspective view of an activity book 10 . as illustrated , activity book 10 includes a front cover 12 and a spiral binding 14 . activity book 10 may encompass several sheets of paper placed within clear plastic sheet protectors , for example . activity book 10 may encompass several sheets of paper that are simply stapled or clipped together , or perhaps adhesively secured together . in other instances , it is contemplated that activity book 10 may include other binding forms , as are known in the art . front cover 12 may be formed of any suitable material , such as paper , tag board , cardboard , plastic sheets and the like . activity book 10 may include one or more pages ( not illustrated in this view ), which similarly are formed of paper , tag board , cardboard , plastic sheets and the like . the content of such pages will be discussed in greater detail hereinafter . activity book 10 may include a title 16 , which may be used to designate a purpose for activity book 10 . examples of possible titles for activity book 10 include “ date book ”, in which case activity book 10 would be directed to leading two people through a date . another suitable title 16 would be “ challenge book ”, which may identify a book directed to helping a group of people achieve a common goal . for example , title 16 may be “ eye - spy book ”, indicating that activity book 10 is directed to challenging one or more users to find hidden answers to riddles or sayings . title 16 may read “ vision book ”, indicating that activity book 10 is directed to building unity or establishing common vision within a corporate structure . an “ outing book ”, or “ visitor book ”, may indicate that activity book 10 is directed to guiding visitors through one or more locations or events in an unfamiliar city , for example . one of skill in the art will recognize that a myriad of possibilities are encompassed and contemplated by the present invention . in some instances , activity book 10 may be tailored or themed to a particular holiday , a particular season , a particular event , a particular place , or the like . examples of suitable holidays to which activity book 10 may be directed include , but are not limited to , new year &# 39 ; s day , martin luther king , jr . day , chinese new year , lincoln &# 39 ; s birthday , presidents &# 39 ; day , valentine &# 39 ; s day , washington &# 39 ; s birthday , flag day , st . patrick &# 39 ; s day , palm sunday , passover , good friday , easter , labor day , mother &# 39 ; s day , memorial day , father &# 39 ; s day , canada day , independence day , rosh hashanah , yom kipper , columbus day , thanksgiving , national boss day , united nations day , halloween , veterans day , thanksgiving , hanukkah , christmas , boxing day , and kwanzaa . in some instances , activity book 10 ( and hence title 16 ) may be directed to a particular event that is not related to a holiday . examples include , but are not limited to , corporate entertainment , corporate milestones , family reunions , marketing programs or product introductions , events at churches and other religious organizations , events at schools such as universities , colleges , high schools , trade schools , grade schools and the like , anniversaries , birthdays for children , teenagers , young adults , working adults , retirees and / or the elderly . in some cases , activity book 10 ( and hence title 16 ) may be directed towards use at a particular location . examples include , but are not limited to , cities and other metropolitan areas such as new york , chicago , miami , minneapolis or las vegas , theme parks such as one of the six flags ™ theme parks , disney world , disney land or camp snoopy , destination shopping locations such as the mall of america , and the like . fig2 illustrates an interior of activity book 10 . in this figure , activity book 10 can be seen to include a first page 18 and a second page 20 . in this , the designations of first and second are arbitrary , and do not necessarily denote succession . moreover , it should be noted that first page 18 may represent a back surface of cover 12 ( fig1 ), or may represent a page that is several or even many pages removed from cover 12 . second page 20 , as referenced herein , merely refers to a page following first page 18 . while not illustrated as such , it is contemplated that there may be intervening pages between first page 18 and second page 20 . first page 18 includes an activity 22 and an accompaniment 24 . similarly , second page 20 includes an activity 26 and an accompaniment 28 . accompaniment 24 may be an item or items that facilitate activity 22 while accompaniment 28 may be an item or items that facilitate activity 26 . it will be appreciated that activity 22 and activity 26 may describe or suggest activities that are appropriate with respect to the function of activity book 10 , as suggested by title 16 ( fig1 ). activity 22 and activity 26 may represent text describing an activity , location , event or the like . in some instances , activity 22 and activity 26 may include photos , directions , maps and the like . in some instances , one of first page 18 and second page 20 may lack either accompaniment 24 or accompaniment 28 . in some instances , accompaniment 24 and / or accompaniment 28 may include hidden surprises such as , for example , tickets or coupons , redeemable cards , money , poems , verses , songs , coins , games , fill - in - the - blank notes , funny sayings and / or other fun activities . for example , pre - defined amounts assigned to a coupon or card may provide the user with the ability to embellish the experience of an activity book . movie tickets , zoo tickets , or any other suitable tickets may also embellish the experience of an activity book . also , the perceived value of the activity book may be increased with pages that include discounted products or services . for example , discount cards or coupons may be provided for certain stores and / or for certain products in a shopping mall like the mall of america ™ or at a particular event such as a state fair . in some cases , this may provide a platform for a store and / or manufacturer to introduce a new product or service to the user . also , and in some cases , a coupon may be embedded for a next purchase discount , which may encourage further purchases and possibly increased profits . in some instances , first page 18 and second page 20 may include text , images and / or the like . images may be used to , for example , depict a theme and / or guide the user through the various activities . in some cases , images are selected and / or created to spike interest and grab the attention of the user . these images may be custom designed or stock purchased . preferably , a variety of images are used . for example , photographs may be used to communicate emotion . it is contemplated that either stock or personal photographs may be used , as desired . graphical art may likewise be used . graphical art may help create interesting text formats and animated imagery . graphical art may also help emphasize a theme or concept , and / or increase the depth of interest in the activity book . computer software may be used for original designs or stock graphics may be imported , as desired . cartoons may also be used . cartoons may be used to create humor , emit values and / or help tell a story or make a point , as desired . color may be used to trigger emotions . returning to fig2 , if title 16 ( fig1 ) is , for example , “ date book ”, then activity 22 and / or activity 26 may be designed to promote opportunities for the two people reading activity book 10 to communicate with each other through sharing memories , dreams and / or opinions . perhaps activity 22 suggests , for example , that the two people talk about their favorite pet , while activity 26 prompts the two people to discuss some other facet of their previous life experiences . in such an example , accompaniment 24 may include pictures of several different pets , or perhaps a map directing the individuals to the local humane society . accompaniment 28 may include a list of conversation starters . in another example , if title 16 is “ challenge book ”, activity book 10 may be provided to help guide a group of people in achieving a common goal . for instance , a “ challenge book ” may be designed for teams of people to compete with each other for a prize or to achieve another pre - determined goal . in one example , “ challenge books ” may be provided to teams of teenagers at a church camp . each book may have a different objective , and teamwork may be required to complete the objective . for example , team work may be needed to solve a puzzle or identify a moral hidden in the activities , and the first team to complete the objective may win . an example may be : honesty , the best policy . activity 22 ( first page 18 ) of such an illustrative “ challenge book ” may include instructions or clues on the four words that make up the moral , while accompaniment 24 may be a paper upon which the moral may be written as the individuals figure out what it is . on second page 20 , activity 26 may provide the team with an activity that supports the moral while accompaniment 28 is absent . pages three and four ( not shown ) may include , respectively , a short skit to be performed that highlights the moral and / or inaccurate quotes to be unscrambled . in this example , each page may take the team in the direction of solving the riddle or unveiling the hidden moral . in another example , title 16 may read “ eye - spy book ”, indicating that activity book 10 may be designed to challenge one or more users to ‘ find ’ hidden answers to riddles or sayings . the goal in one illustrative eye - spy book may be to find the word or letter that is hidden in each page . activity 22 ( first page 18 ) may , for example , include a maze or the like that require 3 - d glasses to ‘ read ’ the mystery to solve , while accompaniment 24 provides the 3 - d glasses . the maze may , for example , outline the ‘ game or clues ’ that will be given in each of the following pages , including , for example , second page 20 . the reader &# 39 ; s objective may be to , for example , discover ‘ who done it ’. in one example , the ‘ mystery of the fly fisherman ’ may be used . in another example , activity book 10 may be intended as a guide to help entertain out - of - town corporate visitors . assume , for example , that a group of sales people are coming to town for a corporate sales meeting . a copy of activity book 10 may be provided in each person &# 39 ; s hotel room , including perhaps a welcome card from the vice president of sales as well as a short letter of appreciation . on first page 18 ( which as discussed need not actually be the first page of activity book 10 ), activity 22 may include a suggestion for a wonderful dinner at a local restaurant , while accompaniment 24 may include , for example , a map to the restaurant in question , or perhaps a coupon good for a free or reduced - cost meal at the restaurant . on second page 20 , activity 26 may include a riddle to be read at dinner while accompaniment 28 provides an answer to the riddle . other pages of activity book 10 ( not illustrated here ) may include a page that provides historical facts about the city , little known tidbits of information about famous people from the area , etc . another page may be dedicated to a new product being introduced at the sales meeting . in some cases , activity book 10 may be a unique way to spark conversation , have a good time and learn a little more about the cultural , historical area where the meeting is being held , and / or information about the company and / or new products being offered , as desired . in another example , activity book 10 may be intended to help or lead out - of - town visitors around a particular town , leading people through a series of one or more particular destinations . an “ outing book ” may resemble a scavenger hunt , and may have pages directing the reader through a sequence of activities — like going to a local festival , park , restaurant , theatres , museums and / or other such places or activities . in some cases , pre - paid advertisements by business owners may enable the reader to receive gifts at restaurants , theatres , museums . in such an example , activity 22 ( first page 18 ) may include a suggestion to attend a particular theatre event , while accompaniment 24 provides directions to the theatre , discount admission to the theatre , or the like . activity 26 ( second page 20 ) may then include a suggestion for an after - theatre dinner , or after - theatre cocktail while accompaniment 28 includes a map to the after - theatre location . in some instances , it is contemplated that activity book 10 may be tailored to the cruise ship industry . for example , many cruise ships have numerous activities planned for the enjoyment of their guests . an “ outing book ” may be provided that directs the reader through a sequence of activities — like going to the swimming pool , a putt - putt golf course , a show , dinner at a particular restaurant , the casino and finally to a particular bar / disco for a night cap . in another example , a “ welcome outing book ” may be provided to the guests upon arrival to the ship . the “ welcome outing book ” may , for example , help familiarize the reader with the ship by guiding the reader through various parts of the ship , possibly providing interesting information about the operation , activities , and / or history of the ship . muster stations as well as other safety information may also be provided . in some cases , the “ outing book ” may resemble a scavenger hunt to help add fun to the exploration of the ship . upon completion of the scavenger hunt , the reader may qualify for a drawing to win a prize , for example . in some cases , a “ visiting book ” may be provided to guests for a particular port of call . for example , a “ visiting book ” may include an introduction to the entertainment and / or sightseeing offerings of the port of call . the visiting book may also provide historical facts about the port of call , little known tidbits of information about famous people from the area , maps , etc . the visiting book may also provide suggested local restaurants , beaches , car rental companies , excursion companies and locations , etc . in some cases , the “ visiting book ” may outline one or more suggested day trips , which may include a sequence of activities that are designed to allow the reader to get the most out of the often relatively short visit to the port of call . in some cases , the “ visiting book ” may resemble a scavenger hunt , which may help add fun to the exploration of the port - of - call . upon completion of the scavenger hunt , the reader may qualify for a drawing to win a prize , for example . the “ outing books ” and / or “ visiting books ” may include coupons , tickets , local currency , and / or any other desired article , if desired , provided as accompaniment 24 or accompaniment 28 , as appropriate . such “ outing books ” and / or “ visiting books ” may also be provided to other travelers , such as through travel agencies or airlines for particular destinations . turning now to fig3 , a portion of an activity book 30 is illustrated . in this figure , activity book 30 has been opened such that a page 32 is visible . page 32 includes an activity 33 , which as discussed previously with respect to fig1 may include text , photos and the like , suggesting or instructing a reader to engage in a particular activity , visit a particular location , engage in a conversation , or the like . page 32 also includes an envelope 34 , which may be used to hold other components such as envelopes , envelope enclosures , images , interactive devices , coupons , redeemable cards , tickets , money or any other suitable component , as desired . envelope 34 may , for example , be a small envelope that can have a variety of colors , textures and sizes , and in some cases , can change color with water , heat or sunlight . in some instances , envelope 34 may be used to hold a ‘ surprise ’ such as , for example , a poem , a ticket , a coupon , money , a verse , a saying , a quote , a question or any other suitable surprise . when more than one envelope 34 is provided , the surprises in two or more of the envelopes 34 may be related in some way . for example , one envelope 34 may include a key that can be used to unlock another envelope 34 . the envelopes 34 may be designed to allow the user to return the ‘ surprise ’ to the envelope 34 and keep it with the activity book as a keepsake , if desired . in some embodiments , it is contemplated that the envelopes 34 may hold ‘ smart tags ’ or the like , which may , for example , trigger a recorded song or message . also , it is contemplated that some of the envelopes 34 may be stuffed in another envelope , stacked , or arranged in any other suitable manner . in some cases , some of the envelopes 34 may hold blank paper or include a blank region to allow a user to record a response . in fig4 , envelope 34 has been opened to reveal that envelope 34 included a ticket 36 . in some instances , envelope 34 may include an envelope enclosure that may help retain envelope 34 in a closed position and may include a variety of closures . in some instances , it is contemplated that velcro ™ may be used . in some cases , a lock ( not shown ) may be used to secure envelope 34 in a closed position . in particular , fig5 illustrates an enclosure 38 that can be a sticker or a dab of wax applied where a flap 40 meets a face 42 of envelope 34 . stickers may have the same theme as activity book 10 , and may provide additional art interest . it is contemplated that the stickers may be made of any suitable material including , for example , glossy paper with adhesive or glue . stamped melted wax may be used to help secure envelope 34 in a closed position . wax may provide a unique and quaint feel , as well as provide additional interest . in fig6 , an enclosure 44 includes a flap post 46 , an envelope post 48 and a string or ribbon 50 wrapped between flap post 46 and envelope post 48 . in some instances , flap post 46 and envelop post 48 may include cardboard circles that have been adhesively attached to flap 40 and face 42 , respectively . fig7 illustrates a portion of an activity book 52 that includes a page 54 . page 54 includes an activity 33 , as discussed previously , and an enclosure 56 having an open top 58 . any suitable items , such as the accompaniments discussed previously , may be provided within enclosure 56 . in some instances , activity books may include interactive devices that can provide visual or audio messages to a user . for example , voice or ‘ pre - recorded tags ’ can be used to incorporate personal sayings , music , a recognized voice ; such as , bob hope , and may further deepen the impact of the activity books . enabling a user to pre - select their own message may further personalize an activity book . in some cases , the voice or ‘ pre - recorded tags ’ may be activated by touching or squeezing the tag , as desired . fig8 illustrates a portion of an activity book 60 , which has been opened to reveal a page 62 . page 62 can be seen to include a device 64 that has a small screen 66 , such as an lcd display , that can be used to display photos , text messages and the like . in some instances , it may be desired to provide a user with an ability to record a message for later playback . fig9 illustrates a portion of an activity book 68 , which has been opened to reveal a page 70 . page 70 includes a device 72 that includes a speaker 74 that can be used to play audio messages as well as a microphone 76 that can be used by the user to record messages . fig1 illustrates a series 78 of activity books including a first series book 80 , a second series book 82 and a third series book 84 . while three books are illustrated , it should be noted that series 78 may include two , four , five or more books , as desired . second series book 82 may provide activities that build on activities previously referenced in first series book 80 . similarly , third series book 84 may describe activities that build on activities previously referenced in second series book 82 . moreover , first series book 80 may foreshadow , or hint at , activities in second series book 82 while second series book 82 may foreshadow activities in third series book 84 . in one example , there may be a series of “ date books ”, where the activities in a first “ date book ” may be different from the activities suggested in a second or third “ date book ”. in some cases , the “ series books ” may be provided as monthly or yearly editions , and may be predicated on previous books in the series . fig1 illustrates an apparatus 86 in which an activity book 88 is seen as secured relative to a stick 90 . stick 90 functions as a handle for activity book 88 , and lends additional interest to activity book 88 . stick 90 may be formed from any suitable material , such as suitable stiff cardboard or plastic , or a relatively thin piece of wood . activity book 88 may be secured relative to stick 90 using any suitable technique , such as gluing activity book 88 to stick 90 , or perhaps stapling . in some instances , an activity book may not include paper at all , but rather may be electronically published . fig1 illustrates a personal digital assistant ( pda ) 92 that may be used in realizing an activity book in accordance with the present invention . pda 92 includes a screen 94 that may be a touch screen , a power button 96 and several additional buttons 98 that may be used for functions not attainable through screen 94 . in an electronic activity book , accompaniments that facilitate activities discussed within the electronic activity book may include , for example , e - tickets and the like . the first illustrated example activity book is a “ valentine &# 39 ; s day date book ” for use at the mall of america ™, which is located in bloomington , minn . while the size of the illustrative activity book is based on practical considerations , it contemplated that the activity books may be created in any size . the illustrative activity book is 5¼ ″× 8½ ″, and is bound by plastic cording on the left side . high grade 44 lb glossy paper was used . the cover is a clear plastic and the back is a heavy ‘ leather ’ look , although other materials may be used , as desired . a color printer of high quality was used to print the base book designs , which were created on a computer . some of the pages are completed with appropriate envelopes and / or ‘ surprises ’. in the illustrative embodiment , the envelopes are affixed by either glue or corner picture holders . the finished pages have holes punched through to enable the plastic cord to be inserted through the pages to hold the book together . in the illustrative example , movie tickets , coupons for a dessert , ride tickets for camp snoopy ™, and pennies for tossing into the fountain at camp snoopy ™ are all included . each page of the illustrative “ valentine &# 39 ; s day date book ” will now be described . fig1 shows a first page 100 that includes a photo 102 of a bronzed cupid holding two hearts , thereby indicating that this is a valentine &# 39 ; s day date book . first page 100 also includes a text box 104 that includes a name indicating the source of the valentine &# 39 ; s day date book , as well as the publication year . fig1 shows a second page 106 that , in some instances , may represent an opposite side of first page 100 . second page 106 includes a large text box 108 that includes welcoming text . second page 106 also includes a logo 110 , which indicates where this activity book is to be used , as well as an informational text box 112 that includes suggestions to the user regarding movie times and locations . any suitable colors may be used . in the illustrated example , large text box 108 and informational text box 112 are originally both in white , with dark blue text . second page 106 has a red color , which is suitable for valentine &# 39 ; s day . fig1 shows a third page 114 having a red background color . a text box 118 provides appropriate preparatory advice for the two people participating in the valentine &# 39 ; s day date book . text box 118 has a white background , with dark blue text . a graphic 120 and a photo 122 of a couple remind the users that the intended event is valentine &# 39 ; s day . fig1 shows a fourth page 124 that may , in some instances , may represent an opposite side of third page 114 . third page 114 has a yellow or beige background with a dark blue border . a photo 126 of the snoopy gang suggests that the individuals participating in the valentine &# 39 ; s day date book may be attending camp snoopy ™. text 128 includes a reminder regarding logistics , i . e ., is the couple meeting at camp snoopy ™, or is one participant supposed to pick up the other participant ? fig1 shows a fifth page 130 also having a yellow or beige background with a dark blue border . a photo 132 of a ferris wheel defines a starting point for the date . text box 134 , which is white with blue text , provides instructions intended to spark conversation . an envelope 136 , which is sealed with a happy face sticker 138 , contains tickets for riding the ferris wheel . fig1 shows a sixth page 140 , which has a tan background , and which may represent an opposite side of fifth page 130 . to set the mood , sixth page 140 includes a photo 142 of snoopy and woodstock . sixth page 140 includes elements intended to further the conversation . text box 144 includes instructions for the female participant to read comic strip 146 to the male participant while walking towards the fountain in camp snoopy ™. text box 148 includes instructions for the male participant to ask her a question related to comic strip 146 . fig1 shows a seventh page 150 having a beige background . seventh page 150 includes a graphic 152 providing a camp snoopy ™ logo . a text box 154 having a light background and dark text instructs the date participants to find the snoopy fountain , walk out on the dock and open an envelope 156 , which is sealed by a first candy heart sticker 158 and a second candy heart sticker 160 . for fun , text box 154 includes a challenge to attempt to throw a penny into the red canoe present near the snoopy fountain . envelope 156 includes several items . two pennies are included so that each participant can attempt to meet the aforementioned challenge . a small piece of paper providing additional conversation topics is also included in envelope 156 . the piece of paper includes statements such as “ with this penny , i wish for . . . ”, “ with this life , i dream . . . ” and “ with this day , i hope that . . . . . . all with you .” fig2 shows an eighth page 162 that , in some instances , may be considered as the opposite side of seventh page 150 . eighth page 162 has a light blue background and includes a photo 164 of two young girls riding the red baron ride and a text box 166 that instructs the date participants to walk over to the railing , watch the planes fly around , and discuss their favorite vacations . fig2 shows a ninth page 168 having a light blue background . ninth page 168 includes a graphical cartoon 170 of an airplane , and a text box 172 that , continuing the theme of eighth page 162 , provides additional questions concerning vacations . it is thought that the two participants may discuss answers to these questions , and thereby further their conversation . fig2 shows a tenth page 174 that may , in some circumstances , be considered as an opposite side to ninth page 168 . tenth page 174 has a light gray / green background , and includes a photo 178 of the log chute ride and a text box 178 . text box 178 includes instructions to proceed to the log chute ride , and provides a trivia question to discuss during the walk to the log chute ride . while the answer to the trivia question is not provided , it is thought that the question may spark further conversation . fig2 shows an eleventh page 180 having a light gray / green background . eleventh page 180 includes an envelope 182 that is sealed shut with a snoopy sticker 184 . inside envelope 182 are tickets to the log chute ride . eleventh page 180 includes a snoopy graphic 186 for fun . a text box 188 provides several suggestions for the couple . fig2 shows a twelfth page 190 having a sky blue background . twelfth page 190 may be considered as an opposite side to eleventh page 180 . twelfth page 190 includes a graphic 192 of footsteps , which is intended to indicate that the user will be walking out of camp snoopy ™. text box 194 includes instructions as to where the user should walk to . a text box 196 and an accompanying graphic 198 introduces another discussion topic . fig2 shows a thirteenth page 200 having a sky blue background . the footsteps graphic 192 of fig2 continues onto thirteenth page 200 . a graphic 202 of a motorcycle and text box 204 introduces another discussion topic . fig2 shows a fourteenth page 206 having a pink background . fourteenth page 206 , which may be considered as an opposite side to thirteenth page 200 , includes a macy &# 39 ; s ™ logo 208 and a bloomingdales ™ log 210 , along with a graphic 212 of an escalator and a graphic 214 of a compass . a text box 216 suggests that the upcoming pages will provide clues as to the user &# 39 ; s next destination . fig2 shows a fifteenth page 218 having a pink background . fifteenth page 218 includes an envelope 220 that is decorated with a black and white polka dot pattern as well as a small normal rockwell picture . envelope 220 is closed with a rose sticker 222 . a graphic 224 of an ice cream sundae is positioned above envelope 220 . a text box 226 includes suggestions for discussion topics . fig2 and 29 provide , in combination , activities for both the male and female participants , and involves several art galleries . fig2 shows a sixteenth page 227 , which may be considered as an opposite side to fifteenth page 218 . a photo of a sunset is provided as the background to sixteenth page 227 . a text box 228 provides instructions for fig2 and fig2 . another text box 230 instructs the male participant to find a painting in one of the art galleries that demonstrates his favorite season . in fig2 , seventeenth page 232 , bearing a photo of a child sharing an ice cream cone with a puppy as background , includes a text box 230 instructing the female participant to find a painting in one of the art galleries that shows her favorite animal . fig3 shows an eighteenth page 236 , which may be considered as an opposite side to seventeenth page 232 and which includes a spring green background . a text box 238 includes instructions to find a bench and open an envelope 240 , which is sealed with a flower sticker 242 . a graphic 244 of a park bench provides ambiance . envelope 240 includes a piece of paper bearing reading assignments for both date participants . the male participant is instructed to read the side marked with a “ y ” to the female participant , while the female participant is instructed to read the side marked with an “ x ” to the male participant . each side provides a poem . the poem marked with a “ y ”, to be read to the female , is “ love &# 39 ; s philosophy ”, by percy bysshe shelley , and reads as follows : ‘ the fountains mingle with the river , and the rivers with the ocean ; the winds of heaven mix forever , with a sweet emotion ; nothing in the world is single ; all things by a law divine in one another &# 39 ; s being mingle ; why not i with thine ? see ! the mountains kiss high heaven , and the waves clasp one another ; no sister flower would be forgiven , if it disdained it &# 39 ; s brother ; and the sunlight clasps the earth , and the moonbeams kiss the sea ; what are all these kissings worth , if thou kiss not me ?’ the poem marked with an “ x ” , to be read to the male , is “ wild nights ”, by emily dickinson , and reads as follows : ‘ wild nights , wild nights ! were i with thee , wild nights should be our luxury ! futile the winds to a heart in port done with the compass done with the chart . rowing in eden . ah , the sea . might i be moor tonight with thee !’ fig3 shows a nineteenth page 246 having a spring green background . a photo 248 of lego ™ land is provided in the background . an envelope 250 , which is sealed with an admit one sticker 252 and a popcorn sticker 254 , contains movie tickets . a text box 255 includes instructions for each participant to separate , individually select their own favorite lego color and lego figure , and to meet together at the elevator . while on the elevator to the fourth floor , the participants may attempt to guess each other &# 39 ; s favorites . fig3 shows a twentieth page 256 having a gray background , and which may be considered as an opposite side to nineteenth page 246 . twentieth page 256 simply includes a banner 258 announcing the end of the date . fig3 shows a twenty - first page 260 having a gray background , and including a photo 262 of a girl waving good - bye . a text box 264 includes parting instructions for the participants . fig3 shows a twenty - second page 266 having a deep blue background . twenty - second page 266 may be considered as an opposite side to twenty - first page 260 . twenty - second page 266 includes a text box 268 stating who provided the valentine &# 39 ; s day date book , a mall of america ™ logo 270 and a camp snoopy ™ logo 272 , both of which indicate sponsorship of , or participation in , the valentine &# 39 ; s day date book . while not illustrated , the valentine &# 39 ; s day date book includes a red leather paper back cover . the illustrative minnesota state fair activity book on a stick is 5 × 5½ ″, and is bound by plastic cording on the top . high grade of 44 lb glossy paper was used . the cover may be customized for each individual or group , as desired . the back may be designed specifically for advertisement , if desired . each page may be completed with appropriate envelopes and / or surprises , instructions or activities , as desired . these envelopes may be affixed in a variety of ways , such as ; glue , string , ribbon , grommets or corner picture holders . in the illustrative embodiment , the last two pages are glued onto a stick to provide the user with a holder for the activity book , resulting in an activity book on a stick . other attachment mechanisms may also be used to attached the activity book to the stick , and other holders may be used other than a stick such as , for example , a plastic ring or any other suitable handle , as desired . each page of the illustrative “ minnesota state fair activity book on a stick ” will now be described . fig3 shows a cover page 272 that is configured to accommodate a commemorative photo 274 that may be taken by the user at the state fair . a logo 276 identifies the minnesota state fair while a text box 277 identifies the source of the activity book on a stick . in some cases , cover page 272 may provide a custom book for individuals or groups , and may be a keepsake for fairgoers . it may also create an incentive for purchasing next year &# 39 ; s activity book . the theme of the illustrative state fair activity book is not centered on any specific thought — however , theme activity books for the fair may also be used , if desired . some illustrative themed activity books may include : an activity book dedicated to animals at the fair ; an activity book dedicated for children under the age of 10 at the fair ; an activity book dedicated to bizarre happenings or events at the fair , etc . fig3 shows a second page 278 , which may be glued to the back of cover page 272 . second page 278 is created to provide promotions about the fair — space may be sold to booths or organizations to advertise their products at the fair . this page is a good example of an activity book that can be dedicated to vendors . every page may be highlighting a particular paid sponsor . while no sponsors are shown on second page 278 , graphics 280 , 282 and 284 each show where a sponsor may have identifying text and graphics . fig3 shows a third page 286 , which includes a suggestion 288 to get a map of the grounds and in fact includes a small map 290 . whether the user knows the layout of the minnesota state fair or not , this is a helpful little tool to assist the user in getting around at the fair . additional attributes to this page may include a map in a pocket or envelope attached to this page . in the illustrative embodiment , color is used on every two pages to provide consistency . fig3 shows a fourth page 292 , which may be glued to the back of third page 286 . fourth page 292 includes a photo 294 of someone eating , and includes a number of icons 296 providing graphical suggestions of food available at the fair . each of the icons 296 may be scratched to see if the user has won another activity or perhaps a food item at the fair . fourth page 292 includes an envelope 298 sealed with an ice cream sticker 300 . envelope 298 may , for example , include a ticket for an ice cream treat . fourth page 292 also includes a text box 302 reminding the user that food is , indeed , a primary purpose of attending the fair . fig3 shows a fifth page 304 that is dedicated to the pronto - pup . fifth page 304 includes a photo 306 of a pronto - pup stand , a text box 308 providing little - known facts about the pronto - pup ( corn dog ) as well as a pronto - pup graphic 310 . an envelope 312 sealed with a mustard sticker 314 may contain a coupon for a free pronto - pup or may instead contain a mustard packet . fig4 shows a sixth page 316 that is glued to the back of fifth page 304 . sixth page 316 includes a surprise graphic 318 , indicating that this page is a surprise . an envelope 320 , sealed with a ticket sticker 322 , may contain any number of items . for example , envelope 320 may include a free pass to a ride , fun money to be used anywhere at the fair , tickets for a grandstand musical performance , or the like . a state fair logo 324 reminds the user where they are . fig4 shows a seventh page 326 that is designed to take the user to the cattle barn at the fair . seventh page 326 includes a photo 328 , a text box 330 providing suggested activities as well as a text box 332 providing historical information regarding the cattle barn . a peel - off blue ribbon 334 is also provided . if the user presents peel - off blue ribbon 334 to a farmer in the cow barn , they receive the option of having his / her picture taken with the farmer &# 39 ; s cow . the option may be pre - negotiated with the farmers at the fair . fig4 shows an eighth page 336 that is glued to the back of seventh page 326 . eighth page 336 includes a total of nine scratch - offs 338 . if a user wins by correctly guessing which scratch - offs 338 to remove , they may be instructed on where to pick up a free pass to the races . it should be recognized , however , that eighth page 336 could also be designed for many different promotional activities at the fair . fig4 shows a ninth page 340 that is designed for fun and to spark conversation . ninth page 340 can be seen as including a number of correct answers 342 to various food trivia questions , as outlined in text box 344 . while not shown in fig4 , it is considered that removable stickers would be positioned over each of the correct answers 342 , so that a user would be encouraged to arrive at their own answer before looking it up . fig4 shows a tenth page 346 that is glued to the back of ninth page 340 . an umbrella 348 hides a small plastic head cover that can be used if it starts to rain . fig4 shows an eleventh page 350 designed to send the user to the grandstand . eleventh page 350 includes a photo 352 and a photo 354 . text box 356 instructs the user to open envelope 358 , which is sealed with a sticker 360 . inside envelope 358 are lyrics to a song which the user is encouraged to sing . silver trophy 362 will , if pressed , provide music to support the user &# 39 ; s song via a smart tag ( not visible ) provided underneath silver trophy 362 . fig4 shows a twelfth page 364 , which is glued to the back of eleventh page 350 . twelfth page 364 is a promotional page which , in the illustrated case , is promoting a mn state fair fundraising opportunity , via graphics 366 . fig4 shows a thirteenth page 368 , which is a surprise page . a photo 370 , which can either be a customized photo or a stock photo , is provided on or in thirteenth page 368 . a graphic 372 instructs the user to pick either envelope 374 , which is sealed by caramel apple sticker 376 , or envelope 378 , which is sealed by lollipop sticker 380 . any number of surprises may be contained inside envelope 374 and envelope 378 . examples include a coupon providing the user with a discount at a booth , or perhaps a discount on admission for a subsequent visit to the fair . fig4 shows a fourteenth page 382 , which is glued to the back of thirteenth page 368 and which supports the stick . in the illustrated example , fourteenth page 382 , which is also the back cover , is intended for promotional use , and as such space on fourteenth page 382 could be sold for advertising . as shown , fourteenth page 382 includes several logos and graphics 384 and 386 identifying the state fair . in some cases , the activity books for each year may be unique , and thus may be considered limited editions . the invention should not be considered limited to the particular examples described above , but rather should be understood to cover all aspects of the invention as set out in the attached claims . various modifications , equivalent processes , as well as numerous structures to which the invention can be applicable will be readily apparent to those of skill in the art upon review of the instant specification . | 1 |
referring now to the drawings the disposable surgical cutting instrument 100 of the present invention has a drive housing 12 of generally cylindrical form designed to be easily held in the surgeons hand . it should be noted at the outset that all parts of the invention which could possibly come in contact with the patient during an operation are sterilized and pyrogen free . a protective latex sheath 14 is adapted to be placed over the drive housing to protect the drive housing from contamination when the operation is performed . a disposable cutting head 16 is mounted on the drive housing 12 in engagement with the sheath 14 . the disposable cutting head is driven by a drive shaft of a micro motor mounted in the drive housing so that only the cutting head 16 and sheath 14 comes into contact with blood , vitreous and other materials during the operation . the drive housing 12 as shown in fig6 - 9 , 11 and 12 is constructed of two components comprising a power source section 18 and a motor section 20 . the power source section 18 has one end provided with an outer threaded surface 19 which is adapted to be screwed into a threaded inner surface 22 of the motor section to form the complete drive housing 12 . a free seated coiled spring 24 is seated in one end of the power source section 18 and abuts against a battery 26 which is slidably mounted in the housing for easy replacement to urge the battery toward a standoff sleeve 28 . the battery does not engage the standoff sleeve . the sleeve merely prevents electrical contact in case the battery is inadvertently installed backward . the standoff sleeve 28 is secured to a bulkhead 30 by cement means or press fit on the conductor . one end of the battery is engaged with a modified rivet contact 32 that is riveted in place . the bulkhead 30 is positioned within the motor housing section by a retaining ring 31 which is mounted in a channel cut in the housing . the set screw 34 contacts a motor support 36 mounted to the housing and holds the motor in place . a stripped wire 38 is bent and squeezed between the micromotor 40 and motor support 36 to form a connection . the micromotor 40 is mounted in the motor housing and is electrically connected to the contact 32 by wire 42 so that when switch 44 is depressed an electrical contact is made between the battery and the micromotor energizing the micromotor 40 to drive a hexagonal shaped drive shaft 46 of the micromotor . it should be noted that while the preferred embodiment discloses a hexagonal drive shaft 46 , the drive shaft could be square , flat or shaped in any other manner . the drive shaft end of the motor section forms a seat or channel 48 depending upon its construction and has two locking pins 50 protruding inwardly from the collar to fit bayonet slots 51 formed in the disposable cutting head 16 . the drive housing is covered by using a sheath assembly 52 comprising a sleeve 54 having a tapered end 56 upon which the latex sheath 14 is stretched and mounted . the other end 58 of sleeve 54 is open and flanged outward so that the drive housing can be easily inserted into the mounted sheath . the flexible latex sheath 14 has an open end 62 formed with a lip 64 which fits into the seat 48 defined in the motor section of the drive housing . the other end 66 of sheath 14 is closed . after the drive housing 12 has been deposited into the protective covering of the latex sheath the sleeve 54 is removed and lip 64 is inserted into the seat 48 formed in the end of the housing . the cutter head 16 is constructed with a body 70 having a varying diameter axial bore 71 cut therethrough . the bore 71 is cut in a series of steps so that the diameter narrows after each step . the steps form shoulders 69 , 72 , 73 and 74 which are adapted to respectively receive retainer ring 99 , retainer ring 92 , &# 34 ; o &# 34 ; ring 90 and flange 89 . the cutter body 70 is provided with a second bore 75 and a tubular extension 76 axially aligned with the bore allowing a suction or irrigation device to communicate with bore 71 . thus a syringe can be connected to the tubular extension 76 by a hose to provide suction to a chamber portion 71 a and the interior of tube 86 so that material severed by blade 84 travels through the tube into chamber portion 71 a past bore 75 into a suitable disposal means such as the syringe . alternatively a saline solution or other suitable fluid can travel the same path through the tube 86 to the eye . the body 70 has a generally tapered exterior surface and is cut at one end in an annular manner to receive a skirt 77 which is cemented to the annularly cut end of the body . the outer surface of the annularly cut end or tip 78 is provided with two bayonet slots 51 . when the tip 78 is inserted into the motor section , the tip 78 fits around the hexagonal drive shaft 46 of the micromotor with the skirt 77 projecting over the outer surface of the motor section and the latex sheath 14 . a clear plastic coupling member 80 is mounted in the cutter body bore 71 . the coupling member 80 has an axial bore 81 with a circular configuration at one end suitable to hold a coupling member drive shaft 82 and a suitably shaped configuration at the other end to slidably receive and hold the drive shaft 46 . in the preferred embodiment a coiled spring member 91 is seated in the hexagonal portion of the bore 81 and abuts against shoulder 93 which forms the end of the hexagonal portion of bore 81 . when the hexagonal drive shaft 46 is inserted into the hexagonal portion of the bore 81 the coupling member 80 is urged forward by spring member 91 to place blade 84 against the end of the tube housing 86 . the drive shaft 82 is notched at 83 to freely hold the blade 84 . in this preferred embodiment the blade 84 is freely mounted in notch 83 and is not secured to the drive shaft 82 . an external fixed thin walled tube 86 projects from the end of the body 70 with the distal end 87 being formed into a hemisphere closing it off . the proximal end 88 is opened and flanged outwardly so that it is seated on a first shoulder 74 in the interior of body 70 . the flanged end 88 is press fit to the shoulder or stop but it can be cemented if desired . a small cutting hole 89 is located in the distal end of the tube preferably positioned 180 ° from the hose nozzle or projection 76 . the blade 84 is preferably twisted into at least two revolutions with one end being flat so that it can be seated in the notch 83 cut in the end of drive shaft 82 with its distal end 85 being rounded so that it can easily rotate in the hemispherical shaped end 87 of the tube 86 . if desired a flat blade can be substituted for the twisted blade . in the twisted construction the blade is continuously urged forward against end 87 by spring means 91 . the blade is smaller in width than the inner diameter of tube 86 so as to just fit inside tube 86 and still be free to rotate . the rotation of the blade helps drive the severed material back through the tube 86 . a clear plastic seal retainer ring 92 and o ring 90 are mounted around the coupling member drive shaft 82 to keep fluids from entering into the cavity housing the coupling means , thus preventing any leakage of vitreous material , fluid , blood or other materials past the shaft . the o ring seal also prevents air from being drawn into the syringe via motor shaft leakage . the shaft 82 and o ring 90 effectively seal off bore 71 to form a fluid receiving chamber 71 a . a syringe 94 is connected to the hose nozzle 76 by flexible tubing 98 which is inserted over the hose nozzle or projection 76 on one end and onto a female luer - lok 96 in the syringe . thus suction or fluid can be transmitted to tube 86 . in the operation and before the actual cutting of the vitreous is to take place , the surgeon takes the drive housing 12 , drops it into the sleeve 54 made of a suitable material into an associated sheath 14 . the sheath lip 64 is inserted into the seat 48 of the drive housing and the disposable plastic cutter head 16 is mounted on to the housing so that bayonet slots 51 cut into the cutter head are mounted over the pins 50 of the motor section with the cutter head then being depressed and turned so that it is locked into place on pins 50 . simultaneously its outer skirt 77 extends down over the drive housing which is covered by flexible sheath 14 . the lip 64 in combination with the drive housing and cutter head forms a fluid tight seal so that any fluid that might enter under skirt 77 is prevented from contacting the motor housing by sheath 14 . the syringe 94 is then connected to the cutter hose nozzle 76 so that suction can be applied . a check valve 97 is mounted in the flexible tubing 98 to prevent the introduction of fluid into the eye . when the opening is made in the anterior aqueous chamber the cutter tube 86 is inserted in the chamber . the surgeon depresses the switch 44 of the micro motor 40 through the protective sheath 14 activating the motor and thereby rotating the blade 84 within the tube 86 . the blade 84 is constantly urged forward by the coupling member 80 through spring means 91 in the coupling member so that the blade edge 85 is pressed against the front of the tube and rotates over hole 89 cut in the end of the tube . as suction is applied to the instrument vitreous material is drawn into the hole . the rapidly rotating spring loaded blade 84 which fits flush against the hole 89 severs the vitreous carrying it into the tube with the construction of the blade 84 being such that it is carried into chamber 71 a of the cutter head and from there into a syringe or other suitable material disposal means . the cutter of the present invention , although specifically designed for eye surgery could also be used to remove any other body tissue in the same manner . because of the sealed nature of the internal structure of the tip , foreign materials cannot proceed past the blade drive shaft or chamber 71a so that no foreign materials contact the hexagonal drive shaft or interior of the drive housing . after the operation has been completed the surgeon rotates the cutter head releasing it from its bayonet connection and removes the head from the drive housing . the head is then thrown away or sterilized for future reuse and the latex protective sheath 14 is removed from the drive housing so that the drive housing is ready for the next operation . when the next operation is ready to begin a new disposable cutter head and a new disposable sheath are placed on the instrument as previously indicated so that no problem of sterilizing the instrument is incurred with the instrument being maintained in a sterile condition . in the foregoing description the invention has been described with reference to a particular preferred embodiment although it is to be understood that the specific details shown are merely illustrative and that the invention may be carried out in other ways without the departing from the true spirit and scope of the following appended claims . | 0 |
fig1 shows an air conditioning system for a motor vehicle , comprising a radiator 12 , an optional heating resistance 14 , an evaporator 16 of an optional air cooling apparatus , and two sets of multi - vane registers 18 and 20 . the resistance 14 may in particular be a positive temperature coefficient resistance . the registers are arranged to deliver the air streams , received from the left in fig1 as indicated by straight arrows , to a low zone ( for hot air ) and a high zone ( for cold or cooled air ). the two registers 18 and 20 have similar structures , each including a plurality of articulated vanes 22 which are arranged to pivot about their respective longitudinal central axes . as can be seen in greater detail in fig2 and 3 , rotation of the vanes is , according to a feature of the present invention , symmetrical from one vane to the next , that is to say , for a vane which rotates in the clockwise direction with reference to the figures , the adjacent vane or vanes will turn in the opposite direction . the various vanes are mounted on a frame which is provided with intermediate baffles or spacers 24 , 26 , which have a stiffening function so as to render the whole structure rigid . these baffles also provide sealing of the register when the latter is closed . in this connection , in the closed position shown in fig3 the free edges of each vane 22 are abutted against the corresponding baffles 24 or 26 , or against the edge of the frame 28 in the case of the endmost vanes . how these contacts are sealed will be explained later herein with reference to fig5 and 6 . the advantage of this configuration lies in the fact that the stream of air delivered from the register no longer has a lateral component , as is shown by the arrows 30 and 32 in fig1 and this is so regardless of the setting of the vanes of the register . in the lower part , the absence of any lateral component dependent on the position of the vanes of the register in particular enables the distance between the lower register 20 and the radiator 12 to be reduced , because the latter will be ventilated by a stream of air which has a particularly high degree of homogeneity and which flows at right angles to the largest dimension of the radiator . this bringing closer together of the lower register 20 and the radiator 12 makes the air conditioning system more compact on the downstream side ( i . e . on the right in fig1 ), in spite of the presence of any heating resistance 14 . as regards the high zone register 18 , the stream of cold air coming from the evaporator 16 ( or simply the stream of fresh air drawn from outside ), passes through the upper register 18 at right angles to its largest dimension , into a mixing chamber 36 in which the cold air stream is combined with the stream of hot air which is delivered from the radiator 12 via a duct 38 . this mixture of air is diffused into the cabin of the vehicle through a turbulating grid 40 . the particular structure of each register enables the appropriate stream of cold or hot air to meet in directions which are substantially perpendicular to each other , as indicated by the arrows 30 and 32 on the one hand and 42 on the other hand in fig1 . mixing is thus optimised and is regular in character , independently of the particular position of the vanes of the upper register 18 , which does not perturb the direction of flow of the cold air stream . reference is now made to fig4 which shows the structure of one vane , which may be made in the form of a single moulded piece , either of metal or of plastics material . it includes a toothed drive wheel or pinion 44 for rotating the vane body 46 in pivoting motion about a trunnion or axis pin 48 . the pinion 44 is joined to the vane body 46 through a rigid axial spacer portion 50 . meshing of the pinions 44 with each other gives simple driving of alternate vanes in opposite directions . one of the pinions of the register is driven , in the usual way , by a drive system consisting of a crank , a cam , a micromotor , or any other suitable device , so as to adjust the positions of the vanes of the register for the required air conditioning temperature . referring now to fig5 this shows , for one embodiment of the invention , how sealing is obtained in the closed position of the register . in this closed configuration , each of the longitudinal free edges 52 of the vane 22 comes into contact with the corresponding spacer 24 or 26 . in order to give satisfactory sealing , this spacer is provided with a flexible sealing element 54 that also acts as an engagement element . the sealing element 54 has a tapered portion 56 against which the corresponding free edge 52 of the vane engages ( with the similar free edge of the adjacent vane also engaging against it ). in the modified version shown in fig6 the sealing element 54 may be moulded in position . this version of the sealing element has two distinct lips 58 , each of which is arranged to make contact with the free edge of a respective one of the two adjacent vanes . reference is now made to fig7 and 8 , showing another version of the register of the invention , in which the register does not have the baffles or spacers 24 , 26 . this absence of baffles enables the flow cross section for air through the register to be increased , and consequently enables the mechanical resistance to the air flow , offered by the register when the latter is fully or partly open , to be correspondingly reduced . in order to be able to give sealed closure of the register , the free edges 52 of each vane 22 are in this case provided with a sealing element 60 , which may for example be moulded in position . obturation , i . e . blockage of the air flow , is obtained by two opposed sealing elements 60 coming into contact with each other as can be seen in fig8 which shows the register in its fully closed position . it will be noted that in this position , the outermost free edges of the endmost vanes make contact with the sides 28 of the frame of the register . the applied , moulding sealing element 60 preferably has , as is shown in the drawings , a very much rounded form at its distal end , similar to a bead or a raindrop in cross section . this attenuates the aerodynamic whistling noises which are due to changes in cross section resulting from adjustment of the air stream . in apparatus according to the invention , for example in either one of the embodiments of the latter described above , noise reduction means may be disposed on the vanes , this noise reduction means being linked with the separation of the air boundary layer on the bodies of the vanes . in this connection , from the aerodynamic point of view the body of each vane is like an inclined surface having a variable angle with respect to the direction of the stream of air , this variation in angle causing a variation in the air flow rate , typically from 0 to 300 kg / h . it is found that , where the inclination is of the order of about 50 °, a howling noise is produced . this phenomenon is connected with the separation of the boundary layer on the exit side of the inclined vane body . on either side of the separated boundary layer , a difference in pressure is set up which produces this howling noise . in order to overcome this problem , the exit side 62 or the entry side 64 , or each of them , is provided ( on the surface of the vane body ) with an obstacle , the purpose of which is to provide enhanced attachment of the boundary layer on the surface of the vane body , thus reducing the aerodynamic noise produced . these obstacles can take many different forms , some of which are shown in fig9 to 13 . in a first embodiment of this arrangement , shown in fig9 and 11 , a grid pattern 66 is formed in relief , for example by integral moulding , on one or both of the two faces 62 , 64 of the vane body , with the grid extending over all or part of the central portion of the vane body , i . e . the portion situated between the two sealing elements 60 . in the further embodiment shown in fig1 , 12 and 13 , the obstacles are in the form of discrete reliefs 68 or 70 . these can be disposed in one or more lines , or in some more complex configuration , or indeed in a random arrangement , again on either one or both of the faces 62 , 64 of the vane body . | 1 |
a production line for producing the lids of the tamper - evident lidded container of the present invention is illustrated at 10 in fig1 . to convey an appreciation for the scale of the figure , the overall length of the line as depicted is seventy - eight feet , nine inches . although the line is shown being a single series of stations which serially perform their functions on the continuously throughput material , it could be broken , between stations and / or functions , into two or more lines , with partially processed material rolled - up and unrolled , or stacked and destacked at the final station on one line and the initial station on a succeeding line . in general , the production line 10 is shown including a sheet - extruding station 12 , a cooling station 14a , differential pressure - thermoforming station 16 , and a combined crimping and trimming station 18 . the purpose of the sheet - extruding station 12 is to continuously manufacture a supply of pellets , particles or similar bodies of synthetic thermoplastic resin into a flat sheet 20 . by preference , the sheet 20 is seventeen mils thick and is constituted by a coextrusion of a layer of high - impact polystyrene 14 - 16 mils thick and a layer of crystal polystyrene 1 - 3 mils thick . the high impact polystyrene may be cosden 825e impact polystyrene available in the u . s . a . from cosden oil and chemical co ., of dallas , tex ., and the crystal polystyrene may be cosden 525 available from the same source . the technology for making such a coextruded sheet is well known , and apparatus for making it is commercially available , e . g . the polytrude multilayer flat sheet coextrusion system available in the u . s . a . from welex incorporated , of blue bell , pa . a coextruded sheet , having a main layer of impact polystyrene and an outer layer of crystal polystyrene , has been known in the field of manufacturing differential pressure - thermoformed container bodies , as a way of providing a glossy surface to a normally dull polymer , for enhancing the appearance of the containers . and , as a result of much experience with such container bodies , it has been known that coating a thin - walled body of high impact polystyren with a layer of crystal polystyrene will increase the propensity of the wall of the body to crack , especially if the crystal polystyrene layer is thicker than minimally necessary to provide a shiny surface on the body . as a result , the custom in the trade when using an external glazing of crystal polystyrene has been to minimise its thickness in order to avoid causing unwanted cracking - susceptability . accordingly , in the instance depicted , a supply of high impact polystyrene is fed to an extruder at 22 , a supply of crystal polystyrene is fed to the extruder at 24 , and the coextruded sheet 20 emerges from the conventional flat die at 26 . in its as - extruded form , the emerging sheet 20 is too hot to differential pressure - thermoform . accordingly , it is passed through a cooling station 14 where , typically , it passes around rolls which are served with an internal flow of cooling water . the cooled sheet 20 , in the preferred embodiment , passes directly to a differential pressure - thermoforming station 16 , in which conventional practices are used for locally deforming the sheet to provide a succession of regions that will later be further processed and severed to become respective lids . this station is not described in detail , other than to describe the dies hereinbelow in somewhat more detail , because those skilled in the art will already be well familiar with it . suffice it to state that in this station , if the sheet has been cooled to below the temperature required for good practice in differential pressure - thermoforming , it is first warmed , then passed between mold members which close about a regional site on the sheet . a combination of pressure and vacuum is applied to opposite faces of the sheet at the site trapped in the mold causing the sheet in that region to deform to follow the shape of the mold cavity / plug , whereupon the mold members open away from the sheet . typically , the sheet 20 is substantially broader than would be needed to produce one lid per width ; simultaneous production of four lids in a row extending transverally of the sheet , per mold closure per increment of sheet length would not be untypical , in apparatus having a corresponding plurality of mold cavities / plugs . in such a practice , the advance of the sheet through the differential pressure - thermoforming station can be in an indexing manner , with slack being accommodated in the region between the continuous extruder cooling station 14 and the molding station 16 . alternatively , it is possible to have the sheet 20 travel at a constant speed through the molding station 16 providing that the mold members travel downstream with the sheet while engaged therewith and retreat quickly upstream for the next engagement after opening away from an increment in which molding has just been completed . the orientation of the sheet 20 relative to the molding members in the molding station 16 is such that the crack - initiating crystal polystyrene layer , when provided , will form the inside surface of the lids . ( if the sheet 20 also is provided at the coextruding station 12 with a crystal polystyrene layer on the opposite face of the main , impact polystyrene layer , that other crystal polystyrene layer should be as thin as possible , consistent with providing a glossy outer surface for the lids without substantially affecting cracking propensity .) although it cannot be shown clearly at the scale of fig1 the sheet 20 passing from the differential pressure - thermoforming station 16 to the combined crimping and trimming station 18 has a succession of deformations molded therein , which , when further processed and cut from the remainder of the sheet in the station 18 , will become a succession of individual lids . in the instance depicted , the molded sheet 20 travels upwards , over the station 18 on guides 28 , then vertically downwards on the downstream end of that station so as to pass between a transversally - extending , vertically - oriented fixed plate 30 and a likewise disposed plate 32 which is located in front of the plate 30 , in confronting relation thereto , and arranged to be reciprocatingly moved towards and away from the plate 32 , e . g . by a pitman 34 . the output of the station 18 is a succession of lids , and a sheet remainder , which typically is cut - up and recycled to the sheet extruder 12 to provide a portion of the feed thereto . the cups , i . e . the container bodies used in practicing the same invention , may be absolutely conventional ones , e . g . made by a process similar to that used for making the lids , as described above . as is conventional , the crystal polystyrene layer , if provided , should be as thin as possible , consistent with providing a glossy external surface for the cups without substantially increasing their propensity to crack . in operations subsequent to those performed on a line such as the line 10 , the cups and lids are subject to being printed with external graphics and / or labeled , nested , boxed , de - nested , filled , closed , rinsed , conveyed , packed , shipped and merchandised , in virtually the same manner as lidded containers which are similar but for missing the tamper - evidencing features ( described below ) of the containers of the present invention . the lids and container bodies are stiffly resiliently flexible , so much so as to generally maintain the shape shown , yet be sufficiently elastically deformable as to permit the lid to be removably retained in closing relation to the cup mouth . fig2 is an enlarged scale vertical sectional view of the differential pressure - thermoforming station 16 , shown as the mold cavity assembly 36 / stripper plate 38 ( collectively , 40 ) and plug base 42 / sealing plate 44 / clamp plate 46 ( collectively 48 ) members of the mold are about to close against opposite faces of the sheet 20 . these mold members 40 , 48 , and the operation of the differential pressure - thermoforming equipment at the station 16 are utterly conventional , except for specific features of the shape of the cavity member of the mold , as will now be described in more detail with reference to fig2 and 3 . fig3 shows , on a larger scale , the mold members 40 , 48 closed against the sheet 20 which they have molded to produce a region 50 which , after further processing at the combined crimping and trimming station 18 , will become a lid . at the stage depicted in fig3 the lid region 50 remains integrally peripherally connected to the sheet 20 . the dimensions of the mold , its conventional mounting structures and the stiffness of the springs 52 ( only one shown ), which resiliently stand the clamp plate off from the plug base are such that the 17 mil thickness of the sheet 20 is pinchingly penetrated between the annular end surface 54 of the clamp plate 46 and the confronting flat end surface of the stripper plate 56 by one mil whereupon a pressure differential exerted on opposite sides of the sheet 20 through the mold ( through piston movement and / or conventional ports ( not shown )), push and pull the sheet , within the clamped perimeter 58 , against the mold cavity . in general , all of the mold features are of full circular extent , with one important exception , which will be further explained below . beginning with a description at the inner extent of the clamped perimeter 58 and proceeding radially inwards , the sheet 20 , as deformed by the mold , has a flat annular portion 60 , a frusto - conically upwardly tapering portion 62 , an axially short upwardly extending cylindrical tubular portion 64 , a frusto - conically upwardly flaring portion 66 which is substantially less radially and axially extensive than the portion 62 , an axially longer upwardly extending cylindrical tubular portion 68 , an upwardly tapering chamfer 70 , ( skipping another feature for a moment ), a flat annular upper end portion 72 , a downwardly flaring chamfer 74 , a downwardly slightly tapering tubular inner portion 76 , a radially inwardly extending annular shoulder 78 ( which is disposed at a level somewhat above that of the juncture , at 80 , between the flaring portion 66 and the tubular portion 68 ), an axially downwardly extending cylindrical tubular portion 82 , a downwardly frusto - conically flaring portion 84 ( having a juncture 86 with the cylindrical tubular portion 82 that is located at a level which is axially intermediate the extent of the tapering portion 62 ), and an axially short , downwardly extending cylindrical tubular portion 88 which curves at a fillet 90 into a flat , central disk portion 92 , the upper surface 94 of which is disposed at approximately the same level as the lower surface 96 of the flat annular outer rim portion 60 . the portions 62 , 64 , 66 , in combination , provide a precursor for a barb or hook , which will be described hereinbelow , and constitute a radially outer , radially outwardly concave / radially inwardly convex circumferentrally extending distortion 98 on the outer leg 100 of an inverted u - shaped circumferentially extending groove 102 formed in the part of the sheet 20 which will become one lid . ( to clarify the spatial references used in relation to fig2 in this figure , the portion of the sheet 20 which will become one lid is shown in a right - side - up orientation . clearly , it would not depart from the principles of the invention to mold the lid in an upside - down orientation , in the case of which the above - given axially - related spatial references should be reversed .) the intent of the inventors , is to mold the distortion 98 about as sharply and deeply as can be done in a high speed , commercial - scale production line without needing to divide the mold cavity into a number of complicated relatively movable parts . the sole feature of the molded part of the sheet which will become one lid that is not circumferentially uniform is the feature 104 which is shown provided on the upper end 72 of the inverted groove 102 contiguously with the radially outer chamfer 70 . in this region , throughout all but a minor portion ( preferably 30 ) of the angular extent , the upper end wall of the groove is provided with a v - profiled line of weakness . this feature 104 is partly molded by a v - shaped ridge 106 provided apex - upwards on the mold member and partly by compression molding of the respective region of the sheet 20 between the v - shaped ridge 106 and the flat underside surface 108 of the clamp plate 46 of the mold . the thickness of the sheet 20 as molded between the apex of the v - shaped ridge 106 and the underside surface of the clamp plate 46 preferably is 0 . 005 inch . the overall height of the inverted u - shaped groove , from the upper surface of the outer rim flange 60 to the upper surface of the feature 104 is 0 . 350 inch , in the preferred embodiment the shape of the molded sheet , as shown in fig3 is preserved as the mold is opened and the molded sheet is conventionally stripped from the mold cavity . as the production line continues to operate , the increment of the sheet 20 shown molded in fig3 is soon brought into the combined crimping and trimming station 18 , i . e . to a position between the fixed and movable plates 30 and 32 ( fig1 and 4 ). fig4 shows on a larger scale than fig1 the travel of the molded sheet 20 between the plates 30 and 32 . fig5 - 10 show details of the plates 30 and 32 in greater detail . in the preferred embodiment , . the molded sheet 20 is travelling downwardly between the plates 30 , 32 in fig4 . each time the sheet travel stops , the movable plate reciprocates toward and away from the sheet 20 and each time the sheet advances , while the plates 30 , 32 are spaced from one another , it advances by one increment , i . e . by one lid &# 39 ; s worth . because the station 18 is a combined station , in the preferred embodiment , two operations are successively conducted there . in the first operation , as the plate 32 closes towards the plate 30 , a molded portion of sheet 20 which will become a lid is crimped at 110 ( in an operation which will be further described below ), in order to convert the barb precursor or hook precursor 62 , 64 , 66 into an actual barb or hook 112 . in the second operation , as the plate 32 closes toward the plate 30 the next time , after the sheet 20 has advanced by one increment , the potential lid 50 is trimmed from the remainder of the sheet 20 at 114 along a perimetrical line which is circular but for two v - shaped notches , the apices of which point radially inwardly towards the respective ends of the line - of - weakness feature 104 . in fig4 the fixed plate 30 comprises a die shoe 116 , having an inner face 118 to which is mounted at the crimping sub - station 110 , a nest 120 for a crimping tool 122 which is mounted in a co - axially confronting relationship thereto on the inner face 124 of a mount base 126 which is , in turn , mounted to the inner face of a punch shoe 128 . the fixed shoe 116 further is provided axially horizontally therethrough with a die shoe opening 130 having a perimetrical shoulder 132 on which is mounted an annular die 134 . also mounted on the inner face 124 of the mount base 126 is a punch 136 having a pilot 138 . the fixed plate 30 and movable plate 32 are preferably made as disassemblable assemblies , as shown , so that different elements can be made of different metals , for taking advantage of respective qualities , and in order to facilitate maintenance , repair and rebuilding of this workstation . the parts are conventionally assembled and are made of conventional materials . although in fig4 - 10 , the station 18 is shown being one lid wide ( perpendicular to the plane of the drawing figure ), in practice , it will preferably have a plurality of substantially identical work sites arranged transversally of the line 10 , e . g . the same number of sites as there are mold cavities in one transversally extending row at differential pressure - thermoforming station 15 ( e . g ., four ). at the crimping station 110 , each lid region has its surfaces 140 , 142 engaged by opposed surfaces 144 , 146 of the fixed and movable plates 30 , 32 , and forceably moved axially towards one another by an amount limited by engagement of stop surfaces on the tool members and / or by precise control of the amplitude of reciprocatory movement provided to the plate 3 by the pitman 34 . while the structure 102 is being axially compressed to a predetermined extent , axial and radial support is provided for the structure 102 internally by the annular boss 148 on the crimping tool and radial support is provided externally by the peripheral wall 150 on the nest 120 . the effect of the crimping station on a potential lid 50 can be seen by comparing the region 62 , 64 , 66 in fig3 with the comparable region of the lid 152 as shown in fig1 . it will be noted that while the radially inner leg 154 and top wall 156 of the inverted u - shaped channel 102 have remained as they were , both as to shape and as to position relative to one another , all of this structure , as well as the portions 68 , 70 of the outer leg 100 of the inverted u - shaped channel 102 have moved axially relatively downwards compared to the outer leg portions 60 , 62 , 64 . the relative movement has been accomplished by telescopic collapsing of wall portion 66 which formerly flared upwardly , but now flares downwardly , thus providing a radially inwardly extending upwardly converging annular barb or hook 158 which partially obstructs the inverted u - shaped channel 102 at a level slightly below that of the shoulder 78 . the deformation shown caused by the action of the crimping station 110 is permanent . the upper side of the hook is shown being disposed at an angle of 30 ° to horizontal . the purpose of the trimming station is to cut each potential lid 50 from the sheet 20 , thereby producing each actual lid 152 and the remainder of the sheet 20 , which may be recycled to the extruder as indicated above . as can easily be seen by studying fig6 - 10 , the cut line 160 provided by the shearing action between the die edge 162 and the punch edge 164 is circular , except for two notches 166 , preferably triangular , which are provided in the annular flange 60 and wall portion 62 at such angular positions and at such radial depths , that their apices nearly coincide with the juncture of the wall portion 62 with the base of the wall portion 64 at sites substantially directly underlying the respective ends of the line of weakness 104 . the purpose of the pilot is to center the potential lid 50 on the punch as the punch moves towards the die , so that the potential lid 50 will be accurately cut to produce a respective lid 152 . as the punch shears against the die , the lid is expelled through the die shoe opening 130 , ready to be decorated and packed for use on a filling line . a container body or cup 168 is shown in fig1 , e . g . after it has been filled with contents , in a conventional way on a conventional filling line , and at a time when it has just received a lid 152 , put in place in a conventional manner using a conventional lidding apparatus ( not shown ). the cup 168 is shown being an integrally formed body of sheet material having a generally disk - shaped bottom wall 170 , which may be conventionally provided with a shallow , broad , downwardly opening recess 172 , i . e . in order to provide a radially outer annular foot 174 which permits the filled container to sit non - rockingly stable on a shelf , even when the weight of the contained product may have caused the bottom wall 170 to centrally distend somewhat . in the example of a twenty - four ounce size cottage cheese container , the bottom wall 170 may typically have an external outer diameter of 3 . 406 inches with the recess 172 having a lowermost external diameter of 2 . 419 inches , an uppermost external diameter of 2 . 233 inches and an external depth of 0 . 093 inch , the recess sidewall 174 being conically tapered at e . g . a 45 angle . ( all dimensions are given herein for illustrative , nonlimitative purposes .) the major portion 176 of the cup outer sidewall 178 conically flares upwardly , e . g . at a 6 ° angle ( to vertical ) from where it joins the radially outer periphery of the bottom wall 170 at a corner 180 . the remaining upper portion of the outer sidewall of the cup 168 constitutes a rim and mouth region 182 which is composed of a plurality of adjoining circumferentially extending annular bands . in particular , starting from the axially upper extent 184 of the major portion 176 of the sidewall 178 , the rim and mouth region 182 is shown including a lower stacking shoulder 186 , e . g . which conically flares at an angle of 30 ° ( to horizontal ), a first cylindrical band 188 , a partial return 190 , e . g . which tapers at an angle of 45 °, a second cylindrical band 192 , an upper shoulder 194 , e . g . which also flares at an angle of 30 ° ( to horizontal ), and an upwardly convex annular rim 196 having a rounded , inverted u - shaped cross - sectional shape which includes an inner leg 198 , an upper end 200 and an outer leg 202 having a lower , outer edge 204 . the wall 198 flares upwards slightly , in the preferred embodiment , and provides the mouth of the container body . the wall 202 flares downwards slightly . again , by way of example , the external diameter of the sidewall 178 at the axially upper extent of its main portion 176 , i . e . at 184 is 4 . 244 inches ; the external diameter of the first cylindrical band 188 is 4 . 328 inches . the internal surface 206 of the upper stacking shoulder 194 , the internal catch - providing surface 208 of the partial return 190 , and the radially inner surface portion 210 of surface 206 provide a circumferential constriction in diameter for the mouth of the cup . the external wall surface 212 of the lower stacking shoulder 186 provides a lower stacking shoulder surface . for efficient stacking , identical ones of the cups 168 may be deeply telescopically nested with the external lower stacking shoulder 186 of each upper cup resting on the internal upper stacking shoulder 194 of its neighboring next lower cup . similarly , identical ones of the lids may be telescopically nested with the disk - like main portion 92 of each upper one resting on or near the lower radial flange 78 of its next lower neighbor , having been guided to that location by the centralizing effect of contact between the bead 214 of the upper lid with the inner camming surface 216 of the conically flaring band 76 . stacks of the nested empty cups and lids may be cartoned for storage and shipment . at the printing station and at the packing station , the stacks of empty cups 168 and lids 152 are subject to being de - nested by conventional , commercially available apparatus and techniques . at a packer &# 39 ; s the de - cartoned and de - nested cups 12 are conventionally conveyed through a filling station ( not shown ), where each cup in succession is filled by conventional means with a respective quantum of product , e . g . cottage cheese 218 , up to a level that is sufficiently below the rim and mouth as to permit the cup to be lidded . also , the de - cartoned nested lids 152 are de - nested and fed to a closing station ( not shown ), where each product - filled cup in succession is provided with a lid 152 which is axially , non - rotatively inserted into the mouth of the respective filled cup 168 and advanced downwards until it snaps into place as a sealing closure . in the preferred embodiment illustrated , the lid 152 is provided with two places where it is at least slightly larger in external diameter than corresponding surfaces which it must pass on its way toward being fully received in closing relation in the cup mouth . the first of these is where the lid bead at a must pass the partial constriction at b in order to become snap - locked in place with a seal provided at c . the second of these is axially and radially further out , where the outer edge of the rim flange of the lid must become snap - locked under the partial constriction provided by the internal hook at d . a positive stop against excessive telescopic advancement of the lid into the cup may be provided by engagement of the lid band corner at e with the upper stacking shoulder of the cup . this ability of the lid to be snapped into place is dependent upon the resiliency of the plastic sheeting or equivalent material of which the cup and lid are manufactured . preferred angles for various features of the lid of the exempliary embodiment are indicated on fig3 . the diameter of the line of weakness is 4 . 597 inches at the apex of the inverted v - shaped formation . the vertical distance from the underside of the disk 92 to the underside of the upper end wall 72 is 0 . 357 inch . the region 214 of the lid is a radially outwardly convex bead with an upwardly tapering upper surface which matches the position and taper of a corresponding surface on the cup sidewall . above that , the region 218 of the cup is designed to be received in the region 220 of the lid , and the rim 196 is designed to be received in the inverted u - shaped groove 102 so that the outer edge 204 is disposed radially outwardly and above the upper side of the hook 158 . the outer surface of the disk portion of the lid and / or the sidewall of the cup preferably is provided with a set of clear instructions for use of the tamper - evident feature for effecting the initial removal of the lid . a draft of a proposal for a set of instructions is provided in fig1 , e . g . on a label 230 for the lid . in essence , once the filled container body is initially lidded by the filler , the outer edge of the container body rim catches on top of the barb on the lid and , in normal circumstances , the lid is thereby prevented from being removed , until the consumer , following the fig1 instructions , severs the band ( i . e . the barbed lid skirt 232 ) from the lid along the line of weakness 104 , leaving the tab 234 available to be lifted to remove the lid from the container body . in re - use , the features at a , b , c removably hold the lid in place . in breaking off the band 232 , the user is considerably assisted by the fact that a significant portion of the thickness of the lid at the line of weakness is provided by the relatively brittle layer of crystal polystyrene coextruded to create the sheet at the station 12 , due to the fact that as the lid is molded ( fig2 and 3 ), proportionately more of the high impact polystyrene than of the crystal polystyrene tends to be moved laterally by the ridge 106 on the mold cavity in creating the line of weakness 104 . the method and apparatus for forming the lids as described herein is preferred , because it is easily accomplished on a line 10 without requiring the addition of more stations , or much more equipment , than is conventional . alternative procedures could be used , such as converting steps shown performed by reciprocating tools into ones performed by rotating tools , altering the sequence of certain steps and the like . it should now be apparent that the tamper - evident , differential pressure - thermoformed lidded plastic container and method for making the same as described hereinabove , possesses each of the attributes set forth in the specification under the heading &# 34 ; summary of the invention &# 34 ; hereinbefore . because it can be modified to some extent without departing from the principles thereof as they have been outlined and explained in this specification , the present invention should be understood as encompassing all such modifications as are within the spirit and scope of the following claims . | 1 |
u . s . patent application ser . no . 09 / 339 , 080 , entitled “ multiple stage aftertreatment system ” to khair , et al ., now u . s . pat . no . 6 , 293 , 096 , and assigned to southwest research institute , describes an aftertreatment system for reducing the amount of nitrogen oxide and particulate matter in engine exhaust gases without the need for electric heating elements to increase the temperature of the exhaust gas to periodically regenerate the particulate filter . the aftertreatment system does not require the injection of additional fuel in each cylinder of the engine to provide additional necessary hydrocarbon to reduce the no x to n 2 ( nitrogen ). it has an internal bypass for the no 2 trap to control the rate of no 2 directed to the carbon trap . a first preferred embodiment of the aftertreatment system is generally indicated by reference numeral 8 in fig1 and effectively combines the functions of a crt ( catalytically regenerated trap ), a lnt ( lean no x trap ), and a carbon trap in a single system for the reduction of both no x ( nitrogen oxides ) and pm ( particulate matter ) emissions . the aftertreatment system 8 is particularly adapted to operate in lean air - fuel ratio engines , such as diesel engines , and uses the excess oxygen present in the exhaust stream of such lean burn engines to reduce the amount of no x and carbonaceous particulate matter discharged into the atmosphere . the main elements of aftertreatment system 8 are a first stage 10 , a second stage 20 , a third stage 30 , and a hydrocarbon fuel injector 40 interposed between the first stage 10 and the second stage 20 . the first stage 10 has an inlet 12 which is adapted to receive exhaust gases discharged from an internal combustion engine , such as a diesel engine ( not shown ). typically , the exhaust gas from a diesel engine contains various oxides of nitrogen ( nox ) and particularly no ( nitric oxide ) and no2 ( nitrogen dioxide ), as well as hc ( hydrocarbons ), co ( carbon monoxide ), co2 ( carbon dioxide ), pm ( particulate matter ), and other products of the combustion process . the first stage 10 of the aftertreatment system includes an oxidation catalyst 14 , preferably a noble metal such as platinum or palladium . the catalyst 14 oxidizes the no in the exhaust gas stream , in the presence of the catalyst , to no2 . this reaction is represented by formula 1 : thus , no 2 ( nitrogen dioxide ) is formed and is carried into the second stage 20 of the aftertreatment system 8 . the second stage 20 of the aftertreatment system 8 includes a first portion 22 and a second portion 24 . the first portion 22 contains a lean nox trap ( lnt ). the lean nox trap stores no2 under lean fuel - air mixture ( i . e ., oxygen - rich ) engine operation , then reduces the stored no2 to n2 and o2 under rich fuel - air conditions . in most diesel applications , rich fuel - air conditions do not frequently occur during normal over - the - road or other relatively steady state operation . the portion of the no2 stored in the lnt 22 of the second stage 20 combines with the supplemental hc provided by the periodic injection of supplemental hc ( hydrocarbon fuel ) upstream of the second stage 20 to form n2 , h2o and co2 . the reduction of no 2 in the second stage is represented by formula 2 : with continued reference to fig1 the hydrocarbon fuel injector 40 is in fluid communication with a source 42 of pressurized hydrocarbon fuel , for example diesel fuel such as that used in the normal operation of the engine . the reduction conversion efficiency of no 2 to n 2 and o 2 in the second stage is typically somewhat less than 100 % and therefore , some no 2 is expected to escape the lnt 22 and pass on to the third stage 30 . another portion of the no 2 formed in the first stage 10 bypasses the lnt 22 of the second stage by being directed through the second portion bypass 24 of the second stage 20 . the size of the bypass 24 can be readily determined by experimentation for specific applications to ensure good no x and pm emission reduction . the third stage 30 of the aftertreatment system 8 in the first embodiment of the present invention includes a carbon trap oxidizer 32 such as a ceramic cordierite wallflow trap . in the carbon trap oxidizer 32 , the no2 reacts with carbon in the trap and forms co2 and n2 . thus , the unconverted no 2 from the first portion 22 of the second stage 20 , as well as bypassed no 2 passing through the second portion 24 of the second stage 22 , is reduced to nitrogen and co 2 and is represented below by formula 3 : thus , in the first stage 10 of the multiple stage aftertreatment system 8 , no resulting from the diesel combustion process combines with excess oxygen in the exhaust gas stream to form no 2 , aided by the catalyst 14 in the first stage 10 . in the second stage 20 , a lean no x trap stores the no 2 formed by the oxidation catalyst 14 of the first stage 10 . the stored no 2 then combines with supplemental hc , injected by the injector 40 to form n 2 , h 2 o , and co 2 unconverted as well as bypassed no 2 then proceed to the carbon trap oxidizer 32 of the third stage 30 , where no 2 is reduced to n 2 and carbon is oxidized to co 2 , no 2 is stored in the lnt portion 22 of a second stage 20 as long as the exhaust is lean ( oxygen - rich ). as the lnt portion 22 reaches its no 2 storage capacity limits , the fuel injector 40 , positioned just upstream of the lnt portion 22 , delivers supplemental hydrocarbon in the form of diesel fuel , thereby reducing no 2 to n 2 . switching from the no 2 storage mode to the reducing mode is preferably controlled by the use of a no x sensor 50 positioned in the exhaust downstream of the second stage 20 , and preferably between the second stage 20 and the third stage 30 . the no x sensor 50 senses the no x content of the exhaust stream and is thereby capable of indirectly detecting engine load . the no x sensor 50 delivers an electrical signal 52 to a programmable controller 54 which conditions the electrical signal 52 and controls the operation of the hydrocarbon fuel injector 40 . thus , fuel can be controllably injected into the aftertreatment system 8 under desired engine operating conditions to enhance the performance of the lnt portion 22 of the second stage . an alternative to sensing no x is measuring exhaust gas temperature for use as an indicator of engine speed and load . no x formation in diesel engines is a function of engine temperature , generally increasing as the combustion temperature increases , and thus it can be inferred that no x formation is taking place at a high rate under high temperature engine operating conditions . at such times , supplemental diesel fuel can be injected to reduce the no x emissions . it is desirable that the fuel used for engine operation be a low sulfur fuel to prevent damage to catalysts in the system . a second embodiment of the aftertreatment system is indicated by reference numeral 108 in fig2 . in the second embodiment , the lean no x trap and carbon trap are reversed with respect to their positions in the first embodiment , but still effectively produce the same desirable reduction in both no x and particulate matter in the exhaust emission stream . as in the first embodiment , the first stage 110 includes an oxidation catalyst 114 positioned just downstream of an inlet 112 . the catalyst 114 oxidizes the no in the exhaust stream in the presence of the catalyst , to no 2 . thus , the reaction that takes place in the first stage of the second embodiment is the same as that shown in formula 1 above . in the second embodiment , the second stage 130 includes a carbon trap oxidizer 132 , such as a ceramic cordierite walliflow trap . in the carbon trap 132 , no2 in the gas stream discharged from the first stage reacts with the carbon component of the carbonaceous particulate matter in the exhaust gas stream , reducing at least a portion of the no2 to n2 and simultaneously oxidizing the carbon to form carbon dioxide ( co2 ). the amount of no2 reduced is dependent upon the amount of carbon present , and therefore , the reduction of no2 to n2 may not be 100 %. that is , the exhaust gas stream discharged from the second stage 132 usually will contain both reduced no 2 ( n 2 ) and oxidized carbon ( co 2 ) as well as some residual nitrogen dioxide ( no 2 ), as represented below by formula 4 : with continued reference to fig2 the third stage 120 includes a lean no x trap ( lnt ) 122 . the gas stream emitted from the second stage 130 , containing nitrogen , carbon dioxide and a remaining portion of nitrogen dioxide passes through the third stage 120 . the third stage lean no x trap is arranged to store the remaining portion of the nitrogen dioxide discharged from the second stage , and with the addition of a supplemental hydrocarbon fuel , reduce the stored nitrogen dioxide to nitrogen , water in a gaseous state , and carbon dioxide , and discharge a gaseous stream from the multiple stage aftertreatment system 108 that consists essentially of nitrogen , water and carbon dioxide . this reaction is represented above by formula 2 . aftertreatment system 108 has a hydrocarbon fuel injector 140 that is positioned between the second stage 130 and the third stage 120 at a position adapted to controllably inject selected amounts of hydrocarbon fuel , from a pressurized source 142 , into the gaseous stream discharged from the second stage 130 , prior to the gaseous stream being received by the third stage 120 . as described above , the lean nox trap 122 stores the remaining portion of the no2 then combines the stored no2 with supplemental hc , injected by the injector 140 to form n2 , h2o and co2 . no2 is stored in the lean no trap portion 122 of the third stage 120 when the exhaust is lean ( oxygen - rich ). as the lean no x trap portion 122 reaches its no 2 storage capacity limits , the fuel injector 140 , positioned just upstream of the lean no x trap 122 delivers supplemental hydrocarbon ( hc ) in the form of diesel fuel , thereby inducing no 2 reduction to n 2 . switching the no 2 from the storage mode to the reducing mode may be controlled , as described above , by the use of a no x sensor 150 positioned in the exhaust downstream of the third stage 120 . the no x sensor 150 senses the no x content of the exhaust stream and is thereby capable of indirectly determining engine load . the no x sensor 150 delivers an electrical signal 152 to a programmable controller 154 which conditions the electrical signal 152 and controls the operation of the hydrocarbon fuel injector 140 . thus , fuel can be controllably injected into the aftertreatment system 108 under desired engine operating conditions to enhance the performance of the lean no x trap portion 122 of the third stage 120 . the multiple stage aftertreatment devices described above combine the functions of a catalytically regenerated trap ( crt ) with a lean no x trap ( lnt ) in a single system for the reduction of both no x and pm emissions . this effectively maximizes the common features of both systems , such as a noble metal catalyst and its no 2 formation capability . the following description is directed to the integration of an emission control system consisting of a diesel engine equipped with an egr and intake throttle , and capable of post - injection , with post - combustion exhaust emission control devices . the emission control devices in the exhaust are a dpf , lnt , supplemental fuel ( reductant ) injector , and a bypass valve . the tri - stage concepts discussed above are integrated into the overall engine emission control system . two categories of control systems are discussed , each using a different dpf system . a first system uses a catalyzed soot filter ( csf ), whereas a second system uses a continuously - regenerated trap ( crt ™). the following description describes two systems : a csf - lnt system and a crt - lnt system . both systems have at least seven features that interact to facilitate control of the regeneration and / or desulfurization of the emissions components : 5 ) a bypass valve in the exhaust stream to direct flow during desulfurization fig3 illustrates the csf - lnt system 300 , which has the engine controls noted above ( i . e ., egr line 301 , egr valve 302 , egr cooler 303 , intake throttle 304 , intake venturi 305 , electronic engine controls 322 ). the exhaust system has a csf 310 , an lnt 311 , a bypass valve 313 , and a fuel injector 317 , as well as csf pressure and temperature sensors 330 and 333 , and lnt no , sensors 331 and 332 . sensor 330 monitors csf dp ( pressure drop ), and sensors 331 and 332 monitor no x levels before and after the lnt 311 . as explained below , the monitoring sensors 330 - 333 are used to determine the need for regeneration of both systems . their output signals may be delivered to engine controller 322 , which performs appropriate algorithms for implementing the regeneration and desulfurization described below , including control of various engine and exhaust devices so as to enhance conditions for regeneration and desulfurization . csf 310 may be any device that acts as a particulate filter , wherein part or all of the surface of the filter is “ catalyzed ” ( i . e ., coated with catalytically active materials ). no in the exhaust is oxidized to no2 on the catalyzed surfaces of the filter , and the no2 then oxidizes the carbon trapped on the filter . for the rate of regeneration to exceed the rate of trapping in the csf 31 1 ( i . e ., the csf can clean out any accumulated soot particles ), the temperature must generally exceed 380 ° c . if long periods of operation are performed below this temperature ( for example sustained idle or light load operation ), it may be necessary to artificially elevate the temperature of the csf 310 for a period of time to clean it . a bypass valve 313 is incorporated upstream of the csf 310 to allow a small portion of the exhaust to be routed around the csf 310 , via a bypass line 315 , and reintroduced into the exhaust upstream of the lnt 311 . a supplemental fuel injector ( sfi ) 317 is located in the exhaust between the csf 310 and lnt 311 to allow for injection of additional fuel to supplement the air - tofuel ratio of the exhaust entering the lnt 311 . all of these systems are controlled from the electronic control module ( ecm ) 322 . under normal operation , all of the engine exhaust passes first through the csf 310 and then through the lnt 311 . the csf 310 traps insoluble particulates and oxidizes volatile organic particulates . in addition , if the temperature is high enough ( over 380 ° c .) some of the no2 generated by the csf 310 removes carbon particles already trapped in the csf 310 . excess no2 from csf 310 is stored on lnt 311 . the exhaust enters the lnt 311 , where any remaining no is oxidized to no2 . the no2 then adsorbs on the surface of the lnt . when the csf 310 differential pressure indicates that regeneration is needed , and the temperature of the csf 310 is not at the required level , the exhaust temperature is increased using control strategies programmed into the ecm 322 . this may be done using intake throttle 304 , increased egr rate , or in - cylinder post - combustion fuel injection while the exhaust valves are open ( referred to as post - injection ). intake throttling or increased egr rate increases the exhaust gas temperature from the engine 320 . post - injection increases the csf temperature by using the exothermic heat generated by the oxidation of the post - injected fuel . these methods may be used separately or in combination , and may be optimized to produce the highest temperature for the smallest amount of performance and fuel penalty . when no x monitors at the inlet and outlet of the lnt 311 indicate that no x reduction across the lnt 311 has fallen below acceptable levels , regeneration and / or desulfurization will be needed . lnt regeneration requires temperatures above 250 ° c . and a stoichiometric or slightly rich exhaust gas air - to - fuel ratio . if temperature is not sufficient for regeneration , it may be increased using any or a combination of the methods described above for increasing the csf temperature . to generate the rich exhaust gas air - to - fuel ratio , a variety of methods may be used . intake throttling and increased egr will generate higher co levels in the exhaust . the bypass valve 313 may be used to pass a portion of this co laden exhaust around the csf 310 ( which would otherwise oxidize and remove the co ), thus moving the exhaust closer to a rich condition upstream of the lnt 311 . post - injection could also be used to add more fuel into the exhaust , again in conjunction with the bypass valve 313 . some of the post - injected fuel may also make it through the csf ( or be partially oxidized to generate co by the csf ) depending on exhaust gas temperature and flow rate . finally , fuel injector 317 may be used to inject additional fuel into the exhaust upstream of the lnt 311 to ensure the rich exhaust conditions needed for regeneration . any combination of these may be used , and the regeneration strategy may be optimized to achieve the fastest and most complete regeneration for the least amount of fuel economy and performance penalty . if , after a period of regeneration , the no x sensors indicate that no x reduction across the lnt 311 has still not returned to acceptable levels , then a need for desulfurization is indicated . desulfurization requires temperatures between 400 ° c . and 600 ° c ., with higher temperatures requiring a shorter period of time to complete desulfurization . this increased temperature may be accomplished by any or a combination of the means described above for the csf 310 . in addition , the bypass valve 313 may be used to pass some of the hot exhaust around the csf 310 and into the lnt 311 in order to prevent some of the heat from being lost to the csf . finally , the fuel injector 317 may be used to generate heat in the lnt 311 by using the exothermic heat caused by oxidation of the injected fuel over the lnt itself . any combination of these may be used , and the desulfurization strategy may be optimized to achieve the fastest and most complete desulfurization for the least amount of fuel economy and performance penalty . desulfurization may be halted periodically to check if no x reduction has returned to acceptable levels , and can be resumed if the check indicates more desulfurization is needed . if desulfurization is unsuccessful after several attempts , a problem with the lnt 311 could be indicated . balancing the above - described regeneration and desulfurization requirements calls for an integrated control strategy . areas where several requirements overlap can be exploited to accomplish these tasks simultaneously ( e . g ., temperature increase episode for csf regeneration can also be used for lnt regeneration and / or desulfurization ) to reduce the overall fuel economy and performance penalties associated with such operation . in addition , episodes where exhaust temperatures and flow rates are ideal for regeneration can be exploited by using any of these techniques ( e . g ., post - injection during deceleration events , to allow a brief period of regeneration without affecting driveability ). fig4 illustrates another embodiment of an integrated system , a crttm - lnt system 400 , which has then engine 420 and engine controls noted above ( i . e ., egr line 401 , egr valve 402 , egr cooler 403 , intake throttle intake venturi 405 , electronic engine controls 422 ). as explained above crt 410 is an alternative to the csf of system 300 , and both devices have a lnt . the configuration of the system 400 is such that the bypass control valve 413 is placed upstream of the oxidation catalyst ( oc ) 410 a and is configured so as to bypass the oc 410 a . the next emissions component in the exhaust flow is the dpf 410 b , followed by the lnt 411 . together the oc 410 a and dpf 410 b make up the crttm 410 . crt 410 may be any device that converts no to no2 in a first step , followed by a wallflow dpf where carbonaceous particulate is accumulated . lnt 411 may be any device that has an oxidation catalyst to oxidize nitric oxide ( no ) to nitrogen dioxide ( no2 ), a followed by an no2 trap ( usually a base - metal oxide ) wherein no2 is adsorbed on the surface . temperature and pressure sensors 430 and 433 are placed at the dpf 410 b to determine the need for dpf regeneration , and no x sensors 431 and 432 are used to determine the need for regeneration and desulfurization of the lnt 411 . regeneration and desulfurization conditions are determined in a manner similar to the methods described above in connection with system 300 . the lnt 411 is periodically regenerated under conditions of sufficient temperature and stoichiometric ( or slightly rich ) exhaust air - to - fuel ratio . in addition to regeneration , the lnt 411 is “ desulfurized ” periodically . this is necessary because sulfur ( in the form of sulfur trioxide ) adsorbs in the surface of the lnt 411 , blocking the sites used to trap no 2 and thus reducing the efficiency of the lnt . desulfurization requires high temperature ( 400 ° c . to 600 ° c .) for a sustained period of time ( often several minutes - much more time than required for regeneration ), and stoichiometric or slightly rich air - to - fuel ratio conditions . referring to fig4 system 400 operates in the following manner . the oc 410 a converts no x to no 2 in the exhaust stream . the exhaust then flows through the dpf 410 b , where pm in the exhaust is trapped and the carbon is reacted with no 2 to form elemental nitrogen and carbon dioxide ( co 2 ). excess no 2 emitted from the dpf 410 b is stored on the lnt . 411 , until the lnt is regenerated . to integrate the crttm - lnt system 400 , software logic is added to the engine controller 422 to monitor the system status and to control the regeneration / desulfurization of the emissions systems as needed . for the lnt 411 , nox sensors 431 and 432 are monitored and their locations strategically determined , to develop a strategy for indicating when regeneration of the lnt 411 is required . an additional strategy monitors regeneration frequency and deciphers whether a regeneration or desulfurization is required . once the condition for regeneration / desulfurization is met , an engine control strategy is used to create a rich condition , with adequate carbon monoxide ( co ) to initiate regeneration in the nox trap . to achieve this goal , intake throttling ( to increase the vacuum across the venturi 405 , resulting in increased egr ) may be used to create a richer in - cylinder air - to - fuel ratio ( increasing co in the exhaust ), the bypass valve 413 may be partially activated to prevent the consumption of the excess co across the oc 410 a , and in - exhaust ( or in - cylinder post combustion ) supplemental fuel injection ( sfi ) 417 will be used to further raise co and to increase the exhaust temperature to regenerate the lnt 411 . additional logic may be programmed into the controller 422 to verify that the duration of regeneration / desulfurization event was adequate to achieve complete regeneration . co emitted during dpf regeneration will also help regenerate the lnt 411 . the control logic also monitors and controls the regeneration of the dpf 411 . for the dpf 411 , filter pressure drop ( dp ) and inlet exhaust temperature are monitored with pressure and temperature sensors 430 and 433 . a strategy is developed to determine when regeneration is necessary . ideally , the regeneration strategy achieves continuous regeneration through engine management , and avoids cyclic regeneration . the strategy for continuous dpf regeneration involves identifying the balance point temperature ( bpt ) ( the temperature at which the rate of soot accumulation is equal to the rate of regeneration ), predicting in real - time whether the dpf is at or below the bpt , and continuously adjusting in - cylinder , post combustion fuel injection characteristics in an attempt to maintain bpt . other aspects , features and advantages of the present invention can be obtained from a study of this disclosure together with the appended claims . | 8 |
fig1 and 2 show in perspective the two ways of configuring the parts of the present invention . in fig1 a free - standing stool is shown , and in fig2 a folding stool which has a supporting member attached to a step or the lowest shelf of a cabinet . the free - standing stool of fig1 as also seen in fig3 , 5 and 9a comprises two essential parts . as best seen in fig3 and 9a , a platform member 10 is supported by an interlocking supporting member 20 , by means of four 1 / 4 inch machine screws 31 , 32 , 33 and 34 . the fastening means could of course be any similar means such as bolts , or could comprise instead two long fasteners extending through the platform member 10 . screw 31 is inserted through hole 11 in platform member 10 and hole 21 in supporting member 20 , screw 32 through holes 12 and 24 , and similarly on the other side , not shown . as best seen in fig8 a , 9b and 9c , supporting member 21 is provided with recesses 25 , 26 and 27 to permit interlocking and enable it to be fastened to a shelf by screws . the folding stool configuration shown in fig2 is shown in more detail in fig6 , 8 and 9c . in this configuration the supporting member 20 has been inverted with respect to platform member 10 , and rotated through ninety degrees . it has been fastened to a shelf 40 , and then screwed to platform member 10 through hole 12 and the corresponding hole on the other side . fig6 and 7 illustrate two versions of this configuration , differing only by the choice of which of holes 21 , 22 , 23 or 24 on supporting member 20 is selected for assembly to platform member 10 . this choice will be determined by the height of shelf 40 from the floor . this reconfiguration is best seen in fig9 a through 9c . the conversion to a folding stool is easily effected by removing the four screws 31 through 34 and separating the members as shown in fig9 a . the supporting member 20 is inverted and its desired position on the base counter shelf marked with a pencil through holes in its outer wall . these holes may be provided in the supporting member at manufacture , but it is preferred to mold indents into the member , which indents are used to located holes drilled just before installation . generally a clearance of 1 / 2 inch between the edge of shelf 40 suffices to permit closing of the cabinet door , but this will be adapted according to the cabinet itself in an obvious manner . when supporting member 20 is screwed to shelf 40 , the one of holes 21 , 22 , 23 or 24 is chosen which best levels platform member 10 with the floor . it has been found that holes about 1 / 2 inch apart will suffice for adequate leveling in the preferred embodiment . each side is fastened with one screw , tightened enough to hold securely but just loose enough to permit pivoting of the members 10 and 20 with respect to each other . fig8 shows the step stool in the closed position . in the preferred embodiment , the members are blowmolded plastic with an average wall thickness of 0 . 08 &# 34 ; to 0 . 10 &# 34 ;. the height of the platform member , which is slightly domed on top for strength , is 8 . 7 inches from the floor . a 3 3 / 4 inch space between the legs on each member provides a convenient handle area for easy lifting of the stool , or pivoting of the platform member when in the second configuration . a rubber foot is securely screwed to the bottom of each leg to help prevent slipping when the stool is in the free - standing form . as seen best in fig6 , 8 and 9b , recesses are provided for easy clearance during the marking , drilling and mounting operations . in the preferred embodiment , screw holes 21 through 24 , and their counterparts on the other side of the supporting member , are contained in a separate insertable molded plastic member provided with an integral plastic flap or &# 34 ; living hinge &# 34 ; for best appearance . the principal use for the folding step stool will be as described , for supporting a child at a convenient height from the floor in front of a base cabinet . it will of course be recognized , however , that the same kind of arrangement will suffice to hold any object away from a first horizontal surface , where there is a second surface present to which the supporting member may be fastened . the essential point of the invention is its re - configurability between the free - standing and the fastened down , but folding , forms of the stool . the invention has been described in detail with particular emphasis on the preferred embodiments thereof , but it should be understood that variations and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention may occur to those skilled in the art to which the invention pertains . | 0 |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.